amir receives ramadan well-wishers - qatar tribune

WEDNESDAYMAY 8, 2019

RAMADAN 3, 1440VOL.12 NO. 4628 QR 2

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Hassad, Qatar’s premier investor in the food sector, has announced that Mahaseel for Mar-

keting and Agri Services would commence receiv-ing and marketing the local agricultural products in the Qatari market on June 5. The government has allocated a piece of land, as a permanent headquarters for the Mahaseel’s project, near the new central market in Al Sailiyah. PAGE 12

Marketing of Mahaseel’s local products to begin on June 5: Hassad

QP issues tender for North Field LNG storage, loading facilities

QATAR Petroleum (QP) has invited bids for engineering, procurement and

construction (EPC) work to expand its liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage, and the loading and export facilities for its North Field Expansion project. The tender package is for EPC work for three LNG storage tanks, compressors to recover tank boil off gas during storage and jetty boil off gas during LNG vessel loading, QP said in a statement.

The tender would also include LNG rundown lines from the LNG trains to the LNG storage area as well as two ad-ditional LNG berths, with an option for a third LNG berth.

Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President & CEO of Qatar Petro-leum HE Saad Sherida al Kaabi said, “Under this strategy, we have identified the need for multiple EPC packages that can match the execution expertise

in the EPC contracting community for specific scopes of work while providing the opportunity for multiple EPC con-tractors to participate. The issuance of this tender package will culminate in the award of this EPC contract by Febru-ary 2020.” PAGE 12

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

THE Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has launched an initiative to bol-ster the productivity of bak-eries, restaurants, cafeterias and juice shops during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

In a statement on Tues-day, the ministry said, “The initiative is aimed at sup-porting and bolstering the productivity of bakeries, res-taurants, cafeterias and juice shops during Ramadan 1440 Hijri.”

The ministry has author-ised bakeries, restaurants, cafeterias and juice shops to offer various items in demand during the holy month. The items covered include ke-babs, qatayef and sambusas in addition to different kinds of pastries and sweets served during Ramadan.

The initiative is aimed at bolstering various sectors and business activities in Qatar, and to encourage bakeries, restaurants, cafeterias and

juice shops to increase pro-ductivity and enhance the quality of their products dur-ing the holy month in addi-tion to easing consumers’ ac-cess to these products across different outlets.

Initiative to boost productivity of bakeries, eateries & cafes launched

AMIR RECEIVES RAMADAN WELL-WISHERS

Qatar’s economy performed well despite blockade: Survey

QATAR’S economy has performed remarkably well despite the chal-

lenges of the blockade, according to a survey conducted by Qatar University. The study titled ‘Blockade on Busi-ness: A Survey of Qatar’s Financial and Industrial Firms’ focused on the industrial and financial sectors, using the best scientific research methodolo-gy, to identify the initial and ongoing ef-fects of the blockade on the function-ing of the companies, as well as their outlook for the future. According to the survey, the opinion of financial com-panies was more positive about the impact of the blockade than industrial

companies, with 69 percent of finan-cial companies stating that the impact of the blockade on business revenues was ‘neutral’ and, conversely, only 22 percent of industrial companies said their revenues remained the same as before the blockade. PAGE 2

The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), attended QF’s annual convocation ceremony, honouring the academic achievements of 787 new QF graduates. Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al Thani, HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al Thani, Vice Chair-person and CEO, Qatar Foundation, and HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, President of Qatar Olympic Committee, also attended the event in Education City’s Ceremonial Court, alongside ministers and dignitaries, university deans, faculty, and family members. (HHOPL) SEE ALSO PAGE 4

AMIR GRACES QF GRADUATION

NMoQ welcomes over 130,000 visitors in first month (PG 6)

Qatar 2022 World Cup achieves fast pace sustainable development (PG 17)

355 emergency cases at HGH on second day of Ramadan (P 2 )

RAMADANMoCI authorises baker-

ies, restaurants, cafeterias and juice shops to offer various items in demand during the holy month

The items covered by the initiative include kebabs, qatayef and sambusas in addition to different kinds of pastries and sweets

THE Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani received more well-wishers, including sheikhs and citizens, on the advent of the Holy Month of Ramadan at the Al Wajba Palace on Tuesday. HH the Personal Representative of the Amir Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani attended the reception along with a number of sheikhs. (QNA) MORE ON PAGE 20

THE Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani exchanged greet-ings with Somali President Mohammed Abdullah Faramago on the advent of the Holy Month of Ramadan, in a telephone conversation on Tuesday. (QNA)

Amir exchanges greetings with Somali president

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Fajr: 3:30 am Dhuhr: 11:30 amAsr: 2:58 pm Maghrib: 6:11 pm Isha: 7:41 pm

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02 Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Contact US: Qatar Tribune I EDITORIAL I Phone: 40002222 I ADMINISTRATION & MARKETING I Phone: 40002155, 40002122, Fax: 40002235 P.O. Box: 23493, Doha.

Qatar, Ethiopia ink security cooperation deal QATAR and Ethiopia on Tuesday signed a letter of intent to promote security cooperation between both countries. The let-ter of intent was signed by Director of Public Security HE Staff Major-General Saad bin Jassim al Khulaifi and Commissioner-General of the Federal Police Commission in Ethiopia Ende-shaw Tassew. (QNA)

Kosovo 1st Deputy PM meets Qatari envoy

FIRST Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo Behgjet Pacolli met with Non-resident Ambassador of Qatar to Kosovo HE Ali bin Hamad al Marri in Pristina. Dur-ing the meeting, they discussed the bilateral relations and the ways of strengthening them, as well as issues of mutual interest. (QNA)

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Despite blockade, Qatar’s economy hasperformed remarkably well: QU Survey


QATAR’S economy has per-formed remarkably well despite the challenges of the blockade, according to a survey conduct-ed by Qatar University’s (QU) Social and Economic Research Institute (SESRI) and the Col-lege of Business and Econom-ics (CBE), in collaboration with the Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA).

The survey, however, said more information is needed to see how the embargo has affect-ed Qatar’s business commu-nity, how firms have navigated these challenges and what poli-cymakers can do to help firms to succeed.

The study titled ‘Blockade on Business: A Survey of Qa-tar’s Financial and Industrial Firms’ focused on the industrial and financial sectors, using the best scientific research method-ology, to identify the initial and ongoing effects of the blockade on the functioning of the com-panies, as well as their outlook for the future. The goal of the study is to obtain firm-level as-sessments of Qatar’s business environment, employment and

labour markets, trade and lo-gistics, and finance and invest-ment conditions.

The results will facilitate economic analysis that will inform key decision makers as they develop policies to sup-port Qatar’s industrial and financial sectors. The study will provide a baseline data for what could, in the future, be-come a regular survey to track firms’ views over time.

According to the survey, the opinion of financial companies was more positive about the impact of the blockade than industrial companies, with 69 percent of financial companies

stating that the impact of the blockade on business revenues was ‘neutral’ and, conversely, only 22 percent of industrial companies said their revenues remained the same as before the blockade.

In addition, 46 percent of companies in the industrial sector reported an increase in demand for their products, with the exception of the con-struction sector, where demand remained low. Looking at the supply chains and the import and export capacity of Qatar, companies experienced some difficulties. However, 63 per-cent of companies reported

being able to find alternative countries in a very short period of time (less than five months).

The SESRI event where QU representatives an-nounced the results of the study was attended by Qatar University President Dr Has-san al Derham and CEO of QFBA Dr Khalid al Horr.

Director of SESRI Dr Hassan Abdulrahim al Sayed spoke at the event and em-phasised the importance of the study in forming a com-prehensive picture about the effects of the blockade on the economic sector.

Manager of the Policy De-

partment in SESRI Dr Majed Mohammed al Ansari gave a presentation, which included a set of recommendations for decision makers. Ansari said the results showed that in terms of general working conditions in Qatar, compa-nies are generally positive and optimistic about the future, as local markets have improved dramatically and have been able to reach new markets and suppliers. However, some companies have lost business due to the blockade.

Ansari said policymakers should look at success stories as well as challenges, building on the strengths and creativity of Qatar’s business community.

“They should continue to look for ways to enhance business flexibility to access import sources and export destinations. The govern-ment should also encourage an effective response to future dialogue between the business community. Finally, it is rec-ommended to investigate the reasons why industrial com-panies and financial compa-nies differ in their perception of the financial circumstances in the country,” he said.

MoI’s Ramadan safety tips for residentsTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

THE Ministry of Interior (MoI) has issued tips for the residents of Qatar to follow during the Holy Month of Ramadan to help ensure their safe-ty at home, workplace, market and on roads.

The MoI has urged residents to ensure availability of function-ing fire extinguishers in houses and workplaces and have the knowledge of its best use, have safe electrical and gas connections and not leave cooking pans on the stove for a long period without surveillance.

The MoI has further advised residents to switch off the stove immediately after cooking, switch on the exhaust fan, monitor chil-dren in kitchen and be on alert while cooking.

As for traffic safety measures, the ministry has urged drivers to strictly follow all traffic rules and regulations and not to over speed especially before iftar, not to park vehicles wrongly in front of Masjids during the night prayer, not to oc-cupy parking dedicated to special needs people, to give way for the emergency vehicles and to guaran-tee safety of pedestrians.

The MoI has instructed heavy vehicle drivers to follow the no entry timings to the prohibited areas.

The MoI has advised residents to start early before the iftar time

as most accidents take place during that hour.

It has cautioned residents against allowing children to play on the internal roads of residential ar-eas, especially during night time to avert a mishap, requesting them to allow children to play only in desig-nated areas.

The MoI has urged motorists to avoid wrong parking of vehicles obstructing traffic movement par-ticularly during the night prayer Taraweeh, mid night prayer and if-tar gatherings.

The MoI has also urged pedes-trians to ensure that the road is completely free from vehicles from both sides before crossing the road.

Furthermore, the MoI has ad-vised residents to avoid last day shopping for Ramadan and Eid to avoid heavy rush. It has also urged motorists to be extra cautious dur-ing Garangao night when children will be walking around residential areas to collect sweets and gifts of-

fered by neighbours. The MoI has alerted resi-

dents against food poisoning, ask-ing them to check the validity of canned, frozen or preserved food-stuff and also make sure that there are no changes in the smell, colour or texture of the stuff.

The MoI has urged residents to ensure that the foodstuff are kept in a clean and closed place or in the re-frigerator even when they dine out.

For, kitchen fire protection, the MoI suggests ventilating the place by opening all doors and windows to eliminate or reduce concentra-tion of the leaked gas rather than switching on the exhaust fan.

It advises use of soap foam for locating the leakage of the gas and not to use a burning matchstick near a gas cylinder to locate the place of leakage.

The MoI has also urged resi-dents not to put on flowing dress-es or nylon mixed wears while in kitchen.

In case of emergency, residents are advised to contact hotline no. 999. The hotline for the deaf is 992.

The MoI has urged residents to mention their address in detail including building number, street number and zone number.

Meanwhile, the MoI has urged residents to report begging to the Anti-Begging Section at Crimi-nal Investigation Department on 2347444 / 33618627.

Amir directs $480mn support for Palestinians

QNADOHA

THE Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani has direct-ed allocation of $480 million for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The State of Qatar has al-located $300 million in grants and loans to support the health and education budget of the Palestinian Authority and $180 million to support UN’s ur-gent humanitarian relief pro-grammes in Palestine as well as electricity supply during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The support reflects the fra-ternal bond between Qatari and Palestinian peoples and seeks to help Palestinians meet their necessary needs in the wake of the crisis posed by the Israeli occupation forces, lack of inter-national humanitarian support and inability of the Palestinian economy to support its popula-tion.

Meanwhile, Qatar has called upon the international commu-nity to fulfill its humanitarian and moral responsibilities and to assist the brotherly Palestin-ian people to overcome the hu-manitarian crisis facing them.

CATHERINE W GICHUKIDOHA

HAMAD Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Hamad General Hospital (HGH) received 355 emergency cases on the second day of the Holy Month of Ramadan from 6am to 6pm, a consultant has said.

Speaking to Qatar Tribune, HGH Consultant of Emergency Medicine Dr Yousif Eltayeb said the Acci-dent and Emergency Department of HGH received altogether 355 cases of which 26 were gastric-related complaints, 26 concerned renal and 12 related to road accidents, besides

other different complaints.”He said most of these emergency

cases were related to heat exhaus-tion and dehydration, a common phenomenon during Ramadan.

Recently, HMC cautioned resi-dents on the risk of dehydration and heat-related illnesses during the Holy Month. Since people abstain from eating and drinking for long periods of time during Ramadan, dehydration can occur.

HMC had recently advised residents to avoid direct exposure to heat that could lead to exces-sive sweating, which in turn, could heighten the risk of dehydration.

Manager of the Policy Department in SESRI Dr Majed Mohammed al Ansari presents results of the survey in the presence of Qatar University’s President Dr Hassan Rashid al Derham and other officials.

HGH receives 355 emergency cases on 2nd day of Ramadan

Hamad General Hospital Consultant of Emergency Medicine Dr Yousif Eltayeb.

The ministry has urged drivers to strictly follow all traffic rules and regulations and not to over speed especially before iftar, not to park vehicles wrongly in front of Masjids during the night prayer, not to occupy parking dedicated to special needs people.

(From left) Elias Maalouf, regional director of Technical Services, Dusit International; Jacob V Jacob, CFO & VP for Administration, Al Majed Group; Gerhard Stutz, cluster general manager, Dusit Doha Hotel; Lim Boon Kwee, chief operating officer, Dusit International; Ahmed Mahdi al Majid, chairman, Al Majed Group; Osama Ahmed Foad Ahmed, VP for Legal Affairs, Al Majed Group; Nasser Ahmed al Majid, director of Business Development, Al Majed Group; Thierry Douin, senior vice-president – Operations, Dusit International; and Prateek Kumar, regional vice-president EMEA, Dusit International, at the inauguration of Dusit Doha. Capturing the essence of its global counterpart, Dusit Doha is the perfect reflection of Qatari heritage in royal indulgence. Located in the heart of Doha’s vibrant West Bay area, adjacent to the breezy Corniche, Dusit Doha Hotel is a five-star modern oasis. (TNN)

Nation 03Wednesday, May 8, 2019

DOCTORS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT - FRONT ROW: Shaikha Mubarak Al-Thani, Merna Abdelraouf Hussien, Nada Mahmoud Darwish, Hanof Ahmed, Mona Hisham Abdelmoneim, Tina Bharani, Rana Abualsaud, Farah Bshesh, Maryam Own, Dalal Abdelaziz Hassan Hussain, Fatima Al-Baqali, Aljazi Hamad Al-Mana, Fatima Hassan Al-Saygh, and Tala Kareem Altaji. MIDDLE ROW: Said Radi Alnajjar, Basem Abdelhalim Oraby, Ahmad Salah Sami, Angela Dandan, Nourhan Arafa Kika, Yi Li, Yunze Wen, Sahar Abida Mahadik, Sara Seife Hassen, Sonia Allouch, Sara Alhousseiny, Yaser Janahi, Suresh Nalaka Menik Arachchige, Jaber Mohammed Al-Sulaiti, Abdulaziz Al-Malki, and Khalid Majid Albureshad. BACK ROW: Assem Jabri, Abdel Aziz Al Bawab, Adham Musthak, Abdullah Hesham Elzafarany, Moaz Omar Abdelrehim, Dayyan Mohammed Adoor, Ramez Reyad Rawhani, Yanal Ramzi Shaheen, Mountasir El-Tohami, Irfan H. Helmy, Fahad Hamad Al-Marri, Syeda Razia Haider, Khalid Ahmed, Ahmed Hussin, Ahmed Montaser Mushannen.

Congratulations to the Class of 2019


NOBLE International School (NIS) recorded another suc-cess by achieving 100 percent results in the CBSE AISSE ex-amination held in March 2019.

It was a moment of pride for the students and teachers of

NIS to learn that a number of students had attained A1 grades in all subjects. Fahisa Roshan, Vrushika Shah, Sadaf Sahra, Stuti Somani and Hanna Febin, students of distinction, were fe-licitated by the members of the school management.

“I congratulate the Grade 10 students for achieving re-

markable results along with my dedicated team of teachers who have extended their unwaver-ing support for this triumph,” said the Principal Shibu Abdul Rasheed.

Vice-Principals Jayamon Joy and Robin K Jose also hailed the students for the out-standing results.

NIS students fetch 100% results

Noble International School students and teachers after recording excellent results in the CBSE AISSE exams.


VODAFONE Qatar is thanking its customers for their loyalty and continuous support dur-ing the Holy Month of Rama-dan with exclusive offers un-der their Ramadan campaign #ShukranFromTheHeart.

All Vodafone customers including Prepaid, Postpaid and Enterprise will be able to enjoy the following Ramadan Shukran deals through the My Vodafone App free through-out the month of Ramadan: Vodafone Entertainer Pack: The application gives great discounts and buy one get one free iftar and suhour offers at

various popular restaurants across Qatar.

Careem Discounts: It of-fers 25 percent discount on one ride every day for the en-tire period of Ramadan. Wavo by OSN: The online streaming platform allows customers to watch their favourite shows, Hollywood and Arabic mov-ies, kids content, live sport, WWE and much more.

Noor: It provides specially curated Islamic content with

recitations of Quran verses, Dua, Qibla direction, nearest mosque and more.

Diego Camberos, chief op-erating officer, Vodafone Qa-tar, said: “We recently marked our 10 year anniversary and what better a time to thank our customers for their loyalty and support than the Holy Month of Ramadan. We hope our free offers that utilises our strategic partnerships are en-joyed by all our customers and their families during this very special time.”

Customers who do not have the Vodafone App yet can download it from the Ap-ple Store or Google Play, or via www.vodafone.qa/app.

Vodafone launches Ramadan promotion for customersThere’s a 25 percent Careem discount on one ride every day during Ramadan QNA

DOHA

SPEAKER of the Shura Coun-cil HE Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al Mahmoud met on Tuesday with President of the Senate of the Republic of Bu-rundi Reverien Ndikuriyo and his accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, they discussed the mutual coop-eration between the State of Qatar and Burundi and ways of promoting it, especially in the parliamentary field, in ad-dition to issues of common interest.

The president of the Senate of Burundi congratulated the speaker of the Shura Council on the success of the meetings of the 140th General Assem-

bly of the Inter-Parliamentray Union, which was held in Doha in April. Ndikuriyo also underlined the significance of

the outcome of those meetings in the march of the Inter-Par-liamentary Union.

The meeting was attended

by HE Mohammed bin Man-sour al Shahwani, member of the Qatar-Africa Friendship Group.

Mahmoud, Burundi Senate president discuss parliamentary relations

Speaker of the Shura Council HE Ahmed bin Abdullahio Zaidal Mahmoud with President of the Senate of Burundi, Reverien Ndikuriyo in Doha on Tuesday.

DIGNITARIES AT THE OPENING OF DUSIT DOHA HOTEL

04 Wednesday, May 8, 2019 Nation

AILYN AGONIADOHA

THE Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani graced the 12th Annual Qatar Foundation Convocation held in Educa-tion City Ceremonial Court on Tuesday.

QF Chairperson Her High-ness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser also attended the ceremony.

Prime Minister and Minis-ter of Interior HE Sheikh Ab-dullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al Thani and President of Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani attended the ceremony alongside ministers and digni-taries, university deans, faculty and family members of the stu-dents.

Sheikha Hind honoured the 787 graduates representing 70 nationalities from homegrown university Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and QF’s eight partner universities dur-ing the event witnessed by oth-er dignitaries.

The Class of 2019, which includes 378 Qataris, officially joins the more than 5,000 net-work of QF alumni excelling in various industries both locally and internationally.

A total of 484 female and 303 male graduates proudly marched the elaborately de-signed convocation venue. The batch comprises 173 graduates from HBKU, 111 from Texas A&M University at Qatar, 68 from Northwestern Univer-sity in Qatar, 84 from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, 49 from Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, 79 from Carnegie Mel-lon University in Qatar, 64 from Georgetown University in Qatar, 30 from University College London Qatar, and 129 graduates from HEC Paris in Qatar.

Sheikha Hind said, “For our Class of 2019 graduates, convocation is many things: a personal and shared celebra-tion, a source of pride, and a time to reflect on their achieve-ments and experiences at Edu-cation City. It is a culmination – but it is also a beginning.

“At convocation, the talent-ed, dedicated, and ambitious young people that Qatar Foun-dation is proud to have called our students step out of one phase of their lives and into the next. A future that holds chal-lenges and possibilities awaits

them, but wherever their path leads, they will travel it em-powered by the knowledge that they are as well-equipped to create, innovate, contribute, and thrive as any set of gradu-ates in the world.”

She added, “Every mem-ber of our Class of 2019 has recognised and maximised the unique educational op-portunity that Qatar Founda-tion provides. Their academic excellence has been matched by their growth as knowledge-

seekers, critical thinkers, and active citizens who are deter-mined to be drivers of posi-tive change. As embodiments of QF’s belief in what quality education stands for, and what it makes possible, they will al-ways be part of our story – and we will watch with pride as they write their own.”

This year’s keynote speaker was Brandon Stanton, Ameri-can author and founder of street portrait blog Humans of New York. In his remarks,

he inspired the graduates with his personal journey towards realising his life mission that eventually led to his initiative which to date has millions of followers. He stressed the im-portance of finding time to focus on a task that a person enjoys and loves the most.

The event also saw the honouring of Team Mob-sron as winners of the Cycle 2 of Akhlaquna Award. HH Sheikha Moza honoured the winning team as well as the

other finalists. Mobsron is fully-audible mobile applica-tion that provides people who are blind and visually impaired with a tool for ordering food, reviewing ingredients and comparing prices.

The convocation ceremony concluded with the graduates receiving a specially engraved QF Convocation Ring and proudly walking through the ‘Door to the Future’, a long-standing tradition of QF con-vocation symbolising the start

of a new chapter in their lives. In an interview prior to the

ceremony, some of the gradu-ates shared their experiences at QF and its universities.

Yasamin Shaikhi from VCUarts Qatar said, “Four years ago, I never thought I will be standing here. I can’t believe now I am here with the support of my family and friends. With QF and VC-Uarts, I have been able to get opportunities that I will not get anywhere else.”

