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Kuwait hopes
Girl power: 2,411 Emir receives credentials of Czech Ambassador
crisis will end
before GCC
graduate from Summit

Qatar University QNA

K
uwaits Deputy
Foreign Minister
Khaled Al Jarallah
Amna Pervaiz Rao has voiced his optimism
The Peninsula regarding the efforts of
H H Sheikha Jawaher Emir of Kuwait H H

H
H Sheikha Jawa-
her bint Hamad
bin Suhaim Al
Thani, wife of H H
the Emir, yester-
day graced Qatar Universitys
(QU) womens graduating Class
of 2017, the largest batch to
graduate from the institution,
at the Qatar National Conven-
tion Center.
A total of 2,411 students
received their degree certifi-
cates from QU President Dr
Hassan Al Derham. This is the
40th batch of students to grad-
uate from QU.
Of the graduates, 245
excelled with a GPA (Grade
Point Average) 3.50 and above.
International Affairs student,
Arwa Fathelbab Mohamed
Mohamed Khedr (College of
Arts and Sciences) and second-
ary education student
Mahboobeh Mohammed Reda
Majeedzadeh (College of Edu-
cation) topped the class with a
GPA 4. H H Sheikha Jawaher
honoured the outstanding stu-
bint Hamad bin
Suhaim Al Thani
honoured outstanding
students. Certicates
were then handed
over to the 2,411
female graduates.
The national anthem was
played and a documentary film
on Qatar Universitys journey,
achievements and development
of its faculties, programmes,
studies and research was also
displayed.
Dr Al Derham said: Today,
we are not only pleased to cel-
ebrate the graduation of Qatar
Universitys 40th batch of stu-
dents, as we are also celebrating
the proud stand of the Qatari
citizens and their wise leader-
ship against the unjust blockade
imposed on Qatar.
This significant event is a
testament to the active role of
women in Qatari society. We
are proud of Qatar Universitys
Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad
Al Jaber Al Sabah to
solve the Gulf crisis.
He expressed his
countrys hope that the
dispute would be settled
before Kuwait hosts the
GCC leaders summit in
December.
Speaking to the offi-
cial Kuwaiti news
agency KUNA, Al Jaral-
lah said Kuwait has not
yet sent invitations to
GCC leaders for the
summit, adding that it
Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received at the Emiri Diwan yesterday the credentials is customary to send
of Ambassador of the Czech Republic, Martin Dvorak. The Emir also received the credentials invitations but it is too
of Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Tan Bunpa, and Ambassador of the Vatican, early to discuss these
Francisco Montecillo Padilla. Pictures on page 2 invitations and send
them.
Sheikha Moza opens permanent exhibition
The Peninsula

dents. Certificates were then
handed over to the 2411 female
graduates.
QU President, along with
senior QU officials, deans, dig-
nitaries, parents, faculty, staff,
alumni and well-wishers
attended the ceremony.
The ceremony started with
recitation of the Holy Quran.
H H Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani
honouring a student of Qatar Universitys (QU) womens
graduating Class of 2017, yesterday.
long journey of success since
its establishment 40 years ago.
Qatari women have effectively
contributed as students, faculty
members, researchers, deans,
or department heads to the
growth of the University, he
added.
Continued on page 3
integration across the earth, revealing the
H
H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chair-
person of Msheireb Properties,
officially inaugurated a new perma-
nent exhibition titled A Journey to the Heart
of Life, located at Bin Jelmood House at
Msheireb Museums in the heritage Quarter
of Msheireb Downtown Doha.
The exhibition is a collaboration between
Msheireb Museums and biomedical research
institutions including Qatar Genome Pro-
gramme, Qatar Biobank, Sidra Medical
Research Center and Weill Cornell Medical
College.
The exhibition focuses on DNA and
includes six sections that give visitors an
opportunity to explore genetic inheritance
and prehistoric human migrations. It aims
to further guests understanding of the
advances in modern medicine and genomics,
and its capacity to help with early detection
of disease, as well as creation of personalised
medicine.
Visitors use interactive and audiovisual H H Sheikha Moza inaugurates the DNA exhibition at Msheireb Museums.
displays to understand how leveraging Pic: AR Al Baker
genetics, genomics, and observations from humanity by advances in genetic research, education and showcase Qatars leading
the past, can uncover Qatars rich cultural and how this knowledge is being used to position in scientific research to benefit
and historic heritage. make us healthier as a society. humanity. We would like to extend our
The exhibition looks at the process of Abdulla Hassan Al Mehshadi, CEO of great thanks to all those involved in
understanding genetics and genomics, and Msheireb Properties said: Msheireb creating this fascinating exhibition,
how that is reflected in the history of Properties is committed to supporting our particularly Her Highness for her
humanity. It tells a story of migration and communitys development and contributing continuous support and wise vision.
towards the goals of QNV 2030. Through
scientific underpinnings of our common this exhibit, we support innovations in Continued on page 4

2022 Cup not up for discussion: Official Cabinet nod to draft law on industrial zones
The Cabinet approved a draft law on industrial
zones and its referral to the Advisory Council. The
The Peninsula demand that Qatar give up the blockade of Qatar, and this is and throughout the Middle East.
World Cup shows their illegal further proof of that. He said this Meanwhile; in an interview with Cabinet also approved a draft air services agreement

T
he Director of the Govern-
ment Communications
Office (GCO) H E Sheikh
Saif bin Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani
has affirmed Qatars hosting of
the World Cup is not up for dis-
cussion or negotiation.
In a press statement yester-
day, H E Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed
bin Saif Al Thani said that UAEs
blockade is founded on petty
jealousy, not real concerns.
Their weak attempts to tie
the hosting of the 2022 FIFA
World Cup to their illegal block-
ade show their desperation to
justify their inhumane action,
H E Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed said,
adding there has never been a
legitimate reason for the illegal
demand is a clear attempt to
undermine our independence.
The World Cup, like our sover-
eignty, is not up for discussion
or negotiation, he said.
H E Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed
asserted that Qatar will host the
first World Cup in the Middle East,
which is its positive benefits and
impact will extend beyond Qatar
The New York Times (NYT)
recently, Hassan Al Thawadi, the
Secretary-General of the Supreme
Committee for Delivery & Legacy
(SC) stressed that the ongoing Gulf
crisis will not affect Qatars host-
ing of the Cup as sports has a place
away from all conflicts.
Continued on page 4
between Qatar and Indonesia. PAGE 4
QNB net prot rises 6% to QR10.3bn
QNB Group recorded a net prot of QR10.3bn for
the rst nine months ended September 30, 2017,
up 6 percent compared to the same period last
year. PAGE 21
02 HOME THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017

Emir receives credentials of new Ambassadors of Cambodia and Vatican

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received the credentials of Ambassador of the
Kingdom of Cambodia, Tan Bunpa, and Ambassador of the Vatican, Francisco Montecillo
Padilla (right). The Ambassadors conveyed to H H the Emir greetings of their countries leaders
and wishes of further progress and prosperity to the Qatari people. For his part, H H the
Emir welcomed the new Ambassadors and wished them success in their duties and further
development and growth in the relations between the State of Qatar and their countries.
Their Excellencies the Ambassadors earlier were accorded official reception ceremonies at
the Emiri Diwan.

Cabinet approves draft law on industrial zones

QNA defines the industrial zones as areas des- resources that appears or lie within the plant. The Cabinet also agreed to join Academy of Law of the Republic of
ignated for industrial purposes in territories of the industrial zones shall be the International Convention for the Singapore.

P
rime Minister and Interior Min-
ister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin
Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani
chaired yesterday the Cabinets
regular meeting at its Emiri
Diwan premises. After the meeting, Dep-
uty Prime Minister and Minister of State
for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdul-
lah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud said that the
Cabinet reviewed topics on the agenda.
The Cabinet approved a draft law
on industrial zones and its referral to
the Advisory Council. This draft law
accordance with the provisions of this
law, including lands, installations and
facilities erected thereon.
According to the law, the establish-
ment of industrial zones shall be decided
by a decision of the Cabinet at the recom-
mendation of the Minister of Energy and
Industry in coordination with the con-
cerned authorities in the State.
The lands of the industrial zones are
considered as the States properties and
shall be exploited in the ways provided in
this law. Under this law, all natural
a property of the State, and that the ten-
ant shall be adequately compensated for
the loss of full or partial use of these lands.
No industrial establishment shall be
founded in the industrial zones without
an authorization from relevant authori-
ties in the State and after the approval of
the Ministry of Energy and Industry.
The Cabinet also approved a draft
decree on allocating some lands to Qatar
General Electricity and Water Corpora-
tion for the establishment of electricity
and water production
Control and Management of Ships Bal-
last Water and Sediments for 2004.
The Cabinet approved a draft air serv-
ices agreement between the Government
of Qatar and Indonesia. The Cabinet
approved a draft Memorandum of Under-
standing (MoU) on legal cooperation
activities between the Government of the
State of Qatar and the Government of
Malaysia. The Cabinet also approved a
draft MoU for cooperation between the
Legal and Judicial Studies Center at the
Ministry of Justice of Qatar and Singapore
After that, the Cabinet reviewed a let-
ter of the Minister of Economy and
Commerce on the legal mechanism nec-
essary for the Qatar Financial Markets
Authority to apply the provisions Law of
the Commercial Companies and the con-
trol of the listed companies in Qatar
Exchange and a letter of the Chairman of
the Board of Directors of Qatar Financial
Center Regulatory Authority on the annual
report and audited accounts of the Author-
ity for 2016. The Cabinet then took the
appropriate decisions thereon.
 THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
2,411 pass out with ying colours
H H Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, wife of H H the Emir, at Qatar Universitys womens graduating Class of 2017 held at the Qatar National Convention Center.
Continued from page 1
Dr Al Derham noted that Qatar Universi-
tys vision has become more comprehensive
than before, in line with the goals of Qatar
National Vision 2030 and the national aspi-
rations towards a knowledge-based
economy.
Qatar University offers 79 specialisations
at the undergraduate and graduate level, espe-
cially designed to meet the needs of the labour
market, Dr Al Derham said.
He further discussed the organisations
achievements during the year which included
accreditation achievement for its colleges and
programs from numerous leading interna-
tional accrediting bodies. He said: We are
keen that continued success comes from our
ongoing efforts to provide the best for our stu-
dents and community, especially in light of
the local and international challenges. Over
the past years, the education system in Qatar
witnessed numerous changes.
In this context, it is important that Qatar
University keeps abreast of the ever-chang-
ing development while delivering on its vision
to be regionally recognised for distinctive
excellence in education and research, an insti-
tution of choice for students, scholars and
researchers, and a catalyst for the sustaina-
ble socio-economic development of Qatar,
he added.
Pointing the aim to achieve
the Qatars National Vision optimal learning environment
2030, he said: In order to
achieve this vision, the Univer-
sity will focus on advancing
education, research and student
success with the aim to improve
knowledge and promote inno-
vation and entrepreneurship.
Dr Al Derham thanked par-
ents and faculty members for
their support throughout the
students academic journey.
Your contribution to their suc-
cess is invaluable, he said,
adding, Dear students, as you
prepare to enter a new and
exciting phase in your lives, I
encourage you to continue to
seek new horizons, develop
your talents, and strive for
excellence in your undertak-
ings. Again, congratulations and
all the very best.
Mariam Ali Al Hajri, Grad-
uate from College of Arts and
Sciences, gave heartfelt con-
gratulations to her colleagues
saying: Today we are prepar-
ing to start a new phase in our
lives towards building the coun-
trys future. On behalf of my
HOME 03
colleagues, I thank Qatar Uni-
versity for providing us with an
that ensured our success. I also
extend our gratitude to our par-
ents and faculty for their
invaluable support and for
guiding us in our
endeavours.
She added that the gradu-
ates have found in Qatar
University different energies
and ideas by placing them in an
academic framework, noting
QUs role in providing an aca-
demic climate with excellence
and in respecting differences.
Meanwhile, she stressed
that what distinguishes Qatar
University from the rest of the
educational institutions is its
students who are the closest to
the public and the fastest in
interacting with the concerns
of the Arab and Islamic nation,
calling on her fellow graduates
to feel proud of this achieve-
ment and to take the
responsibility before God and
the homeland to return this
favour, service and work to
build and raise the prosperity
of our homeland.
04 HOME THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017

Lekhwiya signs deal

with Chinese rm
The Peninsula expatriate labours working on
its territory in different projects.

C
hinese company Nuct-
ech will produce
innovative devices
developed by Internal
Security Force
(Lekhwiya) for the protection of
construction workers including
the smart jacket.
A cooperation agreement for
the same was signed between
Lekhwiya and Nuctech in prepa-
ration for a subsequent agreement
the two parties will sign under
which the Chinese company will
take the patent for a number of
devices innovated by Lekhwiya.
The agreement was signed
in the presence of Minister of
Administrative Development,
Labor and Social Affairs H E Dr
Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi,
Nuctech will
produce innovative
devices developed
by Lekhwiya for
the protection of
construction workers
including the smart
jacket.
who along with a delegation
from the International Labor
Organization (ILO), were briefed
about the innovative devices
developed for the protection of
construction workers.
The smart jacket is part of
Qatars strategy to ensure max-
imum protection and safety for
The smart jacket features a hel-
met cooling system to reduce the
temperature for the worker and
also contains a chip that gives
signals indicating the condition
of the worker if he gets exposed
to any risk like excessive stress
or increased heart rate or abnor-
mal breathing.
The sensors in the smart
jacket will send a warning to the
control room showing the work- Officials signing the cooperation agreement between Lekhwiya and Nuctech in the presence
ers condition and it also contains of Minister of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs H E Dr Issa bin Saad Al
a tracking system to help the Jafali Al Nuaimi.
authorities track the workers
location easily. signed by Lekhwiyas com- of construction workers, the Lekhwiya has successfully
The smart jacket includes mander of the security agreement includes intelligent eye developed a range of security
voice dialling, operates via solar technologies brigade, Major Ali sensor, automatic explosive and devices through high-tech tech-
power and does not need to be Hassan Al Rashed and Nuctech drug detection device, cross-sec- nologies that contribute to the
recharged from any power Vice-President Wang Weidong. tional scanning device and the performance of security and
source. The agreement was Besides devices for the protection intelligent security fence. excellence in work.

QA upgrades to A330 service to Seychelles Permanent exhibition

The Peninsula
I
n order to meet rising passen-
ger demand, Qatar Airways
has announced plans to
upgrade service on its Seychelles
route to an A330 aircraft, start-
ing October 29, 2017, as the
award-winning airline prepares
to celebrate its one-year anni-
versary of flying to the
Seychelles later this year.
The 260-seater A330 aircraft
will increase the airlines cur-
rent daily capacity by 130 per
cent on this route, connecting
Seychelles-based passengers to
more than 150 destinations
globally.
Qatar Airways Group Chief
Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said:
Qatar Airways is delighted to
be introducing its Airbus A330
aircraft on the route to Sey-
chelles. By providing more
capacity on board the A330, we
will be able to offer even more
passengers from around the
globe the opportunity to expe-
rience the idyllic white sand
beaches of the Seychelles. This
enhancement to our offering
demonstrates our commitment
to the local market and to the
many passengers each month
who choose to fly to this popu-
lar destination with Qatar
Airways.
Qatar Airways launched
service to the Seychelles in
December 2016, and has since
contributed to the development
of tourism and the growth of
local business in the
Seychelles.
The Airbus A330 aircraft,
which features 24 seats in Busi-
ness Class and 236 seats in
Economy Class, enables passen-
gers to enjoy the airlines
superior entertainment system,
Oryx One, offering countless
entertainment options. Business
Class passengers can also relax
in flatbed seats, offering an
unsurpassed standard of com-
fort on board.
Qatar Airways operates to 20
destinations in Africa, including
Addis Ababa, Algiers, Cape
Town, Casablanca, Durban,
Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos,
Marrakech, Nairobi and Zanzi-
bar, among others.
The award-winning airline
has received a number of acco-
lades this year, including Airline
of the Year by the prestigious
2017 Skytrax World Airline
Awards, which was held at the
Paris Air Show. This is the fourth
time that Qatar Airways has
been given this global recogni-
tion as the Worlds Best Airline.
In addition to being voted
Worlds Best Airline by travel-
lers from around the world,
Qatars national carrier also won
a raft of other major awards at
the ceremony, including Best
Airline in the Middle East,
Worlds Best Business Class and
Worlds Best First Class Airline
Lounge.
The airlines hub, Hamad
International Airport, is the first
in the Middle East to receive an
accolade from Skytrax, which
only awards the 5-Star Airport
rating to airports that achieve
the highest overall Quality Per-
formance, recognising the
provision of excellent facilities
for travellers and high quality
airport staff service. Only six air-
ports in the world hold this
prestigious title, including Sin-
gapore, Seoul, Hong Kong,
Tokyo-Haneda and Munich. Pas-
sengers transfer through our hub
in as little as 45 minutes, seam-
lessly connecting to more than
150 destinations on Qatar Air-
ways network.
at Msheireb Museums
Continued from page 1
Hafiz Ali, Msheireb Muse-
ums Director said: A Journey
to the Heart of Life is the latest
addition in our internationally
acclaimed exhibits at Msheireb
Museums. It completes the
four-heritage house permanent
collections, designed to tell the
history of our land and people,
and the journey to modern-day
Qatar. This opening is intended
to help our nation understand
the origins of our people and
how the mapping of human
development can help its citi-
zens today, and in the future.
Dr Asma Al Thani, Chair of
the National Genome Commit-
tee, Vice Chairperson of the
Qatar Biobank for Medical
Research Board of Trustees and
Dean of the college of Health
Science at Qatar University
said: This exhibition was cre-
ated to showcase the cultural
and social diversity of Qatar
and how this affects genetic
traits. Genetic diversity is a
gateway for science to under-
stand societal differences, and
as such Qatar Biobank and
Qatar Genome Programme is
focused on research to develop
personalised medicine.
Dr Lotfi Chouchane, profes-
sor of genetic medicine,
microbiology and immunology
at Weill Cornell Medical Col-
lege, said: A Journey to the
Heart of Life is original and
unique, not just for Qatar but
around the world as it combines
seamlessly both culture and sci-
ence. The science presented in
the exhibition is complemented
by historical and cultural fac-
tors that define human
migration to Qatar.
Major advances in the fields
of genetics and genomics have
not only corroborated what we
can observe from history - the
diversity of Qatars origins - but
have also opened a path to a
hopeful future in prevention
and cure of many genetic dis-
eases. A Journey to the Heart
of Life is open from Monday to
Thursday from 9am to 5pm,
Friday from 3pm to 9pm, and
Saturday from 9am to 9pm.

Qatar committed to conventions Hosting World

that enshrine womens rights
The Peninusla
the Third Committee of the
UNs General Assembly
Nojoom & PSG outlet Cup not up for
to offer Neymar shirt discussion
Continued from page 1
region since 1938 with the
first school for girls at the The Peninusla Instagram. Weve always taken the simple posi-

T
he State of Qatar has addressing Advancement of house of Amna Al Jaidah who Entrants simply have to tion that sports is elevated from conflict.

affirmed its commit-
ment to the
implementation of its obli-
gations to international and
regional conventions and
charters that enshrine the
rights of women, especially
the United Nations Conven-
tion on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination
against Women senior offi-
cial said.
The State of Qatar is
keen to integrate womens
issues, particularly those
related to enhancing their
participation in economic
and political decision-mak-
ing, providing decent work
and promoting social protec-
tion in all national strategies
and plans, including Qatar
National Vision 2030, and
Family Strategy, said Sarah
Mohammed Kamal Al Emadi,
a member of the delegation
of the State of Qatar partic-
ipating in the 72nd Session
of the United Nations Gen-
eral Assembly.
Al Emadi statement
came yesterday in a state-
ment she delivered before
Women.
Al Emadi said that the
issue of the advancement of
women is a priority in the
policy of the State of Qatar
and reflected in the Consti-
tution, based on the pivotal
role of women in all walks
of life.
She noted that the link
between womens empow-
erment, gender equality and
development is a reality that
the international community
has recognised and
addressed through the fifth
goal of sustainable
development.
She emphasised that
Qatari women have made
great strides in their partic-
ipation in various areas of
life thanks to the strong
political will of wise leader-
ship of the State of Qatar to
empower women and
enhance their participation
in the human development
process.
Al Emadi noted that
Qatar is one of the first coun-
tries to encourage the
education of girls in the Gulf
was called today the pyra-
mid of education.
Qatar is one of the first
countries in the Gulf region
to grant women the right to
vote and to stand for office.
Reports indicate that the
percentage of female partic-
ipation in the labour force
during the previous years
reached 35.1%, thanks to the
Labour Law protecting the
rights of women.
Qatari women are cur-
rently qualified to hold
senior positions in the State
as ministers, judges, ambas-
sadors and university
presidents, public prosecu-
tors, police and security
force.
In this regard to elimina-
tion of violence against
women, she said Qatar has
established mechanisms for
empowerment and protec-
tion such as the National
Social Action Foundation,
which includes the Center for
Social Protection and Reha-
bilitation, to protect and
reintegrate women victims
of violence into society.
O
oredoo yesterday
announced it is part-
nering with the Paris
Saint-Germain Outlet in
Qatar to offer exclusive
memorabilia for Nojoom
Members.
To celebrate Paris Saint-
Germains recent signing of
Neymar Jr, Nojoom and the
Paris Saint-Germain Outlet
in Qatar will be running a
promotion where members
can redeem their Nojoom
points for an exclusive Paris-
Saint German football shirt,
with Neymar written in
Arabic.
This limited version of
the football shirt will not be
available for purchase at the
store and will be an exclusive
reward through Nojoom
redemptions. Only 80 foot-
ball shirts are available.
To reward football sup-
porters in Qatar, as well as
encourage more of the coun-
trys diverse community to
get involved in the sport,
Nojoom will also be running
a special contest on
post a video on Instagram
showing their football skills
with the #NojoomPSG to be
entered into a contest to win
one of ten of the exclusive
football shirts. Contest ends
on October 22 and winners
will be informed via social
media.
The Paris Saint-Germain
Outlet in Qatar joined
Nojoom as a redeem partner
in 2017. Thanks to the part-
nership, football fans across
Qatar can redeem their
Nojoom Points for a host of
Paris Saint-Germain
merchandise.
Redemption vouchers
start at just 2,000 Nojoom
points for a QR50 voucher,
making affordable gifting for
football fans possible.
Every Ooredoo customer
with a Qatar ID can enrol into
Nojoom, and redemptions
can be made following
Nojooms redemption chan-
nels by logging into their
account at www.ooredoo.qa/
nojoom or by downloading
the Ooredoo App.
This is always a platform to bring people
together and should be separated from
political ideologies, he told the NYT.
Expressing his hopes Thawadi said
countries that have imposed a siege on
Qatar would participate in the event.
I cant speak on their behalf. From
our side, everybodys welcome. I hope
that they see reason and recognize this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the
people of our region. The Middle East and
the Arab world are football crazy. You go
to any corner, whether its in Qatar, Saudi
or Morocco, and start speaking of foot-
ball, you will find a very deep cauldron
of passion and knowledge, Thawadi said.
World Cup is an opportunity to be a cat-
alyst for positive change, and of course
worker welfare is one of them, he said.
Qatar expects about 1.2 million foot-
ball fans during World Cup 2022 and the
country has been developing infrastruc-
ture to accommodate them, Thawadi said.
As the country is expanding, the infra-
structure of the World Cup fits in with the
countrys plans. We re-prioritised certain
projects, obviously, to fulfill the World Cup
requirements A large number of hotels are
being developed and the metro system is
going to be functional by 2020. The road
networks are being developed as well. So
by 2020, 2021, everything is going to be
in place, Thawadi said.
 THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017 HOME 05

