New exit permit law takes effect - Gulf Times

Great news, says ILOThe International Labour Organisation (ILO) Project Off ice for Qatar yester-day welcomed the implementation of the new law on exit permits. “Great news! As of today, exit visas no longer needed for the majority of workers in Qatar,” it tweeted.“As of October 28, the majority of

workers covered by the labour code in Qatar will no longer require an exit permit. This will have a direct and positive impact on the lives of migrant workers in Qatar,” Houtan Homayounpour, head of the ILO Project Office, said in a video mes-sage on Twitter.

GULF TIMES

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QATAR

since 1978

MONDAY Vol. XXXIX No. 10986

October 29, 2018Safar 20, 1440 AH www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Barwa Real Estate posts net profi t of QR1.08bn

BUSINESS | SPORT | Page 1

Air force exercise

ReutersPrague

US Defence Secretary Jim Mat-tis said yesterday that he had met Saudi Arabia’s foreign

minister and called for a transparent investigation into the killing of jour-nalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Washington Post columnist Khashoggi’s murder has escalated into a crisis for the world’s top oil exporter as Saudi Arabia’s allies have reacted with outrage.

Mattis said he met Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir during a conference in Bahrain on Saturday and discussed the killing.

“We discussed it. You know the same thing we talked about, the need for transparency, full and com-plete investigation,” Mattis told a small group of reporters travelling to Prague with him.

“(There was) full agreement from foreign minister Jubeir, no reserva-

tions at all, he said we need to know what happened and it was very col-laborative, in agreement,” Mattis added.

US President Donald Trump has said he wants to get to the bottom of the case.

Speaking alongside the Czech prime minister later yesterday, Mat-tis was asked how an investigation would be able to determine wheth-er Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman had any involvement in the killing.

“Turkey, with the evidence that they have compiled, will ensure that there is more than one review of what is going on here and I’m certain the investigation will include the evidence that Turkey has put for-ward so far,” Mattis said in the press conference.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that Turkish investigators looking into Khashoggi’s killing will present Saudi Arabia’s top prosecutor with a 150-page dossier and request an-

other joint search at the residence of the kingdom’s consul-general in Is-tanbul, citing a Turkish source.

Saudi prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb will meet Irfan Fidan, the Istanbul chief public prosecutor, today to dis-cuss the latest fi ndings in the case.

Al Jazeera also mentioned a report in Britain’s Sunday Express news-paper, which said the UK was made aware of a plot to kidnap Khashoggi and take him back to Saudi Arabia, three weeks before he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and was killed.

An intelligence source told the Sunday Express: “We were initially made aware that something was going in the fi rst week of Septem-ber, around three weeks before Mr Khashoggi walked into the consulate on October 2.”

Also, police sources have told Turkish media that the Saudi con-sul station chief in Istanbul went to a forest north of the city, a day before Khashoggi’s killing.

In brief

QATAR | Diplomacy

Amir to meet Nepal president tomorrowHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will meet Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari tomorrow. President Bhandari will arrive in Doha today on an off icial visit to Qatar. The Amir will hold talks with the Nepalese president at the Amiri Diwan. The talks will cover bilateral relations and means of boosting them, in addition to a number of regional and international issues of common interest.

QATAR | Offi cial

Amir congratulates Czech presidentHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday sent cables of congratulations to Czech President Milos Zeman on his country’s Independence Day anniversary. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani also sent a similar cable to Prime Minister Andrzej Papis.

QATAR | Reaction

Qatar strongly condemns shooting in PittsburghQatar has expressed its strong condemnation of the shooting incident that took place in the US city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, causing deaths and injuries. In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs reiterated Qatar’s firm stance rejecting violence and terrorism regardless of their motives and reasons.

QATAR | Education

Schools not aff ectedby weather: ministryEducational institutions in Qatar functioned normally yesterday without being aff ected by the prevailing weather condition, and students took their mid-term exams without any delay, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education said. The ministry added that it is closely monitoring the weather condition and the state of the school buildings. Page 2

The Qatar Amiri Air Force Helicopter Wing 3, squadron 20 and 21, has carried out the ‘Tawafan’ exercise (5) with the participation of a vessel from the Qatar Amiri Naval Force and personnel from the joint special forces group. The exercise was aimed at conducting search-and-rescue tasks and included rope operations, air reconnaissance, medical evacuation, protection of marine facilities, and detection and prevention of piracy-related activities, etc. Page 3

Qatar book semi-fi nal spot at FIFA U-20 WC

Mattis calls for transparentprobe in Khashoggi killing

Milipol Qatar gets underway todayA number of international exhibi-

tors, especially those working in the areas of homeland secu-

rity and civil defence, will demonstrate their services, products and capabili-ties at the 12th Milipol Qatar Exhibition starting at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre today.

The three-day event, held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, will be inaugurated by HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.

While giving details of the event yes-terday at a press conference, Milipol Qatar Committee president Major General Nasser bin Fahad al-Thani said this year’s expo has attracted several leading industry players, who are spe-cialising in latest innovations in safety and security.

The exhibition will set the agenda for internal security and public safety with specialists introducing new products and solutions, covering a range of in-dustries.

Milipol Events IT & Security Busi-ness Unit director Michael Weather-seed, Milipol Qatar Committee offi cials Saud Rashid al-Shafi and Lt Col Nasser al-Othaibi were also present at the press conference.

As many as 219 exhibitors from 24 countries have confirmed their par-ticipation. Defence specialists from Qatar, France, the UK, the US, China, Turkey, Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Spain, Morocco, Greece,

India, Latvia, Morocco, Russia, Slov-enia and Switzerland will exhibit their products and services in such areas as public security, defence solutions, equipment, telecom security and technologies, firefighting, radiation detection, emergency equipment, law enforcement products, communica-tions software and airports security systems among others.

Organised by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) of Qatar and the French-based

Comexposium Security, the expo will include fi ve country pavilions – includ-ing the UK, Germany, Italy, France and North America with 90 exhibitors from Qatar– with a 30% space bigger than the previous edition.

Such topics as cyber security and cyber threats, civil defence and large events’ security management will be deliberated at the sessions as part of the event.

On the eve of the expo, Major Gen-eral Nasser bin Fahad al-Thani said: “Milipol Qatar 2018 is going to be big-ger and better than ever before. Its magnitude can be gauged by the in-fl uential country pavilions, powerful speaker line-up and the introduction of one of its kind Live Demonstration Lab. We are happy at the higher number of registrations and the expo is sure to garner a greater visitor turnout.”

While replying to a query from Gulf Times, he said a number of agreements are expected to be signed between Qa-tar and participating countries, espe-cially on the second and third days of the event. Page 2

Major General Nasser bin Fahad al-Thani (second from left) addressing a press conference yesterday as Michael Weatherseed, Saud Rashid al-Shafi and Lt Col Nasser al-Othaibi look on. PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam

Russians favoured for team gymnastics titleBy Sports ReporterDoha

Devoid of a world or Olympic team medal since 2006, the Russian men’s team may sta-

tistically appear to be just creeping back up the global rankings.

Based on their impressive quali-fi cations performance, however, the Russians — who were fi fth at the 2014 Worlds, fourth at the 2015 Worlds and second at the 2016 Rio Olym-pics Games — enter today’s team fi -nal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha at the top of the heap.

Nikita Nagornyy led the Russian gymnasts in qualifi cations, where they outscored defending world and Olympic bronze medallist China, who qualifi ed second to the fi nal, and defending world and Olympic cham-pion Japan, who qualifi ed third.

The United States, Great Britain,

Brazil, Netherlands, and Switzerland also advanced to the team fi nal, while It is the fi rst world team fi nal for the Dutch men’s team.

Acknowledging the Russian supe-riority in qualifi cations, British gym-nast Brinn Bevan also regarded them as gold-medal favourites.

“The Russians did an absolutely amazing job, and if they put in a per-formance like that in the team fi nal, it’s going to be very, very hard to beat them,” Bevan said.

The Russians clinched 10 spots in the apparatus finals, giving them the most chances for medals. Russia was the only nation to qualify gym-nasts to all six apparatus finals, and qualified two gymnasts each to the finals on Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Vault, and Parallel Bars, and one each on Still Rings and Hori-zontal Bar. China and the United States earned five berths to appara-tus finals, while Japan earned only four. Sport Page 8

New exit permit law takes eff ectA new law that allows expatriate

workers covered under the La-bour Law to leave the country

without an exit permit came into eff ect yesterday.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had is-sued in September Law No 13 of 2018, amending certain provisions of Law No 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates.

As per the amendment, Article 7 of Law No 21 of 2015 has been replaced with a provision which stipulates that an expatriate worker covered under La-bour Law No 14 for 2004 has the right to temporarily exit the country, or for good, at any time throughout the du-ration of his/her employment contract without an exit permit.

QNA reported that the Ministry of Interior (MoI) yesterday started ap-plying the amendment to Article No 7 “concerning the cancellation of the travel permit notice of Law No 21 of 2015 regarding the entry and exit of ex-patriates and their residence”.

Airport Passports Department director Col Mohamed Rashid al-Mazroui con-fi rmed that the MoI, in the framework of facilitating procedures and travel through the country’s ports, started applying the amended law from early yesterday.

He said these measures came in im-plementation and application of the re-cent amendments to Law No 21 of 2015, stipulating that expatriates working under the said Labour Law shall have the right to leave the country tempo-rarily or for good during the validity of the employment contract.

An employer has the right to submit in

advance to the Ministry of Administra-tive Development, Labour and Social Af-fairs (MADLSA) a list of employees that he deems necessary to obtain his pre-approval before leaving the country due to the nature of their work. The percent-age of such workers shall not exceed 5% of the total number of employees.

He noted that entry and exit move-ments through Hamad International Airport (HIA) was proceeding normally with all the facilities provided to en-sure smooth movement at passport counters and through the electronic gates at HIA - where the department has introduced amendments to the system of exit for residents working in companies in the country.

The offi cial said the new amendments to the law enable workers to leave with-out obtaining a travel permit, except in case the worker is wanted by judicial or security authorities. He urged all pas-sengers to arrive at the airport for de-parture with suffi cient time in hand to fi nalise airline and passport procedures.

In a post on Twitter, the MoI said “expatriate workers who are unable to leave the country for any reason can approach the Expatriate Exit Grievance Committee, which will look into the complaint and take a decision within three working days”.

On its part, the MADLSA tweeted that “Law No 13 of 2018 was enforced today (Sunday). It cancels exit permits for private sector employees. Exit pro-cedures went across all country’s ports smoothly & naturally”.

Procedures going on smoothly at HIA

Diplomats hail move: Page 3

QATAR

Gulf Times Monday, October 29, 20182

Deputy PM receives message from Iranian FM

Qatar-Turkeybilateral tiesreviewed

Foreign Ministry off icial meets Gambia’s envoy

Sweden’s king receives envoy’s credentials

Qatar attends meetings of Union of Arab Chambers

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has received a written message from Iranian Minister of Foreign Aff airs Mohamed Javad Zarif, pertaining to the bilateral relations and ways of enhancing them.The message was received by HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi during his meeting with the Iranian ambassador to Qatar Mohamed Ali Sobhani yesterday.

HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi met the Turkish ambassador to Qatar Fikret Ozer in Doha yesterday. The meeting discussed the bilateral relations and ways of promoting them, as well as issues of mutual concern.

HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi met the ambassador of Gambia to Qatar Foday Mulang, in Doha yesterday. They discussed bilateral relations and ways of developing them, as well as issues of mutual concern.

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf has received the credentials of Sheikha Moza bint Nasser al-Thani as ambassador of Qatar to Sweden, in Stockholm.The ambassador conveyed the greetings of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to the king of Sweden, and his wishes of good health and happiness to him and to the government and people of Sweden further progress and prosperity. King Carl XVI Gustaf reciprocated the Amir’s greetings.

Qatar took part in the meetings of the 128th session of the Council of the Union of Arab Chambers, which were held in Cairo to discuss several issues that promote the Arab co-operation in the commercial and economic fields. HE the Chairman of Qatar Chamber Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani said that the meetings discussed important topics, including the Arab Electronic Market and the organisation of a forum for the Arab private sector in preparation for the Arab Economic Summit scheduled to be held in Beirut in January.

OFFICIAL

India’s Minister for External Aff airs Sushma Swaraj arrived in Doha yesterday on an off icial visit to Qatar. She was received at Doha International Airport by HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs, Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi, chief of protocol Ibrahim Yousif Fakhro, Indian ambassador P Kumaran and Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker.

Indian external affairs minister arrives

Educational institutions not aff ected by weather

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education said that educational in-

stitutions functioned normally yesterday without being aff ected by the prevailing weather con-dition, and that students took their mid-term exams without any delay.

The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the weather condition and the state of the school buildings, in constant co-ordination with school ad-

ministrations and the authori-ties concerned, such as Qatar Meteorology Department, Ash-ghal and Qatar General Electric-ity and Water Corporation (Kah-ramaa).

Director of School Affairs Department, Khalifa Saad al-Derham, stressed that the se-curity and safety of students is of top priority. He pointed out that heads of various depart-ments of the ministry are con-stantly co-ordinating with the undersecretary of the ministry while monitoring the weather condition, and it was decided that the prevailing weather

yesterday did not necessitate disruption of study, especially since students are taking mid-term exams.

Al-Derham noted that some parents had called the Ministry of Education and Higher Edu-cation, urging it not to disrupt the conduct of tests. He stressed that the ministry puts the stu-dents’ security and safety above

all considerations, and takes de-cisions based on accurate infor-mation.

Meanwhile, Student Assess-ment Director at the ministry, Fahad al-Naama, said that there were no reports of any delay in the conduct of the mid-term tests which started yesterday, adding that the process went off well in all schools.

For his part, the Director of the Public Services Department, Khalid al-Hajri, said that the ministry has formed a crisis and disaster management committee headed by the undersecretary. The committee continuously

monitors and assesses the situa-tion in schools based on weather reports and the impact of rain on school buildings.

Director of Public Relations and Communication at the ministry, Hassan Abdullah al-Mohammadi, called for desist-ing from rumour-mongering and spreading incorrect news with regard to the rainy season and bad weather, noting that the ministry is monitoring all the observations and inquir-ies on social networking sites, as well as on the hotline 155 “Ya Aunak”, and the e-mail infoedu.gov.qa

Mid-term examinations conducted without delay

Education ministry constantly monitoring situationQNADoha

Ministry puts the students’ security and safety above all considerations, and takes decisions based on accurate information

Doha conference to tackle key global challenges

The 13th Enriching the Middle East’s Economic Future Conference 2018

will kick off in Doha tomorrow with a wide local and foreign participation.

The two-day event is organ-ised by the Permanent Commit-tee for Organising Conferences at the Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs, in co-operation with the Centre for Middle East Develop-ment (CMED) of the University of California-Los Angeles.

As every year, the Enrich-ing Middle East Economic Fu-ture Conference will off er a wide ranging overview of the hot is-sues in the region and around the world, bringing together eminent economists, experts, researchers, academics, businessmen and de-cision-makers from all over the world to express their views and exchange ideas and insights on the future prospects of the Mid-dle East and the Mediterranean region in the economic fi eld.

QNADoha

Qatar will continue to be‘key supporter of Somalia’

Qatar has stressed that it will continue to be a key supporter of Somalia and

will spare no eff ort in providing the necessary assistance to the country, noting that it has pro-vided aid to the Somali federal government in several areas.

This came in a statement de-livered by HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs Sul-tan bin Saad al-Muraikhi at the Ministerial meeting of the Or-ganisation of Islamic Co-oper-ation (OIC) Contact Group on Somalia, held in Mogadishu.

HE al-Muraikhi said that Qatar has supported the development of security capacities, economic empowerment, and job creation programmes for young people in Somalia and the trust fund for peace and reconciliation. He added that Qatar has implement-ed development projects includ-ing schools, hospitals, clinics, homes for the poor and income-generating projects.

He pointed out that Qatar Red Crescent Society and Qatar Charity have provided humani-tarian aid and carried out devel-

opment projects worth $200mn, including the construction and rehabilitation of government buildings and roads connecting the capital Mogadishu to the cit-ies of Jowhar and Afgooye.

HE al-Muraikhi reiterated Qa-tar’s continued support for the government of Somalia and the Somali people to realise their hopes and aspirations to build their nation, ensure a prosper-ous future for next generations, and preserve Somalia’s unity and sovereignty.

He stressed the importance of this ministerial meeting, point-ing out that the participation of Qatar comes within the frame-work of its fi rm commitment to support Somalia in co-operation with international and regional organisations.

HE al-Muraikhi said that the Ministerial Contact Group re-fl ects the commitment of mem-ber-states to support Somalia, in line with the outcome of the Final Communique of the Is-lamic Summit Conference held in Istanbul in April 2016, and in accordance with the decisions of the Council of Foreign Min-isters, the last of which was the resolution adopted at the session in Dhaka in May 2018 to call on

the Contact Group to convene a meeting under the chairmanship of Qatar in Mogadishu to assess the progress made by the Somali people and government.

Al-Muraikhi said that Somalia had made notable progress in se-curity, as well as in political, ad-ministrative, and humanitarian development. He stressed that Somalia must hold onto those gains to overcome the other crit-ical challenges facing the coun-try, such as terrorism and violent extremism.

He added that despite the progress made in facing extrem-ists groups, terrorist attacks continue to take place at a high rate. Al-Muraikhi referred to the attack that took place earlier this month reiterating the condem-nation of such criminal acts. He noted that such attacks aim to undermine stability and national unity, and called for intensifying eff orts to eliminate them.

He said that the diffi cult hu-manitarian condition in Somalia is another great challenge faced by the country. Al-Muraikhi not-ed that millions of Somalis were in need of aid, especially as natu-ral disasters, like the fl oods in the south of the country in May, take their toll on the people.

QNAMogadishu

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi with other delegates at the Ministerial meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Somalia, in Mogadishu.

‘Milipol an opportunity for French to strengthen co-operation with Qatar’

The French government is looking at this year’s Milipol Exhibition, which

begins today at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, as an opportunity to strengthen its ongoing co-operation with Qa-tar in such areas as homeland security and civil defence.

Speaking to Gulf Times, French ambassador Franck Gel-let said the more than two dec-ades of continuous co-operation between France and Qatar in the areas of internal security and civil defence has been fruitful all along and mutually benefi cial.

“This is the 12th edition of the annual event, that is taking place alternatively in Paris and in Doha and there have been growing lev-els of co-operation between the two countries,” said the envoy

while expressing happiness at the growing participation of compa-nies from 29 countries across the world in the Milipol expo.

“France will be the second country after Qatar for the number of exhibiting fi rms catering to dif-ferent areas of internal security,” said the ambassador. There would be additional focus this year on security for major sport events, particularly the FIFA 2022 World Cup, to be held in Doha.

The French government will be represented at the inaugu-

ration ceremony today by the Minister of State for the Inte-rior, Laurent Nunez.

“The 3-day expo and the meetings to be held on its side-lines would deal with such areas as security solutions for mega sport events and their organis-ing,’’ said Gellet.

The ambassador informed that the French security agen-cies are familiar with the re-quirements of Qatar residents as they had associated with the local security authorities during the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.

“Of course, the security re-quirements are growing as each day passes and hence there has been a massive growth in the requirements for the FIFA 2022 World Cup,” he said.

Gellet said the internal secu-rity agencies in France and their counterparts in Qatar (including Lekhwiya) have been working together for many years and both

are sharing their experiences and expertise to each other on a host of issues. The ambassador also highlighted the association of French experts during the World Handball Championship in Qatar (2015) and later at the W o r l d Cycling.

The envoy hoped such expe-riences in security as those ex-pected to be received during the FIFA 2022 World Cup and others acquired during the World Hand-ball Championship should come in handy for the French authori-ties while making bids to host sport extravaganzas in future, in-cluding the Olympic Games to be held in Paris in 2024.

The ambassador also recalled that Qatari offi cials, from Le-khwiya, the Supreme Commit-tee for Delivery & Legacy, and Civil Defence, attended a major policing meeting held recently in Lyons and witnessed the ‘mock terrorist attacks’.

By Ramesh MathewStaff Reporter

French ambassador Franck Gellet

700,000 cu m of rainwater removed;light rain and strong winds forecast

Rainwater removed by drainage network pump stations since Saturday

amounted to 700,000 cubic metres, equivalent to 280 Ol-ympic-size swimming pools, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said in a tweet yes-terday evening.

After Saturday’s spell of heavy showers, Qatar received light to moderate rain yesterday and some rain and strong winds are expected today as well.

In an earlier post on Twitter yesterday, Ashghal said it had withdrawn more than 3mn gal-lons of rainwater from Saturday until yesterday morning. The

authority is keen to respond to reports pertaining to the with-drawal of accumulated rain-water as soon as possible, in co-ordination with the entities concerned, round the clock, it stressed.

Also, Ashghal informed that it had received about 340 re-ports of rainwater accumula-tion, 320 of which had been responded to. The call centre receives reports and inquiries on 188.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment said it had prepared contingen-cy plans to deal with any situa-tion arising from heavy showers

in the country.Meanwhile, the Qatar Met

department yesterday tweeted that the chances of scattered rain would continue today, which might be accompanied by strong winds at times in some areas during the noon and evening.

The detailed forecast said the rain may turn thundery at times in both inshore and off shore ar-eas, with the latter also likely to experience high seas.

The wind speed may go up to 36 knots off shore and 30 knots inshore during thundershow-ers, and the sea level may rise to 12ft.

QATAR3


Diplomats hail new law on exit permitThe new legislation on exit permits –

Law No 13 of 2018, amending certain provisions of Law No 21 of 2015 regu-

lating the entry, exit and residency of expa-triates - came into eff ect yesterday, drawing praise from various quarters. Here are some of the reactions from diplomats in Qatar, representing diff erent countries:

Austria, acting as the local EU presi-dency in agreement with the EU member states present in Qatar and the delega-tion of the European Union accredited to Qatar. The message was conveyed by Willy Kempel, Austrian ambassador, in his capacity as the current local EU chair in Qatar: “The enforcement of Law No 13 by

Qatar, ending the exit visa require-ments for migrant workers covered by the Labour Code marks a positive step for the promo-tion and protection of the rights of ex-patriate workers in Qatar. It is a clear sign of commitment by the Government of Qatar to improve

the situation of migrant workers. The Euro-pean Union is ready to support Qatar on these and future reforms.”

Carlos Hernandez, Argentinian ambassador: “In my opinion, the im-plementation of Qa-tar’s new exit permit law is a very positive step towards meet-ing international regulations in work relations.

“It shows a clear understanding, by the Qatari authorities, of the situation and no doubt this new meas-ure will support and facilitate the workforce market in Qatar.”

“In the particular case of my country, I feel

pretty sure our citizens will now take a look to the employment opportunities in Qatar and will try to settle down, if possible, with their families for long periods - avoiding the usual situation of one person working here while the family continuously living in their own country.”

“It was a long-expected decision, wished for by expatriates and residents.”

“Qatar once again shows its goodwill in sub-jects related to labour. We feel happy about that.”

Pasquale Salzano, Italian ambassador: “The promulgation of Law No 13 by His Highness the Amir represents a strong achieve-ment in the proc-ess led by the Qatari authorities to im-plement an ambi-tious labour reform agenda in terms of the protection of migrant workers and their rights.

“This legislation will benefi t the majority of expats by positively impacting their lives and contributing to create the proper conditions to attract to Qatar more skilled and experienced migrant workers in a local labour market more competitive and dy-namic.”

Alan L Timbayan, Philippine ambassador: “The embassy wishes to note that as a labour-sending country, the Philippines wel-comes this develop-ment. Qatar’s move towards reforming its kafala system will not only allow mobility and freer movement of people but also address concerns on travel restrictions.

“This important reform by Qatar is a testa-ment to its sincere commitment to better the lot of expatriate workers in Qatar. The Philip-pines stands ready to co-operate with Qatar on this and other reforms on the labour front,

which will stand to benefi t our expatriates. Ewa Polano, Swedish ambassador:

“The new law, on ending the need for exit permits, com-ing into force is fur-ther strong proof of the strong eff orts of the Qatari govern-ment. It is certainly impressive to follow Qatar’s high ambi-tions in all areas un-der Qatar National Vision 2030. This counts now also very much for the Qatar government’s ambitious agenda on labour reform.”

Chang-mo Kim, South Korean ambassador: “I think it’s a nice move, in the right direction from a hu-man rights aspect. I hope with this and the introduction of permanent residen-cy, changes in Qatar could lead to broader changes in the whole Middle East in terms of expatriates’ working conditions.”

Nguyen Dinh Thao, ambassador of Vietnam: Cancel-ling the need for the exit permit is a positive step taken by the Government of Qatar, which would further en-hance its eff orts to protect the rights of foreign workers. We appreciate the gov-ernment’s desire to promote the welfare of its foreign workforce, including Vietnamese workers, and believe that Qatar is determined to give workers the best possible working conditions - setting an example to be followed across the region.

-As told to Joey Aguilar, Peter Alagos and Ayman Adly

MoPH highlights importance of fl u vaccination for children

Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), along with Primary Health

Care Corporation (PHCC) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), is encouraging parents to ensure their young ones are vaccinated against fl u as infl u-enza can cause serious com-plications, especially in those aged between six months and fi ve years.

“The fl u virus can cause se-rious complications even in healthy children,” said Dr Hamad Eid al-Romaihi, manager, Health Protection and Communicable Diseases at MoPH, according to a statement issued yester-day. “Being immunised reduces the risk of a child being hospi-talised due to fl u. It is strongly recommended that children aged between six months and fi ve years are immunised against the fl u every year.”

“The fl u virus is common and easy to catch. It can spread through the air by cough-

ing and sneezing as well as by hands, cups and other objects that have been in contact with an infected person’s mouth or nose,” he explained.

Dr al-Romaihi added that each year’s fl u vaccine is diff er-ent and that it is very safe for children, explaining that the most common side eff ects are a mild fever, a sore arm and rash. “Every year, fl u experts predict which viruses are going to be circulating and adjust which strains are included in the vaccine,” he said.

“Two new components have been added to this year’s vac-cine and it is very safe and suitable for every age. Flu im-munisation off ers the best protection for all children as it strengthens their abil-ity to fi ght the fl u,” added Dr al-Romaihi.

Dr Khalid Hamid Elawad, Health Protection manager at PHCC, explained that the fl u shot is especially important for

children with long-term health conditions such as neurologi-cal and neurodevelopmental conditions (including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy), chronic lung disease (asthma), endocrine disorders (such as diabetes), and blood, kidney, liver and metabolic dis-orders, as well as for children with extreme obesity.

“This is because these chil-dren are more likely to develop complications from the fl u, such as chest infections and other serious complication. If your child does have a long-term condition, make sure they have their fl u immunisation every year before the winter starts,” stated Dr Elawad.

Children less than six months are not recommended to receive the fl u shot - the most eff ective way to pro-tect those too young to be vaccinated is by vaccinating mothers during pregnancy.

The Qatar Amiri Air Force Helicopter Wing 3, squadron 20 and 21, has carried out the ‘Tawafan’ exercise (5) with the participation of a vessel from the Qatar Amiri Naval Force and personnel from the joint special forces group. The exercise was aimed at conducting search-and-rescue tasks and included rope operations, air reconnaissance, medical evacuation, protection of marine facilities, and detection and prevention of piracy-related activities, etc.

‘Tawafan’ exercise

QATAR


WCM-Q research probes eff ects of date fruits on human metabolism

A new study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q) has revealed for the

fi rst time the specifi c eff ects of two popular varieties of dates on human metabolism.

The researchers analysed a wide range of small molecules, called me-tabolites, which enter the bloodstream and remain in circulation for up to two hours after eating Khalas and Deglet Nour dates.

Blood samples were collected from 21 healthy volunteers at fi ve time-points following the ingestion of a glucose drink (used as a control), Kha-las dates, and Deglet Nour dates. Each volunteer was tested after ingesting each of the three products, with inter-vals of at least one week between each product. The Khalas and Deglet Nour date varieties were chosen due to their distinct genetic and metabolic profi les and commercial importance.

Overall, the researchers found that 36 metabolites signifi cantly increased in the bloodstream, of which some were specifi c to date fruit consump-tion. Several were metabolites of known polyphenols, such as caff eic acid, which can be benefi cial for those with complex chronic diseases, given its anti-oxidative and anti-infl amma-tory properties. The researchers also

found that serotonin present in Deglet Nour dates quickly broke down into its metabolite (5-hydroxyindolacetate) following ingestion. This implies that these dates are not useful as a seroton-in supplement in healthy individuals for mood, appetite and sleep regula-tion. Compared to Khalas dates and the glucose drink, Deglet Nour also led to a sharp increase in blood sucrose levels.

WCM-Q’s Dr Karsten Suhre was one of the lead authors of the study, which has been published in the Journal of Functional Foods.

Dr Suhre, who is one of the world’s foremost researchers in the fi eld of metabolomics, said, “The fi ndings of this paper could be useful for clini-cians when determining the impact of these metabolites in the management of complex diseases.”

Dates are believed to be one of the world’s oldest cultivated food crops and have special cultural signifi cance for the Middle East. Khalas dates are prized for their deep reddish-brown colour, moistness and hearty fl avour, while the Deglet Nour are known as the ‘Queen of Dates’ and are famed for their light, translucent colouring and honey-like taste. Dates were recently proposed as being a ‘functional food’ as they may provide health benefi ts that go beyond essential nutrition and may help reduce chronic disease risk or otherwise optimise health.

Dr Suhre added, “The design of our study is extremely versatile and could be used in the future to assess other functional foods and evaluate their potential health benefi ts.”

Other scientists who contributed to the study, entitled ‘Metabolic changes of the blood metabolome after a date fruit challenge,’ were Sweety Mathew, Joel Malek, Anna Halama, Sara Ab-dul Kader, Minkyung Choi and Robert Mohney.

Ooredoo launches new self-service kiosks

Ooredoo has an-nounced the launch of new self-service

kiosks in Ooredoo Shops to help educate customers on the host of self-service features available.

The new self-service kiosks will be available in every Ooredoo Shop and will off er helpful advice to customers on how to use Ooredoo self-service fea-tures such as self-service machines, the Ooredoo

App, and the USSD menu, among others.

Ooredoo launched the campaign to ensure eve-ry customer is aware of Ooredoo’s time-saving services.

Ooredoo director of PR and Corporate Commu-nications Manar Khalifa

al-Muraikhi said, “Oore-doo has invested heav-ily in self-service features over the past few years as part of our digital vision. This new campaign aims to help our customers get the most from this invest-ment, boost their customer experience, and help reduce

Qatar’s paper footprint.”On top of customer expe-

rience improvement, Oore-doo is raising awareness on the positive impact of self-service methods for the environment, as they are 100% paper free.

To kick off the campaign, Ooredoo will begin with a dedicated self-service kiosk at its Airport Road Shop and will roll-out the initiative to other Ooredoo Shops in the near future.

Dr Karsten Suhre

QATAR5


Pakistan embassy observes Kashmir ‘Black Day’The Pakistan embassy yester-

day organised an event to mark the Kashmir “Black Day” ‘to

express solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir’.

A large number of people from the Pakistani community attended the event. Speakers highlighted ‘the need for immediate implementation of UN resolutions in line with the right of self-determination for the Kashmiri people’.

Messages from President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan were read out on the occasion. The message from the president noted, “October 27 marks one of the darkest chapters of J&K history. On this day seven decades ago, the Indian forces landed in Srinagar to occupy, subju-gate, oppress and terrorise the inno-cent people of Indian occupied J&K in blatant violation of international law.”

The message from the prime min-ister said, “For seven decades, India has occupied J&K in contravention of UNSC resolutions that ordain the holding of a plebiscite to determine the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It has used coercion, brutal suppression of the rights of the people, economic blandishments and sham electoral processes to crush the will of Kash-miris and legitimise its occupation. The recent UN Report on Kashmir is an acknowledgement of Indian poli-cies of occupation that include well documented human rights atrocities.”