Hassan al Jahni from NU-Q said he wanted to tell stories of Arabs through me-dia. “I’ve been here for over 10 years. I started off at QA Doha and then joined NU-Q. I have grown up here and am ready to take on the world now.”

Salman Shabar, a graduate from HEC Paris Qatar, shared his fond memories of meeting students from different back-grounds. He also lauded the faculty of HEC Paris whom he referred to as “top-notch”.

787 STUDENTS OF 70 NATIONALITIES FETED AT QF’S 12TH CONVOCATION

A total of 484 female and 303 male graduates proudly marched the elaborately designed convocation venue on the occasion

AMIR, SHEIKHA MOZA GRACE QATAR FOUNDATION’S GRADUATION CEREMONY

The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani and QF Chairperson Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser grace the 12th Annual Qatar Foundation Convocation in Education City Ceremonial Court on Tuesday.

Mobile app for blind bags Cycle 2 of Akhlaquna Award


THE team behind the project that was announced as the winner of Cycle 2 of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Akhlaquna Award on Tuesday has ex-pressed delight and pride for being presented with the acco-lade by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation, during QF’s annual Convocation cer-

emony at Education City.Mobsron, developed by

Nawal al Kurbi, Almazun al Marri and Amal al Gherainig, is an innovative mobile ap-plication that provides people with visual impairment with a tool to order food, review in-gredients, and compare prices. The project initially stemmed from the belief that it is every human’s right to live a digni-fied, independent life and be provided with equal opportu-nities to participate in society.

The objective of the Akhlaquna Award is to high-light the timeless and uni-versal values exhibited by the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), who serves as a role model

of great moral character, and guides the values of the award. HH Sheikha Moza first announced the Akhlaquna Award during QF’s Convoca-tion 2017 ceremony, with this year marking Cycle 2 of the initiative.

Nawal al Kurbi, the leader of the initiative, expressed her delight at winning, and the unforgettable experience she shared with her friends and teammates.

“I am very proud that Mob-sron has won this prestigious award,” she said. “I couldn’t have achieved this without my teammates. We believe that winning this award will help us to reach a larger audience

and take our project to the next level, with QF’s support.”

Almazun al Marri, the ini-tiative’s deputy leader, said: “Each human has the right to live an independent life and it is for this reason that we launched our mobile app. Through this human initia-tive, we are looking to provide a very effective service to help the blind and visually im-paired in Qatar, and hopefully beyond.”

Amal al Gherainig, who is the initiative’s media special-ist, said: “My participation in the Akhlaquna Award this year has given me confidence to follow my beliefs without hesitation and to challenge

myself.”Machaille al Naimi, presi-

dent of Community Develop-ment, QF, said: “We are abso-lutely delighted to announce that Mobsron is the winner of this year’s Akhlaquna Award.

“The ultimate aim of this award is to recognise and cel-ebrate young people who have developed projects that em-body exemplary moral charac-ter and inspire others to effect positive change in their com-munities. Mobsron is a great example of how Qatar Foun-dation, through this award, is committed to helping em-power the next generation of leaders, and how our youth are responding to this.”

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foun-dation, awards students Nawal al Kurbi, Almazun al Marri and Amal al Gherainig with the 2nd annual Akhlaquna Award for their project ‘Mobsron’. (HHOPL)

Sheikha Moza presents award to team ‘Mobsron’

The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani and Chairperson of Qatar Foundation Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser attend the 2019 Qatar Foundation Convocation to celebrate the graduation of 787 students from nine Education City universities. (HHOPL)

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PREVENTIVEMEASURE


HAMAD Medical Corporation (HMC), in cooperation with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), recently organ-ised two intensive workshops to help prepare HMC dentists to successfully complete the requirements for the College’s Faculty of Dentistry (MFD) membership examination.

The preparatory workshops were held under the supervision of Dr Ghanim al Mannai, chair-man of the Hamad Dental Cent-er. The two workshops, which were held at HMC for the fourth time, are part of an agreement between HMC and RCSI that was developed with the aim of offering specialised dentistry training to Qataris interested in furthering their education and advancing their paediatric dental qualifications. The train-ing programme is the first of its kind in the Middle East.

Dr Khalifa al Ansari, senior consultant and vice-chairman of the Hamad Dental Center, said: “This five-day intensive training programme began on April 28 and was attended

by 65 dentists from both the public and private sector. The programme is designed to help these clinicians refine their knowledge in all aspects of the dentistry profession.

“It aims to prepare mem-bers of our clinical teams to pass the admittance test for mem-bership into the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (MFD examination), the next intake for which is scheduled for Octo-

ber 2019. As part of the training, a group of professors from RCSI presented on a range of scien-tific subjects related to dental surgery. At the end of the work-shop, participants were able to obtain 19.25 CPD points.”

The dentists who have been enrolled in this programme in recent years have achieved a high level of success in their MFD examinations. Some have already joined the specialised

Paediatric Dentistry Fellowship Programme offered in coopera-tion with the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.

Dr Ansari added that the internationally-accredited RCSI MFD post-graduate dental education programme allows Qatari dentists to receive spe-cialised training in their own country without the need to travel abroad. This also allows them to obtain accreditation

from a well-known internation-al institution.

Dr Jamal al Abdullah, sen-ior consultant, chief of Pedo-dontics and head of the Pae-diatric Dentistry Residency Programmes at HMC, said the training included specialised workshops and has enabled eight residents to prepare for the Irish Fellowship Diploma (FFD) examination, which will take place in April 2020. Each year, four Qatari dentists are ac-cepted into the programme and there are plans to extend enroll-ment for this programme to the children of residents as well as international students.

“We have agreed to partner with Weill-Cornell Medicine Qatar and Sidra Medicine to support post-graduate dentistry students as part of ongoing ef-forts to strengthen our resourc-es in this field and to allow these professionals to pass the RCSI examinations. Also, the in-ternationally accredited Post-graduate Dental Education Programme offered by HMC in collaboration with RCSI is in line with Qatar’s National Oral Health Strategy,” added Dr Abdullah.

HMC holds workshop to prepare dentists for RCSI examination

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) officials with Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland officials during a two-day workshop in Doha recently.

HMC service offers tips to check fall-related injuriesamong elderly patients


HELD under the theme ‘Pre-vention is Better than a Cure’, Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Home Health Care Service recently organised a workshop for elderly patients, their families and home sup-port workers as part of ongoing efforts to prevent fall-related injuries and reduce the severity of injuries when falls do occur. Around 85 participants attend-ed the workshops, which were held in Arabic and English.

Fatima al Bolari, head of Health Education at HMC’s Home Health Care Service, said caring for elderly patients is a substantial part of her team’s workload. She said her teams see the effects of falls on a daily basis not just in terms of physi-cal harm, but also the knock-on effects, such as anxiety and de-creased confidence.

“HMC’s Home Health Care Service provides support and care for around 2,000 elderly patients. In 2018, our teams cared for 209 patients who had experienced falls, and many of those patients had compli-cations from the injuries sus-tained as a result of their fall,” said Bolari. “Falls represent a significant threat to the health and independence of older adults and each year we organ-ise three annual workshops for our patients, their families,” added Bolari.

Jihan Mohammed, health educator, Home Health Care Service, and the main organiser of the workshops, said falls are not inevitable and many can be prevented. She said a key objec-tive of the interactive four-and-a-half-hour workshops is to provide practical information on reducing fall risks.

“A fall can indicate an un-

derlying health problem and many older people experience recurrent falls, which can lead to serious health complications such as bone fractures. There are many reasons why ageing adults fall, including illness or weakness, inappropriate foot-wear, foot abnormalities and misuse of assist devices such as walkers or canes,” said Jihan.

As part of the workshop, participants viewed images and videos of fall hazards in and out-side the home.

The role of medications and injuries as risk factors for falls was discussed and workshop presenters highlighted the im-portance of healthy habits, such as staying hydrated and eating a balanced diet, as a strategy for preventing falls. Family mem-bers and support workers were also trained on the proper use of fall detection and assistive devices.

Attendees were provided with practical tips to help pre-vent falls, including wearing ap-propriate footwear and hazard proofing the home by removing slip or trip hazards like loose rugs or mats, and repairing or replacing worn areas of car-pets. The importance of wiping up spills immediately, keeping walkways in good repair and clean, and making sure there is adequate lighting, especially at night, was also discussed.

Ooredoo to offer customers discount on Uber ridesOOREDOO on Tuesday an-nounced a tie-up with Uber that will see Hala customers receiving discount on Uber rides when they recharge their accounts with Oredoo Flexi cards.

The promotion, valid from 6 May 2019, offers Hala cus-tomers 35% off on up to 4 Uber rides with a maximum discount of QR 30 when they recharge their accounts with Flexi Cards.

Discounts are as follows;

100 Flexi Card and get 35% off on 2 rides up to QR 20



Eligible customers re-charging with a Flexi Card of QR 100 and above will receive a unique code with an activa-

tion notification. They’ll then need to activate the promo code on their Uber app. If customers do not yet have the Uber app, they will need to download it from the App Store or Google Play. On acti-vating the code, customers will be eligible to enjoy the benefits of the offer, which will be valid till 5 June 2019.

Speaking of the tie-up and promotion, Manar Khalifa al Muraikhi – Director PR and

Corporate Communications at Ooredoo – said: “We’re excit-ed to introduce this amazing promotion with Uber, where our customers will be able to enjoy generous discounts on trips around town. We know value for money is an impor-tant factor for many of us, and we’re delighted we can offer customers extra value when they top up their Hala accounts. We hope they enjoy their Uber rides for less.” (TNN)

Attendees were provided with practical tips to help prevent falls, including wearing appropriate foot-wear and hazard proofing the home by removing slip or trip hazards like loose rugs or mats, and repair-ing or replacing worn areas of carpets.

EAA launches fundraising to educate maginalised children


TO celebrate the spirit of the Holy Month of Ramadan, Educa-tion Above All (EAA) foundation has launched its second Rama-dan campaign in Qatar under the theme ‘No child left out’.

The campaign aimsat raising funds for EAA’s educational pro-grammes Educate A Child (EAC) and Reach Out to Asia (ROTA), which help improve the lives of marginalised and impoverished children by allowing them access to quality education.

The Ramadan campaign was an-nounced at a press conference attend-ed by Professor Ali M al Quradaghi, secretary general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and vice chairman of European Council for Fatwa and Research, and Mohamed al Naama, senior representative of Fundraising Department at Educa-tion Above All (EAA) Foundation.

EAA has partnered with Lulu, Marriott Hotels, ExxonMobil and Qatar Airways to create awareness about the campaign by engaging em-ployees and customers. Besides these players, the companies that have sup-ported the EAA Ramadan campaign include ExxonMobil, Ooredoo, Nak-ilat, W Hotel, QAPCO, Shell, Carre-four, ELAN, Dar Al Sharq, Qatar TV, Muntajat, Dar Al Arab, etc.

The funds raised will support EAA’s projects around the world as it works across 16 countries. Donations can be made through donation boxes at 60 locations in Qatar including shopping malls and public places, at cash counters in Lulu and Carrefour supermarkets, and by contacting the following number +974 44542288, or visiting the EAA website: https://donate.educationaboveall.org, or by using QR scan code for EAA Dona-tion website or SMS 92016 to donate QR10, SMS 92087 to donate QR100. As for payments, donation can be made through credit card, cheque,

or through personal Ooredoo Mobile Money account.

Qatar TV will be organising a special episode for EAA’s fundraising campaign that will be aired on May 15 during its programme‘Hayatuna’. EAA’s Ramadan campaign will be covered on Qatar Radio on Layali Ramadan programme.

EAA Foundation is eligible to receive Sadaqah and Zakat do-nations. Its Ramadan campaign aims to raise funds for EAA’s pro-grammes, which include several projects in Somalia, Gaza, Lebanon, Turkey, Mali, Pakistan, Iraq, Qatar and many other countries.

During the launch of the campaign, Mohamed al Naama said:“Similar to last year, the EAA Ramadan campaign will target huge brand awareness of EAA and its global work across the Qatari market through social media channels and websites. We are pleased to receive tremendous amount of support from our partners for this noble cause as we believe that change can only happen if we come together and de-cisively work towards educating un-derprivileged children.Our mission has always been to get closer to the public and invite them to take part in the EAA mission. I believe that such campaigns help us reach out to masses and spread the awareness of the need for a peaceful society which is driven by the power of education.”

Professor Ali M al Quradaghi, secretary-general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and vice-chairman of European Council for Fatwa and Re-search, and Mohamed al Naama, senior representative of Fundraising Depart-ment at Education Above All at a press conference on Tuesday.

Doha Forum returns on December 14, 15TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

DOHA Forum will return for the 19th edition on December 14 and15, under the patronage of the Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani.

The annual policy gathering will be held under the theme ‘Reimag-ining Governance in a Multipolar World’, building on last year’s success that saw eye-opening conversations with world leaders, enriched by a new partnership model.

This edition will also see the launch of the Doha Forum Award, to be given for the first time in 2019 to an individual or organisation that

demonstrates outstanding achieve-ments rooted in the core values of Doha Forum — dialogue, diplomacy and diversity.

The winner will be announced at the Forum.

Doha Forum 2019 will also see the return of last year’s strategic part-ners, including International Crisis Group, European Council for For-eign Relations and Munich Security Conference, each of which will curate panel discussions and offer expertise into some of the world’s most press-ing challenges around security, de-fence, humanitarian crises and for-eign relations.

Spokesperson for Qatar’s Min-istry of Foreign Affairs HE Lolwah

al Khater said, “We live in a world undergoing massive shifts in power, politics and trade. In the midst of breakthroughs in technology, issues of migration and increasingly com-plex security challenges, a new for-mat of dialogue is needed to forge a consensus. I look forward to welcom-ing leaders from around the world to another series of diverse, inclusive and action-oriented conversations.”

The 2019 Forum will tackle key themes, including Trends and Tech-nology; Trade and Investment; Hu-man Capital and Inequality; Secu-rity, Cyber Governance and Defence; International Organisations, Civil Society and Non-State Actors; and Culture and Identity.

Ministry recalls Mercedes-Benz SLC 2018 modelTHE Ministry of Commerce and In-dustry (MoCI), in cooperation with Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles, dealer of Mercedes-Benz in Qatar, has recalled Mercedes-Benz SLC model of 2018 because the right rear underbody do not conform to manufacturer specifications. The ministry urged all customers to re-port any violation to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department (TNN)

Nation 05Wednesday, May 8, 2019

06 Wednesday, May 8, 2019 Nation


VIRGINIA Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) re-cently held its 18th annual Commencement ceremony at HBKU Student Center in Edu-cation City.

The university conferred 68 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in fashion design, graphic de-sign, interior design, painting and printmaking, and art his-tory, and eight Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in design.

Nearly 60 percent of the graduating students are Qataris.

The event that brought to-gether families, friends, faculty and staff to celebrate the ac-complishments of VCUarts Qa-tar’s graduates was made mem-

orable by inspiring speeches given by faculty, graduates and the keynote speaker.

Dr Michael Rao, president of Virginia Commonwealth University, said: “You are crea-tive scholars who embody the very best of our university and

illuminate the very meaning of our humanity. I know you will use your vast talents to benefit humankind.”

The Commencement’s key-note speaker, Qatari contem-porary composer, songwriter and symphonic artist Dana al

Fardan, said: “Today, you are stepping onto a new platform; a global marketplace where your talents and skill represent your international currency, and art the international language.”

The Class of 2019 Co-Val-edictorians Hind Ghanim al

Saad and Yeon Geong Hwang, both graphic design graduates, gave a well-received speech in which they thanked their fami-lies, fellow graduates, friends and faculty, and looked for-ward to what comes next.

“All of you make up our

community and because we were surrounded by you, we grew as people, developed ways of seeing, thinking and reflecting, which shifted our perspectives of the world, we started to notice all the small details and see all the connec-

tions. It was a creative com-munity of like-minded people, and that was our creative fuel, which made us grow and de-velop further as creatives, by allowing new perspectives to come in,” Hind said.

“We deeply appreciate that we had such an amazing batch as classmates and friends for the last four years. This batch had inspiring energy - that never sought to give up - and it brought us here today. It would’ve been a very different experience without every sin-gle one of you. We also want to thank the often hidden and often less noticed staff of our university. And last but cer-tainly not least, we thank our amazing faculty. Sometimes I think our faculty suffers a bit more than us, and for that, we are very thankful,” Yeon said.

VCUarts Qatar graduates step into future at ‘2019 Commencement’

NMoQ welcomed over 130,000 visitors in AprilTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

THE National Museum of Qa-tar (NMoQ) has welcomed more than 132,000 visitors in the first month since opening, firmly establishing its keystone role in the country’s cultural in-frastructure.

Since opening its doors to the public on March 28, the NMoQ’s immersive experience has attracted thousands of resi-dents and tourists with its use of audio-visual presentations, digital exhibitions, historical artefacts and immersive, multi-sensory approach.

It has also hosted several workshops, talks and presenta-tions for members of the com-munity. From welcoming some of the world’s best-known art-ists, to creating new go-to sites for families, NMoQ has become a destination for those who want to learn about the country and its people.

As the country’s national museum, NMoQ also strives to create a dialogue with mem-bers of the community to gather feedback, ideas and recom-mendations for improving the museum experience. It held the first ever seminar in Qatar to specifically address the field of Visitor Studies in museums and cultural institutions. Dis-tinguished international speak-ers, including Jo Hargreaves, director of Morris Hargreaves

MacIntyre, Dr Alexandra Bou-nia, professor of Museum Stud-ies at UCL Qatar, and Dr Karen Exell, senior Museum Develop-ment Specialist at NMoQ, gave insightful presentations, and a keynote address was delivered by Professor John H. Falk from the Institute for Learning Inno-vation, Oregon State University.

Sheikha Amna bint Ab-dulaziz bin Jassim al Thani, di-rector of the National Museum of Qatar, said, “After more than a decade of planning, we are deeply gratified to welcome the people of Qatar and our inter-national visitors to this excit-ing, multi-layered, experiential museum.

“From the start, Qatar Mu-seums and the National Muse-um team knew that we wanted to create a living experience for our people—a museum with a heart. We have created galleries full of movement, sound, and colour in order to engage our public fully, with their senses and emotions as well as their intellects, and have assembled creative and authentic content that is so rich that people will discover something new with each visit. It is now time for the discoveries to begin.”

As one of QM’s keystone in-stitutions, NMoQ will also add to the flourishing creative en-vironment in Qatar utilizing its resources to inspire young crea-tives. During the first of what will become a regular series of

talks, NMoQ hosted “An After-noon of Inspiration with Jeff Koons.” The interactive work-shop allowed young artists to hear about the iconic creator’s experiences as a young artist, share his perspective on issues that concern artists at the start of their careers and get tips on developing their personal styles.

NMoQ artists have also run a series of creative drop-in workshops for families and adults on the theme of Qatar & the Sea throughout the month of April. Taking inspiration from the museum collections,

artists guided participants through different techniques and media to create their own art pieces to take home.

The NMoQ is designed to become an integral part of the local community for all people of Qatar to enjoy, which means working with different organi-sations to create specialised programming to support learn-ing objectives. For example, the NMoQ hosted Girl Scouts of America Overseas for a tour and activities session, which was the start of the organisa-tion’s specially designed sum-mer programme of activities at

NMoQ. The NMoQ-designed summer programme will be linked to the themes and topics they are exploring (e.g. sustain-ability) and support them in us-ing NMoQ facilities to run their own exploratory programmes to collect badges.

QM has also developed strong ties with local schools through a number of interac-tive and inclusive programmes, including the Teacher’s Coun-cil, and creative teaching mate-rials. Since the museum open-ing, 18 schools visited NMOQ to discover its galleries and educational offerings.

Admission to NMoQ, MIA and Mathaf will be charged at the entrance. General admis-sion will be QAR 50 for adults; QAR 25 for students and free for children under 16, Culture Pass Plus and Culture Pass Family Members, and visitors with disabilities.

Tickets will be free of charge for Qatari nationals and resi-dents of Qatar, with a valid Qa-tari ID. General admission tick-ets include exhibitions within the museum and are valid for three consecutive days from the date of first admission.

Museum Pass is QAR 100 and permits admission to all museums and venues, valid for three consecutive days from the date of first admission. For full terms and conditions, visit: https://www.qm.org.qa/en/ticketing-terms-conditions


THE College of Islamic Stud-ies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) recently participated in a workshop on ‘Islamic Reform and Moder-nity’ held in collaboration with the Islamic University of Ap-plied Science Rotterdam (IUR) – the only accredited Islamic university in Europe.

A delegation from CIS joined representatives from the universities of Utrecht and Leiden in the Netherlands

and Central European Univer-sity in Budapest, during which they addressed Modernity, Re-form and Tajdid (Renovation).

The CIS delegation com-prised Dr Hossam Mohamed, senior researcher at Al-Qarad-awi Center for Islamic Reform and Renewal (QCIMR), which led the collaboration from CIS; Dr Muetaz al Khatib, as-sistant professor; and Chaoiki Lazhar, deputy director of the Center for Islamic Legislation (CILE) at CIS.

Papers on ‘Islamic Reform and Modern Nation State: A

Critical Analysis’, ‘Ethics in the Context of Reform Movement in Modern Egypt’, and ‘The Function of Islamic Sciences: Towards a Benchmark for Re-appraising Scriptural Sciences in the Modern Context’ were presented by Dr Hossam Mo-hamed, Dr Khatib and Lazhar, respectively.

Dr Hossam said, “CIS’s col-laboration with IUR brought together academics from di-verse backgrounds to provide reflections on major debates of modernity in connection with Islam and Muslim societies. Delegates – a mix of Muslim and non-Muslims – offered refreshing insights stemming from their unique areas of expertise, which will go on to

inform future workshops and research.”

Delegates from other par-ticipating universities spoke on ‘Modernity, Reformation and Tajdid’, ‘Islam as a Source of Human Rights’, ‘Islamic Re-form and Tajdid in the Era of Modernity: The Moroccan Ex-perience’ and ‘Reform and the Concept of Jihad’. All research papers delivered during the workshop are to be published in a special edition of The Jour-nal of Rotterdam Islamic and Social Science.

CIS regularly participates in local and international events, public lectures and conferences that aim to promote a deeper understanding of the various aspects of Islam. The QCIMR

in particular aims to promote moderation and revival of Islamic thought through re-search, and address contem-porary issues such as human rights, the status of women and family, environmental concerns, and so on through a moderate and enlightened un-derstanding of Islam.