Qatar stresses distancing education from politics

The Peninsula been able to provide quality edu- leading role in establishing the Sustainable Development Plan
cation services to millions of Global Alliance to report progress imposes a responsibility on
Qatar pays special and exceptional attention

T
he State of Qatar has stressed
the importance of distanc-
ing education from political
differences and ensuring that stu-
dents continue their studies away
from any considerations that may
affect their continuing studies and
ensure their rights based on inter-
national conventions, especially
human rights.
This came in a statement
delivered by Mohammed Ali Al
Marri, member of the delegation
of the State of Qatar participating
in the 72nd Session of the United
Nations General Assembly before
the Second Committee on item 19
on sustainable development.
He stressed the need to adhere
children and young people in the in promoting societies that enjoy countries to promote education
to improving the level of education, providing world, particularly in conflict and peace and justice for all, Al Marri and ensure universal and equal
everyone with access to a distinguished natural disaster areas, through the added. access to education Al Marri
education and gaining experience, based on the programmes and projects of var- Al Marri said that Qatar stressed. He also affirmed the
ious Qatari educational National Vision 2030 has identi- importance of promoting new
belief in the importance of investing in human institutions, Education Above All fied key economic, social, human and renewable sources of
resources. aimed at protecting and promot- and environmental goals, and has energy, providing sustainable
ing the right to education in placed development at the cen- energy for all and addressing the
conflict-affected areas, the Edu- tre of its priorities with integrating issue of climate change, one of
to the 2030 Sustainable Develop- countries in particular. cate A Child (EAC) initiative and Sustainable Development Plan the greatest challenges facing our
ment Plan as an integrated vision, He pointed out that Qatar pays the World Innovation Summit for 2030 into National Development world today.
calling on the international com- special and exceptional attention Education (WISE). Strategy 2017-2022. Concluding, Al Marri said the
munity to seize this opportunity to improving the level of educa- He stressed that sustainable Al Marri said Qatar has been goals of sustainable development
to further implement the objec- tion, providing everyone with development can not be achieved ranked first in the Arab world, will achieve its targets only by
tives of this ambitious plan and access to a distinguished educa- without the establishment of and 33rd globally in the field of continuing joint efforts and Qatar
address obstacles to development, tion and gaining experience, based peaceful, non-marginalised soci- human development. reaffirms its commitment to
taking into account the priorities, on the belief in the importance of eties, as affirmed by the sixteenth Strengthening the efforts and work in partnership with the
needs and specificities of devel- investing in human resources. goal of sustainable development. moving forward with the goals international community to
oping and least developed Al Marri noted that Qatar has Accordingly, Qatar has played a and objectives of 2030 address the challenges, he noted.

Sidra & PHCC partner to offer

free breast cancer screenings
Fazeena Saleem research, treatment and care. diagnosed in Qatar are in women
The Peninsula Breast cancer is the leading can- aged between 45 and 49 years old.
cer amongst women in Qatar. This Breast cancer is the most common

S
idra Medical and Research
Center has partnered with the
Primary Health Care Corpo-
ration (PHCC) to offer free breast
cancer screenings at its outpatient
clinic in Education City. The
screenings will be held on Octo-
ber 23 and October 25 between
7.30am and 3.30pm. Women
between the age group of 45 and
69 years old are encouraged to
book a session by calling 800-1112.
Women should also bring a valid
health card.
As a hospital dedicated to the
care of women and children, we
actively support initiatives that can
lead to improved and advanced
World Breast Cancer Awareness
Month, we encourage women
between the ages of 45 to 69 to
book in a screening. I also want to
take this as an opportunity to ask
sons, brothers and fathers to
encourage the women in their
family to come in for screenings.
Their support and encouragement
can go a long way in saving lives,
Bakhita Al Khabbash, Manager,
Network Development and Out-
reach, Women Clinical
Management Group at Sidra said.
According to the Qatar
National Cancer Registry at the
Ministry of Public Health, 16.2 per-
cent of breast cancer cases
cancer among women in Qatar
and the second leading cause of
death in women worldwide.
To coincide with the breast
cancer awareness month, health-
care providers in Qatar including
Sidra has increased their efforts in
promoting awareness importance
of prevention, early detection
through screening and treatment
of breast cancer. Throughout the
month, a range of activities are
organised aimed at enhancing
awareness of breast cancer risk
Participants pose for an awareness campaign supporting breast cancer month.
factors among women and
increasing knowledge of lesser- of breast cancer is a new lump or breast, skin irritation or dimpling, of the nipple or breast skin, and
known breast cancer symptoms. mass. Other possible symptoms breast or nipple pain, nipple nipple discharge (other than breast
The most common symptom are swelling of all or part of a retraction, redness or thickening milk).

Composition by Dana Al Fardan

to welcome QA passengers
The Peninsula

S
pecially-composed music by legendary Qatari
musician and songwriter Dana Al Fardan now
welcomes passengers on board every Qatar
Airways flight around the world.
Her beautiful and uplifting musical work, enti-
tled Sky, was created to relax and inspire
passengers as they board the airlines fleet of air-
craft and set the mood and atmosphere for the
rest of their journey.
The new composition follows the renowned
Qatari musician and vocalists earlier work, Art
of Flight, which accompanied Qatar Airways lat-
est television commercial featuring the innovative
Qsuite. Qsuite is a unique and patented seat design
that brings a First Class experience to the airlines
Business Class cabin, setting a new standard with
the worlds first-ever double bed available in Busi-
ness Class.
Dana Al Fardans work blends rich strings,
choral vocals and solos with traditional Middle
Eastern rhythms. Her music, Sky, is now played
on every aircraft as customers board and disem-
bark, to make their flight a more personalised and
meaningful experience.
Qatar Airways Senior Vice-President Market-
ing and Corporate Communications, Salam Al
Shawa, said: Ms Al Fardans inspirational and Qatari musician and songwriter Dana Al
uplifting music is the perfect partner for Qatar Fardan now welcomes passengers on board
Airways, creating a tranquil and inviting atmos- every Qatar Airways ight around the world.
phere to welcome our passengers on board our
aircraft to experience our award-winning five- airlines award-winning in-flight entertainment
star service. system, Oryx One.
As a Qatari she is perfectly in tune with our Dana Al Fardan is the founder and CEO of DNA
culture and traditions, so we were delighted to be Records, Qatars first recording company. Her first
able to show our support for local talent and pro- critically-acclaimed album, Paint, was released
vide a global stage for this wonderful musician to in 2013. She believes culture and heritage cannot
an amazingly diverse worldwide audience, of be separated from the artistic process. She also
every age and nationality. hopes that by becoming more involved with musi-
Dana Al Fardan said: Its a tremendous hon- cians from around the world, it will help establish
our to be able to reach such an incredible audience a large-scale music festival in Qatar and lead to
and to be able to represent my country and show- the growth of a serious music industry in the
case modern, contemporary Qatari music through country.
Qatar Airways. I hope my music helps bring peo- Last month Dana held the first full interna-
ple together through their shared experience of tional concert programme of her latest album,
taking a journey together. Sandstorm, which was performed by the esteemed
As well as composing the music for Qatar Air- London Metropolitan Orchestra in a sell-out show
Lic. No. 2017/4320

ways latest TV commercial, Al Fardan also
composed The Beginning, the official theme song
for Hamad International Airport (HIA). Her latest
album, Sandstorm, is also featured on all Qatar
Airways flights, and can be listened to through the
at the iconic Theatre Royal Haymarket in Lon-
dons West End. Danas contemporary classical
repertoire received critical acclaim from mem-
bers of the public, arts press and the UK music
industry.
06 HOME THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017

Minister meets Kazakhstan Ambassador

Ihsan honours winners
of Holy Quran contest
QNA interpretation of Quran. Ihsan important deeds to memorize
Executive-Director, Mubarak and recite Quran, which is one

T
he Center for the Empow-
erment and Care of the
Elderly (Ihsan) celebrated
the winners of the Parents
Competition in the fourth edi-
tion of this years competition
in Holy Quran.
The winners of the compe-
tition in all its branches this
season, 12 men and 22 women,
came out of 165 contestants, of
whom 130 were women, which
confirms the interest of older
women to participate actively
Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali met yesterday with Ambassador in competitions to acquire skills
of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Qatar, Askar Shokybaev. The meeting discussed aspects and abilities necessary for
of cooperation between Qatar and Kazakhstan in the areas of culture and sports, and memorization, recitation and
ways of enhancing them.
bin Abdul Aziz Al Khalifa,
expressed his thanks and
appreciation to the participants
in this competition and their
keenness to interact with the
centers programs.
Al Khalifa further stressed
the commitment of Ihsan to
continue organizing such
events that benefit the elderly
and gain skills and the abilities
required to recite, memorize,
and master of memorization,
recitation and interpretation of
Quran.
Al Khalifa pointed out that
it is one of the highest and most
of the constants and pillars on
which the center works around.
Ihasn chief also stated that
the most important priorities
of the center are to provide the
elderly with the necessary life
skills and to increase their
knowledge of their religion,
organized by the center and
concerned with all fields.
The contest included three
branches in the memorization
and recitation of the Holy
Quran, memorizing Quran in
full, memorizing the twenty-
eighth chapter, and recitation
from any parts of Holy Quran.

Meeting with Somalia Envoy Ministry recalls

Mercedes Benz
HBKU institute accepts submissions models for defect
for annual Translation Conference The Peninsula

M
inistry of Economy
The Peninsula and Commerce
announces recall of
The two-day event is scheduled to take place

T
he Translation and Inter-
preting Institute (TII) at
Hamad Bin Khalifa Univer-
sitys (HBKU) College of
Humanities and Social Sciences
(CHSS) is now accepting submis-
sions for its Ninth Annual
International Translation
Conference.
The two-day event is sched-
uled to take place on March 27
and 28, 2018, and will be hosted
by the college at the Qatar
National Convention Center
(QNCC). TII welcomes submis-
sions from academics,
practitioners and community
members who are interested,
through theory or practice, in
Mercedes Benz A-Class and
on March 27 and 28, 2018. TII welcomes CLA-Class models of 2016-
submissions from academics, practitioners 2017 and C-Class, E-Class and
GLC-Class models of 2015-
and community members who are interested, 2016 because the starting
through theory or practice, in addressing limiter could be overloaded
the theme of this years conference, which is Director-General of Public Security H E Staff Major General during the staring procedure
Saad bin Jassim Al Khulai, yesterday, met Ambassador under certain conditions
Translation in the Digital Age: From Translation
of the Federal Republic of Somalia Omar Sheikh Ali Idris. The Ministry, in collabo-
Tools to Shifting Paradigms. The meeting reviewed a number of issues of concern for ration with Nasser Bin Khaled
the two fraternal countries. Automobiles, dealer of Mer-
cedes Benz vehicles in Qatar,
areas for the Ninth Annual Inter- development and advancement has announced the recall of
national Translation Conference towards a knowledge-based Mercedes Benz A-Class and
include, but are not limited to
Arabic translation in the digital
economy. Rapid progress in dig-
ital technologies leads to Doha to host GDA conference CLA-Class models of 2016-
2017 and C-Class, E-Class and
age; the role of online transla- unparalleled access to informa- GLC-Class models of
tor communities in social and tion around the world, thus QNA coalition during the ministerial 2015-2016.
political activism; collaborative placing emphasis on the field. conference in Marrakesh in the The ministry said the

addressing the theme of this
years conference, which is
Translation in the Digital Age:
From Translation Tools to Shift-
ing Paradigms.
Submissions of abstracts
should be at least 300 words, in
either English or Arabic, which
are the official languages of the
conference. They must also
include the applicants institu-
tional affiliation, contact
information and a short biogra-
phy of no more than 100 words.
The deadline for submission of
papers is November 12. Selected
attendees will have an oppor-
tunity to present their papers at
the conference in the course of
20 minutes, and respond to
questions posed by their peers
and the audience over a
10-minute period. The thematic
translation projects and initia-
tives; multimedia and
hypermedia translation; and
translation within the field of
digital humanities. The confer-
ence also invites applicants to
submit papers to explore the
evolution of the translation
industry, through crowdsourc-
ing and outsourcing, and to
examine growing interest in the
use of online databases, corpora
and machine translation. The
papers can also touch on topics
such as censorship and manip-
ulation in the digital age,
transadaptation and
transcreation.
The fields of translation and
interpretation act as key build-
ers that enable knowledge
transfer between strategic play-
ers, paving the way for social
Dr Amal Al Malki, founding
dean of CHSS,said, Major inno-
vations in technology have
greatly influenced the way we
communicate in the digital age.
The remit of the Ninth Annual
International Translation Con-
ference encompasses key areas
of advancement, such as the role
online translator communities
play in social and political activ-
ism and collaborative translation
projects.
As part of the conference, we
invite enterprising translators to
submit papers exploring the
evolving translation market,
which is increasingly relying on
non-traditional means. The
selected attendees will have an
opportunity to present their find-
ings at the conference. Dr Al
Malki added.
D
oha will host on Sunday
the foundation confer-
ence for Global Dryland
Alliance (GDA,) with the partic-
ipation of 25 delegations
representing countries from the
Middle East, North Africa, Sahel,
Sahara, Central and Eastern
Asia, South America and a
number of international
organizations.
The foundation treaty of the
new international organization,
which will be based in Doha,
will be signed during the con-
ference and will be launched as
an international organization
concerned with the food secu-
rity of dryland countries.
The draft of the Foundation
treaty of GDA was presented to
the countries supporting the
initiative to establish the
Kingdom of Morocco at the end
of May 2015 and reviewed by
the participating countries.
GDA aims to develop sus-
tainable solutions to common
food security problems to com-
mon food security problems
and to assist in times of distress,
thereby contributing to inter-
national peace and security, as
well as establishing broad
cooperation with partners
locally, regionally and interna-
tionally to find, deploy and
implement solutions to the
challenges of agriculture and
water energy in dryland coun-
tries, as well as opening up
public-private partnerships to
finance and implement pro-
grams and projects of Member
States in various areas related
to food security.
recall campaign comes within
the framework of its ongoing
efforts to protect consumers
and ensure that car dealers
follow up on vehicle defects
and repairs. The ministry said
that it will coordinate with the
dealer to follow up on the
maintenance and repair
works and will communicate
with customers to ensure that
the necessary repairs are car-
ried out.
The Ministry urges all
customers to report any vio-
lations to its Consumer
Protection and Anti-Com-
mercial Fraud Department
through the following chan-
nels: Call Center: 16001 Email:
info@mec.gov.qa
Twitter: @MEC_Qatar
Instagram: MEC_Qatar

Innovators step up a gear at QFs Stars of Science TV program

The Peninsula that will help doctors perform
specialised surgeries.

T
he race to become the
Arab worlds next top
innovator in Qatar
Foundations Stars of
Science TV pro-
gramme stepped up a gear this
week as qualifying contestants
left the casting couch behind.
Only those with the most unwa-
vering pitch survived the shows
three-episode casting phase.
All competitors who turned
out for casting were focused on
the same thing: a spot on the
show to develop their innova-
tive project.
In the studio, the three Stars
of Science jurors were ready to
decide their fate. Longtime juror
Professor Fouad Mrad, the brilliant
and volatile tech expert, was ready
to fire as always. Also back in
the mix was Dr. Abdelhamid El-
Zoheiry, the jovial medical doctor
who loves giving Professor Mrad
grief. Joining them was new jury
member, the visionary Dr Khalid
Al Ali.
The young innovators will need to channel their Under the withering critique
nerves a little longer. Next weekend, in the of the jury, several ideas also fiz-
Majlis episode, airing from October 13, the top zled in the second casting
episode, where the jury heard
nine innovators will be announced and the jury pitch ideas in the information
will give them the green light to move on to and communications technol-
the prototyping round. This marks the ultimate ogy (ICT) sphere. An invention
test: Are they able to make a working example meant to monitor library-goers
was too Big Brother for the jury.
of their idea? The prototypes will be rened, But the panel was full of praise
tested, and appraised by potential customers. for a handful of projects.
Energy and environment
ideas populated the third cast-
Prior to a decade-long ten- episode featured ideas from the ing episode. Some, however,
ure at the National Aeronautics biomedical sector, and compet- filled Professor Mrad with
and Space Administration itors scored both home runs and astonishment. After a stroll (From left) Jurors Dr. Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry, Dr Khalid Al Ali,
(NASA), Dr Al Ali was tasked strikeouts. and a stern talking-to from Dr. and Professor Fouad Mrad confer during the casting phase of
with developing QFs Qatar Sci- Undependable ideas met El-Zoheiry he calmed down Stars of Science.
ence & Technology Park project. their predictable demise, includ- and took a more laid-back
The prodigious aerospace engi- ing a machine that supposedly approach with contestants.
neer-turned Silicon Valley detects any disease in the body. The young innovators will typing round. from the elimination rounds into
entrepreneur now spends his With their rivalry reborn, Dr. El- need to channel their nerves a This marks the ultimate test: the grand finale to vie for a share
time between continents hav- Zoheiry and Professor Mrad little longer. Next weekend, in Are they able to make a working of a cash prize of USD $600,000,
ing founded his own tech found themselves championing the Majlis episode, airing from example of their idea? The pro- ranked by jury and public online
company Senseta, a world different innovators. The epi- October 13, the top nine inno- totypes will be refined, tested, votes in the final week of airing.
leader in big-data analytics and sodes biggest hits were a robotic vators will be announced and and appraised by potential For a full broadcast guide or to
drone-powered solutions. aid for people with paralysis and the jury will give them the green customers. catch up on episodes please visit
The first casting a unique laparoscopic device light to move on to the proto- Four finalists will advance www.starsofscience.com

