Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, met with Qatar’s Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Islamabad, yesterday. They discussed bilateral relations and a range of topics of mutual interest. The Foreign Minister briefed the Pakistani Prime Minister on the Gulf crisis and all the illegal measures taken against the State of Qatar. Sharif’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz also attended the meeting.

Pakistan PM meets Qatar’s Foreign Minister

Sixth batch of Turkish troops arrives in Doha

Barcelona ‘200%’ sure Neymar will stay

UDC reports QR318m net profit for H1; EPS

at QR0.80

BUSINESS | 17 SPORT | 24

Volume 22 | Number 7227 | 2 RiyalsWednesday 19 July 2017 | 25 Shawwal 1438 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

3rd Best News Website in the Middle East

TURKISH President Recep Tayyib Erdogan will start a Gulf tour next week, during which he will visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, QNA reported. Erdogan will start the tour with Saudi Arabia on Sun-day before heading to Kuwait, who is mediating in the crisis. After that, he will visit Qatar on Monday. Since the outbreak of the crisis, Turkey had assumed a mediatory role through intensive diplomatic contacts that the president has made with more than 16 coun-tries, during which he stressed the need to settle the crisis by sitting to the negotiations table.

The Peninsula

Qatar Airways Cargo, the cargo division of Qatar’s national carrier, has

transported the country’s first two shipments of 230 Holstein cows from Europe on a Qatar Airways Cargo Boeing 777 freighter, announced the com-pany yesterday.

These initial shipments are part of a 4,000-head herd

that marks the launch of a completely new industry for Qatar.

The cargo carrier has been appointed to charter more than 20 cattle shipments from Europe, the US and Australia in the next few weeks.

Ulrich Ogiermann, Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo said: “It is with utmost pride that we were given the opportunity to offer our expertise and

services to support this momentous project. We are truly a part of history, helping launch the country’s newest industry, producing dairy prod-ucts to meet local demand. The cattle charters involve a great deal of skill and coordination to ensure the flight from the points of origin to Doha was smooth and safe.

→ Continued on page 2

Hassad moves closer to food self-sufficiencyThe Peninsula

In a bid to boost food self-sufficiency efforts in the country, Hassad Food, Qatar’s premier investor in food and agri-business

sectors yesterday announced the launch of its newest initia-tive ‘Iktefa’ that aims to turn unproductive local farms into productive farms and increase production.

Under the initiative, Has-sad will support local farm owners by purchasing their yearly production of fresh veg-etables and fruits, following clear commercial terms and then will sell them in the local market. Presently unproduc-tive local farms represent more than 80 percent of the regis-tered local farms.

The company announced that the targeted capacity for the first phase is around 60 hectares, which will produce yearly around 5,000 tonnes of fresh produce. This figure will increase gradually over the next phases.

Mohamed Al Sadah, CEO of Hassad Food said: “It’s our pleasure to launch Iktefa’ ini-tiative. We hope that this important initiative will build bridges of cooperation with local farmers”. He added

“Hassad Food will provide all needed support and services to the participating local farm owners in order to produce high quality products for the local market”.

This move comes with the aim of increasing the role of the local farms, and efficiently uti-lising its commercial operations, in order to support the local market demand from fresh produce. As part of this initiative, Hassad will provide several services for the partic-ipating local farms.

→ Continued on page 2

118 more complaints against blockadeTHE COMPENSATION Claims Com-mittee yesterday received 118 complaints from people affected by the current blockade. The committee also received 47 inquiry calls. The total of complaints the commit-tee received so far has reached 1,118 cases. Companies can now file their complaints at Qatar chamber instead of visiting the headquarters of the com-mittee at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC). The committee holds a weekly meeting to discuss the mechanism of the work and facilitate any obstacles may face people who affected by the blockade.

Irfan Bukhari The Peninsula

With the help of “global network experts”, Voda-fone Qatar last night

succeeded in fixing two-day serv-ice outage and also announced compensation package for its customers.

“Our engineers are on-site all night again and we will be con-ducting critical stabilisation work

to ensure the network is reliably restored,” Vodafone tweeted after restoration of network which was facing blackout since Monday morning.

Vodafone continued struggling to fix technical issue to end serv-ice outage the second day while the large number of customers were seen at Ooredoo outlets across the country to subscribe new service.

“Today I subscribed an

Ooredoo mobile connection as it had become impossible for me to continue my job as a cab driver,” said Hassan, an expat working with a private limousine service.

Earlier in the morning on the second consecutive day of outage, Vodafone Qatar said in a statement that their 2G network had been partially restored in some areas.

→ Continued on page 5

Vodafone fixes network glitch; announces compensation

Erdogan to visit Qatar, Saudi and Kuwait

Qatar Airways Cargo transports two shipments of cows

The sixth batch of Turkish troops arrived in Qatar, the Directorate of Moral Guidance at the Ministry of Defence announced.

The Directorate said that following the arrival of this rein-forcing batch and its joining the Turkish forces currently in Doha, they started their joint tasks with the Qatari armed forces as part of the joint military cooperation and to activate the terms of the defence agreements between the two countries.

The defence cooperation between Doha and Ankara comes within the framework of the joint defence vision to support efforts to combat terrorism and extremism and to maintain security and stability in the region.

The Turkish armed forces have been carrying out their training missions since their first arrival in Doha on June 19.

The Peninsula

QATAR’S NATIONAL Human Rights Committee (NHRC) said that it will raise the issue to the United Nations Com-mission on Human Rights if pilgrims from Qatar were not allowed to perform Haj this year. If restrictions are not lifted and Haj procedures are not facilitated for Qatari pilgrims with securing their safety, NHRC shall raise its concerns to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, said a statement posted on the website of NHRC.

→ See also page 2

Qatar’s premier investor in food and agri-business sectors has announced the launch of a new initiative called ‘Iktefa’ which aims to turn unproductive local farms into productive ones and increase production.