The college is also home to several other distinguished re-search centres that unite schol-ars and thought leaders from around the world.

HBKU is committed to fos-tering dialogue and discourse on complex issues and chal-lenges facing the Qatari com-munity and beyond. In doing so, it cultivates partnerships to align with modern-day needs.

HBKU team and European expertsdiscuss Islamic reform, modernity

The College of Islamic Studies (CIS) delegation comprised Dr Hossam Mohamed, senior researcher at Al-Qaradawi Center for Islamic Reform and Renewal (QCIMR), which led the collaboration from CIS; Dr Muetaz al Khatib, assistant professor; and Chaoiki Lazhar, deputy director of the Center for Islamic Legislation (CILE) at CIS.

QNADOHA

THE Ministry of Educa-tion and Higher Education (MoEHE), represented by the School Evaluation Of-fice, held a seminar enti-tled ‘Achievements Day’ during which it reviewed the achievements of the competent task forces of the ministry in different fields.

The seminar reviewed the national school accredi-tation standards, mecha-nisms and procedures for the accreditation of private schools and the revision of the criteria and procedures for evaluating kindergar-tens and public schools.

The work of the statis-tics committee of the minis-try and two working groups were also reviewed to pre-pare operational plans for the coming year for public schools and kindergartens and private schools and kindergartens.

Furthermore, the par-ticipants discussed the achievements of the work-ing group of the awareness and information plan.

Director of the Evalu-ation Authority at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Khalid al Harqan praised the

achievements made and the future development plans for evaluation of schools, stressing the importance of commitment to excellence, quality and impartiality in the work.

Director of the Edu-cation Development and Training Centre Mona Mohamed al Kuwari spoke at the panel discussion on ‘The art of managing change’ and its effective role in life. She pointed out that the world of manage-ment is in a state of con-tinuous change, innovation and development to ad-dress new challenges.

The seminar included a workshop entitled ‘Hand in hand for Qatar’ delivered by human development coach Hamza al Dosari, who stressed the impor-tance of coordination and team work.

MoEHE reviews achievements of its task forces

QNL lecture focuses on Indian school education in Qatar


QATAR National Library (QNL) recently hosted an in-formal panel discussion on ‘Indian Schools: Educating the Indian Expat Community’.

The panel featured senior representatives of prominent Indian schools in Qatar, includ-ing Birla Public School, DPS Modern Indian School and MES Indian School. The dis-cussion focused on the impact of the Indian education sector in educating Indian expatriates in Qatar since the early 1970s.

Alumni present at the event

shared their personal stories and how their schools had helped shape their professional lives.

Sayeed Mohammed, in-formation services librarian at the library, said: “The event has given the community the chance to acknowledge and ap-preciate the positive impact of these schools on generations of students, which continue to play a major role in educat-ing youth in Qatar. The library supports the role of formal education in spreading knowl-edge, which can have a trans-formational effect on the lives of many.”

The panel featured representatives of prominent Indian schools in Qatar.

The university awarded 68 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in fashion design, graphic design, interior design, painting and printmaking, and art history, and eight Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in design.

The National Museum of Qatar has become a destination for those who want to learn about the country and its people.

Papers were presented by Dr Hossam Mohamed, Dr Khatib and Chaoiki Lazhar

The seminar reviewed the national school accredi-tation standards, mecha-nisms and procedures for the accreditation of pri-vate schools and the revi-sion of the criteria and procedures for evaluating kindergartens and public schools

PAKISTAN Women Forum Qatar (PWFQ) in collabora-tion with Pakistan Associa-

tion Qatar (PAQ) organised an event in memory of great Urdu and Persian poet and eminent philosopher Dr Allama Mo-hammad Iqbal also known as ‘Poet of the East’, at Sapphire Plaza Hotel recently.

Justice (retired) Nasira Iqbal, daughter-in-law and a prominent law expert was the chief guest at the event. Defense Attaché at the Paki-stan Embassy Commodore Ir-fan Mohammad Taj presided over the function attended by a large number of community members including women and children.

The proceedings started with the customary recitation of the verses from the Holy Quran by Anfal Akram. PAQ Chairman Syed Fahimuddin hosted the programme.

In a question-answer ses-sion with Fahimuddin, who is a noted writer and poet, Na-sira spoke in detail about her family and imprints of Allama Iqbal’s philosophy on her life. She also recited Allama’s se-lect poems and explained the immortal lessons contained in them. She noted that wom-en are backbone of any society and have a great role in mak-ing the nation prosperous.

Chairperson PWFQ Sha-hida Atiq Khan said the pur-pose of the event was to pay tributes to Dr Allama Mo-hammad Iqbal and pass on his concept of khudi to the youngsters. She thanked PWFQ team members Ayes-ha, Shabana, Rabia and PAQ members for helping to or-ganise such a great event.

PAQ Youth Wing President Areeba Tajammul spoke on the life of Dr Allama Iqbal. Nemra

highlighted the role of women in the history of Pakistan.

A well-known artist Shehla Khalid presented a portrait of Justice (retired) Nasira Iqbal to her.

Children presented a tab-loid on Iqbal’s poem Pahad Aur Gulehri prepared by PW-FQ’s General Secretory Ayes-ha Wadood.

PWFQ presented a shield to Nasira Iqbal while Com-modore Irfan Taj presented a life time achievement award to former judge Nasira Iqbal on behalf of PAQ.

Nasira presented memen-toes to Commodore Irfan Taj, Ch Mohammad Ajmal, Abdul Qahar, Areeba Tajammul and other participants.

A well-known local singer Jamshaid Bajwa recited Allama Iqbal’s famous poem Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua much to the ex-citement of the audience.

Pakistan PrismReports by L N Mallick For events and press releases email [email protected] or call (974) 4000 2222

07Wednesday, May 8, 2019

The function kicked off with lovely presentations by the tiny tots of KG Wing, drawing ringing applause from the audience

Colourful performances by students enliven PISQ annual awards ceremony

THE function kicked off with lovely pres-entations by the tiny tots of KG Wing,

drawing the loudest applause from the audience

Pakistan International School Qatar honoured stu-dents who excelled in academ-ic year 2018-19 at a glittering annual award ceremony held on the school campus recently.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar HE Syed Ahsan Raza Shah graced the occasion as the chief guest. PISQ Prin-cipal Nargis Raza Otho wel-comed the ambassador and other guests.

The function had a col-ourful start with lovely pres-entations by the tiny tots of KG Wing drawing the loudest applause from the audience. The students of Primary Wing added greater charm to the al-ready lively atmosphere with a beautiful performance of their creative short drama.

The delightful presenta-tions were followed by the lit-tle angels of the KG Wing be-ing feted by the ambassador with certificates and medals. Likewise, the overall top three position holders of their re-spective classes from grade V to VIII were awarded with medals and certificates by the ambassador and the principal.

Aruba Atif and Alyna Ar-shad, who attended the 4th Edition of the Barcelona In-ternational Model United Nation Conference in Spain with their mentor Mubarika Noaman, were conferred with certificates.

Examination in-charges of KG Wing, Primary Section, Senior Girls’ and Boys’ wings were honoured for their untir-ing performance throughout

the year. These were Nazish Zahra, Shahnaz Nayyer, Sha-hida Barkat, Uzma Bashir, Irum Younas, Noor Hussain and Anwar Shah.

Girls’ Wing students pre-sented a live shadow depic-tion of the theme “peace and love”. The presentation of a beautiful PISQ theme song

by the senior section students delighted the audience.

The ambassador admired the school administration and the faculty for propelling

the school to great heights of excellence and expressed his happiness over the success of students. He appreciated the fact that the school students

proactively take part in co-curricular and extra-curricu-lar activities besides excelling in academics.

The ceremony was a joint

venture of all the four wings of the school. Abdullah Naeem, Abdullah Adil, Jawariya Re-hman and Aqsa Shahid were the hosts of the ceremony.

Award winners of Senior Boys Wing.

Award winners of Senior Girls Wing.

Grooming tomorrow’s leaders today

SPARK Toastmasters Club kicked off the first session of Youth

Leadership Programme for the students between the ages of 8 and 17 years at TNG School, Wakra campus.

YLP consists of eight sessions that will enable young people under the age of 18 to develop their communication and lead-ership skills through prac-tical experience.

Chief Coordinator Mu-hammad Azimuddin in-troduced the programme where young people learn valuable skills includ-ing evaluating their own speaking ability, prepar-ing and giving speeches, giving impromptu talks, controlling their voice, and gestures and giving constructive feedback

In his inauguration message, Spark Toastmas-ters Club President Fahad Ismail highlighted the im-

portance of YLP and said it aims to groom tomorrow’s leaders. Programme Ad-viser Anwar Ali Shah ap-preciated the parents for grabbing this opportunity for their children. Some of the parents also spoke on the occasion.

As many as 16 partici-pants joined on day one. The registration is still open for a few more par-ticipants. Interested par-ents can contact Fahad Ismail (GSM: 70100802) or Abdul Naveed (GSM: 66018982).

An executive commit-tee was elected on the oc-casion. The members are Abdullah Tariq (presi-dent), Maarej Ali (VP Education), Hashir (VP Public Relations), Ibrahim Qureshi (Secretary) and Almas Arif (Sergeant-at-Arms).

President-elect Abdul-lah proposed the vote of thanks.

Participants of STC Youth Leadership Programme for the students at TNG School, Wakra campus.

Sohni Dharti gets new executive committee

AL Khor-based welfare forum Sohni Dharti an-nounced a new executive

committee for 2019-20 re-cently.

The new committee is the best combination of experi-enced and young volunteers who are committed to move for-ward the mission to make Sohni Dharti more attractive, active and beneficial for Qatargas em-ployees’ families by engaging them in healthy activities,” said the new Chairman M Saleem Baloch.

“One of the objectives of Sohni Dharti forum is to create

an environment in which the Pakistani families, especially children, remain united and connected to Pakistani culture and values during their stay in Qatar. Therefore, different types of activities have been planned like Islamic educa-tional event, cultural shows, sports tournaments, public-speaking forum and leadership training sessions, which will take place in 2019-20,” said Baloch.

Sohni Dharti also feels the responsibility to stay connect-ed with other organisations in Qatar to play a positive role.

Shabbir Siddiqui (Future Leader Programme

Lead)

Shafqat Naseem

(Future Leader Coordinator)

Azmat Ali (General

Secretary)

Shahid Bhatti (President)

M. Saleem Baloch

(Chairman)

Mohsin Ali (Cultural

Secretary)

Umar Khayam (Finance

Secretary)

Saleem Arif (Vice President)

Khawar Aman Khan

(Future Leader Coordinator)

Zahid Nadeem (Joint Secretary)

Amjad Saleem (Media

Secretary)

Umer Adeel (Sports

Secretary)

Award winners of Kindergarten.

Award winners of Primary Wing.

Rich tributes paid to Allama Iqbal

Local singer Jamshaid Bajwa recites Allama Iqbal’s famous poem as Justice (retired) Nasira Iqbal, Defense Attaché Commodore Irfan Mohammad Taj and community members look on.

Nasira Iqbal with officials of Pakistan Women Forum Qatar and guests.

Will Meghan And Prince Harry Raise Their Baby To Be Black?

SO, Meghan Markle, the American biracial wife of Prince Harry, did it. She managed to have their baby (a boy) on her own terms.

Which is to say, at an undisclosed location _ although we all know the young British royal couple has been holed up at their Windsor home with the fairy tale name of Frogmore Cottage, we don’t know where she actually gave birth _ and on an undisclosed timetable. We all found out about the birth when Harry and Meghan an-nounced it on Instagram. (Buck-ingham Palace announced it too.) Nor did Meghan submit to the postpartum photo call. There will be no pictures of her making a red carpet departure from a hospital, looking preternaturally polished in full makeup and hair while wearing a dress and high heels and carrying a newborn (as her sister-

in-law Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William, did with all three of her children’s births), but who could blame her for nixing such a ridiculous ritual just hours af-ter a grueling delivery? Instead, she dispatched her giddily happy husband to meet the press outside Windsor Castle _ a stable with horses in the back _ to gush, ap-propriately, about how incredible his son and wife are.

But will the Duke and Duch-ess of Sussex, whose very marriage was a break from royal traditions, break with the tradition of Brit-ish royal family life and raise their boy their way? He’ll learn plenty about his royal background, be-ing seventh in line to the throne. What will he know about his American family? He’ll know he’s royal when photographers inces-santly snap his picture at events. But I’m guessing that one of his first questions to his parents will be: Am I black? The answer: Yes, you are. And if he didn’t guess it

from looking at his light-skinned mother, then he need only look at his maternal grandmother, Doria

Ragland, who lives in Los Angeles.Baby Sussex, as he’s called

for the moment, will have an ex-

traordinarily privileged life. We can only hope that he will live, eventually, in a post-racial world. Still, he needs to know about what it means to be a black person in the world today. Of course, it means dozens of things. His life will largely be his to make. There is no one “black experience” _ ex-cept, perhaps, a cop stopping you because you look like a suspect. I highly doubt that’s going to hap-pen to the young Sussex. Speaking of post-racial, the Obamas tweet-ed their congrats.

Wait _ do I need to catch anyone up here? You all know that Harry and his older brother, William, are the sons of Prince Charles and the late Diana, Prin-cess of Wales, who died tragically in the Paris car crash in 1997? OK, that’s what I thought.

Let’s face it, this baby’s deliv-ery, somewhere in the vicinity of his family’s castle, may be the first and last moments of real private life he has. He can check with his

royal cousins for the drill. Soon he will learn to wave at the press or do something else incredibly adorable or cheeky. (See Princess Charlotte, then 3 years old, walk-ing in to the christening of her baby brother, Louis, staring down the assembled press outside and announcing tartly, “You’re not coming.”) How public will his life be? If the Sussexes plan to spend substantial time in Africa (as has been rumored), that will give him a little bit of time away from the British stage, but there’s no conti-nent he can go to where he will be out of the spotlight.

But, first, there’s the matter of his name. People are beside themselves trying to figure it out. No, they’re not going to name him Runnymede (as an Anglophile col-league of mine has proposed). Nor are they going to name him some-thing as American chic as Joshua.

I predict: Alexander. Harry says they’ll announce it in a couple of days. Let’s see.

The new royal may eventually live in a post-racial world. Still, he needs to know what it means to be a black person today

Opinion

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THE OPINION AND ANALYSIS PAGES ARE THE AUTHORS’ OWN. QATAR TRIBUNE BEARS NO RESPONSIBILITY.

TRADE wars are good, and easy to win. So President Donald Trump said last year as he embarked on his first round of tariffs on foreign imports.

It seems that things have proven so good and easy that he’s readying for an-other bout. Trump is prepared to increase a 10 percent levy on $200 billion of imports from China to 25 percent on Friday, he tweeted on Sunday – instantly popping any hopes that trade talks were on their final approach toward an amicable resolution.

The president had a justification for casually slapping a $30 billion trade impost via tweet – the Chinese will pay anyway: That’s actually not “Mexico will pay for the wall”-level delusion. In theory, the argu-ment has pretty solid grounding: If the US puts a 25 percent tax on widgets imported from China, American consumers will switch to buying cheaper, untaxed widgets from some other country. Chinese widget factories will cut prices to retain market share and end up paying a good portion of the tariff costs.

That neat theory breaks down once you move away from simplified economic mod-els into the real world.

Take dining tables. Washington put a 10 percent tariff on furniture, along with a host of other consumer products, last Sep-tember. The US buys roughly half its im-ported furniture from China. And US furni-ture retailers hold onto their inventory for three to four months before making a sale.

A sensible retailer would have been worrying about the increased levy long before it was actually raised, but it’s likely their first move was simply to raise the price.

For one thing, retailers generally want to lift prices to the extent competition will allow. For another, US Trade Rep-resentative Robert Lighthizer carefully pruned the list of affected product lines to exclude frequently purchased items where higher prices would cause sticker shock, and political opposition, among US consumers. By the same token, furni-ture retailers can be fairly confident that customers haven’t bought a dining table this decade, so won’t be too sensitive to price movements.

That’s exactly what economists led by Aaron Flaaen of the Federal Reserve found in a paper last month. Not only did earlier Trump administration tariffs on washing machines raise the price of those goods – retailers also jacked up the price of tumble driers that weren’t levied, perhaps to main-tain a semblance of parity between the pric-

es of the two rarely purchased products.At some point, you’d expect this effect

to go away. If US furniture retailers were faced with a permanent tariff on Chinese dining tables, they might switch to alter-native suppliers in (say) Mexico, Vietnam or Malaysia. That ought to lead to Chi-nese factories paying more of the levy, as retailers pressured them to lower prices if they wanted to retain market share.

The problem is that it’s not straight-forward to move a $38 billion industry to a new country overnight. Dining table fac-tories in Mexico, Vietnam and Malaysia are unlikely to have the spare capacity to sub-stitute for China – total US furniture im-ports from the three countries are less than half the China trade alone. It’s a similar pic-ture across a range of other industries – in most categories where China is a significant presence, it accounts for more than a third of US imports.

If the US furniture store gets in touch with a factory in Ho Chi Minh City look-ing to replace its Chinese dining table im-ports, the Vietnamese managers have to ask themselves whether it’s worth spend-ing money on a new production line or hiring extra workers. Maybe it is – but if President Trump turns round next month and drops the tariffs again, they may find themselves with a load of spare capacity that’s unable to compete in the new levy-free world.

As economists led by Mary Amiti of the New York Fed wrote in a paper published in March, the full incidence of the US tar-iffs imposed to date – some $1.4 billion a month – falls on domestic consumers. A separate paper led by Pablo Fajgelbaum at the University of California, Los Angeles last September came up with the same re-sult. America’s terms of trade are at a high level – but they’ve been gradually declining ever since the second quarter of last year, just before the first major round of China tariffs was imposed.

With Trump’s Twitter feed being such an unpredictable stream of consciousness, it’s possible this latest broadside will be for-gotten and trade talks will be back on by the time “Fox & Friends” next airs. Perhaps it’s even a high-stakes negotiating tactic. But rash actions, and misunderstanding policy, have real-world effects. China is now con-sidering canceling a trip to Washington by its top trade negotiator Liu He.

Harnessing US trade policy to the weather vane in the Oval Office isn’t a good way of protecting the US economy.

(David Fickling is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering com-modities, as well as industrial and consumer companies. He has been a reporter for Bloomberg News, Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and the Guardian.)

Trump’s Trade Threats Hurt US More Than China

DAVID FICKLINGTRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

The full incidence of the US tariffs imposed to date – some $1.4 billion a month – falls on domestic consumers

(TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE)

THE first thing to be said about Face-book’s decision to ban Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones and a handful of other contro-versial figures is that the company is en-

tirely within its rights to decide who will ap-pear on its site. It is also under pressure from governments around the world to silence us-ers (and bots) who encourage violence or lie to the public. That’s why it’s outrageous that President Trump tweeted over the weekend that he is “continuing to monitor the cen-sorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms. This is the United States of America _ and we have what’s known as FREEDOM OF SPEECH!” Even if this is just another Twitter tantrum that doesn’t lead to any official action, it’s dismaying that the president of the United States is such a con-stitutional illiterate that he doesn’t realize that the 1st Amendment protects free speech only against infringement by the govern-ment, not private entities. In fact, a company like Facebook has every legal right to deter-mine who may participate on its platform and what they may or may not say.

Yet it’s possible to acknowledge Face-book’s right to decide who appears on its site _ and its need to do a better job blocking certain types of truly awful content _ and still worry that the company might go overboard or act inconsistently in deciding what speech and which speakers are beyond the pale. It may, for instance, be susceptible to pressure to ex-clude individuals who are neither inciting vio-lence nor spouting racial or religious hatred.

In announcing the bans last week, a Fa-cebook representative said: “We’ve always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, re-gardless of ideology.” Some the exclusions an-nounced last week might seem like easy calls under that standard. For example, Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, has made anti-Semitic statements that any reasonable person would regard as hateful. (He has re-ferred to the “Satanic Jew” and last year said he wasn’t anti-Semitic but “anti-termite.”) Similarly, it’s hard to defend Jones, author of outrageous conspiracy theories such as the one that the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, in which 20 children and six adults died, was a hoax. (Jones now says he spun the conspiracy theory as the result of a mental disorder.) If

Facebook now plans to police obviously ab-surd and hurtful conspiracy theories, that may also be appropriate. (It may, however, be a departure for Facebook. Last July, it tweeted: “We just don’t think banning Pages for sharing conspiracy theories or false news is the right way to go.”) In an exchange with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) at a Senate hearing last year, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, said he considered Facebook a “platform for all ideas,” a laudable aspiration that he didn’t think was incompatible with excluding “hate speech, terrorist content, and nudity, anything that makes people feel unsafe.” This will re-quiring some complicated balancing. In our view, Facebook should tread lightly, and not err on the side of exclusion, or overreact to organized efforts to silence individuals whose views are controversial, even offensive, but not hateful, inciting or demonstrably untrue. As protests over speakers at some college cam-puses demonstrate, terms such as “racist” and “hate speech” can be interpreted with amaz-ing elasticity, as can the notion of speech that makes people feel “unsafe.” In some eyes, for example, criticism of university affirmative-action programs as violating the rights of re-jected white students would qualify as “racist” speech. Denunciation of the Catholic Church for its sex abuse scandals might be deemed re-ligious “hate speech.” And so on.

Facebook isn’t a public utility or an ex-tension of the government. It isn’t bound by the 1st Amendment. And contrary to some Republicans’ assertions, it isn’t compelled to be a neutral platform in order to be shielded from liability for its users’ posts. But it has become so prominent and pervasive a forum for communication _ not just in this country but around the world _ that it should adhere to free-speech principles to the maximum extent possible.

Finally, as Zuckerberg himself has ad-mitted, Facebook needs to be vigilant about political bias in deciding which opinions are intolerable. In his Senate testimony, he ac-knowledged that “Facebook (and) the tech industry are located in Silicon Valley, which is an extremely left-leaning place.” The law may not require the company to apply its standards in an evenhanded manner, but Facebook will do so anyway if it wants to be respected as a “platform for all ideas.”