Over 40 Iranian food rms to participate in expo
Irfan Bukhari
The Peninsula
M
ore than 40 Iranian food
companies have come
up to participate in the
Food and Consumer Industries
Exhibition (FCIE) scheduled to
start from October 26.
More than 40 food compa-
nies from Iran are coming to
participate in the exhibition,
said Mohammad Bagheri (pic-
tured), First Counsellor of
Embassy of Iran in Qatar.
He said that the Iranian
Embassy has been receiving
numerous calls from Iranian
companies which are willing to
do business with Qatari compa-
nies. Most of the companies
participating in the exhibition
Students of PIS to get
new classroom furniture
Sanaullah Ataullah
The Peninsula
A
ll 3,500 students of the
Pakistan International
School (PIS) will get new
classroom furniture made in
Qatar soon with the help of the
Jassim and Hamad bin Jassim
Charitable Foundation.
The Foundation has
announced a fresh aid worth
QR2m for providing chairs and
tables to the students of PIS, for-
merly known as Pakistan
Education Center (PEC), a com-
munity school run by the
Pakistani Embassy in Qatar.
The Foundation has already
offered over QR7m to build addi-
tional classrooms at the campus
of PIS to accommodate more stu-
dents and provide international
education.
The announcement was
made in a press conference at the
headquarters of the Foundation
yesterday.
The Foundation has signed
a contract with Meerqat Poly-
mers Company to manufacture
and supply 3,800 classroom
chairs-with-desks of Qdesk
brand of different sizes, 1,200
tables with chairs and 120 office
chairs.
The Foundation is announc-
ing to provide QR2m to PIS for
classroom furniture, said Fawaz
Eid Al Shammri, Head of Sup-
porting Services Department at
the Foundation.
Al Shammari said that the
local company has been selected
Bedaya Center hosts hospitality
specialists at 4th Mehna Caf meet
The Peninsula
T
he Bedaya Center for Entre-
preneurship and Career
Development (Bedaya
Center), a joint initiative by Qatar
Development Bank and Silatech,
held its fourth Mehna Caf (career
caf) meeting recently.
The career caf meeting was
graced by Esraa Al Jofeirri,
Founding partner of Al Manjab
Restaurant and Saleh Al Alyan,
Founding partner for Sugar and
Spice Restaurant.
On this occasion, Reem Al
Suwaidi, General-Manager of
Bedaya Center, said, We always
strive to support our youth by
providing them with the proper
tools to develop their skills and
knowledge which will reflect pos-
itively on their ideas and future
projects through monthly meet-
ings with experts in various
sectors with the aim to help them
refine and develop their existing
projects, expand them and launch
them towards the best.
During the interactive
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
Iranian Embassy
has been receiving
numerous calls from
Iranian companies
which were willing
to do business with
Qatari companies,
said an official.
this month are from food sector
but the companies representing
other household items will also
be taking part in the expo, he
said while talking to The Penin-
sula on the sidelines of 4-IN
CoverTech - Qatar International
Exhibition for Decoration, Wall,
Floor and Lighting - being held
The Jassim and Hamad bin Jassim Charitable
Foundation has signed a contract with Meerqat
Polymers Company to manufacture and supply
3,800 classroom chairs-with-desks of Qdesk
brand of different sizes, 1,200 tables with chairs
and 120 office chairs.
to manufacture and supply the
classroom furniture in a bid to
boost national economy.
In addition, the local com-
pany will be more flexible in
dealing in term of supplying
additional orders in future if
needed or replacement of sold
items, he added.
Al Shammri said that another
reason for selecting this local
company is because its products
are 100 percent recyclable and
environmental friendly.
I am thankful to the Foun-
dation for its huge and generous
support to Pakistan International
School, Qatar in order to aid it
construct a fully furnished IGCSE
academic block, said Hafiz Jun-
aid Amir Sial, Community
Welfare Attach, Embassy of
Pakistan.
Sial said that it is not just the
building but also the logistics and
fixtures that the Foundation has
obliged our school with.
I as vice chairman of board
of governance of Pakistan inter-
national school, see our bond
with the Foundation as a part-
nership, wherein, the role of the
Foundation is highly commend-
Officials and other participants during the fourth Mehna Caf
(career caf) meeting recently.
session, Al Jofeirri and Al Alyan
spoke about their experience in
establishing private business and
informed the gathering about
exploring ways and mediums to
ensure success of their ventures.
This, according to them, can be
achieved by equipping oneself
with the proper tools, knowledge,
HOME 07
at Doha Exhibition and Conven- gypsum, cement to Qatar fir its for local needs. Food consump-
tion Center. ongoing mega projects. Regard- tion is forecast to grow at a
He said that Turkey-Iran- ing construction projects, Qatar compound annual growth rate
Qatar land and sea route has its own specifications and (CAGR) of 8% up to 2019.
facilitates easy transportation of standards and the Iranian com- For international entrepre-
goods from Turkey to Qatar. He panies will take some time to neurs and traders, as well to the
said that the land route from learn about them. But with small manufacturers, suppliers, food
Turkey to Port of Bushehr in Iran investments, Qatari companies technology companies, and hos-
takes only two-day for transpor- can establish plants there in Iran pitality services on food and
tation while shipping time to produce stuff according to beverage, Food & Consumer
between Bushehe and Qatar is Qatars needs as well, he added. Industries Exhibition (FCIE) will
just 12 hours. According to information be an excellent platform to open
He said that the trade shared on Qatar Chamber web- new vistas to foray into the
between Iran and Qatar had also site on FCIE, Food & Consumer emerging markets of Qatar.
increased by 5-6 times since the Industries Exhibition (FCIE) will It will promote joint venture
imposition of siege in June. strengthen and meet the stand- opportunities between Qatari
Bagheri said that Iranian ards of Qatari food industry and Business enterprises and foreign
companies were also willing to counterparts. sector. Qatar food production investors and will also create an
start joint ventures with Qatar. To a question, he said that industry accounts for approxi- opportunity to source food prod-
Iranian companies are eager to apart from food products, Iran mately 10% of the countrys ucts, and technology from over
come here and develop partner- could also supply construction domestic consumption. Qatar the globe.
ships with Qatari material like marble, ceramics, depends mainly on food imports
able, he added.
We signed a contract with
the Foundation to manufacture
3,800 classroom tablet arm chair
desks of Qdesk brand, said Kha-
lid bin Rashid Al Khayarin,
Chairman of Meerqat Polymers From left; Khalid bin Rashid Al Khayarin, Chairman of Meerqat Polymers Company; Fawaz
Company. Eid Al Shammri, Head of Supporting Services Department at Jassim and Hamad bin Jassim
The products will have the Charitable Foundation; Haz Junaid Amir Sial, Community Welfare Attache, Embassy of
color of Qatar flag showing the Pakistan; and Nargis Raza Otho, Principal of Pakistan International School Qatar; during the
affiliation and loyalty to the
press conference at the headquarters of the Foundation yesterday. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
country, he added. The logo of
the Foundation will be also
carved in the desks, said Al
Khayarin.
We are expected to receive
new furniture completely within
three months, Nargis Raza Otho,
Principal of Pakistan Interna-
tional School told The Peninsula
on the sidelines of the press con-
ference. Otho said that the
company told the school that
they are going to produce the
classroom furniture and they will
supply in batches, within three
month whole school will get it.
The furniture will be pro-
vided to 3,500 students in our
school, plus some more for the
uses of library, labs, examination
hall, she added.
continuous trainings, guidance
and support; and interacting with
peers from the same industry to
share knowledge and experience,
allowing them to develop and
enhance their projects. The guests
also shed light on one of the most
important hospitality aspects-the
food and beverage sector.
08 HOME
Ministrys call to go digital
for enhanced govt service
The Peninsula
T
he new teaching staff
of Texas A&M Univer-
sity-Qatar were
introduced to the dig-
ital government
services available online, at an
awareness workshop organised
by the Ministry of Transport and
Communications (MoTC) jointly
with TAMUQ last week.
Representatives from the
Ministries of Interior, Education
and Higher Education and Pub-
lic Health also attended the
induction workshop, which
came within the framework of
implementing the Qatar Digital
Government 2020 Strategy and
nationwide digital transforma-
tion plans.
Attended by over 200 peo-
ple, the workshop featured
presentations by the ministries,
highlighting a package of
advanced government services
that are available and accessi-
ble online for the public.
Hassan Jassim Al Sayed, the
Ministrys Assistant
ROTA & EAA
launch project
to refurbish
sports facilities
The Peninsula
R
each Out To Asia
(ROTA) and Education
Above All (EAA), has
launched a project for sports
facilities refurbishment and
training project, for the ben-
efit of Palestinian refugee
youth in Lebanon, in collab-
oration with the American
Near East Refugee Agency
(ANERA).
The project provides
advanced sports facilities,
equipment and training
activities for over 4,000
young Palestinian refugee
youth with upgraded sport-
ing facilities, equipment and
activities.
ROTA will undertake the
renovation of sports stadi-
ums in the camps, support 40
sports clubs, train 45 sports
coaches, and engage Pales-
tinian youth in sports and
educational tournaments.
ROTA is committed to
using sport as a way for
young people to reach
advanced stages of non-for-
mal education to achieve
their full potential.
Essa Al Mannai, ROTAs
Executive-Director, said:
We are delighted to partner
with ANERA to ensure that
Palestinian refugee youth in
Lebanon have safe access to
sporting grounds. Sport
activities provide a solid
foundation for holistic learn-
ing, promote
self-development, create a
sense of belonging and help
youth feel connected to their
community.
After a visit to the Pales-
tinian refugee camp of Nahr
Al Bared in Lebanon,
Ghanem Mohamed Al Miftah,
ROTAs Goodwill Ambassa-
dor, has led a fundraising
campaign in Qatar to secure
QR1m to finance the project
and bolster informal educa-
tion for Palestinian refugee
children in Lebanon.
Thanks to Al Miftahs
efforts, the needed funded
were collected to contribute
ROTAs mission to utilising
sport as a tool to provide
youth with access to advance
informal education so that
they could realise their full
potential.
Attended by over 200 people, the workshop
featured presentations by the Ministries,
highlighting a package of advanced government
services that are available and accessible online
for the public.
Under-Secretary of Government
Information Technology Sector,
made a presentation about the
latest developments and
progress on the QDG 2020
Strategy, which, he said, was
supported by three strategic
objectives that determine where
action will be taken to deliver
benefits and value.
The strategy, he noted, aims
to better serve individuals and
businesses, create efficiency in
government administration and
increase government openness
through enabled public partic-
ipation from citizens and
residents.
He said the fact that all min-
istries and public entities are
shifting to digital platforms is
$2m QNRF grant for Qatar
Shell research partners
The Peninsula
R
esearch partners of
Qatar Shell Research
and Technology Cen-
tre (QSRTC) were
recently awarded
three National Priorities
Research Program (NPRP) grants
by Qatar National Research Fund
(QNRF), totalling approximately
$2m.
As the industrial partner to
several academic institutions on
three projects, QSRTC will col-
laborate locally and
internationally to develop solu-
tions designed to address
industrial-related corrosion
issues and water treatment.
QSRTC, which is an anchor
tenant at Qatar Science and
Technology Park, was estab-
lished in 2008 to develop and
deploy technology that supports
the Qatar National Research
Strategy. Since 2015, QSRTC has
collaborated on five projects that
have received QNRF funding.
Two three-year projects will
target the issue of corrosion. This
is notable because corrosion is
the most prevalent cause of fail-
ure in many oil and gas
infrastructures, particularly those
exposed to harsh environments.
It is responsible for about 70% of
the repair and replacement
needs in pipelines and piping.
In partnership with Qatar
University (QU) and Imperial
College London, QSRTC will
develop new sensor technology
for real time, online monitoring
of under deposit corrosion risks
in wet sour gas pipelines. Another
project, in partnership with Texas
A&M University at Qatar, Qatar
Environment and Energy
Expos: QM offers guided tour and workshops for schools
The Peninsula
Q atar Museums (QM) has
announced a programme
of specially-designed
guided tours and workshops for
its two most recently launched
landmark exhibitions.
The guided tours and work-
shops coincide with two
exhibitions that just opened as
part of the Qatar Germany 2017
Year of Culture initiative. Driven
helping reduce or even elimi-
nate paperwork and routine,
thus saving time and effort and
helping to complete transactions
swiftly, which, in turn, leads to
more efficiency and
productivity.
A presentation by the
MOTCs Hukoomi, the Qatar
official e-Government Portal
launched in 2008, showed a
remarkable rise in the number
of digital services available and
accessible anywhere, anytime.
After launching Hukoomi
Phase 3, the portal carries infor-
mation on about 1380 digital
services. Some 690 of them can
be accessed and executed by
companies, citizens, residents
and visitors. They cover
Researchers at Qatar Shell Research and Technology Centre
during an experiment.
Research Institute, Ecole Nor-
male Suprieure de Chimie de
Lille in France, and Universit de
Montreal in Canada, will use
multi-scale computational mod-
elling to unveil corrosion
mechanisms and investigate pre-
vention. Dr Marwa Al-Ansary,
Research and Development and
Technology Manager at QSRTC,
and Dr Nicholas Laycock, Sen-
ior Materials and Corrosion
Engineer at Qatar Shell, will serve
as the primary industry investi-
gators and consultants on both
projects. The third project will
develop and evaluate nano-par-
ticle-based biocatalysts to treat
process water. QSRTC will col-
laborate with QU and Delft
University in the Netherlands on
the project. Dr Udeogu Onwu-
sogh, Water Research and
Development Team Lead at
QSRTC, will serve as the princi-
pal industry investigator and
consultant.
QSRTC and QU are also part-
ners on two ongoing projects
funded by QNRF targeting
by German Design, developed in
close partnership with the
Volkswagen Group, traces the
evolution of German design over
more than six decades. Simulta-
neously, Deutsche Bank, which
has built up one of the worlds
most important corporate col-
lections of contemporary art, is
presenting German Encounters
Contemporary Masterworks
from the Deutsche Bank Collec-
tion at the Fire Stations Garage
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
An expert speaks at the awareness workshop organised by the Ministry of Transport and
Communications jointly with TAMUQ last week.
multiple sectors such as health,
education and business.
The presentation estimated
the number of Hukoomi visitors
at more than 450,000 from
nearly 80 countries. The number
of Hukoomi account followers
also climbed to nearly 60,000
on Facebook and 200,000 on
Twitter. The Ministry of the Inte-
rior also said in a presentation
that its Metrash2 application has
corrosion research and
development.
From our beginning, QSRTC
has been committed to research
and development projects that
not only add value to Qatar Shell,
but to Qatar as a nation, said
Youssif Saleh, Vice President of
Qatar Shell Research and Tech-
nology Centre. These three
projects address issues critical to
the industry and environment of
Qatar, and we thank QNRF for
the grants and we are pleased to
continue working with the Fund
on such important projects.
As the anchor tenant of Qatar
Science and Technology Park,
QSRTC plays a vital role in the
future of research and develop-
ment in Qatar through
ground-breaking research and
thought-leadership. In addition,
QSRTC works closely with uni-
versities and schools to develop
local Qatari talent and enhance
technical capabilities, therefore
delivering sustainable impact in
support of the Qatar National
Vision 2030.
Gallery. Both exhibitions are run-
ning until January 2018 and are
supported by the German Fed-
eral Foreign Office. The
educational programme for both
exhibitions is created and con-
ducted in close cooperation with
the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region.
Dr. Jelena Trkulja, Director
of Education at Qatar Museums,
said: These two exhibitions are
buttressed by a rich educational
programme that is focused on
been gaining more users from
across the country thanks to the
wide range of e-services it
provides.
Metrash2 provides more
than 120 e-services in six lan-
guages: Arabic, English, French,
Spanish, Indian and Urdu. In its
presentation, the Ministry of
Education and Higher Educa-
tion displayed a number of its
best-performing e-services
Doha Festival City to
launch outdoor leisure
trail on October 20
The Peninsula
D
oha Festival City is invit-
ing everyone to take part
in the official launch of
its Outdoor Leisure Trail on
October 21.
The 4.5km track which sur-
rounds the Mall, includes a
running and walking path, as
well as an adjacent Cycling
Lane with technical trail fea-
tures specifically designed for
mountain bikes.
From 8am to 12noon, visi-
tors can bike, walk and run
around the track and enjoy the
event village with extreme bike
shows, fun family activities and
festival style entertainment for
free. All participants will be
receiving a race pack upon
registration.
Extreme sports experts,
XTRK, will be hosting a BMX
area where spectators can
watch professional riders per-
forming jaw-dropping stunts.
There are three shows lined up,
each 15 minutes long. The pro-
fessional BMX riders will also
be giving audiences a special
Zakat Fund provides QR2.2m aid
The Peninsula
T
he Zakat Fund provides
assistance which amounts
to QR2.2m for suffering
familys project. The Zakat Fund
at the Ministry of Endowment
(Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs will
continue providing monthly
deserving families in Qatar.
school children. We invite teach-
ers across Qatar to visit our
website, which lists all available
school tours and workshops.
Teachers of various subjects will
find something pertinent to their
curriculum, which can be
adjusted to the age group they
are teaching. With each exhibi-
tion, we offer new content and
learning materials that can be
used in the classrooms, enrich-
ing the learning experience and
relating to employment, educa-
tional centers, independent
schools registration and private
schools licensing, among oth-
ers. The Ministry of Public
Health also displayed some of
its online services relating to
Hamad Medical Corporation,
Primary Health Care Corpora-
tion and the Qatar Orthopedic
and the Sports Medicine Hospi-
tal (Aspetar).
chance to try out the BMX bike
and stunts under their personal
supervision.
Throughout the morning
there will be sessions for all
abilities, so come and compete
against your friends or mean-
der around the track at ones
own pace. There will be 4.5km
and 9km running sessions,
4.5,9, 13.5km cycling sessions
as well as a 4.5km walking
session.
It is recommended to bring-
ing ones own equipment to
enjoy the fun, however a lim-
ited number of bikes, helmets,
elbow and knee pads are avail-
able to rent. Helmets are
mandatory for all cyclists.
For the little ones who are
still learning, there will be chil-
drens area for bike tutorials
from the professionals.
It is recommended for par-
ticipants to pre-register online:
https://www.premieronline.
c o m / e v e n t /
Doha_Festival_City_Outdoor_
Leisure_Trail_Launch_3026
Registration can also be
done on site at the event.
The Zakat Fund said the
total amount of the assistance
distributed during this year
amounted to over QR2.242.610
it is distributed for 232 families
who deserve this assistance.
Zakat Fund stressed its
commitment to conducting field
research to evaluate the real
need.
broadening the students hori-
zons. Maya Rder, project
manager at the Goethe-Institut
for Qatar Germany 2017, said:
Workshops as an art education
and art appreciation program are
supporting the exhibitions and
will motivate the young to dis-
cover their own skills in the arts
and design. During the visits, QM
educators will take students and
teachers on a tour of each
exhibition.