He further said: “The recommen-dation to set up a UN Commission of

Inquiry to investigate human rights abuses by Indian occupation forces should immediately be implemented. The valiant, brave and courageous people of J&K deserve the admiration of the world. Pakistan will not relent in its moral, political and diplomatic support until the Kashmiris realise their legitimate right to self-determi-nation in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.”

The event was also attended by She-hryar Khan Afridi, state minister for interior, currently on an offi cial visit. The minister reiterated that Pakistan would continue to press the interna-tional community to resolve the Kash-mir issue as per the UN resolutions on Kashmir and continue to support the Kashmir cause morally, politically and diplomatically.

Murad Baseer, charge d’aff aires of Pa-kistan to Qatar, also laid stress on Paki-stan’s principled stance on right of self-determination for the people of J&K.

Appreciating the role of oversees Pakistanis in economic development of the country, the minister said, “Pakistanis living abroad are our un-sung heroes. They have been doing hard work and earn good name for the country. The embassies and mis-sions of Pakistan in other countries needed to facilitate and co-operate with their compatriots. The Gov-ernment of Imran Khan will give due respect and facilities to the oversees Pakistanis. The prime minister holds the Pakistanis living abroad in the highest esteem.”

The minister had an interactive ses-sion with the community members and heard their complaints and sug-gestions. He assured the community that the government would extend all facilities to them. He said he felt proud when he learnt that the Government of Qatar recognised and appreciated the role of the Pakistani community in de-velopment of their host country.

By Mudassir RajaStaff Reporter

Prominent members of the Pakistan community at the event.

Shehryar Khan Afridi addressing the gathering.

QATAR7Gulf Times

Monday, October 29, 2018

Participants in Vodafone Qatar’s ‘Blood Donation Drive 2018’.

Vodafone holds blood donation drive

MEC issues decision on sales at discounted prices

The Ministry of Economy yes-terday issued Decision No 311 of 2018 regarding sale of goods at discounted prices.The highlight of the decision, issued by HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, is the classification of discounts into two categories.The first category includes special discounts relating, for instance, to festivals and special events that take place in malls, and target specific loyal custom-ers registered by shops.

The decision also authorises dis-counts over 50% and stipulates that special discount days shall not be deducted from seasonal discount days.The second category, as defined by the ministerial decision, is gen-eral discounts such as seasonal discounts, which are now permit-ted over a one-month period rather than 21 days. General discounts over 50% are also now permitted.The ministerial decision also protects consumers’ rights by respecting their religious values,

customs and traditions, and restricting the announcement of discounts to one day prior to the date specified in the licence. Discount ads should also be free from exaggerations and mislead-ing or deceptive claims.To protect consumers from misleading advertising, the per-centage of goods and services covered by the minimum dis-count announced on the shop’s front and premises should not cover less than 20% of the total goods and services subject to discount.

In case of any violation, the deci-sion stipulates that the ministry has the right to cancel the licence, to suspend discounted sales for the remaining period, and to remove all related adver-tising. The ministry has also the right to refuse a license to off er discounts to a shop that commits the violation The ministerial decision states that shops and commercial establishments can apply for a special discount and general discount licence electronically by applying at www.mec.gov.qa.

As part of its ongoing corporate social re-sponsibility activities,

Vodafone Qatar has conducted a blood donation drive at its headquarters located at the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), under the motto ‘Donating is one of our values. Don’t let it run out.’

The event was open to the company’s employees and all staff members of several organi-sations operating out of QSTP.

A fully-equipped Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)

mobile blood donation unit, along with a team of outstand-ing medical professionals worked to assess each individ-ual’s eligibility for blood dona-tion.

The Blood Donor Unit at HMC is always in need of sup-plies of blood, particularly from rare blood groups, and urgently needs donations to meet de-mand. When one donates blood, the red blood cells are used for surgery, kidney dialysis, and to treat anaemia. Plasma is used to treat burn victims and trau-ma patients, while platelets are used for surgery and to treat leukaemia and other forms of cancer.

“I’d like to thank each per-son who donated their blood

at the Vodafone Blood Dona-tion Drive. Blood donors do an amazing thing when they give blood. Without blood donors, many patients simply would not be alive today,” said Vodafone Qatar chief human resources officer Khames al-Naimi.

“Empowering employees to do good for the community is one of our core beliefs at Voda-fone, and I hope that this drive has raised awareness on the im-portance of blood donation,” al-Naimi added.

Jewellery retailerunveils latestDiwali collectionBollywood actress and Mala-

bar Gold & Diamonds brand ambassador Kareena Ka-

poor Khan has unveiled the latest collection exclusively designed by the leading global jewellery retailer for Diwali, the festival of lights.

Over 200 designs have been specially introduced in this festive season when Malabar Gold & Dia-monds is also celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The retail network of Malabar Gold & Diamonds has now reached 250 stores across 10 countries.

The latest jewellery collection is specially designed in gold (18K and 22K), diamonds and precious gems, catering to the tastes of their multicultural and multinational customers.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds has incorporated these designs as a part of various brands namely Ethnix - handcrafted designer jewellery, Era - uncut diamond jewellery, Mine - diamonds un-limited, Divine - Indian heritage jewellery, Precia - gem jewellery and Starlet - kids jewellery.

Apart from the fl agship brands, this Diwali, Malabar Gold & Dia-monds has introduced three new jewellery collections - Fiore, De-sire and Chica. Fiore 18K gold jewellery collection represents the pendant sets, bangles, necklace sets in fl ower-inspired designs.

Desire jewellery collection is an exquisite set of mesmerising designs weaved into magnifi cent bangles and bracelets to adorn the wrists. Chica 18K collection off ers trendy single anklets with fl oral pendants and diamond cuts to add to the grace and charm of today’s woman.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds is also off ering bespoke jewellery solutions – a fully custom-made

jewellery service catering to all budgets. The expert designers and craftsmen will guide customers to transform their design into jewel-lery. Appointments can be booked with the design team by contact-ing [email protected]

The jeweller has also announced some amazing off ers combining the festive joy and its 25th anni-versary celebrations and custom-ers can win up to 250,000 free gold coins.

This campaign will run until November 10 at all outlets in Qa-tar. With every purchase of gold jewellery worth QR2,500, cus-tomers get a ‘scratch and win’ coupon with one guaranteed gold

coin or up to 100 gold coins. Cus-tomers also get 2g gold coin free on diamond jewellery purchase of QR5,000 and a 1g gold coin free on purchase of diamond jewellery worth QR3,000.

Customers can protect the gold rate at Malabar Gold & Diamonds by paying 10% of the entire amount on the selected gold jewellery un-til November 10. They also get a chance to buy 8g gold coins with no making charges from any of Malabar Gold & Diamonds outlets in Qatar during this period. Cus-tomers can avail themselves of the zero deduction off er on 22K (GCC) gold jewellery exchange as well. All the off ers are valid at their outlets in Qatar until November 10.

Kareena Kapoor Khan has unveiled the latest collection of Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

8 Gulf TimesMonday, October 29, 2018

QATARMEC shuts down shop for violation

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has announced the one-month closure of a shop located in the Industrial Area for displaying and selling expired dairy products and food spices. The closure decision comes within the framework of the MEC’s intensive inspection campaigns to monitor markets and commercial activities to ensure the compliance of suppliers with the Consumer Protection Law and to crack down on price manipulation and violations, as well as counterfeit and substandard products.The outlet was penalised, incurring a fine and an administrative closure decision for one month in line

with Article 6 of Law No 8 of 2008. Article 6 prohibits the sale, display, advertising, and promotion of substandard, counterfeit, and fraudulent products. A product is considered fraudulent if it fails to meet the standards, is unusable, or has expired.The administrative closure decision shall be published at the expense of the shop that committed the violation in accordance with Article 18 of Law No 8 on Consumer Protection. The law stipulates that the closure decision shall be published on the MEC’s website and in two daily newspapers at the expense of the violating company. The MEC stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of the Consumer Protection

Law and its regulations. The ministry said it will intensify its inspection campaigns and refer those who violate laws and ministerial decrees to the authorities, who, in turn, will take appropriate action against perpetrators to protect consumer rights.The ministry urges all consumers to report violations or submit complaints and suggestions to its consumer protection and anti-commercial fraud department through the following channels: call centre 16001; [email protected]; accounts of the MEC on Twitter and Instagram – MEC_QATAR; and the MEC App available on iPhone and Android devices – MEC_QATAR.

QU, Tourism Authority sign collaboration dealQatar University (QU)

and Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA)

have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), paving the way for col-laboration between the two organisations across a wide range of development areas.

Under the agreement, QTA will be able to ben-efi t from QU’s advanced academic research and sci-entifi c database regarding Qatar’s natural heritage and wildlife, including many of its fl ora and fauna species that need protection. Ad-ditionally, QU will be able to co-operate with QTA and the Ministry of Municipali-ty and Environment (MME) to raise awareness in soci-ety about nature and the signifi cance of the Qatari environment and ways in which they can help protect it, the university has said in a statement.

The MoU will enable QU and QTA to develop re-search projects that moni-tor the recovery of eco-systems where animal and plant densities have been aff ected by overcrowd-ing and overuse. These research projects will also monitor the progress of re-introduced species in pro-tected areas that have been identifi ed by QTA and the MME as requiring protec-tion for their fauna and

fl ora, to reduce the impact of human traffi c.

Currently, such projects are being considered for Bin Ghannam, Al Udaid and inland areas such as Ma’shabiya.

The agreement also in-cludes avenues to promote Qatar as a destination for premium business events. This will be achieved through co-operating with QU in hosting international academic conferences and exhibitions through its col-leges on various subjects such as engineering, law, economics and others. QTA previously worked with QU to win bids to host the 10th edition of the ‘All Together Better Health’ conference in 2020, and the Interna-

tional Conference on En-trepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development, which takes place from to-day until October 31. Both conferences are new to the Middle East.

QTA supports QU’s ef-forts to host International Conference on e-Health Informatics and Enabling Technologies, which will take place in 2019. In ad-dition, QTA also supports QU in organising the Qatar Cyber Security Confer-ence in 2019. Dr Hassan al-Derham, president of Qatar University, said: “Believing in the vital and eff ective role played by ministries and government bodies in serv-ing the nation and society, and in an eff ort to exchange

information and expertise to improve the performance of both parties in accord-ance with the overall qual-ity standards, Qatar Uni-versity is keen to support and enhance the work with Qatar Tourism Authority to establish co-operation in various relevant scientifi c, administrative, technical and research fi elds.”

“This agreement comes as part of QTA’s eff orts to co-operate with various institutions and organisa-tions in Qatar to develop the tourism sector and encour-age society to benefi t from the multiple opportunities off ered by Qatar’s tourism industry. Of course, co-operation with Qatar Uni-versity is a signifi cant and

major step in the develop-ment of the tourism sector, thanks to the university’s academic expertise and its membership in many in-ternational associations, which hold conferences pe-riodically. We look forward to the participation of the university, its faculty and students in elevating our tourism industry,” added Hassan al-Ibrahim, acting chairman of QTA.

QTA has also started de-veloping various desert and coastal tourism experiences and products, which stress on protecting habitats and environments and their wildlife around Qatar.

The Al ‘Enna project, which the public will be able to view in November, includes the development of the Sealine area in col-laboration with the MME, Ministry of Interior, Ash-ghal, Mawater, Batabit, as well as the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation.

QTA recently signed an agreement with the Gen-eral Directorate of Traffi c to regulate and organise the rental and use of SUVs in tourist areas.

The authority also signed an agreement with Mow-asalat that seeks to enhance tourism transport services in Qatar, in line with the rapid growth of the cruise tourism sector.

Dr Hassan al-Derham and Hassan al-Ibrahim after signing the agreement.

Qatar Rail will push sustainability eff orts in a big wayBy Joseph VargheseStaff Reporter

Doha Metro will be sustainable if 20% of the population

uses the service, Qatar Rail managing director and CEO Abdulla Abdulaziz T al-Subaie said yesterday. “The traffi c jam on the roads results in huge rev-enue loss and manpower hours. Even if 20% of the population uses the metro, Qatar Rail can break-even, considering all the sus-tainable factors,” he ex-plained.

Al-Subaie was speak-ing at a panel discussion at the opening ceremony of the Qatar Green Building Conference, part of Qatar Sustainability Week, 2018 organised by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), a member of Qatar Foun-dation (QF). Ahmed Mo-hamed al-Sada, assistant undersecretary for Envi-ronment Aff airs at the Min-istry of Municipality and Environment, launched the event, which will run until November 3, at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort.

Qatar Sustainability Week 2018, an initiative held under the patronage of HE the Prime Minis-ter and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nass-er bin Khalifa al-Thani, aims to foster a culture of

sustainability by engaging people and organisations in a wide range of activi-ties. The opening of event also marked the start of Qatar Green Building Conference, held under the patronage of QF vice-chairperson and CEO HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani.

QGBC director Meshal al-Shamari pointed out the organisation has ac-complished a number of initiatives in various areas of sustainability.

“We have had over 1,400 delegates partici-pating in our programmes and 4,500 training ses-sions as well as 55 courses on 29 topics in the recent times. We had also issued a Green Guide to make sus-tainability as part of the eff orts to make people’s lives more green,” he said.

At the opening cer-emony of the conference, QGBC board member Ib-rahim al-Jaidah chaired an executive panel discussion titled ‘The transformation of Doha into a sustainable intelligent city in prepa-ration for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.’ Along with al-Subaie, other panel-lists included Qatar Gen-eral Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) president Essa bin Hilal al-Kuwari and Msheireb Properties acting CEO Ali al-Kuwari.

“Kahramaa’s mega solar power plant with a capaci-ty of 700mw is expected to be operational by 2021. We will issue the public tender for the project very soon,” said al-Kuwari. Al- Sub-aie highlighted, “All the metro stations will follow the highest sustainable standards. The Msheireb Station will have fi ve-star rating in environmental sustainability while we hope to gain four star and above for all the other metro stations.”

This year’s conference, titled ‘The Impact,’ has brought together industry leaders and sustainabil-ity experts to address and showcase their innova-tive solutions to the most pressing environmental challenges facing Qatar and the region.

“The eff ectiveness of Qatar Sustainability Week 2018 is determined by the active participation of the various partners from both the private and public sectors – Qatar Sustainability Week 2018 has more than 100 part-ners and 200 events. This initiative plays a crucial role in raising awareness among the wider com-munity while showcasing the incredible milestones Qatar has reached in the areas of sustainability and green buildings,” added al- Shamari.

Meshal al-Shamari speaking at the event.

Dignitaries at the event. PICTURES: Ram Chand

QATAR

9Gulf Times Monday, October 29, 2018

A session from the forum.

‘Political Asylum Law’ discussed at forum

The Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs organised yesterday a forum on “The Political Asylum Law” in co-oper-

ation with the College of Law, Qatar University, at the Diplomatic Club.

In his opening remarks Dr Abdulaziz bin Mo-hamed al-Horr, director of the Diplomatic Institute, said the forum would focus on a contemporary is-sue after His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had issued the political asylum law.

“The law came as a confi rmation of the humanitar-ian role of Qatar in protecting those who seek asy-lum, as part of respecting human rights and being keen on preserving the liberties of people.”

He pointed out that the law agrees with the in-ternational laws and the humanitarian and Islam-ic values that protect liberties and organise the process of asylum. Dr al-Horr explained that the right to asylum is an ancient judicial concept that gives persons subject to persecution due to their

political views the opportunity to express their opinions or practise their beliefs without fear.

The speakers at the forum included Assmaa al-Qubaisi from the Research and Studies Depart-ment at the Diplomatic Institute; Dr Yasser Kha-laylah, professor of the general international law at QU Faculty of Law, and Dr Mohannad Noah, professor of General Law at QU Faculty of Law. The discussion was moderated by Dr Sonia Malik, professor of law at QU Faculty of Law.

Montblanc celebrates launch of fi fth boutique in DohaMontblanc has celebrated

the opening of its fi fth boutique in Doha, expand-

ing its presence of premium retail locations in Qatar.

Unveiling the Neo² retail concept currently being rolled out world-wide, the new Montblanc boutique in Mall of Qatar off ers an immersive retail environment.

Visiting Qatar for the opening, Montblanc senior vice president of sales, Julien Renard inaugurated the new boutique at an offi cial ribbon-cutting ceremony, alongside Awn Zureikat, chief operating offi cer of Ali Bin Ali Luxury.

Among the guests were Mont-blanc Middle East, India and Af-rica president, Franck Juhel, a select group of VIP customers and friends of the Maison who enjoyed an exclu-sive reception and launch of the 1858 Collection.

Managed by Montblanc’s long-standing partner, Ali Bin Ali Luxury, the 155sq m boutique was designed by French interiors architect Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance, and off ers a pure and uncluttered aesthetic, mixing black, white and wood for a contemporary look and feel.

Of interest to watch enthusiasts and modern-day explorers, Mont-blanc’s recently launched 1858 Col-

lection of timepieces was inspired by the legendary professional Min-erva watches, meant for military use and mountain exploration. The col-lection includes an 1858 Automatic, 1858 Automatic Chronograph and 1858 Geosphere Model and com-bines materials such as special al-loy of bronze that evolves over time with innovative and useful in-house complications.

The new boutique also showcases a wide selection of the Maison’s new and limited edition writing in-struments including the recently launched Writer’s Edition Homage to Homer, paying tribute to the poet best known for the Iliad and the Od-yssey, as well as the Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince Special Edition, cele-brating Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s much loved literary classic.

A wide range of leather goods will also provide the perfect gift for to-day’s style-conscious professional or urban traveller, off ering sleek modern design and refi ned func-tionality. Montblanc’s brand new line of #My4810 trolleys also brings together Italian savoir-faire, Ger-man mechanics and Japanese high-performance technology to deliver the most effi cient and sophisticated travel solutions.

Commenting on the opening, Re-nard said: “Montblanc is constantly looking to elevate the shopping expe-rience for our customers and our new boutique design showcases our ex-tensive product collections in an un-precedented way, inviting our clients to a journey of discovery into the heart of the Montblanc universe.”

Ali Bin Ali Luxury’s Zureikat said: “We are delighted to be opening the doors to this exceptional new bou-tique, and expanding Montblanc’s presence in Qatar. We greatly value our long-term partnership with the Maison, and have confi dence in its continued success in our market thanks to our loyal and discerning Qatari customers.”

The new Montblanc boutique is located in the VIP area of Mall of Qatar, Jahhaniya Interchange,

Al Rayyan.

Montblanc boutique opens at Mall of Qatar.

QATAR


Qatar Duty Free, Godiva unveil interactive display at HIAQatar Duty Free (QDF) has

partnered with premium Belgian chocolatier Godiva

to launch its fi rst in-store interactive wall display in travel retail designed to appeal to chocolate-loving pas-sengers travelling through Hamad International Airport (HIA).

This “next-generation innova-tive installation” is equipped with a “unique, built-in concierge ap-plication designed to off er cus-tomers their perfect choice of product”, QDF has said in a state-ment.

Shoppers are asked to answer a series of questions through the application, allowing it to identify their perfect Godiva chocolate gift box to match their tastes.

Qatar Duty Free vice-president (Operations) Thabet Musleh said: “We are pleased to partner with Godiva to delight chocolate lov-ers passing through our home and hub, Hamad International Airport, with this new interactive display. At QDF, we are committed to of-fering our passengers new, exclu-sive and memorable experiences every time they shop with us.

“We are thrilled to collabo-rate with one of the world’s fi n-est chocolate brands, off ering our passengers a sweet escape with a fi rst-hand, personalised experi-ence into the world of chocolate with Godiva for the fi rst time at Qatar Duty Free.”

Godiva global sales president

Matthew Hodgessaid: “The idea of the interactive ‘wallbay’, which is a fi rst for Godiva, was born out of the realisation that today’s consumers shop in a diff erent way than their predecessors. They are looking for engagement with the brand, for an interaction that makes them feel valued and appreciated. This joint

project with QDF will enhance the appeal of our gifting items and, through the clever use of technol-ogy, make it easy for millennials to purchase products based on their specifi c needs.”

QDF is the second-largest duty-free operator in the Middle East and one of the largest duty-free

retailers in the world, the state-ment notes.

It boasts of more than 90 bou-tiques and luxury, high-end stores, as well as over 30 restau-rants and cafés covering an area of 40,000sqm at HIA.

Luxury brands available at the airport include Tiff any & Co, Gucci, Bulgari, Hermès, Burberry, Moncler, Rolex and Harrods.

Godiva is a global leader in pre-mium, artisanal chocolate.

Founded in 1926, the iconic brand has distribution in more than 100 countries across the world.

Qatar Duty Free was recently awarded ‘Airport Retailer of the Year’ at the 2018 DFNI Global Awards.

In addition, in April, the leading airport retailer was recognised at the PAX International Readership Awards, when Qatar Airways won ‘Best In-Flight Duty Free Program’ for the Middle East and Africa and was acknowledged as an industry leader for its outstanding in-fl ight duty free service, which is oper-ated by QDF.

The interactive display at HIA.

Fifty One East brings leBebé jewellery range to Qatar

Fifty One East has announced the opening of the fi rst leBebé fl ag-ship boutique in Qatar, located

on the ground fl oor of Lagoona Mall.leBebé, the latest addition to Fifty

One East’s collection of distinguished brands, was established in 2007.

It off ers a collection of Italian jew-ellery, handcrafted specifi cally for mothers, expecting mothers, fathers, babies and toddlers.

The new boutique will be the “fi rst of its kind” in the GCC and wider Mid-dle East, allowing Fifty One East to welcome loyal customers in the region who appreciate artistic jewellery and wish to purchase a gift that will last a lifetime, according to a press state-ment.

“Shoppers can expect a relaxed am-biance and an enjoyable shopping ex-perience, underpinned by unparalleled customer service,” the statement adds.

leBebé is recognised globally for off ering an “array of eccentric jewel-lery collections”, produced entirely in Italy using only raw materials of cer-tifi ed origin, with the fi rst and most

successful collection, leBebé Gioielli “quickly becoming a highly sought-after item across Italy”, the statement notes.

leBebé Gioielli centred around a styl-ised baby girl- or boy-shaped charm, and was later expanded to include rings, bracelets, cuff links and earrings.

As leBebé expanded, so did the of-

fering, with new products launched — including party favours designed for a baby shower and photo frames to dis-play precious memories, a “perfect gift for expecting parents”.

“All leBebé collections are unique, representing the timeless bond be-tween a parent and a child in ageless jewellery pieces,” the statement adds.The entrance to the new outlet.

The leBebé flagship boutique at Lagoona Mall.

Oman Air resumes service to Maldives from Muscat

Oman Air has resumed its service between Muscat and Male in the Maldives yesterday.

The service is operated by the new B737 –MAX 8 aircraft.

Oman Air fl ights from Muscat to Mal-dives will operate on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and the fl ights from Mal-dives to Muscat will operate on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

With a fl ight time of four hours, the fi rst fl ight WY 383 departed Muscat at 8.50am yesterday and arrived in Mal-dives International Airport at 1.30pm local time.

The fi rst Oman Air fl ight from Mal-dives WY 384 departed at 6.50pm and arrived in Muscat International Airport at 12.35am today.

“Confi gured with 162 seats in a two-class confi guration: 12 in business and 150 in economy with signifi cant en-

hancements across both cabins, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is an example of Oman Air’s commitment to continu-ally upgrading its products and services to deliver guests’ satisfaction,” the air-lines said in a statement to the media.

The Maldives is a beautiful chain of 26 ring atolls, made up of more than 1,000 coral islands.

Well known for its beaches, blue la-goons and extensive reefs, the Maldives is an incredibly popular tourist destina-tion with an increasing number of inter-national visitors arriving year on year.

Oman Air is currently undergoing an exciting fl eet and network expansion programme, which will see the airline operate up to 70 aircraft to over 60 des-tinations by 2022.

Oman Air started their fl ights to Is-tanbul in June, and Casablanca in July.

Moscow is starting tomorrow. Oman Air off icials at the resumption of service between Muscat and Male in the Maldives.

Sky Jewellery Diwali promotion woos patrons with gold bars

Sky Jewellery, a lead-ing jewellery retailer in the region, has an-

nounced a Diwali campaign for Doha with 201 gold bars for lucky winners.

The campaign entitles all purchases worth QR500 each for coupons to bag the big prize.

All diamond purchases of QR500 will enable the customers to get two cou-pons.

“Sky Jewellery has also designed its pre-booking programme to shield cus-tomers from the escalat-ing gold price as well as guaranteeing them the op-

portunity to enjoy the low price in case if the price drops at purchase,” manag-ing director Babu John said.

For pre-booking, the customer needs to pay just 1% of the purchase value.

Besides, gold purchases on the auspicious days of Dhantheras and Diwali will also ensure free gold coins.

Diamond purchases during the season too will attract special festival dis-count and free gold coins.

Zero deduction on old gold exchanges for new jewellery during the season would be an added attrac-tion.

Mercedes-Benz E Class and Chevrolet Equinox recalled

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC), in collaboration with Nasser Bin Khaled Automo-biles, has announced the recall of Mercedes-Benz

E Class model of 2017 because the function of the active bonnet may be impaired due to faulty routing of the sen-sor hose in the front bumper.

The MEC said the recall campaign comes within the framework of its ongoing eff orts to protect consumers and ensure that automobile dealers follow up on vehicles’ defects and repair them.

Separately, the MEC, in collaboration with Jaidah Au-tomotive, has announced the recall of Chevrolet Equinox model of 2018 over a defect in the rear brake piston.

The MEC said the recall campaign comes within the framework of its ongoing eff orts to protect consumers and ensure that automobile dealers follow up on vehicles’ defects and repair them.

The MEC said that it will co-ordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will communicate with customers to ensure that the nec-essary repairs are carried out.

The MEC has urged all customers to report any viola-tions to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department through the following channels: Call centre: 16001, e-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @MEC_Qatar, Instagram: MEC_Qatar, MEC mobile app for Android and IOS: MEC_Qatar

REGION/ARAB WORLD

Gulf TimesMonday, October 29, 201812

QBG in Oman partnership for frankincense and medicinal plants conference

The Qur’anic Botanic Gar-den (QBG), a member of Qatar Foundation, is co-

organising the fi rst ‘Internation-al Conference on Frankincense and Medicinal Plants: Recent Developments in Scientifi c Re-search and Industry’.

The ICFMP 2018 will be held in Muscat, Oman, from tomor-row until November 1.

The ICFMP 2018, a joint eff ort between Sultan Qaboos Univer-sity, University of Nizwa, The Oman Animal and Plant Genetic Resources Centre, and QBG, aims to strengthen the histori-cal connection between the two countries.

Scientists and develop-ers from around the globe have been invited to participate in the event. The conference will promote an exchange of infor-mation about medicinal plants and frankincense, and their uses across several nations and cul-tures, as well as helping attend-ees – including producers and consumers – to network.

QBG – also a sponsor of the conference – will send repre-

sentatives to speak at the event, as well as to present at an exhi-bition. Fatima Saleh al-Khulaifi , project manager, QBG, said, “Our participation in the fi rst ‘International Conference on Frankincense and Medicinal Plants’ is in line with Qatar’s National Development Strategy 2018-2022, which encourages international co-operation and global partnerships in order to strengthen Qatar’s position re-gionally and internationally.”

QBG collects plants mentioned in the Holy Qur’an – as well as those in the Hadith and Sunnah – including wild and medicinal plants from various geographic regions, which represent nearly 50% of QBG’s collection. Through this vast collection, QBG conducts innovative scientifi c research, and works towards discovering new products and medicines.

Additionally, the centre is also concerned with the documen-tation and control of traditional knowledge in light of modern science, while further promoting awareness and preservation of the environment.

Opposition downplays outcome of summit on SyriaDPAIstanbul

A four-way summit on the confl ict in Syria hosted by Turkey has made “no

breakthrough” towards peace in the war-torn country, an oppo-sition offi cial said yesterday.

Leaders from Turkey, Ger-many, France and Russia agreed after talks in Istanbul on Satur-day that a committee to draft a constitution in Syria should be ready by the end of this year.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, allied with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, has so far rejected any eff orts to rewrite the constitution, saying it is an internal aff air.

“I do not think the summit marked a breakthrough for the peace process because the Rus-sian president has not yet given the green light to Assad to en-gage in the political process,” said Ahmed Ramadan, a spokes-man for the opposition Syrian National Coalition.

“So far, the (Syrian) regime has not taken any step to facili-tate the work of the constitu-tional committee or the political process,” he added.

The opposition insists on a new constitution as key to pav-ing the way for elections in Syr-

ia. Russia is a key military ally of Assad, whose forces have in recent months made territorial gains against rebels and mili-tants in diff erent parts of Syria.

Last month, Russia and Tur-key agreed to establish a buff er zone between the Syrian military and rebel areas in the Idlib region on Turkey’s border — a move that prevented a major off ensive by the Syrian government. Idlib, located in north-western Syria, is the opposition’s last major stronghold in the country.

“The summit provided a sort of a common guarantee between Turkey and Russia on the one hand and the Germans and France on the other for the continuing application of the Idlib agree-ment,” Ramadan said.

Also yesterday, Turkish state-owned news agency Anadolu reported that Turkish forces had bombarded positions of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria.

The bombardment targeted the Zor Magar area to the west of the Ayn al-Arab region and was aimed at preventing “terrorist activi-ties,” Anadolu said.

The news comes just days after Erdogan announced that his gov-ernment would focus its off ensive on Syrian Kurdish fi ghters east of the Euphrates.

Yemen’s infants face starvation as war ragesAFP Sanaa

Ahmed Hassan is only a few months old, but his emaciated frame

twitches as he cries in pain when Yemeni doctors gently place him on a scale.

He is starving.In the next room, nurses

make baby formula by the pitcher, fi lling syringes to ra-tion a portion for each mal-nourished child who comes to Sabaeen Hospital in the rebel-held capital for emergency treatment.

Too weak to swallow, some babies are fed through feeding tubes that go through the nose directly into the stomach.

After being fed, some of them appear to feel a bit bet-ter, crawling over to play with other emaciated children in the clinic, tubes still taped to their faces.

“Life’s become really very diffi cult... but we do our best,

given the circumstances,” said Umm Tarek, as her nine-month-old baby underwent treated for malnutrition.

“We’re not from here, so we rent an old, old house for 10,000 riyals ($40) in Hiziaz,” south of Sanaa, she said.

“Then my baby got sick be-cause we used to give him for-mula, but now we can’t aff ord both the house and powdered milk anymore.”

Four years of war between Yemen’s Saudi-backed gov-ernment and Houthi rebels have pushed the country to the brink of mass starvation.

The United Nations last week warned 14mn Yemenis are at serious risk of famine, as the war shows no sign of wan-ing.

Mark Lowcock, the UN’s humanitarian chief, said Mon-day the danger of famine in Yemen is “much bigger than anything any professional in this fi eld has seen during their working lives”.

At Sabaeen hospital, pae-

diatrician Sharaf Nashwan said some families can’t aff ord transport costs to reach the fa-cility.

“So their children are left for days or weeks suff ering mal-nutrition, until someone helps them out with a little money to get their kids to hospital. But by then we’re looking at a re-ally severe case,” he said.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen and more than 56,000 injured since 2015, according to the World Health Organisation.

The UN this month called for a humanitarian ceasefi re around facilities involved in food aid distribution, but nei-ther the rebels nor Saudi Ara-bia and its allies have heeded the call.

The two sides are fi ght-ing for control of the country, which shares a land border with Saudi Arabia and is home to a string of valuable ports.

The rebels now control the capital Sanaa along with much of Yemen’s northern highlands

and western Hodeida, Yemen’s largest port through which nearly three-quarters of im-ports fl ow.