Un

Un

ast

QNA

EMIR H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held a tele-phone conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the sisterly Republic of Turkey, to congratulate him on the occasion of the Democ-racy and National Unity Day. During the phone call, they also reviewed the close rela-tions between the two countries and ways of enhanc-ing them, as well as the situation in Istanbul city after the heavy rain and floods. The Emir expressed the Qatar’s readiness to provide all neces-sary assistance in the event of any damage as a result floods.

NHRC takes Haj pilgrims’ issue to UN body

Emir holds telephone talks with Erdogan

The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) requested Vodafone to provide a detailed report on the investigation by July 20.

02 WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017HOME

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani met yesterday with Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Khosrow Taj, and the accompanying delegation, on the occasion of their visit to Qatar.

PM meets Iranian Deputy Minister

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani with Ryan Gliha, the Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United States of America to Qatar.

PM receives US Charge d’Affaires

Cattle moved to Baladna Farm after landing at airport

Continued from page 1“With our extensive

freighter fleet and state-of-the-art cargo facility at our Doha hub, we were able to meet our client Baladna Farm’s require-ments with tailor-made solutions to transport the cattle from various continents swiftly into Doha. Our dedicated team at Qatar Airways Cargo is well-trained and our QR Live product is fully-compliant with IATA’s Live Animal Regulations to ensure safe and comfortable air transportation of l ive animals.”

Upon arrival at Hamad International Airport (HIA), the cattle are carefully and effi-ciently transferred to Baladna Farm, a huge livestock farm in Qatar.

Power International Hold-ing Chairman Moutaz Al Khayyat said: “We are proud to expand the dairy industry in Qatar, and are thankful to Qatar Airways Cargo for the expedient, safe and secure transportation of the cat-tle that have now safely arrived at their new home, Baladna Farm. With the arrival of the dairy cows, we aim to meet 30-35 per cent of the imported milk demand in the country within two months.”

Baladna is a subsidiary of Power International Holding, a well-diversified Qatari com-pany. Baladna has built special cowsheds with a temperature control system to ensure a

comfortable environment for the cattle.

Baladna Farm, built over 700,000 sqm, includes 40,000 Awassi sheep able to withstand high temperature and produce high-quality milk. The farm also houses 5,000 goats and an ani-mal feed mill yielding 100 tonnes per day.

Qatar Airways Cargo recently attracted well-deserved attention for undertaking the

massive airlift of food and gro-cery items when the illegal blockade was initiated by neigh-bouring countries on 5 June. This undertaking, arranged entirely by Qatar Airways Cargo, lasted several weeks and used its own fleet, as well as other leased air-craft. The cargo airline continues to connect its global customers’ businesses to over 150 destina-tions on 200 passenger and freighter aircraft.

NHRC says will go to UN if Qatar pilgrims barred from HajThe Peninsula

Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) said that if pil-

grims from Qatar were not allowed to perform Haj this year, it will raise the issue with the United Nations Com-mission on Human Rights.

If restrictions are not lifted and Haj procedures are not facilitated for Qatari pil-grims by securing their safety and security, NHRC shall raise its concerns with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, said a state-ment posted on the website of NHRC.

The committee could also go to the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Unesco and other rel-evant international agencies, since it is unacceptable to politicise religious rites and prevent Muslims from per-forming Haj under any pretext, said the statement.

With reference to the clo-sure of sea and air ports and land borders with Qatar, the closure of the Saudi Embassy in Doha, and the measures taken against Qatar, and in view of the suffering of citi-zens and residents of Qatar including complications, pre-vention and intimidation during the performance of Umrah during the holy month of Ramadan, NHRC expressed its deep concern about what has been raised in the media.

The campaign launched against Qatari citizens, and preventing financial transfers and circulation of the Qatari currency in Saudi Arabia, is a clear violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 30 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Politi-cal Rights, and Article 6 of the Human Rights Declaration of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

230 Holstein cows have been shipped from Europe on a Qatar Airways Cargo Boeing 777 freighter.

Qatar’s Joint Special Forces carrying out exercises with the British Navy.

Naval exercises

Continued from page 1Hassad will provide support

in conducting feasibility studies for the farms seeking financial support from concerned enti-ties to build green houses, supply of agricultural inputs (delayed payment for a period not more than 90 days), techni-cal supervision for the farms. The support will also include purchase of the farms’ yearly production of fresh produce under clear commercial terms agreed by both parties, in addi-tion to logistical support and other services.

Hassad has developed a renewable strategic inventory which includes various impor-tant products. “Through our partnership with Widam Food, Hassad Australia will provide

the local market with more than 340,000 head of Australian sheep (chilled carcasses) over the course of three months, started in June,” Al Sadah added.

Hassad also announced that an internal committee has been formed to review and assess all submitted participation requests, then select the local farms that comply with the needed specifications.

Hassad Food’s CEO added that this launch was a continu-ation of the company’s constant efforts to support the local mar-ket demand, by supplying a number of strategic products on a daily basis via air freight and sea route to Qatar.

The range of high quality products provided by Hassad include: Dairy Products, Table

Eggs, Poultry, Fresh Vegetables and Fruits, from more than 10 countries including Turkey, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Oman and Lebanon.

“We coordinated with a number of corporations in friendly countries to provide the local market with a steady sup-ply of high quality strategic products, in a cost effective manner. Our first shipment arrived to Qatar on June 6, and since then we are supplying the market with daily shipments that are in line with the market need,” said Al Sadah.

Hassad Food invites the owners of local farms interested in taking part in this initiative, and communicate directly with IKTEFA’ committee through company’s official website.

Hassad panel to assess farm requests

The sixth batch of Turkish troops arriving in Qatar.

Turkish troops land in Qatar

Two ports reduce handling feeQNA

The handling fees of goods at Al Ruwais Port as well as the handling fees of gabbro material at Mesaieed Port have been decreased by 50 percent. An official from the Minis-

try of Municipality and Environment said the discounted rates that began on July 10 will remain for three months and might be renewed.