Farewell for Ambassadors of Georgia and Vietnam
The Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry H E Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, held
yesterday a farewell ceremony for Ambassador of Georgia, Ekaterine Meiering-Mikadze,
and Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nguyen Hoang, on the occasion
of the end of their tenure in the country. A number of heads of diplomatic missions
and bureaus accredited to the country as well as Foreign Ministry department directors
attended the event at the Diplomatic Institute.
QM invites residents to become cultural ambassadors
The Peninsula
Q atar Museums (QM) has
unveiled plans for a com-
munity ambassador
programme designed to engage
long-term residents of Qatar to
become Honorary Cultural
Ambassadors (HCA).
In recognition of the vibrant
and diverse community that
makes up Qatar, QM is looking
for individuals who have
embraced all that Qatar has to
offer and are looking to share
their passion with others.
The programme will gather
a group of individuals who have
demonstrated keen interest in
Qatars cultural offering. HCAs
will have the honour of meet-
ing with distinguished VIP
guests and accompanying them
on tours of cultural sites, as well
as offering their own views and
interpretations of Qatar to
allow the guests to fully expe-
rience and enjoy Qatars
AZF opens registration for Pink Walk
The Peninsula
I
n line with the breast cancer
awareness month, Aspire
Zone Foundation (AZF), in
collaboration with the Qatar
Cancer Society (QCS), has
opened online registration for
the third edition of Pink Walk
to be held at Aspire Park on
October 28.
Forming part of AZFs CSR
activities, the ladies only event
aims to encourage participants to
embrace a healthier lifestyle and
become familiar with both the
causes of breast cancer and effec-
tive identification methods.
Launched to mark this years
Breast Cancer Awareness
Month, civil society organisa-
tions across the globe hold
activities to promote breast can-
cer awareness among women
and the wider community and
raise funds for breast cancer
medical research.
Registration is free and can
be done through our website:
www.lifeinaspire.qa. Female
residents of Qatar of all ages are
encouraged to participate in the
Yemen arrests Islamists after deadly Aden bombing
Aden
AFP
Y
emeni police have
arrested 10 members of
the Islamist Al Islah party,
the group said yesterday, fol-
lowing a roadside bombing that
killed a cleric with ties to the
United Arab Emirates.
Imam Yassin Al Adani, a
Yemeni cleric who serves as
spiritual adviser to UAE troops
allied with the government in
Yemens war, was killed when
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
Criteria for qualication include 5+ years
residency in Qatar; prociency in English
(Arabic is a preference); uency in at least one
more language; interest and knowledge about
art, heritage, culture, history of Qatar etc.
cultural and historical
highlights.
Somaya Al Tamimi, Direc-
tor of Strategy and Quality
Assurance at Qatar Museums
said:Qatar is well known for
its hospitality and we pride our-
selves on being open and
welcoming of all visitors. We
have such a diverse commu-
nity, speaking more than 80
languages and hailing from
every part of the world. We are
thankful and proud of that
diversity and want to share it
with the world through this
unique Honorary Cultural
Ambassador programme which
will help show the many sides
event on Saturday, October
28th, 4-6 pm, at Aspire Park,
behind Sugar & Spice
restaurant.
We aim to engage with
women at all ages in Qatar to
raise their awareness of this
serious disease, which causes
millions of fatalities across all
countries of the world. Raising
awareness is a crucial first step
in fighting the disease as early
a roadside bomb struck his car
near the Zayed mosque in the
southern city of Aden on Tues-
day, multiple security sources
told AFP.
The clerics 12-year-old son
was injured in the attack, the
sources said.
The Yemeni government has
not officially named suspects
behind the bombing, but Al-
Islah said police had arrested 10
members of the Sunni Islamist
movement at dawn, including
under-secretary general
of our country to the world,
Following an application
and review process, HCAs will
take part in a comprehensive
training during which they will
attend a series of lectures on
art, heritage, culture and his-
tory of Qatar. This will be led
by knowledgeable field experts
and complemented by tours to
some of Qatars most unique
destinations. In order to com-
plete the programme and earn
the HCA designation, partici-
pants will need to take part in
two afternoon lectures and two
full-day VIP tours to QM muse-
ums, exhibitions, heritage sites
and other sites of interest.
detection can increase the suc-
cess rate of treatment, said Al
Anoud al-Misnad, Acting Head
of Events at AZF.
The event will include a
breast cancer awareness semi-
nar presented by the Qatar
Cancer Society, a photo oppor-
tunity in which attendees will
form a Human Ribbon , fol-
lowed by a 1 to 2 kilometer walk
around Aspire Park.
Mohammed Abdulmalik and a
field commander.
A source in Adens police
force confirmed officers had
raided Al-Islahs offices in the
city, arresting 10 members of the
movement and confiscating
explosives.Elsewhere in south-
ern Yemen, pro-government
troops secured a key highway
linking Shabwa province -- a
former bastion of Al-Qaeda --
to the Saudi border further
north, according to a security
source.
HOME / MIDDLE EAST 09
1,405 register for QS participates
Holy Quran contest in IEC general
The Peninsula
assembly in Russia
QNA
R
egistration for the Sheikh Jassim bin Moham-
med bin Thani Holy Quran Competition
concludes today.
As of yesterday, the competitions organising
committee said that the number of participants
Q atar General Authority for Standards and
Metrology (QS) is participating in the 81st
general assembly of the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) currently
has reached 1405, of which 845 registered for the undergoing in Vladivostok, Russia.
memorisation of all the chapters of the Holy Quran The meeting reviewed the strategy of the
contest. Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed competi- IEC, the achieved progress, the main chal-
tion includes several categories of the Holy Quran, lenges and obstacles facing it, in addition to
including the complete Quran memorisation as voting on the vacant seats of the board of
well as categories of five to 25 chapters for Qatari standardization, the quality assessment coun-
citizens.The committee will receive participants cil and the secretariat of the council, in addition
from 8am to 12.30pm and from 4pm to 8pm at to discussing the work of the national com-
Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Hall in Frij Kulaib. mittees in IEC member members.
The first prize winner of the complete Quran mem- IEC is responsible for issuing international
orization category will receive QR100,000 while standards and manages conformity verifica-
the first winner in 25 chapters category will receive tion systems for electrical and electronic
QR85,000. services and products.
Participants during a programme of Qatar Museums.
Criteria for qualification Qatar; availability and commit- must be outgoing and
include 5+ years residency in ment to accompany VIP guests sociable.
Qatar; proficiency in English upon request; availability and Those who wish to apply or
(Arabic is a preference); fluency commitment to attend the Hon- to learn more about the pro-
in at least one more language; orary Cultural Ambassador gramme, may visit www.
interest and knowledge about Training Programme, prefera- qm.org.qa and send CV to: hca@
art, heritage, culture, history of bly with bachelor degree and qm.org.qa
Turkish and US foreign
ministers discuss visa row
Ankara
Anatolia
T
urkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke
on the phone with his US
counterpart Rex Tillerson yes-
terday to discuss mutual visa
suspension issue, a Turkish for-
eign ministry source said.
Yesterdays talk between the
two officials is first since the US
Embassy in Turkey on Sunday
announced the suspension of
non-immigration visas for Turk-
ish nationals following the arrest
of a Turkish employee Metin
Topuz at the US consulate in
Istanbul. President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (centre), with the
In a retaliatory move, Tur- President of the Bosniac National Council (BNV), Sulejman
keys Washington Embassy also Ugljanin (right), during his visit at the BNV in Novi Pazar,
suspended non-immigrant visa
Serbia, yesterday.
services, saying, Recent events
have forced Turkish Govern-
ment to reassess the Later, another foreign min- minister. It is concerning for an
commitment of the Government istry source said Ahmet Muhtar Ankara ambassador to take such
of the United States to the secu- Gun, deputy undersecretary at a decision then claim he took it
rity of Turkish Mission facilities the ministry, met with the out- in the name of my country,
and personnel. going U.S. Ambassador John Turkish President Recep Tayyip
No more details have been
released. Topuz is suspected to
Bass at the ministrys
headquarters.
Erdogan said Tuesday.
Erdogan warned that Turk-
be linked to the Fetullah Terror- The meeting aimed to over- ish-U.S. ties could be further
ist Organization (FETO), the come the visa dispute between damaged if U.S. President Don-
group behind last years the two countries, said the ald Trumps administration
defeated coup attempt in Tur- source, speaking on the condi- played a role in the visa
key, according to a judicial tion of anonymity due to decision.
source. restrictions on talking to the If the decision was made
He has been linked to a media. after discussion with senior offi-
number of FETO suspects, Bass announced the visa cials, then we have nothing to
including police commissioners suspension and issued a video discuss with the administration,
and former prosecutor Zeker- Monday discussing his decision, he said.
iya Oz, a fugitive accused of but there has yet to be any offi- Ankara accuses FETO and
attempting to overthrow the cial comment from Washington. its U.S.-based leader Fetullah
government through the use of I personally find it odd that Gulen of orchestrating the
force, said a source, speaking on high-level U.S. officials did not attempted coup, which left 250
condition of anonymity due to conduct any means of commu- people martyred and nearly
restrictions. nication with our foreign 2,200 injured.
10 VIEWS
E S TA B L I S H E D I N 1 9 9 6
CHAIRMAN
SHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
DR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI
editorinchief@pen.com.qa
ACTING MANAGING EDITOR
MOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED
m.salim@pen.com.qa
EDITORIAL
Madrid firms up
A
day after European Union Brexit negotiator
Michel Barnier emphatically declared that
Brexit was not a game, egregious forces of
separatism on mainland Europe were trying
to come to terms with an unpleasant fact
they found hard to ingest.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy went on
national television to address the nation grappling with
the Catalan crisis in its northeast. His message was firm
he called Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemonts bluff.
The semi-autonomous regions leader, who has
vacillated between declaring independence and pulling
his punches at Madrid, was asked whether he had
declared independence. Rajoys message was terse if
Puigdemont didnt go back, the Spanish government
could be forced to invoke Article 155 of the constitution.
The article allows the central government to take
some or total control of any of its 17 regions if they dont
comply with their legal obligations. This would begin
with a Cabinet meeting and a warning to the regional
government to fall into line. Then, the Senate could be
called to approve the measure.
The Catalonian crisis connection with Brexit is not
direct. Of late, Europe has been found to be scuffling with
forces that tend to spiral out of control. It all started with
Scotland in Britain asserting itself for independence.
Citing a different culture and oil revenues, the Scottish
desire of seceding from the United Kingdom remained a
bagpipe dream. Scottish First
Minister Nicola Sturgeon,
however, seems to still
nurture such dreams, though
she sounds more discreet.
Catalonias The European Union
foundering plan came out with a strong
to secede from statement against the
Spain embodies derailed Catalonian dream.
Urging full respect for the
centrifugal forces Spanish constitutional order,
in the European European Commission vice-
Union. president Valdis
Dombrovskis said the bloc
was keeping a close eye on
the developments.
The European Union was
created as an integration project. Forces inimical to
integration have been raising their heads not only inside
the union, but across the world. Globalisation was forged
to bring about a unity in which nations could become
interdependent and goods and services could flow
unhindered across the globe. In a globalised world,
income inequalities or cultural differences are not
supposed to come in the way of integration. The idea of
separatism goes against the very grain of globalization.
The idea of the European Union as a supranational
state has been present for decades. With a parliament
and an executive, the 28 nation bloc has tried to forge an
identity across language, geographical differences and
cultural variations. There have been bumps on the way.
However, the European project remains intact.
The advocates of regional separatism inside
European countries would have to deal with a frowning
executive, baulking single market and a Schengen area
that tends to shun those with fissiparous tendencies,
even if their designs to secede are realised.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Turkey is a Nato ally that
we will work hard to stay
aligned with against our
common enemy and we
are doing good work
together, military to
military.
Jim Mattis
US Defense Secretary
From foes to friends: Northern
Iraqs possible futures
due to the instability and power vacuum
Huseyin Alptekin
Anatolia
T
wo weeks have passed since the
controversial referendum held by
the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG) for the independence of the
KRG-controlled areas in Iraq. While
the referendum had been declared long ago,
with the date set as Sept. 25 about three
months before the ballot day, many parties
within and out of Iraq hoped for a cancella-
tion until the last minute. Global powers, from
the United States to Russia, regional powers,
such as Turkey, Iran, and of course the Bagh-
dad government, all called on Masoud
Barzanis regional government in Erbil to can-
cel or postpone the referendum.
Even such local actors as Gorran, the sec-
ond-largest party of the closed Kurdistan
parliament after Barzanis Kurdistan Demo-
cratic Party (KDP), and the NRT network, the
second-most influential Kurdistan media out-
let after the KDP-controlled Rudaw, pointed
out the legitimacy problems regarding the
referendum call. The legitimacy problems
were threefold. At the regional level, the legit-
imacy problem stemmed from the
controversial extension of Masoud Barzanis
regional presidency twice after its expiration
and the closure of the regional parliament in
2015.
At the national level, the referendum
included the disputed lands over which the
KRG does not have de jure authority and it
also lacked the necessary observation mecha-
nisms for a fair count. And thirdly, at the
international level, the legitimacy problem
stemmed from the prospective absence of
countries to recognize an independent
Kurdistan -- with the exception of Israel -- on
top of the vagueness of international law on
the limits of national self-determination.
Nevertheless, despite the expectations of
numerous international and local actors, and
despite the likelihood of negative national
and international repercussions, Masoud Bar-
zani did not back down on his referendum
call.
Once it became clear that there was no
turning around, all the regional actors, includ-
ing Gorran, united for a yes vote, which
would otherwise cost any local Kurdish actor
its popular basis and end its political presence
in the region. In addition, the referendum
united three sovereign states neighboring the
KRG region: Turkey, Iran and the home Bagh-
dad government, with all three condemning
the KRGs referendum efforts.
The referendum took place under such
circumstances but the real problems surfaced
with the referendum.
Simply put, it has reshaped the alliances
not only within but also outside Iraq. Turkey
and Iran, which were already coming closer
in the process of Astana negotiations as they
started to bridge their disagreements over
Syria, stood with the Baghdad government
and came closer and closer in an almost
unprecedented way.
Both countries have faced separatist ter-
rorism which has a transnational character
in northern Iraq, plaguing some areas
more than others.
While the two countries had opposite
views on many issues, from the future of
Syria to the power distribution in Iraq,
they are now learning to discover their
common interests. Both Turkey and Iran
seem to agree on two interrelated prin-
ciples: Iraq should remain united and the
region needs no further bloodshed.
Their joint efforts with the Baghdad
government led the Erbil administration
to tone down its insistence on independ-
ence. For one, the KRG Prime Minister
Nechirvan Barzani strongly emphasized
that the referendum has nothing to do
with Turkeys current borders, which
runs against the popularly shared
Kurdistan maps during the referendum
process that showed parts of Turkey
under the banner of Kurdistan.
Barzani also stressed -- against his
earlier implications -- that they have no
intention to go to war but want to solve
their problems with Baghdad through
dialogue. And this is how the gates for
dialogue became possible. The mounting
tension, particularly during the referen-
dum weekend, is now deescalating with
the cautious and careful steps of the
actors involved.
The prominent Iraqi Shia scholar and
political figure Ayatollah Ali Sistani, for
example, called for dialogue, which was
immediately welcomed by the Erbil gov-
ernment. Furthermore, Iraqi Vice
Presidents Ayad al-Allawi and Osama al-
Nujaifi met Masoud Barzani to discuss the
lifting of the sanctions and setting a
mechanism for a constant coordination.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim
also stressed that Ankara cares about the
mutual interests of Turkey and the Kurd-
ish people of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Finally, Iran has also sent signals of
softening both in discourse and action,
as symbolized by Foreign Minister Jawad
Zarifs attending to the funeral of Jalal
Talabani, the prominent Kurdish politi-
cian and former president of Iraq, in
Sulaimaniyah. This rapprochement and
the continuous positive signals from all
the parties of the tension show that the
dispute is probably in
the phase of de-escala-
tion, but there are still a
number of risks
involved.
For one, the
Global powers, from the
United States to Russia,
regional powers, such
as Turkey, Iran, and of
course the Baghdad
government, all called on
Masoud Barzanis regional
government in Erbil to
cancel or postpone the
referendum.
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
referendum is over and cannot and will
not be revoked by the KRG. You simply
cannot undo a referendum. It is done
and gives great leverage to the KRG for a
future unilateral declaration of inde-
pendence whenever the circumstances
turn favorable.
In turn, the Ankara, Tehran, and
Baghdad governments have jointly
showed that a unilateral declaration of
independence will come with its high
costs and the KRG will have to face this
unified front all alone.
Second, the disputed territories, but
especially the oil-rich Kirkuk, pose a
great risk to the maintenance of peace
and stability. Any future tension in the
city has the potential to grow into a con-
flict that might quickly engulf the entire
region.
Third, Daeshs easy gains in Iraq in
the past, both in the KRG and central-
government-controlled areas, on top of
the endless disagreements over the
share of oil revenues and the national
budget, are just two examples of the vul-
nerability of Iraq due to the lack of
cooperation and coordination between
Erbil and Baghdad on a number of issues
from defense to economy.
Last but not least, the terrorist PKK
controls the part of the territories that
the KRG claims along the borders with
Turkey and Iran. The PKK is the number
one security threat to Turkey and is con-
stantly sending terror squads into
Turkey from its bases in Iraq. Its pres-
ence in the region not only produces
terrorism within Turkey but also threat-
ens to destabilize the Iraq Kurdistan
Region and the neighboring areas fur-
ther. All four of these problems, the last
three of which date back to before the
referendum, make the situation hard to
solve but this crisis can still be turned
into an opportunity.
While all the parties know that the
referendum cannot be undone, it is still a
good start that Erbil will not go for
immediate declaration of independence
and will seek dialogue, which is now not
optional but rather obligatory given the
tough and joint stances of the Ankara,
Tehran, and Baghdad administrations.
Since it is now clear that a unilateral
action will likely lead to a hot conflict,
the referendum cannot be undone but
might be frozen for the foreseeable
future. Second, all the disputed lands
and most importantly Kirkuk need a
clear status. They can be shared
between the KRG and Baghdad authori-
ties.The most critical and most diverse
locations such as Kirkuk can have a spe-
cial status with a power sharing
mechanism that will not exclude any sig-
nificant local community.
Third, Iraqs incompetence to defend
its Western territories against the Daesh
offensive in 2014 shows the need for
closer cooperation between the Baghdad
forces and the KRG peshmerga and such
a cooperation has the potential to spill
over toward the economic realm.
Finally, the PKK has no place in Iraq.
It was once rooted out from Syria
 THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017 OPINION 11

Why did Raila Odinga withdraw from election rerun?

statutory commissions like the IEBC.
Nanjala Nyabola An overhaul of the commission under
Al Jazeera the current law remains unlikely.
Still, Odingas decision does not
mean Kenyatta can be automatically
sworn in as president - the invali-
dation of the August 8 election

I
n a surprising turn of events, Raila Odinga
announced on October 10 that he was with-
drawing from the scheduled October 26 rerun
of the 2017 presidential election. In September,
the Supreme Court of Kenya held, by a 4-2
majority, that the original August 8 election was
invalid because it was not held to the standard
required by the law, granting Odinga a second shot
at the presidency.
Superficially, Raila withdrawing from the polls with
barely a fortnight to go would seem like a tremendous
waste of political momentum for him personally, and
the countrys time, money and energy more broadly.
However, upon examining the myriad of laws, reg-
ulations and court decisions that govern the election
process in Kenya, the net effect of Railas decision may
be effectively extending the election timetable - buy-
ing both his coalition and the Independent Election and
Boundaries Commission (IEBC) more time.
Raila may also have thrown open the presidential
rerun to more candidates than the two envisaged by
the IEBC.
To understand how this works, we need to read the
various pieces of Kenyas election law scattered across
five documents - the 2010 constitution, the 2013
Supreme Court decision on the presidential election,
The Elections Act, Kenyas election regulations on elec-
tions, and the majority decision in the 2017 election
petition.
Kenya is highly unusual in that some very detailed
provisions of the election law are contained in the Con-
stitution, and meaning if there is a clash between the
Constitution and any other subsidiary law - for exam-
ple - the elections regulations, the Constitution prevails.
Specifically, Article 138 of the Constitution contains
detailed rules on how elections must be conducted and
when. It also has a provision that if only one candidate
is nominated for the presidency, he or she can be sworn
in as president.
But, because of the way the Supreme Court inter-
preted Article 138 in 2013, the June nominations for the
2017 polls are still valid for an October 26 election,
which means that Uhuru Kenyatta cannot be automat-
ically announced the winner. He is technically not
running uncontested and a fresh election has to
Supercially, Raila
withdrawing from the polls
with barely a fortnight
to go would seem like
a tremendous waste of
political momentum for
him personally, and the
countrys time, money and
energy more broadly.
Police spraying water cannons to disperse people during a protest by opposition supporters in Kisumu,
Kenya, yesterday.
happen. The question for the IEBC is when this new
election happens.
Secondly, the 2013 Supreme Court decision also
held that if one candidate withdraws from a fresh elec-
tion triggered by an invalidated petition - as is the
current case - then the entire clock starts over and all
candidates must seek fresh nominations. The initial
60-day deadline triggered by the September 1 decision
is suspended and the rerun of the election goes back
to the calendar set out in the elections act and the elec-
tion regulations. This process also opens the door for
other candidates who did not contest the August 8 elec-
tion or who were excluded by virtue of conceding the
invalidated poll. Basically, under this law, Kenyas elec-
tion calendar starts from scratch because of Odingas
withdrawal.
Representatives of the ruling Jubilee coalition argue
that Regulation 52 of the Kenya General Elections means
that Odingas withdrawal is invalid. That regulation
says that a candidate has to withdraw their nomina-
tion within three days of submitting it. Under the 2013
decision, candidates participate in a rerun on the basis
nomination certificates they already held. Jubilee is
arguing that for Odingas withdrawal to be valid, he
would have had to submit it in June of this year and
they want the October 26 election to go ahead with
Odingas name on the ballot, even if he does not
contest.
But this argument is undercut by a simple princi-
ple of legal interpretation on the hierarchy of laws. The
election regulations are statutes and if there is a clash
between a statute and a Supreme Court decision - par-
ticularly on the interpretation of the Constitution - the
Supreme Court decision holds. In this case, if there is
a clash on what fresh nomination means, the IEBC
should be guided by the Constitution and the 2013 deci-
sion, as well as any other existing Supreme Court
jurisprudence - not the regulations. And the 2013
Supreme Court decision clearly states that if a candi-
date withdraws from a fresh election after an
invalidated election, then all parties return to the proc-
ess of nomination.
Some lawyers are arguing that because the Supreme
Court provided an interpretation of article 138 in
response to a request from an amicus curiae brief from
the attorney general, rather than in response to a ques-
tion from a petitioner, then paragraph 290 isnt binding
judicial precedent. Basically, they argue that court was
giving an opinion by the way rather than in response
to a serious legal question. But prior to the 2017 peti-
tion, many of the same lawyers argued the inverse - that
the entire decision was binding and that the court should
exercise restraint in amending it. The IEBC lawyers will
give their own interpretation later today, but ideally,
they should seek direction from the Supreme Court.
In effect, the text of the law is that Odingas candi-
dacy should cancel the October 26 election and trigger
the reopening of nominations for the presidential elec-
tion. This would give the IEBC more time to prepare
and allows for other candidates to join the race.
But this would not go to the heart of some of Odin-
gas demands - the irreducible minimums - as a
precondition for participating in the election. Signifi-
cantly, because Uhuru Kenyatta remains incumbent
under Article 134 of the Constitution, he cannot approve
the appointment of new members of
means that the election did not hap-
pen and the process of electioneering
still needs to happen on a date pre-
scribed by the IEBC. Kenyattas
Jubilee coalition maintains that the
October 26 poll must go on as sched-
uled, but given the existing legal
framework, a new poll date seems
inevitable.
Overall, Kenya is deep into
uncharted territory - testing every
nook and cranny of the countrys
election law. For the long game of
democratic consolidation, this is
good, as long as the various actors
act within the confines of the law. But
this situation also points to an over-
arching problem with that law:
Kenyas election law is simply too
complicated. It is unwieldy - unnec-
essarily so - primarily to
accommodate the many paranoias
of the countrys leading political fig-
ures. One shouldnt need a law
degree, a high-powered printer and
an afternoon off in order to under-
stand every single political decision
taken during an election cycle.
Thankfully, there is a bench of
seven individuals burdened precisely
with this task. To avoid throwing
more ambiguity at an already con-
voluted process, the IEBC should seek
an advisory opinion from the
Supreme Court, clarifying how to
read the various pieces of election
law together and charting the best
way forward.
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Europe has plenty of secessionist movements

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richest region - similar to the economic weight of
Rick Noack Catalonia in Spain - has given it an advantage on
the political stage, which it is unwilling to easily give
The Washington Post
up. In an indication of its influence, German Chan-
cellor Angela Merkels power rests on a union
between her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and
its Bavarian counterpart CSU, which is a regional
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lines. Yet, as is the case in Germanys Bavaria, the Flemish
pro-independence party is currently part of the national gov- SPORT NEWS SECTION
ernment and has seen little benefit in trying to capitalize on TEL: 4455 7745
the chaotic Catalan secession efforts as a role model for their
region. The desire for more autonomy has also mostly ONLINE SECTION
replaced the wish for full-fledged independence on the Faroe TEL: 4462 7501
Islands, located about 800 miles from Denmarks capital