A blockade has been im-posed on the port and Sanaa airport by the Saudi-led coali-tion, which controls Yemen’s airspace.

Yemenis struggling to sur-vive such conditions are also confronted with a collapsed economy, leaving government clerks and teachers without pay for months.

The International Monetary Fund expects Yemen’s econ-omy will contract by 2.6% in 2018, while infl ation is fore-cast to hit 42%. In the face of such dire circumstances, pae-diatrician Nashwan said med-ical staff do their utmost to save the children in their care.

“The cases that we get here at the hospital tend to be se-vere. At death’s door, some-times. We do our jobs, do eve-rything we can to push them back to good health,” he said.

“Some get well. Others die.”

File photo shows a Yemeni man carrying his child who is suff ering from malnutrition into a treatment centre at a hospital in Sanaa.

With border open, Jordanians visit Syria for fi rst time in years

Reuters Damascus/Jaber, Jordan

Jordanians are fl ocking to the Syrian capital Damascus for the fi rst time in years for

tourism and trade after the reo-pening of a border crossing that had been closed through years of war.

The border opened to people and goods on Oct 15, restoring a route that had carried billions of dollars in trade for the region.

“The fi rst day that Syria opened up, I came. This is my second time since then,” said Mahmoud Nassar, 62, a fl ight engineer from Jordan’s north-ern city of Ramtha.

“This is a visit of tourism and of yearning for (Damascus),” said Nassar, who drove in with his father and son. “The road is safe and there were no prob-lems.”

Syrian government forces re-took the border region with Jor-dan from rebels in July during a Russian-backed off ensive.

The crossing had been closed since rebels captured it in 2015, though many are making the trip for the fi rst time since 2011, when the Syrian confl ict fi rst

erupted. The Jordanian side of the frontier was jammed with vehicles waiting to cross on Friday.”What we see is the situ-ation is good, things are fi ne,” said Razzan al-Hattab, a Jor-danian waiting to cross. “I love Sham (Damascus), so I wanted to be one of the fi rst to try go-

ing in a tourist group.” The closure of the border has hit both the Syrian and Jordanian economies.”Before the border closed, our work was great,” said Jawad al-Zoubi, waiting to cross. But for “the last seven years, we’ve not been able to pay school fees”, he said.

Bahjat Rizik, in Damascus with his wife and son, said the last time he made the three-hour drive from Amman was before the war began.

He used to bring offi ce furni-ture to sell in Syria and owned a gallery in the Yarmouk district near Damascus.

“I will visit every week,” said Rizik, carrying bags of chil-dren’s clothes and spices with his family.

“God willing, we can get back to work.”

Bilal Bashi, who runs a com-pany selling abayas in Damas-cus, said he had seen more Jor-

danian tourists and shoppers since the crossing opened. “No doubt there will be an economic (boost). It will have a positive eff ect,” he said at the historic Souk al-Hamidieh market in the Old City of Damascus.

Still, Raed Maseh, another Syrian trader, said the increase in Jordanian visitors had not had a real impact yet and hoped more people would come.

The Syrian war further added to the strain on an already dif-fi cult relationship between Da-mascus and Amman.

US-allied Jordan provided support to some of the insur-gents fi ghting President Bashar al-Assad.

But diplomatic ties were not severed entirely and Syria’s relations with Jordan never turned as hostile as they did with some other regional states, notably Turkey which remains a major backer of the opposition.

A Jordanian man shops in Al-Hamidieh Souk in Damascus, Syria.

Three Palestinians killed in air strike: ministry

AFPGaza City

Three Palestinians were killed yesterday in an Is-raeli air strike on the Gaza

Strip, the health ministry in the enclave said.

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said emergency crews were transporting the bodies of the dead, who appeared to be in their early teens, to hospital in Gaza.

The Israeli military said in a statement that one of its aircrafts had fi red on a group of three Pal-estinians who approached the Gaza border fence, “attempted to damage it and were apparent-ly involved in placing an impro-vised explosive device adjacent to it”.

Earlier, a Palestinian died two days after suff ering gunshot wounds in clashes on the Israel-Gaza border, the ministry said . Yahya al-Hassanat, 37, was shot in the head along the border near Al-Bureij in central Gaza, the minis-try said. Five other Palestinians were also shot dead during Fri-day’s protests, the ministry said, while one died when a grenade he was carrying exploded acciden-tally, according to witnesses.

At least 214 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fi re in months of protests and clashes along the Gaza border.

One Israeli soldier has been killed since the protests and clashes began on March 30.

Israel says its actions are neces-sary to defend the border and stop infi ltrations and attacks, which it accuses Hamas of seeking to or-chestrate. Palestinians and rights groups say protesters have been shot while posing little threat.

Israel and Palestinian fi ghters in Gaza, run by Hamas, have fought three wars since 2008.

Later on Friday and into Satur-day, Palestinian fi ghters fi red doz-ens of rockets into southern Israel, which responded with extensive air strikes.

Khamenei calls for fi ght against enemy ‘infi ltration’ReutersTehran

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatol-lah Ali Khamenei called yester-day for the stepping up of eff orts

to fi ght enemy “infi ltration” in a speech to offi cials in charge of cyber defence, state television reported.

“In the face of the enemy’s com-plex practices, our civil defence should...confront infi ltration through scientifi c, accurate, and up-to-date...action,” Ayatollah Khame-nei told civil defence offi cials, who are in charge of areas including cyber defence.

The television report did not give details of the “infi ltration” Khame-nei was referring to.

Iranian offi cials have long warned

about Western cultural infl uenc-es through entertainment, social media and the Internet as a threat against Islamic and revolutionary values. A decade ago, Iran’s nuclear programme was hit by Stuxnet, a vi-rus which was deployed by US and Israeli intelligence agencies against a uranium enrichment facility.

Gholamreza Jalali, head of Iran’s civil defence agency, said yesterday that Iran had recently neutralised a new version of Stuxnet.

“Recently we discovered a new generation of Stuxnet which con-sisted of several parts...and was try-ing to enter our systems,” Jalali was quoted as saying by the semi-offi cial ISNA news agency at a news con-ference marking Iran’s civil defence day.

He did not give further details.

Unidentified gunmen yesterday shot dead a senior security off icial in the southern port city of Aden, the temporary seat of the Yemeni government. The gunmen opened fire from a car at Colonel Fadl Sael, the anti-narcotics director at Aden’s security depart-ment, killing him and two of his escorts, a security source said. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the militants fled the scene after the shooting.

At the border town of Mehran between Iran and Iraq, a sea of pilgrims surges forward, en route to one of the biggest religious pilgrimages on the planet. Iranian organisers say more than 1.8mn Iraqi visas have been issued for Iranians this year for the Arbaeen pilgrimage which culminates tomorrow as the devout head, many by foot, to Karbala and one of the holiest sites, the shrine of Imam Hussein.

Gunmen shoot dead senior police off icer

Almost 2mn Iranians head into Iraq

CONFLICT

PILGRIMAGE

GT-MAIN-2910_P21

AFRICA13Gulf Times


Lagos designers champion ‘unapologetically African’ fashionBy Stephanie Findlay, AFPLagos

You have to struggle so hard to make your voice heard, that’s why Lagos will al-

ways stand out,” model Larry Hector told AFP about Nigeria’s gritty yet unquestionably glam-orous megacity Lagos.

The statuesque 20-year-old dressed in all-white was stand-ing backstage at the Lagos Fash-ion Week on Friday evening sur-rounded by a dizzying array of lush fabrics and gazelle-legged models.

A generator throbbed in the background — the answer to Ni-geria’s erratic power supply net-work and a symbol of persever-ance in the face of adversity.

“We’re always pushing for something we haven’t seen be-fore, something that’s out of this world,” Hector said.

“Now we have international people, starlets, celebrities from Paris, Milan, New York, every-one is coming to see what Lagos is about.”

Fashion designers in Lagos are being courted by international tastemakers looking for talent

and inspiration at a time when Afrobeat and African fashion are taking the United States by storm.

The success of Lagos Fash-ion Week, which concluded on Saturday, shows the growing

appetite for African fashion and its invigorating colours, elaborate prints and standout street style.

On Friday, Moofa’s show gave the audience fl owing silk dresses and layered looks embellished with lace and accessorised with jaunty white fedoras channelling 70’s funk.

Ugo Monye’s menswear had the audience roaring in delight.

It was set to a remixed song from the soundtrack of ‘Black Panther’ and was accompanied by live drummers.

Nigeria has had a bumper fashion year with A-list model appearances in Lagos and a fl am-boyant World Cup team that en-amoured fans from all over the world.

Industry veteran Naomi Campbell came to Lagos in April to walk the runway.

She fell in love with the megac-ity of some 20mn people, whose “hustle” defi nes an adapt-or-die creativity.

“I didn’t want to leave,” said Campbell about her Nigeria trip. “I feel like Africa, as a continent,

is on the tip of explosion. It’s the next destination.”

Not long after, Nigeria was once again in the spotlight for its sold-out football jersey, a neon green and white zigzag creation worn by the Super Eagles for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Nigeria, the youngest team of the tournament, not only had the coolest kit but also made head-lines for their fl amboyant style off the pitch.

“It’s only just gotten better, I think people are starting to see what we have,” said Amaka Os-akwe, the designer behind Maki Oh, one of West Africa’s most celebrated brands.

One of Oh’s shirts, a black blouse with polka-dot ruffl ed sleeves and lined with the name ‘Oh’ in yellow, made headlines this year after being worn by Lady Gaga on the set of her blockbust-er movie, A Star is Born.

“We’ve shown that we have it and we are worldwide contend-ers,” said Osakwe.

The appeal is undeniable.“The elegance of intricate Af-

rican patterns on silk,” gushed

Vogue writer Suzy Menkes in an Instagram post about an indigo blue Tiff any Amber cape by de-signer Folake Coker.

Afrobeats star WizKid, whose gilded street style exemplifi es Lagos, has recently done a cam-paign with Moschino and walked the Dolce and Gabanna runway.

Now the city is emerging as the destination for African designers to show their work.

“Lagos has this vibrancy and energy that is unapologetically African,” said Iona McCreath, a 22-year-old designer from Nai-robi, who came to show Kiko-Romeo. “If you can make it in Ni-geria, you can make it in Africa.”

For some, it feels like fi nally African fashion is being given its due after years of determination and entrepreneurial vision.

“Of course we built this, the world has changed,” said Abrima Erwiah, the co-founder behind Studio One Eighty Nine, a crea-tive collective split between Gha-na and New York.

“I think we’re exporting cul-ture,” she said, “it’s very empow-ering.”

Models present creations by Cynthia Abila during the Lagos Fashion Week last week.

In Kenya, free cash is the latest solution to povertyBy Nicolas Delaunay, AFP Bondo, Kenya

Until recently, Molly strug-gled to imagine life be-yond the end of each re-

petitive day: work in someone else’s fi elds and earn enough to eat, rinse, repeat.

“It was a vicious circle I could not escape,” says the 25-year-old villager in the Bondo region of western Kenya.

Her hardscrabble, rural ex-istence is the same for many in Siaya County where people eke out a living farming maize, millet and cotton in the ochre soil.

But that was before the intro-duction in her village of a cash handout known as “universal ba-sic income”.

It’s part of a large, intensive, multi-year study aimed at dis-covering a new way to end pov-erty in Africa.

Molly began receiving a no-strings, fi xed monthly donation of 2,250 shillings ($22) two years ago, and since then “everything has changed”, she says.

“I was able to save to study to be a nursery school teacher,” she says proudly inside her tin-roofed cement home as chickens pecked outside. “It was the little bit of help that turned my situa-tion around.”

With a paid internship at the village school Molly has built on the foundation of universal basic income to see her monthly in-come more than double to $50, broadening her horizons.

“Before, I barely had enough money to survive but now I have plans...I even go to the hairdress-er once every two months,” she says with a smile.

According to the World Bank, over a third of Kenya’s nearly 50mn citizens live below the in-ternational poverty line of $1.90 a day.

Molly’s village — which is not being identifi ed in order not to stir envy or skew the study — is one of scores in the area chosen by the US charity Give Directly to test the universal basic income theory.

The region was selected be-cause of its poverty, but also its

stability and, crucially, the ef-fectiveness of Kenya’s mobile money transfer system, M-Pesa, that allows the easy distribution of payments.

Founded in 2010 and work-ing in six African countries, Give Directly sends money straight to the poor allowing them to choose their own priorities, rather than outsiders “deciding instead of them”, explains the non-profi t’s spokeswoman Caroline Teti.

Previously, recipients were given a single lump sum, but now monthly payments are being tri-alled.

“When you give people money monthly, will they stop working? Will they take risks in the way they invest knowing they will have an income whatever hap-pens? How does that aff ect their aspirations?” says Teti of some of the questions their programme is testing.

“There is a global debate about universal income and we want evidence to move forward,” she says.

The study is the biggest in the world and will involve a total of

20,000 people in western Kenya.Residents of 40 villages will

receive $22 a month for 12 years, a further 80 villages will re-ceive the same amount for just two years, while another 76 vil-lages will receive two lump sum payments of $507 spaced two months apart.

Molly’s neighbour, 29-year-old Edwin, hopes to replace his mud hut with a cement home, while Monica and her husband have invested in small-scale chicken farming.

“We have a new enclosure and a few chickens,” says Monica, 30, wearing an elegant black dress, mended in several places.

She hopes to be able to send her three children to school so that they won’t “live in poverty, like us”.

Without patronising prescrip-tions from donors, “everyone in the village is using the money diff erently,” she adds.

Give Directly believes univer-sal basic income is useful, but not a panacea.

“When you are in a confl ict situation, you may have been af-

fected beyond basic (needs), you may not have a place to sleep, you’re more vulnerable to dis-ease,” says Teti. “In that context, basic income can be a part of a solution, but it cannot be the sole solution.”

Nor, she adds, is it a substitute for the state’s obligations to pro-vide life’s basics such as schools and healthcare.

For villagers involved in the basic income experiment, the money is an assist not a solution, and also an opportunity, to be seized or squandered.

“2,250 shillings is not enough to buy useless things,” says Judge Samson, 72, explaining why vil-lagers are not wasting their cash handouts. “It’s just enough to feed you and get out of poverty.”

Monica has invested her mon-ey to benefi t her family, but wor-ries that if the basic income trial is a success, others might prove less thrifty.

“Maybe in the future some will forget what we went through and start buying stupid things,” she warns, but then adds: “I don’t think that will be the case.”

Monica, a villager of universal basic income study, feeds chickens at her home in Bondo region, western Kenya.

DR Congo govt warns kids dying of Ebola at ‘unprecedented rate’ReutersGoma

Children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are dying from Ebola at an unprecedented

rate due largely to poor sanitary prac-tices at clinics run by traditional heal-ers, the health ministry said yesterday.

The impact on children has been felt acutely in the city of Beni, which has emerged as the outbreak’s new epicen-tre.

Of 120 confi rmed Ebola cases in Beni, at least 30 are under 10-years-old, and 27 of them have died, accord-ing to health ministry data.

Many children aff ected by an unre-lated malaria outbreak near Beni are thought to have contracted Ebola at

clinics run by traditional healers who have also treated Ebola patients, said Jessica Ilunga, a spokeswoman for the health ministry.

“There is an abnormally high number of children who have con-tracted and died of Ebola in Beni. Normally, in every Ebola epidemic, children are not as aff ected,” Ilunga told Reuters.

“Traditional healers use the same tools to treat everyone. And the child who has entered a traditional healer’s clinic with malaria comes out with Ebola and dies several days later,” she said.

The rate of new cases in eastern Congo has accelerated in recent weeks.

An emergency World Health Or-ganisation committee said earlier this month that the outbreak was likely

to worsen signifi cantly unless the re-sponse was stepped up.

The health ministry reported nine new confi rmed cases late on Saturday — seven in Beni and two in the city of Butembo — the biggest one-day day jump since the outbreak was declared on August 1.

The haemorrhagic fever is believed to have killed 168 people and infected another 98 in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, where attacks by armed groups and community resistance to health offi cials have complicated the response.

Congo has suff ered 10 Ebola out-breaks since the virus was discovered near its eponymous Ebola River in 1976.

The current one now ranks third in terms of number of confi rmed cases.

Boko extremists hit Nigeria military baseAFPAbuja

Boko Haram extremists launched a large assault on a military base in Nigeria’s remote northeast re-

gion and killed one soldier, defence of-fi cials said yesterday.

The attack on 145 Battalion in Gash-igar, Borno State, began on Saturday and continued into yesterday morn-ing, said Nigerian air force spokesman Ibikunle Daramola.

“BHTs (Boko Haram terrorists) in 13 gun trucks...advanced towards the

camp from two diff erent directions,” Daramola said in a statement.

Nigerian troops supported by heli-copters “forced the Boko Haram ter-rorists to retreat from the camp,” Dara-mola said.

“One soldier was killed in action while four others were wounded,” said the Nigerian army in a statement post-ed on its offi cial Twitter account.

The army repelled an assault on Gashigar in September by jihadists in trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns.

There have been at least nine mili-tary base attacks since July, mostly in

the northern part of Borno state, near the shores of Lake Chad.

Boko Haram has in recent months intensifi ed attacks on military bases in Borno and nearby Yobe state, under-mining repeated claims by the military that they have the upper hand.

Scores of soldiers have been killed, injured or missing in attacks but the military has repeatedly denied or played down losses to the jihadists.

More than 27,000 people have been killed in northeast Nigeria since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, while nearly 2mn others remain home-less.

A vendor off ers cosmetics and cocoa products at a stand at the International Art and Craft Fair, the 15th SIAO (Salon international de l’artisanat), in Ouagadougou. Africa’s largest crafts fair opened on October 26 in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou under the shadow of growing terror and extremist attacks in the West African nation.

Art and craft fair

Eritrea warns Germany not to ‘meddle’DPAAddis Ababa

The Eritrean government has warned Germany to “refrain from meddling in the aff airs of

the Horn of Africa” after the country’s top diplomat criticized Eritrea’s hu-man rights record.

In a statement titled “Germany’s cynical stance,” issued late on Satur-day, the East African nation respond-ed to comments German Foreign Min-ister Heiko Maas made earlier this month.

“The trite and distorted narra-tive unfortunately refl ects the hostile

stance that the German government has held against Eritrea for a long time now, as well as its perspectives on the unfolding rapprochement between Eritrea and Ethiopia,” a statement from the Ministry of Information said.

Ethiopia and Eritrea cut all diplo-matic ties after a 1998-2000 border war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.

A diplomatic thaw began in June when, under a new reformist leader, Ethiopia said it would fully accept the terms of a previously-rejected peace agreement.

In an address to the Bundestag on October 12, Maas cautioned that the historic peace agreement between the

two countries had not led to human rights reforms in Eritrea as it had in Ethiopia.

“There’s still no strategy to indicate how an orderly opening up within the country could look,” he said, adding that Germany and its European part-ners are considering incentives “to help encourage Eritrea to fi nally break this logic which has resulted in major human rights violations.”

Germany currently has about 75,000 asylum-seekers from Eritrea, with some 15,000 young Eritreans seeking asylum this year alone, Ger-many’s Development Minister Gerd Mueller said during his recent trip to Ethiopia.

AMERICA


Florida mulls letting former felons vote againBy Leila Macor, AFPMiami

Yraida Guanipa did time for drug-related off ences and was released more than

10 years ago, but she still is not eligible to vote in the US midterm elections on November 6.

She is not alone: in Florida, there are 1.5mn people who can-not vote — more than 10% of its adult population — because the Sunshine State strips felons of their voting rights.

“It makes us feel like we are not citizens. Like we are another class of people, an inferior group that cannot speak,” said Guanipa, who is 56.

Technically, the restriction dates back to the post-Civil War period.

Thwarted by the US Congress, which forced states to grant full civic rights to former slaves, Florida lawmakers opted to bar felons from voting — a dispro-portionate number of whom were freed blacks.

At that time, “lawmakers — especially in the South — imple-mented a slew of criminal laws designed to target black citizens,” according to Erin Kelley, a voting rights and elections expert at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.

The controversial clause in Florida’s state constitution, which today aff ects blacks and Latinos in particular, is on the ballot in November.

Amendment 4 would auto-matically restore voting rights to

felons who have completed their sentences, paid restitution and fulfi lled their parole or proba-tion — except those convicted of murder or sex crimes.

Guanipa got out of prison in 2007 after serving nearly 12 years for her drug conviction.

“I started to see what this country is really all about and the things that we have to change,” said Guanipa, who was born in

Venezuela and is a nationalized US citizen.

She spoke with AFP at the YG Institute in Miami, an organisa-tion she founded to help other ex-cons transition to life outside prison.

Currently, felons must wait a minimum of fi ve years after com-pleting their sentences to apply for restoration of their voting rights.

Defenders of the status quo like Richard Harrison, of the Florida Rights Coalition, says the new amendment fails to take into consideration the harm done to victims, the felon’s post-release conduct and other factors.

But critics say the current process — and a review by a clemency board — is slow and arbitrary.

Some ex-cons say the process

can take decades. “In my case, I could be dead before I could vote again,” said Guanipa.

Nationwide, 6mn people can-not vote because of their criminal records.

Florida, a swing state that also plays a key role in national elec-tions, has the largest number of those.

If Amendment 4 is passed, which polls suggest is likely,

1.5mn more Floridians will be granted the right to vote in 2020 — date of the next presidential election.

But which party would benefi t the most?

“The common assumption is that a large portion of these dis-enfranchised felons would lean Democratic,” said Susan Mac-Manus, a political analyst at the University of Southern Florida.

But Gregory Koger, a professor of political science at the Uni-versity of Miami, told AFP the implications were less clear-cut — noting that those with a high school degree or less tend to vote Republican.

“They would have to register to vote and then actually turn out to vote. It is not clear how many would do so,” Koger told AFP.

Control of Senate may hinge on possible Mississippi runoff

A crowded US Senate race in

Republican stronghold Mississippi

could set the stage for weeks of

uncertainty over which party ends

up controlling the upper chamber

of Congress after the November 6

elections.

Two Republicans and two

Democrats are contesting a

special election to serve out the

remainder of retired Republican

Senator Thad Cochran’s term.

Under state law, if no one gets

50% of the vote, the top two

candidates regardless of party

aff iliation will go to a November

27 runoff .

It is a scenario that could

focus international attention on

the Southern state and bring in

millions of dollars from outside

political groups.

“Mississippi could be the

deciding factor in who controls

the Senate,” said Melissa Scallan, a

spokeswoman for Republican US

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who

was appointed by Mississippi’s Re-

publican governor to temporarily

replace Cochran after he retired

on April 1.

Democrats, who currently

control 49 of the 100 seats in the

Senate, face a tough political map

as they are defending Senate

seats in 10 states that Republican

President Donald Trump carried in

the 2016 election.

Opinion polls show Hyde-Smith,

a former Democrat who has been

endorsed by Trump, as the front-

runner in the race.

Democrat Mike Espy, a former

congressman and agriculture

secretary in the Clinton admin-

istration, is in second place and

drawing enough support to pos-

sibly make it into a runoff .

Mississippi State Senator Chris

McDaniel, a conservative Republi-

can firebrand who tried to unseat

Cochran in 2014, is third in the

polls, with Democrat Tobey Bartee

a distant fourth.

Although Mississippi has not

sent a Democrat to the US Sen-

ate since 1982, some observers

say the increased attention and

advertising prompted by a runoff

could result in unusually high

voter turnout that makes it more

of a horse race.

Turnout was cited as a key fac-

tor in Democrat Doug Jones upset

victory in the US Senate special

election in neighbouring Alabama

last year.

“If the Senate is in play, then

Mississippi is ground zero for eve-

rything,” said a Democratic Party

source who was not authorised to

speak publicly.

Mississippi State University

political scientist Marty Wise-

man said a win by Hyde-Smith

on November 6 might dampen

enthusiasm among McDaniel’s

more populist supporters,

potentially opening a window

for Espy.

“There’s a lot of speculation

that McDaniel’s people will stay

home and fuss about their fate,”

Wiseman said.

A recent NBC/Marist poll

showed Hyde-Smith with 38%

support of likely voters, Espy

with 29% and McDaniel at 15%.

Bartee was supported by 2% of

respondents.

McDaniel’s campaign did not

immediately respond to requests

for comment.

A voter information guide for the upcoming US midterm election is put up at a ballot party in Laguna Niguel in Orange County, California.

US mail bomber case prompts calls for better postal screening

Reuters Los Angeles

The arrest on Friday of a man accused of mailing at least 14 ex-

plosive devices to prominent Democrats and critics of US President Donald Trump has prompted concern about how the US Postal Service screens against deadly deliv-eries.

“We’ve got to do a better job of screening the mail,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN after Ce-sar Sayoc, 56, was arrested in Florida.

Sayoc was charged with fi ve federal crimes including threats against former presi-dents and faces up to 48 years in prison if found guilty.

The Postal Service does not screen most of the mail, Joe Bellissimo, a retired postal inspector, said in a phone interview from Pitts-burgh.

“We call it the sanctity of the seal. It’s protected under the Constitution,” he said. “Unless there is something exigent about that mail, you can’t go around scanning everything.”

The sanctity of the seal, a longstanding principal for the postal service, is intend-ed to protect the privacy of communications.

Postal workers use hand-held screening devices to get an image of what’s inside suspicious packages, he said.

“All of our (Postal Service) employees are trained to see these (suspicious) packages,” said Bellissimo, who now works at the Pittsburgh-based security training fi rm Inpax.

“They’re trained to fi nd it, but if you fi nd one it’s almost a lucky event,” Bellissimo said.

The US Postal Inspection Service said it combines spe-cialised technology, screen-ing protocols and employee training to screen for dan-gerous mail.

It also has a forensic labo-ratory in Dulles, Virginia, ac-cording to its website.

Authorities believe the packages, which were inter-cepted before reaching their intended recipients, all went through the US Postal Serv-ice at some point, a source said.

None detonated and no one has been hurt.

The US Postal Service de-

clined comment.But mail bombs are rare,

the inspection service said on its website.

The service investigates 16 mail bombs a year on aver-age, while processing 170bn pieces of mail.

The Postal Inspection Service said its teams na-tionwide have portable X-ray machines but declined to provide more details about its methods for security rea-sons.

The packages sent to the Democratic leaders bore many of the hallmarks the postal service warns can in-dicate bombs, such as exces-sive postage, wrong address-es and irregularly shaped parcels with bulges.

In the latest spree, the FBI released pictures showing tape-sealed, lumpy manila envelopes with at least six fi rst-class postage stamps and computer-printed ad-dress labels taped to the package.

Errors in some of the la-belling led to at least one of the packages being returned to the false “sender” address listed on several of them — the South Florida offi ce of US Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who formerly chaired the Demo-cratic National Committee.

The packages sent to former president Barack Obama, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former vice president Joseph Biden were intercepted by the US Secret Service, which provides an extra layer of mail screening for former elected offi cials.

The Postal Inspection Service, which investigates mail crimes, created a Dan-gerous Mail Investigations agency following the anthrax mailings of 2001 that killed fi ve people and sickened 17.

The postal service in-stalled biological detection systems in its offi ces follow-ing those attacks, conduct-ing more than 7mn tests since then, with “not one positive or false positive re-sult,”, the inspection service website says.

Saying its members were concerned for their safety, the union that represents postal workers noted that more devices could still be in the mail stream and said the postal service was schedul-ing nationwide safety talks on dealing with suspicious packages.

Synagogue shooter spoke of ‘genocide’By Jennie Matthew, AFPPittsburgh

The shooter in the attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue spoke of “genocide and his

desire to kill Jewish people,” au-thorities said yesterday, as they identifi ed the dead and worked to console the living.

Federal offi cials said 46-year-old Robert Bowers, who was ar-rested at the scene after a fi refi ght with police, faces 29 separate fed-eral charges, several of them car-rying the death penalty.

He is scheduled to appear today before a federal magistrate.

Civil rights groups called the bloody assault on the 150-year-old Tree of Life synagogue, in a heavily Jewish neighbourhood, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history.

Saturday’s attack left many in the country’s Jewish community reeling, feeling sick and vulner-able.

And Jewish leaders expressed concern about what they said was a spike in anti-Semitic acts in the past two years.

In Squirrel Hill, the close-knit neighbourhood and heart of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community where the attack occurred, a hush descended.

“Heartbroken,” said Aylia Paulding, 37, her voice breaking as she summed up the grief-stricken mood.

The victims — shot down in what authorities said was a 20-minute rampage after the gunman burst into the building during a baby-naming ceremony — ranged in age from 54 to 97, said Karl Williams, the county medical examiner.

They included two brothers and one married couple.

Four police offi cers or SWAT team members were injured.

Bowers himself has been hospi-talised in fair condition with mul-tiple gunshot wounds.

President Donald Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in Il-linois late Saturday, solemnly de-nounced the attack, saying: “The scourge of anti-Semitism cannot be ignored, cannot be tolerated and cannot be allowed to con-tinue.”

Earlier, however, he said one answer to such apparent hate crimes was to provide guards at places of worship, not to tighten the country’s loose gun laws.

But the mayor of Pittsburgh had

a diff erent approach, calling yes-terday for guns to be taken away from potential hate criminals.

“I think the approach that we need to be looking at is how we take the guns, which is the com-mon denominator of every mass shooting in America, out of the hands of those that are looking to express hatred through murder,” Mayor Bill Peduto, a Democrat, told the news conference.

Scott Brady, US attorney for Pennsylvania’s Western Dis-trict, said the suspect was heavily armed, carrying an AR-15 assault rifl e and three .357-calibre Glock handguns, all of which he used.

Brady said shells were found strewn through the grisly crime scene, but he could not estimate the number of shots fi red.

“We will spare no eff ort or re-source in ensuring that the de-

fendant is held fully accountable for his unspeakable and hateful crimes,” Brady told reporters.

Among the charges fi led are 11 counts of murdering victims who are exercising their religious be-liefs, 11 of using a fi rearm to com-mit murder and seven related to his attacks on the offi cers who, Police Chief Scott Schubert said, “ran into gunfi re to help others.”

Authorities said they believe

the shooter acted alone, but that the “large, complex crime scene” could take a week to process.

Dr Karl Williams, chief medical examiner of Allegheny County, said he had met late Saturday with all the families during the diffi cult process of identifying the dead.

“There’s no words to express the sympathy that they need,” he said. He said four rabbis were work-ing with his team, establishing “a continued presence at my offi ce” as they help families deal with the shock and horror of the attack.

Williams said that as autopsies are being performed, “we are doing everything in our power to com-plete the process in a way that hon-ours both civil and religious law”.

Saturday’s attack came at a time of heightened tensions na-tionwide — a day after a Trump supporter from Florida was ar-rested for mailing explosive de-vices to Democrats and liberals, setting the country on edge ahead of close-fought elections on No-vember 6.

Bowers, who reportedly has worked as a trucker, is believed to be the author of a recent rash of violently anti-Semitic posts on social media, notably on Gab.com, a site frequented by white nationalists.

Atop a page that Gab said be-longed to Bowers were the words “jews are the children of satan,” and in a post hours before the at-tack he described Jews as “hostile invaders” and said: “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaugh-tered.”

Civil rights groups say anti-Semitic hate crimes have spiked in recent years.

Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the Anti-Defamation League, said yesterday that members of his anti-bigotry group were “shocked” by the Pittsburgh shooting, but “unfortunately, in some ways, we weren’t surprised.”

He told ABC that “in 2016 we saw a 34% increase in acts of har-assment, vandalism and violence against the Jewish community,” and last year brought “a 57% in-crease, the single largest surge that we’ve ever seen.”

The Pittsburgh police said they have closed off the area around the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood where the shooting took place and have added patrols in “sensitive locations.”

Authorities and Jewish spokes-people in New York and Wash-ington said security around syna-gogues had been bolstered.