QNA

Qatar’s Ambassador to Bra-zil, Mohammed bin Ahmad Al Haiki, stressed

that the strategy of the siege countries to suffocate Qatar economically and politically has failed and reached a dead end. He added that now was the time for the countries to track back and take a rational approach to the current GCC crisis.

Al Haiki said in an inter-view with Correio Braziliense that the demands of the siege countries cannot be imple-mented, adding that the siege countries must listen to the wise voices such as those of the State of Kuwait and the Sul-tanate of Oman. He stressed that conditions now favour

Qatar, whose efforts were based on honesty in contrast to the besieging parties who built their position on fabrications.

He said that they directed many bad accusations but failed to offer one piece of evidence to support their claims, stress-ing that campaigns based on lies and fabrications cannot last long without being uncovered. The ambassador noted that the siege countries retracted their 13 dictations that violated inter-national law and an infringed on Qatar’s sovereignty.

The ambassador added that their intentions were not to counter terrorism, because ter-rorism found fertile ground in the countries accusing Qatar of it.

Siege nations’ strategy failed: Qatar envoy

03WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017 HOME

QAC gets IATA’s Premier Circle membershipAmna Pervaiz Rao The Peninsula

Qatar Aeronautical Col-lege (QAC) has qualified as IATA’s 2017 Premier Circle Member for the

impressive results it achieved in 2016.

QAC was able to get the rec-ognition because of excellence in several aspects, which include providing all training needs through agreements to purchase advanced equipment and devices, a senior official of QAC announced during a press con-ference yesterday.

The college worked hard to strengthen its ties with IATA which is closely connected with number of colleges training pro-gramme being an international accreditation party.

QAC worked towards the implementation of IATA courses and syllabus in the Air Traffic Control and Advanced Aviation Management departments in order to meet requirements and standards of IATA.

Sheikh Jabor bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Thani (pictured), Director General of QAC, said: “QAC has become one of the leading colleges in the region and around the world, especially after receiving the recognition out of 450 IATA registered col-leges, where QAC was ranked in the top ten.”

IATA congratulated the col-lege’s hard work to achieve this recognition and trusted that QAC will remain a longstanding member of the Premier Circle program in the coming years.

Al Thani said: “QAC has

recently signed contracts to pur-chase 14 advanced planes for training in addition to two sim-ulators with the same aircraft type.”

Al Thani added that the pilot training centre includes 30 training auditoriums, two A320 simulators, with a new building under construction that will be ready by the end of the current year. “During the graduation ceremony, we have signed a contract for 14 aircraft for train-ing, ten for single engine and four for multi engine classes. These classes are more advanced in technology for training purpose of students. We have added two Aviation Train-ing Simulators which are full motion and visual motion sim-ulators to make it easier for the pilot to understand,” Al Thani told The Peninsula.

He said that for the mainte-nance section, QAC was now an approved service centre.

Al Thani discussed the QAC’s strategic plans to keep up with the developments of aeronaut ical sc iences ,

aeronautical engineering, air traffic control and meteorology, through cooperating with spe-cialized organizations around the world.

The college works on pro-viding all the concentrations needed in the aviation field in the country through teaching and training Qatari personnel and develop the provided pro-grams, including pilot training and the development of the air-craft fleet, he added.

QAC celebrated the 105 graduates of class 2016-2017 last week. The graduates completed different concentration pro-grams such as air traffic control, meteorology, airport operations management, security manage-ment and passports, aircraft engineering and maintenance and pilot training.

“Federal Aviation Adminis-tration (FAA) of the United States has approved us that we can maintain any American regis-tered light aircraft. We have extended our hangars to be commercial and also we have extended all buildings inside hangars which can now take more than 50 light aircrafts,” Al Thani added.

Qatar Post officials at the launch of the Digital Mailroom automation solution.

Qatar Post launches new Digital Mailroom systemThe Peninsula

Qatar Post launched a new Digital Mailroom automa-tion solution aimed at

increasing efficiency, providing better tracking of mail flow and control while reducing opera-tional and distribution costs for the benefits of all Qatar-based organisations and existing customers.

This new solution, devel-oped in partnership with Everteam, was born out of the pressing need to streamline, automate and provide insights and visibility into the whole mail lifecycle.

Digital Mailroom offers a fully traceable and auditable mailroom management and tracking solution with faster

mail delivery, reduced lost doc-uments risk, secured information dispatching, inte-grated real-time electronic signature on delivery receipts and standard mail reference number assignment within the organisation with automatic barcode generation.

The solution also provides a customisable dashboard report-ing system equipped with an integrated statistics engine delivering information related to mail dispatching costs.

The mail registration sup-ports various types of mail such as incoming, internal or outgo-ing and also includes a customisable index form for employee pay slips, bank guar-antees, performance bonds, new customer applications, claims,

etc. “With Digital Mailroom, Qatar Post is taking the digitali-sation of its products and services to a higher level. Our top prior-ity is to make our customers’ business journey smooth and easy with the highest degree of reliability and accuracy. Everteam equipped us with the best solution on the market that allows us to be very competitive in the postal sector. Digital Mail-room is a key milestone in our current digitalisation process. We are very proud of what we have achieved together. ” commented Mr. Khalid Al Emadi, Deputy Director of Sales & Marketing at Qatar Post.

Everteam is one of the lead-ing providers of content management solutions with local presence in Qatar.

The Peninsula

Qatar Airways celebrated the arrival of its inaugural flight to Alexander The

Great Airport, Skopje, on July 17 with a press conference and gala dinner at the Marriott Hotel, Sko-pje. The events were hosted by Qatar Airways Chief Commer-cial Officer Ehab Amin, who welcomed VIP guests including Macedonia’s Minister of Trans-port and Communications, Goran Sugareski; TAV Macedonia Gen-eral Manager, Alp Er Tunga Ersoy; Macedonian Ambassador to Qatar, Vukica Krtolica Popo-vska, and Qatari Ambassador to Macedonia, Hassan bin Abdul-lah Zaid Al Mahmoud.