W
When Catalonias presi-
dent, Carles Puigdemont,
affirmed the regions
right to be an independ-
ent country on Tuesday,
it was one of the most closely watched
moments in the history of European seces-
sionist movements. In the end, however,
Puigdemont stopped short of declaring an
independent polity.
His hesitation suggests that Catalonia
may increasingly fit into a pattern where
independence movements within the
European Union have mostly rallied sup-
porters to try to negotiate better deals and
more autonomy rather than seceding.
Such efforts have not resulted in full inde-
pendence and are unlikely to do so in the
near future.
While the motivations to split off from
their home countries can be varied, they
often boil down to a desire to have more
control over their finances and revenue
sources. Secessionist regions may want to
expand the leeway of local police forces or
counterterrorism units. It is also seen as a
way of protecting unique cultural identi-
ties or regional languages and dialects
from being swamped.
In Germany, the region of Bavaria has
long entertained the thought of separating
from the rest of the country, although such
proposals have rarely been taken too seri-
ously. Bavarias leverage as the countrys
party with a distinct leadership. The CSUs political
power became apparent most recently on Monday
when it forced Merkel to agree to an upper limit on
the number of refugees allowed to enter the country
every year.
The close political relationship between Bavaria
and Germanys capital Berlin bears similarities with
Scotlands influence within Britain. But it neverthe-
less attempted to split away in 2014. Unlike
Catalonia, however, it did so with the agreement of
the British government and without the heavy
handed interference of security forces.
The 2014 Scottish independence referendum pro-
ceeded peacefully with the backing of Britains
parliament. At the time, Scotland voted against self-
determination, but the pro-independence Scottish
National Party (SNP), led by Nicola Sturgeon, has since
re-emphasized its commitment to launch a second
referendum after Britains vote to leave the European
Union. Although there remains vocal support for her
plans in Scotland, Sturgeons party still lost about a
third of its parliamentary seats in the general election
this summer - likely putting an end to the Scottish
desire for independence, at least for now.
Scotlands 2014 No vote and the violence in
the lead-up to this months independence referen-
dum in Catalonia appear to have weakened the
independence drive elsewhere in Europe, too.
In Belgiums Flemish-speaking Flanders region,
reactions to the Catalan announcement on Tuesday
were mostly muted. Belgium is divided between the
French-speaking Walloons and the Flemish. In
addition to not sharing a language, the two commu-
nities are split along historic and socio-economic
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easily secessionist resistance against a central government
can turn violent. In 2014, more than two dozen people were
arrested for attempting to split the region from Italy after All thoughts and views
transforming a bulldozer into a makeshift tank.
Violence was also long a reality in the autonomous
expressed in these columns
Basque region, which is mainly located in Spain and extends are those of the writers, not
into France. The terror group ETA violently fought the central of the newspaper.
government in Madrid for half a century until 2011. Today,
however, the Basque Country enjoys vast tax autonomy, All correspondence
making it an expensive, but mostly loyal, part of Spain. regarding Views and
Rather than political repression, financial benefits and
national political representation currently appear to be the
Opinion pages should be
key factors holding back secessionist movements across mailed to the
Europe. editorinchief@pen.com.qa
12 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA
Iraq says no
plan to attack
Kurdish forces
Baghdad
Reuters
I
raqi government forces and
Iranian-trained Iraqi para-
militaries are preparing a
major attack on Kurdish forces
in the oil-rich region of Kirkuk
and near Mosul in northern
Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) said
yesterday.
But an Iraqi military
spokesman denied any attack
on Kurdish forces was planned
and said that government
troops were instead preparing
to oust Islamic State militants
from a border area with Syria
in the west of Iraq.
Tensions between the KRG
and the Iraqi government have
been running especially high
since the Iraqi Kurds over-
whelmingly voted for
independence in a referendum
last month. The Kurdish-held
multi-ethnic region of Kirkuk
has emerged as a flashpoint in
the crisis as it is claimed by both
sides.
Iraqi forces and Shiite par-
amilitaries, known as Popular
Mobilisation, are deployed
south and west of Kirkuk, in
areas previously under the con-
trol of Islamic State.
Were receiving dangerous
messages that Iraqi forces,
including Popular Mobilisation
and Federal Police, are prepar-
ing a major attack .. on
Kurdistan, said the KRGs
Security Council in a tweet con-
firmed by a Kurdish official.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider
al-Abadi said on Oct 5 that his
government wanted to avoid
clashes with the Kurds, but
Popular Mobilisation leaders
CAR not in
pre-genocide
state: UN
expert
Bangui
AFP
T
he Central African
Republic (CAR) is not in
a pre-genocide state
despite its problems, a United
Nations expert said yesterday,
touching on comments by a
former UN official that have
sparked a storm.
CAR is not in a pre-gen-
ocide situation, Adama
Dieng, the UNs special advi-
sor for the prevention of
genocide, said.
Genocide is a long proc-
ess, he explained.
In August, the UNs then-
aid chief, Stephen OBrien,
said he was deeply worried
about the mounting violence
in CAR.
He said he saw the early
warning signs of genocide
and urged more troops and
police to bolster the UN
peacekeeping mission there.
That assertion was
strongly contested by CAR
President Faustin-Archange
Touadera.
He said the fighting
stemmed especially from
competition for minerals and
other natural resources by
armed groups, rather than a
programme by one group
to exterminate the other.
Dieng, who arrived for a
fact-finding visit on October
6, cautioned that the situation
in CAR is serious.
The area around
the border post of
Al Qaim, in western
Iraq, is the last
Iraqi region still
under the control of
the militants who
overran a third of
the country in 2014.
have repeatedly threatened to
oust Kurdish forces from
Kirkuk.
An Iraqi military spokes-
man denied the KRG claim.
We are getting ready for
the battle in Al Qaim, were not
concerned by confrontations
other than with Daesh, he said,
using an Arabic acronym for
Islamic State.
The area around the border
post of Al Qaim, in western Iraq,
is the last Iraqi region still under
the control of the militants who
overran a third of the country
in 2014.
Offensives are being pre-
pared south and west of Kirkuk
and north of Mosul, said the
KRGs security council.
Iraqi forces captured Mosul
from Islamic State in July, after
a gruelling nine-month US-
backed offensive with the
participation of Kurdish Pesh-
merga. Kurdish forces are
deployed north of the city, in
an area also claimed by
Baghdad.
Abadis government, seek-
ing to keep the country
together, has taken measures
to isolate the KRG, including a
ban on direct international
flights to the region.
Riot police officers stand guard at National Election Commission headquarters in Monrovia,
Liberia, yesterday.
No Congo vote until mid-2019: Election panel
Kinshasa
Reuters
A
n election to replace Con-
golese President Joseph
Kabila cannot take place
before April 2019, the electoral
commission said, a delay that the
opposition said would cause an
impatient population to take
matters into its own hands.
The schedule outlined by the
electoral commission would tor-
pedo an agreement between
Kabilas camp and his opponents
to hold the election - originally
People gather near the site of an attack near the main police headquarters in Damascus
yesterday.
Three suicide bombers
attack Damascus police HQ
Damascus
AFP
T
hree suicide bombers blew
themselves up near the
main police headquarters
in Syrias capital Damascus yes-
terday, killing at least two
people, the Interior Ministry
said. The Islamic State group
claimed responsibility for the
attack in a statement released
via the Telegram messaging app.
The assault was the second
time in a month that suicide
attackers have targeted the cap-
ital, which has been insulated
from the worst of the violence
in the war-torn country.
State news agency SANA
quoted Interior Minister
Mohammad Shaar saying both
of those killed were police offic-
ers. Two of the suicide bombers
scheduled for November 2016 -
before the end of this year.
Dozens of people were killed
last year in protests against Kabi-
las refusal to step down at the
end of his term. Parts of Demo-
cratic Republic of Congo are in
the hands of insurgents who say
they will not stop fighting while
he remains in power.
The electoral commission,
CENI, said in a statement follow-
ing a meeting with civil society
representatives on Tuesday that
it would need at least 504 days
to organise the poll once voter
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
detonated their explosives in
front of the police HQ on Kha-
led Bin Al Walid Street in central
Damascus, his ministry said in
a statement carried by state
media.
The terrorist suicide attack-
ers tried to storm the police
command headquarters... The
guards opened fire on them,
forcing them to blow themselves
up before they entered the
building and achieved their
goals, it added. Police sur-
rounded a third attacker behind
the building who also blew him-
self up, the statement said.
The interior ministry said
two people had been killed and
six wounded in the attack,
among them two children.
The Britain-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights
reported five dead, not includ-
registration is completed.
Enrolment began in parts of
Kasai, a region ravaged by insur-
rection, in mid-September and
will take about three months, the
commission says. That means the
vote could not be organised until
April 2019 at the earliest. CENI
is expected to announce election
dates this month.
What the CENI has and Congo Republic have done.
announced is not an electoral
calendar but an election-killing
agenda, opposition leader Clau-
del Lubaya told Reuters.
Everything now rests on the
ing the three attackers.
IS in its statement on Tele-
gram said two attackers
entered the headquarters
building and fought with those
inside... then detonated their
explosive vests. Damascus
police chief Mohammed Khairu
Ismail told reporters at the scene
in the central neighbourhood of
Qanawat that one of the dead
was a policeman who tried to
stop the bombers.
One of our forces grabbed
one of the suicide bombers and
prevented him from entering the
building, so he blew himself up,
killing the sergeant, Ismail said.
It was the second time this month
that suicide attackers have tar-
geted police in the capital. At
least 17 people were killed in an
October 2 attack on a police sta-
tion in the district of Midan.
Provisional Liberia
results likely today
Monrovia
AP
L
iberias provisional elec-
tion results are expected
today, the election com-
mission said yesterday, as the
West African nation waits to see
who will succeed the Nobel
Peace Prize winner who led the
countrys recovery from Ebola
and civil war.
A runoff election was
widely expected with 20 can-
didates vying to replace Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf, Africas first
female president.
The National Election
Commission said local vote
counting had ended after a
largely smooth election. It
apologised for delays in some
shoulders of the population,
which must take matters into its
own hands.
The opposition suspects
Kabila is trying to cling to power
by postponing elections until he
can find a way to remove term
limits that prevent him from
standing for re-election, as pres-
idents in neighbouring Rwanda
power and Kabilas refusal to
Kabila, who took power after
his father Laurent Kabila was
assassinated in 2001, denies that,
and says the election delays are
due to difficulties
All previous
candidates
can contest
Kenya vote
Nairobi
AP
A
ll eight candidates for
the Kenya presidential
election that was
annulled can participate in
the new vote later this month,
the election commission
announced yesterday, saying
opposition leader Raila
Odinga is still considered a
candidate because he hasnt
turned in the required with-
drawal form.
The announcement came
hours after a high court deci-
sion to allow candidate Ekuru
Aukot, who received just
27,000 votes of the 15 million
cast in Augusts election.
The October 26 vote at
first was limited to President
Uhuru Kenyatta and opposi-
tion leader Raila Odinga,
whose legal challenge of the
August vote led the Supreme
Court to annul it over irreg-
ularities. Odinga withdrew
his candidature Tuesday, cit-
ing a lack of election
commission reforms.
No candidate aside from
Kenyatta and Odinga had
received even 1 percent of the
vote in August. Odingas with-
drawal threw East Africas
largest economy into confusion
as Kenyans wondered how the
new vote would go ahead.
Also yesterday, lawmak-
ers approved amendments to
the electoral law pushed by
the ruling party and criticised
by the opposition and West-
ern diplomats as making
elections more difficult to
annul and having fewer safe-
guards against fraud. The
amendments still require
Kenyattas approval. Else-
where in Nairobi, police used
tear gas to disperse thousands
of opposition protesters.
areas and said it had quaran-
tined materials from one
precinct and will investigate
reports of alleged compro-
mised voting.
Former soccer star George
Weah, Vice President Joseph
Boakai, former rebel leader
Prince Johnson and former
Coca-Cola vice president Alex-
ander Cummings were leading
in various parts of the country,
local media reported.
A presidential candidate
must win more than 50 percent
of the vote to avoid a second
round.
Final results should be
known within two weeks. A
runoff election, if needed,
would come two weeks after
that announcement.
enrolling millions of voters and
mobilising hundreds of millions
of dollars in financing. His
spokesman has repeatedly said
that the electoral commission
operates independently and that
Kabila has no control over the
timing of elections.
Congo has never experi-
enced a peaceful transition of
step down has fuelled mounting
insecurity across a country
where millions died in regional
conflicts between 1996-2003,
most from hunger and disease.

Mukul Roy quits
Rajya Sabha seat
Kolkata
IANS
S
uspended Trinamool
Congress leader Mukul
Roy yesterday resigned
his Rajya Sabha seat
citing lack of princi-
ple as his compulsion to leave
the party of which he was a
founding member while the Tri-
namool accused him of insulting
its supremo Mamata Banerjee.
A party should have certain
principles. Sometimes Trina-
mool Congress is with the BJP,
sometimes they are with the
Congress. They sometime term
the BJP as communal, sometime
say they are not communal,
Roy said.
Roy also said the Mamata
Banerjee-led Trinamool was
very much a part of the NDA
government once and joined
hands with the BJP and now the
party thinks that the country
cannot go ahead without the
Congress.
These things compelled me
to leave the party with a heavy
heart, he said shortly after sub-
mitting his resignation to Vice
President M. Venkaiah Naidu,
who is also the Chairman of the
upper house.
In a veiled attack at Baner-
jee, Roy, once considered
Banerjees right hand man, also
said: Nationalised parties are
needed for countrys betterment.
Since the inception of the party
we have considered Mamata
Banerjee as the leader. But I
Congress slams Modi over Beta Bachao scheme
New Delhi
IANS
T
he Congress yesterday con-
tinued to target Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
(pictured) over spike in turno-
ver of a company owned by Jay
Shah, son of BJP chief Amit Shah,
saying he had come up with
Beta Bachao scheme but
doesnt want it publicised.
Congress spokesperson R P
N Singh said Modi has not spo-
ken a word after reports
surfaced of turnover of a
IIT-Bombay wins
Sweden India
Nobel Memorial
Quiz contest
New Delhi
IANS
I
IT Bombay yesterday
grabbed the grand finale
of the Sweden India Nobel
Memorial Quiz 2017, winning
an all-expenses paid trip to
the Scandinavian country.
Organised by the
Embassy of Sweden, this quiz
series is part of the Sweden
India Nobel Memorial Week
- now in its eleventh year.
The IIT-Bombay team of
Jibitesh Behera, Kavin
Aadithiyan and Soham Dib-
yachintan answered
brain-teasers by Quizmaster
Seema Chari to win the finale
at Delhi Universitys I P Col-
lege in which winners from
11 cities participated, accord-
ing to a statement from the
Swedish embassy in India.
The winners of the grand
finale were awarded an all-
expenses paid trip to Sweden
where they will visit Swedish
universities and the Nobel
Museum.
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
New beginning
A party should have
certain principles.
Sometimes Trinamool
Congress is with the
BJP, sometimes they
are with the Congress.
They sometime term
the BJP as communal,
sometime say they are
not communal: Roy
think we all are comrades of a
party, not servants of an
individual.
However, partys Secretary
General Partha Chatterjee hit
back and portrayed him as a
betrayer.
He insulted our party
supremo Mamata Banerjee by
saying a one-man party is bad siders Congress to be
for the country. Nothing can be
more insulting when he made
false allegation against her say-
ing that he was directed to meet
RSS people, he said.
Referring to Roys comment
that workers are comrades, not
servants of an individual, Chat-
terjee said What does he mean?
Are we servants? We are the
volunteers. We do serve the
state and people of Bengal.
Asked to elaborate on this
comment, Roy, however, said:
I am not saying that all the
party workers are servants but
the manner in which the party
is being run by one person, it is
as good as that.
company owned by Jay Shah
registering a 16,000 times
increase in its turnover in a year.
Modi has started several
The mother of slain militant Nasarullah Mir mourns over his body during his funeral at Hajin
village in Bandipora district, north of Srinagar, yesterday.
Four dead in Kashmir gun battle
Srinagar
AP
T
wo Indian Air Force com-
mandos and two rebels
were killed yesterday in a
fierce gunbattle in the disputed
region of Kashmir, officials said.
Soldiers began an anti-mil-
itant operation by cordoning off
Chatterjee also sought to
remind Roy that Banerjee was
responsible for his rising polit-
ical graph from the General
Secretary of the party to Rail-
way Minister.
He said he came from an
ordinary family. Who made him
the Railway Minister?.
Rubbishing Roys claim that
he was directed to contact
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader
Ashok Singhal and the RSS,
Chatterjee said, It is absolutely
false. He has to provide proof
against suchallegations. Why
was he silent for so long?
Claiming that the Trinamool
was formed to fight against the
policies of Congress and had
been their biggest political
rivals for a long time, Roy said
the two parties should merge if
Trinamool leadership now con-
imperative for the countrys
progress.
Stating that dynasty poli-
tics is there all over India.
Refuting Trinamools alle-
gation that the centre has been
using its agencies against them,
Roy said the Narada and Sarada
investigations are not politi-
cally motivated and the CBI is
investigating both the cases
under the direction of the
Supreme Court.
Roy, who has not revealed
his future plans yet, said he was
in touch with the senior leader-
ship of all the parties and would
take a decision about his future
endeavours after Diwali.
schemes like Make in India, Star-
tup India, Digital India but there
is one more, Beta Bachao, he
said in a apparent dig at the gov-
ernments Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao scheme.
But under Beta Bachao,
there is an instruction not to pub-
lish it or show it on television
channels, Singh said.
He said Modi has been silent
and other ministers were coming
with statements defending Jay
Shah. It would have been better
if the Prime Minister had spoken
on this.
northern Hajin town on a tip
that rebels were hiding in the
area, said Col Rajesh Kalia, an
Indian army spokesman.
He said the deaths occurred
in the ensuing intense fighting.
It is the first time the Indian
army has said that air force per-
sonnel were participating in
ground combat against rebels
Anti-terrorism rally
A group of Indian commandos of National Security Guard (NSG) rides on their motorcycles
during an anti-terrorism rally, in Allahabad, yesterday.
Revised pay scale for university teachers
New Delhi
IANS
T
he Union Cabinet chaired
by Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi yesterday
approved the revision of pay
scales for about eight lakh
teachers and other academic
staff in higher educational insti-
tutions under the University
Grants Commission (UGC) and
in centrally funded technical
institutions.
Union HRD Minister Prakash
Javadekar said that the decision
would benefit 7.58 lakh teach-
ers and equivalent academic
staff in 106 universities/colleges
which are funded by UGC or
The Congress has been con-
tinuously targeting Modi, Amit
Shah and the Bharatiya Janata
Party over the issue after an arti-
cle on the issue appeared on an
online news portal, saying Jay
Shahs companys turnover surged
after the BJP-led NDA government
came to power in 2014.
The BJP has rubbished the
allegations, saying Jay Shahs busi-
ness was perfectly legitimate and
legal, and has alleged that Con-
gress was attempting to divert
attention from its own scams and
misdeeds.
in Kashmir.
Kalia said the two air force
commandos were operating
with the army for operational
experience and training.
In 1990, at least four air
force officers were killed in an
ambush by Kashmiri rebels, but
they were not participating in
any operation.
ASIA 13
HRD Ministry as also 329 uni- teachers pay in the range of Rs
versities funded by state 10,400 and Rs 49,800 as against
governments and 12,912 govern- the extant entry pay due to the
ment and private aided colleges implementation of the 6th Cen-
affiliated to state universities. tral Pay Commission for the pay
He said the revised pay of teachers.
package will also cover teach- This hike in pay is between
ers of 119 centrally funded 22% to 28%. The revised pay
technical institutions such as the scale would cost about Rs 9,800
Indian Institutes of Technology crore to the exchequer.
(IIT), Indian Institutes of Man- Javadekar said the central
agement (IIM), Indian Institutes government will bear the addi-
of Science (IISc) and Indian tional burden of the states on
Institutes of Information Tech- account of revision of pay scales.
nology (IIIT) etc. It has been done to give jus-
The approved pay scales tice to the serving teachers as
would be applicable from Jan- well as to to attract and retain
uary 1, 2016. talent in academics so that the
The implementation of this standard and quality of higher
pay revision will enhance the education is improved, he said.
Over 70% turnout
in Vengara bypoll
Malappuram necessitated when sitting leg-
IANS islator and top Indian Union
Muslim League (IUML) leader
O
ver 70 percent turn- P K Kunhalikutty vacated the
out was recorded in seat after he was elected from
polling at the Vengara the Malappuram Lok Sabha
assembly byelection yester- constituency last April.
day, officials said. IUML - the second biggest
The turnout was brisk constituent of the Congress-
right from the time polling led UDF, has fielded two-time
began at 7am and according former legislator K N A
to the Chief Electoral Officer, Khader, who expressed con-
the final turnout at the close fidence that he will have a
of voting at 6pm was 71.2 cakewalk.
percent - crossing the the His main opponent, the
70.7 percent turnout in the Communist Party of India-
2016 assembly polls.
This is the first time in
Marxists P P Basheer, who is
the only candidate among the
Kerala that the Voter-Veri-
fied Paper Audit Trail is being
six contenders hailing from
this constituency, arrived with
used in all the polling booths
in a constituency.
his entire family to cast his
vote and expressed his own
The by-election was confidence of the outcome.
Mumbai stampede: Officials
get clean chit; rain to blame
Mumbai
AFP
I
ndian railway officials yesterday blamed bad weather for caus-
ing a deadly stampede at a Mumbai station last month, despite
commuter warnings before the tragedy of a disaster waiting to
happen.
Twenty-three people were killed in the crush on a narrow
overcrowded footbridge at Elphinstone Road station in the cen-
tre of Indias commercial capital during morning rush hour on
September 29. Experts pointed the finger of blame at the railway
networks creaking infrastructure, which has long struggled to
cope with several million daily passengers.
But an investigation by the Western Railways (WR) own offi-
cials concluded yesterday that the disaster had been caused by
hundreds of people rushing to the bridges staircase to shelter
from heavy monsoon rains.
They also said a misunderstanding based on the similarity
between the local words for bridge and flower had led com-
muters to believe the bridge was collapsing.
It is thought that someone in the crowd shouted A flower has
fallen but people misunderstood it as The bridge is falling.
Phool, meaning flower, and pool, meaning bridge, sound
similar in Hindi and Marathi. The enquiry insisted that the WR,
which is responsible for the line, was not at fault.
14 ASIA
Army trying to prevent return of Rohingya: UN
Geneva
Reuters
M
yanmar security
forces have bru-
tally driven out
half a million
Muslim Rohingya
from northern Rakhine state,
torching their homes, crops and
villages to prevent them from
returning, the UN human rights
office said yesterday.
Jyoti Sanghera, head of the
Asia and Pacific region of the UN
human rights office, called on
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu
Kyi to stop the violence and
voiced fear that if the stateless
Rohingya refugees return from
Bangladesh they may be
interned.
If villages have been com-
pletely destroyed and livelihood
possibilities have been
destroyed, what we fear is that
they may be incarcerated or
detained in camps, she told a
news briefing.
In a report based on 65 inter-
views with Rohingya who have
arrived in Bangladesh in the past
month, it said that clearance
operations had begun before
insurgent attacks on police posts
on August 25 and included killings,
US warship in disputed waters angers China
Beijing
AFP
C
hina said yesterday it has
lodged a protest with the
United States after an
American warship sailed near
disputed islands in the South
China Sea.
The US Navy missile
destroyer Chafee entered into
Chinas territorial waters near
the Paracel Islands on Tuesday,
according to Beijings foreign
ministry.
China immediately dis-
patched military vessels and
Thailand
prepares to
bid farewell
to late king
Bangkok
Reuters
T
hailand is putting the
finishing touches this
month to a lavish five-
day funeral ceremony in a
final goodbye to its late King
Bhumibol Adulyadej, who
helped shape the Southeast
Asian nation for decades after
World War Two.
Many of the hundreds of
thousands of black-clad
mourners are expected to
camp for days near Bangkoks
Grand Palace to capture a
good view of the ceremonies,
which will be guarded by
78,000 police officers and
culminate in the cremation on
October 26.
October is a sad period,
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-
ocha, who announced plans
for a national election next
year, told reporters in the
capital on Tuesday. I ask that
politicians and political par-
ties be peaceful and orderly.
Artisans have worked for
ten months in Bangkoks
ancient quarter to build an
elaborate cremation site fash-
ioned after a vision of heaven,
where Thais believe dead
royals return to live above
Mount Meru, a golden moun-
tain in Hindu mythology.
The funeral of King Bhu-
mibol, who died on October
13 last year after seven dec-
ades on the throne, is also a
time of uncertainty for some
Thais, said an analyst.
Homes torched
Myanmar army is
torching homes,
crops and villages
of Rohingya to
prevent them
from returning.
UN human rights
office urges Aung
San Suu Kyi to stop
the violence
immediately.
torture and rape of children.
UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hus-
sein - who has described the
government operations as a
textbook example of ethnic
cleansing - said in a statement
that the actions appeared to be
a cynical ploy to forcibly trans-
fer large numbers of people
without possibility of return.
Credible information indi-
cates that the Myanmar security
forces purposely destroyed the
property of the Rohingyas,
scorched their dwellings and
entire villages in northern Rakhine
State, not only to drive the popu-
lation out in droves but also to
aircraft for identification and
warned the US ship to leave, min-
istry spokeswoman Hua Chunying
told a regular briefing.
The US vessel action vio-
lated Chinese laws and relevant
international laws, undermined
Chinas sovereignty and secu-
rity interests, Hua said.
China is firmly opposed to
that and has lodged stern repre-
sentations with the US, Hua
said, using the term for official
diplomatic protests.
If confirmed by the United
States, it would be the fourth
freedom of navigation
Japan election campaign
People react to a speech by Yukio Edano, the head of the new Constitutional Democratic
Party of Japan, during an election campaign rally in Matsudo, Chiba prefecture, yesterday.
Campaigning began on October 10 for the October 22 lower house election.
US copter bursts into ames in Japan
Tokyo
AFP
A
n American military hel-
icopter burst into flames
after landing in an empty
field in Okinawa Wednesday,
the Japanese defence minister
said, with no injuries reported.
The US military told Japa-
nese authorities that their CH-53
transport helicopter landed
before the fire erupted in the
early evening just outside a
training ground on the island,
said Itsunori Onodera.
National broadcaster NHK
showed dramatic footage of
prevent the fleeing Rohingya vic-
tims from returning to their
homes, the report said.
It said the destruction by
security forces, often joined by
mobs of armed Rakhine Bud-
dhists, of houses, fields, food
stocks, crops, and livestock made
the possibility of Rohingya
returning to normal lives in
northern Rakhine almost
impossible.
The campaign was well-
organised, coordinated and
systematic and began with
Rohingya men under 40 being
arrested a month earlier, creat-
ing a climate of fear and
intimidation.
We are not in a position to
make a finding of genocide or
not, but this should in no way
detract from the seriousness of
the situation which the Rohingya
population is currently facing,
said Thomas Hunecke, who led
the team that went to Coxs
Bazar, Bangladesh, from Septem-
ber 14-24.
It was highly likely that
Myanmar security forces planted
landmines along the border in
recent weeks to prevent Rohingya
from returning, he said, citing doc-
tors treating injuries.
Despite growing international
operation (FONOP) carried out
by the US Navy since President
Donald Trump took office in Jan-
uary. A US defence ministry
spokesman refused to confirm
the manoeuvre.
But he said all operations are
conducted in accordance with
international law and demon-
strate that the United States will
fly, sail, and operate wherever
international law allows.
We are continuing regular
FONOPS, as we have routinely
done in the past and will con-
tinue to do in the future,
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Logan
firefighters battling orange flames
after dark and plumes of black
smoke billowing into the sky.
When the US Marine Corp
CH-53 helicopter landed, a fire
started. We have received infor-
mation that all crew members
were safe, Onodera told report-
ers. Japanese authorities asked
the US military to provide a full
report and take steps to prevent
a similar accident. Accidents by
the US Marine Corps are contin-
uing. We want to communicate
to the US side that we demand
safe operations, Onodera said.
According to eyewitnesses
cited by NHK, the accident
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
Rohingya refugees wait for humanitarian aid to be distributed at the Balukhali refugee camp
in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, yesterday.
condemnation of the crisis, the
military campaign is popular in
Buddhist-majority Myanmar,
where there is little sympathy for
the Rohingya, and for Muslims in
general, and where Buddhist
nationalism has surged.
said in a statement.
The US Navy regularly car-
ries out such operations to
challenge Chinas vast claims to
the South China Sea, where Bei-
jing has turned reefs into
militarised artificial islands.
Vietnam, the Philippines,
Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan
also claim territory in the vast
sea. However, Hua said: The
Chinese government will con-
tinue to safeguard its territorial
sovereignty and maritime enti-
tlements. We urge the US to
respect Chinese sovereignty and
security interests.
occurred shortly after 5:30 pm
(0830 GMT). Officials from the US
Marines based in Okinawa could
not immediately comment.
In December, five crew-
members aboard a US Marine
MV-22 Osprey were injured
after what the Pentagon
described as a mishap result-
ing in the plane landing in
shallow water off Okinawa.
At that time, Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe said it was very
regrettable that a serious acci-
dent had occurred and stressed
that the planes safety record
was a pre-requisite to the air-
crafts deployment in Japan.
Myanmar on Tuesday
launched its first bid to improve
relations between Buddhists and
Muslims since the eruption of
deadly violence inflamed the com-
munal tension and triggered an
exodus of some 520,000 Muslims
New Zealand kingmaker
reneges on poll deadline
Wellington
AFP
N
ew Zealands populist
kingmaker Winston
Peters says he will not
meet a self-imposed deadline
of today to announce an end to
the countrys election
deadlock.
Peters has been in talks
with Prime Minister Bill Eng-
lish and opposition Labour
leader Jacinda Ardern all week
about forming a coalition to
form government.
Both Ardern and English
need the support of Peters
New Zealand First party to
claim victory in the Septem-
ber 23 election and the
maverick 72-year-old has said
repeatedly that he would
make his decision known by
October 12.
But he backed away from
the pledge late Tuesday after
wrapping up another session of
negotiations with Englishs cen-
Unsent text message ruled
as will by Australia court
Sydney
AFP
A
dead mans unsent text
message leaving his
home and pension to his
brother rather than his wife and
son and signed off with a smi-
ley face emoji has been ruled a
legitimate will by an Australian
court.
The draft message,
addressed to the mans brother,
was found on his phone after
he took his own life in October
2016, aged 55.
The informal nature of the
text does not exclude it from
being sufficient to represent the
deceaseds testamentary inten-
tions, said Justice Susan Brown
when handing down her deci-
sion at the Brisbane Supreme
Court.
The unsent text released by
the court described how the
man had become disgruntled
with his wife.
You and (nephew) keep all
that I have house and superan-
nuation, put my ashes in the
back garden... (wife) will take
to Bangladesh. But Sanghera, not-
ing that 11,000 Rohingya crossed
into Bangladesh on Monday alone,
said: Clearly it seems that some
level of eviction, displacement,
forced movement and violence
may be continuing.
tre-right National Party.
Asked when an announce-
ment would be made, he told
reporters: Not on Thursday
night, no.
The answer is as soon as
possible after Thursday night.
Pressed on whether it
would be before or after the
weekend, he said: I cant quite
answer those questions as it
depends on others as well.
Peters insisted his goal was
always to complete the coali-
tion negotiations by Thursday,
not announce his decision.
However, that contradicts
statements he has made repeat-
edly since July, when he said he
would not let coalition talks
drag on.
I make this guarantee that
whatever decision New Zealand
First arrives at post-election, it
will be made public by the day
the writs are returned (October
12), which is within three weeks
from polling day, he said at the
time.
her stuff only shes ok gone
back to her ex AGAIN Im
beaten, it read.
The message provided the
mans bank account details and
was signed off My will, fol-
lowed by the smiling
character.
The mans wife argued that
it could not be accepted as a will
since the message was never
sent, but the court found Mon-
day that the wording of the text
indicated the mans intent to
have it included in his will.
The reference to his house
and superannuation and his
specification that the (wife) was
to take her own things indicates
he was aware of the nature and
extent of his estate, which was
relatively small, Brown added.
The court said the deceased
did not have any real contact
with his son and a rocky rela-
tionship with his wife, although
they did in the past enjoy hap-
pier times.
Despite the ruling, the judge
found that the mans wife could
make a further application for
the estate under family law.