A boy places flowers yesterday outside of the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood of Pittsburgh.

Grief and alarm in world reaction to deadly shooting

The killing of 11 people in the deadliest anti-Semitic

attack in recent United States history has sparked a

flood of international condemnation and warnings

about the rise of hate speech. The gunman reportedly

yelled “All Jews must die” as he sprayed bullets into the

congregation on Saturday during Sabbath services at

the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Robert Bowers, the 46-year-old suspect taken into

custody after a firefight with police, has been charged

with murder and federal hate crimes that carry the

death penalty.

‘Flames of hate’: Pope Francis, at the end of the

Angelus prayer in Saint Peter’s Square, expressed his

sadness at the violence. “We are all, in truth, wounded

by this inhuman act of violence,” he said. “May the Lord

help us put out the flames of hate that develop in our

societies, strengthening the sense of humanity, respect

for life, moral and civil values and holy fear of God.”

‘Assailt on all of us’: Donald Trump denounced the

shooting as “a wicked act of mass murder.” “This evil

anti-Semitic attack is an assault on all of us,” Trump

told supporters at an election rally in Illinois, urging

people to “stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters

to defeat anti-Semitism and vanquish the forces of

hate.”

‘No place in the 21st century’: UN Secretary-General

Antonio Guterres called for a united front “to roll back

the forces of racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia

and other forms of hatred, bigotry, discrimination

and xenophobia gaining strength in many parts of

the world.” “Anti-Semitism is a menace to democratic

values and peace, and should have no place in the 21st

century,” he said in a statement.

‘Blind hatred’: German Chancellor Angela Merkel

denounced the deadly shooting as “blind anti-Semitic

hatred”. “We all have to stand up against anti-Semitism,

everywhere,” she said, in a brief statement posted

on Twitter by a German government spokesman.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he “strongly

condemned the act of antisemitism in Pittsburgh” in a

tweet, adding that his thoughts were with the victims.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet

that “Canadians’ hearts are with the Jewish commu-

nity in Pittsburgh today.” “May the families of those

murdered be comforted, and may the injured recover

quickly and fully,” he said.

ASIA15


Man shot dead in Sri Lanka as crisis escalatesA constitutional crisis grip-

ping Sri Lanka since the president’s shock dis-

missal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe erupted into violence yesterday, with a man shot dead and two others injured in Colombo.

Police said bodyguards for a Sri Lankan cabinet minister al-lied to Wickremesinghe fi red live rounds inside a govern-ment ministry as a mob loyal to President Maithripala Sirisena besieged the minister’s offi ce. Three people were injured but a 34-year-old man died shortly after.

It was the fi rst fatality since Sirisena sacked Wickremes-inghe on Friday and installed a former president as prime min-ister, triggering political chaos in the Indian Ocean nation.

Wickremesinghe has refused to vacate the prime minister’s offi cial residence, barricading

himself inside as 1,000 support-ers, including chanting Buddhist monks, rallied outside.

The 69-year-old says his sacking is illegal, and wants an emergency session of parliament held to prove he still commands a majority.

Sirisena shut parliament for nearly three weeks to forestall any challenge to his appoint-ment of Mahinda Rajapakse, a former president accused of wartime abuses.

Rajapakse sought blessings at a prominent Buddhist temple yesterday as he jostled to con-solidate his claim to the prime ministership.

But Wickremesinghe got a boost as Sri Lanka’s parliamen-tary speaker refused to endorse his sacking.

Karu Jayasuriya backed Wick-remesinghe’s request to retain his privileges and security until another candidate could prove a majority in parliament, saying it was “democratic and fair.”

He also warned the presi-dent that shuttering parliament

risked “serious and undesirable consequences for the country”.

Offi cials loyal to Rajapakse said police will now seek a court order to evict Wickremesinghe from the residence, threatening to escalate the standoff .

Soldiers had been stationed near the residence, although Wickremesinghe’s security and offi cial cars were withdrawn on Saturday.

Tensions were high across Colombo, with police leave cancelled amid warnings street violence could break out if the president did not immediately summon parliament to end the impasse.

“Don’t try to create a civil war in this country,” party legislator Karunarathna Paranawithana told reporters at the prime min-ister’s residence.

Regional neighbours and Western nations have urged all sides to exercise restraint and respect the constitution.

But violence broke out inside the petroleum ministry as police guarding Minister Arjuna Rana-

tunga fi red on a mob surrounded his offi ce.

Witnesses saw Ranatunga, 54, also a former World Cup win-ning cricket captain, rushed from the scene in a tactical hel-met and body armour by police commandos.

In his fi rst televised address to the nation since the crisis began, Sirisena said yesterday he sacked Wickremesinghe over personal diff erences.

“Apart from our ideological diff erences, we also had serious cultural diff erences,” Sirisena said, referring to Wickremes-inghe’s liberal background and his own rural conservative upbringing.

He said he had no choice but to appoint Rajapakse, and urged parliament to support him.

Loyalists to Rajapakse - whose controversial decade-long rule was marked by grave allegations of rights abuses, the crushing of the Tamil Tiger uprising, and growing authoritarianism - still control the headquarters of two state-run television channels.

AFPColombo

Soldiers keep watch outside the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation in Colombo yesterday.

The controversial new prime minister visited a Buddhist tem-ple yesterday in the central dis-trict of Kandy to seek blessings from monks.

Plans to appoint some cabinet members had been delayed, aides said. Rajapakse is yet to make a formal statement since being elevated to the new post.

The strongman is seen as be-ing closer to China than Wick-remesinghe, who had sought to re-establish stronger ties with traditional ally and regional power India.

The crisis has again put the In-dian Ocean in the international spotlight following turmoil in neighbouring Maldives over its presidential election.

India said it was “closely fol-lowing” events in Colombo.

“As a democracy and a close

friendly neighbour, we hope that democratic values and the constitutional process will be respected,” India’s foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.

The United States and Eu-ropean Union ambassadors in Colombo have called on the Sri Lankan rivals to follow the constitution and avoid violence.

Privately-run newspapers described Sirisena’s move as a “constitutional coup”.

However, Rajapakse loyal-ist and former foreign min-ister G L Peiris said there was nothing illegal about sacking Wickremesinghe.

The falling-out between Wickremesinghe and Sirisena has come to a head since the president this year backed a no-confi dence motion against the

man he had handpicked to lead the government.

The two allied against Ra-japakse in the 2015 election, but their relationship steadily soured.

Sirisena initially said he would be a one-term president but has since indicated he will seek re-election next year - pitting himself against Wickremesin-ghe who also has presidential ambitions.

This is the second time that a president has ousted Wick-remesinghe from offi ce. In 2004, the then head of state sacked him and called snap elections.

After winning the premiership in August 2015, Wickremesinghe amended the constitution to re-move the president’s power to sack prime ministers to prevent a repeat of his earlier ouster.

Bangladesh, WB ink deal for cash transfer

The Bangladesh govern-ment and the World Bank yesterday signed

an agreement to improve the transparency and effi ciency of its major cash transfer programmes.

Mahmuda Begum, an ad-ditional secretary at Bang-ladesh’s economic relations division, and Qimiao Fan, World Bank country direc-tor for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, signed the agree-ment worth $300mn, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a statement, the Washing-ton-based lender said the “Cash Transfer Modernisation Project will help the Department of Social Services (DSS) modern-ise the country’s four major social protection programmes using cash transfers by im-proving benefi ciary targeting, programme administration and benefi t payments”.

In fi scal 2018, Bangladesh spent $5.8bn on social protec-tion or about 2% of its GDP and improving the effi ciency of these programmes will help the country to use public re-sources more eff ectively.

Last week, the World Bank

approved $425mn to improve road connections in Bangla-desh through building, main-taining and improving rural bridges in a program that will benefi t two-thirds of the country’s people.

The operation for support-ing rural bridges programme will maintain 85,000m of bridges, widen or rehabili-tate 29,000m of bridges and build another 20,000m of new bridges, said the Washington-based lender in a statement received yesterday.

It said the programme will also create jobs for local peo-ple by generating about 5.5mn person-days of employ-ment, including long-term maintenance work.

According to the statement, the program will support the government’s existing pro-gram for developing and maintaining rural bridges.

“By bridging the missing links in Bangladesh’s rural road network, the programme will enable rural communities living in remote areas to have better road connections,” said Qimiao Fan.

“This will help millions of rural people access markets, hospitals, and schools as well as create new opportunities for livelihoods.”

IANSDhaka

Transport stir cripples Bangladesh

A 48-hour nationwide strike in Bangladesh called by transport work-

ers demanding amendments to the “Road Transport Act 2018” threw normal life out of gear across the country yesterday.

No buses plied in capital Dhaka, leaving hundreds of thousands stranded, reports Xinhua news agency. How-ever, rickshaws, autos and pri-vate cars were seen on the city roads.

On Saturday night, workers announced they would suspend transport operations for two days beginning from yesterday morning.

The Road Transport Act 2018 was passed last month with pro-visions for stringent punishment to traffi c off enders.

The Act, which awaits presi-dential approval before it offi -cially becomes a law, stipulates that traffi c off enders will risk being sentenced up to fi ve years or fi ned 500,000 taka ($5,910) or both.

The country’s existing trans-port law entitled the maximum penalty of three years behind bars with the provision of bail.

The move comes in the wake of countrywide student pro-tests after two students died and nine others were injured after they were run over by a bus in July.

IANSDhaka

Major Thai party selects new leaders ahead of poll

Hundreds of politicians from Thailand’s Puea Thai Party met yester-

day at the party’s headquarter in Bangkok to select new lead-ership ahead of a general elec-tion expected to take place next year.

Political activities in Thai-land were banned by the junta after the military ousted a Puea Thai-led government under former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in May 2014.

Last month, the junta par-tially lifted the ban to allow political parties prepare for the poll which it said will take place sometime from February through May.

The Puea Thai assembly vot-ed in former deputy prime min-ister Viroj Pao-in, 84, as party leader and veteran politician Phumtham Vechayaychai, 64, as secretary-general.

Party core member Sudarat Keyuraphan, 57, was also voted in as a chairperson for the par-ty’s executive committee and another committee that will oversee the selection of party candidates for the election.

“What I have to do now is to gather all the capable people in the party and bring out their best to work for the people,” Sudarat told reporters at the assembly.

“We will now go and talk to

the people and consult them to formulate our party’s policies,” Sudarat said.

Newly elected party execu-tives said it was too soon for the party to nominate its candidate to contest for prime minister and instead will focus on work-ing out the party’s policies fi rst.

For more than a decade Thai-land has been divided between

populist political forces - now led by the Puea Thai Party backed by former prime min-ister Thaksin Shinawatra who was toppled in a 2006 coup - and the royalist and military establishment.

Thaksin’s sister Yingluk swept to power in an election in 2011, before being ousted in another coup in 2014.

“In the past there has been eff orts to destroy our party in various ways but because of the support from the peo-ple we believe the party can overcome,” Phumtham, the party’s secretary-general, told the media at the party’s general assembly.

“Now we are ready to move towards the election,” he said.

ReutersBangkok

Politician Viroj Pao-in, centre, leaves after being named the leader of Puea Thai party in Bangkok yesterday.

Female motortaxi drivers on the rise in Bangkok

Hair pulled back tightly as she lounges on her red scooter, Ar is a rare sight

among the male-dominated ranks of Bangkok’s motortaxi riders plying their trade on the Thai capital’s treacherous roads.

A veteran of seven years who works in the bustling On Nut district, Ar is among the thou-sands of women drawn to the work as gender roles in Thailand evolve, attracted by the fl exible hours, decent wages, and a sense of autonomy.

She welcomes the changes as off ering a chance for women to gain more independence.

“I am glad there are more op-portunities for women to be-

come ‘motorsai’,” she said, refer-ring to the road warriors whose distinctive orange jackets line the streets of Bangkok. “A new generation of women now has to be tough and brave.”

Although no offi cial fi gures are available, observers say more women are choosing to brave the risky traffi c-logged roads and discrimination for the fl ex-ible work schedule, which allows them ownership over their lives.

Chaloem Changtongmadun, president of Thailand’s Mo-torcycle Taxi Association, said that working as a motorsai of-fered women a level of freedom not available in offi ces, shops or factories.

“Women don’t fi nd the work convenient when they become pregnant, take maternity leave or visit their hometown,” he said.

“They feel a closer connection with their families than when they worked in companies.”

He believes that women today make up roughly 30% of Bang-kok’s 98,000 registered drivers although others say the numbers are probably lower.

In many parts of the Thai workforce gender expectations are still at play, with women typ-ically fi lling service industry jobs and clerical positions.

“Thailand still has very bla-tant gender discrimination,” said Kyoko Kusakabe, a profes-sor at Bangkok’s Asian Institute of Technology where she studies women’s employment in the in-formal economy.

That is in spite of women shouldering many of the fam-ily responsibilities, especially in times of crisis, Kusakabe said.

Women are more likely to take up low-paid work in the infor-mal economy while men “stay unemployed to look for a better job”, she explained.

Chaloem also attributes the increase in recent years to the struggling economy, which has been under pressure since a mil-itary junta took over in 2014.

Thailand’s ever-shifting po-litical landscape - where courts and coups have undercut civilian rule since 2006 - has hampered growth in what has been dubbed a “lost decade”.

“Many people lost their jobs or couldn’t make enough money to take care of themselves and their family,” Chaloem said.

Thailand also has one of the highest numbers of road deaths in the world, and Bangkok’s motortaxi drivers embrace a life

on the edge to provide a trans-port lifeline, weaving skillfully between long lines of cars.

As the industry has become more regulated, the drivers are now less vulnerable to abuse from shadowy mafi as demanding monthly payments.

Mototaxi queues - known as “wins” - also function in a more democratic fashion, like holding elections of leaders and allowing members of a queue to vote on certain decisions.

However, most of the women still require the support of a male relative in order to join a line, where there is usually a lot of competition.

A mototaxi driver earns about 1,200 baht ($37) for a full day’s work - a relatively high income compared to Thailand’s daily minimum wage of 330 baht.

AFPBangkok

Three female motorcycle-taxi drivers waiting at a motorcycle-taxi stand in Bangkok.


ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

Rescuers recovered two bodies after a public bus plunged nearly 60m (200ft) into a river after colliding with a car in southwestern China’s Chongqing city on Sunday, state media reported. The bus collided at around 10am with a private car that was driving against the flow of traff ic on a four-lane bridge in the city’s Wanxian area. The bus then veered, broke through the bridge fence and plunged into the Yangtze river. The bus sank some 80m under the water, state radio reported late on Sunday, citing rescuers. More than 10 people, including the driver, were riding the bus, state radio said.

Two dead after China bus plunges into river

N Korea hospital rejects charges of Warmbier tortureReutersWashington

The director of the hospital in North Korea that treat-ed an American student

who died last year after detention in the country has rejected fresh charges that he died as a result of torture.

The official Korean Central News Agency quoted the direc-tor of the Pyongyang Friendship Hospital as saying yesterday that recent reports about the fate of 22-year-old Otto Warm-bier, who died days after he was returned to the United States in a coma, were a “total distortion of the truth.”

“The American doctors who came ... to help Warmbier’s re-patriation acknowledged that his health indicators were all normal and submitted a letter of assurance to our hospital that they shared the diagnostic result of the doctors of our hospital,” KCNA quoted the unnamed di-rector as saying.

“Now the question is: what is the ulterior motive of those American doctors trying to make a diff erent story at this point in time with regard to the cause of Warmbier’s death,” the report said, adding that medical assess-ments “should not be infl uenced by any selfi sh purpose or political interest.”

It added that Warmbier’s “health indicators were all nor-mal” at the time of his release and there should instead be an investigation into the cause of his sudden death after his arrival in

the United States. The KCNA re-port came hours after the Korean service of the Voice of America radio station carried a report on a lawsuit fi led by Warmbier’s par-ents alleging that their son was tortured in detention.

VOA quoted declarations fi led in support of the suit by Otto Warmbier’s former dentists as saying that there was evidence of trauma to his teeth.

It quoted another declaration from Daniel Kanter, a neurolo-gist who was the lead physician

for Warmbier on his return to his home town of Cincinnati as say-ing that Otto suff ered brain dam-age after a cessation of blood fl ow to the brain for fi ve to 20 minutes.

“Because the injury was so extensive, it was unlikely that Mr Warmbier was with medical personnel who were willing and able to intervene to resuscitate him when the injury occurred,” Kanter declaration was quoted as saying.

North Korea has blamed botu-lism and ingestion of a sleep-

ing pill for Warmbier’s condi-tion. The coroner who examined Warmbier said he found no sign of botulism, adding there was no evidence of trauma to Warm-bier’s teeth or of broken bones. US President Donald Trump charged last year that Warmbier was tortured, but also held an unprecedented summit with the North Korean leader this year and is planning another aimed at persuading him to abandon a nuclear weapons program that threatens the United States.

In this file picture, Fred Warmbier (father of Otto), speaks as his wife Cindy looks on during a symposium on possible ways of international co-operation to urge North Korea to take concrete actions to improve the human rights situation in the country at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York, US.

Pressure mounts in Australia

over Nauru refugee childrenAFPSydney

Public pressure was mounting on Australia’s government yesterday to

remove refugee children de-tained on the Pacifi c island of Nauru, possibly to New Zea-land, even as the prime minister raised fears such transfers could encourage new arrivals.

Under a harsh policy meant to deter asylum-seekers from reaching Australia by boat, Canberra sends arrivals to re-mote Pacifi c camps for process-ing and bars them from reset-tling in Australia.

But domestic and internation-al criticism of the camps has grown amid reports of abuse, suicides and lengthy detention periods, even as the government says the policy is discouraging asylum-seekers from embark-ing on dangerous sea voyages.

A YouGov Galaxy poll com-missioned by Sydney’s Sun-

day Telegraph — a tabloid that usually backs the conservative government — found 79% of those surveyed want children and their families transferred off Nauru.

Thousands of Australians on Saturday also rallied in Sydney and Melbourne against the off -shore camp.

The children’s plight was highlighted earlier this month after Nauru kicked out Me-decins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a global medical charity that had been treating asylum-seekers in the camps. MSF said many children were suff ering “trau-matic withdrawal syndrome” and were unable to eat, drink or talk.

The UN refugee agency UN-HCR added in mid-October that the health situation of asy-lum-seekers and refugees was “collapsing”.

Ahead of a crucial Sydney by-election this month, PM Scott Morrison seemed willing to work with the Labor opposi-tion to allow some refugees to be transferred to New Zealand, although they would still be blocked from entering Austral-ia. But with ongoing counting pointing to a loss in the seat for the government, Morrison has since appeared to back away

from a deal. “I just want to get them off , but I want to get them off in a way which does not put more children on Nauru,” he told commercial broadcaster Channel Nine on Friday.

“If one boat turns up or one child is fl oating face down in the water, how would Australia feel then?” Within Morrison’s Liberal Party, three MPs have so far called for children to be removed.

New Zealand has an open off er to take 150 people from Nauru, and PM Jacinda Ardern said she expected women and children to be prioritised if Aus-tralia accepts the proposal.

However, she said the deci-sion was “ultimately a matter for the Australian government”.

There are 635 asylum-seek-ers and refugees on Nauru, in-cluding 52 children, according to Immigration Minister David Coleman.

There are also some 600 men in transition centres on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island af-ter the camp there was closed late last year, according to ref-ugee advocates. Under a deal with former American presi-dent Barack Obama, 439 people have so far been resettled from Manus and Nauru to the United States, Coleman added.

Indonesia arrests executives of palm firms in bribery probeIndonesia’s anti-graft agency has arrested seven people, including a senior executive of palm firm Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology, in connection with a bribery case, an off icial at the agency said yesterday. The Corruption Eradication Commission, known as KPK, named vice president director of Sinar Mas Agro, Edy Saputra Suradja, chief executive of PT Binasawit Abadi Pratama, Willy Agung Adipradhana, and some members of Central Kalimantan parliament as suspects in the case, KPK Deputy chief Saut Situmorang told Reuters.

Both Sinar Mas Agro and Binasawit are subsidiaries of Singapore-listed palm oil giant Golden Agri-Resources Ltd. The people are accused of bribing parliamentarians to avoid an investigation into Binasawit’s plantation permits and palm processing waste near Sembuluh lake in the Borneo island, Situmorang said. Golden Agri, in a statement following the arrest, said: “The company will co-operate fully with the ongoing investigation and hopes that the issues can be resolved as quickly as possible”.It called the case “gravely

concerning and regrettable” and stated that its Indonesian operations and subsidiaries must be managed in accordance to the law and regulations in the country. A statement on behalf of both Sinar Mas Agro and Binasawit said all parties are fully co-operating with the investigation. Reuters could not immediately reach Suradja, Adipradhana or their lawyers for comment. Indonesia is the world’s top producer of palm oil. It has faced pressures from international buyers and environmentalists to make the industry more sustainable.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said in mid-October that the health situation of asylum-seekers and refugees was “collapsing”

Indonesia earthquake losses soar to $1.2bnThe 7.4-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi province last month has caused at least 18.48tn rupiah ($1.217bn) worth of damage, an off icial from the country’s national disaster agency said yesterday. The figure, which was set on Saturday, is much higher than the 13.82 trillion rupiah estimated by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) data a week earlier.It is expected to rise as government agencies continue to assess the damage caused by the disaster, which hit the regions of Palu, Donggala, Sigi and Parigi Moutong on September 28 and killed more than 2,000 people. BNPB spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said in a statement that half of the losses were from housing and most of the destruction had occurred in Palu, the provincial capital. “Houses

and buildings in Palu’s coastal areas have been badly damaged and flattened to the ground after they were hit with a tsunami that reached up to 11m and swept half a kilometre inland,” Nugroho said.Thousand of houses in Palu’s residential areas of Balaroa, Petobo, Jono Oge and Sibalaya were sucked into liquefied soil as they were built too close to fault lines. As of yesterday, the death toll has reached 2,086, while 1,309 people were still missing, 4,438 injured and more than 200,000 displaced. Nugroho said the government had lifted its state of emergency on Friday and the region was now in a transition phase for two months to restore basic infrastructure and build temporary housing until Christmas before it enters the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.

Aussie cops to the roo-scue as kangaroo caught in surf

A kangaroo that hopped into the sea for a dip at a Melbourne beach had to be rescued by Australian police and brought back to life with CPR, off icers said yesterday. Off icers said they were called to Safety Beach in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon amid reports the native animal was struggling in the water. When they arrived, the roo had already made its way back onto dry land and was on the sand covered with a blanket by a beachgoer.But as they approached, it suddenly turned around and bounded back into the waves. “It began to swim but got into diff iculty in the swell and breaking waves and went under water a couple of

times,” Victoria Police said in a statement. Two off icers jumped into the water and managed to bring the marsupial, by now unconscious, back to a grassy area and resuscitate it using compressions. They did not use the “kiss of life” — mouth-to-mouth resuscitation — a Victoria Police spokeswoman told AFP. The wild animal was then brought to a police station and after an assessment, off icers said it was “in good spirits and lucky to be alive given the amount of saltwater he inhaled”. While known for their jumping prowess, most kangaroos are also capable swimmers although they rarely take to the water.

Police off icers rescue a kangaroo from sea at Safety Beach, Victoria, Australia.

A kangaroo lies on a beach after it was rescued from sea at Safety Beach, Victoria.

Off icers wrap a kangaroo in a blanket after rescuing it from sea.

BRITAIN17


Kent police are searching a river for a missing woman they believe may have been murdered. Sarah Wellgreen was last seen in the Bazes Shaw area of New Ash Green and was reported missing on October 11. She has not been in touch with her family since. Kent police said marine search unit off icers were looking through the River Darent in Dartford town centre in connection with the disappearance and potential murder of Wellgreen. On Friday, off icers searched drains and used a drone to assist with their enquiries around Dartford. Earlier in the week, police appealed to the public for video footage from the night Wellgreen went missing.

Three people have been arrested after a 47-year-old man was stabbed to death at a residential address in north London. Emergency services were called to Greyhound Hill, Hendon, after reports that a man had been stabbed. The suspects were taken to a north London police station for questioning. “A male, aged 47, was found with a stab injury. Despite the eff orts of paramedics he was pronounced dead at the scene,” the Met said. “A 43-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder. A 21-year-old man and woman aged 23 have also been arrested in connection with this incident,” police added.

Police have appealed for information after three people died and another three were seriously injured in a collision in north Wales involving two vehicles. John Michael Jones, 18, and Leon Rice, 17, both from Ruthin, Denbighshire, and Colin Hornsby, 17, from Droylsden, Greater Manchester, died in the crash. The incident, involving a Vauxhall Corsa and a Vauxhall Antara, happened in Denbighshire, police said. A 16-year-old passenger was taken to Glan Clwyd hospital and has since been transferred to a hospital in Liverpool with serious injuries. A 19-year-old man who was also in the Corsa remains at Glan Clwyd hospital with serious injuries.

Councils across Britain are refusing to accept cash or cheques for taxes and fines, it has emerged. Rules forcing residents – including the elderly – to pay by electronic means have been quietly introduced by councils including Manchester and Newcastle, with more planning to make the switch in the coming months. Local authorities blamed ‘huge’ funding cuts, saying they could no longer aff ord the cost of running a cashier’s off ice or the bank charges for processing payments such as council tax. But charities accused them of ignoring the preferences of older people and ‘airbrushing them out’.

Rail passengers faced travel chaos yesterday after services in and out of Paddington station in London were disrupted when nearby overhead power cables were damaged. Heathrow Express services were among those cancelled shortly before midday after the collapse of wires between Paddington and Hayes and Harlington. A Network Rail spokesperson said: “All train services between Paddington, Heathrow and Maidenhead are currently suspended. We are sorry for the inconvenience to passengers.” Passengers voiced their frustration on social media, with some concerned about missing flights.

Kent police search riverfor missing woman

Three arrested afterman stabbed to death

Three die after car crash in Denbighshire

Councils refusing to acceptcash, cheques for taxes

Cable damage bringsmisery for rail passengers

INVESTIGATION CRIMEACCIDENT DECISION TRAVEL

UK preparing‘buff ers’ forno-deal Brexit:Hammond

Harry, Meghan startlast leg of Pacifi c tour

Top Corbyn ally’s son guilty of drug charges

AgenciesLondon

Finance Minister Philip Hammond warned rebels in his Conservative Party

that he would have to quickly re-verse plans to ease nearly a dec-ade of austerity if London fails to get a Brexit deal.

Hammond, who is due to an-nounce an annual budget plan today, said he would be able to show voters that “their hard work has paid off ” as long as Britain achieves a smooth exit from the European Union in fi ve months’ time.

Hammond has angered many members of his Conserva-tive Party by arguing Britain should remain close to the EU after Brexit and Prime Minister Theresa May has so far failed to bridge the divide in her party.

Many investors and business-es are worried that the chance of a no-deal Brexit is growing.

Hammond said he was confi -dent that London and Brussels would settle their diff erences but “if we don’t get a deal...we would need to take a diff erent approach to the future of Brit-ain’s economy.”

“We would need to look at a diff erent strategy and frankly we’d need to have a new budget that set out a diff erent strategy for the future,” Hammond said in an interview with Sky News broadcast yesterday.

Most economists say Britain would suff er an economic shock if it leaves the EU with no deal.

Hammond pledged that “fi s-cal buff ers” would be in place to deal with the potential chaos of the country crashing out of the European Union without a deal

in March. He stressed that he was keeping fi nancial fi repower in reserve in case Britain crashes out without a deal and a period of fi nancial mayhem ensues.

“What I will continue to do is maintain fi scal buff ers, a reserve of borrowing power against my fi scal rules so that if the economy as a result of a no-deal Brexit — or indeed because of something else we haven’t anticipated — needs support for the coming months and years, I have the capacity to provide that support,” he said.

“That depends on what the markets are doing, it depends at the circumstances at the mo-ment.”

Offi cials in Brussels say they are prepared to hold another summit as soon as they see sub-stantial progress on the out-standing issue of the Irish bor-der.

A new UK-EU frontier will emerge between Ireland and Northern Ireland on March 29.

But the sides still cannot agree how to maintain frictionless trade that accounts for the dif-ferent customs and regulatory rules that exist between Britain and the EU.

Hammond said that getting a deal “will minimise any negative eff ects” of the divorce but refused to be drawn on how much damage Brexit as a whole was causing.

And he admitted that Britain would need to come up with a brand new budget in a no-deal scenario.

“If we were to fi nd ourselves in that situation, then we would need to take a diff erent approach to the future of Britain’s econo-my,” he told Sky News.

“We would need to look at a diff erent strategy and frankly we’d need to have a new budget

that set out a diff erent strategy for the future.”

But Jacob Rees-Mogg, a lead-ing pro-Brexit lawmaker in the Conservative Party, downplayed the economic risks of Brexit.

“The Treasury has rather em-barrassed itself, has a lot of egg on its face from getting its Brex-it-related forecasts so wrong so far and I think there is an ele-ment within the Treasury that is still grumpy about Brexit and that’s a pity,” he said.

In his budget today, Ham-mond is expected to announce a further improvement in Britain’s borrowing projections, giving him a bit of room to ease nearly 10 years of steep cuts in many ar-eas of public services.

But despite the budget defi -cit falling sharply, Britain’s debt levels remain high, limiting how much Hammond can relax his spending squeeze.

He said yesterday that the biggest increase in spending in his budget had already been announced when May said four months ago that more money would be earmarked for the health service.

He is today set to announce other measures including more spending on roads to ease con-gestion and a tax cut for small retailers to help them compete against online competition.

He hinted yesterday that he would provide money to soften the impact of changes to the welfare system.

Hammond said the Bank of England as well as the fi nance ministry would have to take ac-tion if there is a no-deal Brexit.

In the short term, Hammond said he could use some of the breathing space he has kept for himself inside his fi scal targets to help the economy.

AFPWellington

Prince Harry and Meghan arrived in Wellington yesterday to a tradition-

al Maori welcome, an offi cial reception disrupted by a fi re alarm and a rock star reception during a public walkabout.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on the last leg of a 16-day, four-nation tour which was timed to coincide with the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney.

They fl ew in from Sydney on a Royal New Zealand Air Force fl ight carrying the Kiwi team who took part in the Games, an Olympic style sporting event for wounded soldiers that Prince Harry helped found.

The royals held hands as they left the aircraft where they were greeted by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and mingled with the Invictus athletes before heading to a reception at the residence of the governor-general of New Zealand Patsy Reddy.

The visibly pregnant duch-ess, with her hair in a bun, was wearing a black dress by ASOS

Maternity and a calf-length brown chequered coat by Karen Walker, having changed during the three-hour fl ight from the burgundy dress she wore when boarding in Sydney.

They were welcomed to Government House with a tra-ditional haka and performed a hongi greeting with indig-enous Maori elders, in which they pressed noses together.

After visiting a newly un-veiled UK War Memorial and laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier the royals received a excited re-ception as they went on a walkabout among thousands of fans, many screaming and with some draped in Union Jack fl ags and others wearing an array of tiaras.

There were tears and ap-plause as the royal couple were showered with gifts, including a New Zealand ‘Buzzy Bee’ toy, which Harry held aloft to the delight of the crowd.

“I can’t believe this has happened, I can’t believe that I met the royals,” said Victoria O’Brien, still sobbing several minutes after the royal couple had moved past her.

Daily MailLondon

The son of a frontbench La-bour MP and close ally of Jeremy Corbyn has been

convicted of smuggling drugs into a music festival.

Ishmael Osamor, 29, was caught with a £2,500 haul of ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and cannabis by security staff at last year’s Bestival event in Dorset.

The serving Labour council-lor, son of international develop-ment spokesman Kate Osamor, was arrested on September 8, two days before 25-year-old model Louella Michie died from a drugs overdose at the same fes-tival. There is no suggestion the two events were linked.