Facebook Within Right To Ban ‘Hate Speech’, But It Needs To Tread Lightly

The social media platform must be vigilant about political bias in deciding which opinions are intolerable.

ESTABLISHED SEPTEMBER 3, 2006

HAMAD BIN SUHAIM AL THANI CHAIRMANADEL ALI BIN ALI MANAGING DIRECTORDR HASSAN MOHAMMED AL ANSARI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CARLA HALLTRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

08 Wednesday, May 8, 2019

REUTERSNEW DELHI

DOZENS of protesters gath-ered outside India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, a day after a panel of judges dismissed a sexual harassment complaint against the chief justice, carry-ing placards demanding a new and impartial investigation.

A former court assistant accused chief justice Ranjan Gogoi of having made un-wanted sexual advances last year, the most high-profile case in a wave of sexual har-assment accusations after a #metoo movement swept the country.

Gogoi has denied the charges and an internal pan-el of judges cleared him of wrongdoing, a court state-ment said on Monday.

But protesters gathered on a street in the Indian capital said they were not satisfied with the decision. “Transparent and fair due process is a must,” read one of the placards, while another read, “Supreme injustice”.

Security was strengthened outside the court, with doz-ens of paramilitary police and trucks carrying water cannons deployed in the area. Police

quickly dispersed the crowd and most protesters were tak-en away in police vans soon after they gathered.

“We were not allowed to protest even for five min-utes!” lawyer Amritananda Chakravorty said in a Twitter message. A journalist, Gaurav Sarkar, added that he had been “chucked” into a police van for covering the protest.

Police at the site said it was illegal to hold demonstra-tions at the Supreme Court.

In her complaint filed to the court last month the 35-year-old woman accused Gogoi of harassing her when she worked in an office at his home last year, saying she and her family were victimised af-ter she spurned his advances.

Last week, the woman, whose identity has been with-held, withdrew from proceed-ings of the three-member panel of judges investigating the case, saying she did not expect justice from it.

Gogoi has called the al-legations part of a wider con-spiracy to taint India’s judici-ary, without elaborating. His accuser said the findings of the judges’ panel had not been revealed to her, and she felt it had done her injustice.

Protests in India after top judge cleared of sexual harassment allegations

AFPYANGON

TWO Reuters journalists jailed for their reporting on the Ro-hingya crisis in Myanmar walked out of prison on Tues-day, freed in a presidential am-nesty after a vigorous global campaign–and backroom di-plomacy–for their release.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were mobbed by media as they stepped out of Yangon’s noto-rious Insein prison after more than 16 months in detention.

Their December 2017 ar-rests made them an inter-national cause celebre and a sign of Myanmar’s deterio-rating press freedoms under Nobel laureate and civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Wa Lone, 33, thanked people from “around the world” for advocat-ing for their release and vowed he would return to work.

“I can’t wait to go to my newsroom,” he said. “I am a journalist and I am going to continue.” Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen Adler said: “We are enormously pleased that Myanmar has released our courageous reporters”.

“Since their arrests 511 days ago, they have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world. We welcome their re-turn.” They were freed in an amnesty that included more than 6,000 prisoners.

A government spokes-man told reporters that fam-ily members had sent letters to Suu Kyi and the president Win Myint.

“Leaders took into con-sideration the long-term in-

terest of (the) country,” Zaw Htay said.

Lord Ara Darzi, a British advisor and confidant of Suu Kyi, said it was “fitting” the pair were released a few days after World Press Freedom Day.

“The lesson is simple: dia-logue works even in the most difficult of circumstances,” he told media in Yangon.

US Vice President Mike Pence, who had previously condemned the Reuters jour-

nalists’ jailing, said the release was “great news”. “Freedom of religion & freedom of the

press are essential to a strong democracy,” he tweeted. The journalists waved and smiled broadly as they walked out of the jail.

The two men were con-victed on charges of violating the official secrets act and sen-tenced to seven years each.

At the time of their arrest, they had been reporting on a September 2017 massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslims in con-flict-hit Rakhine state, where the Myanmar army forced

some 740,000 of the stateless minority to flee over the bor-der to Bangladesh.

The case prompted an outcry around the world and crushed what was left of Suu Kyi’s legacy as a rights de-fender.

Reuters has said the two were imprisoned in retaliation for their expose.

The army jailed seven soldiers for the massacre in a rare response to allega-tions of atrocities.

Reuters journalist Wa Lone (third right) poses with his wife Pan Ei Mon (second right) and daughter along with his colleague Kyaw Soe Oo (left) carrying his daughter and his wife Chit Su Win after being freed from prison in a presidential amnesty, in Yangon, on Tuesday. (AFP)

Wa Lone & Kyaw Soe Oo were mobbed by mediapersons as they walked free after more than 16 months in jail

Myanmar frees Reuters scribespardoned after global outcry

DPAMANILA

CANADA has vowed to pay for the return of garbage shipped to the Philippines more than five years ago after President Rod-rigo Duterte issued an ultima-tum, an official said on Tuesday.

Duterte has given Canada until May 15 to take back the waste sent to the Philippines in batches from 2013 to 2014, and warned of a diplomatic falling out if there was no im-mediate action from Ottowa.

“The president is firm that we are not garbage collectors, thus he ordered that the Philippines will no longer accept any waste from any country,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

“The Canadian government has committed to shoulder all the expenses to ship out all the waste containers,” he added. More than 100 containers of waste from Canada - consisting of household trash, plastic bot-tles and bags, newspapers, and used adult diapers.

Canada vows to pay for return of garbage shipped to the Philippines

REUTERSISLAMABAD

A Pakistani charity in the teeming coastal metropolis of Karachi is serving up a rare treat for the city’s Mus-lims ahead of their fast for the holy month of Ramadan - ostrich meat.

Expensive and seldom eaten in Pakistan, ostrich is deemed exotic in the mainly Muslim nation of 208 mil-lion people.

Volunteers stewed the red meat in cauldrons and served it in a chickpea curry to more than 500 residents before dawn broke on Tues-day, when Pakistani Mus-

lims began their month-long Ramadan fast.

“Keeping in view of this deprivation, (wealthy) peo-ple supported us and like the previous year, we offered those dishes which even a middle class person cannot afford, let alone the poor,” said Zafar Abbas, the gen-eral secretary of the Jafaria Disaster Management Cell Welfare Foundation.

Abbas said the plan is to offer deer and other expen-sive cuisine in coming days during the holy month of Ramadan, when practising Muslims abstain from eat-ing, drinking and smoking during daylight hours.

The move is likely to be welcomed by those who stuffed themselves with os-

trich meat. “It felt very nice. I had never eaten (ostrich),” said van driver Mohammad

Hussain. “It was so whole-some that I feel no need to eat for the next two days.”

Pakistani charity dishes out ostrich as Ramadan treat for poor

Asia 09Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Since their arrests 511 days ago, they have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world. We welcome their returnStephen Adler

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest after a panel of judges dismissed a sexual harassment complaint against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, outside Supreme Court in New Delhi, on Tuesday. (REUTERS)

DPABANGKOK

THAILAND’S biggest opposition party, the Pheu Thai Party, took the lead on Tuesday as officials announced the first official results since the March general polls.

Of the 349 constituency winners announced, 136 were from Pheu Thai, 97 from the pro-military Palang Pracharat Party, 33 from the Democrat Party, and 30 from the progres-

sive, anti-junta Future Forward Party. Pheu Thai is linked to for-mer prime ministers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra, both of whom have lived in exile to evade charges they say are po-litically motivated.

The results announced on Tuesday, which included the winners of all constituency races but one, were relatively unchanged from the prelimi-nary results. The remaining constituency member of par-

liament and 150 party-list members of parliament are yet to be announced.

The Election Commis-sion’s unusually tardy an-nouncements and numerous discrepancies in previously published figures have drawn a lot of criticism online, with a hashtag translating as “election commission busted” trending in Thailand on social media in March and April. It remains un-clear which parties will form a

government. But it is widely ex-pected that junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha will stay in power thanks to the Palang Pracharat Party and 250 senators hand-picked by the junta, who, along with the lower house, will get to vote for the prime minister in parliament.

The March 24 election was Thailand’s first since the 2014 military takeover. The junta had postponed the election date at least five times.

Oppn leads as Thailand announces first election results Srisena urges citizens not to marginalise Muslims

DPACOLOMBO

SRI Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tues-day urged his countrymen not to marginalize Muslims after the Easter Sunday bombings that left 257 dead.

“Our intelligence reports say that the entire strength of the group responsible for the

attacks is less than 150 and we should not do anything that drives more people to them,” Sirisena told a special parlia-mentary debate.

Sri Lanka’s parliament opened a two-day debate to discuss the aftermath of the suicidal attacks in three churches, three luxury ho-tels and two other locations on April 21. Sirisena said 54

people directly involved in or-ganizing and carrying out the attacks were now in custody and 12 of them were hardcore terrorists. The president urged the majority Sinhala commu-nity not to marginalize Mus-lims in a manner that would push them towards extremist groups, similar to the Sinha-lese distancing themselves from the minority Tamils.

Food dishes prepared with ostrich meat and chickpea are ready to serve, on the first day of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday. (REUTERS)

Taliban attack in north Afghanistan leaves seven policemen dead

DPAKABUL

A Taliban attack on a police checkpoint in Afghanistan’s northern province of Takhar early Tuesday morning has left at least seven policemen dead, an official said.

The attack on the check-point took place around 1:30 am (2100 GMT Mon-day) in Khawja Bahawud-din district of the province, provincial governor spokes-man Mohammad Jawad Hejri told dpa.

Hejri said the Taliban also suffered heavy casual-ties in the attack while the exact number of casualties was unclear. At least 18 Taliban fighters, including two important command-ers, have died in different firefights over the past week in Takhar, he added.

A Taliban attack on an Afghan army base in west-ern Farah province on Sun-day evening left between 20 to 25 Afghan national army soldiers dead, provin-cial council member Shah Mahmood Naemi said.

Naemi said at least two others were taken hostage in the attack that took place in Gulistan district on an army battalion base.

PTI Govt inherited an economic challenge: Pakistan FM TRIBUNE.COM.PK

ISLAMABAD

FOREIGN Minister Shah Me-hmood Qureshi on Tuesday stated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government inher-ited an economic challenge, forcing the country to ap-proach the International Mon-etary Fund for financial help.

“Yes, we are going to the IMF, but the question remains why we have to take the help of the IMF. Governments go to IMF when there’s macroeco-

nomic instability in the coun-try,” FM Qureshi said while speaking in the Senate.

“Imagine, a government takes office and is told that the

forex reserves are only enough to last six weeks because of the actions of the previous leaders, it rings alarm bells.

If you’re told that trade deficit is the biggest ever in the history, then it does raise concerns,” the foreign min-ister said and added that the PTI government tried to avoid going to IMF by taking help of friendly countries.

“However, despite the support, the deficit remained wide,” the foreign minister further added. “Railways,

Steel Mills, PIA, these were all in debt, and that debt is haemorrhaging the govern-ment.” The federal minister further stated that the growth of sectors is becoming stag-nant, stating the growth tra-jectory is downwards in the agricultural sector.

“This points towards mac-roeconomic instability in the country,” he added. The FM also pointed at the previous government’s failure in award-ing the National Finance Com-mission (NFC) Award.

FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Indonesia thwarts plot to attack police over election period

JAKARTA: Indonesian anti-terror-ism police have shot dead one Islamist militant and detained six suspected of planning attacks on officers with firearms or suicide bombings under the cover of rallies tied to recent elections, a police spokesman said. The sus-pects were detained after week-end raids in Bekasi in West Java and one died after being shot when he threw a bomb at police, national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said. “They were plan-ning to take police firearms & use them to commit terror, whether by becoming suicide bombers or performing other attacks that could be fatal for protesters,” Prasetyo said. (REUTERS)

AFPKAFR NABL

AIR strikes and shelling killed 13 civilians in northwestern Syria on Tuesday, a monitor said, in the latest escalation to rattle a months-old truce and spark displacement.

At least 53 fighters have also been killed since Monday, in one of the deadliest flare-ups since a demilitarised zone around the Idlib region was agreed in September last year, the Britain-based Syrian Obser-vatory for Human Rights said.

Several deadly skirmishes have occurred since the deal was reached between regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, but the last few weeks have seen an uptick in violence inside the planned buffer zone.

The region of some three million people is under the control of a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, in one of the last parts of Syria which President Bashar al-Assad has yet to take back.

The September deal aimed to avoid an all-out government offensive on the enclave.

But a surge in attacks since April 20 has raised new fears a government offensive is im-minent, prompting thousands of civilians to flee their homes

towards quieter areas deeper inside Idlib province. “This is the third time we have been displaced but this time is the scariest,” said Abu Ahmad, a 40-year-old from southern Idlib who was fleeing Tuesday with his family towards areas near the border with Turkey.

“Overflights by warplanes and shelling have been relent-less,” said the father of three, his blue pick-up truck stacked with mattresses, bed sheets and household appliances.

Battles between militants and pro-government forces raged overnight around a hill-top in the northern countryside of Hama province, following an advance by Assad’s forces.

Twenty-four pro-govern-ment fighters were killed in fierce fighting, the Observatory said, along with 29 jihadists.

The latter were mem-bers of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group dominated by fighters from a former Al-Qae-da affiliate, and of the Turk-

istan Islamic Party, a Uighur-dominated militant group.

Fighting subsided early Tuesday after pro-government forces thwarted several counter-attacks and consolidated new positions, Observatory chief Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.

But the air and artillery bombardment continued for an eighth straight day, killing the 13 civilians, the war moni-tor said.

At least nine civilians were killed in shelling and air strikes

on Monday. State news agen-cy SANA said Syrian troops launched rocket attacks on armed groups in northwestern Hama province on Tuesday, killing several fighters, but it did not provide any toll.

French President Emma-nuel Macron expressed his “ex-treme concern” over the height-ened violence.

“The humanitarian situa-tion in Syria is critical and no military option is acceptable,” he said on Twitter Tuesday.

Escalation in Syria’s Idlib rattles months-old truce

Men walk among the rubble of a building that was destroyed during air strikes by the Syrian regime and their allies near the town of Saraqeb in Syria’s rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib, on Tuesday. (AFP)

53 fighters have also been killed since Monday, in one of the deadliest flare-ups

Amid tensions, Libya’s Serraj to meet Frances’ Macron today

AFPPARIS

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday meets Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, who has accused Paris of supporting his rival and tacitly backing his assault on Tripoli, a presidential source said.

Relations between the two leaders have soured since strongman Khalifa Haftar launched a campaign last month against Sarraj and his internationally recognised Gov-ernment of National Accord.

Sarraj claimed France had switched sides to support a “dic-tator”, in comments deemed “unacceptable and unfounded”

by the presidential source on Tuesday. “France supports Prime Minister Sarraj and was opposed to Haftar’s military offensive against Tripoli,” the source said, while reiterating that France had maintained contacts with actors on both sides of the conflict.

On April 4, Haftar launched a drive towards Tripoli where Sarraj’s UN-rec-ognised government is based, triggering fighting that has claimed nearly 400 lives.

Macron intends to ask Sar-raj about the humanitarian situation and see if he has pro-posals to end the conflict, which appears to have reached a stale-mate in recent days.

NEWS IN BRIEF

GOMA: Three suspects in the killing of two U.N. investigators in Democratic Republic of Congo escaped from prison overnight, a defence lawyer in the case said on Tuesday. Evariste Ilunga, Kanowa Tshiaba and Mbayi Amoxi Tshikangu are on trial accused of participating in the killing of American Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalan, a Swede, in March 2017. The UN investigators were probing alleged atrocities in fighting in the central Kasai region between the government and a local militia. Ilunga has admitted at trial to having participated in the killings. It was not immediately clear whether Tshiaba and Tshikangu have confirmed or denied involvement. (REUTERS)

Three suspects in UN experts’ killing escape jail in CongoJUBA: At least 54 people were killed when a wildfire raged through a village in northern South Su-dan. At least 18 others were injured when the fire broke out in the village of Korok in Lol State on Sunday night, the state’s deputy governor, Mawein Akook, told dpa on Tuesday via telephone. Most residents had been asleep when the fire burned down most huts in the village, and most victims were women, children and elderly people, according to Akook. At least 14 people sustained first-degree burns, the deputy governor added. Farms and livestock were also destroyed in fire, while dozens of residents fled the area to neighbouring villages. (DPA)

Wildfire kills 54 people in northern South Sudan village

AFPUNITED STATES

THE Palestinians are asking the European Union to pick up the mantle in defense of the two-state solution if the upcoming US peace plan ditches Palestin-ian statehood, their UN envoy said Tuesday.

President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to unveil the long-awaited plan possibly as early as next month, but the Palestinians have al-ready rejected it as heavily bi-ased in favor of Israel. Palestin-

ian ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters that he urged Eu-ropean officials during recent meetings in Brussels to seize the initiative and not allow the United States to be the preemi-nent player in the Middle East peace process.

The Palestinians urged the EU to call for an international conference that would reaffirm the global consensus of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Pal-estinian conflict and reject the US approach.

“We are engaging them,” Mansour told reporters about

his meetings with EU officials. “They have to act.” “We would be extremely happy to show that there is more than one player in the field, trying to de-termine how we move forward.” The Palestinians have also urged European countries - in particular France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg -- to recognize Palestine as a state.

UN resolutions have advo-cated a two-state solution pro-viding for an independent Pal-estinian state alongside Israel, and stressed that this outcome

is to be agreed by the parties.Mansour said the Palestin-

ians also wanted Russia to step up its Middle East diplomacy and suggested that the United Nations could convene the Mid-dle East peace quartet.

The US peace plan is ex-pected to feature proposals for regional economic develop-ment that would include Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon but the Palestinians have been ada-mant that it will fail.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is the chief architect of the proposals.

Palestinians turn to EU to counter Kushner plan

Sudan protesters’ sit-in inspires cultural outpouringREUTERSKHARTOUM

SUDANESE artist Rashid Drar used to work from home. Now the 44-year-old’s canvas is any empty piece of wall he can find by a month-long sit-in outside the Defence Minis-try in Khartoum.

Drar says it is his way of “being part of the revolution”, a protest movement that brought down former President Omar al-Bashir on April 11 and is now pushing for the military council that replaced him to hand pow-er to civilians.

“I draw for the Sudanese people. Art is something good, just as the revolution is,” he says. The wide street in front

of the Defence Ministry where thousands have been protest-ing since April 6 has been transformed into a cultural hub ringed with makeshift tents.

Alongside fiery political speeches, crowds that have flocked to the area from across Sudan enjoy music recitals, dance shows, photography ex-hibitions, chess tournaments and book readings.

Most strikingly, the space has become an open-air exhibi-tion of hundreds of wall paint-ings. Amna Almahi, an out-of-work journalist, has used much of her time since the start of the protests to make murals.

She believes the struggle for democracy in Sudan will be a long one. She sees the art-

work as an expression of the wounds from three decades of autocratic rule under Bashir. “The people of Sudan have suf-fered greatly under political oppression,” she says.

“Now they want freedom,

equality and democracy. The political content of these wall paintings is exactly an expres-sion of these demands.” Pro-testers and activists have been negotiating with Sudan’s Tran-sitional Military Council (TMC)

on forming a joint civilian-mili-tary body to oversee the country until elections.

But the parties are dead-locked over who would control the transition. Alaa Khojaly and her friends are holding art, reading, writing and music classes in a tent school they set up for street children.

“Democracy does not mean only freedom. If it comes, we be-lieve we will have a higher grade of education, better healthcare,” says Khojaly.

“These children are not re-ceiving education and health-care. So instead of letting them run loose among the protesters every day, we are trying to pro-vide enjoyable and educational activities for them in our tent.”

AFPWASHINGTON

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to a former US Army officer con-victed of the 2009 murder of an Iraqi detainee. Michael Behenna, 35, a former lieu-tenant in the 101st Airborne Division from Oklahoma, was released from prison in 2014 after serving five years in jail.

Behenna was convicted in 2009 of unpremeditated murder for the death of Ali Mansur, an Iraqi who was suspected of belonging to Al-Qaeda. Mansur was picked up by US troops following a bomb explosion that killed two members of Behenna’s unit but was released.

Behenna later conduct-ed his own interrogation of Mansur and claimed at his trial that he killed him in self-defense. In granting the pardon, the White House said Behenna’s case had “at-tracted broad support from the military, Oklahoma elect-ed officials, and the public.”

Hina Shamsi, director of the National Security Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, condemned the presi-dential pardon for Behenna.

“This pardon is a presi-dential endorsement of a murder that violated the mil-itary’s own code of justice,” Shamsi said in a statement.

“The military appeals court found Behenna diso-beyed orders, became the ag-gressor against his prisoner, and had no justification for killing a naked, unarmed Iraqi man in the desert, away from an actual battlefield.

Trump pardons Americanarmy officer convicted of killing Iraqi detainee

Gulf / Middle East / World10 Wednesday, May 8, 2019

More than 150,000 displaced in northwest Syria in one week: UNBeirut: An escalation in attacks on northwest Syria has displaced more than 150,000 people in the past week, the UN said on Tuesday, as the regime and Russia stepped up bombardment. “We are alarmed by ongoing reports of aerial attacks on population centres and civilian infrastructure, resulting in hundreds of civilians dead and injured,” said David Swanson of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA.

“More than 152,000 women, children and men have been displaced in Aleppo and Idlib governorates over the past week alone,” he said. The northwestern part of Syria controlled by militants is made up a large part of Idlib province, as well as adjacent parts of the Aleppo and Hama provinces.

The Idlib region has been protected from a massive regime offensive by a September deal inked by Damascus ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey. But the region of some three million people has come under increasing bombardment since the militant Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, took full control of it in January.

The UN humanitarian agency on Tuesday expressed alarm at health facilities being hit in the bombardment. “Between 29 April and 6 May, at least 12 health facilities were hit by airstrikes in northern Hama and Idlib governorates, damaging health infrastructure that provided essential health services to over 100,000 people,” OCHA said in a statement. All 12 were out of service, Swanson said, while three health workers had been killed in the bombardment. “Ongoing reports of attacks on health facilities in the region reflect a worrying trend, depriving thousands women, children and men of life-saving medical assistance,” he said. (AFP)

Iran plans ‘gradual’ departure from nuclear deal: State media

DPATEHRAN

IRAN wants to “gradually re-duce its obligations” under its nuclear deal with major pow-ers, state news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday. Presi-dent Hassan Rowhani will inform his counterparts from China, Germany, France, Brit-ain and Russia on Wednesday about the planned procedure, according to the report.