New Afghan peace talks
likely to be held in Oman
Kabul
Reuters
R
epresentatives of
Afghanistan, China,
Pakistan and the
United States will
meet in Oman next
week to discuss reviving peace
talks with Afghan Taliban mili-
tants, an Afghan official and a
Pakistani foreign ministry
source said yesterday.
But it was not clear if Afghan
Taliban representatives would
join the talks. Taliban sources
said they had not yet received
an invitation and plan to skip
Mondays discussions in Mus-
cat, casting doubt on efforts to
revive
negotiations.
long-stalled
The four-nation Quadrilat-
eral Coordination Group (QGC),
US bombs dropped at
highest since 2010
Kabul
Reuters
A
merican warplanes in
Afghanistan are drop-
ping bombs in numbers
not seen since the height of the
US troop surge in 2010, after
President Donald Trump
announced a new strategy in
August to ease attack curbs
and widen the range of mili-
tant targets.
In September, for exam-
ple, the US Air Force dropped
751 bombs, an increase of
nearly 50 percent from the
August figure of 503, to reach
its highest single-month total
in seven years, military data
showed.
The increase can be
attributed to the presidents
strategy to more proactively
target extremist groups that
threaten the stability and
security of the Afghan people,
Cambodias
Hun Sen renews
criticism of
US amid row
Phnom Penh
Reuters
C
ambodian Prime Min-
ister Hun Sen yesterday
renewed his criticism of
the United States, a week
after a leading opposition fig-
ure fled the country over fears
of a widening crackdown on
government critics ahead of
next years election.
Hun Sen, who has ruled
Cambodia for more than 30
years and shows no sign of
wanting to relinquish power,
has forced the closure of sev-
eral English-language media
and jailed government crit-
ics, including opposition
leader Kem Sokha.
Bombs recently discovered
at nine sites in southeastern
Svay Rieng province had been
dropped by the US during the
Vietnam war, Hun Sen said in
a speech to workers at garment
factories that export most of
their output to the US.
These bombs dropped on
Cambodia belong to the US,
Hun Sen said in his latest com-
ments in a growing row over
his accusations that American
agents conspired with Kem
Sokha to overthrow the gov-
ernment. Hun Sen accused the
US of double standards, saying
it was critical of his handling
of Kem Sokhas case but had
shown no respect for human
rights.
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
Taliban not invited
Taliban sources said
they had not yet
received an
invitation and plan
to skip Mondays
discussions.
Four-nation team has
been trying to ease
the path to direct
talks between Kabul
govt and the Taliban.
comprising Afghanistan, China,
Pakistan and the US, has been
trying to ease the path to direct
talks between the Afghan gov-
ernment and the Taliban, with
little success.
The Taliban, ousted in a
the Air Force said in a monthly
report.
Six more F-16 fighter
bombers have been deployed
to Bagram air field north of the
Afghan capital of Kabul, and
additional massive B-52
bombers have been assigned
to strike Afghanistan from
bases in the Arabian Gulf, it
added.
The Air Force numbers
exclude strikes by the U.S.
Army, which maintains armed
helicopters and other aircraft
in Afghanistan.
Trumps South Asia strat-
egy included promises to
expand authority for U.S. forces
to target militants in Afghani-
stan. These killers need to
know they have nowhere to
hide; that no place is beyond the
reach of American might and
Americans arms, Trump said
in his August speech unveiling
the strategy.
A US Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, takes off
to y a bilateral mission with Japanese and South Korea Air Force jets in the vicinity of the
Sea of Japan, from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
Trump has lit the wick of war: North Korea
Moscow
Reuters
U
S President Donald
Trump has lit the wick
of war with North Korea
and his country will be made to
pay with a hail of fire, a Rus-
sian news agency quoted North
Koreas foreign minister as say-
ing yesterday.
Tensions between North
Korea and the US have risen in
recent weeks over Pyongyangs
nuclear weapons and missile
programmes. North Korea has
US-led military intervention in
2001, has been gaining territory
in recent years through a vio-
lent insurgency to try to topple
Afghanistans Western-backed
government and re-establish a
fundamentalist Islamic regime.
Amin Waqad, a close aide to
Agfhan President Ashraf Ghani
and a senior member of the High
Peace Council (HPC), said, HPC
and government representatives
will participate, and it is an
important one because the Tal-
iban representatives will be
there. We will go with a clear
plan.
A senior Pakistani foreign
ministry official confirmed the
talks would take place on Oct
16. Last week, Foreign Minister
Khawaja Asif told Voice of
America the quadrilateral
arrangement will again be in
operation in Muscat in
October.
The US embassy in Islama-
bad did not comment for the
report.
Talks and efforts to kick
start negotiations have failed
following the 2015 announce-
ment of the death of the
Talibans founder and long-time
leader, Mullah Mohammed
Omar, in 2013.
The United States wants
Pakistan, which it accuses of
harbouring Afghan Taliban
commanders, to exert more
influence on the group to bring
them to the negotiating table.
Pakistani officials deny shel-
tering Taliban militants and say
their influence on the group has
waned.
Two senior Afghan Taliban
leaders, speaking on condition
of anonymity, told Reuters the
groups leadership council met
on Tuesday and decided it
would not send a delegation to
Muscat even if the group was
invited to participate.
Till that time, we were not
invited, but even if we received
any invitation, our senior mem-
bers decided not to participate
in the meeting, said one of the
Taliban leaders.
test-fired several missiles and
conducted what it said was a test
explosion of a hydrogen bomb
as it advances toward its goal of
developing a nuclear-tipped
missile capable of hitting the US
mainland.
Speaking to Russias state-run
TASS news agency, North Korean
Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said
his countrys nuclear programme
guaranteed peace and safety in
the region and would not be a
matter of discussion.
With his bellicose and insane
statement at the United Nations,
Lawyers Jose Manuel Diokno and Felix Marinas from the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG),
show documents during a news conference in Metro Manila, Philippines, yesterday.
Philippine lawyers ask Supreme
Court to halt illegal war on drugs
Manila
AFP
A
group of Philippine law-
yers yesterday filed an
injunction with the
Supreme Court to try to stop
President Rodrigo Dutertes
bloody war on drugs, calling it
as an illegal campaign that lets
police kill and circumvent legal
procedures.
The governments directive
for the fierce 15-month-old
crackdown permits police to
negate and neutralise tar-
gets, effectively granting them
a license to kill suspected users
and dealers, without gathering
evidence or building a case, the
lawyers said.
A practice of compiling lists
of drug personalities and
encouraging citizens to anony-
mously provide names was
tantamount to drawing up a hit
list, the petition said. It called for
judicial intervention in thou-
sands of cases where Filipinos
were killed by police.
The present war on drugs
being waged by the government
is not going to stop illegal drugs,
crime and corruption, Jose
Trump, you can say, has lit the
wick of a war against us, TASS
quoted Ri as saying. We need to
settle the final score, only with a
hail of fire, not words.
Ri has previously called
Trump President Evil and his
comments are likely to fuel an
escalating war of words
between the US President and
North Korean leader Kim Jong
Un. We have almost reached
the last point on the journey
towards our final goal - to
achieve a real balance of power
with the United States, he said.
Manuel Diokno, chairman of the
Free Legal Assistance Group
(FLAG), said.
(It) will only result in the
killing of more and more peo-
ple especially the poor.
The petition comes as pub-
lic scrutiny intensifies on
Dutertes signature campaign,
which he insists will not stop,
regardless of the bloodshed. He
says he is prepared to go to jail
to protect Filipinos from crimes
fuelled by addiction.
Duterte rejects criticism that
his notoriously bellicose public
remarks have been interpreted
by some police as veiled instruc-
tions to kill drug users, with
impunity. Philippine National
Police (PNP) spokesman Dion-
ardo Carlos said police
welcome the filing of the peti-
tion before the Supreme Court.
He did not elaborate.
Though Filipinos are largely
supportive of Dutertes iron-
fisted approach, recent opinion
polls indicate public doubts that
his drugs war is above board and
effective as the government
says. Analysts say unease about
the campaign has contributed
to Dutertes ratings decline.
Pakistan bars MML from
contesting elections
Islamabad
Reuters
P
akistans electoral com-
mission yesterday barred
from contesting elections
a new political party that is
backed by an Islamist with a
$10m US bounty on his head, a
government official said.
Haroon Khan, a spokesman
for the commission, said a four-
man panel rejected the
registration of Milli Muslim
League (MML) as an official
political party.
Khan said Muhammad Raza
Khan, chief of the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP),
told MMLs lawyer at the final
hearing of the registration that
the new party has links with
militant groups and as such We
cant enlist you.
The ECP spokesman said
the commission cited an inte-
rior ministry recommendation
that the MML was affiliated
with Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT),
a militant group blamed for the
2008 Mumbai attacks that
killed 166 people, and that such
groups could breed violence
and extremism in politics.
The US has designated LeT
founder Hafiz Saeed a terrorist
and offers a $10m reward for
information leading to his con-
viction. Saeed, currently under
house arrest, heads the Jamaat-
ud-Dawa (JuD) Islamict charity,
which Washington says is a
front for LeT.
ASIA 15
PNP data shows 3,900 peo-
ple have been killed in
operations in which police say
armed suspects violently
resisted arrest.
Dutertes opponents and
activists dispute that and say
executions and cover-ups are
commonplace, which police
deny. The petition by FLAG,
which is comprised of around
200 pro-bono human rights
lawyers, was filed on behalf of
three people whose relatives
were killed by police.
FLAG has also represented
two men who testified before
the Senate that they were part
of an alleged death squad that
killed drug dealers and crimi-
nals at Dutertes behest when
he was Davao City mayor, long
before his presidency.
Duterte dismisses the alle-
gation as nonsense.
The latest petition seeks to
compel the PNP and the interior
ministry to halt the campaign
and wants killings to be exam-
ined by the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI), which would
take charge of evidence, includ-
ing guns that police say were
used by victims.
Pakistans reluctance to
press charges against him has
been a sore point in relations
with Washington and India over
the past decade.
Saifullah Khalid, the head
of MML, said his party would
challenge the decision. An
attempt is being made to keep
patriotic forces away from pol-
itics, he said.
The party is likely to con-
tinue operating unofficially, as
it did last month when one of
its leaders contested a by-elec-
tion in the eastern city of Lahore
as an independent candidate.
The candidate, Yaqoob
Sheikh, won several thousand
votes, though officials from
MML and JuD ran his campaign.
Saeeds portraits adorned post-
ers promoting Sheikh.
The move to bar the party
appears at odds with what
political and former military
sources told Reuters was a plan
by the militarys Inter Services
Intelligence (ISI) spy agency to
integrate militant-linked organ-
isations by bringing them into
politics as part of a de-radical-
ization drive.
Pakistani army spokesman
Major-General Asif Ghafoor
also said last week the integra-
tion of militants into the
countrys politics would be
based on seeking a construc-
tive role for the militant-linked
groups, although he did not
comment on the militarys role
in any such strategy.
16 EUROPE
Lead or leave,
Corbyn tells
embattled May
London
AFP
B
ritish opposition
leader Jeremy Cor-
byn told Prime
Minister Theresa
May yesterday that if
she could not unite her divided
party she should quit.
If a prime minister cant
lead, she should leave, the
Labour leader told MPs in the
House of Commons. Last week,
May fought off a plot to oust her
by around 30 of her Conserv-
ative lawmakers, sparked by
her disastrous speech to the
partys annual conference.
But her position remains
fragile, even as negotiations on
Britains withdrawal from the
European Union approach a
crucial stage. In the first prime
ministers question time since
the plot was revealed, Corbyn
focused on pressing May on
welfare reforms, which he said
were leading claimants into
poverty. But he also condemned
Mays wider approach, saying:
Everywhere you look its a
government in chaos. On the
most important issues facing
this country, its a shambles.
This government is more
interested in fighting amongst
themselves than in solving these
problems. May responded by
listing the governments achieve-
ments on the economy, jobs,
health and education -- while
accusing Labour of struggling
with anti-Semitism in its ranks.
Conservative MPs also
heckled Corbyn when he spoke
of in-fighting, referencing the
Far-right publisher shunned at Frankfurt Book Fair
Frankfurt
Reuters
G
oetz Kubitschek, a lead-
ing light of Germanys far
right, stood in his stall at
the worlds biggest book fair yes-
terday, ignoring the hostile
glances from activists, politicians
and writers close by.
The presence of the fire-
brand speaker - a regular at
rallies that helped push the anti-
immigrant Anternative for
Germany (AfD) party to its strong
showing in last months vote -
touched a raw nerve at
Frankfurts annual literature fest.
Across from his position in
Supporters of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) stage a protest outside
the lower house of parliament against the governments decision to put a bill for a new
electoral law (knowsn as Rosatellum) to a condence vote in Rome, yesterday.
Speculation of a
leadership challenge
was revived last month
by an intervention
from Foreign Secretary
Boris Johnson, which
challenged Theresa
Mays Brexit strategy
and laid bare cabinet
rifts over Britains
future. Johnson and
other senior ministers
rallied around at the
weekend, but questions
remain over how long
May can last.
fact that only a year ago, his
own lawmakers had tried
unsuccessfully to remove him.
Mays authority was
severely weakened by a snap
election in June that she called
to cement her power, but which
saw the Conservatives lose their
parliamentary majority.
Speculation of a leadership
challenge was revived last
month by an intervention from
Foreign Secretary Boris John-
son, which challenged her Brexit
strategy and laid bare cabinet
rifts over Britains future. John-
son and other senior ministers
rallied around at the weekend,
but questions remain over how
long May can last. The open
divisions come at a crucial time
in the Brexit talks, as EU lead-
ers next week are due to decide
whether the negotiations can
move past the terms of the
divorce on to the issue of trade.
the citys fair ground, the anti-
extremist Amadeu Antonio
Foundation held a vigil to reject
what it described as his racism
and hostility to democracy.
A handful of representatives
of the German booksellers fed-
eration staged a silent march
past Kubitscheks stand, holding
white-on-black placards read-
ing Freedom and Diversity and
Respect for the Dignity of All
People.
We have let in these pub-
lishers in but we also want to
show that we disagree with
them, said the federations
managing director, Alexander
Skipsis. Kubitschek stayed at his
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
Campaign for missing Syrians
Women display photographs of disappeared and detained Syrians as they stand atop
a double-decker bus during a demonstration by Families for Freedom in Parliament
Square, London, yesterday. The protest is part of a woman-led campaign for the rights
of those missing in Syria.
West threatening Russian
sovereignty: Moscow MPs
Moscow the interests of foreign states
AFP and the incitement of young
people to protest.
T
he West is threatening The use of media and social
Russias sovereignty by networks to discredit the coun-
financing NGOs, encourag- try, institutions of power (and)
ing young people to protest and political leaders, was another
using the media to shape opinion threat, according to the report
about the government, a Russian published Tuesday.
parliamentary report has said. The commission was estab-
According to the report by lished in June in response to
the Federal Commission for the accusations from Washington
Protection of National Inde- that Russia had interfered in the
pendence, Western interference 2016 US presidential election.
in Russias internal affairs poses US authorities and their
a greater threat to the country NATO satellites are specifically
than the Islamic State group. The named in the document.
commission listed nine threats Interference in Russian
to Russian sovereignty from internal affairs does not just
abroad, including the creation come in the form of direct prop-
and support of NGOs which aganda, produced by public
carry out political activities in media such as Radio Svoboda,
stall on Row H on the first floor 47-year-old said. Although not
of Hall 3, promoting his publish- directly linked to the AfD,
ing house Antaios and its surprise Kubitschek has gained promi-
bestseller, Finis Germania (The nence as a speaker at rallies in
End of Germany) - a collection formerly communist eastern
of essays denounced as right- Germany that drew support from
radical, anti-semitic and people angered by an influx of
revisionist by Spiegel more than a million refugees in
magazine. the past two years.
Kubitschek, a tall man with Chancellor Angela Merkels
cropped hair and designer stub- Christian Democrats lost almost
ble, said his presence reflected a million votes in the Sept. 24
normality. vote to the AfD, which won 13
It is quite normal to have percent support to enter parlia-
left and right. And now, through ment for the first time.
the parliamentary election, it has Kubitschek said his first
become clear that there is a appearance at the book fair in
strong right-conservative con- years was inspired by what he
stituency in Germany, the called the hypocritical reviews
Italys 5-Star stages protests as
House votes on electoral law
Rome
Reuters
S
upporters of Italys 5-Star
Movement rallied in front of
parliament yesterday to pro-
test an electoral law that is likely
to penalise the maverick party in
next years national election.
The proposed voting system is
backed by three of the countrys
four largest parties, with the cen-
tre-left government looking to rush
it onto the statute books ahead of
elections, which are due by May
2018.
Unlike the current rules, the
new system would allow the for-
mation of multi-party coalitions
before the ballot, a factor likely to
hurt 5-Star, which refuses to join
alliances.
They want to take away our
the report said of the Russian
language branch of Washing-
ton-backed Radio Free Europe/
Radio Liberty. It can also be
seen in the forms of educational
programmes centred on Russian
journalists, it said.
On Monday Russia threat-
ened US media operating in the
country with new legal restric-
tions after Kremlin-controlled
broadcaster RT complained of
persecution by Washington.
Russia has upped pressure
on civil society groups since
Putins re-election in 2012 when
it adopted a law which allowed
authorities to brand groups
engaging in broadly-defined
political activity and receiv-
ing funding from abroad as
foreign agents.
of Finis Germania - a posthu-
mous collection of writings by
the historian Rolf Peter Sieferle.
Critics said the book came
close to denying the Holocaust -
a crime in Germany - by
describing the Auschwitz con-
centration camp as the last
myth of a totally rationalised
world.
It expounds a thesis that Ger-
mans have had a moral debt
foisted upon them by the war
victors that they can only repay
by being eliminated as a
people.
The fairs organisers said
there was never a question of
banning Kubitschek.
right to choose, said Nicola Zuppa,
45, who said he had paid 175 euros
($200) to travel from Padua in
northern Italy to take part in the
protest, which drew up to 2,000
people in the heart of Rome.
Five-Star supporters distrib-
uted leaflets declaring a full
democratic emergency on com-
muter trains early on Wednesday
to try to muster a large crowd
ahead of two confidence votes on
Wednesday, both of which the gov-
ernment is expected to win.
A third such motion is set for
Thursday, as the ruling coalition
looks to truncate discussion on the
bill and sidestep dozens of planned
secret votes on various
amendments.
Five-Star said it would not par-
ticipate in the first confidence vote
in a sign of protest, virtually dence vote, it must resign.
EU withholds
$33m loan to
Moldova
CHISINAU: The European
Union will not transfer a final
tranche of loans worth 28m
($33m) to support Moldovan
justice reforms as the author-
ities have not fulfilled the
required conditions, the EU
delegation to Moldova said.
The European Union is
the ex-Soviet nations largest
external donor, but payments
have been frozen or repeat-
edly delayed by slow reform
progress and political
upheaval. The EU has closely
observed the reform process
and noted that the Moldovan
authorities showed insuffi-
cient commitment to
reforming the justice sector,
the delegation said in an
online statement.
The Moldovan authori-
ties have not fulfilled the EUs
conditions for receiving the
last financial transfer under
the justice reform pro-
gramme, which amounts to
28 million euros, it said.
The disbursement of other
EU funding, including a
100m ($117m) macro-finan-
cial assistance package of
loans and grants for 2017-
2018, has also been delayed.
Last week, Prime Minister
Pavel Filip said Moldova would
not receive any financing under
the agreement this year. The EU
has said a basic precondition
for the financial assistance is a
respect for the democratic
process and the rule of law.
Italian granted sick
pay to care for ill dog
ROME: An Italian woman has
won her battle to be granted
sick pay for days she took off
to look after her poorly dog,
in a first for the pet-loving
country. The woman, a Rome
academic, won her case with
the help of lawyers from the
Italian Anti-Vivisection
League (LAV), one of the big-
gest animal rights groups in
Europe, the organisation said.
A judge accepted the law-
yers case that her university
should count her two days off
under an allowance for
absences related to serious
or family personal reasons.
Their argument was
underpinned by a provision
in Italys penal code that pro-
vides for people who abandon
an animal to grave suffering
to be jailed for a year and
fined up to 10,000.
It is a significant step for-
ward that recognised that
animals that are not kept for
financial gain or their work-
ing ability are effectively
members of the family, said
LAV president Gianluca
Felicetti.
guaranteeing that the motion will
pass.
If you allow the electoral rules
to be changed again so that the
scum of the country rises to the top
yet again, it will be your children
who pay the price, 5-Stars
founder Beppe Grillo wrote on his
blog on Wednesday.
Small left-wing parties that
oppose the law will stage a protest
in front of the ancient Roman Pan-
theon temple in the afternoon.
Pier Luigi Bersani, a former
leader of the ruling Democratic
Party (PD) and now a member of
the small leftist MDP party, said the
decision to use confidence votes
to try to force through the electoral
law opens up a huge question of
democracy.
If a government loses a confi-