Osamor pleaded guilty to four drugs charges but managed to avoid a four-year prison sen-tence.

A judge ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work instead.

His mother – the 50-year-old MP for Edmonton, North Lon-

don – is a member of Corbyn’s inner circle and a vocal social inequality campaigner who has spoken out about ‘racist polic-ing’ and the government’s ‘failed war on drugs’.

Despite his conviction for se-rious drugs off ences, Osamor has kept his taxpayer-funded job in the Commons, where he works as his mother’s commu-nications offi cer. He is listed as working for the MP in her most recent register of interests, up-dated on October 17. The pair live together in Tottenham, North London.

He remains a serving Labour councillor in nearby Haringey having been elected in May in what critics denounced as an ag-gressive takeover of the council by Momentum-backed support-ers of Corbyn. The result trig-gered a nepotism row because Osamor was selected to stand for the position by his own mother, ousting two long-serving coun-cillors including the former Ha-ringey mayor.

Kate Osamor refused to com-ment on the criticism at the

time. Her son was awaiting trial at the time of his selection in November last year and subse-quent election win. It is not clear if he revealed details of his arrest to voters.

His court case will cause great embarrassment to Kate Osamor, who was this week pictured with Corbyn at a fundraising event. In March, she wrote in a policy pa-per that the government’s ‘failed wars on terror and drugs’ had ‘diverted crucial resources away from people’.

She said ministers should fo-cus on issues such as ‘gender-based violence and unsafe cities’ instead. Her Edmonton con-stituency is one of many suburbs blighted by the county lines epi-demic, where criminals recruit youngsters as drug mules to fl ood rural areas with heroin and crack cocaine.

In April, Mahad Yusuf, 21, a gang member from Edmonton, was convicted of traffi cking a 19-year-old girl from North London to Swansea, where he kept her prisoner for two weeks and forced her to sell cocaine.

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, prepare to lay a wreath during a visit to the newly unveiled UK war memorial and Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, in Wellington, New Zealand yesterday.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond appears on the Marr Show on BBC Television in central London yesterday.

Osborne ‘ignored’poverty warnings on 1% pay capGeorge Osborne ignored

civil servants’ warnings that

extending the public sector pay

cap would force children into

poverty, newly released docu-

ments reveal.

The former chancellor an-

nounced in July 2015 that the

1% public sector pay cap would

be extended for four years

– a policy that had not been

included in the Conservative

manifesto. The cap remained

in force until the 2018-19 pay

round.

Documents released under

the Freedom of Information

Act show that Osborne had

received advice from civil serv-

ants warning that the policy

would “make it more diff icult

for low-income families with

children to access essential

goods, and will therefore make

it harder for the government

to hit the Child Poverty Act

targets.”

Civil servants also said that ex-

tending the cap “could increase

financial pressure on families

of public sector workers which

may have a negative impact on

family relationships”.

The policy directly aff ected over

a million families with children.

There are an estimated 2.4mn de-

pendent children in households in

which there is at least one public

sector worker in the UK.

The previously undisclosed

warning is contained in a minis-

terial decision record obtained

by GMB union. Ministers also

considered freezing public

sector pay for two years, the

papers reveal.

The Treasury released the

paper to GMB after a prolonged

delay and being instructed

to respond to the GMB by the

information commissioner.

Rehana Azam, GMB’s national sec-

retary, said the pay freeze had a

devastating impact on the union’s

members for many years.

“This document is a mark of

shame on ministers who im-

posed years of real-terms pay

cuts in the full knowledge that

it would condemn families and

children to poverty. If Theresa

May is serious about ending

‘burning injustices’, she must

use this budget to reverse the

fall in living standards that this

government has imposed on

ordinary working people.”

It emerged earlier this month

that the cap on benefits, also

imposed by Osborne in 2015,

will mean that low-income

families will miss out on an

extra £210 a year from April.

BRITAIN/IRELAND


Poll watchdog head quitsin anti-Brexit bias rowDaily MailLondon

The head of the electoral commission has quit fol-lowing a series of claims

that she has been biased against Brexit.

Claire Bassett has resigned as chief executive of the elections watchdog, while three commis-sioners who publicly opposed leaving the European Union will also go.

The commission has faced accusations of unfairness from Brexiteers, who claim it has fo-cused on allegations of wrongdo-ing by the Leave side. But allies of Bassett, who is joining the newly established UK Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), insist her move

is unrelated to criticism of the commission.

Bridget Prentice, Lord Horam and Professor David Howarth, who sit on the watchdog’s board, are all stepping down this month at the end of their four-year terms. The trio stirred contro-versy after it emerged that they had all voiced opposition to Brexit while in their posts.

Professor Howarth, a former LibDem MP, suggested the 2016 result could not ‘bind the young’, as “Leave’s majority will have been reversed merely by the proc-ess of Leave voters dying and new Remain voters reaching the age of 18”.

Former Labour MP Prentice said Tony Blair’s suggestion the referendum result could be over-turned was ‘spot on’. And Lord

Horam has said in the Lords there would be ‘great logic’ in holding a second referendum.

A Whitehall source said: “Trust and confi dence in the Electoral Commission has been undermined in recent years. New brooms are needed to get it to do its core job competently and ef-fi ciently.” In May, the elections watchdog was rebuked by min-isters for setting aside £829,000 to spend on European Parliament elections next year.

Chloe Smith, the constitu-tion minister, questioned why a budget had been allocated despite the government making clear the UK will not take part – given that the country will leave the EU in March.

The commission said it had ringfenced the sum as a “precau-

tionary measure, so that we have the necessary funds to deliver our functions at a European Parlia-mentary election, in the unlikely event that they do go ahea”’.

But in a letter to Sir John Hol-mes, the body’s chairman, Smith said: “The government has been clear that there will be no Euro-pean elections next year.”

In September the high court ruled that the commission had misinterpreted election law in the run-up to the Brexit vote. Vote Leave, the lead organisation in the campaign to quit the EU, donated £625,000 to Be-Leave, another pro-Brexit group aimed at the youth vote.

During the referendum the commission advised that such donations were permissible but later changed its mind, fi ning

Vote Leave and referring the epi-sode to the police. Bassett will be chief at the TRA, which will take on powers from the EU to in-vestigate unfair trade practices. In a statement announcing her departure, Bassett said: “I am extremely proud of the work the electoral commission has done over the last three years.

“We have made important steps towards being a modern regulator and this has only been possible because of the skills and hard work of the team I have been privileged to lead.”

The three vacated spaces on the Electoral Commission board will be fi lled by Tory peer Lord Gilbert, former Labour MP Joan Walley and Alastair Ross, an ex-DUP minister in the Northern Ireland.

Number of trainsskipping stops soars

Girl died of sepsis after hospital ‘missed opportunities’ to treat her

Daily MailLondon

The number of trains skip-ping stops at stations has surged, causing mayhem

for passengers.A Daily Mail audit of offi cial

fi gures reveals that hundreds of trains are ‘part-cancelled’ every day.

Commuters on the worst aff ected lines have seen the number of services missing sta-tions on the route jump by more than 40%.

A train is considered to be part cancelled if it covers more than half of the scheduled journey and either fails to run the whole jour-ney or fails to make a scheduled stop at any station along the way.

Trains completing their scheduled journey but arriving at their destination two hours or more late also count as a part-cancellation.

In what will be seen as another sign of the UK’s dysfunctional railways, operators are increas-ingly instructing drivers of late-running trains to miss out stops so they can reach their destina-

tion on time or less late.According to fi gures from the

Offi ce of Rail and Road, there were 136,767 part-cancellations in the year to April, or 375 a day.

This was 12% up from the previous year, when there were 122,414. The biggest increase was on West Midlands Trains when the number soared by 46% from 6,302 to 9,181. It was fol-lowed by London Underground, which saw a 44% rise from 5,291 to 7,614, and Great Western Rail-way, up 41.8% from 6,497 to 9,214.

CrossCountry saw a 28% rise in part-cancellations. Virgin Trains West Coast registered a 21% increase, Merseyrail 20%, ScotRail 23% and Northern 18%.

Part-cancellations can be par-ticularly frustrating for passen-gers if they are given no notice. In many cases, they board a train only to fi nd it speeding past their stop. This type of disruption is likely to have increased over the summer because the fi gures cov-er the period before the botched introduction of a new timetable on the rail network in May, which caused thousands of delays and cancellations.

Guardian News and MediaLondon

A six-year-old girl taken to hospital with stomach problems died after medi-

cal staff missed several chances to save her life, a highly critical inde-pendent report has concluded.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS trust accepted there were a series of failures in the care of Coco

Rose Bradford, who died of sepsis.Coco, who had autism, was not

treated for dehydration, the report said, and there was a delay in giv-ing her antibiotics when symp-toms suggested she had sepsis.

The girl’s family said it was hard to live with the knowledge that Coco would probably still be alive if relatively straightforward treat-ments had been administered at the right time.

Coco’s family spotted on July

22, 2017, that she was not eating well and over the next two days she began vomiting and having diar-rhoea. In the early hours of July 25 her parents called an ambulance.

She was taken to the emergency department of the Royal Corn-wall hospital (known as Treliske) exhibiting symptoms including vomiting, bloody loose stools, and an inability to tolerate fl uids.

Coco was sent home but re-turned to the hospital near Truro

the following day and was admit-ted to the paediatric ward, before being moved to adult intensive care. Her condition worsened and she died on July 31, 2017.

An independent report pub-lished said: “There were a number of missed opportunities through-out Coco’s care and treatment. The investigation team concluded that there were key points when, if her clinical management plan had been altered, the outcome for Coco

could have been diff erent.”These included:

It was not recognised that she was clinically dehydrated and in clinical shock on arrival at the emergency department on July 26.

Her clinical dehydration and clinical shock were not treated ap-propriately while she was on the paediatric ward.

Her blood pressure was not obtained until July 28 at 12.15am, 36 hours after her ad-

mission to hospital. There was delay in starting

antibiotics overnight on July 27/28 when her clinical picture suggest-ed she had developed sepsis.

The report added: “A primary contributory factor was the inade-quate staffi ng resources to manage the patient cohort.” It also said that the way Coco’s family were dealt with by the trust after her death “at times lacked compassion and sensitivity”.

Coco’s mother, Rachel Bradford, said: “I am appalled by the level and magnitude of failings from the moment Coco entered Treliske on Tuesday July 25. Our beautiful, little girl did not stand a chance. She was happy and healthy and absolutely loving life. She really loved learning, she loved the beach, swimming, eating chocolate and listening to music. “I cannot and will not ever forgive those individuals we hold responsible for Coco’s death.”

Top healthbodies demand newclean air actGuardian News and MediaLondon

The UK’s leading health pro-fessionals are calling on the government to imple-

ment the biggest shake-up of air quality legislation for 60 years in an eff ort to tackle the country’s growing air pollution crisis.

The UK Health Alliance on Cli-mate Change (UKHACC) – rep-resenting major medical bodies including the Royal College of Nursing, the British Medical As-sociation and the BMJ – is de-manding ministers introduce a new clean air act amid growing concern about the devastating health impacts of the country’s toxic air.

The move follows warnings from several major organisations including the World Health Or-ganisation, Unicef and the UN about the scale of the UK’s air pollution crisis.

Laurie Laybourn-Langton, di-rector of UKHACC, said: “The UK’s dirty air crisis has gone on too long, infl icting a large cost on our health, with children particu-larly vulnerable. To date, the gov-ernment’s response has been too slow and lacked ambition.”

He said the government must set out a policy agenda that is suf-fi ciently robust to “deal with the scale of the problem, ensuring health is protected and air pol-lution levels are rapidly reduced, with support being given to those on the frontline, including coun-cils and the NHS.

“Crucially, the actions needed to reduce air pollution are also those that improve our health anyway, including through help-ing more people cycle and walk instead of using cars.”

Air pollution, UKHACC says, contributes to an estimated 40,000 deaths each year in the UK and costs the economy an es-timated £22bn annually.

Last week, the UN warned that the UK government was endan-gering people’s health by deny-ing their right to clean air, and the world’s biggest children’s char-ity, Unicef, told the Guardian it had refocused its UK operation to tackle air pollution because of the scale of the “health crisis” facing young people in the country.

On Saturday the World Health Organisation warned that air pol-lution was the “new tobacco”, causing 7mn deaths around the world and harming billions more.

UKHACC said that, as well as respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema and bron-chiectasis, air pollution can cause developmental problems for chil-dren’s lungs, making them more vulnerable to these conditions in adulthood.

Other eff ects include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, strokes, dementia and re-duced cognitive ability.

Rose Gallagher from the Royal College of Nursing said the UK should be “leading the way in tackling climate change” but that too little has been done.

“Nursing staff see fi rst-hand patients suff ering from exposure to air pollution,” she said, “often in urgent situations from aggra-vated asthma in children to exac-erbation of long-term respiratory conditions in adults.” She said clean air benefi ted everyone and would reduce the burden on the NHS.

“For the future health of the UK, the government’s duty to reduce air pollution must be en-shrined in law,” she said.

UKHACC wants legally en-forced air standards, governed by an independent statutory body to ensure consistently cleaner air across the UK, and the creation of an advisory group to advise gov-ernment on air pollution, in much the same way as the Committee on Climate Change does on cli-mate change issues.

Fracking ‘risks turningcountry against Tories’Guardian News and MediaLondon

Zac Goldsmith has warned ministers that their plans to fast-track fracking risk

turning whole regions of the coun-try against the Conservatives and igniting a political backlash.

The Tory MP for Richmond said people had legitimate concerns about fracking and that govern-ment proposals to bypass local planning decisions on shale gas wells were a mistake.

“Fracking is an issue that has the potential to turn whole re-gions against the government,” he told the Guardian. “The drill-ing rigs and pollution, the indus-trial equipment and sheer volume of trucks all make it an alarming prospect for communities up and down the country.”

Some Tory MPs have been an-gered by the mooted planning changes, which would allow shale gas wells to be drilled without the need for planning permission and class fracking sites as nationally

signifi cant infrastructure.“If the government’s answer

is simply to change the planning rules so that even elected local representatives have no say on the issue, then it will have to be pre-pared for a huge backlash,” Gold-smith said.

Fracking near Blackpool has caused two minor earthquakes in 24 hours. The shale company Cuadrilla was forced to halt opera-tions for 18 hours on Friday after a 0.8-magnitude tremor, and op-erations that restarted on Satur-day morning triggered a second tremor.

Saturday’s tremor is the 18th in the area since fracking recom-menced 12 days ago at the UK’s only active site. It was too small to be felt above ground and was not categorised as a “red” event by the Oil and Gas Authority, un-like the tremor on Friday, because it occurred after operations had fi nished.

Goldsmith’s comments came ahead of a debate in parliament on Wednesday on the involvement of local communities in shale gas

developments. Nearly two dozen Tory MPs were reported in the Fi-nancial Times to be preparing to rebel against any attempt to push through the changes to planning rules, which could lead to a gov-ernment defeat given that Labour is opposed to fracking.

Mark Menzies, the Conserva-tive MP who called this week’s debate, said: “I am opposed to the move to give hydraulic fracturing permitted development rights. To do so would stop local communi-ties raising extremely important issues, including traffi c manage-ment, which will vary vastly from site to site and cannot be dealt with with one piece of coverall legisla-tion.” Menzies’s constituency of Fylde in Lancashire is home to the fracking site. He said the shut-down on Friday was a sign that “our regulations are working as promised”.

Lee Rowley, the Conservative MP for North East Derbyshire, which has several prospective shale sites, said the government needed to rethink its planning changes.

Ireland’s President Michael D Higgins celebrates with his family as he is declared elected during the announcement of the results of the Irish presidential elections in Dublin, Ireland.

Higgins wins poll

Dancers perform a mass Ghoomar dance during Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London, yesterday.

Diwali celebrations

EUROPE19Gulf Times


The parties of German Chancellor Angela Mer-kel’s right-left “grand

coalition” took a beating yester-day, strengthening fears that the second tough regional election in as many weeks could threaten the alliance’s survival.

After allowing more than 1mn migrants into Germany since 2015, sparking a strong backlash against immigration, Merkel has been battling for her political future.

According to an exit poll in Hesse state by public broad-caster ARD, Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) shed around 10 points for a 28% score, compared with 38.3% in 2013.

“We are in pain because of the losses, but we also learnt that it is worth it to fi ght,” a smiling Volker Bouffi er, the incumbent CDU state premier in Hesse and a Merkel ally, told support-ers. “The message to the parties ruling in Berlin is: People want fewer disputes and more focus on the important issues.”

Meanwhile, junior federal co-alition partners the Social Dem-ocrats (SPD) tumbled almost 11 points to 20%.

SPD secretary general Lars Klingbeil told broadcaster ZDF: “This is a bad result for us, I can’t put it any diff erently.”

The blow follows similar loss-es for Merkel’s CSU sister party in Bavaria’s regional poll earlier this month.

The result is another mile-stone in the long decline of the big-tent “people’s parties” CDU and SPD that have dominated German politics for decades.

Electoral momentum is on the side of newer parties, more tightly focused on a narrow range of issues.

Propelled by the backlash to Merkel’s migration policy into the federal Bundestag last year, the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now rep-resented in all 16 of Germany’s state legislatures, after Hessian voters handed it a 12% score.

The protest party has eaten into both the CDU and SPD vote by railing against migrants and refugees as well as uncaring Ber-lin elites.

The chancellor is weakened after years of battling over her 2015 open borders decision.

While migration and asy-lum policy has been sharply tightened since, it has not been enough to stop desertions to the AfD and disquiet in the CDU’s own ranks.

After 13 years with Merkel at the helm, most of them in coa-lition with the SPD, many Ger-mans are tired of government by carefully-crafted compromise, calling instead for clear direc-tion on pressing policy issues like migration, security, reform of the European Union and cli-mate change.

Nor did the veteran leader’s fourth government get off to a good start after its formation earlier this year, with two rows over relatively minor points bringing it to the brink of col-lapse over the summer.

The SPD has suff ered a string of regional defeats and last year’s worst national election score since the founding of the Federal Republic in 1949.

Meanwhile, the Hessian Greens almost doubled its 2013 share of the vote that helped it into a coalition with the CDU, garnering 20% of the ballots.

The party attracts voters who favour welcoming refugees, worry about climate change or are fed up with the indulging of car companies during a years-long scandal over harmful emis-sions from diesel vehicles.

Even before the results were known, however, leading politi-cians in the Berlin coalition were signalling to the party rank-and-fi le to stay the course.

“No-one can say with 100% certainty how stable things will stay, what kind of dynamics will emerge” after the election, CDU general secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said on Thursday.

Seen by many as Merkel’s anointed successor, Kramp-Karrenbauer cautioned that “if the government falls apart now, it will result in new elections”, a barely-concealed warning to would-be coalition breakers in both the CDU and SPD.

As to whether Merkel could be toppled, foreign minister and SPD hopeful for chancellor Olaf Scholz said yesterday: “I’m not Mrs Merkel’s spokesman, but ... she has told the public that she was elected for the whole parlia-ment” of four years.

A growing number of SPD members feel their centre-left

party is tarnished by its alliance with Merkel and would be bet-ter off rebuilding in opposition – a scenario SPD leader Andreas Nahles has resisted.

Merkel’s conservatives formed their loveless national partnership with the SPD in March only after the collapse of talks on a three-way coalition of the conservatives, Greens and pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP).

Short of an end to the coali-tion, internal frustration in the CDU could instead bubble up in a weak score for Merkel when she stands for re-election as party leader in December – or even a surprise victory for a challenger.

Merkel’s weakness at home

may limit her capacity to lead in the European Union at a time when the bloc is dealing with Brexit, a budget crisis in Italy

and the prospect of populist parties making gains at Euro-pean parliament elections next May.

Merkel party hammered in key regional electionAFP/ReutersFrankfurt am Main/Berlin

A woman casts her ballot for the state elections in Hesse (Hessen) at a polling station in Frankfurt.

Merkel: The bad outcome for her CDU or the SPD could uncork a fresh round of finger-pointing.

Joerg Meuthen, spokesman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, cheers as the first exit polls were announced on public television during the state elections in Hesse.

Georgians voted yester-day in a hotly-contested presidential election seen

as a crucial test for the increas-ingly unpopular ruling party.

Former French ambassador and Georgia’s former foreign minister Salome Zurabishvili, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, was in a tight race with opposition leader Grigol Vashadze, another former for-eign minister.

An exit poll by US-based Edi-son Research said the result will lead to a run-off as both candi-dates garnered 40% of the votes.

A candidate needs to win 50% plus one vote to be elected in the fi rst round.

However, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Georgian parliament speaker and a Georgian Dream leader, told a news conference that an exit poll conducted by his party showed Zurabishvili was set to win in the fi rst round with 52.3% of the vote.

Vashadze had only garnered 28.1%, he added.

Earlier yesterday, Vashadze claimed that the government planned to steal the opposition’s victory by “preparing a mass electoral fraud – vote buying and ballot stuffi ng”.

He said that opposition ob-servers had documented hun-dreds of electoral violations in

the country of 4.5mn people.Voter turnout was above

38% at 1700 local time (1300 GMT), three hours before the polls closed, the central election commission said.

Vashadze – backed by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakash-vili’s United National Movement (UNM) and 10 other groups – has been boosted by grow-

ing popular discontent over the government’s failure to tackle poverty.

During a fraught campaign, Vashadze criticised the “infor-mal oligarch rule” of Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream’s billionaire leader.

Georgia’s richest man, Ivan-ishvili stepped down as premier in 2013 after just a year in offi ce, but he is widely believed to still be the country’s de facto ruler.

On the campaign trail, Zura-bishvili and Georgian Dream slammed the UNM for alleged human rights abuses during its previous term in power.

The presidential campaign is a prelude to parliamentary polls scheduled for 2020.

“The camp that wins the presidential vote gets an upper hand in the parliamentary elec-tion,” analyst Ghia Nodia noted.

If elected, Vashadze has promised to mount a campaign for snap parliamentary polls.

Zurabishvili, a stylish 66-year-old independent MP, is the daughter of refugees who fl ed Georgia in 1921 for Paris af-

ter the country’s annexation by the Red Army.

Her career in France’s foreign service culminated in a posting to Tbilisi.

Saakashvili then appointed her foreign minister – with the approval of then French presi-dent Jacques Chirac.

But Zurabishvili quickly made enemies among the parliamen-tary majority, with MPs and some senior diplomats publicly accusing her of arrogance and impulsiveness.

She was sacked after a year in the job, though thousands took to the streets of the capital to protest her dismissal.

She then joined the opposi-tion and became one of Saa-kashvili’s fi ercest critics.

Her main rival Vashadze is a respected career diplomat who served in the Soviet foreign min-istry where he helped craft the Soviet-US treaty on the reduc-tion and limitation of strategic weapons.

He was Saakashvili’s foreign minister from 2008-2012.

Vashadze, 60, is married to

the celebrated prima ballerina Nina Ananiashvili.

Both candidates have prom-ised to lead Georgia closer to full membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).

The tiny Black Sea nation has knocked on Nato’s doors for more than a decade but the bloc has not yet put Tbilisi on a path to formal membership, despite a pledge in 2008 that it would at some point be admitted.

The vote is to be Georgia’s last direct presidential poll as it transitions to a parliamentary regime.

The new head of state will be a largely ceremonial fi gure, and their successor is to be elected in 2024 by a 300-member electoral college.

More than 3.5mn people are eligible to vote in the election, which is being monitored by in-ternational observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

If the vote goes to a second round, it is to be held by Decem-ber 1.

Georgia’s ruling party faces crucial test in presidential pollAFPTbilisi

People vote at a polling station in Tbilisi during the presidential election.

German nurse Niels Hoegel, already serving a lengthy term for previous

killings, will go on trial before an-guished relatives tomorrow over the murders of around 100 more people – a spree prosecutors say is unprecedented in the post-war period.

The 41-year-old is accused of intentionally administering medical overdoses to patients in his care in order to be able to bring them back to life at the last moment.

He rarely succeeded.Prosecutors say at least 35 pa-

tients were killed at a hospital in the northern city of Oldenburg

where he worked, and about 64 more in nearby Delmenhorst, be-tween 2000 and 2005.

“I hope that he will be found guilty on each count so that the

loved ones can fi nally fi nd some closure,” said Petra Klein, who runs the local chapter of the vic-tims’ aid group Weisser Ring.

Some 126 relatives will serve as

co-plaintiff s in the new trial and are expected to fi ll the specially designated courtroom in Olden-burg, along with around 80 jour-nalists.

For the accused – who fel-low inmates say calls himself the most notorious criminal in Ger-many since the war – little will change.

“This investigation is really out of the ordinary,” said Arne Schmidt, director of the probe codenamed “Kardio” and created in 2014.

“We had to conduct 134 exhu-mations” of patients who died on Hoegel’s watch, Schmidt told AFP, calling the case “unprece-dented in Germany to our knowl-edge”.

As the scope of the trail of corpses emerged, the victims’

loved ones have experienced an “incredible shock”, said Klein, whose organisation has off ered psychological care to the aff ected families.

Many “came to us because the police one day knocked on their door to inform them that their relatives may have been victims of Niels Hoegel, and that they wanted to exhume them”, she said.

It took time to build the latest, breathtakingly vast case.

Caught by surprise while in-jecting an unprescribed medica-tion in a patient in 2005 in Del-menhorst, Hoegel was sentenced in 2008 to seven years in prison for attempted murder.

A second trial followed 2014-15 under pressure from alleged victims’ families, who accused

prosecutors of dragging their feet.

This time he was found guilty of murder and attempted murder of fi ve other victims and given the maximum sentence of 15 years.

It was only then that he ad-mitted to his psychiatrist at least 30 more murders, committed in Delmenhorst.

This prompted investigators to take a closer look at suspicious deaths in Oldenburg.

“We will never really be able to count” the total number of vic-tims, said Schmidt, because so many were cremated after their deaths.

Investigators put the estimat-ed toll at more than 200.

Hoegel appears to have fol-lowed a similar procedure each time he targeted a patient: fi rst,

the injection of a medication triggering cardiac arrest, fol-lowed by an often futile resusci-tation.

The choice of victim appears entirely random, covering ages ranging from 34 to 96.

Among his victims was Chris-tian Marbach’s grandfather, who was admitted to the Delmenhorst clinic in 2003 for a routine opera-tion.

Placed in intensive care, he survived an initial injection-re-suscitation cycle at the hands of Hoegel but died during a second one days later.

“He tried twice to kill him!” Marbach said.

Hoegel was sentenced for that murder in 2015.

The trial is expected to run un-til at least May.

Germany tries ‘serial killer’ nurse over worst post-war murder spreeBy Isabelle Le Page, AFPBerlin

In this file photo taken on February 26, 2015, Hoegel hides his face behind a folder as he waits for the opening of another session of his trial at a court in Oldenburg, northwestern Germany.

Church split over abuse scandal gravityAFPVatican City

Pope Francis has vowed to end clerical sexual abuse, but bishops from Asia and

Africa have shown a mixed re-sponse to a scandal some have termed a “Western problem”.

Church leaders from around the world attended the closing mass yesterday of a month-long meeting, or synod, which many had hoped would take the glo-bal struggle against paedophile priests up a notch.

As the talks began, Francis warned again that abuse and cover ups would not be tolerated.

However, as US Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich told the press, priestly sexual abuse was “not on the front burner of all coun-tries”.

“The resistance of some bish-ops” to discuss a crisis which has hit countries from Germany to America and Chile limited talk time at the synod, US Arch-bishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput told the Catholic News Service agency.

“Some say that (sex abuse) really is an issue of the Western world,” he said, adding that he wished that “we had spent more time not only talking about (the crisis), but apologising to people for it”.

Eamon Martin, the president of the Irish Episcopal Confer-ence, said that some churches were “in denial” and had not given the anti-paedophilia cam-paign “its proper place”.

He said hopes now lay in an exceptional meeting convened in late February by the Pope, at which the heads of bishop con-ferences from around the world are to discuss the protection of minors.

The Vatican has already warned that in some countries the church is dragging its feet because of cultural diff erence over what constitutes child abuse.

The problem was particu-larly serious in Asia, Archbishop Charles Scicluna – a former top prosecutor on paedophile priest cases – said in 2012 on the side-lines of an international confer-ence on the crisis at the religious Gregorian University.

Scicluna, who recently carried out an abuse probe in Chile, said earlier this month that church leaders must realise this is not “a problem linked to any culture or geographic part of the world”.

“That is a myth that has to be dispelled,” he said.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, head of the German bishops’ confer-ence, agreed that “the subject is present all over the whole world”.

“It’s an urgent situation. It’s a matter of survival for the church, at least in its current form,” he warned.

Germany’s Catholic Church apologised last month to thou-sands of victims of sexual as-sault by clergy, with Marx insist-ing that perpetrators must be brought to justice.

Apologies, he said on the sidelines of the synod, were not enough: the Roman Catho-lic Church must also “funda-mentally change the system” with the help of new prevention mechanisms.

EUROPE


US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said yesterday that the United States is

in consultation with its Euro-pean allies on an arms control treaty, as Nato members urge Washington to try to bring Rus-sia back into compliance with the pact rather than quit it.

President Donald Trump said on October 20 that Washington planned to quit the Intermedi-ate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, which Mikhail Gor-bachev, the last Soviet leader, and Ronald Reagan had signed in 1987.

Washington has cited Russia’s alleged violation of the treaty as its reason for leaving it, a charge Moscow denies.

Russia in turn accuses Wash-ington of breaking the pact and says it is working to answer US questions about the pact.

“We are in consultations with our European counterparts, I

was speaking about it the day before with the German defence minister, and so as I said the consultations continue,” Mat-tis told reporters travelling with him to Prague.

Mattis met Czech offi cials and Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who warned that a cancellation of the treaty could mean a return to “cold war times”.

“It is certainly bad news, we regret that,” Babis said at a joint news conference. “(U.S-Rus-sian) relations are not ideal, we are returning to Cold War times.”

“We have to communicate with Russia,” the Czech govern-ment leader said.

Mattis said earlier that min-isters from the North Atlan-tic Treaty Organisation (Nato) would be meeting in Brussels in December and at that point he would have some kind of “cul-minating point”.

European members of Nato urged the United States on Thursday to try to bring Russia back into compliance with a nu-clear arms control treaty rather

than quitting it itself, diplomats said, seeking to avoid a split in the alliance that Moscow could exploit.

European allies see the INF treaty as a pillar of arms control and, while accepting that Mos-cow is violating it by develop-ing new weapons, they are con-cerned its collapse could lead to

a new arms race with possibly a new generation of US nuclear missiles stationed on the conti-nent.

Russian Foreign Minister Ser-gei Lavrov said yesterday that Moscow has started preparing answers to the questions related to the arms control pact deliv-ered by US offi cials, RIA news

agency quoted him as saying.“Just a week ago, a couple of

days ahead of the announce-ment of the (US) aim to leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, Americans via their embassy in Moscow sent the Russian foreign ministry an extensive list of questions which are a concern to them,” Lavrov said.

Interfax news agency quoted the foreign minister as saying that his ministry had sent the list to the defence ministry and other governmental bodies but the fact that the notice given was short “does not contribute to the sustainable dialogue and predictability (in the US behav-iour)”.

Last week, Kremlin spokes-man Dmitry Peskov said that Trump’s plans to develop new ballistic missiles after the Unit-ed States quits a landmark arms control pact were “extremely dangerous”.

Mattis said he had asked his Nato counterparts after the last summit if they had any ideas on

how to bring Russia back into compliance of the INF treaty, but so far none had come back to him.

Heather Conley, a former US State Department offi cial now with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Wash-ington, said that Mattis would receive a range of questions from European allies, such as when a formal notifi cation would be made and whether it signals a new arms race.

“It just deepens the uncer-tainty. Our allies do not know where US leadership is going, what it’s going to do on the day to day basis,” Conley said.