The gala dinner invitees, including Macedonian and Qatari VIPs, honoured guests from the travel industry and media, all enjoyed a dazzling line-up of entertainment and a headline performance by famous Mace-

donian singer Jana Burceska.Ehab Amin said at the press

conference: “I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the launch of Qatar Airways flights to Skopje, our new gateway into Eastern Europe from our hub, Hamad International Airport in Doha. Qatar Airways is proud to bring the five-star experience to the Macedonian capital, which is so rich in culture and history.”

General Manager of Airport TAV Macedonia, Alp Er Tunga Ersoy said: “Doha, known as the Pearl of the Arabian Gulf, will be an exciting travel opportu-nity for Macedonian citizens, both in terms of leisure and business, but it will also enable Macedonians who live in Aus-tralia and New Zeland to visit their motherland. We hope that the Republic of Macedonia, with its natural beauty and cultural-historical heritage, will be an interesting destination for

Qatari tourists and business travellers. The presence of Qatar Airways in Macedonia as a brand will make Skopje Airport even more attractive as a mar-ket, opening new possibilities for its development, while addi-tionally contributing to further traffic growth.”

Qatar Airways is expediting its expansion in Eastern Europe, with service to Prague, Czech Republic and Kiev, Ukraine, set to commence by the end of August. The award-winning air-line is committed to bringing more visitors to Eastern Europe by adding a further level of choice for passengers travelling to or from Croatia, Hungary, Azerbaijan, and other Eastern European destinations.

In response to increasing demand, flights to Zagreb increased to a 10-weekly serv-ice last year, while Budapest and Baku both increased to a 12-weekly service in June 2017.

Students in a laboratory at Qatar Aeronautical College, yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin/ The Peninsula

QNA

The management of Souq Al Wakrah, which is overseen by the Private

Engineering Office, is set to open Souq Al Wakrah’s beach for the public as a means of entertainment for residents of Qatar’s southern region during the hot summer season.

Speaking to QNA, Souq Al Wakra Manager Khalid Saif Al Suwaidi said that the beach will be opened tomorrow on a trial basis to ensure the readiness of services.

Qatar Airways celebrates Skopje launch with gala dinner

The Peninsula

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has pub-lished 29 National Clinical

Guidelines (NCG) as well as instructions for the most com-mon treatment methods. These are available to health practi-tioners and healthcare facilities on the Ministry’s website.

This is part of the National Clinical Guidelines Develop-ment Program which aims to standardise health care prac-tices, treatment and patient management in all health care facilities in Qatar based on best international practices and in

line with culture and to meet the needs of the healthcare sys-tem in the country.

The programme is imple-mented by the National Clinical Guideline (NCG) team of the Department of Quality of Health Care and Patient Safety at the MoPH and in coordina-tion with groups of experts from various healthcare pro-viders in Qatar who have been selected according to specific criteria.

The MoPH, in collaboration with the World Health Organ-ization (WHO), has conducted an evaluation on the develop-ment of clinical guidelines.

QAC worked towards the implementation of IATA courses and syllabus in the Air Traffic Control and Advanced Aviation Management departments in order to meet requirements and standards of IATA.

Health Ministry issues norms for treatment

Souq Al Wakrah beach to open tomorrow

Qatar Airways officials and dignitaries at a gala dinner at the Marriott Hotel in Skopje.

04 WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017HOME

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Business & Local Reporters (Full/Part-Time)

Eligible candidates can send their CVs to

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Job duties and responsibilities include: Covering assignments and developing own ideas

into relevant news content.

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and their effects on local communities.

Attending community events and local and

regional meetings as assigned.

Kindly mention the jobs applied for.

Ooredoo will continue sponsoring Porsche Club Qatar activities for the 17-18 season, including the PCQ Tour of Germany event, which took place last week.

Ooredoo sponsors Porsche Club Qatar for second year The Peninsula

Ooredoo yesterday announced it will con-tinue to sponsor

Porsche Club Qatar (PCQ) for the second year.

The sponsorship will cover all Porsche Club Qatar activities for the 17-18 season, including the PCQ Tour of Germany event, which took place last week and was organised in celebration of the Qatar-Germany Year of Cul-ture 2017 initiative.

The tour was held in cooperation with the Qatari Embassy in Berlin and the German Embassy in Doha and club members drove for five days across Germany to explore the country’s most important touristic, cultural, and industrial landmarks. The delegation was accompanied by a number of social net-working personalities, to ensure a positive impact worldwide.

Commenting on the col-laboration with Porsche Club Qatar, Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi, Director of PR and Corporate Communications, said: “Sponsoring any group that unites members through a passion is great, and the Porsche Club Qatar has fol-lowers across the country’s community. Like Ooredoo, the Porsche Club Qatar aims to promote and support inno-vation, development and giving back to the community, and we’re happy to help them achieve this.”

Porsche Qatar Club Pres-ident, Khaled Al Remithi, said: “We are happy to see Ooredoo renew their com-mitment towards the club for the second year in a row. This demonstrates the com-pany’s interest in supporting initiatives that seek to enrich the community through tar-geted activities. I am certain that this collaboration will br ing about unique

engaging activities to our community.”

Al Remithi also added that the members’ trip to Germany highlighted the club’s com-mitment to fostering important national pro-grammes such as the Qatar-Germany Year of Cul-ture 2017.

Porsche Qatar Club was established in 2014 as part of Porsche Clubs Worldwide. This network has more than 660 clubs and 220,000 mem-bers from all over the world. It aims to bring together all of the owners under one roof to celebrate excellence, unique-ness and innovation, as well as encourage community engagement through a suite of social and motorsports activities.

PCQ also facilitates com-munication between local members and international ones, promoting tolerance and friendship all over the world.

QNA

Sheikh Eid Charitable Association (Eid Char-ity) carried out a relief

project in Somaliland as part of its campaign targeting drought-affected people and providing assistance and foodstuff to alleviate the suf-fering of thousands of affected families in different areas.