Wednesday marks one year after US President Don-ald Trump announced that his country would pull out of the agreement. The nu-clear deal that was reached in Vienna in 2015 has greatly reduced Iran’s nuclear activi-

ties, in order to prevent the country from building nu-clear weapons. Rowhani’s letter to the leaders of the remaining countries will stress that the Islamic Re-public has shown a lot of patience, but that the other side has not upheld its side of the pact, IRNA reported.

Western sanctions against Iran were lifted in return for the nuclear curbs, but the US has gradually revived sanc-tions over the past year, in-cluding an embargo against Iranian oil exports. The In-ternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna has been reporting that Tehran has kept its nuclear activities within the agreed limits.

US President Donald Trump.

Jared Kushner.

Erdogan says Istanbul vote re-run is ‘best step’

AFPANKARA

TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday welcomed a controversial or-der to re-run the recent Istan-bul election after complaints of corruption as the “best step” for the country.

“We see this decision as the best step that will strengthen our will to solve problems within the framework of de-mocracy and law,” Erdogan told a meeting of his party

members in parliament.Erdogan’s comments come

a day after the top election body cancelled the March 31 vote that handed opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu a narrow lead over Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Develop-ment Party (AKP).

The AKP has refused to accept defeat, citing “irregu-larities and corruption” in the vote. Erdogan on Tues-day talked of “organised crime” and “serious corrup-tion” during the vote.

(File photo) A graffiti is seen on a wall near the defence ministry com-pound in Khartoum, Sudan.

Trump invites Hungary’s Orban to White House

AFPWASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump is to host Hungary’s firebrand anti-immigration Prime Minis-ter Viktor Orban at the White House next week, officials said on Tuesday. “President Donald J. Trump will welcome Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hun-gary to the White House on May 13, 2019,” the administration said in a statement.

“Recognizing the longstand-ing ties between the United States and Hungary, the presi-dent and the prime minister will discuss ways to deepen coop-eration on a range of issues, in-

cluding trade, energy, and cyber security.” As leaders of NATO countries, the statement said, Trump and Orban will “explore opportunities to meet the many national security responsibilities of their two countries.” Orban’s anti-immigration campaigns in Europe echo many of the themes of Trump’s own drive to build a wall on the US-Mexico border and his attempts to thwart mi-grants seeking US asylum.

With elections to the Euro-pean Parliament to be held later this month, Orban’s hardline -- some say xenophobic–stance against refugees and “Brussels bureaucrats” has alienated even former conservative allies.

REUTERSWASHINGTON

THE White House on Tuesday instructed Don McGahn, its former counsel, to refuse to comply with a congressional subpoena for documents re-lated to Special Counsel Rob-ert Mueller’s Russia inquiry, intensifying a fight between President Donald Trump’s administration and Demo-cratic lawmakers.

McGahn, who left his post as White House counsel last year, was directed not to pro-duce White House records sought in the subpoena issued by the House of Representa-

tives Judiciary Committee, ac-cording to the current White House counsel, Pat Cipollone.

It was the latest episode in an escalating fight be-tween the Republican presi-dent and Democrats, who control the House and are seeking documents and tes-timony relating to various investigations, ahead of the 2020 presidential election in which Trump is seeking a second four-year term.

Cipollone said in a let-ter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler that McGahn was given the documents during the inves-tigation “with the clear un-

derstanding that the records remain subject to the con-trol of the White House for all purposes.” Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick

Mulvaney, a former House Republican, directed Mc-Gahn not to produce the re-cords, the letter said.

“The White House records remain legally protected from disclosure under longstanding constitutional principles, be-cause they implicate significant executive branch confidentiali-ty interests and executive privi-lege,” Cipollone wrote.

Executive privilege is a right claimed by presidents to withhold information about internal executive branch deliberations from other branches of government.

A Republican congression-al aide said the White House

was not asserting executive privilege over the documents and pointed to Cipollone’s readiness to respond to fur-ther congressional inquiries about the records. “Conversa-tions... would not occur if, in fact, the White House had as-serted privilege here,” the aide said.

Nadler had asked Mc-Gahn to produce the docu-ments by Tuesday morning. The committee also subpoe-naed McGahn to testify at a deposition. Neither commit-tee officials nor McGahn’s lawyer were immediately available to comment on whether he would do so.

WH defies Congress on McGahn subpoena as Trump battles Democrats

REUTERSLONDON

BRITAIN’S Conservative gov-ernment and the opposition La-bour Party resumed Brexit talks on Tuesday to try to find a way to break the deadlock in parlia-ment over the country’s depar-ture from the European Union.

After Prime Minister There-sa May’s deal was rejected three times and she was forced to de-lay Brexit, the government has spent more than four weeks in talks with Labour - negotiations that have done little to soften positions in either party.

So far, there has been no agreement and few held out any hope of a breakthrough. The government on Tuesday also conceded Britain would

take part in European elections this month, a poll which could deliver more bruising results to both major parties. Almost three years since Britain voted to leave the EU, there is little clarity about how, when or even if Brexit will happen.

David Lidington, May’s de facto deputy, said despite tak-ing part in the elections to the European Parliament on May 23, there was still time to avoid those elected taking their seats.

“Ideally we would like to be in a situation where those MEPs from the UK never actu-ally take their seats in the Eu-ropean Parliament, certainly to get this done and dusted by the summer recess,” he said, referring to parliament’s sum-mer break which usually be-

gins in the second half of July.May deeply regretted the

move, her spokesman said, describing the prime minis-ter as determined to find a way to get a deal to leave the EU over the line.

The Labour talks are an at-tempt by May to find a new path to what she calls “a stable majority” for a deal.

Earlier, May told her cabinet last week’s local elections, when

the Conservatives lost hundreds of council seats, underlined the need to get on with Brexit.

“The prime minister said that while an agreement with the opposition had not been reached, the public had sent a clear message in the local elec-tions that they want both of the main parties to get on with de-livering Brexit,” her spokesman said she told ministers.

However, many pro-EU lawmakers used the results of local elections to argue that the tide is turning against Brexit after the Liberal Democrats, who support opposed Brexit and want a second referendum, gained many council seats.

Taking part in the Euro-pean elections is a further blow to May who, after securing a divorce deal with the EU in November, has been unable to implement the agreement and faces growing calls to bring forward her decision to stand down as prime minister.

Conservatives and Labour resume Brexit discussionsamid low expectations

AFPWINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM

DELIGHTED Britons bet on baby names and dusted off their Union Jack costumes af-ter Prince Harry and Meghan welcomed the royal family’s first known mixed-race child.

Ending days of suspense, a visibly relived Harry, 34, an-nounced Monday the arrival of the couple’s firstborn -- a son who will be seventh in the long line to the British throne.

It was a rare piece of good news for a nation exhausted by

its endless fight over Brexit, a chance to celebrate royal tradi-tions–this time with a young American twist.

“I want to see how he’ll look. As Meghan is mixed race, I’m curious”, said Zahra Kibue, 34, who lived in Kenya before moving to England a few years ago.

“It’s very important,” said Kibue. “The monarchy is say-ing, the door is open, anybody could be of royal kinship.” The royal couple are due to show off their son to the world’s me-dia and announce his name on

Wednesday. It is not known whether the child will be given a royal title but it is highly like-ly. Meghan Markle, a 37-year-old former TV star who stud-ied in the suburbs of Chicago and has an African American mother, has created a fresh buzz around the century-old House of Windsor.

The American duchess made waves by closing her own car door–a task usually performed by aides.

The couple announced the birth of the seven-pound, three-ounce (3.26-kilogramme) baby

–“It’s a BOY!”–to their 6.5 mil-lion followers on Instagram. Perhaps most notably, Meghan decided to ignore past practice by keeping the birth private and well away from the prying media’s eyes.

“Congratulations. Another great grandchild!” Britain’s Press Association quoted a guest as telling the queen as she posed for a group photo at Windsor Castle.

“I know,” the 93-year-old monarch said. It was her eighth, as she herself pointed out. Most UK media assumed

that Meghan had opted for a home delivery.

But not The Daily Mail, which breathlessly reported that “overdue Meghan’s home birth dream was dashed as she was secretly whisked to a London hospital on Sunday by Harry and his Scotland Yard security team”.

The Sun, a competing tabloid, said Meghan ended up being secretly rushed to a £15,000-a-night ($20,000, 17,500-euro) London hos-pital before giving birth “at exactly sunrise”.

Britons celebrate birth of Britain’s first mixed-race royal baby

UN seeks release of thousands of migrants in Yemen

REUTERSGENEVA

THE International Organi-zation for Migration (IOM) called on Tuesday for the re-lease of more than 3,000 mi-grants, mainly Ethiopians, who it said remain held in inhumane conditions in two detention centres in south-ern Yemen.

The detentions began two weeks ago in the city of Aden and the neighbouring prov-ince of Lahj, which are under the control of the internation-ally-recognised government backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The coalition is fighting Iran-aligned Houthi rebels who control Sanaa, the capi-tal, and other major urban centres after more than four years of war.

“Some 3,000 migrants continue to be held in two temporary detention sites in Yemen’s Aden and Abyan gov-ernorates,” IOM spokesman Joel Millman told a news brief-ing in Geneva.

They include about 2,500 held in a football stadium in Aden, where aid workers are fighting disease outbreaks, he said.

IOM said last week that on April 30, guards fired on migrants detained at Aden sports stadium, two of whom suffered gunshot wounds, leaving a teenage boy likely paralyzed for life.

It had no further informa-

tion on the incident on Tues-day. “IOM remains extremely concerned for the people be-ing held in inhumane condi-tions in Aden and Abyan,” Millman said.

The IOM was talking to the authorities to try to get them released, he added.

The UN migration agen-cy had received reports that in recent days more than 1,400 people detained at a military camp in Lahj were released, he said.

At least 14 migrants have died of an outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea in Lahj, where IOM is treating some 70 former inmates, he said. IOM is planning to evacuate 237 Ethiopians to Addis Ababa under its voluntary repatria-tion programme, he said.

Europe / Americas

US President Donald Trump.

MADRID: Actor Viggo Mortens-en has rebuked Spain’s far-right party Vox for featuring in a po-litical tweet the sword-wielding hero Aragorn whom he plays in “The Lord of the Rings”.

On the day of Spain’s recent election, Vox posted an image of Aragorn, with the Spanish flag and party emblem on his back, charging against an enemy army under banners of left-wing, feminist, LGBT, liberal media and Spanish separatist groups.

“Let the battle begin!” #For Spain”, it said.

“You’d have to be pretty ignorant to think that using the character... to promote the cam-paign of a xenophobic, ultra-right party like Vox would be a good idea,” Mortensen wrote in a letter to Spanish newspaper El Pais published on Tuesday.

“I would laugh at their inept-itude but Vox has won 24 seats in Congress; it’s no joke,” the 60-year-old Danish-American actor, a fluent Spanish speaker with a home in Madrid, wrote from Los Angeles. (REUTERS)

‘Lord of the Rings’ actor up in arms over Spanish far-right ad


Top Republican McConnell: ‘Case closed’ on Trump-Russia probe

AFPWASHINGTON

MITCH McConnell, the top Republican in the US Con-gress, said Tuesday it was “case closed” regarding the special counsel’s report on Russian interference and urged Democrats to drop their investigations of Presi-dent Donald Trump.

The Senate majority lead-er laid out his argument for turning from “unhinged par-tisanship” and paralysis after a 2016 election that did not

go Democrats’ way to cooper-ating on legislation now that the two-year investigation has run its course.

Democrats “told every-one there had been a con-spiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign, yet on this special question, the spe-cial counsel’s finding is case closed,” McConnell said in a floor speech.

“They are grieving that the national crisis they spent two years wishing for did not materialize,” he said of con-gressional Democrats.

(File photo) Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan wave as they ride a horse-drawn carriage after their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle

UK Govt has spent more than four weeks in talks with Labour- negotiations that have done little to soften positions

No breakthroughSo far, there has been no agreement and few held out any hope of a break-through. The government on Tuesday also conceded Britain would take part in European elections this month, a poll which could deliver more bruising re-sults to both major parties.

Opposition Labour Party’s shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman (second-right), shadow chancellor John McDonnell (right), party’s Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer (left), and shadow secretary of state for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy Rebecca Long-Bailey arrive for Brexit talks at the Cabinet Office in London, on Tuesday. (AFP)

Critical situation The UN migration agency had received reports that in recent days more than 1,400 people detained at a military camp in Lahj were released. At least 14 migrants have died of an outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea in Lahj, where IOM is treating some 70 former inmates, Joel Millman said.

4 people held hostage at shop in French city of Toulouse

DPAPARIS

AN armed man is hold-ing four people hostage near the south-western French city of Toulouse, police sources told dpa on Tuesday. An earlier media report had said five people were being held. Police confirmed that the hostage situation was happening in a shop that sells newspapers and cigarettes in the Toulouse suburb of Blagnac.

An elite unit of French police was on site, sources said, and the surrounding area had been blocked off.

Media reports that the hostage-taker had opened fire at security forces have not been confirmed.

The armed man called police himself and demand-ed to speak with a mediator of the RAID national elite forces, French broadcaster BFMTV reported.

The hostage situation is thought to have developed after a robbery went awry, local newspaper La Dep-eche du Midi reported.

RAHUL PREETHDOHA

QATAR’S economy is likely to have grown faster in the first quarter of this year than the previous one, said a new report that predicts the coun-try’s GDP to grow at 2.6 per-cent this year and 2.8 percent in 2020.

“Economic growth should accelerate this year, but-tressed by higher hydrocarbon production, higher oil prices and infrastructure projects re-lated to the 2022 World Cup,” the report said.

However, it added, geo-political tensions with neigh-bours and volatile energy pric-es threaten the outlook.

The economic acceleration in the first quarter follows the weakest expansion in nearly a decade in Q4 2018, FocusEco-nomics said in its economic forecast report for the MENA region for May.

Qatar’s Q1 growth seems significant when compared with that of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the report shows.

Economic growth likely decelerated sharply in Q1 2019 as Saudi Arabia continued to over-deliver on its oil pro-ductions cuts, it said, adding that in March, the Kingdom pumped below 10 million bar-

rels per day for the first time in nearly one year.

UAE, it said, likely posted a somewhat subdued perfor-mance in the first quarter of the year.

The purchasing manager’s index (PMI) for the non-en-ergy private sector averaged higher in the first quarter than in the previous quarter, with new business orders driving the expansion, it said.

“Moreover, industrial pro-duction performed well above Q4’s average in year-on-year terms in the first two months of the year on the back of ro-

bust dynamics in the mining and quarrying sector.

Despite remaining at rela-tively low levels, the report said Qatar’s real estate in-dex grew throughout the first quarter, suggesting the real estate market is slowly stabi-lising.

In addition, private sector credit growth grew steadily in year-on-year terms in Q1, which, coupled with subdued

price pressures, should have supported household spend-ing, it said.

Consumer prices fell 1.2 percent year-on-year in March (February 1.4 percent). Low food prices and a flailing hous-ing market have muted price pressures in recent months.

Going forward, the report said, price pressures will likely pick up on stronger economic activity.

The economic acceleration in Q1 follows the weakest expansion in nearly a decade in Q4 2018: FocusEconomics

Qatar’s economy picks up pace in Q1, GDP to grow at 2.6% in 2019

Qatar’s Q1 growth seems significant when compared with that of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

REUTERSSAN FRANCISCO/ CAPE TOWN

UBER co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick used to tell investors he liked to keep his company teetering be-tween order and chaos.

By the time he left, it was chaos. The company was bat-tered by a slew of scandals, including revelations it had used illicit tactics to handicap competitors and dodge regu-lators.

Almost two years later, under new leadership and set to debut Friday on Wall Street in the largest U.S. pub-

lic stock offering since 2014, Uber Technologies Inc is still testing the rule of law.

With growth slowing, the company continues to spar with local officials around the world looking to limit Uber cars on their streets.

In Cape Town, South Af-rica, for example, Uber domi-nates the market with an esti-mated 7,000 drivers, most of whom are operating illegally, according to city officials. Uber blames Cape Town’s “broken” system for approv-ing ride-hailing licenses.

In the United States, Uber has used the courts to try to

block what it see as unrea-sonable restrictions on its business. And it has success-fully lobbied state legisla-tures to pass laws preempting local ride-hailing regulations, much to the frustration of of-ficials in some cities where it operates.

Uber insiders say CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has made strides in cleaning up a frat-house culture that spawned allegations of sexual harass-ment and embarrassing leaks of executives behaving badly.

But Uber’s sharp-elbowed business tactics, detailed by lawmakers, city staff and

regulators across the globe, as well as drivers and former employees, continue to drive the company.

“It’s in the DNA,” a for-mer Uber manager said. “Old habits die hard.” Whether its playbook delivers the growth and profitability public mar-ket investors will be seeking remains to be seen. Revenue growth slowed to 2.3% in the fourth quarter over the pre-vious quarter, a worrisome sign for a business that lost more than $3 billion last year.

Uber’s economics “are not immediately or obvi-

ously attractive for sustain-able, long-term investment,” Mark Hargraves, Head of Framlington Global Equities at AXA Investment Manag-ers, said in a recent note to clients.

An Uber spokesman de-clined to comment. In its IPO filing, the company said it is “using a proactive and collaborative approach with regulators” and “rebuilding and strengthening” its rela-tionships with cities. Where ride-hailing is banned, Uber is instead offering e-bike ser-vices or partnering with tra-ditional taxi companies.

As IPO looms, Uber clings to hard-knuckled tactics in pursuit of growth

A traffic official checks an impounded Uber vehicle during a clampdown on drivers operating without permits in Cape Town.


QATAR Petroleum issued an Invitation to Tender Package for Engineering, Procure-ment and Construction (EPC) to expand its common lean liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage, and the loading and export facilities for its North Field Expansion (NFE) Pro-ject.

The tender package, which was issued to world class con-tractors, calls for the engineer-

ing, procurement and con-struction of three LNG storage tanks; compressors to recover tank boil off gas during stor-age and jetty boil off gas dur-ing LNG vessel loading; LNG rundown lines from the LNG trains to the LNG storage area; two additional LNG berths with an option for a third LNG berth; and loading and return lines from the LNG berths to the tanks.

Minister of State for En-ergy Affairs and President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum HE

Saad Sherida al Kaabi said, “Issuing this tender package reflects Qatar Petroleum’s unique contracting strategy approach for the North Field Expansion Project. Under this strategy, we have identi-fied the need for multiple EPC packages that can match the execution expertise in the EPC contracting community for specific scopes of work while providing the opportunity for multiple EPC contractors to participate. The issuance of this tender package will culmi-

nate in the award of this EPC contract by February 2020.

“This tender package is part of a strong drive to put the various NEF project com-ponents in place, including four mega LNG trains that would expand the State of Qatar’s LNG production from 77 million tons per annum to 110 million tons by 2024. This also includes the recently announcedmajor LNG ship-building campaign expected to initially deliver 60 LNG carri-ers in support of the planned

production expansion, with a potential to exceed 100 new LNG carriers over the next decade.”

Qatargas is entrusted with executing this mega-project on behalf of Qatar Petroleum. As the World’s Premier LNG Company, Qatargas has an established history in deliver-ing such major projects and in operating various onshore and offshore facilities in the North Field with a high degree of reliability and operational excellence.

QP issues tender for LNG storage, loading facilities for North Field project

Issuing this tender package reflects Qatar Petroleum’s unique contracting strategy approach for the North Field Expansion Project.

No anticipated shipping date yet for Galaxy Fold: Samsung

REUTERSSEOUL

SAMSUNG Electronics said on Tuesday it cannot confirm the shipping date for its fold-able device Galaxy Fold yet and apologized to its pre-order customers in the United States for the delay.

The world’s top smart-phone maker delayed global sales of the splashy $1,980

foldable phone after review-ers discovered problems with its display, dealing a setback to Samsung and its efforts to showcase its innovation.

“If we do not hear from you and we have not shipped by May 31st, your order will be canceled automatically,” the South Korean tech giant’s U.S. subsidiary told Galaxy Fold pre-order customers in an email late on Monday.

The purchasing manager’s index for the non-energy private sector averaged higher in the first quarter than in the previous quarter

Mahaseel to market local agricultural produces from June


HASSAD Food’s marketing arm Mahaseel will start pro-curing and marketing local agricultural produces in the Qatari market from June 5, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Hassad Food said the Maha-seel for Marketing and Agri Ser-vices project will have its head-quarters near the central market in A’Sailiyah in a plot allocated by the government.

To start the first phase, the Hassad has designated an as-sembly point at the current cen-tral market in Abu Hamour un-til Mahaseel’s permanent facility is ready.

“June 5 is the commence-ment date for receiving and marketing the agricultural prod-ucts in the local market,” said Mahaseel’s General Manager Mohamed al Ghaithani.

“Mahaseel aims to contrib-ute to achieving self- sufficiency in vegetables sector and ease the burden on local farmers in

order to focus on enhancing the quality and quantity of local pro-duce,” he said.

“We have put in place a well-established operations module to ensure that the products are delivered to the assembly point, sorted, packaged and marketed in the local market in an efficient and smooth process to ensure that the product is delivered to the consumer in the best form.”

Mahaseel is currently work-ing with local farmers, who signed up to identify the types, grades and quantities of vegeta-ble products that will be mar-keted based on their contracts in the first phase.

Mahaseel’s General Manager Mohamed al Ghaithani

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

Wall Street extends fall as US-China trade worries mount PAGE 14

Oil falls near 2% as US-China trade war intensifies PAGE 14

DOW QE GOLD

SILVERWTIBRENT

25,852.66-585.82 PTS

1,285.00+0.09%

14.96-0.15%

10,251.08 -45.51 PTS

38,276.63-323.71 PTSSENSEX

PRICE PERCENTAGE69.92 -1.85%

PRICE PERCENTAGE61.41 -1.35%

REUTERSLONDON

US President Donald Trump’s latest threat to ramp up trade tariffs on China kept global share markets weak on Tues-day, while Turkey’s lira was back in trouble as concerns about its politics erupted again.