British author
Follett calls Brexit
absolute disaster
Frankfurt am Main
AFP
B
ritish novelist Ken Fol-
lett, creator of the
best-selling Pillars of
the Earth series, yesterday
called Brexit an absolute dis-
aster and said the characters
in his sweeping medieval
saga would have been
remainers.
The people of Kings-
bridge would definitely be
remainers. Theyd hate the
idea of Brexit, 68-year-old
Follett said at the Frankfurt
Book Fair, where he pre-
sented the long-awaited third
instalment in the series, Col-
umn of Fire.
More than 25 years after
releasing his smash-hit The
Pillars of the Earth, followed
in 2007 by World Without
End, Follett returns to the fic-
tional medieval town of
Kingsbridge for his latest epic,
chronicling the political and
religious upheavals during the
reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Since its release last
month, Column of Fire has
topped best-seller lists world-
wide, including in the United
States, Britain, Germany and
Spain.
Asked what he thought
the main characters would
have made of Britains deci-
sion to quit the European
Union, Follett emphasised the
towns ties to the continent
and the importance of free
trade.
Ukraine detains two top defence officials
Kiev
AFP
U
kraines anti-corruption
bureau said yesterday it
had detained a deputy
defence minister and another
top military official for allegedly
embezzling millions in state
funding through an illegal oil-
purchase scheme.
The announcement was the
highest-profile indictment
against any official since the
Anti-Corruption Bureau of
Ukraine (NABU) launched a graft
case against the now-deposed
tax service chief Roman Nasirov
in March.
NABU did not identify the
Big Ben undergoing facelift
Scaffolders work on the Big Ben clock tower which
is undergoing maintenance in Westminster, London,
yesterday.
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
Catalan leader given 8 days to drop bid
Madrid
Reuters & AFP
S
panish Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy yester-
day gave the Catalan
government eight days
to drop an independ-
ence bid, failing which he would
suspend the Catalonias political
autonomy and rule the region
directly.
His move could deepen the
confrontation between Madrid
and the northeastern region but
also signals a way out of Spains
biggest political crisis since a
failed military coup in 1981.
Rajoy would probably call a
snap regional election after acti-
vating Article 155 of the
constitution that would allow
him to sack the Catalan regional
government.
Puigdemont issued a sym-
bolic declaration of
independence from Spain on
Tuesday night but then immedi-
ately suspended it and called for
negotiations with the Madrid
government.
The cabinet has agreed this
morning to formally request the
Catalan government to confirm
whether it has declared the inde-
pendence of Catalonia,
regardless of the deliberate con-
fusion created over its
implementation, Rajoy said in
a televised address after a cabi-
net meeting called to consider
the governments response.
He later told Spains parlia-
ment the Catalan government
had until Monday, Oct.ober 16 at
0800 GMT to answer. If
two defence officials but said the
fraud had cost the budget 149
million hryvnias ($5.6 million /
4.7 million euros at todays
exchange rate) in 2016.
The bureau said the arrange-
ment involved an oil purchase
contract that was later revised to
inflate the original price by 16 per-
cent to benefit the unnamed
supplier.
NABU detectives and spe-
cial anti-corruption prosecutors
have detained two suspected
culprits a deputy defence min-
ister of Ukraine and the director
of the state resource procure-
ment and supply department of
the Ukrainian defence ministry,
NABU said in a statement.
Spains Prime
Minister Mariano
Rajoy dismissed
Catalan leader
Carles Puigdemonts
independence plan
as a fairy tale. It
is not peaceful, it is
not free, it will not be
recognised by Europe
and now everyone
knows it will have
costs, he added.
Puigdemont was to confirm he
did declare independence, he
would be given an additional
three days to rectify it, until
Thursday, October 19 at 0800
GMT. Failing this, Article 155
would be triggered.
It is not yet clear if the Cata-
lan government will answer the
requirement but it now faces a
conundrum, analysts say.
Mariano Rajoy yesterday
rejected any mediation to resolve
the crisis over Catalonias inde-
pendence push.
There is no mediation pos-
sible between democratic law
and disobedience, illegality, he
told parliament.
Catalonias separatist lead-
ers on Tuesday signed an
independence declaration but
said they were suspending it in
the hope Madrid would negoti-
ate. Rajoy also dismissed Catalan
leader Carles Puigdemonts inde-
pendence plan as a fairy tale.
Ukraines defence ministry
said an investigation into two
officials whose titles matched
those named by NABU was in
progress but provided no other
details.
Corruption has long ravaged
the crisis-torn former Soviet
republic and been a top concern
of both Ukraines foreign part-
ners and global financial support
organisations such as the Inter-
national Monetary Fund (IMF).
But NABU has faced stiff
resistance since its launch in
December 2015 from institutions
such as the general prosecutors
office and the Security Service
of Ukraine (SBU).
Analysts view both as
French police attackers get
jail over burning squad car
Paris
AFP
A
Paris judge yesterday
handed down jail terms of
up to seven years to pro-
testers who attacked and torched
a police car with two officers
inside in what he described as an
urban guerrilla scene.
Swiss national Joachim
Landwehr, who is on the run
and was tried in absentia, was
sentenced to seven years for
throwing a smoke bomb into
the car during the attack in May
2016.
Six others were also con-
victed for their part in the
attack, which took place after
a police demonstration against
the violence directed at offic-
ers during anti-government
protests.
Videos viewed hundreds of
thousands of times on YouTube
showed black-clad youths,
most with their faces covered,
surrounding the squad car in
traffic in central Paris.
One kicked in the window
on the drivers side, and another
hurled a smoke bomb into the
vehicle, eventually causing it to
Spains Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy receives applause from members of his Peoples Party
(PP) after his speech to Parliament in Madrid, Spain, yesterday.
It is not peaceful, it is not
free, it will not be recognised
by Europe and now everyone
knows it will have costs, he
added. He was referring to
several big companies which
have moved their headquar-
ters outside of Catalonia in
recent days.
Puigdemont has repeatedly
called for mediation since he
pushed ahead on October 1 with
an independence referendum in
Catalonia that was deemed ille-
gal by Madrid and the Spanish
courts. Earlier yesterday he
controlled by vested interests
and incapable of leading inde-
pendent probes into financial
misdeeds.
The IMF is pressing the pro-
Western leaders who rose to
power after a 2014 revolution
ousted a Russian-backed regime
to shore up NABUs efforts by
setting up a special anti-corrup-
tion court.They say those
indicted by NABU often walk
free after paying bail and point
to Nasirovs case as an example.
Nasirov is still under investiga-
tion by the general prosecutors
office and has only been barred
from leaving Kiev while he
cooperates with the authorities
in the slow-moving case.
burst into flames.
When driver Kevin Philippy
emerged from the car, French
protester Nicolas Fensch lunged
at him and assaulted him with
an iron bar.
Among those convicted was
far-left activist Antonin Bern-
anos, 23, who was handed five
years, which includes a two-
year suspended sentence, for
pummelling Philippy while he
was still in the car.
You attacked a policeman
because he was a policeman,
judge Alain Alcufrom told
Bernanos.
One other foreigner in the
trial besides Landwehr was US
national Kara Brault, sentenced
to four years with two sus-
pended for taking an iron bar
to the car.
Two defendants including
Bernanos younger brother
were acquitted following the
five-day trial in September.
The attack took place after
the perpetrators broke away
from a counter-demonstration
against alleged police brutality,
held metres from where offic-
ers were holding a rally against
anti-police violence.
EUROPE 17
proposed during an interview Meanwhile, Spains govern-
with CNN that a mediator be ment and main opposition
named to settle the crisis. Socialists have agreed to study
Maybe, it could help (us) to reforming the constitution to try
talk if two people representing to end the crisis in Catalonia, the
the Spanish government and two leader of the Socialists said
people representing the Catalan yesterday.
government just simply agree on The agreement which I have
one thing, for instance, naming with the prime minister is that
a mediator, he said. we open the political road, the
Puigdemont announced in road of constitutional reform,
the regional parliament Tuesday Pedro Sanchez told reporters.
that he had accepted the man- The debate over constitu-
date for Catalonia to become an tional reform would focus on
independent state following the how Catalonia remains in Spain,
contested referendum. and not how it leaves, he added.
NEWS BYTES
Britain wants answers after
rights activist barred from HK
LONDON: Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said London wanted
an urgent explanation after a British human rights activist was
barred from entering Hong Kong yesterday. Benedict Rogers,
deputy chairman of the governing Conservative Partys human
rights commission, arrived by plane from Bangkok but was
turned away by immigration in the semi-autonomous Chinese
city. I am very concerned that a UK national has been denied
entry to Hong Kong, Johnson said in a statement. The Brit-
ish government will be seeking an urgent explanation from
the Hong Kong authorities and from the Chinese government.
Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy, and its rights and
freedoms, are central to its way of life and should be fully
respected. Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997
under a One country, two systems formula intended to pro-
tect its freedoms and way of life. The semi-autonomous city
is supposed to handle its own immigration affairs.
UK softens immigration rules
for Grenfell re survivors
LONDON: Illegal immigrants who survived a fire that killed
about 80 people in a social housing block in London will be
given a clear path to obtaining permanent residency in Brit-
ain, the government said yesterday. The 24-storey Grenfell
Tower, which was home to many immigrants and people from
ethnic minorities, was gutted on June 14 in an inferno that
started on the fourth floor in the middle of the night and
engulfed the whole building with devastating speed. The tower
is located in a deprived estate within one of Londons richest
boroughs, and the disaster prompted a wave of soul-search-
ing about inequality and neglect of poor communities. Some
of the approximately 250 people who made it out of the build-
ing alive did not have the legal right to live in Britain and have
been reluctant to make themselves known to the authorities.
Kosovo seeks Albanian help
to sidestep EU visa demand
PRISTINA: Kosovo President Hashim Thaci yesterday asked
Tirana to allow Kosovans to apply for Albanian citizenship,
which would enable them to travel to Europe without visas.
The European Unions blocking strategy pushed us today to
demand the (Albanian) president allow Kosovars to apply for
double citizenship in order to get the right to freely travel,
Thaci said after meeting his counterpart Ilir Meta, saying the
bloc had left Kosovo in complete isolation. Kosovo is the
last Balkan nation whose citizens require visas to travel into
the European Unions passport-free Schengen zone. But the
EU has conditioned the matter on Kosovo resolving a long-
running border dispute with neighbouring Montenegro, which
dates back to the 1990s when the former Yugoslavia collapsed
in a series of wars. Such an agreement is crucial for Kosovos
bid to gain visa-free travel and for it to further integrate with
the EU, which is a key goal for this tiny Balkan nation of 1.8
million, most of whom are ethnic Albanians.
18 AMERICAS THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017

Brazil court At least 16

dead in Mexico
prison ght
freezes assets Monterrey
Reuters

of Rousseff A t least 16 people were

killed when a fight broke
out in a prison in the
northern Mexican state of Nuevo
Brasilia Leon and security troops were
Reuters Court ordered a freeze sent in to quell the violence, a
state security official said on

B
razils federal audit
court yesterday
ordered a freeze of
former President
Dilma Rousseffs
assets as well as those of Jos
Srgio Gabrielli, ex-head of state-
run oil company Petrobras, over
a $580m loss in the 2006 pur-
chase of a Texas refinery.
The order also covered
former Finance Minister Anto-
nio Palocci and three members
of the board of directors of
Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the oil
company is formally known,
that approved the controver-
sial purchase.
The court, known as the
TCU, said it detected irregu-
larities in the purchase of the
refinery in Pasadena, Texas, a
move that it considered made
no business sense.
The TCU said the freeze
would last one year and cover
assets that could guarantee
the return to public coffers of
the losses incurred by the oil
company in buying the
of former President
Dilma Rousseffs assets
as well as those of
Jos Srgio Gabrielli,
ex-head of state-run
oil company Petrobras,
over a $580m loss in
the 2006 purchase of
a Texas renery. The
order also covered
former Finance Minister
Antonio Palocci and
three members of the
board of directors of
Petroleo Brasileiro SA,
as the oil company
is formally known,
that approved the
controversial purchase.
refinery purchase and chaired
the Petrobras board of
directors.
In 2014, when the operation
was being investigated for
alleged graft, then-President
Tuesday.
The battle inside the Cad-
ereyta prison outside the city of
Monterrey began overnight, offi-
cials said. Anxious family
members gathered outside the
prison during the day waiting for
news of their loved ones.
A protest by inmates over-
night had spiraled out of control,
one prisoner was killed and a
number of guards were taken
hostage, Nuevo Leon state secu-
rity spokesman Aldo Fasci told
reporters.
Police were sent in to calm
the disturbance but the fight
soon escalated to involve around
250 inmates, he said.
Around five in the after-
noon, the decision was made by
Facebook unveils $199 wireless virtual-reality headset
New York
Bloomberg & Reuters
Relatives of inmates wait for news of their loved ones outside the Cadereyta state prison
after a riot broke out at the prison, in Cadereyta Jimenez, on the outskirts of Monterrey,
Mexico, yesterday.
security forces to use lethal force how many people were killed in battles in Mexicos overcrowded
to prevent the murder of guards the fight and how many were prisons.
as well as stop the murder of killed by security forces, he said. At least nine were killed in a
inmates, Fasci said. Eight more people seriously prison fight in the state of Tam-
If we had not taken this wounded, he said. aulipas on the U.S. border with
decision, we would be talking Rival gangs that are involved Texas and at least 28 inmates
about many more deaths, he in drug trafficking, human smug- were killed in July in a battle in
said. gling, fuel theft, kidnapping and a prison in the Pacific resort of
It was not immediately clear extortion have fueled bloody Acapulco.
concerts in virtual reality. Instagram users in some parts of the United
Some people think that VR is isolating States, Europe and Canada were unable to
and antisocial, Zuckerberg said at the event access their accounts on Wednesday as the

refinery.
Petrobras paid $360m for
half of Pasadena Refining in
2006, more than eight times
what its previous owner Astra
Oil, a unit of Belgian-control-
led Astra Transcor Energy, paid
for the 112,000-barrel-a-day
refinery a year earlier.
By 2012, Petrobras had
sunk $1.18bn into it including
the cost of buying out Astras
remaining half after a legal dis-
pute between both firms.
Rousseff, who was
impeached last year for break-
ing budget rules, was chief of
staff for President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva at the time of the
Rousseff said she had been
given incomplete information
by directors responsible for the
deal.
Federal prosecutors inves-
tigating overpriced Petrobras
contracts in the countrys larg-
est ever corruption scandal
centered on the oil company
said in 2015 that they uncov-
ered evidence that $15m in
bribes were paid as part of the
initial purchase of 50 percent
of the refinery.
Prosecutor Carlos dos San-
tos Lima said Petrobras
overpaid for the facility and
alleged it was in terrible condi-
tion when acquired.
F
acebook Inc. unveiled a virtual-real-
ity headset that works without being
attached to a computer, called Ocu-
lus Go, seeking to encourage more
mainstream adoption of the emerging
technology.
The $199 wireless headset will be avail-
able early next year, Chief Executive Officer
Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday at Ocu-
lus Connect, the annual conference of
Facebooks virtual-reality division. It will be
Oculuss most accessible VR device, he said,
helping the company reach a goal of putting
1 billion people in virtual reality, which ena-
bles immersive gaming, video viewing and
social networking.
Facebook also announced a product
called Venues, which will let people wear-
ing Oculus gear experience sports and
in San Jose, California. I honestly think its
the opposite. If you cant think of any way
that your reality can be better then youre
not thinking hard enough.
The Go device joins a lineup of VR head-
sets that also includes Oculus Rift, which
must be attached to a personal computer,
and the $130 Gear, which needs to be paired
with a Samsung Electronics Co. phone to run.
Menlo Park, California-based Facebook cut
the price of the Rift by $100, to $399 includ-
ing controllers, in an effort to woo buyers at
the high end of the market.
Zuckerberg has said virtual reality will
be the next major computing platform, after
mobile phones. He has been investing heav-
ily in the medium since purchasing Oculus
VR for $2bn in 2014.
In another development, Facebook and
social networking website faced technical
issues.
Were aware that some people are
currently having trouble accessing Face-
book and Instagram. Were working to
get things back to normal as quickly as
possible, a Facebook spokesperson told
Reuters.
Earlier in the day, DownDetector.com,
which monitors outages, showed that there
were over 12,000 incidents of people report-
ing issues with using the website. http://bit.
ly/1sc4e5X
Fifty percent of the people reported hav-
ing trouble logging in while 40 percent
complained that they faced total blackout
issues and the remaining 10 percent faced
problems with pictures, Downdetector said
on its website report.