Eid Charity imple-mented a relief project in Hargeisa and Broua in Somaliland, benefiting about 2,448 men, women and children.

Months ago, Eid Charity

launched the first phase of its massive relief campaign aimed at providing relief to a quarter million Somalis by providing food, water and health care at a cost of around QR10m.

The charity said it con-tinued its relief campaigns for the Somali people, who suffer from the negative impact of the worst drought to hit the country in 120 years as drought, water and food shortages left more than 940,000 children suf-fer ing f rom acute malnutrition this year, of them 25pc are threatened with starvation.

Eid Charity relief in Somaliland

Qatar’s first vegan cafe stirs interestMaram Allaghi The Peninsula

As Qatar continues to develop and introduce new culinary experi-ences to its people, Ghanim Al Sulaiti

(pictured) decided to take part in the ongoing innovations by intro-ducing Qatar to its first vegan café.

“Evergreen is the first vegan cafe in Qatar. We’ve opened back in September 2016 and it is a labour of love and passion,” says Al Sulaiti.

The reason, he said, he wanted to open a vegan cafe was to inspire people to change, live a better life-style and adopt a healthier plant-based diet.

“At the same time, it was created to give options to people; to show people that they can eat a delicious full meal with no meats, chicken, or fish and it is still satisfying and nutritious. That was our main target.”

Sitting in a tran-quil ambience at Evergreen Organics at Qanat Quartier, Al Sulaiti said he got the inspiration to open the café from Bali and trav-elling around the world. Through travelling, he got the opportunity to meet and talk to vegans from across the globe. “I wanted to bring my experiences to one place, for people who don’t have the oppor-tunity to travel or to see what I have seen. ”

“I think that is why a lot of peo-ple get inspired because we don’t have something like this in Doha. A lot of people have realised that it is easy enough to go vegan and to adopt a healthier lifestyle.”

Initial feedback from friends and community which was a tad disappointing did not deter the Qatari entrepreneur from follow-ing his dream. “People thought that in Doha no one would come here,

but I think what people have seen is that people are thirsty for vegan-ism, for healthy food, for real food, because you can eat vegan, but it could be junk.”

“This is real food, made with better ingredients and conscious cooking. And I think before ever-green there was no market and now there is a market and it is growing every day.”

The café is always busy with customers eager to try all the new and healthy food concoctions avail-

able to them. Al Sulaiti adds: “There are a lot

of people who come up telling me they are inspired to go vegan, espe-cially Qataris. Most customers are not vegan; about 90% are not vegan but they love it and they come here every day.” Evergreen Organics has banished misconceptions associ-ated with vegan food.

“A lot of people come here and they ask do you only have salads? And I tell them to look at the menu; we only have three salads on the menu. Contrary to what people think, we have desserts, juices, smoothies, breakfast, lunch and dinner and many other options.

Nasser Al Khulaifi, a customer, told The Peninsula, “When I first visited Evergreen, I was sceptical because I am not a vegan. Vegan or not, this place is amazing in terms of the food, staff and friendly vibes.”

Director General of Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organiza-

tion (Isesco) Dr Abdulaziz bin Othman Altwaijri met Qatar’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of

Morocco Abdullah bin Falah bin Abdullah Al Dosari.

The meeting discussed pros-pects of enhancing bilateral cooperation in addition to issues of common concern.

Affected people with relief goods provided by Eid Charity in Somaliland.

Sidra recognised for taking part in ICN programme The Peninsula

Sidra Medical and Research Center (Sidra) w a s

r e c e n t l y recognised for its par-ticipation in an inter-n a t i o n a l a w a r d w i n n i n g p r o -g r a m m e with the ImproveCareNow Network (ICN). The ICN was recently awarded the Drucker Prize for 2016.

Through an innovative, internationally connected approach, the ICN dramati-cally changes the lives of children and adolescents with Chron’s disease and ulcera-tive colitis. The ICN Network comprises of 98 collaborators in the US and Europe. Dr Mamoun Elawad (pictured), the Division Chief of Pediat-ric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Section Head – Inflammatory Bowel Disorders is the Sidra ICN Director. Under his lead-ership, Sidra is the only organisation in the Middle East to be part of this innova-tive partnership.

Dr Elawad’s innovation and dedication to bettering the lives of children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in Qatar and around the world sets Sidra at the fore-front of the world’s stage as a leader in research and treat-ment of IBD.

Dr Mamoun said, “The ICN Network is a collabora-tive international community of clinicians, researchers, parents and patients that shares knowledge and exper-tise to empower parents and help children suffering from Inf lammatory Bowel Disease.”

Qatari entrepreneur’s outlet at Qanat Quartier excites foddies and whets the appetites of many looking for a healthy plant-based diet.

Isesco Director General meets Qatar’s ambassador to Morocco

05WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017 HOME

Mohammed Hannan Miah Md Miah (coupon No.10659), the winner of ‘Lulu-Mazola promotion’ organised by Lulu Hypermarket Group in association with Al Yousaf Trading, receiving key of his prized Toyota Avanza Car, Model 2017, from Chacko K Samuel, Commercial Manager of Lulu Group, in the presence of other officials from Lulu and Al Yousaf Trading, at Lulu Hypermarket Group Regional Office off D-Ring Road, yesterday.

‘Lulu-Mazola promotion’ winner receives prize

The Peninsula

Iglesia Ni Cristo Qatar (INCQ) launched its’ second year of humanitarian activities in

Doha by providing food and toi-letries to distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) on July 14 at OWWA office. People from across Qatar voluntarily pro-vided foods and other necessities for fellowmen who have issues. They are temporar-ily under the care of Philippine Embassy until they are sent home. An estimate of 120 bags of goodies had been given to them.