Europe’s main bourses and Wall Street futures were firmly back in the red after Trump’s threat on Monday to ratchet up tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods triggered the biggest global sell-off since March.

It had been a broadly steady start but that had made way for more selling. London was down more than 1 percent as it played catch-up after a long weekend, but Frankfurt, Paris and the pan-European STOXX 600 were down 0.6-0.8 percent too.

Some investors were still hoping that Trump’s moves were a negotiating tactic, espe-cially after Beijing confirmed that its top negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, would go to Washington for talks on Thurs-day and Friday as planned.

Though Japan’s Nikkei took a delayed hit of 1.5 per-cent having been closed for over a week, MSCI’s main global and Asia indexes largely held their ground overnight as Chinese shares also recovered from their worst drop in more than three years.

“We expect the situation to de-escalate as the issue seems solvable and Liu He, China’s lead negotiator, is continu-ing with his plans to travel to Washington for talks this week,” said Oxford Economics economist Louis Kuijs.

Beijing’s response to the prospect of new tariffs has been reserved, and on Tues-

day, Foreign Ministry spokes-man Geng Shuang told a news briefing that mutual respect was the basis for reaching a trade agreement.

China’s yuan had recouped some of its early Asia session losses against the dollar but it remained hobbled near 2-1/2 month lows in the internation-

al ‘offshore’ markets at 6.7833 yuan per dollar.

There was plenty more keeping traders busy too.

Australia’s dollar jumped almost 1 percent to a one-week top of $0.7048, after the coun-try’s central bank kept rates on hold, wrongfooting some who had expected it to cut.

Other major currencies remained confined to well-trodden ranges, with the dollar steady at 110.63 yen and the euro trading virtually flat at $1.1195 despite new European Commission forecasts high-lighting Italy’s debt worries.

With no changes in the government’s spending poli-cies, Italy’s budget deficit is also set to grow, to 2.5 percent of output this year and to 3.5 percent in 2020, beyond the 3.0 percent ceiling set by EU fiscal rules.

In emerging markets, the Turkish lira came under re-

newed heavy fire after the country’s elections board de-cided to cancel a municipal election in Istanbul and order a re-run.

It slid as much as 1.5 per-cent and past the 6.15 per dol-lar threshold, which also sent Istanbul’s stock market and government bonds tumbling badly too.

“The rule of law is under scrutiny by markets,” Uni-Credit EM FX strategist Kiran Kowshik said.

“It is also clear that Turkish reserves are depleted and there are questions about whether Turkey can weather its imme-diate challenges without an external anchor like the IMF.” In the commodity markets, oil dropped around 1 percent as the renewed doubts over US-China trade talks offset the potential supply worries of US sanctions on crude exporters Iran and Venezuela.

A pedestrian looks at a display showing the Tokyo stock index during an afternoon trading session at a securities office in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday. (EPA)

Europe’s shares weaken after heavy fall on Monday Turkish lira slides 1.5 percent

Trade worries keep shares weak; lira in trouble again

US-CHINA TARIFF WAR

AFP FRANKFURT AM MAIN

GERMAN high-end carmaker BMW on Tuesday reported a plunge in profits in the first quarter as it booked a 1.4-bil-lion-euro ($1.6 billion) charge related to an EU cartel probe.

Net profits at the group no-sedived 74.2 percent year-on-year, to 588 million euros, the group said in a statement.

Brussels’ allegation that BMW colluded with Daimler and Volkswagen to avoid com-peting on emission control technology means “it is prob-able that the EU Commission will issue a significant fine,” the Munich-based manufac-turer said.

BMW already warned investors when details of the probe were published last month that it would have to set aside at least a billion euros.

But the firm said compe-tition authorities are trying “to equate the permissible coordination of industry posi-tions regarding the regulatory framework with unlawful car-tel agreements”.

“If necessary (BMW) will contest the EU Commission’s allegations with all the le-gal means at its disposal,” it added.

On top of the provision, the group said growing re-search and development costs and investments had also sapped earnings, while rev-enue fell 0.9 percent to 22.5 billion euros.

Nevertheless “in opera-tional terms, we remain firmly on course,” chief executive Harald Krueger said, adding that a wave of new models ar-riving in the second half of the year should lift business.

Excluding the effect of the provision, BMW achieved an operating margin of 5.6 per-cent, lower than in 2018’s first three months.

The group confirmed its targets for the remainder of the year, aiming for a “slight increase” in unit sales but pointing to continuing cost increases and protectionist threats undermining earnings.

Pre-tax profit is “expected to be well below the previous year’s level,” BMW said, fol-lowing up an 8.1-percent fall in 2018.

BMW Q1 profit sinks 74% on huge $1.6 bn EUcartel charge

AFP FRANKFURT AM MAIN

GERMAN sports car maker and Volkswagen subsidiary Porsche will pay a 535-mil-lion-euro ($598 million) fine over diesel vehicles that emit-ted more harmful pollutants than allowed, Stuttgart pros-ecutors said Tuesday.

“The Stuttgart prosecutor’s office has levied a 535-million-euro fine against Porsche AG

for negligence in quality con-trol,” the investigators said.

Porsche “abstained from a legal challenge” against the decision, the prosecutors of-fice added.

Tuesday’s levy against Por-sche is the latest in a string of fines against VW over its years-long “dieselgate” scan-dal.

The auto behemoth admit-ted in 2015 to manipulating 11 million vehicles worldwide to

appear less polluting in labo-ratory tests than they were in real driving conditions.

Following fines against VW, high-end subsidiary Audi and now Porsche, no further investigations over “adminis-trative offences” remain open against the group, a spokes-man told AFP.

But legal proceedings against individuals, including former chief executive Martin Winterkorn, remain open.

Meanwhile, thousands of investors are suing the compa-ny for the losses they suffered on its shares when news of the scandal broke, while hundreds of thousands of drivers are also demanding compensa-tion.

In its own statement, Por-sche said the negligence pun-ished by prosecutors was iden-tified “several levels below the board”.

The firm also said that the

cost of the fine was included in a provision of around one bil-lion euros booked by the VW group in the first quarter.

So far the total costs of “dieselgate” for the Wolfs-burg-based behemoth have mounted to 30 billion euros.

Shares in VW were down 2.2 percent around 2:00 pm in Frankfurt (1200 GMT) at 154.10 euros, against a DAX index of blue-chip shares down 0.7 percent.

Porsche fined $598 million over diesel cheating

EU cuts eurozone growth forecast to 1.2 percent

AFP BRUSSELS

THE European Com-mission cut its eurozone growth forecast for 2019 on Tuesday, with over-spending by populist-run Italy again a concern.

In its quarterly fore-cast, the EU executive blamed the downward trend on the slowdown in China and US protection-ism that has crimped glob-al confidence.

The commission said growth in the 19-na-tion single currency bloc would hit just 1.2 percent this year, down from the already weak 1.3 percent predicted in February.

“The European econo-my is showing resilience... yet risks to the outlook remain pronounced,” said EU vice president Valdis Dombrovskis, warning of “further escalation of trade conflicts and weak-ness in emerging markets, in particular China.”

Europe should also “stay alert to a possible no-deal Brexit,” he added, with negotiations on the EU’s divorce with the UK stalled and no agreement in sight.

The commission said the EU as a whole -- still including Britain -- would grow by 1.4 percent in-stead of its earlier forecast of 1.5 percent.

The EU also warned that Italy’s public debt would balloon to a record 133.7 percent of GDP in 2019, a situation that could reopen a bitter feud be-tween Brussels and Rome about the populist govern-ment’s spending plans.

Italian debt would grow even further in 2020 to 135.2 percent of GDP, it forecast, well over com-mitments made to Brus-sels and more than double the EU’s 60 percent limit.

The alarm bell over Italy’s debt comes just as the eurozone’s third big-gest economy returned to slender growth ear-lier this year after a short downturn.

Last year’s techni-cal recession had put pressure on the populist government, which took power in June on the back of big-spending electoral promises.

The health of the Ger-man economy is also a worry for the EU as slumping demand for for-eign cars in China takes a toll on Europe’s export powerhouse.

But the EU believes that the German economy will rebound from a weak 0.5 percent in 2019 to 1.5 percent in 2020.

Among the other large EU economies, Poland and Spain are projected to out-perform their neigh-bours, with real GDP growth rates above the EU average in both 2019 and 2020.

REUTERSNEW DELHI

ANY retaliatory tariff by In-dia in response to the United States’ planned withdrawal of some trade privileges will not be “appropriate” under WTO rules, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross warned on Tues-day.

The comments, made to broadcaster CNBC-TV18 dur-ing a trip to India’s capital, come as trade ties between the United States and China worsen. The United States is India’s second-biggest trade

partner after China.Indian officials have raised

the prospect of higher import duties on more than 20 US goods if President Donald Trump presses ahead with a plan announced in March to end the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for India.

India is the biggest benefi-ciary of the GSP, which allows preferential duty-free imports of up to $5.6 billion from the South Asian nation.

“Any time a government makes a decision adverse to another one, you will have to anticipate there could be con-

sequences,” Ross said. “We don’t believe under the WTO rules that retaliation by India would be appropriate.” He added that India’s new rules on e-commerce, which bar companies from selling prod-ucts via firms in which they have an equity interest, and data localisation have been discriminatory for US firms such as Walmart Inc and Mas-tercard Inc .

“So the American compa-nies are showing very good will and a very cooperative attitude towards ‘Make in India’ and the other programmes,” he

said, referring to a manufac-turing push by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“But there’s a limit to how far the discriminatory behav-iour can go. And our job is to try to get a level, more level playing field.” Earlier, Ross told a business conference that localisation rules and price caps on medical devices im-ported from the United States were barriers to trade but that New Delhi was committed to tackling them after general elections.

“We applaud India’s com-mitment to addressing some

of these barriers once the gov-ernment is re-formed, prob-ably starting in the month of June,” Ross said.

“Our role is to eliminate barriers to US companies op-erating here, including data localisation restrictions that actually weaken data security and increase the cost of doing business.” India’s 39-day gen-eral election ends on May 19, and votes will be counted four days later.

Ross met his Indian coun-terpart Suresh Prabhu on Monday, after which New Delhi said the two countries

would engage regularly to re-solve outstanding trade issues.

Last year, global payments companies such as Master-card, Visa and American Ex-press unsuccessfully lobbied India to relax central bank rules requiring all payment data on domestic transactions to be stored locally.

“As President Trump has said, trade relationships should be based, and must be based, on fairness and reci-procity,” Ross added. “But currently, US businesses face significant market access bar-riers in India.”

US Commerce Secretary warns India against retaliatory duties

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in New Delhi on Tuesday. (REUTERS)

Asia marketsThough Japan’s Nikkei took a delayed hit of 1.5 percent having been closed for over a week, MSCI’s main global and Asia indexes largely held their ground overnight as Chinese shares also recovered from their worst drop in more than three years

Economy & Business 13Wednesday, May 8, 2019

REUTERSNEW YORK

US stocks slid more than 1 per-cent on Tuesday in a broad-based selloff led by technology shares, as escalating trade ten-sions between the United States and China triggered global growth fears and kept investors away from riskier assets.

Beijing said on Tuesday that Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will visit the United States this week for trade talks, play-ing down US President Donald Trump’s unexpected threat that he would raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods

to 25 percent from 10 percent.Trade tensions pushed US

treasury yields lower as inves-tors turned to low-risk gov-ernment bonds, pressuring interest rate sensitive banking stocks, which fell 1.51 percent.

Boeing Co, the single largest US exporter to China, slipped 3.2 percent and Caterpillar Inc declined 2.0 percent.

“As we digest the signifi-cance of the tariff threat, we are a little less hopeful that we are going to see progress at the end of this week that will fore-stall the additional tariffs,” said Tony Roth, chief investment

officer at Wilmington Trust in Wilmington, Delaware.

“The economy globally is coming off a soft landing. We saw some re-acceleration as we moved closer to a resolu-tion, but here as it falls apart, the question becomes how much direct and indirect im-pact will the tariffs have on the

global economy.” All the ma-jor S&P sectors were trading in the red, with nine of them

posting losses of more than 1 percent.

The CBOE Volatility In-dex, a gauge of investor anxi-ety, spiked to its highest level in over three months.

At 12:39 p.m. ET the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 391.89 points, or 1.48 percent, at 26,046.59. The S&P 500 was down 39.89 points, or 1.36 percent, at 2,892.58 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 123.30 points, or 1.52 percent, at 7,999.99.

Marquee names includ-ing Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Face-

book Inc fell more than 1.7 per-cent and weighed on markets.

With earnings season now at its homestretch, profit esti-mates for the first quarter are now up 1.2 percent, a sharp improvement from the 2.3 percent decline expected at the start of the earnings season.

Of the 414 S&P companies that have reported earnings so far, about 75 percent have sur-passed analysts’ estimates, ac-cording to Refinitiv data.

American International Group Inc jumped 7.6 percent after the insurer reported a quarterly profit that blew past

expectations.Mylan NV tumbled 17 per-

cent, the most among S&P companies, after the drug-maker reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue and failed to provide greater clarity on a potential revamp of the company’s strategy.

Declining issues outnum-bered advancers for a 3.55-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 2.71-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P index recorded four new 52-week highs and five new lows, while the Nas-daq recorded 41 new highs and 34 new lows.

Wall St plunges over 1% as US-China trade worries mount

Iraq close to signing $53 bn deal with Exxon, PetroChina; denies Iran link

BAGHDAD REUTERS

IRAQ is close to signing a $53 billion, 30-year energy agree-ment with Exxon Mobil and PetroChina, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday, denying any link between the mega-project and US permission for Iraq to do business with Iran. Iraq expects to make $400 billion over the 30 years the deal will be in effect, the prime minis-ter said.

The southern mega-pro-ject involves the development of the Nahr Bin Umar and Ar-tawi oilfields and raising pro-duction from the two fields to 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from around 125,000 bpd now, Abdul Mahdi said.

The project is crucial to supplying water to oilfields in the south in order to boost pressure and keep production steady.

Media reports had quoted Iran’s ambassador in London on Monday saying the United States would grant waivers to Iraq allowing it to deal with Iran economically, in ex-change for Baghdad signing an oil deal with Washington.

“Talks now between the oil ministry and Exxon Mobil and PetroChina are focused on how to split profits if oil prices rise or decline,” Ab-dul Mahdi said in response to a Reuters question on the obstacles holding up a final agreement.

“The deal lasts for 30 years and such financial de-tails are sensitive and should be given more discussions,” he added.

Iraq is the second largest oil exporter in OPEC and has long-term aims to boost out-put curtailed by decades of war and sanctions. Such pro-jects are among the most val-uable prizes in the world for international oil companies. An initial agreement would be

a big boost for Exxon Mobil’s plans to expand in Iraq.

It is also one of the only countries in the world to have friendly relations with both the United States and Iran. Tehran and Washington, arch enemies elsewhere, are Bagh-dad’s main allies and vye for influence there.

Exxon Mobil and Petro-China will build a water injec-tion project to feed oil wells in the south, as well as reha-bilitate and build new export pipelines, Abdul Mahdi said.

The project also aims to process 100 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Artawi and Nahr Bin Umar fields.

US President Donald Trump pulled out last year from a 2015 nuclear deal be-tween Iran and world pow-ers, and reinstated sanctions against Tehran. Washington has told buyers of Iranian oil to stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions.

Iraq does not import oil and has a waiver from the United States allowing it to import Iranian natural gas.

“The US sanctions are against countries that buy Ira-nian oil only, and Iraq doesn’t buy any Iranian crude. For gas, as far as I know (waivers ending) won’t affect (gas im-ports) right now. The waiver for gas still stands,” an Iraqi oil official told Reuters on Monday.

Ferrari quarterly earnings beat forecasts, shares jumpREUTERS

MILAN

FERRARI beat forecasts on Tues-day with a 14 percent rise in first-quarter core earnings, boosting its shares on growing expectations the Italian luxury carmaker might soon raise its full-year financial targets.

Milan-listed Ferrari shares rose as much as 5.7 percent on the results, which were driven by strong sales of the 8 cylinder Porto-fino model and the 812 Superfast among higher-margin 12 cylinder models. The stock was up 4.4 per-cent at 1215 GMT.

Ferrari stuck to its full-year tar-gets, but analysts said an increase might be in store.

Current targets look “extremely conservative”, Morgan Stanley ana-lysts said in a note.

Adjusted earnings before inter-est, tax, depreciation and amor-

tization (EBITDA) came in at 311 million euros ($348 million) in January-March, above the average forecast of 284 million euros in a Reuters poll of analysts.

Net revenues rose 13 percent to 940 million euros, topping the average estimate of 864 million eu-ros. Shipments rose in all regions, with China and America up 79 per-cent and 27 percent respectively.

Jefferies analysts described the results as “impressive”, adding the first-quarter performance more than supported current consensus expectations for the year, which were already at the top end of the

company’s guidance range for ad-justed EBITDA. Based on the re-sults, revenue growth might come in at around 7 percent, well above the current annual forecast, they added.

Ferrari currently expects ad-justed EBITDA this year to rise around 10 percent to 1.2-1.25 bil-lion euros. Sales are seen growing more than 3 percent to top 3.5 bil-lion euros.

Last year’s plan set a target for adjusted EBITDA in excess of 1.3 billion euros in 2020, but Chief Ex-ecutive Louis Camilleri said earlier this year he was “very bullish” and might raise it, betting on new mod-els and special editions at premium prices to lure customers.

Ferrari is starting to ship its first 488 Pista Spider models this quar-ter, while the new Ferrari Monza limited series will be shipped start-ing from fourth quarter. A Ferrari Portofino is displayed during the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt. (File photo) (REUTERS)

FAST START TO 2019

Brent falls below $70/bbl as US-China trade war intensifies

REUTERS NEW YORK

OIL prices slipped nearly 2 percent on Tuesday, on track to fall to their lowest levels in over a month as renewed doubts over US-China trade talks stoked concerns over global growth and demand even though US sanctions on Iran and Venezuela tightened supply and helped stem losses.

Brent futures were down $1.36, or 1.9 percent, at $69.88 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was down $1.14, or 1.8 percent, at $61.11 per barrel.

If the futures close at their current levels, it would be the lowest settle for Brent since April 4 and WTI since March 29.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he

would raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10-25 percent by Friday. The comments dragged on both Asian and US stock mar-kets.

“An escalation in the US-China trade war has brought oil prices under renewed pres-sure,” said Abhishek Kumar, head of analytics at Interfax Energy in London.

“The spat has reinvigor-ated demand-side concerns, given that the conflict has been adversely impacting prospects for global economic growth.” On the supply side, oil markets remain tense with the United States tightening sanctions on Iranian oil exports and plans to bulk up its forces in the world’s top oil-exporting region.

US officials announced on Sunday that the movement of

an aircraft carrier strike group and a bomber task force to-wards the Middle East was meant to counter “credible threats,” but Tehran dismissed the move as “psychological warfare.”

“The threat of military ac-tion with Iran appears to have heightened ... This has allowed the oil complex to gain some footing after WTI has been beaten down during the past couple of weeks by some un-expectedly large crude supply increases,” Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in Chicago, said in a report.

US sanctions have already halved Iranian crude exports over the past year to less than 1 million barrels per day (bpd), with shipments to customers expected to drop to as low as

500,000 bpd in May as sanc-tions tighten.

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia was increas-ing its oil production to meet needs arising from sanctions on Iran.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch said it expected Saudi Arabia “to bring back oil pro-duction slowly as Iranian bar-rels exit the market”, adding that it expects Brent to have a floor at $70 a barrel in current market conditions.

Washington has also placed sanctions on oil exports from Venezuela, a founding member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Some analysts, however, predicted production curbs agreed by OPEC and other pro-

ducers such as Russia would continue to boost prices.

“The recent Brent pullback has taken prices too low in the face of tight fundamentals and growing supply risks, just as refiners come back from ex-tended spring turnarounds,” Goldman Sachs said.

In the United States, meanwhile, crude stocks have climbed to their highest since September 2017 and were forecast to have added anoth-er 700,000 barrels last week, according to analysts in a Reu-ters poll.

The poll was conducted ahead of reports from the American Petroleum Insti-tute (API), an industry group, and the Energy Information Administration (EIA), an agency of the US Department of Energy.

(File Photo) Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran. (REUTERS)

Saudi increasing its oil output to meet needs arising from Iran sanctions: US Energy Secretary Rick Perry

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. (EPA)

Boeing, the single largest US exporter to China, slipped 3.2 percent and Caterpillar declined 2.0 percent

Ferrari earnings were driven by strong sales of the 8 cylinder Portofino model and the 812 Superfast among higher-mar-gin 12 cylinder models

Economy & Business14 Wednesday, May 8, 2019

www.guide.com.qaWednesday, May 8, 2019

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AFPCHENNAI

AN unbeaten half-century from Suryakumar Yadav and disciplined bowling helped Mumbai Indians see off Chen-nai Super Kings by six wickets on Tuesday to reach their fifth Indian Premier League final.

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar returned impressive figures of 2-14 from his four overs to re-strict holders Chennai to 131-4, a total Mumbai surpassed with nine balls to spare in the first qualifier of the Twenty20 tournament.

Yadav top-scored with 71 not out off 54 deliveries to drive Mumbai’s modest chase as the three-time IPL winners await the second finalist in the title clash on Sunday.

“Three days now in which we can switch off before the final. Much needed break,” said an elated Mumbai skip-per Rohit Sharma.

“I knew we have the bowl-ers to restrict them. Have the confidence in our batters as well. Was important to re-strict them to as little as pos-sible, because it can get tricky against their quality spin-ners.”

The Mahendra Singh Dho-ni-led Chennai, also three-time champions, still have a chance to qualify for the final when they play the winner of the eliminator in the second qualifier on Friday.

Chennai had their mo-ments in the match after the bowlers removed Mumbai openers Sharma, for four, and Quinton de Kock, for eight, inside four overs.

South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir also struck twice in successive deliveries to dent Mumbai’s chase in the 14th over, but Yadav kept his calm.

His 80-run third-wicket partnership with Ishan Kis-han, who made 28, was key in Mumbai cruising to victory.

Mumbai put their oppo-nents on the back foot from the very start as hosts Chen-nai slipped to 32-3 after elect-ing to bat first.