When asked whether he could rule out placing intermediate range missiles on the ground if Washington left the INF treaty, Mattis said: “I never rule things out like that, I also don’t rule it in.”

“There are a number of ways for us to respond, it does not have to be symmetric and it’ll be in close consultation with al-lies,” he added.

Mattis ‘consulting’ Europe allies over nuke arms pactReutersPrague

Mattis: the consultations will continue.

Yesterday the Czech Re-public marked 100 years since the creation of

Czechoslovakia with the big-gest military parade in its post-communist history, highlighting a weekend of celebrations.

More than 4,000 military personnel took part in the event, which saw tanks and artillery roll down Evropska (European) Street, one of Prague’s main boulevards that once bore the name of Vladimir Lenin, found-er of the Communist regime in Russia.

In a unique gesture, troops from Nato allies Britain, France, Italy, and the United States joined the military parade, watched by crowds lining the

boulevard in wet, chilly weather.US Defence Secretary Jim

Mattis also attended.Before Czechoslovakia was

made a country in the fi nal weeks of World War I, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

It remained a country until 1993 when it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Yesterday’s parade, which included a fl y-pass by JAS 39 Gripen fi ghter jets, was the

showcase event of Prague’s cen-tennial weekend which also fea-tured concerts, the re-opening of the National Museum after a three-year renovation, visits by foreign leaders and a state medal ceremony hosted by President Milos Zeman at Prague Castle on Sunday evening.

The country fell under four decades of communist rule dic-tated by the Soviet Union shortly after World War II.

That came to an end following peaceful demonstrations in 1989 in what became known as the Velvet Revolution.

Since its split from Slovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic has become richer, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) military alliance in 1999 and became a member of the European Union in 2004.

The Czech Army today num-bers 24,000 troops.

Czechs celebrate centenary with big military parade

ReutersPrague

Soldiers participate in the military parade in Prague, marking the 100th anniversary of the 1918 creation of the independent Czechoslovak state.

Police off icers with flags march during the military parade in Prague.

The docks are eerily quiet at Cologne’s main port on the mighty River Rhine, with

hundreds of containers piled up and awaiting their journey north on one of Europe’s busiest com-mercial arteries.

Months of scarce rainfall and hot sunny weather drove water levels on the Rhine to a record low, forcing ship operators to suspend services to keep vessels from running aground.

“We haven’t had any new ships in Cologne since last week – they stop in Duisburg” 80km (50 miles) north, Oliver Grossmann, head of shipping company CTS, told AFP.

He said that under normal conditions, “three or four” of his big vessels would stop each day in the city known for its Gothic cathedral.

The few barges still chugging along the river have had to dras-tically reduce their cargo to stay afl oat.

Sitting in his offi ce overlook-ing the mountain of containers, Grossman said that rail links can only fi ll part of the gap as long as river transport is paralysed be-cause of a lack of infrastructure and train engineers.

At the entrance to the port of Duisburg, a small tower houses a Rhine measuring station.

On its roof are two LED panels reading 1.55m (5.09’).

“This is the lowest level ever measured here,” said Jan Boe-hme, a hydrologist with the Wa-ter and Shipping Authority.

Torrid temperatures through-out the summer and only rare rainfall have transformed Ger-many’s waterways and created a crisis unseen since the start of record keeping in 1881.

The previous low water record set in Cologne in 2003 of 81cm (32”) was shattered last week

when the level dipped to just 77cm, the water authorities said.

All along the Rhine, the situa-tion looks similarly dire.

“Since July, the water levels have been lower than we nor-mally see in this season,” Boehme said, noting that in October it usually fl uctuates between three and four metres.

Although the link is not proven beyond a doubt, German author-ities say the extreme dry weather

matches the models of climate change drawn up by scientists.

The Rhine is hardly the only major waterway aff ected, with levels on the Elbe leading to Hamburg also dangerously low.

“This drought phase is ex-ceptionally long,” Boehme said. “For water levels to rise again we would need a lot of rain – a lit-tle shower won’t do it. We need extended, intense, widespread rainfall.”

The drying-up of large swathes of the Rhine marks a heavy blow to the German economy.

In 2017, 186mn tonnes of goods were transported between Basel in Switzerland and the German-Dutch border – amounting to around half of European river shipping, according to the Stras-bourg-based Central Commis-sion for Navigation on the Rhine.

However, since the dry spell began, industrial giant Thys-senkrupp has had to cut back production at its Duisburg plant “because a suffi cient supply of raw material cannot be assured”, a company spokesman said.

Chemicals giant BASF said it had “adapted” production due to “limited deliveries” to its Lud-wigshafen factory, also on the Rhine.

Energy group RWE is strug-gling to supply its Hamm power plant with coal.

Meanwhile in Cologne, despite mild autumn weather, services on tourist boats and ferries has ground to a near standstill.

The sinking of water levels has dramatically altered a pic-turesque stretch of the German landscape, exposing all manner of wrecks and detritus on the banks and under bridges.

Abandoned and long-sub-merged bicycles have resurfaced by the hundreds.

More threateningly, a 50kg (110-pound) World War II bomb emerged in the dried-out river-bed and had to be gingerly de-fused.

Drought cripples crucial German waterwaysBy Yann Schreiber, AFPCologne

This picture taken on October 21 shows a general view of the Rhine river, which is at record low level, in Cologne. Months of drought have left water levels on Germany’s Rhine river at a record low, exposing a World War II bomb and forcing ship operators to halt services to prevent vessels from running aground.

The German government has authorised the release of strategic fuel reserves

after record-low water levels in the drought-hit Rhine river badly disrupted oil shipments in recent weeks.

The unusual move, ordered by offi cial decree, will see Germany unlock reserves of gasoline, die-sel and jet fuel to help aff ected regions along the mighty Rhine waterway.

A spokeswoman for the econ-omy ministry told AFP that the temporary measure was “specifi -cally aimed” at certain areas and that Germany was not facing “a long-term crisis”.

Among those worst hit by de-livery problems because of the reduced river traffi c has been Frankfurt’s busy international airport, as well as the city of Cologne and the western states of Hesse, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland Palatinate.

By law, Germany may tap its oil product reserves “to relieve a local crisis situation”.

According to the Wirtschafts-woche magazine, it is only the

fourth time in some 40 years that the government has taken this step.

Months of scarce rainfall and hot sunny weather have driven water levels on the Rhine to his-toric lows, forcing barges to halt services or dramatically reduce their cargo in order to stay afl oat.

While some oil products can be supplied to customers by rail, it is not enough to make up for the paralysed river transport.

Passenger ships normally ply-ing the Rhine have been aff ected too, with many services sus-pended to keep vessels from run-ning aground.

On Friday, Cologne measured a water level of just 73cm (29”).

The ongoing dry spell has prompted industrial giant Thys-senkrupp to cut back on produc-tion at its Duisburg plant because of a reduced supply of raw mate-rials.

Chemicals giant BASF has likewise grappled with “limited deliveries” to its Ludwigshafen factory, while energy group RWE is struggling to supply its Hamm power plant with coal.

Other rivers in Germany have suff ered too, with levels on the Elbe leading to Hamburg also dangerously low.

Germany tapsfuel reserves forRhine regionsAFPFrankfurt am Main

Spain smashes human traffi cking gangAFPMadrid

Spanish police said yester-day that they had smashed a traffi cking ring which

brought Romanians, many of them with disabilities, to Spain where they were forced to beg in the streets dressed as mimes and human statues.

Offi cers arrested three sus-pected members of the gang, including its alleged leader, and freed 10 Romanians who were being held by the network as part of the operation carried out in the northwestern region of Gali-cia, police said in a statement.

Some of the six women who were freed had also been forced into prostitution.

The ring would recruit its victims in Romania with the promise of jobs in the hospital-ity sector in Spain, but once in the country they were forced to beg in the streets of Santiago de Compostela, a world-famous pilgrimage city, on their knees or dressed as human statues or mimes “regardless of weather conditions”.

Members of the ring would threaten victims to make them beg and “were especially violent when some of these people be-came sick and could not go out in the streets”, the police statement said.

The ring would target “vul-nerable” people in Romania, of-ten with disabilities or learning diffi culties “which would make them more profi table” as beg-gars, it added.

Landslide kills four as storms sweep across ItalyFour people have died in a landslide caused by heavy rain in the southern Italian region of Calabria, local media reported yesterday as stormy conditions swept across much of the country.The four men were trying to repair a pipe near the city of Crotone, reports said, citing the police.Another man died in the port of Catanzaro after a sailing boat was swept away by strong currents.The heavy rain and winds that battered Italy yesterday are expected to worsen today, with severe weather warnings issued for much of the country, including Tuscany, Umbria, Veneto, Calabria and Sicily.

INDIA21Gulf Times


Opposition alliance has no leader or policy: ShahIANSHyderabad

Bharatiya Janata Party pres-ident Amit Shah yesterday said the grand alliance of

opposition parties neither has a leader nor a policy and its only agenda is to remove Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi.

He said that Congress presi-dent Rahul Gandhi was neither acceptable as a PM candidate to other leaders of his parties, nor to the other parties that constitute the ‘Maha Gathbandhan’.

Shah was speaking in Hydera-bad at the conclusion of a two-day conclave of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP.

He said while Modi was working to remove poverty, the only agenda of the ‘Maha Gathbandhan’ was to remove the prime minister.

Stating that the grand alliance would have no impact on the 2019 general election, Shah said Modi would once again become the prime minister.

“2019 elections will be a chal-lenge for all of us and for the coun-try. May 2019 will decide the di-rection in which the country will head,” he told BJYM workers gath-ered from across the country.

He said the youth played a key role in ushering in a change in 2014, and urged BJYM workers to double their eff orts in 2019 to once again make Modi the prime minister with a huge majority.

“You make 50% of the eff orts. We will make the remaining 50%,” he said.

Claiming that various schemes launched by the government had helped 22 crore families, Shah appealed to BJYM workers to reach out to all these families with Modi’s message.

The BJP chief said that after the party returns to power next year, it would drive every intrud-er out of the country.

“From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Assam to Gujarat, we will throw out every intruder,” he said and alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties raised a hue and cry over BJP government in As-

sam identifying 40 lakh infi ltrators.BJYM president Poonam Ma-

hajan exhorted the workers to dedicate themselves to help the BJP win next year’s elections.

Federal ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and top leaders of BJP addressed the conclave over the last two days.

In other developments, the Con-gress demanded the resignation of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, saying that the government had no moral right to rule as it was not able to protect security forces from terrorists and Maoists.

Congress spokesman Ab-hishek Manu Singhvi attacked the central as well as the Chhat-tisgarh governments for failing to curb terrorism and Maoism.

“There are innumerable pa-rameters to show that neither the central government nor the state government can deal with such extremism. Be it Jammu and Kashmir, be it Chhattisgarh Nax-alism or be it the entire Naxal belt beyond Chhattisgarh,” he said at a press conference in New Delhi.

AAP says BJPgovernmentbiggest threatto democracyIANSNew Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party yes-terday called the Bharatiya Janata Party government

the “biggest threat to democ-racy and federal structure of In-dia’s constitution”, and accused the ruling party of “stifl ing and paralysing elected governments in the country”.

“The AAP is of the fi rm view that the government’s false-hoods can no longer fool the peo-ple of this country,” the AAP said in a statement.

The AAP was reacting to Fi-nance Minister Arun Jaitley’s comments that nothing should be done to erode the authority of elected governments.

“The BJP and its ministers have no right to give sermons about the supremacy of elected governments, given their dismal and shameful track record dur-ing their almost fi ve-year tenure now on how they have treated elected governments and made a mockery of constitutional norms,” Delhi’s ruling party said.

It said that it was ironical that Jaitley was delivering a lecture in memory of former prime minis-ter Atal Bihari Vajpayee and “ad-vocated all that late Vajpayee was opposed to all through his life”.

The party also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gov-ernment unsuccessfully tried to dismiss two state governments and “there is not a single non-BJP government in this coun-try which the Modi government has not tried to throttle through most brutal means till now.

“The biggest example of how the Modi regime has tried to stifl e and paralyse elected gov-ernments in the country is the elected Delhi government.”

Jaitley, while delivering the fi rst Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memo-rial Lecture at the India Ideas Conclave, had said the country was higher than any institution or government.

Meanwhile, Delhi Cheif Min-ister Arvind Kejriwal accused BJP president Amit Shah of cre-ating anarchy and encouraging people to violate the orders of the Supreme Court.

“Amit Shah actively encour-aging people to violate SC orders. Creating anarchy. Hopefully, SC will take cognisance,” Kejriwal tweeted.

Kejriwal’s remark came in re-sponse to Shah’s statement that the Supreme Court should not pass verdicts that confl ict with the religious faith of the people and which can’t be implemented on the ground.

Speaking in Kannur, Kerala, Shah said: “The BJP will take over the protest of the Ayyap-pa devotees. We will not mind throwing out the government if the Kerala government tries to steamroll the traditions of the Sabarimala temple.”

Kejriwal also attacked the government for making the farmers “suffer” and demand-ed that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) be scrapped.

Addressing a public rally in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Kejriwal de-manded that if a farmer suff ers crop loss, the government should pay for it and not the insurance companies.

“We demand that the PMFBY should be scrapped immediately and the money deducted from the farmers’ account should be returned. We don’t accept your scheme. Cancel this and stop fooling us. This scheme was started to benefi t insurance companies,” he said.

The AAP leader also said the people voted for the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha election because they were fed up with the Con-gress.

“They were hopeful that the BJP will do something. But the farmers are still suff ering and killing themselves. It will not be wrong to say that the farmers are now in the worst condition ever,” he said.

Modi-Abe talks to focuson trade and securityAgenciesTokyo

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed his Indian counterpart Narendra

Modi to Japan yesterday, kick-ing off two days of talks aimed at bolstering their relations amid growing concerns about global trade tensions and security.

Following his talks with Xi Jinping in China, Abe received Modi at a resort at the foot of Mount Fuji, the country’s high-est peak.

After visiting a factory op-erated by robot manufacturer Fanuc in the prefecture of Ya-manashi, Modi had the honour of being the fi rst foreign head of government to be invited to

Abe’s vacation home near the mountain.

Modi was briefed on the vari-ous robotic and automation ca-pabilities of Fanuc.

Both leaders observed several illustrations of the working of industrial robots. At the mo-tor assembly facility, they wit-nessed the assembling of a mo-tor by a robot in 40 seconds.

Fanuc contributes to the manufacturing industry in Japan and other countries, including India, by promoting automation and effi ciency in manufacturing.

Both leaders spent around eight hours together during the course of the day.

Modi gifted his Japanese counterpart two handcrafted stone bowls and durries.

According to sources, the

bowls, made from rose quartz and yellow quartz stone sourced from Rajasthan, were crafted by master artisan Shabbirhusen Ib-rahimbhai Shaikh of Khambhat region of Gujarat.

The uniqueness of this craft lies in the fact that the form of the product is scooped out from a block of stone and then shaped and refi ned using basic hand tools generally without any lathe machines.

Hand-woven by the mas-ter weavers of Mirzapur, Ut-tar Pradesh, the durrie designs show the diversity of possibili-ties - from a symmetrical re-peating geometric tessellation in one, to stylistic fl oral motifs arranged around the classical medallion pattern in another.

The durries use two distinc-

tive Indian colour palettes. While one uses indigo blues, reds and a sprinkling of turmeric yellows, the identifying colours that have marked Indian textiles for centuries, the other uses the muted earthy tones of the Indian landscape.

Modi also gifted a Jodhpuri wooden chest from Rajasthan with traditional work.

The two leaders are scheduled to hold formal talks in Tokyo to-day that will likely touch on Chi-na’s growing power in the region.

They are expected to issue a joint communique on strength-ening security co-operation and measures aimed at pursuing a “free and open Indo-Pacifi c,” Kyodo News agency reported, citing an unnamed Foreign Min-istry offi cial.

Their statement is expected to include improved co-operation between the two countries and the United States, which is de-signed to counter China’s ex-pansion in the South China Sea.

Modi and Abe are also likely to agree to expand the two coun-tries’ co-operation in the medi-cal fi eld and boost exchanges in various areas.

“(We) will have a frank ex-change of views and I’d like to deepen our co-operative ties for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacifi c region,” Abe said at a meeting of his Liberal Demo-cratic Party on Tuesday.

This is Modi’s third visit to Ja-pan as premier. The two leaders met in Japan in November 2016 last time. They have regular mu-tual visits.

Zika spreads, virusdetected in GujaratAFPNew Delhi

India’s Zika outbreak is spreading, with offi cials saying yesterday that the

mosquito-borne virus has been detected in the western state of Gujarat after nearly 150 cases were reported this year in neigh-bouring Rajasthan.

Health authorities in Gu-jarat said a woman tested posi-tive for Zika and was treated at a state hospital in the main city Ahmedabad, the first con-firmed case outside Rajasthan this year.

“Only one case has been found so far. We are taking all precau-tions,” Gujarat Commissioner of Health Jayanti Ravi told AFP yesterday.

The state health department has rallied hundreds of doctors and medical personnel to per-form emergency screenings for Zika, including more than 250 pregnant women with fevers.

Gujarat, which borders Rajas-than to the south, has been fumi-

gating public areas in an eff ort to kill the mosquitoes that carry the diseases.

Health authorities in Rajas-than have detected 147 cases of Zika since September, offi cials say.

Almost 440,000 people were under surveillance in Rajasthan’s capital Jaipur last month.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries Zika and other vi-ruses like dengue fever, is widely prevalent in India.

The country of 1.25bn reported its fi rst Zika cases in January 2017 in Gujarat but the latest case is the fi rst in the state this year.

Since Zika erupted on a large scale in 2015, more than 1.5mn people in more than 70 countries have been infected, with most in South America.

In rare cases, if pregnant women contract the virus their babies can develop brain defects.

Zika was also detected in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in July 2017.

The World Health Organisa-tion has said no vaccine is likely to be available until 2020.

BJP president Amit Shah gestures during the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national convention in Hyderabad yesterday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits a Fanuc factory with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Oshino, Yamanashi prefecture, yesterday.

Unique cafe helps staff ers overcome disabilitiesIANSMumbai

It was barely three months ago that a US-returned doctor started a small cafe in upscale

Juhu as a unique venture - em-ploying mostly those who suff er from various developmental dis-abilities.

Now, Cafe Arpan has gained huge popularity - among pa-trons, many of whom have be-

come regulars, and among the 19 specially-abled staff ers who love to work 30 hours over six days a week to make this trendsetter ea-tery a super success.

“It was like a dream and in planning for nearly a year, but only after getting a proper place and crowdfunding that we fi nally opened the doors on August 2. I have 19 staff ers, mostly full-tim-ers, including my elder daughter, all suff ering from some or the other form of developmental dis-

ability,” founder-owner Dr Su-shama Nagarkar told IANS.

The psychologist is a single mother of two daughters - Aarti, 32, who suff ers from autism, and Divya, 30, who lives abroad.

Nagarkar wanted “to do some-thing diff erent, and empower people suff ering from develop-mental disabilities”.

Initially, she started with a tif-fi n service, around one-and-half years ago, which proved to be a hit and had over a dozen staff -

ers with affl ictions like autism and Down’s Syndrome, as also under-developmental and intel-lectual disabilities, all of which are incurable but impact normal life among all age groups.

“With a limited yet distinc-tive menu, there is ample space for the staff ers to move around conveniently and everything functions on electricity for their safety. They can comfortably work around fi ve hours a day and take home salaries comparable

with industry standards,” Nagar-kar said.

In the age group of 23-50, most are barely literate, but they have learnt to handle everything “with complete dedication and focus”, said Nagarkar, who opened the eatery under the auspices of Yash Charitable Trust (YCT) of which she is the managing trustee, and which carries out multifaceted social activities.

“I returned to India after 15 years in the US and started the YCT in

2014 to bring people with devel-opmental disabilities into the so-cial and national mainstream, and make them responsible and con-tributing citizens,” she said.

Nagarkar feels these specially-abled people have great potential but severely lack opportunities - and that the Cafe Arpan and the tiffi n services have started to contribute in a small way, help-ing them become independent and capable of supporting them-selves and even their families.

Initially, there was a commu-nication gap between the staff and patrons, but the latter proved very understanding and now the going is smooth, with customers appreciating the initiative.

Open for 12 hours from 8 am, Cafe Arpna off ers a simple but specially-designed menu of barely 30 items like burgers, pizzas, hot/cold beverages and the like, which the specially-abled staff ers can themselves handle without com-plications or calamities.

Over 3,000protestersdetained intemple row

Special team to ensure speedy trials of ‘Trainset’

AgenciesThiruvananthapuram

More than 3,300 peo-ple have been arrested in Kerala since Friday

for protesting against the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple.

The arrests were made for ri-oting and unlawful assembly, a spokesman for Kerala police said yesterday.

All but 123 of the 3,347 people arrested had been released on bail.

Yesterday morning, Ra-hul Eashwar, a member of the Sabarimala priest’s family, was arrested.

Eashwar was arrested after police received a complaint that he had made provocative re-marks over the issue at a press conference in Kochi last week.

However, Kerala police chief Loknath Behra has ordered that no arrest should be made of those people who protested by taking part in singing hymns and prayers.

Defending the arrests, state Communist Party of India (Marxist) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said this was nor-mal police action when the rule of law is breached.

“During the previous Con-gress-led rule, over 400,000 cases were registered against our workers. Is it not natural for the police to act when rules are bro-ken?” asked Balakrishnan.

The Bharatiya Janata Party said it will continue to stand by devotees opposed to the entry of

women to the temple, president of the state unit of the party P S

Sreedharan Pillai said.He also announced a series of

protests to ensure that Sabar-imala’s uniqueness – keeping away women in the age group of 10 to 50 – was kept intact.

The temple closed after fi ve days of ceremonies on October 22.

It will now open at 5pm on November 5 and close the next day at 10pm.

“We will be in full strength and will support the devotees’ wishes when the temple opens on the 5th,” Pillai said.

“The situation in Kerala is worse than the Emergency days,” he said. “People are being arrest-ed at midnight just because they protested in a peaceful manner, fi ghting for the rights of the the devotees.”

Pillai said that across the coun-try there were many temples ded-icated to Ayyappa but the Sabar-imala shrine was unique.

He said he would stage a day-long protest outside the offi ce of the Kerala police chief.

The southern state saw vio-lent protests after the Sabar-imala temple opened its doors to women of reproductive age on October 16 following a Supreme Court order that lifted a centu-ries-old ban on women.

In the days that followed, pro-testers forced female pilgrims to turn back, attacked female jour-nalists and held violent demon-strations in diff erent parts of the state.

A centre run by a spiritual guru who supported the court

order was set on fi re, and the home of a woman who tried to reach the temple was attacked.

Political parties have added fuel to the fi re.

The BJP has accused the state’s CPM government of ig-noring the sentiments of Hindu devotees.

“The Kerala government should stop the brutality in the name of the Supreme Court judgment,” BJP chief Amit Shah said at a rally in the northern Kerala town of Kannur on Sat-urday.

The CPM hit back saying Shah’s criticism of the Supreme Court verdict exposes who was behind the violence.

“Shah has challenged the Su-preme Court order on the en-try of women to the Sabarimala temple and incited his partymen to defy the verdict. In doing so, he has exposed the real hand be-hind the violent protests against women’s entry into Sabarimala,” the CPM politburo said.

The CPM said in a statement that such incitement had also led to the “highly condemnable” arson attack on the ashram of Swamy Sandeepananda Giri.

Accusing Shah of blatantly ridiculing the court ruling, the CPM, said it was in keeping with the RSS-BJP’s contempt for the constitution and the Supreme Court.

The CPM, which heads the Left Democratic Front govern-ment in Kerala, also slammed Shah for his threat of ousting the state government if it tried to steamroll the traditions of the Sabarimala temple.

IANS Chandigarh

With pressure mounting following a few res-ignations from party

posts by senior leaders, Shiro-mani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said yester-day he was ready to quit as the party chief if the party wanted him to do so.

Talking to reporters after of-fering prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Badal indi-cated that the disgruntled senior leaders will be approached soon to resolve the stand-off within the party.

The SAD, which ruled Punjab in alliance with the Bharatiya Ja-nata Party from 2007 to 2017, is facing an internal crisis for the past one month following res-ignations from party posts by senior leaders who are challeng-ing the manner in which Badal is leading the party.

Among those who have re-signed include former federal minister and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, former

MP Rattan Singh Ajnala and former ministers Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and Sewa Singh Sekhwan.

The senior leaders have vir-tually raised a banner of revolt against the style of functioning of Badal and his brother-in-law and legislator Bikram Singh Ma-jithia.

Both take all important deci-sions in the party.

“It is my duty to do whatever the party wants. I am ready to quit if the party wants so,” Badal said.

The senior leaders are upset that the party, under Badal’s leadership, got the Akal Takht to pardon controversial godman and Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who has been convicted in two cases of rape and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

They have also objected to the handling of the cases of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in 2015 by the SAD government which led to protests by Sikh organisations and resulted in two men being killed in police fi ring in October 2015.

Ready to quit if party wants: Sukhbir Badal

IANSNew Delhi

Indian Railways has set up a separate team to ensure speedy trials of the much-

awaited Trainset, a fi rst for the national transporter, that will roll out today from Chennai’s Integral Coach Factory (ICF).

A separate directorate of six senior offi cials has been cre-ated in the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) to ensure speedy trials of the fi rst indigenously-built semi-high speed train and sub-sequently other such trains in future on the Indian rail net-work.

Branded Train-18, the train with 16 compartments will un-dergo short runs near ICF for fi ve days for testing its braking system, the on board air-con-ditioning and other systems - as well as for familiarising the crew with the control systems - before reaching New Delhi on November 7.

“The new train will then move to the Moradabad-Bareli section for the 150kmph speed trials for a few days,” a senior Railway Ministry offi cial told IANS.

Thereafter, the train will run at 160kmph between Kota and Sawai Madhopur for the fi nal trial.

“Both sections will have empty and sandbag loaded tri-als and the RDSO will monitor the entire process before giving the green signal for the com-mercial run between Delhi and Bhopal,” the offi cial said.

A trainset is a set of coach-es coupled mechanically and electrically with driving cabins at both ends and distributed traction power across the train.

Dubbed the next-generation train, it is capable of running at speeds of up to 160kmph.

The acceleration and deceler-ation is faster in a trainset com-pared to other trains hauled by locomotives, thereby consider-ably reducing travel time.

Driven by a self-propulsion

module and fi tted with CCTV cameras, it would have two executive compartments in the middle with 52 seats each, while the other coaches would have 78 seats each.

Estimated to cost about Rs 100 crore, the fi rst trainset will have a few imported compo-nents such as French-made seats, brakes and couplers from Germany, along with a Czech-made door system – all of which are to be indigenised for the next rake.

ICF will manufacture six trainsets under the Train-18 programme, of which two are planned with sleeper class coaches.

Aimed as a landmark im-provement in passenger trav-el, rotating seats which can be aligned in the direction of travel, onboard infotainment system with non-stop Wi-Fi, vacuum toilets, sliding doors and continuous windows for a contemporary modern look are some other features of the trainset.


INDIA

Badal: faces revolt

The Odisha government yesterday asked collectors of coastal districts to remain alert as the weather bureau has predicted heavy rainfall till October 30 in the state. “Collectors of Puri, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Gajnam, Bhadrak and Balasore have been asked to remain alert in view of the possible heavy rainfall forecast,” Joint Special Relief Commissioner Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra said. The office of Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) also asked all deputy directors of fisheries and coastal districts’ fishery officers to ensure the safe return of all fishing boats and vessels to the coast.

Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu yesterday warned ‘arthiyas’ (commission agents) of action if farmers were paid less or payment was delayed for the paddy procured from them. “Action will be taken against the arthiyas giving lesser value against MSP (minimum support price) to farmers,” Ashu said in a statement. He said that in accordance with the Punjab Agricultural Produce Market Rules Act, 1962, it was the duty of the state government to make payment within 48 hours and the amount forwarded to the farmers through cheques. Some of the ‘arthiyas’ in the state were not transferring the payment of paddy to the farmers through cheques.

The Arunachal Pradesh government yesterday signed an agreement with the British Council to strengthen educational and cultural co-operation. “I am very happy that we signed this MoU with the British Council which will enhance the opportunities for young people in Arunachal Pradesh and connect them to international expertise and ideas,” Chief Minister Pema Khandu said. The memorandum of understanding was signed by Tayek Talom, director of Higher and Technical Education of Arunachal Pradesh, and Alan Gemmell, director, British Council India, on the sidelines of the Tawang Festival.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik yesterday ordered a Crime Branch probe into the death of seven elephants due to electrocution in Dhenkanal district. Expressing grief over their death, the chief minister said that appropriate action would be taken if any criminal negligence was found in the matter. The elephants died after coming in contact with a low-hanging live wire near Kamalanga village late on Friday night. The energy department suspended two off icials and sacked a junior engineer after the deaths. The forest department also suspended three off icials for negligence.

A married man and his paramour yesterday committed suicide in Jharkhand’s Latehar district after the man’s wife disapproved of their relationship, police said. According to the police, Ajay Singh, 23, a resident of Latehar’s Lundi village, was in love with Sugani, 21, of the same village. He took Sugani home a few days ago. An angry Ajay’s wife left for her parents’ home. Ajay went to his in-law’s house on Saturday and convinced his wife to return with him. Upon finding that Sugani was still in their house, Ajay’s wife quarrelled with him. Ajay and Sugani left the house on Saturday afternoon and committed suicide yesterday by hanging from a tree.

Odisha alerts collectors as heavy rains expected

Minister warns against delayin payments to farmers

Arunachal, British Councilsign cultural accord

Odisha CM orders probe into death of elephants

Married man, paramour commit suicide in Jharkhand

WEATHER AGRICULTUREAGREEMENT TRAGEDY SOCIETY

Former Delhi CM Khurana crematedIANSNew Delhi

Former Delhi chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Madan Lal Khurana,

who died on Saturday aged 82, was cremated yesterday.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, BJP leader L K Advani and federal ministers Arun Jait-ley, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Harsh Vardhan, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Vijay Goel were among those present at the cremation at Nigam Bodh Ghat in New Delhi.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Lt Governor Anil Bai-jal and thousands of BJP work-ers also paid homage to Khurana, who was also a governor of Ra-jasthan and a federal minister.

Earlier, Khurana’s body was kept at the Delhi Bharatiya Jana-ta Party offi ce for people to pay their last respects.

Tributes poured in from lead-ers of several parties.

President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted that Khurana contrib-uted immensely to public life and particularly to the well-be-ing of the national capital and its people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Khurana for his work towards rehabilitating refugees from the 1947 partition and called him an “able admin-istrator”.

“Khuranaji will always be re-membered for the manner in which he strengthened the BJP in Delhi. He made unwavering eff orts towards serving the post-partition refugees in Delhi.” Fi-nance Minister Jaitley remem-bered Khurana’s underground work during Emergency.

The Delhi government yes-terday declared a two-day state mourning as a mark of tribute to Khurana.

“We all are deeply saddened to hear the demise of veteran leader and former CM of Delhi Khuranaji. As a mark of re-spect to the departed soul, state mourning shall be observed by the Delhi government for two days,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted.

Baijal and Kejriwal also ex-pressed condolences.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley pays tributes to former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana yesterday.

LATIN AMERICA23


Bolsonarofavourite towin as Brazilgoes to polls

Nicaragua bans entryof human rights group

Spain agrees to extraditeChavez aide to Venezuela

AFPRio de Janeiro

Brazilians yesterday cast ballots in a divisive presi-dential run-off election

whose front-runner, far-right former army captain Jair Bol-sonaro, is vowing to rescue the country from crisis with a fi rm grip.