INCQ donates kits to workers

Continued from page 2

“Our 2G network has been partially restored allowing cus-tomers to now make calls in some areas to other Vodafone numbers and international numbers. Cus-tomers need to manually select our 2G network in settings,” they tweeted. But, the customers kept on complaining that they were facing troubles with the network in some areas.

In a video message Ian Gray, CEO of Vodafone Qatar also apol-ogised to the customers for the outage and assured that the

services would be restored soon after fixing the technical glitch.

In a separate statement, tel-ecom operator said: “The Vodafone Qatar team has been working tirelessly through the night to resolve the technical issue triggered by a routine upgrade as part of our network modernization programme.”

“We have made progress on restoring 2G voice services and now the focus of our entire team is on restoring full connectivity across our network with the aid of global network experts who have arrived in Qatar this

morning,” said in a statement issued by Vodafone Qatar.

It added: “As part of the com-pensation, all balances that expired last night will be returned to customers in full with a new expiry date of 28 July 2017. More-over balances scheduled to expire in the next 10 days will have their expiry date extended so they remain valid until 28 July 2017.”

“Yes, services are now restored but the company will have to do a lot to restore the shaken trust of its customers,” said Saim, a Vodafone customer after restoration of network.

Overseas Filipino Workers waiting to receive kits from INCQ at OWWA office.

A view of the latest sculpture of the Iraqi artist Dia Al Azzawi “Hanging Gardens of Babel”, which is unveiled at MIA Park. The iconic artwork is an homage to ancient Iraq, and refers to the self-destruction of human civilisation. The sculpture follows Al Azzawi’s major exhibition ‘I am the cry, who will give voice to me? Dia Al Azzawi: A Retrospective (from 1963 until tomorrow)’ that was on show simultaneously at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the QM Gallery Al Riwaq earlier this year. In addition, Al Azzawi also has two iconic sculptures on show at Hamad International Airport.

Iconic sculpture

Vodafone apologises to customers

Sanaullah Ataullah The Peninsula

After making its pres-ence felt in a big way at local markets in supplying milks and other dairy products,

Turkish products are taking lead in providing other food products in large quantities at lower prices compared to those came from siege countries.

A Turkish brand of sunflower

edible oil ‘bizce’ is now present at a major outlet operating in Ain Khalid and it is QR3; cheaper compared to a famous brand imported from UAE. Both brands were spotted displaying side by side at the outlet.

A pack of four litters of Turk-ish sunflower edible oil ‘bizce’ costs QR23, however the prices of same pack and quantity of sunflower edible oil of UAE brand is QR26.

The Turkish sunflower oil is also available in plastic bottle of 1.8 litres and 500ml at QR12 and QR3 respectively within promo-tion being offered by the outlet.

It means the consumers can get a litre of edible oil from Tur-key at QR5.75 if they opt to buy the big pack of four litters.

The diversification of the sources of import is continuing as many new products have arrived at commercial outlets, supermarkets and groceries giv-ing more options to the customers to pick the products

as per their choice and budget, the traders told The Peninsula.

“We are receiving every week some new products from new sources,” said in-charge of milk unit at a major commercial outlet. He said that recently, the company has imported long life milk of a famous brand ‘Amul Gold’ from India in large quan-tity. “The newly arrived milk is available in one litre tetra pack. A pack comprising four pieces of one litre each costs QR25 at the rate of QR6.25 per litre, said the manger.

The manager said that Amul milk is virtually zero bacteria and it does not need to boil. It is required just to cut open and drink. No need to refrigerate till open and it stays fresh for two days after opening if kept in refrigerator. No powder or water added and it does not contain any preservative or chemical things. Turkish edible oil is attracting many customers.

A worker holding a big pack

of Turkish edible oil told The Peninsula said that he was think-ing to buy it because it is cheaper.

“Usually we buy a litre of edible oil that is enough for me and my roommates for a week but

because the offer is good so I opted to purchase the big pack,” he added.

More food items at competitive pricesA Turkish brand of sunflower edible oil ‘bizce’ is now present at a major outlet operating in Ain Khalid and it costs QR3; cheaper compared to a famous brand imported from UAE.

Turkish edible oil bottles are arranged on shelves at a commercial outlet in Doha, yesterday.

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The Peninsula

As part of its plan of activities for the cur-rent year, Qatar Charity (QC) imple-mented a project to

educate mothers and their fam-ilies in the Gaza Strip.

This awareness project for 600 women aims to improve the concepts of education among the families of orphans and how to manage money and mental maps in dealing with children. It includes cultural, social, educa-tional, behavioural and psychological activities of mother and child especially in the absence of husband.

This project aims at raising awareness among mothers about t h e m e t h o d s o f

special education for children, in addition to enhancing the capacity of orphaned mothers to overcome the problems of chil-dren in different stages, according to Mohammed Abu Halub, Director of Qatar Charity

Office in the Gaza Strip. He high-lighted the importance of strengthening the relationship between mothers of orphans. Qatar Charity, in cooperation with the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Reso-lution, has recently implemented a psychosocial support project for orphaned children in the Gaza Strip to help alleviate the psychological burden of 250 orphan children and their fam-ilies who cannot provide the necessary health services to sus-tain their normal lives. As part of its commitment to comprehensive care for orphans, the Qatar Charity Office imple-mented a medical examination project for its beneficiaries in all five governorates of the Gaza Strip, in order to ensure the

health and safety of orphans and help their families.

Qatar Charity has conducted comprehensive check-ups for 1,250 orphans within a

month-long plan. The medical programme included compre-hensive laboratory testing of orphaned children in several medical centres in Gaza. The

health centres provided the results of laboratory tests and identified health problems faced by children in order to follow the steps necessary to prevent them.

Qatar Charity educates 600 women in Gaza

QNA

Marking the Heat E x h a u s t i o n Awareness Week,

Qatar Red Crescent’s (QRCS) Medical Affairs Division has held several health education events to reduce health problems resulting from heat exhaustion and stroke.

Under the national preventive health educa-tion strategy adopted by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), QRCS delivered 10 lectures and three simulated demon-strations at its Workers’ Health Centers in Mesaimeer, Al Hemaila, and Zekreet.