The 19-year-old Chahar struck first with the big wick-et of Faf du Plessis for six. In-dia’s Suresh Raina (five) and Shane Watson (10) of Aus-tralian soon joined Du Plessis in the dug out.

Ambati Rayudu, who made 42, and Dhoni, who scored 37, put on an unbeaten

66-run fifth-wicket stand to give the Chennai total some respect.

“Somebody has to lose, things really didn’t go our way, especially batting,” said Dhoni.

“These are the best bats-men we have got, it looks like we are batting well, but at times they pull off shots that shouldn’t be played.

“Hopefully, we will do well in the next game.”

Chahar stood out with his wrist spin as he got able support from fellow spinners Krunal Pandya and Jayant Yadav who picked up a wicket each.

In the next play-off of season 12, Delhi Capitals will take on Sunrisers Hy-derabad in the eliminator on Wednesday.

Three-time champions ride on batsman’s unbeaten 71 to subdue Chennai Super Kings by six wkts

Suryakumar Yadav during his unbeaten innings of 71 runs off 54 balls (10x4s) against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. (AFP)

Surya steers MI into their fifth IPL final

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

Emotional Tiger Woods accepts Medal of Freedom at White House PAGE 18

Kompany fulfils vow with wonder strike for Man CityPAGE 18

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIS

AJAX VS TOTTENHAM (10 PM)

NEW DELHI: An Indian Premier League (IPL) umpire has been reported to the national body for allegedly kicking a door after an altercation with Royal Challeng-ers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli, a press report said on Tuesday.

Englishman Nigel Llong’s on-pitch argument with Kohli, who is also Indian captain, was just the latest in a string of heated exchanges between players and umpires in this edition of the T20 extravaganza. Llong, 50, who is due to umpire the IPL final on Sunday, called out Bangalore paceman Umesh Yadav for a no-ball in a May 4 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad but replays suggested the bowler’s back foot was behind the line.

Kohli and Yadav protested the call, made in the final over of the Hyderabad innings, but Llong stood with his decision. Umpires withdrawing a no-ball call is extremely rare. Llong, who is on the International Cricket Council’s Elite Panel of umpires, then vented his anger by kicking the door of the umpires’ room at Bangalore’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, according to the Times of India. The newspaper said that Llong paid 5,500 rupees ($72) in compensation for the damage but the state association has de-cided to report the incident to the sport’s national body, the BCCI. “It was an unfortunate incident. As a state association we are duty bound to report it and we are writing to the CoA (Commit-tee of Administrators),” a state official was quoted as saying.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India was not im-mediately available for com-ment. Llong was also part of a controversial decision during Bangalore’s rained-off match against Rajasthan Royals when the bowlers were allowed to bowl only one over in the five-overs-a-side contest when a maximum of two is allowed.

The ugliest incident involv-ing players and umpires this IPL involved Chennai Super Kings skipper and former Indian cap-tain MS Dhoni storming onto the pitch to confront Indian umpire Ulhas Gandhe over a no-ball deci-sion. Gandhe signalled a no-ball for height, only for his Australian square-leg colleague Bruce Oxen-ford to overrule. Dhoni, who had been bowled by Ben Stokes the previous delivery, ran out of the dugout to argue with the officials.

This IPL also witnessed controversy on only the third day when Ravichandran Ashwin’s “Mankad” run-out of England batsman Jos Buttler triggered a worldwide debate on the spirit of cricket. Ashwin, captain of Kings XI Punjab, stopped in his delivery stride to whip off the bails while Buttler, for Rajasthan Royals, was back-ing up at the non-striker’s end. While within the rules of cricket it is generally seen as contravening the spirit. (AFP)

Irate IPL umpire reported for

kicking door: report

No-ball furore

A file photo of umpire Nigel Llong who has been reported to the BCCI for allegedly kicking a door after an altercation with Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli. (AFP) TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

AL SADD confirmed their place in the 2019 AFC Cham-pions League Round of 16 with a 2-1 win over Al Ahli at Jas-sim Bin Hamad Stadium in Group D on Monday.

The home boys’ big show was applauded by their coach Jesualdo Ferreira, who soon after the match, played late on Monday, said, “I want to salute the players for this result, and also the fans as well, because they backed the team strongly during the game.

“We played a great first half. We were really good; we wasted a number of chances that could have raised our score by five goals. In the sec-ond half, we did not score but we tried a lot and we threated the Al Ahli goal on multiple occasions,” he added.

The Wolves began brightly creating their first big chance inside 60 seconds of kick-off. Akram Afif and Xavi ex-changed passes down the right

and the midfielder squared the ball for Baghdad Bounedjah who took it first time, but Al Ahli goalkeeper Mohammed al Owais was on hand to make the save.

Ferreira’s side looked to apply high press to regain pos-session deep into the opposi-tion half. Afif was successful in doing so in the ninth minute, when he dispossessed Saeed al Muwallad then supplied a per-fectly weighted diagonal pass

to Ali Asad who controlled then hit on the half-volley with his left past for the opener.

Al Ahli’s defensive strug-gles continued as they failed to deal with an Al Sadd corner kick, allowing the ball to fall for Xavi inside the box.

The Al Sadd captain placed his ball into the bottom cor-ner, but Al Owais made the save. Afif was quickest to the spilled ball and finished com-posedly from a very tight angle

to double the hosts’ lead after just 12 minutes.

Al Ahli started the second half on the front foot and were rewarded for their attack-ing efforts with a penalty kick when defender Tarek Salman handled Abdulfattah Assiri’s cross. Omar al Somah stepped up and drilled home from the spot to half the deficit.

Owais continued to domi-nate the individual duel against Bounedjah, making

another fine save after the Algerian was sent through on goal by a Xavi through pass.

The result sets up a clash for the second Round-of-16 ticket from Group D as Al Ahli welcome Pakhtakor to King Abdullah Sports City on May 20 with Al Ahli needing a win on the final matchday to ad-vance to the next round.

Al Sadd will now set their sights on the A mir Cup semi-final against rivals Al Rayyan.

“The Amir Cup has a value of its own. The win will be a great motivation for us ahead of the game against Al Rayyan, in which we will be seeking to reach the final.

“I am happy with what I have shown with the team for the past few years. I am leaving while at the top, after winning the league and qualifying for the next stage, and competing strongly for the Amir Cup,” the Portuguese concluded.

Ferreira applauds players, fans as Al Sadd make Round of 16

Al Sadd players celebrate one of their two goals against Saudi club Al Ahli at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Monday.

Wolves beat Al Ahli 2-1; will take on Al Rayyan next in Amir Cup semis

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

I want to salute the players for this result, and also the fans as well, because they backed the team strongly during the game.Coach Jesualdo Ferreira

Hats Off

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Faf du Plessis c (Sub) b Rahul Chahar 6 Shane Watson c Jayant Yadav b Krunal Pandya 10 Suresh Raina c&b Jayant Yadav 5 Murali Vijay st de Kock b Chahar 26 Ambati Rayudu Not Out 42 MS Dhoni Not Out 37 Extras: (1lb, 3nb, 1w) 5 TOTAL: (20 overs) 131-4

Fall of Wickets: 1-6 du Plessis, 2-12 Raina, 3-32 Watson, 4-65 Vijay. Bowling: Malinga 3-0-26-0 (1w, 1nb), Krunal Pandya 4-0-21-1, Rahul Chahar 4-0-14-2, Jayant Yadav 3-0-25-1 (1nb), Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-31-0 (1nb), Hardik Pandya 2-0-13-0.MUMBAI INDIANS

Rohit Sharma lbw Deepak Chahar 4 Quinton de Kock c du Plessis b Harbhajan 8 Suryakumar Yadav Not Out 71 Ishan Kishan b Imran Tahir 28 Krunal Pandya c&b Imran Tahir 0 Hardik Pandya Not Out 13 Extras: (1lb, 7w): 8

TOTAL: (18.3 overs) 132-4

Fall of Wickets: 1-4 Sharma, 2-21 de Kock, 3-101 Kishan, 4-101 Pandya.Bowling: Deepak Chahar 3.3-0-30-1, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-25-1 (1w), Ravindra Jadeja 4-0-18-0, Dwayne Bravo 3-0-25-0, Imran Tahir 4-0-33-2 (1w).

SCOREBOARD

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma celebrates with teamates the dismissal of Chennai Super Kings Suresh Raina at the MA Chidam-baram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. (AFP)

Stomach illness won’t stop Nadal in MadridAFP

MADRID

FIVE-TIME champion Rafael Nadal acknowledged that he will be counting on his physi-cal reserves when he makes his Madrid Open start Wednesday as he recovers from a stomach virus.

The second seed will get his campaign for a sixth Madrid ti-tle under way with a first-time

meeting with Canada’s fast-rising teenager Felix Augur-Aliassime, in the second round.

“I’ve been going through a virus. The positive side is: I’ve been able to train at least an hour-and-a-half (per session),” Nadal said.

“I hope that tomorrow is going to be a bit better, I’m go-ing to improve. I’m a bit better than yesterday and yesterday was better than the day before.”

But the 17-time Grand Slam winner warned: “It’s true that when you have this virus and stomach viruses, the body’s a bit weaker. There is a bit more risk of injuries. But of course, this is a very important tourna-ment for me and I hope to be ready.

“Hopefully the virus is not going to affect my perfor-mance or how I should play tomorrow.”

AFPLOS ANGELES

JAMES Harden scored 38 points and the Houston Rock-ets held off the Golden State Warriors 112-108 Monday to knot their NBA playoff series at two games apiece.

The reigning champion Warriors head home for game five of the best-of-seven Western Conference clash on Wednesday with a lot of work to do in a series in which each game has been decided by six or fewer points.

It was a different story on Monday in the East, as Mil-waukee star Giannis Antetok-ounmpo scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter to propel the Bucks to a 113-101 victory over the Celtics in Boston and a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Milwaukee will try to punch their ticket to the Eastern Con-ference finals when they host game five on Wednesday.

In Houston, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Harden made sure the Rockets didn’t fall into a similar hole.

Harden scored 13 of his 18 first-half points in the second quarter and added another 13 in the third, when the Rock-ets stretched their lead to as many as 17.

The Warriors responded with an 11-0 scoring run in the third period, and put together a 7-0 run late in the fourth, when they pulled within 108-110 on a Stephen Curry three-pointer with 19.3 seconds left.

Down 111-108 with 11.5 seconds remaining, Golden State saw Kevin Durant and Curry miss three-point at-tempts.

“Our motto was keep fight-ing,” said Harden, who also pulled down 10 rebounds. “We know how tough they are. We’ve got to keep fighting on both ends of the floor, stay in

attack mode, be aggressive.”Eric Gordon added 20

points for the Rockets and PJ Tucker added 17 and 10 re-bounds.

Durant paced the Warri-ors with 34 points. Curry add-ed 30 points and Draymond Green posted a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

But in another bruising encounter between the two teams, Golden State made just eight of 33 three-point attempts. Curry and Klay Thompson combined to shoot just two-of-10 from three-point range.

The Rockets, meanwhile, hit 17 of 50 from beyond the arc.

“I think both teams are doing what they’re doing and nothing’s really happened yet,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s 2-2. Each team has won two home games -- that’s kind of how the playoffs go ... We’ve just got to be a lit-tle better.”

Celtics face eliminationThe Celtics need to be a

lot better to avoid elimination against the Bucks.

“It’s win or go home,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “It takes a lot of mental fortitude. It takes a lot of mental tough-ness. It reveals a lot. I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

Once again in their series, the third quarter proved piv-otal, with the Bucks outscoring the Celtics 33-23 to turn a 49-47 halftime deficit to an 80-72 lead.

The turnaround came with Antetokounmpo on the bench with his fourth foul for the last eight minutes of the quarter.

During that span, the Bucks outscored the Celtics 21-13 and when Antetokounmpo re-turned in the fourth, the Bucks only pressed the action more.

Milwaukee took their big-gest lead of the night 91-79 on a driving Eric Bledsoe’s finger-roll finish with 9:05 left to play.

Boston closed within five

on Al Horford’s driving layup less than two minutes later, but they would get no closer.

Antetokounmpo, coming off a 32-point game on Friday, connected on 15 of 22 shots from the field and pulled down 16 rebounds.

Bledsoe and Khris Middle-ton added 13 points apiece and George Hill added 15 points off the bench.

“It’s amazing,” Antetok-ounmpo said. “I think the whole group, the whole team played hard. Everybody was ready, everybody stepped up.

“This is what (separates) an average team from a great team,” he added, “that if you have the opportunity to be up two games, we’re all ready.”

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 23 points and 10 assists, but made just seven of 22 shots from the field.

Overall, the Celtics made just 37.8 percent of their shots and heard boos from the home field as they left the court.

Rockets level series against Warriors, Giannis powers Bucks past Celtics

Houston Rockets guard James Harden (left) lays the ball in for two points during the NBA Western Confer-ence playoff semi-final game four against the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Monday. (EPA-EFE)

Djokovic cruises past Fritz in Madrid as Osaka fights on

AFPMADRID

NOVAK Djokovic needed just 65 minutes to make a winning start at the Madrid Open on Tuesday, while Naomi Osaka channelled her inner “zombie mode” to earn a place in the third round.

Top seed and world number one Djokovic hammered Amer-ican Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-2 to ad-vance to the last 16 following a premature exit here a year ago.

“I thought my serve was very efficient today, that’s a big advantage,” Djokovic said.

“The match was close at the beginning, in the second set I read his serve better and just managed to put an extra ball in to the court. It was a solid open-ing match for me.”

Djokovic won the Madrid ti-tle in 2011 and 2016. He will be chasing a fourth straight Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros next month.

Third seed Roger Federer was making his clay return af-ter two full seasons off the sur-face when he faced Frenchman Richard Gasquet later in the second round after a bye.

Djokovic was joined in the third round as ninth seed Marin Cilic rallied to overcome Ger-many’s Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6,

6-3, 6-4.Spanish sentimental fa-

vourite David Ferrer, who will retire after this event, extended his career by at least one match with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 defeat of compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut.

Ferrer, 37, will play German third seed and defending cham-pion Alexander Zverev next.

Unseeded treble Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka started his Madrid campaign

with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert to move into the second round.

“It was a great first match. I’ve been good on the practice court, feeling really good, so it was important to start well to-day,” Wawrinka said.

In the women’s draw, top seed Osaka defeated Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-0.

Japan’s Osaka, winner of the last two Grand Slams, said she had to conquer her inner demons to finish off a difficult match.

“In the third set, I just, like, went zombie mode,” she said.

“I just thought of everything that I had to do to win - not nec-essarily the outcome, but just like the little things in between every game. The match was basically on my racquet, she wasn’t going for winners.

“The points ended by me making a winner or an unforced error. But I was a bit unfocused in the second set.”

Third seed and two-time champion Simona Halep of Romania ended the hopes of Johanna Konta 7-5, 6-1 in the second round.

“I feel good every time when I come to Madrid and I’m happy to be back and winning match-es,” Halep said.

Novak Djokovic celebrates after defeating Taylor Fritz during their ATP Madrid Open round of 64 match at the Caja Magica in Madrid on Tuesday. (AFP)

17Wednesday, May 8, 2019Sports

Qatar 2022 World Cup achieves fast pace sustainable development

QNADOHA

THE hosting countries of the World Cup are planning to make the most of the economic benefits after the World Cup, just as Russia achieved after 2018 edition profits estimated at $14 billion, but Qatar broke this rule and turned into an ex-ception. Qatar began years ago to reap the benefits of hosting the 2022 World Cup through its accelerated pace of integrat-ed and sustainable develop-ment in all sectors of the state.

Yasir al Jamal, Vice Chair-man of the Technical Opera-tional Office at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), said that the 2022 Qatar World Cup has played an important role in acceler-ating the pace of development and the completion of many projects planned in advance within the Qatar National Vi-sion 2030.

He said that the World Cup and development are two sides of a single message that Qatar is prepared to organize the most important event in the Arab region and the Middle East and provide the best ver-sion in the history of the World Cup.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Jamal said that Qatar’s recent development projects have been planned for a long time within the Qatar National Vision, but hosting a huge historical event as mas-sive as the World Cup was the main vehicle that drove these projects quickly, according to the planned form and schedule set in the plan of the compre-hensive committee to organize the World Cup.

He added the SC’s projects for the hosting of the World Cup began at the right time af-

ter the completion of the period of planning and design, where the start of the construction phase and all projects are now in full swing, all of which will be ready by the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021.

The Qatar World Cup pro-jects have been progressing rapidly in various sectors since 2010, which confirms the abil-ity of Qatar to fulfill its promise to organize the best version in the history of the World Cup, serving all the countries of the region and benefiting the peo-ples of the region, Jamal said.

He also highlighted the achievements following eight years of hard work within an integrated plan which included stadiums hosting World Cup matches, training grounds and infrastructure facilities. He ex-plained that this is evident in the accelerated pace of devel-opment and the completion of many megaprojects, most no-tably the Doha Metro project, which three lines (red, golden, orange) will be fully completed by the end 2019 and the be-ginning of 2020, in a major achievement and within a short period.

He further added that the establishment of Hamad Inter-national Airport and its open-ing in 2015, with extensions to be added in the coming period, as well as the road projects that are completed daily by the Pub-lic Works Authority “Ashghal” throughout Qatar, noting that all these projects were not to achieve at a fast pace without the World Cup.

The World Cup stadiums, which are the most sophisticat-ed in the world of football both in terms of design and exterior shape and in terms of interior design, were not built solely to host the tournament, but to reflect the Qatari originality

and give the fans a unique and unprecedented experience of learning more about the rich Qatari heritage, Jamal said.

According to Jamal, the designs of Qatar’s stadiums are inspired by the heritage and environment of Qatar as well as by the modern architecture, where these elements were merged to produce each sta-dium with a different story that symbolizes Qatar and an idea attracting the world to learn more about the traditions and customs of Qatar and the coun-tries of the region.

Jamal added that Al Wak-rah Stadium, which will be completed in the coming weeks, will be ready for offi-cial matches, and it is inspired by traditional boats, espe-

cially that the city of Wakrah is coastal and located in the southern regions, as well as Al Rayyan Stadium inspired by sand dunes in its outer shape with Qatari inscriptions that decorate old houses, and Lusail Stadium, which was inaugurat-ed last December, is inspired by the shape of the bowl used in the past. The design of Abu Aboud stadium is unique, as it is the first stadium in the world to consist of huge containers installed in the stadium.

The SC is responsible for the implementation of the in-frastructure projects to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qa-tar. The heritage and sustain-ability are the cornerstones of Qatar’s organization of the World Cup. Al Jamal stressed that the cooling technology is one of the characteristics of Qatar’s stadiums, and there are no stadiums in the world using this technology, and the cool-ing technology in Qatar sta-

diums has undergone various stages of development since it was first applied in Al Sadd Stadium, then Khalifa Interna-tional Stadium, and now at Al Wakrah Stadium, which will be opened next May, which in it-self is a great advantage for the World Cup stadiums.

Jamal added that the com-mittee promised to donate 170 thousand chairs through co-ordination with the FIFA and distribute them to countries that need to develop sports in-frastructure.

Concerning the crisis of the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar and its impact on the World Cup projects, Jamal stressed that the blockade has become a success story for Qa-tar, adding that since the first hours of the blockade, the SC has begun to communicate with the main contractors in order to activate the emergen-cy plans in the work program of the World Cup project, which

was designed with great flexi-bility and immediate readiness to meet any emergency condi-tions, in order to re-evaluate the status of suppliers and sup-ply systems.

Jamal added that the blockade benefited contrac-tors in a large way and opened new doors for them in terms of quality of materials and com-petitive prices, which are better than the previous, by open-ing up to markets in Turkey, Oman, Vietnam, South Korea and other countries where these areas were not known to local contractors in Qatar, and it was an opportunity for them to communicate with these companies and to get products with high quality and at a bet-ter price.

He also asserted that there is no problem with the opera-tion of the World Cup stadi-ums which are scheduled to be completed in the beginning of 2021 until the official launch of

the championship at the end of 2022, as this will be under the responsibility of the main con-tractor for each stadium, and this according to the contracts signed by the SC with the main contractors in all stadiums.

Responding to rumblings about Qatar’s readiness to ab-sorb the expected audience to watch the World Cup, Jamal said the “SC has developed integrated and alternative plans for everything related to hosting the World Cup.” He explained that SC did a com-prehensive survey of the hotel rooms expected to be available during the World Cup, when it found that it would not be enough, it developed alterna-tive plans such as building cruise ships and special fans villages that will also help to introduce visitors to Qatari heritage in the important tour-ist areas, in addition to renting private housing units, and all these plans are being studied accurately in order to reach the appropriate number that will cover the needs of all visitors to the World Cup.

Regarding the number of World Cup teams, Al Jamal stresses that all Qatar’s plans and arrangements are based on the hosting of 32 teams, but SC is open to the FIFA and the sports community opinions on this matter, especially that SC’s position from the beginning is that the World Cup is the cham-pionship of all peoples of the re-gion and will benefit all of them.

He added that the final decision will be made clear in June during FIFA meeting, but Qatar puts in plans for the best of its people, adding that the final word in this matter is for Qatar, which will take into ac-count the interest of the state and its people and will imple-ment the best option.

World Cup stadiums built solely to host the tournament, but to reflect the Qatari originality and give the fans a unique and unprecedented experience of learning more about the rich Qatari heritage.Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Vice Chairman Technical Operational Office Yasir al Jamal

Qatari culture

A design of the Al Thumama Stadium, one of the 2022 FIFA World Cup arena under construction.

REUTERSAMSTERDAM

A fully fit Ajax Amsterdam will focus on its attacking strengths in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday despite a draw be-ing enough to take them to the final, coach Erik ten Hag said on Tuesday.

“We need to win this match tomorrow, that will be our mindset”, Ten Hag said a pre-match press conference. “We have to stick to our own strengths.”

Ajax upset Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to the semi final with a fast, at-tacking style of play, and ini-tially dominated Tottenham in their 1-0 away win last week.

But the Dutch team, which features several players pol-ished in the club’s famed acad-emy, struggled in the second half in London as Tottenham increased the pressure on their defence.

“Our minds were a bit too much on defending the lead”, Ten Hag said. “But it was also a show of strength by Spurs. It showed we have to cross another frontier tomorrow. But we are confident we can do it. We are fit and we are eager.”