Bolsonaro — who has tapped deep anti-establishment anger, but repulsed many with his den-igrating remarks about women, gays and blacks — faces leftist Fernando Haddad, a former Sao Paulo mayor.

Bolsonaro had an eight- to 10-point lead going in, accord-ing to two fi nal opinion polls published Saturday, which gave him about 55% of the vote.

And while Haddad has made up ground — he trailed by 18 points two weeks ago — it would take a dramatic surge for him to win.

“Democracy is at risk, indi-vidual freedom is at risk,” Hadd-ad, 55, warned after casting his ballot at a school in Sao Paulo, thronged by supporters clutch-ing red and white roses — as op-ponents across the street banged pots and pans in protest.

“Brazil has woken up in the last few days...I have a lot of hope in the result,” he said.

Bolsonaro, 63, voted at a poll-ing station in Rio de Janeiro, ducking in through a side door to avoid the waiting crowd.

Wearing a green army jacket, he left with a double thumbs-up, saying only that he could not make a statement for security reasons.

On Saturday he made his fi -nal pitch to voters on social media, the only place he has campaigned since an attacker stabbed him in the stomach at a rally last month, sending him to the hospital for three weeks.

“God willing, (it) will be our new independence day,” he tweeted.

The Latin American giant’s elections come on the heels of a punishing recession and stag-gering corruption scandal.

Bolsonaro outrages a large part of the electorate — and many outside the country — with his overtly misogynistic, homopho-bic and racist rhetoric.

He once told a lawmaker he opposed that she “wasn’t worth raping;” and he commented after visiting one black com-munity that they “do nothing — they’re so useless I doubt they can procreate.”

But an even larger portion of voters reject Haddad and the tarnished legacy of his Workers’ Party.

Haddad is standing as a sur-rogate for popular — but impris-oned — ex-president Luiz Ina-cio Lula da Silva, who led Brazil through the boom years of 2003 to 2010, before both the coun-try and his left-wing political project went bust.

The highly controversial Lula, who stands accused of master-minding the massive pilfering of state oil company Petrobras, is serving a 12-year sentence for bribery.

Lacking his mentor’s cha-risma, Haddad has struggled to unite opposition to Bolsonaro, despite mounting fears over

what the former army offi cer’s presidency would bring.

Bolsonaro, a veteran con-gressman, is unabashedly nos-talgic for Brazil’s brutal military dictatorship (1964-1985), and has been accused of authoritar-ian tendencies.

But his law-and-order mes-sage has resonated.

The election looks set to be decided as much by Brazilians voting against something as for it.

“I’m not very enthusiastic, because I don’t really like either candidate,” Elias Chaim, 23, an engineering student and music producer, said at a polling sta-tion facing the legendary beach of Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro.

“But I want to vote Haddad, because Bolsonaro’s discourse of hate and intolerance is a risk for our country.”

In Sao Paulo, the economic capital, 51-year-old business-woman and Bolsonaro backer Ana Lucia Gercici vowed to leave the country if Haddad wins. “Honest, hardworking people feel wronged after voting for so many thieves. The country’s been ripped wide open,” she said.

Marcos Kotait, 40, a publicist, meanwhile said he had “never seen such a polarised election.” “It used to be people would ac-tually vote for what they wanted, and not just against something,” he said.

Long prone to dramatic booms and busts, Brazil is currently plunged in a deep national ma-laise. It had its worst-ever reces-sion from 2015 to 2016, when the economy shrank nearly 7%.

AFPManagua

Human rights cam-paigners from the Centre for Justice

and International law (CEJIL) said immigration authorities blocked them from entering Nicaragua and forced them to return to Costa Rica.

A three-member delegation from the organisation arrived at Managua’s international airport but were barred from entering the crisis-torn Cen-tral American country, the CEJIL said.

The group said it had a for-mal letter of invitation from the Inter-American Commis-sion for Human Rights (CIDH) for a meeting in Managua.

“This clearly shows the gov-ernment’s low commitment to human rights and democracy,” the CEJIL said.

Nicaragua has been de-scending into chaos since April 18, when police and pro-government paramili-taries cracked down on pro-

tests against social security reforms.

Demonstrations evolved into a wider opposition against President Daniel Or-tega, a former leftist guerrilla who has maintained power for 11 consecutive years and re-fused calls to step down.

Rights groups say more than 300 people have now been killed in the turmoil and hundreds more detained in a crackdown.

“We reiterate our commit-ment to continue accompa-nying the human rights de-fenders in Nicaragua. These types of acts are not going to intimidate us,” the CEJIL said on Twitter.

Meanwhile in a fallout of the crisis in Nicaragua, Ca-nadian tour operator Transat announced it had cancelled all fl ights to Nicaragua this com-ing winter.

This decision was made “because of the ongoing civil unrest and (the) weak de-mand that arises,” Air Transat spokeswoman Debbie Cabana said.

ReutersMadrid/Caracas

Spain’s High Court has agreed to extradite a Ven-ezuelan woman who was

part of the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez’s inner circle to her home country, where she is sus-pected of money laundering and illicit enrichment.

According to Venezuelan me-dia, Claudia Diaz was Chavez’s nurse when he was being treated for cancer, which ultimately led to his death in 2013, while her husband served as one of his aides de camp.

From 2011 until 2013, Diaz also served as an executive of government fund Fonden — an obscure state-run investment fund which received more than $100bn in state revenue but produced little if any documen-tation as to how the funds were spent.

The court said in a statement that Diaz is suspected of using the Panamanian law fi rm Mos-

sack Fonseca to create compa-nies through which she acquired illicit assets in Venezuela and abroad, in a case linked to the “Panama Papers.”

Both Diaz and her husband’s names surfaced in the Panama Papers — millions of documents from Mossack Fonseca that were published by the media in April 2016 and which show how the rich and powerful used off shore corporations to evade taxes.

When Diaz was detained in Spain in April, Venezuela’s chief prosecutor Tarek Saab wrote on Twitter that his office had requested her arrest due to her appearance in the Panama Papers.

In a written statement, Saab’s offi ce said it opened an investi-gation into Diaz and her husband in April 2016 and that the two were wanted for money launder-ing and embezzlement.

Investigators raided their properties and determined their wealth was greater “than they could have acquired from their occupations as public offi cials,”

according to Saab’s offi ce.According to the High Court

statement, Diaz claims the case is politically motivated due to her opposition to Venezuela’s current government.

The court dismissed this ex-planation, saying there was no indication the case was moti-vated by her political ideas.

The court’s decision, which may be appealed, must now be ratifi ed by the Spanish govern-ment.

It is not clear whether Fonden funds were implicated in the al-leged money laundering.

A 2012 Reuters investigation found that Fonden ploughed hundreds of millions of dol-lars into state-run factories that were never completed and have never produced anything.

Human rights groups and Venezuela’s opposition accuse President Nicolas Maduro of holding hundreds of critics of his administration in harsh con-ditions to stifl e dissent.

Maduro’s government denies it holds political prisoners.

Jair Bolsonaro, far-right lawmaker and presidential candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL), gestures during a runoff election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday.

Mexico’sjob off ersfail to stopUS-boundcaravanAgenciesArriaga, Mexico

A US-bound caravan of Cen-tral American migrants pressed on through south-

ern Mexico, in spite of govern-ment off ers of jobs, as authorities stepped up eff orts to disperse the convoy that has angered US Presi-dent Donald Trump.

Mexican police in riot gear briefl y blocked the march of men, women and children as they neared Oaxaca state before dawn, to relay the off er of tem-porary identifi cation papers, jobs or education for those seek-ing asylum in Mexico.

Trump has threatened to send troops to the US border and cut aid to Central America to try to stop the group of several thou-sand people that left Honduras two weeks ago.

Estimates vary signifi cantly on the group’s size, which has morphed as some migrants re-turn home and newcomers join.

At least 150 migrants travel-ling separately were detained on Friday near Guatemala’s border, a Mexican offi cial said.

More than 1,700 people in the convoy have applied for asy-lum, while others have returned home, according to Mexico’s government.

The Honduran ambassador said the group offi cially had 3,500 members. Other estimates go much higher.

By Saturday, more than 100 Honduran migrants opted to seek refugee status and enter the tem-porary work programme proposed by President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday, said Mexico’s National Migration Institute.

Many others rejected the off er.“We’re going to the US. Because

that’s our dream,” said 28-year-old Honduran Daniel Leonel Es-teves at the head of a 50-person wide column of migrants snaking down a highway into the hills.

Others echoed his goal to cross the border, declining Mex-ico’s off er.

“Our destination is the US,” said migrant Francisco Ramirez.

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales speaks at his birthday celebration in La Asunta, Bolivia.

Birthday celebration

Latest land defender murder cements Mexico’s deadly reputationGuardian News and MediaMexico City

Mexico is cementing its reputation as one of the deadliest places in

the world for environmental and land defenders, human rights activists have warned after the latest murder of a prominent in-digenous rights campaigner.

The body of Julian Carrillo, a member of the Alianza Sierra Madre organisation, was found with multiple bullet wounds in

the mountains of Chihuahua state on the evening of October 24.

He was killed a few weeks after his community of Coloradas de la Virgen registered opposition to a mining concession that they say was located in their territory without their permission, accord-ing to Amnesty International.

Carrillo had received mul-tiple death threats. In the last two years, fi ve members of his family have been killed, as have numerous other members of Alianza Sierra Madre, includ-

ing the Goldman environmental prize winner Isidro Baldenegro Lopez. Only one of the killers has been identifi ed by police and no arrests have been made, says Amnesty.

Mexico is rapidly becoming a killing ground for activists, particularly those in indigenous communities. In 2017, 15 defend-ers were killed (a more than fi ve-fold rise over the previous year), pushing the nation up from 14th to fourth place in the grim global rankings collated by the watch-dog group Global Witness.

“Julian’s murder is emblem-atic of the threats facing defend-ers across Mexico: the imposition of natural resource exploitation on to communities without their consent, widespread violence fuelled by ongoing impunity, and a governmental protection unit consistently failing groups of ac-tivists at risk in rural areas,” said Ben Leather of Global Witness, who called on the president elect, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, to hunt down the killers, protect the family and address the root causes of the rising death toll.

While narco gangs are usually blamed, the state is often com-plicit. Senior politicians receive bribes and kickbacks for grant-ing lucrative mining and logging concessions on indigenous land. When local communities resist attempts to clear their forests, pollute their rivers or destroy their crops, they are met with violence and assassinations.

Isela Gonzalez of Alianza Sierra Madre said: “It’s very sad. Julian is irreplaceable. He was very im-portant in the fi ght for indigenous rights and the environment.”

Amid the grief and anger, she said his colleagues and com-munity hoped the death would prompt an investigation of how the threats and killings are linked to the mining companies.

On Friday, she met govern-ment offi cials and called for the four mining concessions in the territory to be cancelled, for the perpetrators and masterminds of the killing to be brought to justice and for extra security for the Coloradas de la Virgen com-munity under the state protec-tion system.

“We are being exterminated with impunity because of the push for mineral resources that is destroying communities and the environment,” she said, and called for support from people and gov-ernments in other countries.

Gonzalez told the Guardian earlier this year: “This is about the government giving permits to exploit everything recently. And then you have communities who don’t want to sell the land, they have a diff erent vision of things, they want to keep things as they are.”

PAKISTAN


The Executive Council on Creation of South Punjab province has in its maiden

meeting agreed on establishing a secretariat under an additional chief secretary, either in Multan or Bahawalpur, as creating a new province is not easy under the Constitution of Pakistan.

A fi nal decision will, however, be taken by Prime Minister Im-ran Khan today (October 29) at a meeting of the council consti-tuted by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, offi cial sources said.

A similar plan for establishing a South Punjab mini-secretariat was chalked out by former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif when his government was accused of ignoring southern part of the province and spending a lion’s share of the development budg-et in Lahore.

He did not implement the scheme.

Offi cial sources said the council, which met in Lahore on October 26, agreed that a forward administrative set-up should fi rst be introduced in South Punjab.

For that purpose, the govern-ment will issue a notifi cation on the post of an additional chief secretary, who will head the set-up.

Under the additional chief secretary, special secretaries of key departments, having direct

link with people, will be ap-pointed.

The sources said that the sec-retariat will be established ei-ther in Bahawalpur or Multan, but a fi nal decision will be taken by the prime minister.

The previous Punjab govern-ment led by Shehbaz Sharif had decided in principle to set up a South Punjab Secretariat in Multan, reportedly selecting of-fi ce of the deputy commissioner of the district for the purpose.

This secretariat was designed under an additional chief secre-tary, having special secretaries of various departments under him.

“Shehbaz Sharif had just made the plan but we are go-ing to implement it to facilitate people of South Punjab. They will be saved from (the hassle of having to go to) Lahore to have their minor issues redressed.

“The new secretariat will help them get their problems resolved at their doorstep,” a

member of the council said.The council member said the

idea of the South Punjab Secre-tariat was discussed at the fi rst meeting of the council tasked with discussing all legal and constitutional aspects of the creation of South Punjab prov-ince.

The creation of the South Punjab province had been one of the election slogans of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), with the party accusing the Pa-kistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) government of totally ignoring South Punjab and fo-cusing funds on Lahore.

Creating a new province re-quires an amendment to the Constitution with a two-thirds majority vote in Parliament, and the approval of the related prov-ince, again with a two-thirds majority vote of the assembly.

The PTI lacks such majority at the moment.

“The council has yet to dis-cuss all the constitutional and legal issues,” the council mem-ber said.

According to the notifi cation,

the council shall work on behalf of the chief minister but it has no deadline to meet.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minis-ter Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the PML-N should support the creation of South Punjab province, instead of criticising or objecting to the PTI’s eff orts.

Speaking with media after his arrival in Multan from Islama-bad, the minister said that the PTI needs co-operation from the PPP and the PML-N for the creation of the province as the ruling party could not amend the Constitution on its own.

Qureshi said that South Pun-jab province will be created through collective eff orts of all political parties.

He pointed out that the PPP ruled the country for fi ve years but failed to create South Punjab province.

It is easy to criticise the gov-ernment and raise objections, but accomplishing a task is re-ally diffi cult, the minister re-marked.

Secretariat for South Punjab to be establishedForeign minister says opposition parties should support creation of new province

InternewsLahore/Multan

Qureshi: the PTI needs co-operation from the PPP and the PML-N for the creation of South Punjab province.

Khan: to take the final decision on the secretariat today.

It took rickshaw driver Mo-hamed Rasheed a year to save Rs300 to buy his daughter

a bike, so when he found that Rs3bn ($22.5mn) had passed through an unused bank account in his name, he was stunned ... and scared.

“I started sweating and shiv-ering,” said the 43-year-old – just the latest victim of a money laundering scheme that Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to crush.

When he got a call from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Rasheed’s fi rst inclination was to go into hiding, but friends and family members convinced him to co-operate with offi cials.

His case mirrors dozens of similar stories in recent weeks that have fi lled newspapers in Pakistan and riled a populace long accustomed to extravagant tales of corruption and theft.

The incidents follow a similar arc – bank accounts in poor resi-dents’ names are fl ooded with cash, then suddenly emptied in a laundering scheme that has likely seen hundreds of millions of dol-lars moved out of the country.

Rasheed’s name was eventu-ally cleared, but his anxiety re-mained.

“I stopped driving my rented rickshaw on the roads because of the fear that some other inves-tigating agencies might pick me up,” he said. “My wife fell sick because of the tension.”

Only weeks before the fi asco, he had fi nally been able to buy a RS300 bike with worn tyres for his daughter – the fruit of a year’s careful saving.

The revelation of the launder-ing frenzy comes as the new-ly-elected Khan has vowed to squash rampant corruption and recover billions siphoned from the country as his government scrambles to shore up Pakistan’s deteriorating fi nances.

“This is your stolen money,” said the former cricketer during a televised address to the nation last week. “It was stolen on pub-lic contracts ... and transferred into these accounts, then laun-dered abroad.”

“I will spare no corrupt man in this country,” he promised.

However, for victims like Mo-hamed Qadir, the damage has al-ready been done.

“I have never even seen a bank from the inside,” said the 52-year-old ice cream vendor.

Transactions were made in his name for Rs2.25bn.

Since news of the incident spread, Qadir says he is regularly mocked by his neighbours and also fears being kidnapped by criminal elements who believe he has billions of rupees to spare for hefty ransoms.

“He is a penniless billionaire,” one of Qadir’s acquaintances laughed while driving past his ice cream cart in the Karachi slum of Orangi town.

“People make fun of me, but I ended up with nothing at all from this situation,” said Qadir. “It is such a tragedy.”

Sarwat Zehra, a 56-year-old offi cial, says she has suff ered from high-blood pressure after being handed a bill for Rs13mn in back taxes.

“I was told that a company had illegally passed Rs14bn or Rs15bn through my account,” she said.

Pakistan’s poor have long been used as fronts for the elite to dodge taxes and hide assets.

However, the scale of the bank account scheme is unprec-edented, with authorities point-ing the fi nger at some of Kara-chi’s wealthiest power brokers, including fi gures with links to former president Asif Zardari.

In September, Pakistan’s Supreme Court established a commission to investigate the scourge, fi nding that at least $400mn had passed through “thousands of false accounts”, using the names of impoverished people.

Some 600 companies and in-dividuals “are associated with

the scandal”, the commission concluded.

It is all the more embarrassing for Khan as his administration scrambles to secure billions of dollars in foreign fi nancial assist-ance, while also entering talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a potential bailout amid a widening balance of pay-ment crisis.

The brazen laundering schemes come as Pakistan was again placed on a watchlist this year by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – an anti-money-laundering monitor based in Paris – for failing to do enough to combat terror fi nancing.

Pakistan’s ‘penniless billionaires’expose money laundering frenzyBy Ashraf Khan, AFPKarachi

Auto-rickshaw driver Mohamed Rasheed cleans his rickshaw in Korangi, a slum area in the eastern district of Karachi.

Vendor Mohamed Qadir prepares drinks at his cart in Orangi Town, a slum area in western district of Karachi.

Public health department off icial Sarwat Zehra speaks during an interview with AFP at her home in Zaman Town in the eastern district of Karachi.

Notice to pay tax on mills registered in his name worries poor Pakistani

A man along with his family and locals protested out-

side the press club in Bahawalnagar after the Federal

Board of Revenue (FBR) asked him last week to pay tax

on multiple textile mills registered in Faisalabad under

his name.

After the emergence of several cases of fake bank

accounts registered in the name of unsuspecting

citizens, local Afroze Saleem Bhatti received a notice

from the FBR on October 15, stating that he owed sales

tax for a textile mill in Faisalabad.

According to the notice from the FBR, Bhatti had been

owing sales tax on his mill since 2015.

He was summoned to Faisalabad on October 18.

When he reached the FBR off ice, he was told that he

owned three more textile mills worth billions of rupees,

including Al-Madina, Al-Noor and Al-Qasim, in Baha-

walpur and owed millions of rupees worth of tax.

Bhatti, along with his family members as well as

residents of the area, protested outside the press club,

saying that he was poor and lived in a rented house.

He said he worked for a private real estate agency for

Rs15,000 a month and had lost his job a few months

ago because he was suff ering from a skin disease.

Bhatti said his father and brother are supporting him.

He has appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib

Nisar to take notice of the situation, sell all the mills

registered in his name, and deposit the money in the

dam fund.

The October 31 election of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) – a

lawyers’ body that attained na-tional and international signifi -cance after the successful move-ment for the independence of judiciary in Pakistan – has gen-erated much interest, with major contenders running for a second time for the coveted post of SCBA president.

A tough contest is expected between the Independent Group (Asma Jahangir’s panel) led by Ali Ahmed Kurd and the Profession-al Group (Hamid Khan’s panel) led by Amanullah Kanrani.

Whoever wins the 2018-19 election, the presidential post will go to Baluchistan as this is the term of the province by rota-tion.

Both groups claim to be in a comfortable position for a land-slide victory, but independent observers say the contenders will be running neck and neck.

Both Kurd and Kanrani are running for the SCBA presidency for a second time, as the former won the election and served as SCBA president in 2008, whereas the latter lost the election against Kamran Murtaza in 2013.

Kurd is a late starter of his campaign this time, as the de-cision to fi eld him by the Inde-pendent Group was taken late, resulting in him having only one month to campaign, while his competitor had started his cam-paign over a year ago.

At a reception hosted in his honour at Islamabad Club on October 24, Kurd acknowledged that he was given only 35 days for the election campaign, but claimed that he completed his entire campaign by visiting the bars of the country.

He has vowed to continue fi ghting against injustice.

Kurd was very critical of the way cases are being dismissed without counsel being heard.

He also spoke of impediments to the quick dispensation of jus-tice.

Admirers of Kurd believe the fi rebrand leader from Baluchistan would give a new impetus to the struggle that the lawyers had put up under his leadership, during the 2007 movement of lawyers for the rule of law and restoration of an independent judiciary.

“Our institution is getting weaker day by day … that is why we need people like Kurd all the more,” said former SCBA presi-dent Yasin Azad.

A former advocate general for Baluchistan, Kanrani takes pride

in ensuring the payment of com-pensation to the families of the lawyers who lost their lives or were critically wounded in the Quetta suicide attack in 2016.

He said that being the advo-cate general, he personally con-tacted each family to ensure they receive compensation in a timely manner and without much has-sle.

Siddiq Baloch, the deputy prosecutor general of Punjab, says Kanrani had been on a cam-paign for the past one year, going door to door to canvass for the election.

Some observers have said that as Kurd had been instrumental in the removal of more than 100 judges who had taken their oaths under the Provisional Constitu-tion Order (PCO), neither the former judges nor lawyers under their infl uence would vote for him.

A senior member of the Paki-stan Bar Council, Raheel Kamran Sheikh, however regretted that even in this day or age, many vot-ers preferred to vote on the basis of personal relationship with a candidate, and sometimes his caste and grouping.

“It is very painful to acknowl-edge the fact that the role a can-didate can play is often ignored while exercising their right to franchise,” he commented.

Top lawyers’ body to elect offi ce-bearers this weekInternewsIslamabad

Cap on ministers’ foreign trips

As part of his government’s policy to exercise austerity, Prime Minister Imran Khan has imposed a restriction of three foreign trips per year on all members of his cabinet, excluding the foreign and trade ministers.The federal ministers, ministers of state, advisers and special assistants to the prime minister are restricted to using the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, for their foreign visits, off icial sources said.The cabinet members will not be allowed to take their personal staff with them on the tours.They will, however, be able to use services of the staff stationed at all international missions of Pakistan.

As an operation began to contain damage from the oil spill at Mubarak

village and near Cape Monze, experts have called for im-mediate measures to protect Churna Island’s sensitive habi-tat, which was directly hit by the oil spill.

Located some 6km from Mubarak village, the island falls under the jurisdiction of the Baluchistan government.

The island, a lifeline for fi sh-ermen, is a major biodiversity hotspot, popular for scuba div-ing and snorkelling.

“The seawater surrounding the island is heavily polluted, with oil traces that have left the whole rocky boundary of the island darkened,” said Dr Javed Aftab of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), who along with his team carried out an off shore inspection of the oil spill over the weekend.

The island and its surround-ing area, he pointed out, is home to highly diverse marine life, including coral.

“We plan to inspect the site in more detail and collect more samples from the site. The conditions there are worrisome and require a detailed assess-ment,” he said.

Explaining how coral is im-pacted by an oil spill, he said, it could kill them or impede their growth.

“The entire reef ecosystem can suff er from an oil spill, af-fecting the many species of fi sh, crabs, and other marine invertebrates that live in and around coral reefs,” he said, adding that oil fi ngerprinting could help trace the source of the oil spill.

Environmentalists have long been demanding that Churna Island be declared a protected area due to its ecological sig-nifi cance, which in recent years faces serious threats from in-dustrial development.

The deputy director general of the Pakistan Maritime Secu-rity Agency (PMSA), Commo-dore Abdul Majid, told media that the source of the oil spill was still unclear and that an investigation into the incident would be carried out once the agencies fi nish damage control operations.

“We came to know about this incident on October 25, and immediately measures were taken to assess the dam-age.

“Air surveillance showed that there were two trails of oil spillage,” the offi cial said, add-ing that the quantity of spilled oil could be between six to sev-en tonnes.

Churna isle directly aff ected by oil spillInternewsKarachi

Ban on Indian content on TV channelsThe Supreme Court has ordered a ban on all Indian content on TV channels, setting aside an earlier verdict by a lower court, off icials said.Chief Justice Saqib Nisar issued the order in Karachi while hearing a case filed by producers’ associations relating to the broadcast of foreign content on Pakistan television channels.Dawn newspaper reported that the judge referenced clashes with India over the construction of the planned Diamer-Basha dam in the country’s north, located in territory disputed by Delhi, as justification.An off icial of the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said that Nisar issued an order to “stop airing all Indian content on TV channels”.The ruling covers terrestrial, satellite and cable channels.

President denies Israeli jet rumoursPakistan’s president has dismissed rumours that an Israeli business jet had landed in the capital Islamabad, as controversy over the plane’s alleged 10-hour stay triggered an onslaught from the opposition demanding answers.“The reports regarding the presence of an Israeli aircraft in Pakistan are baseless. We are not establishing any relations with Israel,” President Arif Alvi said before leaving for a two-day visit to Turkey, local broadcaster Geo TV reported.The president made the remarks after two senior government off icials, including Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, failed to satisfy the opposition overnight.The alleged presence of an Israeli aircraft in Pakistan prompted the opposition to attack the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.Pakistan does not recognise Israel and does not have diplomatic relations with it, therefore, the landing of an Israeli aircraft is thought to be highly unlikely.According to local media, the controversy started when Avi Scharf, editor of Israeli newspaper *Haaretz’s English edition, tweeted that an Israeli jet travelled to Islamabad from Tel Aviv and remained on the ground in the capital Islamabad for 10 hours on Wednesday.“The rumours about landing of an Israeli aircraft in Pakistan are baseless,” said Parvez George of the Civil Aviation Authority.

PHILIPPINES

25Gulf Times Monday, October 29, 2018

Govt reveals preparedness to handle terror attacksManila TimesManila

The Philippines is ready for terrorist attacks, Malacanang assured the

public yesterday, following the arrest of a Filipino-American who allegedly delivered mail bombs to critics of US Presi-dent Donald Trump.

The Federal Bureau of Inves-tigation (FBI) caught the Flor-ida-based Cesar Sayoc, who allegedly sent at least 14 bombs to Democrats, including former president Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hil-lary Clinton.

In a radio interview aired over dzIQ, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said there was

no need for President Rodrigo Duterte to order heightened security to the Philippine Na-tional Police (PNP) and the

Armed Forces of the Philip-pines (AFP) to address poten-tial terrorist threats.

“The president has a stand-

ing order to the troops to do what they have to do with re-spect to the security problems of the country,” Panelo said after Armed Forces Chief Car-lito Galvez, Jr warned that what happened in the US may also happen in the country.

In a statement also yesterday, Panelo said the Palace was “not perturbed” with the security of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“The Presidential Security Group (PSG) is doing a fine job. Apart from the mantle of pro-tection being in place, the pres-ident is absolutely not bothered by any attempt against his life nor will it distract his focus on fulfilling his mandate by — and the directive of — the Consti-tution to protect and serve the Filipino people with integrity,

dedication, and fidelity,” Pan-elo said. Panelo also said that the president “could not care less” about Sayoc’s Filipino roots, saying terrorists “know no race or ethnicity.”

“(The terrorists) could be of any nationality or a descendant of any nationality. With mo-tions reported as clandestine, they are often faceless and un-seen. One thing, however, de-fines them: They are evil and capable of terrible deeds,” Pan-elo said.

“Unmindful of the nation where they belong, the per-verted causes they espouse is the very cause of terrorism,” Panelo said.

He also asked all Filipinos to be vigilant amid terror attacks worldwide.

Secretary of Foreign Aff airs Teodoro Locsin Jr talks to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) during the inauguration of the Consulate General of China in Davao, in the southern island of Mindanao, yesterday.

Chinese foreign minister attends consulate inauguration in Mindanao Senate bill seeks to criminalise premature poll campaignManila TimesManila

Three senators have pro-posed a measure crimi-nalising premature

campaigning.Senators Aquilino “Koko”

Pimentel, Richard Gordon, and Leila de Lima authored Senate Bill 2064, under Com-mittee Report No. 492, which redefi nes “candidate” as someone “who fi les his cer-tifi cate of candidacy (CoC) within the period provided by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).”

Pimentel, chairman of the Committee on Electoral Re-forms and People’s Participa-tion, will sponsor the approval of SB 2064 upon the resump-tion of the regular sessions on November 12.

In its Committee report, the panel also seeks to restore the provision found in the Om-nibus Election Code of the Philippines, which prohibits premature campaigning long before the election period had set in.

This means that any form of partisan political activity by a candidate prior to his fi ling of CoC or way before the start of the offi cial campaign period will be considered “premature campaigning and therefore unlawful,” it said.

Premature campaigning is

an election off ence punish-able by imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years, as well as disqualifi cation to hold public offi ce and deprivation of the right of suff rage under Sec-tion 80 and Section 264 of the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines.

Under the existing law, Republic Act 9369, a person seeking elective position is considered a candidate only during the entire campaign period.

The law, in eff ect, decrimi-nalised “premature campaign-ing,” SB 2064 pointed out.

“The unfair repercussions of this rule are far and wide. It propagates political inequal-ity as it unduly favours rich or popular candidates over poor or less popular candidates,” Gordon said.

“It also negates transpar-ency and accountability as it shamelessly excludes such premature campaigning from the regulation of campaign fi -nance and the limitations on election campaign and expen-ditures,” he said.

Gordon added: “The barrage of political advertisements on TV and radio and the obvious electioneering or campaign-ing by many candidates way before the start of the offi cial campaign period in the last elections were too much to be ignored.”

Panelo: safety assurance

Religious group’s anti-poverty programme benefi ts thousandsManila TimesManila

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) held simultaneous anti-poverty programmes in

Manila and Quezon City yes-terday, months after conduct-ing successful outreach and livelihood campaigns in North America and Africa.

INC General Auditor Glice-rio Santos Jr said the outreach activity dubbed as “Lingap ng Mamayan” (Lingap) provided medical and dental services and gave out a total of 100,000 goodie bags to residents of Tondo and Binondo in Manila.

A similar programme will be launched in Culiat, Que-zon City on October 31 for the Muslim community. The religious group will distrib-ute 5,000 bags of goodies and render medical and dental as-sistance.

“Home is where the heart is, as they say, so Lingap returned to Metro Manila. As we did in previous instances, these Lin-gap projects are made possible by the INC’s Felix Y Manalo Foundation, which works to realise an ever-growing effort to uplift the lives of people, both in the Philippines and abroad,” Santos said.

He added that the Lingap activities this month are being

held to mark the birthday of INC Executive Minister Edu-ardo Manalo, who turns 63 on October 31.

The foundation conducted various “Aid to Humanity” programmes in New York and

Connecticut in the United States, and Toronto and Win-nipeg in Canada in the last two months, providing around 2,000 and 4,000 “goodwill bags” that contained food and household items.

The group also hosted out-reach activities in Kiberia and Kawangware in Nairobi, Kenya last June after holding similar activities in Blantyre and Samama Vil. Mangochi in Malawi which catered to over

33,000 Lingap beneficiaries. Santos said Lingap would

continue to expand and reach as many areas as possible upon the direction and instruction of Manalo.

“Why do we do this at such a sustained and continuous pace? The proper question should be, why not? We have a religious and secular duty to help those in need, wheth-er they are INC members or not. The Church has enough resources and volunteers to make our own small contri-bution, so we hold the Lingap regularly,” he explained.

“It’s our own way of giving back and backing rhetoric with real, positive action.”

Thousands lined up outside the INC Church in Binondo, Manila yesterday to avail themselves of free food items and dental and medical serv-ices such as tooth extraction, electrocardiogram, ultrasound and x-ray, which were avail-able from 9am to 1pm.