These events were attended by more than 3,000 workers visiting the health facilities.

Also, four continuing education and in-service training workshops were conducted for 60 physi-cians and nurses about how to deal with heat exhaustion patients. The

lectures were titled “Heat Stroke Prevention” and were delivered in Arabic, English, and Hindu.

They explained sun stroke, heat exhaustion, and first aid.

Certain steps should be taken to provide help for a heat stroke patient: Move the patient from the hot environment to a cooler place. In case of fainting, lay the patient down with his/her legs a little bit higher than the head - if there is vomiting or diar-rhoea, put the patient on his/her side. Remove the clothes of the patient, spray cool water on the body, and turn a fan on for good ventilation. Give the patient sufficient water, on a 15-minute-per-cup basis (if there is no diarrhea or vomiting).

It is highly recom-mended to avoid working in too high temperature or humidity, to ensure that someone is around just in case, to take regular breaks, and to wear ade-quate worker uniform.

QRCS raises awareness against heat exhaustion

QNA

Qatar is participating in the 40th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commis-sion (CODEX), which is a joint body of

the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), currently held in Geneva.

Qatar is participating with a delegation from the General Organization for Standards and Metrology.

The session, which will last till July 22, discusses a number of issues and technical matters related to legislation and specifica-tions of food and agricultural products, contaminants and food additives.

It also reviews the reports of the FAO and WHO joint Coordination Committees and other matters of concern to the food and agri-cultural specifications sectors.

Qatar takes part in 40th Codex session

QNA

The Qatar Fund for Develop-ment (QFD) has announced the completion of a project

of the electric power station pro-vided to Yemen as a grant financed by the State of Qatar through the Fund and the introduction of all installation work and experimen-tal operation of the station and connected it to the electrical grid.

The Fund said in a press release

that this step comes within the framework of Qatar’s vital and effective role in supporting the Yemeni people in the fields of development, infrastructure, humanitarian and relief aspects to alleviate the suffering faced by the people of Aden due to frequent electricity cuts and for very long periods in light of the high temper-atures in the city, in addition to providing Eden with two mobile power units with a capacity of 61

MW, as well as providing training courses for Yemeni cadres to con-tinue the operation and maintenance of these units.

The Qatar Electric Power Plant launching aimed to help solve the power outage crisis and enter the record-breaking summer season. These units are expected to pro-vide power to many vital state facilities such as hospitals and schools, as well as thousands of homes. The Fund expressed the

hope that this station will ease the suffering of brethren in Yemen and help lift it from a large sector of the Yemeni people and overcome the difficult conditions that have been experiencing for several years.

The Qatar Fund for Develop-ment last December signed an agreement with the General Elec-tricity Corporation of Yemen, in cooperation with Nebras Energy Company, to supply Aden with 61 MW of mobile power units.

QFD finalises Yemen’s power station project

The Peninsula

Mall of Qatar ended its exceptional ‘Shop and Win’ with a live grand

draw on July 13 at the Mall’s Oasis stage, which saw Has-san Hamad Al Marry, holder of coupon number: 88946, drive home with a brand-new BMW i8 worth half-a-million riyals. As part of Mall of Qatar’s promise to deliver all-year-round entertainment to visitors, shoppers that spent QR300 could enter the exclu-sive draw throughout June and July.

“At Mall of Qatar, we strive to provide our shoppers with something special every time they visit the mall. This 7-week Shop and Win promotion was a great success and our Grand Prize is an example of the value and promise we put towards prizes for our valued shoppers. We are always pleased to see our shoppers excited and in awe of every event that we hold at Mall of Qatar,” said Rony Mourani, General Manager of Mall of Qatar.

Mall of Qatar combines shopping, dining, and enter-tainment under one roof. Visitors can enjoy shopping for worldwide brands that span from entry level to luxury, and with more than 80 new names

in the Qatar market. The mall has a blend of

dining, shopping and enter-tainment for all ages, including KidzMondo and NOVO cine-mas, with the largest IMAX screen in the region.

‘Shop and Win’ at Mall of Qatar ends

Hassan Ahmad Al Marri, the winner of Mall of Qatar’s (MOQ) ‘Shop and Win’, receiving the keys of BMW i8 from Rony Mourani, General Manager of MOQ.

Women in Gaza attending classes conducted by Qatar Charity.

This awareness project, for 600 women, aims to improve the concepts of education among the families of orphans and how to manage money and mental maps in dealing with children.

The Qatar delegation participating in the 40th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Geneva.

QNA

The second stage exam-inations for the 2016-17 academic year will start

on Sunday for grade 1 to 12 day and adult students of the general, specialised and tech-nical education.

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s Eval-uation Institute have finalised all exam preparations at 22 centres in and out of Doha, including 12 centres for boys and 10 for girls.

The ministry has urged students to check the centres for the second stage exami-nations in order to know the location and double check their data.

The ministry also called on students to either visit its website http://www.edu.gov.qa or contact the call centre on 155 to learn about the loca-tion of the centres across the country. The students also can refer to the social media accounts of the ministry.

Second stage examinations to start on Sunday

07WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Ramallah

QNA

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said that Israel, as the occupying

power, is responsible for the attack on Al Aqsa Mosque and all attempts to Judaise Jerusa-lem, alter its historical features and obliterate its Arab-Palestin-ian identity.

He warned in his opening remarks at the weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah of the grave consequences of Israel’s recent measures at Al Aqsa Mosque, starting with its closure for the Friday prayer, and latest the installation of metal detectors at the entrances to the holy compound.

Hamdallah called upon the international community and the Arab and Muslim countries to “shoulder their responsibilities and put a stop to Israeli viola-tions against Al Aqsa Mosque and to provide international protec-tion for our people and holy places.”

The Palestinian prime min-ister stressed the need for unity among the Palestinians and end-ing the division and stand united

to face the plans of the occupy-ing power.