Ten Hag said his team had no injuries following Sun-day’s Cup Final win against

Willem II Tilburg, although it was not yet clear wheth-er Brazilian forward David Neres could start the match.

Ajax’s first domestic cup win since 2010 did not in-terfere with preparations for Wednesday’s match, the coach said.

“The players were happy, but you could see they imme-diately turned their focus to

Wednesday’s match. Every-one knows what this is about.”

Four-time European champions Ajax are looking to reach their first Champi-ons League final since 1996. Many pundits have suggested it has become impossible for Dutch teams to compete with their much wealthier English, Spanish and Italian peers, but Ten Hag is ignoring them.

“A few people who knew this level of success said it would still be possible for a Dutch team to reach the Cham-pions League final; people like Johan Cruijff, Louis van Gaal and (Ajax director) Marc Over-mars”, Ten Hag said.

“It’s up to us tomorrow to prove them right.”

Ajax defender Daley Blind said he had never expected his

return to Ajax last summer, after four years at Manchester United, would turn out to be so exciting.

“The team has grown tre-mendously in many aspects this year”, the 29-year old son of former European cup win-ner and Ajax captain Danny Blind said.

“This really is a team effort, and I am proud to be part of it.”

Vertonghen set to make return for Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur de-fender Jan Vertonghen could return for his side’s Champi-ons League semi-final, second leg against Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday after suffering a head injury in last week’s 1-0 home leg defeat.

The Belgian former Ajax player trained on Tuesday wearing a face mask to pro-tect his nose, which was in-jured in a sickening clash of heads with team mate Toby Alderweireld.

Vertonghen, who at-tempted to play on last week before being substituted after seemingly struggling to stand up, missed his side’s Premier League defeat at Bourne-mouth on Saturday.

The club said he had not suffered a concussion.

“(Vertonghen) returned to training, continues to be monitored and will wear a face mask to protect nose,” the club confirmed, adding that fellow defender Davinson Sanchez would miss the game because of a thigh injury.

Tottenham, who face a daunting task to reach their first Champions League fi-nal, are also without leading striker Harry Kane but Son Heung-min, suspended for the first leg, will be back to of-fer manager Mauricio Pochet-tino some firepower.

Ajax ‘confident, fit and eager’ for Spurs match, says coach Ten Hag; Vertonghen to make return

Emotional Woods

accepts Medal

of Freedom at

White HouseREUTERSWASHINGTON

TIGER Woods, who stunned the sports world when he won his fifth Masters title last month, received his country’s highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Free-dom, from U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday.

Last month’s Augusta tri-umph ended an 11-year major title drought for the 43-year-old golfer, who had endured personal and professional setbacks including a highly-public divorce and multiple surgeries over the previous decade.

An emotional Woods thanked those in attendance at the Rose Garden ceremony at the White House for their sup-port through the years when he was not winning.

“You’ve seen the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, and I would not be in this posi-tion without all of your help,” he said after Trump placed the medal around his neck.

“In ‘97, yes, I won the Mas-ters and I ended up hugging my dad and my mom,” he said.

“My dad is no longer here but my mom is here, I love you mom,” he added.

“The amazing Masters ex-perience I just had a few weeks ago certainly is part of the highlight of what I’ve accom-plished in my life on the golf course.”

Trump, an avid golfer, de-scribed the 15-times major champion as a “a global sym-bol of American excellence, devotion and drive”.

Woods joined Arnold Palmer, Charlie Sifford and Jack Nicklaus as the only golf-ers to have received the award.

Goal-hero Kompany makes good on promise as Man City go top again

AFPMANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM

MANCHESTER City captain Vincent Kompany said he had lived up to a vow to “one day” score a long-range goal after his wonder strike secured a 1-0 win at home to Leices-ter that left the champions in charge of the destiny of the Premier League title with a match to play.

City were heading for a frustrating evening at the Eti-had Stadium on Monday until Kompany let fly with a 25-yard shot into the top corner 20 minutes from time – the centre-back’s first City goal from outside the box.

Victory saw City go top by a point from Liverpool head-

ing into Sunday’s last round of league matches.

“I hadn’t scored this sea-son but I always feel in big

moments that I’m going to do something,” Kompany told

Sky Sports.“Today was a little bit of

frustration, everyone was say-ing ‘don’t shoot, don’t shoot’ and I could really hear it; I thought hold on a second, I’ve not come this far in my career for young players to tell me if I can take a shot, and I just had a go!”

The Belgian last hit the target from outside the area back in 2007 but Kompany in-sisted: “I’ve scored goals like that in training!

“It’s 15 years I’ve been in top-level football, midfielders telling me ‘don’t shoot, play the ball wide’ and every time they miss, for 15 years I’ve been saying ‘I promise you, one day I’m going to have a shot from outside the box and I’m going to score a goal and you’re going to be really happy with that one’.”

City manager Pep Guar-diola admitted he too was among those who didn’t want Kompany to let fly from distance.

“Don’t shoot! Pass the ball, pass the ball!,” said Guardiola when asked about his thoughts as Kompany took aim.

“Honestly, I wasn’t too confident but football is mad for that. The artists are the players, they have to decide things in a fraction of a sec-ond and what’s important

isn’t the goal, it’s him shoot-ing while believing he was going to score.

“He’s a big believer and that helped us to win the game,” the former Barcelo-na and Bayern Munich boss added.

The 33-year-old Kompa-ny’s career has been blighted by injuries, with Guardiola saying: “He’s not young and to be consistent is difficult for him every three days, but when we have a game once every week, he’s an incred-ible player.”

City will be assured of re-taining the title if their result away to Brighton is equal or better to what Liverpool achieve against Wolves at An-field on Sunday.

However, a win for Liver-pool and anything less for City would see the Reds secure their first English champion-ship since they last won the old First Division title in 1990.

And Kompany warned: “It’s a big goal, we’ve not achieved anything (yet).”

But Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who made several fine saves on Monday, said: “City are a top-class side, and we have lost to the poten-tial champions.

“I can’t see them losing their next game.”

Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany celebrates scoring the winner against Leicester City during their EPL match at the Etihad Stadium in Man-chester on Monday. (REUTERS)

City were heading for a frustrating evening at the Etihad Stadium until Kompany let fly with a 25-yard shot into the top corner 20 minutes from time

Ajax of Amsterdam players attend a training session in Amsterdam on Tuesday, ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi-final. (EPA-EFE)

Tearful Godin confirms Atletico exitAFP

MADRID

ATLETICO Madrid captain Diego Godin announced on Tuesday that he will leave the club at the end of the season.

Godin has been one of the best central defenders in the world under Atletico coach Diego Simeone, who attended an emotional press conference at the Wanda Metropolitano, along with several players and president Enrique Cerezo.

The 33-year-old would not confirm his next club but indi-cated regret at not being able to agree a new contract.

“I’m nervous, even more than for a match,” said a tearful Godin. “These will be my final

days at Atletico Madrid. I want to communicate all the love I have for this club, this shirt.

“I am Atletico, because this is not a club, it’s a family and a way of life. It has been my home and it’s very hard to say good-bye. I never imagined this mo-ment would come and I am not prepared.”

Godin has made 381 ap-pearances for Atletico and re-mains a key figure in the team, but the Uruguayan has rejected offers to extend his contract, which expires on June 30. He is unlikely to be the last high-profile player to leave Atletico this summer.

After a disappointing sea-son, Lucas Hernandez has al-ready agreed to join Bayern

Munich, while uncertainty hangs over the futures of Filipe Luis, Juanfran, Thomas Partey, Saul Niguez and even Antoine Griezmann.

“In short, I am captain of

the team and have been here many years,” said Godin. “We have not reached an agreement to continue so my time here is over. It has been the best of my career and my life.”

Clubs demand say over proposed Champions League reform

AFPMADRID

EUROPEAN clubs demanded on Tuesday that UEFA “prop-erly include” them in any plans to change the Champions League, which could include guaranteeing qualification for elite teams.

La Liga president Javier Tebas, who was among more than 300 representatives that attended a meeting in Madrid.

The event brought together 244 clubs from 38 countries, with the aim to establish com-mon ground ahead of a meet-ing on Wednesday between the European Leagues and UEFA’s executive committee in Nyon,

Switzerland.Change to European club

competitions has become a controversial issue after An-drea Agnelli, the president of the European Club Association (ECA), which represents Eu-rope’s top teams, outlined pro-posals for a new ‘super-league’ that guarantees qualification for certain clubs and features European fixtures at weekends.

But, following the four-hour meeting on Tuesday, Tebas said in a press confer-ence: “It is not possible to make reforms without the agreement of the leagues. I don’t know how is it possible to change an-ything without the agreement of the national competitions.”

Tiger Woods is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Monday. (REUTERS)

Atletico Madrid’s Diego Godin during a press conference announcing his departure from the club at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid on Tuesday. (REUTERS)

Sports18 Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Bordani, Ali impress in ITU multisport worldsTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

TWO Qatari athletes compet-ed at the recently-concluded ITU Multisport World Cham-pionships, in Pontevedra, Spain, against some of the worlds best triathletes.

On the first day, Eid al Bor-dani, finished a strong 17th, in the 25-29 age group, with a total time of 2:34.00, over the standard distance duathlon (10 kms run + 40 kms bike + 5 kms run). He went to lower his 10 kms personal record, down to 40:33.

On the second day, 18-year-old Abdulaziz al Ali lined up against the top junior elite duathletes over a sprint distance duathlon (5 kms run + 20 kms bike + 2.5 kms run) of the world. He opened the 5 kms run leg with a new per-

sonal best of 18:35, but was unfortunately forced to with-

draw during the bike leg.On the third day, Ab-

dulaziz al Ali once again com-peted against the crème de la

crème of top junior athletes in the world in the sprint dis-tance aquathlon (750m swim + 5 kms run). He put up a fine show and managed to finish a strong 14th position, outrun-ning some European athletes in the closing 5 kms run.

Qatar Cycling and Tri-athlon Federation coach Mat O’Halloran commented after the race, “The Qatari athletes showed a lot of courage in lining up at a World Cham-pionships. The hilly course, cold water, and rainy weath-er added challenge for them. On top of the was very strong level of the European ath-letes. In the end, we reached our objective of gaining ex-perience, and exposure on the world stage. This will hopefully increase their per-spective, in multisport, out-side Qatar.”

Qatar’s Eid al Bordani and Abdulaziz al Ali (rigth) during the ITU Multisport World Championships in Pon-tevedra, Spain.

AGENCIESDUBLIN (IRELAND)

A bowling fightback and a solid chase from Bangladesh’s top-order led them to an eight-wicket win over West Indies in the second match of the tri-series in Ireland on Tuesday, reports espncricinfo.com.

Mashrafe Mortaza had led a fine bowling effort to engi-neer West Indies’ batting col-lapse at the death, where they went from 205 for 2 in 40.4 overs to 261 for 9 in 50 overs. After that, Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar set up the chase with a 144-run opening stand. Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim completed the job with five overs to spare.

Shakib completed the win with a beautiful straight drive, which took him to an unbeaten run-a-ball 61 that included three fours and two sixes. He added 68 runs for the unbro-ken third wicket stand with Mushfiqur, having already put on 52 with Tamim for the sec-ond wicket.

Tamim, who top scored with 80 off 116 balls with sev-en fours, and Soumya added 144 runs, Bangladesh’s highest opening stand against West Indies in ODIs. But it started with a bit of luck when Ros-ton Chase dropped Tamim’s uppish drive at cover, when he was on 1. The pair had put on only 38 runs in the first ten overs, with Soumya hitting three gorgeous boundaries and Tamim, after patiently waiting for the right opportu-nity, slamming Kemar Roach for successive fours in the tenth over.

It set them for the next ten overs, in which they added 69 runs. Soumya blasted Jason Holder for a straight six, and

then played the upper-cut off the same bowler a few overs later. Soumya and Tamim were looking ominous in the next six overs, hitting bound-aries and picking up singles quite easily.

But a moment of brilliance in the field separated the open-ers, when Darren Bravo caught Soumya at the deep midwicket boundary. He held the ball at first, was overbalancing, so he threw it up in the air, then stepped over the boundary and came back inside to com-plete the catch. It was against the run of play, and gave West Indies a lifeline. Soumya had made 73 off 68 balls with a six and nine fours, but where West Indies should have tightened their bowling and fielding, they did the opposite.

Their fielders kept missing regulation balls, while their bowlers couldn’t string togeth-er a tight spell. Tamim and Shakib added 52 for the sec-ond wicket before Mushfiqur and Shakib kept hitting the gaps, and waiting for the West

Indies bowlers to err in length, or for the fielders to mess up.

Sunil Ambris couldn’t judge a Mushfiqur slap to-wards deep point, and the wicketkeeper then slammed a pull to reduce the target down to four runs.

While Bangladesh ac-celerated as the innings pro-gressed, West Indies went in the opposite direction as they lost their last seven wickets for 56 runs in 9.2 overs. The col-lapse split their innings into two parts, but one didn’t com-plement the other as it should have. West Indies started off well, with Hope and Sunil Ambris putting on 89 runs for the opening wicket. Mashrafe bowled a mean spell during the Powerplay but control only came when he introduced spin in the 14th over. Shakib start-ed with a tight couple of overs before Mehidy Hasan Miraz removed Ambris, with Mah-mudullah taking a smart catch at cover.

Bravo fell in the next over, but Hope and Roston Chase

put together 115 runs for the third wicket, seemingly setting up a final flourish.

Chase fell in the 41st over when he top edged Mashrafe to short fine-leg, having made 51 off 62 balls. The Bangladesh captain also removed Hope and Jason Holder in the space of three balls. Shakib then took a brilliant catch, diving to his left at long-on, to send back Jonathan Carter. Mohammad Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rah-man conceded 50 runs in the last seven overs, and didn’t concede a single boundary in the last 2.4 overs.

Bangladesh would also have liked to see Mustafizur bowl better, but that is why theseteams are playing the tri-nation series: so that they can iron out the gaps that exist before the World Cup comes around.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 264 for 2 (Tamim 80, Soumya 73, Shakib 61*) beat West Indies 261 for 9 (Hope 109, Chase 51, Mashrafe 3-49, Saifuddin 2-47) by eight wickets.

Bangladesh score eight-wicket win over West Indies

REUTERSMELBOURNE

AUSTRALIA’S international schedule will stretch into late-March for the first time in 41 years in 2020 after the coun-try’s cricket board was unable to cut a deal with India to move a one-day tour.

Cricket Australia had hoped to host New Zealand in an ODI series in January but Aaron Finch’s team will instead travel to the subcon-tinent after India’s board de-clined to shift their home se-ries.

That has pushed the three-match New Zealand series back to the middle of March, with the final ODI in Hobart on March 20 making it the latest finish to a home inter-national schedule since Aus-tralia hosted Pakistan for a test in Perth in 1979.

“CA took the position that while January was our pref-erence for these ODI matches there are times we need to honour our commitments to work in the greater context of international cricket schedul-ing,” CA’s Peter Roach said.

The Gabba returns as venue of the opening Test of the summer in a two-match series against Pakistan from November 21.

Last summer, the Bris-bane ground was snubbed as one of the venues for the mar-quee Test series against India and relegated to a January Test match venue for the short Sri Lanka tour.

Adelaide Oval will host the second and final Test against Pakistan, a day-night match, from November 29.

Australia also host New Zealand in a day-night Test at Perth Stadium from Decem-ber 12, before the three-match series moves to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the tradi-tional Boxing Day Test and to Sydney in the New Year.

In a tweak to the usual day-night scheduling, the Perth Test will start at 1 p.m. local time and finish at 8 p.m. to cater to Australia’s domi-nant TV audience in the east of the country.

It will also have the longer 40-minute lunch break at the first interval, while the Ad-elaide pink ball test will con-tinue to have the 20-minute tea break between the first and second sessions with the longer “dinner” break in the evening.

Australia set for marathon home cricket summer

Flintoff tells England to drop ‘anyone’ to get Archer into World Cup squad

AFPLONDON

ANDREW Flintoff has urged England to drop “anyone” in order to make sure Jofra Archer has a place in their World Cup squad.

The past week has seen Barbados-born paceman Archer show glimpses of his talent while making one-day international and Twenty20 debuts for England after completing a three-year resi-dency period.

His ability to bowl 90-mile-per-hour (145 kmh) yorkers, as well as deceptive slower balls, has caught the eye. Archer is set to have fur-ther chances to make a case

for a World Cup spot during England’s upcoming one-day international series against Pakistan starting at the Oval on Wednesday.

Former England fast bowl-ing all-rounder Flintoff is a fan of the “unbelievable” Archer.

“I was watching him bowl the other day and I found it so frustrating that a bloke can bowl so fast with what looks like so little effort,” Flintoff told reporters in London on Tuesday.

Following a miserable first-round exit at the 2015 edition in Australia and New Zealand, World Cup hosts England have risen to num-ber one in the ODI rankings, without Archer.


French King bags Gr2 Carl Jaspers-Preis in GermanyTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

THE Umm Qarn-bred and HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al Thani-owned French King (French Fifteen) won the Group 2 Carl Jaspers-Preis in Köln, Germany, on Sunday. With this victory under his belt, French King has become the first Umm Qarn-bred horse to take home a Group success for thoroughbreds in Europe.

Ridden by French jockey Olivier Peslier, French King easily caught the leader Be My Sheriff (Lawman) and kicked clear, leaving his rivals behind in the last 300m of the 2400m run for four-year-old and older thoroughbreds. The Henri-Alex Pantall-saddled colt landed the spoils with three quarters of a

length to spare in front of Be My Sheriff. Windstoss (Shirocco), winner of the 2017 Gr 1 German Derby, completed the frame.

French King was the win-ner of the 2019 HH The Amir Trophy (QR Gr1) at QREC Al Rayyan Park, Doha in Febru-ary. It was also Peslier who steered him to victory that day.

“He is a different horse this year than last year”, said Pantall on Sunday, “His race in Qatar did him good. Before this race I hesitated with the Prix d’Hédouville (Gr3). I kind of feared the long straight lines and that’s why I chose to race in Köln. He really dominated his subject here and he can still progress. I think he can go and take on some good Group races in France, and why not, climb to Gr1 level one day,” he added.

Olivier Peslier (left) rides French King to victory in the Group 2 Carl Jaspers-Preis in Koln, Germany on Sunday.

Morris replaces Nortje for WC

REUTERS CAPE TOWN

SOUTH Africa have called up all-rounder Chris Morris for their Cricket World Cup squad after a hand injury ruled fast bowler Anrich Nortje out of the tournament, in the latest setback for the injury-plagued side.

Nortje fractured his right thumb while practising in the nets and will need six to eight weeks to make a full recovery, a media statement from Crick-et South Africa confirmed on Tuesday.

“Anrich sustained a frac-ture to his right thumb during a net session in Port Elizabeth

on Monday. He immediately consulted a hand surgeon and underwent surgery to stabilise the joint and will unfortunately be side-lined for up to eight weeks,” team manager Moham-med Moosajee said.

“It is an unfortunate and freakish injury, especially be-cause he had made a success-ful recovery from the shoulder injury he sustained during the series against Sri Lanka.”

Morris has not played One-Day International cricket for South Africa since February 2018, but is a regular in the Twenty20 set-up and is well-re-garded for his swing and ‘death bowling’ in the final few overs when batsmen aim for big hits.

SCHEDULE

Vs Sri Lanka

Oct 27 Australia v Sri Lanka, 1st T20 (Adelaide Oval) Oct 30 Australia v Sri Lanka, 2nd T20 (Gabba) Nov 1 Australia v Sri Lanka, 3rd T20 (MCG)

Vs Pakistan

Nov 3 Australia v Pakistan, 1st T20 (SCG) Nov 5 Australia v Pakistan, 2nd T20 (Canberra) Nov 8 Australia v Pakistan, 3rd T20 (Perth) Nov 21-25 Australia v Pakistan, 1st Test (Gabba) Nov 29-Dec 3 Australia v Pakistan, 2nd Test (Adelaide Oval)*

Vs New Zealand

Dec 12-16 Australia v New Zealand, 1st Test (Perth)* Dec 26-30 Australia v New Zealand, 2nd Test (MCG) Jan 3-7 Australia v New Zealand, 3rd Test (SCG) Mar 13 Australia v New Zealand, 1st ODI (SCG)* Mar 15 Australia v New Zealand, 2nd ODI (SCG) Mar 20 Australia v New Zealand, 3rd ODI (Hobart)* * Denotes day-night match

FIXTURES

Gayle named Windies vice-captainREUTERS

DUBLIN

CHRIS Gayle has been named as the vice-captain of West In-dies for the upcoming World Cup slated to be held in Eng-land and Wales from May 30.

Gayle, a former captain who last led West Indies in ODIs in June 2010, will be the deputy for Jason Holder in what is set to be his final ODI tournament.

“It is always an honour to represent the West Indies in any format and this World Cup for me is special. As a senior player it is my responsibility to support the captain and eve-ryone else in the team,” Gayle said.

“This will probably be the biggest World Cup, so there

will be great expectations and I know we will do very well for the people of the West Indies,” he added.

A veteran of 289 ODIs, Gayle is not a part of the West Indies team currently playing tri-nation series in Ireland.

Meanwhile, Shai Hope, who made a career-best 170 and added a record open-ing stand of 365 with John Campbell in the opening game against Ireland on Sunday, has been named as the vice captain for the ongoing series.

“It’s a tremendous honour to be appointed vice captain for this series here in Ireland. Ahead of this tournament I was asked to take on this role and I was happy to accept. Anything I’m asked to do for West Indies cricket I’m always happy and willing to put my hand up, so this is great,” Hope said.

West Indies, champions in 1975 and 1979, start their World Cup campaign on May 31 when they take on Pakistan in Nottingham.

Chris Gayle

Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar set up the chase for Bangladesh with a 144-run opening stand.

Sports

AMIR RECEIVES SHEIKHS AND CITIZENS

THE Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani received more well-wishers, including their ex-cellencies sheikhs and citizens at the Al Wajba Palace on Tues-day, on the advent of the Holy Month of Ramadan. Personal Representative of the Amir HH Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani attended the reception along with a number of their excellencies sheikhs. (QNA)

The Last Word20 Wednesday, May 8, 2019

amir receives ramadan well-wishers - qatar tribune

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