Robert Delgado of Bar-rio Obrera in Tondo, Manila, lauded the INC’s anti-poverty initiatives.

“This is not my first time to get free dental and medi-cal services and bags of goods from INC and it has always been a big help not just to me but to others from other reli-gions as well,” Delgado said.

Typhoon maintains strength as it nears Luzon

Typhoon Yutu maintained its strength as it moved closer to the northern Philippines yes-terday, prompting authorities to warn of possible floods and landslides.Yutu was packing maximum sustained winds of 200 kilometres per hour (km/h) and gusts of up to 245 km/h as it moved west towards the northern region of Luzon, the weather bureau said in a bulletin. “Flooding and landslides are possible,” the bureau said.”Travel by land and sea is risky.” The typhoon was expected to make landfall over the northern prov-inces of Isabela and Cagayan tomorrow morning, trigger-ing possible storm surges, the weather bureau said.

“Everyone is advised to refrain from outdoor activities,” it added. Government agencies and emergency teams have coordinated with communi-ties expected to be battered by Yutu to prepare for the typhoon, the national disaster risk reduction agency said. Food packs have also been prepared and positioned for fast distribution, it said.In September, more than 100 people were killed in land-slides, flash floods and other accidents caused by Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest cyclone to hit the Philippines this year.Each year the Philippines is hit by an average of 20 cyclones which cause floods, landslides and other accidents.

Hundreds lined up to receive goods near the Iglesia ni Cristo church in Binondo, Manila.

Overseas workers’ deployment to Saudi Arabia slowsBy William DepasupilManila Times

The deployment of Filipino workers to Saudi Arabia had slowed down but that

country remains the top desti-nation of migrant Filipino work-ers, records from the Philippine Overseas Employment Adminis-tration (POEA) showed.

In 2017, total deployment to Saudi Arabia reached 417,411, 9% lower than the 2016 figure of 460,121.

It is projected to further de-crease to 10% this year follow-ing a slow down in hiring in the construction and services sector, and also because of the “Saudization” programme that gives employment priority to Saudi nationals.

However, the kingdom con-tinues to be the largest market for Filipinos despite the decline in deployment.

Figures showed that about one in every four Filipinos de-ployed abroad or 23.8% worked in Saudi Arabia. The other pre-ferred destinations were United Arab Emirates (15.9%), Europe (6.6%), Kuwait (6.4%), Qa-tar (6.2%), Hong Kong (5.6%), Singapore (5.6%), other coun-tries in Asia (21.5%), North and South America (5.6%), Europe (6.6%), Australia (1.4%), Af-rica (1.4%), other countries

(0.03%). Recruitment and migration expert Emmanuel Geslani said Saudi Arabia is embarking on 10 major projects worth $1tn to be implemented from 2018 to 2030.

The projects, he said, in-clude the construction of new cities, expansion of the Grand Mosque, construction of one of the largest malls in the world, medical centres and security compound of the royalty, which will all need the expertise of Filipino workers who may be hired by International contrac-tors from the United States, Korea and France.

Saudi Arabia continues to hire Filipino nurses and medi-cal staff. Skilled labour like maintenance personnel are also in demand.

POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia yesterday said the POEA is now accepting applicants for 1,000 female specialist nurses in all areas for the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia under the two countries’ govern-ment to government hiring programme.

It is projected to further decrease to 10% this year following a slow down in hiring in the construction and services sector, and also because of the “Saudization” programme


COMMENT

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CHAIRMANAbdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFFaisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka

Deputy Managing EditorK T Chacko

By Christopher R HillDenver

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting diff erent results.” This aphorism, often attributed to Albert Einstein,

seems to be the inspiration for US President Donald Trump’s North Korea policy.

Trump’s approach has been to reject everything that came before him, while involving himself in negotiations to an unprecedented degree. As a result, the US Secretary of State has been reduced to little more than a sherpa for his boss’s summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The question, though, is whether Trump’s unique approach is actually yielding any results. As of now, there has been nothing to suggest that North Korea is changing its ways. But with another Trump-Kim summit expected some time in the next few months, we might soon have more clarity on the matter.

Trump claims to have mastered the art of nuclear negotiation – if not the details, then at least its fundamental essence. In March, he interrupted a meeting between his then-National Security Adviser H R McMaster and a South Korean delegation to reveal, out of the blue, that he would gladly meet with Kim. He has since followed his own star, always asserting that great progress is being made. After his fi rst summit with Kim in June, he declared that, “There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea.”

In fact, there has been no progress toward denuclearisation. In mid-December 2017, Kim announced that his country had completed its missile-test programme, having proven that the latest Hwasong intercontinental missiles are ready for deployment. He also claimed to have developed a nuclear warhead capable of surviving the terminal phase of a missile launch, though experts note that there is still no evidence for this.

By making these announcements, Kim may have been suggesting that he was ready to pursue his goal of ending the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” sanctions regime through non-military means. But he also might have intended his statements to be taken at face value, simply to let the world know that North Korea had developed both nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.

Despite these diff erent possible interpretations, the Trump administration seized on Kim’s statements as a sure sign that North Korea is ready to disarm. And this leap of logic seemed to gain more credence at the summit in June, where Kim “reaffi rmed his fi rm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.”

But, of course, all the US really got from the summit was a vaguely worded joint statement. The North Koreans, by contrast, made real progress toward

their own goal of weakening the US presence in Northeast Asia. Most notably, Trump suddenly seemed to endorse the withdrawal of US troops from the Korean Peninsula, and he has since cancelled US military exercises with South Korea.

Meanwhile, the North Koreans have engaged in random acts of “denuclearisation” by closing nuclear test sites that the US hasn’t actually asked them to close. While these acts of decommissioning make for good imagery, they are not a part of any organised eff ort to identify and dismantle core elements of the country’s nuclear programme. At the same time, the North Koreans continue to insist that their nuclear arsenal is a defensive response to “hostile” US policies. The implication is that if the US removes its troops from the Korean Peninsula, some degree of denuclearisation could follow.

Complicating matters further, South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration has embraced the view that strong incentives and deeper integration are more eff ective than sanctions for bringing about

denuclearisation. Thus, in its ongoing parallel talks with the North, it has essentially decoupled inter-Korean diplomacy from the nuclear issue.

Still, South Korea has also continued to act as a broker between the US and the Kim regime. Whenever the US-North Korean talks have hit a snag, Moon has stepped in to revive them, often by throwing bouquets to both Kim and Trump as encouragement to continue. But while the US and South Korea have remained in close contact, North Korea has most likely been trying to create tensions between the two allies by telling them each slightly diff erent things.

For its part, the Trump administration has done a good job of maintaining the US alliance with South Korea. To this day, many Koreans blame the US and other outside forces for Korea’s tragic division, and the Trump administration has been careful not to criticize Moon’s inter-Korean dialogue publicly. That said, it is clear that the inter-Korean talks are making it increasingly diffi cult to apply pressure on the North, especially now that South Korea has begun to explore the

possibility of sanctions relief.The last major player is China, which

doesn’t seem to know what to make of the North Korean denuclearization process. China’s decision to punish South Korea for hosting a US missile-defence system greatly diminished its standing among the South Korean public and undermined its ability to infl uence South Korean policies. But in the months leading up to the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, China hosted Kim twice, and again immediately afterwards, eff ectively reasserting its infl uence over the North.

In keeping with his eff ort to break from his predecessors in every way, Trump seems to believe that it is easier to work against China than to work with it. That proposition is sure to be tested in the weeks and months ahead. - Project Syndicate

Christopher R Hill, former US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, is Chief Adviser to the Chancellor for Global Engagement and professor of the Practice in Diplomacy at the University of Denver, and the author of Outpost.

Trump’s fl oundering North Korea strategy

US President Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Negative-emissionstechnologies neededto tackle warming

The Earth is warming so rapidly and there is an urgent need to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) lays out a range of options for how to do that. But there is a catch. Developing these negative-emissions technologies requires large-scale investment. Dangerous weather events are linked to carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions. In human history, the atmosphere has never had as much CO2 in it as it does today. Burning fossil fuels for energy, clearing forests, and demolishing wetlands all contribute to the problem. CO2 stops heat from leaving the planet, causing Earth’s average temperature to be a degree Celsius higher than it used to be.

A recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that just another half-degree temperature rise - which is predicted to happen by 2040 - will lead to severe drought, even more intense hurricanes, and the death of most coral reefs. These changes could trigger huge migrations of people and mass extinctions of animals. The latest study, written by scientists from the NAS, suggests a plan for developing so-called “negative-emissions technologies” (a term for ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere) and highlights options that have

essentially unlimited capacity for reducing carbon levels in the atmosphere, but aren’t yet ready for prime time.

“Most climate mitigation eff orts are intended to decrease the rate at which people add carbon from fossil

fuel reservoirs to the atmosphere. We focused on the reverse - technologies that take carbon out of the air and put it back into ecosystems and the land,” Stephen Pacala, a professor at Princeton University and chair of the committee behind the report, said in a statement. The authors looked at a variety of strategies. As Kate Gordon, a fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, described it, the approaches range “from literally planting trees and agricultural practices that help keep carbon in the ground, all the way to engineered technological solutions that actually take carbon directly out of the atmosphere through machines.”

On the simpler end of the spectrum are options like re-foresting areas that have been logged and using no-till farming practices that keep more carbon in soil. Then there are ways to burn biological material (which traps carbon as it grows) to create energy and catch the CO2 they emit before it gets into the air.

But according to the new report - funded by the US Department of Energy, EPA, NOAA, and the US Geological Survey, along with several foundations - those approaches require a lot more research to be scaled up, and there’s no way those methods alone could ever capture enough carbon to keep Earth’s temperature from rising another degree. The authors say that a more promising option is to invest in technologies that essentially fi lter out CO2 molecules from the air. These technologies are still in early development stages, but usually involve materials that naturally attract and bind with carbon. Such intervention is needed immediately, according to the authors.

CO2 stops heat from leaving the planet, causing temperature to rise

COMMENT

Gulf Times Monday, October 29, 2018 27

Heart patients should consider cardiac rehab

The digital divide is impeding development

Live issues

By Carolyn CristReuters Health

Patients who have had a heart attack, stent placement or bypass surgery should strongly consider enrolling in

a cardiac rehabilitation programme, say the authors of a new patient resource published in JAMA Cardiology.

These programmes focus on nutrition, stress management, exercise, psychological support, tobacco cessation and heart disease education. They not only help the heart recover, they can ease anxiety, reduce heart risk factors and improve quality of life, the authors write.

“There are short-term and long-term benefi ts to participating, including less chest pain, less depression, and a decreased risk of death from heart disease,” said Dr

Tamara Horwich of the University of California, Los Angeles, who co-authored the one-page primer for patients.

Horwich, who is medical director of UCLA’s cardiac rehab programme, emphasises the importance of lifestyle changes to prevent and reverse heart disease. She encourages patients to enrol in heart recovery programs for the group support and medically-supervised guidance.

“I tell my patients that if we work together, this heart issue doesn’t have to happen to them again,” she told Reuters Health by phone. “By taking the right medications and having a healthy lifestyle, repeat heart attacks won’t be a problem.”

“Unfortunately, patients who want to participate may face barriers such as insurance, transportation or time in their schedules,” Horwich said. “We need to work on addressing this.”

Horwich and co-author Dr Gregg

Fonarow, who is co-chief of UCLA’s cardiology division and co-director of its preventive cardiology programme, fi rst explain the goals of cardiac rehabilitation to halt or reverse the progression of heart disease. Aerobic exercise training is typically the cornerstone of these programs, but other key components focus on nutrition counselling and education about heart-related topics such as blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol.

Usually based at a hospital or doctor’s offi ce, cardiac rehab programmes can include two or three one-hour sessions per week for 12 to 18 weeks, totalling about 36 hours. Intensive programs can continue for up to 72 hours.

“When you have a heart attack or undergo bypass or stenting, it’s a life-changing and often scary experience,” said Dr Nieca Goldberg, medical director of the women’s heart program at New York University Langone Health in New York City.

“Often times, these patients didn’t exercise, were stressed and don’t know how to get started or get organised in taking care of various aspects of their cardiac health,” said Goldberg, who wasn’t involved in the patient resource.

The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology highly recommend enrolling in these programs. Patients who take their medications and complete a cardiac rehabilitation program could reduce their risk of hospital readmission and cardiovascular death by 25 to 50%, according to the AHA. Plus, exercise capacity is likely to increase, and cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels should drop.

“These programmes have been recommended for a long time because they really do improve patients’ quality of life,” Goldberg said in a phone interview. “At my practice, we always bring up cardiac rehab with patients.”

By Mukhisa Kituyi Geneva

It is easy to assume that access to the digital economy is ubiquitous, and that online shopping is the natural evolution of commerce.

For example, in July, Amazon sold more than 100mn products to consumers worldwide during its annual Prime Day event, a $4.2bn bonanza that included sales of table salt in India, Coke Zero in Singapore, and toothbrushes in China.

But fi gures like these mask the fact that for many people in developing countries, the road to e-commerce is riddled with potholes.

Simply put, the growth of e-commerce is not automatic, and the spread of its benefi ts is not guaranteed.

Some of the obstacles are logistical.On the tiny South Pacifi c island of

Tuvalu, for example, fewer than ten streets in the capital, Funafuti, are named, and only about 100 homes have a postal address.

Even if everyone in Tuvalu had access to the Internet (which they don’t; only 13% of the country’s population had broadband in 2016, according to the World Bank), delivery of goods purchased online would be diffi cult.

Elsewhere, billions of people lack bank accounts and credit cards, and in many developing countries, consumer-protection laws do not extend to goods purchased online.

These challenges are particularly

acute for people in Sub-Saharan Africa, in remote island states, and in several landlocked countries.

By contrast, in most developed economies, well-functioning postal systems and strong legal frameworks mean that products can be purchased online and delivered without a second thought.

But e-commerce is only one facet of the evolving digital economy.

Innovation, production, and sales are all being transformed by technology platforms, data analytics, 3D printing, and the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). By 2030, the number of IoT-connected devices is expected to reach 125bn, compared to 27bn in 2017.

Moreover, this rapid pace of digital tethering is occurring even as half the world’s population remains unconnected from the Internet.

If left unaddressed, the yawning gap between under-connected and hyper-digitalised countries will widen, exacerbating existing inequalities.

Levels of digitalisation may even infl uence whether countries are able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the international community for tackling challenges like hunger, disease, and climate change.

That is why I believe more must be done to support poor countries as they strive to integrate into the digital economy.

How that economy will develop is diffi cult to predict.

But we already know that actions taken by governments, donors, and

development partners will determine the way forward.

One eff ort – the Going Digital project, launched by the OECD in 2017 – is helping countries seize opportunities and prepare for technological disruption.

Areas of focus include competition, consumer protection, innovation and entrepreneurship, insurance and pensions, education, governance, and trade.

It is a holistic approach that specialists in development co-operation should emulate.

Moreover, by the end of the next decade, information and communication technology (ICT) will drive economic growth and power productivity gains.

To thrive, people will need new skills and knowledge, and countries will require updated policies to protect online users.

Small companies, including those owned and operated by women, will be especially vulnerable to the changing business environment.

Unfortunately, only 1% of all funding provided by Aid for Trade – an initiative by World Trade Organisation members to help developing countries improve their trading infrastructure – is currently being allocated to ICT solutions.

Similarly, multilateral development banks are investing just 1% of their total spending on ICT projects, and only about 4% of this limited investment is being spent on policy development, work that is critical

if digital economies are to be well regulated.

At my organisation, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, we are creating strategies to help developing countries leverage their assets and improve digital capabilities.

One initiative, “eTrade for all,” is aimed at making it easier for developing countries to source fi nancial and technical assistance.

Since the program’s inception two years ago, nearly 30 global partners have been recruited, and an online platform has linked governments with organisations and donors to share resources, expertise, and knowledge.

The G20 is also planting its fl ag on this issue; in August, I joined G20 ministers in Argentina to discuss what can be done to spread the benefi ts of the digital transformation.

Needless to say, the meeting could not have come at a better time.

Still, while programs and summits can off er the world’s developing and least-developed countries a place to start in their push for greater connectivity, more support is needed if we are ever to close the digital divide.

With billions of people still below the fi rst rung of the digital ladder, the climb to prosperity is becoming more challenging than ever. - Project Syndicate

Mukhisa Kituyi is Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

America facing infl ation risksBy Stephen S RoachNew Haven

It was inevitable. Another upturn in the US infl ation cycle is at hand. Since the Great Disinfl ation of the early 1980s, when the annual

increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plunged from 14.7% in March 1980 to 2.4% in July 1983, infl ation has generally remained in a relatively narrow 1-5% range for a quarter-century. When the economy softened, infl ation slid to the lower end of that range, and when it strengthened in the late 1980s, late 1990s, and in the pre-crisis 2000s, it moved to the upper end. Such is the case today.

Not surprisingly, this pattern has been slow to emerge in the current cycle, largely owing to an unusually weak post-crisis economic recovery. But now a confl uence of global and domestic forces is starting to push infl ation higher and should continue to do so for some time. That will pose a challenge to the Federal Reserve, which operates under a price-stability mandate. Recent volatility in stocks and bonds suggests that these risks could prove vexing to fi nancial markets as well.

The global risk to US infl ation refl ects not only a cyclical upturn in the world economy, but also mounting trade frictions that pose serious threats to the stability of global value, or supply, chains (GVCs). As GVCs have grown in importance over time, so has the internationalisation of infl ation. In economic terms, that means broadening the assessment of infl ation risks from a focus on domestic “output gaps” – the diff erence between actual and potential (or full employment) GDP – to the global output gap. Signifi cantly, recent research by the Bank for International Settlements has found that a global output gap of about

1% – precisely the outcome for all advanced economies over the past fi ve years – reduces infl ation by 0.9%.

Two major disruptions currently occurring in GVCs are likely to have a meaningful impact on the internationalisation of US infl ation. First and foremost is the Trump administration’s trade war with China. The initial waves of US tariff s on Chinese imports are aimed mainly at intermediate goods that are processed

by low-cost China-centric GVCs. These tariff s will raise the prices of about half of Chinese goods imports, which totalled $506bn in 2017, by 10% today and 25% in 2019.

The recent reworking of the North American Free Trade Agreement should also have an impact on GVC-induced disinflation. With its more stringent local-content and minimum-wage requirements, the United States-Mexico-Canada

Agreement (USMCA) injects new cost pressures into the GVC that has played an important role in the establishment of a fully-integrated North American auto production platform over the past quarter-century. Nafta may not have been perfect, but under USMCA there is a different cost calculus for vehicles, which account for fully 3.7% of the items included in the US CPI.

While this new strain of global

pressures on US infl ation refl ects the impact of aggressive trade policies on GVCs, the domestic pressures stem from a more familiar source: an extremely tight labour market. The unemployment rate fell to 3.7% in September, its lowest level since December 1969. Sub-4% unemployment rates have become extremely rare in the US. There was a brief episode in 2000, when infl ation generally remained under control, and a more protracted one in the late 1960s, setting the stage for the Great Infl ation of the 1970s.

The current tightness of the US labour market is problematic for two reasons. The first is a nascent increase in long-dormant wage pressures. Average hourly earnings are now running 2.8% above the year-earlier level, reinforcing an acceleration that began in 2015, and well above the subdued 2% post-crisis average from 2010 through 2014.

Moreover, there are signs that wage gains are now broadening out, with the balance tilting away from low wage-inflation industries such as manufacturing, health care, and education into higher wage-inflation industries such as finance, the information sector, and professional and business services. At the current sub-4% unemployment rate, overall wage inflation could easily move into the 3.5% zone by mid-2019.

The second conclusion to draw from an extremely tight US labour market is that, unlike earlier periods of low unemployment when domestic wage pressures were constrained by GVCs, today’s mounting wage infl ation will be tempered by a smaller GVC off set. Absent an unlikely acceleration in productivity, it is the confl uence of these two forces – a tight domestic labour market and new global pressures – that spells trouble on the US infl ation front.

Such an outcome has important and actionable consequences for the Fed. The federal funds rate is currently at only 2.25%. That is little diff erent from the underlying rate of so-called core infl ation (which excludes the CPI’s volatile food and energy components), currently running at 2-2.2%, depending on which measure one chooses.

Therein lies the Fed’s dilemma. Knowing full well that monetary policy works with lags of 12-18 months, the central bank has to be forward-looking, setting its policy rate on the basis of where it thinks infl ation is headed, not on the basis of a backward-looking assessment of where infl ation has been. And that’s precisely the problem: Based on the confl uence of global and domestic pressures outlined above, 3-3.5% infl ation is well in sight over the next year.

To counter such a likely upturn in US inflation, the Fed is entirely correct to send the message that there is considerably more to come in its current tightening cycle. In fact, there is an increasingly compelling argument that a forward-looking Fed is actually “behind the curve,” because its policy rate currently is only just equal to the backward-looking core inflation rate.

That could mean that the Fed must contemplate monetary tightening that signifi cantly exceeds the so-called comfort zone of normalisation that fi nancial markets are currently discounting. Unlike a certain Fed-bashing president, I would hardly call that a crazy conclusion. - Project Syndicate

Stephen S Roach, a faculty member at Yale University and former Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, is the author of Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China.

The Federal Reserve operates under a price-stability mandate.

WARNINGInshore : Expected thundery

rain on some areas associated with sudden strong wind

Offshore : Expected thunder rain associated with strong wind and high sea

WEATHERInshore : Partly cloudy to cloudy

with chance of scat-tered rain, may be thundery at places at times.

Offshore : Cloudy with scattered rain/thundery at times

WINDInshore : Mainly Northwesterly

08-18/30 KT Offshrore : Mainly Northwesterly

10-20/36 KT Visibility : 4-8/3 KMOffshore : 3-6/12 FT

TODAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Maximum Temperature : 310c

Minimum Temperature : 270c





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Fisherman's forecast

Three-day forecast

Qatari Diar Real Es-tate Company has an-nounced the completion

of the infrastructure and parking phase of the QR5.6bn Citi Tower project in the heart of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur.

The announcement was made after the visit to the project by a high-level Qatari Diar del-egation led by CEO Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah. During the

visit, the delegation met with Ahmad Nizam Salleh, chairman, Malaysian oil company Petronas (Petroliam Nasional Berhad), which is the strategic partner of the project, in the presence of Qatar’s ambassador to Malaysia Fahad Mohamed Kafood.

The visit was aimed at fol-lowing up on the progress of Citi Tower project, one of Qa-tari Diar’s important projects

that is implemented in partner-ship with Petronas. The project is a mixed-use commercial hub adjacent to the iconic Petronas Towers comprising high-rise

offi ce tower with retail facilities and a 5-star hotel. The project comprises two towers including offi ce, hotel, retail podium and an underground car park.

“The expertly planned Citi Tower is a purpose-built, ful-ly-integrated inner city devel-opment featuring quality and intelligent buildings, state-of-the-art amenities and the fi n-est communication facilities,” a statement said.

The Citi Tower Precinct is de-signed to be another iconic land-mark enhancing Kuala Lumpur’s skyline.

The hub comprises a 56-sto-rey hotel, a 77-storey office tower, a 6-storey retail podi-um and multi-level basement parking. Qatari Diar Real Estate Company was established in 2005 by the Qatar Investment Authority.

It was entrusted with sup-porting Qatar’s growing econ-omy and to co-ordinate the country’s real estate develop-

ment priorities. The company’s fl agship project, Lusail City, was launched in December 2005 and quickly went on to gain tremen-dous praise for its innovative ap-proach to real estate.

Qatari Diar has a shared capi-tal of $8bn with 60 investment projects under development or held in 24 countries around the world, combining a value of over $35bn.


QATAR

Qatari Diar marks milestone in QR5.6bn Citi Tower project in Kuala LumpurCiti Tower, a mixed-use commercial hub, is one of Qatari Diar’s major projects that is implemented in partnership with Malaysia’s oil company Petronas

Qatari Diar CEO Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah and other Qatari Diar executives along with senior Malaysian off icials following their visit to the Citi Tower project in Kuala Lumpur. An impression of the Citi Tower project

Qatar fully committed in battle against human traffi cking: ministerQNADoha

HE the Minister of Administrative De-velopment, Labour and Social Aff airs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi has

affi rmed that Qatar is committed to combat-ing human traffi cking and exerts all eff orts in full compliance with international law and strengthening co-operation to meet common challenges with relevant stakeholders.

Addressing the opening of a forum organ-ised by Qatar Airways yesterday, he said that Doha has supported the UN Global Plan of Action against Human Traffi cking since its launch. HE Dr al-Nuaimi is also head of the National Committee for Combating Human Traffi cking.

“Qatar adopted national legislation crimi-nalising all forms and patterns of human traffi cking, the National Committee to Com-bat Human Traffi cking was established to

monitor and prevent the menace. “Qatar also adopted the National Plan to Combat Human Traffi cking, which is based on prevention, awareness-raising, training of workers in dif-ferent sectors of society, protection and care for victims and prosecution of perpetrators, as well as regional and international co-oper-ation to combat this crime,” HE the Minister added.

HE Dr al-Nuaimi stressed the commitment of the Committee to provide all forms of co-operation and support to local and interna-tional partners to contribute to training and awareness of all stakeholders, including those working in the aviation sector, both land and air services, in order to contribute to the pro-tection and rehabilitation of victims of this crime.

HE the Minister noted that the crime of human traffi cking had become a global phe-nomenon that poses a threat to societies and represents a major challenge to the manage-ment of the international community and its

eff orts to achieve the development and pros-perity of peoples.

He pointed out that such transnational crimes may take many forms to move be-tween countries at diff erent airports and ports, using various means such as decep-tion, exploitation, fraud or the threat of use of force, and called for training and awareness of airport employees and airlines on the features of this crime and how to act against the exist-ence of one of its indicators.

In this regard, HE the Minister praised the eff orts of the International Civil Aviation Organisation to sensitise airport staff and cabin crews to indicators of human traffi ck-ing crime through the guidance issued peri-odically by the Organisation in co-operation with competent international bodies to com-bat this crime.

He also commended Qatar Airways keen-ness to take care of its ground and air crews’ training on how to act on the availability of a crime indicator.

HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Aff airs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi addressing the forum yesterday.

Airline community tackling traffi cking in various formsBy Joey AguilarStaff Reporter

Qatar has initiated stand-ing and internationally-recognised advances to

combat human traffi cking as part of a well-coordinated and collab-orative approach, Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker has said.

“To take this fi ght beyond our borders and into the global arena that international aviation en-ters every day, Qatar has a well formed national strategy to end all human traffi cking activities, which the various government ministries and committees ex-ecute through their departmen-tal activities and initiatives,” he stressed at the ‘Combating Hu-man Traffi cking Forum’ held in Doha yesterday.

Al-Baker also highlighted the steps the airline community is taking to fi ght human traffi cking “in its various forms”.

He stressed that such close collaboration with the govern-ment, Qatar Airways and avia-tion industry partners “brings together a uniquely eff ective and well-resourced alliance.”

The forum also supports Qa-tar’s considerable initiatives in advancing laws, infrastructure and programmes and policies that prevent human traffi cking. Qatar demonstrated its commit-ment to addressing challenges at the US–Qatar Strategic Dialogue earlier this year, when the for-eign ministers of both countries signed the ‘US–Qatar Anti-Traf-fi cking’ memorandum of under-standing.

In addition, Qatar’s National

Committee to Combat Human Traffi cking also hosts workshops and provides advice and resourc-es to address what was described as “a global priority.” Earlier this year, the US State Department released the ‘2018 Traffi cking in Persons Report’, an annual pub-lication documenting the eff orts of 187 governments in combat-ing human traffi cking. This year’s report ranked Qatar at Tier Two, the second highest of four pos-sible rankings, and cited eff orts by Qatar to prevent human traf-fi cking.

“The aviation industry is well equipped and motivated to take our responsibility seriously and to have our eyes open to end hu-man traffi cking whether you are in aviation, government, com-munity or non-governmental organisation sector here today, what will be your story?” al-Bak-er said.

“In civil aviation, we are in the business of freedom, our busi-ness transcends borders and bi-ases. In the last 18 months since the illegal embargo of my beloved country, my nation and my air-line have had to fi ght against this attack on our sovereignty,” he said. “We know what it is to value freedom and so as a nation and as an airline we will use our freedom to work for the freedom of those who have lost theirs, to modern slavery, that will be my story.”

“Collectively we have abun-dant resources, however, what we can do better is to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate our activities for the collective pur-pose of why we are here today. This is to end human traffi ck-ing, let that be our story and our proud legacy,” al-Baker added.

Top experts attend forum to fi ght human traffi ckingBy Joey AguilarStaff Reporter

A number of international experts, leaders and of-fi cials from various min-

istries and institutions in Qatar came together in Doha yester-day to discuss ways to prevent and fi ght human traffi cking. The event, dubbed as ‘Combatting Human Traffi cking Forum’ and hosted by Qatar Airways, also reviewed the initiatives done by Qatar in this regard.

“Qatar Airways is exception-ally proud to be the fi rst Middle Eastern airline to bring this fo-rum to the region,” Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker said.

He stressed that the stag-ing of the forum was timely and meaningful as member airlines at the 74th International Aviation Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting earlier this year unanimously approved a resolution denouncing human traffi cking and vowed to imple-ment a number of key anti-traf-fi cking initiatives.

“As chairman of the IATA Board of Governors, I am pleased to be able to give my advocacy and support to this vital resolu-tion,” al-Baker added.

“As a member airline, we are committed to raising awareness about human traffi cking across our country and the world, to train our staff on every aircraft and in every offi ce around the globe,” he stressed. “We are in

the business of freedom, and we will not allow this crime to fl y under the radar.”

The ‘plague of human traffi ck-ing’, according to al-Baker, aff ects more than 25mn people annually, a number roughly equivalent to the population of Australia. Qa-tar’s Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and So-cial Aff airs (MADLSA) and head of the National Committee for Combatting Human Traffi ck-ing, HE Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi, addressed the partici-pants about Qatar’s initiatives to combat human traffi cking.

IATA and the Airports Coun-

cil International have launched a human traffi cking awareness campaign earlier dubbed as ‘#eyesopen’, urging airline staff and travellers to have their ‘eyes open’ to the issue.

The United Nations Offi ce on Drug and Crime also started its ‘Blue Heart Campaign’ in 2009 while the International Civil Avi-ation Organisation produced re-sources for cabin crews aimed at raising global awareness to fi ght human traffi cking and its impact on society.

The forum saw Airline Ambas-sadors International (AAI) board member, Pastor Donna Hubbard,

who is a survivor of human traf-fi cking, highlighting their pro-grammes and the importance of aviation sector’s role in combat-ing such crime.

She noted that some 40.3mn victims worldwide are being en-slaved by human traffi cking, an illegal act second to drug traf-fi cking.

The event was also attended by the Chairman of Labour Sector at MADLSA and Secretary-General of the National Committee for Combating Human Traffi cking Mohamed Hassan al-Obaidly; Qatar Civil Aviation Author-ity chairman Abdulla N Turki

al-Subaey; Ministry of Interior’s (MoI) Airport Security Depart-ment director, Brigadier Essa Arar al-Rumaihi; MoI’s Airport Passports Department director, Colonel Mohamed Rashid al-Mazroui.

The airline also brought rep-resentatives from key interna-tional partner organisations to share valuable information and inspiration with forum dele-gates. These included IATA Ex-ternal Affairs assistant director Tim Colehan; United Nations Office of the High Commis-sioner for Human Rights advis-er on human trafficking, Youla Haddadin; and United Nations International Civil Aviation Organisation technical officer Martin Maurino.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker delivers keynote speech. PICTURES: Othman Khalid

AAI board member Pastor Donna Hubbard.

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