Weinstein scandal ares up US political feuds Bafta suspends

Weinsteins
Washington bombshell expose published by
AFP the New Yorker on Tuesday.
Previous allegations which
membership

T
he sexual assault accusa- led to his weekend sacking from London
tions against Harvey The Weinstein Company had so AFP
Weinstein have seeped into far been limited to complaints

Americas partisan politics, with
Barack Obama and Hillary Clin-
ton accused of waiting too long
to disavow their friend and party
donor.
The politicisation of the
scandal came as the Hollywood
producer faced claims he raped
an Italian film star and at least
two more women, a new angle
to allegations that have rocked
Hollywood and sent tremors
through the Democratic Party.
Weinstein denies all charges,
according to a statement from
his spokeswoman Sallie Hof-
meister circulated among US
media. Yesterday, Hofmeister
offered no comment when
asked about TMZ reports that
Weinstein was heading to
Europe to enter a rehabilitation
facility.
His wife, British fashion
designer Georgina Chapman,
told celebrity magazine People
she was leaving Weinstein, with
whom she has two children.
The list of the Oscar-win-
ners harassment victims also
reportedly now includes Gwyn-
eth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie,
Rosanna Arquette and French
actress Judith Godreche.
Former president Obama
and Clinton, who last year aimed
to succeed him in office, finally
spoke up on Tuesday, express-
ing revulsion at the charges
against a friend and supporter.
Clinton said she was
Former actress and screenwriter Louisette Geiss (left) and her lawyer Gloria Allred prepare
for a press conference against producer Harvey Weinstein, in Los Angeles.
shocked and appalled by the
revelations, while Obama and his
wife Michelle said they were
disgusted.
Any man who demeans and
degrades women in such fash-
ion needs to be condemned and
held accountable, regardless of
wealth or status, the Obamas
said in a statement.
The comments came after
days of withering accusations by
Republicans that the liberal elite
was turning a blind eye away
from one of their own, and with
President Donald Trumps party
demanding that Democrats jet-
tison contributions by the movie
mogul.
Put your money where your
mouth is. Return all of the dirty
Harvey Weinstein money, the
Republican National Committee
said in a video that showed Clin-
ton denouncing misogyny and
former first lady Michelle Obama
calling Weinstein a wonderful
human being.
Since 1990, Weinstein and
his wife have personally donated
more than $1.4m to various
Democratic candidates or polit-
ical action committees,
according to the Center for
Responsive Politics.
Weinstein hosted or attended
several fundraisers for Clinton
last year, and has attended mul-
tiple state dinners at the Obama
White House. In 2011, he hosted
an Obama fundraiser at his New
York residence, where the guest
list included Paltrow and rocker
husband Chris Martin, television
host Jimmy Fallon and singer Ali-
cia Keys.
As Democrats began return-
ing Weinstein money,
Republicans painted liberals as
hypocrites, despite many of their
own party having stood by
Trump when similar lurid alle-
gations were made against him
as a presidential candidate.
Trumps son Donald Trump
Jr tweeted yesterday that maybe
Hollywood will finally end their
BS lectures.
The rape allegations against
Weinstein, 65, were made in a
about harassment.
The New Yorker investiga-
tion was published as fresh
misconduct allegations emerged
from Hollywood A-listers such
as Jolie, Arquette and Paltrow.
Italian actress Asia Argento
said she had maintained her
silence until now for fear that
Weinstein would crush her,
adding: I know he has crushed
a lot of people before.
Another instance involved
model Ambra Battilana Gutier-
rez, whom the New Yorker said
Weinstein met in March 2015.
Audio of their conversation
in a hallway at the Tribeca Grand
Hotel was released by the mag-
azine, with Weinstein heard
repeatedly pressuring her to
come into his room.
As Republicans continued
their criticism, many Trump crit-
ics pushed back, noting that the
president himself has been
accused of abusive behaviour
and that a tape has been released
of him boasting of sexual
assaults.
Trump insists his bragging
was merely locker room talk.
It is somewhat ironic,
Democratic former Michigan
governor Jennifer Granholm told
CNN, that the Republicans are
ginning up all of this stuff about
Harvey Weinstein when the
president himself has been
accused of sexual harassment or
sexual abuse 15 times.
T
he British Academy of
Film and Television Arts
(Bafta) said yesterday it
has suspended Harvey Wein-
steins membership, effective
immediately. The organisa-
tion acted as the scandal
engulfing the Hollywood pro-
ducer continued to widen,
with new claims he raped an
Italian film star and two other
women drawing condemna-
tion from across the film
world and Americas liberal
political elite.
In a statement Bafta said
it hoped the decision sends
a clear message that such
behaviour has absolutely no
place in our industry.
Whilst Bafta has previ-
ously been a beneficiary of Mr
Weinsteins support for its
charitable work, it considers
the reported alleged behav-
iour completely unacceptable
and incompatible with Baftas
values, it added.
The latest allegations
against the 65-year-old
movie mogul made in a
bombshell expose published
by the New Yorker on Tues-
day escalated the scandal to
new levels. Previous accusa-
tions, which led to his
weekend sacking from The
Weinstein Company, had
been limited to complaints
about sexual harassment.

Hundreds missing after California res
San Francisco
AP
D
esperate family
members and
friends pleaded on
social media for
help finding loved
ones missing amid Californias
wildfires, as the number of peo-
ple unaccounted for yesterday
was put at 670 in hard-hit Son-
oma County alone.
How many people overall
were missing was unclear, and
officials said the lists could
include duplicated names and
people who are safe but havent
told anyone, whether because of
the general confusion or because
cellphone service is out across
wide areas.
We get calls and people
searching for lost folks and
theyre not lost, theyre just stay-
ing with somebody and we dont
know where it is, said Napa
County Supervisor Brad
Wagenknecht.
As of yesterday, 22 wildfires
were burning in Northern Cali-
fornia, up from 17 the day before.
The blazes were blamed for at
least 17 deaths and the loss of at
least 3,500 homes and
businesses.
With many fires still raging
out of control, authorities said
finding the missing was not their
priority.
Canadian PM visits US
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcome Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau at the White House in Washington,
DC, yesterday.
Three-quarters of Americans
favour higher taxes for wealthy
Washington
Reuters
A
s President Donald Trump
promotes a tax plan that
critics say would raise the
federal deficit by slashing corpo-
rate rates and eliminating some
taxes paid by the rich, some
three-quarters of Americans
believe the wealthiest should pay
more, Reuters/Ipsos polling
shows.
Trump is expected to travel
on Wednesday to Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, where he will
explain to a group of workers,
Moscow may demand US cut diplomatic staff in Russia to 300
Moscow
Reuters
R
ussia does not rule out
ordering the United States
to cut its diplomatic staff
in Russia to 300 people or fewer,
RIA news agency quoted senior
Foreign Ministry official Georgy
Borisenko as saying yesterday.
In July, Moscow told the
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
As of yesterday,
22 wildres
were burning
in Northern
California, up from
17 the day before.
The blazes were
blamed for at least
17 deaths and the
loss of at least
3,500 homes and
businesses.
We are not switching oper-
ations to anything but lifesaving
right now. Its all about lifesav-
ing and evacuations, said
Sonoma County Sheriff Robert
Giordano.
As a result, many people
turned to social media, posting
pleas such as Looking for my
Grandpa Robert, We are look-
ing for our mother Norma or I
cant find my mom.
A sobbing Rachael Ingram
said she had been searching shel-
ters and calling hospitals to try
to find her friend Mike Grabow,
whose home in Santa Rosa was
destroyed. She also plastered
social media with photos of the
including many truckers, how he
believes they will benefit from his
tax plan, which was released two
weeks ago.
The president is expected to
describe how, if his plan becomes
law, truckers would benefit from
lower tax rates for the middle
class, lower taxes paid by the
manufacturers whose products
they transport, the creation of a
new tax category and rate for
pass-through companies, and
the elimination of a tax paid by
the wealthiest 0.2 percent of
estates, a senior administration
official said.
United States to slash the number
of its diplomatic and technical staff
working in Russia by around 60
percent, to 455, in a further sign
of souring relations.
The figure of 455 was meant
to mirror the total number of
Russian diplomats working in
the United States, but also
included Russian nationals
working at the United Nations in
bearded man.
Privacy rules, she said, pre-
vented shelters from releasing
information.
You can only really leave
notes and just try and send
essentially a message in a bot-
tle, she said.
She said she hopes Grabow
is simply without a phone or cell
service. Ive heard stories of
people being relocated to San
Francisco and Oakland. Im hop-
ing for something like that, she
said. Were hearing the worst
and expecting the best.
Jessica Tunis went online in
search of her mother, employ-
ing an increasingly familiar ritual
that was seen after Hurricanes
Harvey, Rita and Maria and the
Las Vegas massacre.
Tunis was talking by phone
with her mother as the older
womans mobile home in Santa
Rosa caught fire. She said, I
cant get out. Theres fire at both
doors. My house is on fire. She
just kept saying fire and cough-
ing. She said, Im going to die,
Tunis said. Then the phone went
dead.
Out of respect for her moth-
ers privacy, she hesitated at first
to put the womans name and
photo on Facebook. But she
ended up posting a picture of her
mother smiling at a cafe with the
caption, Does anyone know if
Journeys End Mobile Home Park
Trump has said his tax plan
would be a miracle for the mid-
dle class and spur economic
growth by creating a better tax
climate for businesses. He is
expected to tell the truckers that
his plan would likely give the
typical American household a
$4,000 pay raise, according to
an excerpt from his prepared
remarks. White House economic
adviser Kevin Hassett has said
that if US companies brought for-
eign-earned profits home, the
median household would see
their real income rise by $4,000
over the next eight years.
New York, Borisenko, head of the
Foreign Ministrys North Amer-
ica Department, told RIA.
The fact that in the summer
we took into account the people
working for Russias mission at
the UN, this was good will,
Borisenko said.
If they havent appreciated
this, we have the full right to
reduce ... the number of US
A man looks at the remains of his home destroyed by wildre in Santa Rosa, California, yesterday.
got evacuated before it burned
down? I cant find my mom,
Linda Tunis. 100 comments, most from stran-
The owner of the trailer park
and residents said they believe
everyone got out before it burned
to the ground. But Tunis mother
was still unaccounted for.
Ive called the coroner.
Ive called every hospital.
There are no Jane Does, Tunis
said. Ive called burn units.
Trump warns disgusting
press over N-policy report
Washington
AFP
U
S President Donald
Trump tore into the
press and questioned
whether broadcasters should
have their licenses revoked
yesterday, after an unflatter-
ing story about his nuclear
policy.
Its frankly disgusting the
way the press is able to write
whatever they want to write,
and people should want to
look into it, Trump fumed as
he met his Canadian counter-
part in the Oval Office.
But the president who
has a history of being com-
bative with the media said
he did not want to see formal
restrictions.
No. The press should
speak more honestly, I mean,
Ive seen tremendously dis-
honest press. Its not even a
question of distortion.
Trump was angered after
NBC News reported he had
asked to dramatically
increase in Americas nuclear
stockpile, calling it made up.
His secretary of defense
backed him publicly.
Recent reports that the
president called for an
increase in the US nuclear
arsenal are absolutely false,
Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said
in a statement.
This kind of erroneous
reporting is irresponsible.
The US television net-
work reported that Trump
told generals and security
aides over the summer that
he wanted a nearly tenfold
increase in the US nuclear
diplomats, he said, adding that
Moscow could stop taking Rus-
sian UN staff into account when
calculating what parity between
the two countries meant. In this
case, the number of American per-
sonnel in Russia should decline to
a level of 300 or below.
A spokeswoman for the US
Embassy in Moscow said Wash-
ington hoped that complying
AMERICAS
Ive called everywhere.
Her post spawned well over
gers. Some gave suggestions of
places to look or call. Many just
gave good wishes and prayers.
Others took it as an assignment.
The only drawback, Tunis said,
has been false reports and false
hope. One person messaged me
that they saw her, she said.
They said she was looking at her
arsenal.
With all of the Fake
News coming out of NBC and
the Networks, at what point
is it appropriate to challenge
their License? Bad for coun-
try! Trump tweeted.
The US Constitution is
understood to guarantee
press freedom, but television
networks rely on access to
broadcast frequencies
granted by government
agencies.
Citing three officials who
were in the room, NBC said
Trumps response came when
he was shown a slide show-
ing the steady reduction of
nukes since the 1960s.
After the briefing, the sec-
retary of state is alleged to
have called Trump a moron,
although Rex Tillersons
spokeswoman has denied
that allegation.
Trump denied requesting
more weapons. I never dis-
cussed increasing it. I want it
in perfect shape. That was
fake news, he said.
Such a move would abro-
gate key international arms
control treaties and upend
decades of non-proliferation
policy, with deep ramifica-
tions across the globe.
Right now, we have so
many nuclear weapons I want
them in perfect condition,
perfect shape. Thats the only
thing I have discussed,
Trump said.
As president and candi-
date, Trump has often mused
aloud about Americas
nuclear weapons power, say-
ing there is no point in having
them if you do not use them.
with the Russian requirements
would mean both countries
could stop trading retaliatory
measures, RIA later reported.
The deterioration of relations
does not serve the interests of
either side. We hope that the
downward trend in relations has
come to an end, RIA quoted
embassy spokeswoman Maria
Olson as saying.
19
phone. I knew that wasnt her.
You get your hopes up for a split
second.
For some lucky people, their
loved ones turned up within
hours or minutes of their Face-
book inquiries.
This is my grandma, read
a post by Mica Jennings. We
havent heard from her all day
and have checked the shelters ...
with no luck.
Trump to nominate
Nielsen as Homeland
Security Secretary
WASHINGTON: US President
Donald Trump was expected
to nominate Kirstjen Nielsen,
an aide to White House chief
of staff John Kelly, to lead the
Department of Homeland
Security, a White House offi-
cial said. The announcement
was expected later in the day,
the official said on condition
of anonymity.
Nielsen, the deputy White
House chief of staff, was a top
aide to Kelly when he led the
department and moved with
him to the White House when
he became chief of staff.
Nielsen is considered an
expert on cyber security, one
of the primary issues under
the Homeland Security
Departments sprawling
portfolio.
She previously worked at
a cyber think tank at George
Washington University and is
considered well-versed in
some of the more technical
missions at DHS, such as shar-
ing cyber threat information
with the private sector.
Nielsen is an expert in
homeland and national secu-
rity policy and strategy, with
a focus on critical infrastruc-
ture protection, according to
her biography on GWUs
Center for Cyber & Homeland
Security.
California to allow
autonomous cars
without driver
SAN FRANCISCO: California
officials unveiled new regu-
lations that would allow
autonomous vehicles to oper-
ate on state roads in test
projects without a human
operator.
A revised regulation which
could take effect in 2018 would
eliminate a provision in an ear-
lier draft that required
physical control by a natural
person sitting in the vehicles
drivers seat in any autono-
mous car.
The language was replaced
with a requirement for
supervising the autonomous
technologys performance of
the dynamic driving task.
20 HOME
PRAYER TIMINGS
FAJR
SHOROOK
04.14 am
05.30 am
Over 700 to compete in rst-ever
ZUHR 11.20 am
ASR 02.41 pm
MAGHRIB 05.12 pm
ISHA 06.42 pm search for best musical talent in Qatar
WEATHER TODAY Raynald C Rivera
The Peninsula
32oC 38oC
M
ore than 700 young
aspiring musicians are
Minimum Maximum all set for the first-ever
Qatar National Music
Competition (QNMC)
a nationwide search for the best of
Qatars musical talent, which will kick
off on Sunday at Katara Drama
Theatre.
Organised by Qatar-based non-
profit foundation Moving Young
Artists (MYA), the five-day event was
launched to inspire a deep love and
knowledge of music in the Qatari
community.
Under the patronage of Qatar
National Commission for Education,
Culture and Science (NatCom), the
competition seeks to create a plat-
form that encourages the best in
music creativity and performance in
Qatar.
The competition was launched in
May and was opened to those below
18 years old with a flair for music
including playing piano, winds,
strings, percussion/harp/guitar, as
well as vocal and composition encom-
passing Arabic and Western music.
The response has been over-
whelming. Despite the fact that it
Hot daytime with slight dust to
coincided with three months of sum-
blowing dust at places at times.
mer holiday when some people were
away, we have hundreds of candi-
HIGH TIDE 10:15 22:15 LOW TIDE 02:15 18:00 dates who are going to perform from
Sunday to Thursday, which I find an
amazing result, Sonja Park, co-
Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department founder, told The Peninsula.
Speaking at a press conference
yesterday at Marsa Malaz Kempinski,
Park said the much anticipated com-
LATEST NEWS petition is expected to be an incredible
UPDATE celebration of music with many tal-
ents vying for numerous awards at
www.thepeninsulaqatar.com stake.
There will be a total of 68 prizes,
18 ambassadors awards as well as a
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017
The competition
is chiefly sponsored
by Vodafone Qatar
and in collaboration
with Katara, the
Qatar Philharmonic
Orchestra and
Marsa Malaz
Kempinski.
Sheikh Hamad
bin Abdullah Al
Thani, Chief Oper-
ating Officer,
Vodafone Qatar
said, Vodafone
around the world
has a rich history of
supporting music
competitions that
give talented indi-
viduals a platform
for creativity so we
are proud to spon-
sor the QNMC. The
competition will
FROM LEFT: Sonja Park, Co Founder of MYA; Abdullah Al Kubaisi, Head of Arabic and undoubtedly grow
Islamic Affairs at Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science; and to become one of
Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, Chief Operating Officer at Vodafone Qatar; during the most important
the press conference of the rst Qatar National Music Competition which took place at global music com-
Marsa Malaz Kempinski, yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula petitions attracting
impressive talent
number of special awards to be given Orchesrtra, while some selected prize locally and from around the world.
by various companies and institutions, winners will be able to record in state- The diplomatic missions support-
she said. of-the-art Katara Studios. ing the QNMC are the embassies of
Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, Other lucky ones will get to per- South Korea, Belgium, Sweden, the
and a diploma will be awarded in each form at esteemed stages such as the UK, Austria, India, Netherlands, Swit-
category and all participants will British Festival, the Sheikh Faisal zerland, Germany, Spain, Hungary,
receive a certificate of merit for their Museum, and at concerts in Qatar France, Russia, Singapore, and initi-
performance. The Vodafone Grand Museums venues. atives such as the Spanish Business
Prize, reserved for the standout per- Abdullah Al Kubaisi, Head of Ara- Council, Hungarys V4 Connects, and
formance in the entire competition, bic and Islamic Affairs at Qatar Institut Francais Qatar.
provided by Vodafone, and a special National Commission for Education, Audience tickets for the compe-
Qatars Best Award for best perform- Culture and Science, said, We aim to tition classes are free, and are
ance by a Qatari artist, provided by encourage creativity and competition available on a first come, first served
the Qatar National Commission for among the youth to discover the best basis at door. Timings for the compe-
Education, Culture and Science, are musical talents that can represent tition schedule can be viewed at www.
among the most coveted. Qatar on the global stage. I extend my qnmc.org. Tickets for the Gala Con-
The winner in Concerto category
will receive the honour to perform as
thanks to Katara and Sonja Park and
all the teams who are contributing to
cert and Awards Cermony will be
limited to those receiving prizes and
a soloist with Qatar Philharmonic this competition. performing on the evening.