Last Friday, the Israeli

occupation forces prevented prayers in the Al Aqsa Mosque and installed metal detectors at

the entrances to the holy com-pound, which prevents the entry of Palestinian worshipers.

Iran condemns US sanctions on missile programmeTehran/ Washington

AFP

Iran condemned new Amer-ican sanctions on its ballistic missile programme imposed yesterday and responded with its own

sanctions against Americans, official news agency IRNA reported.

The foreign ministry con-demned “the United States’ worthless act of imposing illegal sanctions” against people linked to the programme, IRNA reported. Tehran “will in turn apply new sanctions against American people and entities that have acted against the Ira-nian people and other Muslim peoples of the region,” it said.

Hours after the White House admitted Iran was complying with a landmark 2015 nuclear

deal, the State Department announced new sanctions against 18 individuals and enti-ties in Iran.

They include people linked to the country’s missile pro-gramme and others close to the elite Revolutionary Guard.

“The Americans... want to weaken the capabilities and strength of the Islamic regime,” said General Amir Ali Hajizadeh,

who heads the Guard’s aerospace wing and missile programme, quoted by state TV.

“We propose reciprocal actions with a high cost.”

Iran’s parliament retaliated by voting for extra funding for the missile programme, a move that speaker Ali Larijani said would show the Americans that Iran “will resist them with all its power.”

The heightened tensions came after President Donald Trump was forced to back off from a key campaign promise to withdraw from a 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran, which eased sanctions in return for limiting its ability to produce material for atomic weapons.

Trump had described it as “the worst deal ever” and accused Iran of continuing to back terrorism in the Middle

East. But on Monday the White House admitted that Iran was sticking to the nukes agreement.

It noted, however, that while Iran might be meeting its requirements on paper, it was “unquestionably in default of the spirit” of the accord.

In announcing the new sanc-tions against 18 individuals and entities in Iran, the State Depart-ment said it “remains deeply concerned about Iran’s malign activities across the Middle East which undermine regional sta-bility, security, and prosperity.”

It cited Iran’s support for Hezbollah, Hamas, the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and Houthi rebels in Yemen fighting a US-backed coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

In addition to earmarking an additional $260mfor its ballistic

missile programme, Iran’s par-liament also agreed yesterday to allot a similar amount to the Rev-olutionary Guards’ foreign operations wing, the Quds Force, accused by Washington of fomenting unrest across the region.

The Pentagon has also repeatedly voiced concern over a string of high-profile incidents in waters off Iran involving Ira-nian vessels. It has accused the Revolutionary Guards of con-ducting risky maneuvers around US warships in the Gulf, some of which resulted in the Americans firing warning shots.

“These sanctions target pro-curement of advanced military hardware, such as fast attack boats and unmanned aerial vehi-cles, and send a strong signal that the United States cannot and will not tolerate Iran’s provocative

and destabilising behaviour,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Washington is also con-cerned about the fate of Xiyue Wang, a 37-year-old Chinese-American researcher at Princeton University who was recently sentenced to 10 years in Iranian prison.

While the US complained about Iran’s defiance of the spirit of the nuclear accord, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he would make his own complaints about US non-compliance when repre-sentatives of the five nuclear powers — China, Russia, France, Britain, the United States — plus Germany meet in Vienna on Fri-day to take stock of the deal.

Zarif accused the Trump administration of failing to lift sanctions in line with the deal.

Protest continues against Israeli measuresJERUSALEM: Muslims boycotted a Jerusalem holy site for the third day running after Israeli authori-ties installed metal detectors and cameras at entrances to the sen-sitive compound following an attack that killed two policemen.

As in previous days, dozens of worshippers prayed outside the Haram Al Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, rather than enter through the metal detectors.

The attack and new security measures have increased Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Protests and scuffles between demonstrators and Israeli police have erupted out-side the site, which includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque. Yesterday, a 30-year-old Palestinian carried out a car-ramming attack in the occupied West Bank near the city of Hebron, lightly wounding two Israeli soldiers before being shot dead.

Hours after the White House admitted Iran was complying with a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, US announced new sanctions against 18 individuals and entities in Iran.

Palestine holds Israel responsible for Al Aqsa attack

Israeli forces stand guard as Palestinian worshippers, who refuse to enter Al Aqsa mosque compound due to newly-implemented security measures by Israeli authorities, pray outside the Lions Gate, a main entrance to Al Aqsa mosque compound, yesterday.

Cash-strapped Zimbabwe needs $274m for electionHARARE: Zimbabwe’s elec-tion agency said it needs $274m to finance next year’s presidential and parlia-mentary elections, in which President Robert Mugabe plans to contest aged 94.

Zimbabwe is suffering severe cash shortages and Mugabe’s government is struggling to pay its workers on time while many busi-nesses can’t fund the imports they need. But Rita Makarau, the Zimbabwe Electoral Com-mission chairperson, told a parliamentary committee that she was confident the national treasury would make the money available.

“A consolidated budget requirement has since been submitted to treasury for funding in the sum of $274m,” said Makarau, adding that a new voter register would be completed by December.

Mugabe, Africa’s oldest leader, has been in power since Zimbabwe gained inde-pendence from Britain in 1980 and is bidding for another five-year term, his last allowed under the constitution. Xi calls for Middle East peace

Beijing

Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to make “unre-mitting” efforts towards

promoting peace in the Middle East following a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as China steps up its dip-lomatic engagement with the region. Palestinian officials have urged China, which supports an independent Palestinian state, to do more in the Middle East peace process.

Chinese envoys occasionally

visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories, though China has traditionally played little role in Middle East conflicts or diplo-macy despite its reliance on the region for oil.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Abbas in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi said the international community paid close attention to the Middle East peace process. “As the Palestin-ian people’s good friend, partner and brother, China hopes Pales-tine and Israel can achieve peace as soon as possible and live and work in peace. China will make

unremitting efforts for this,” Xi said, after receiving a Palestin-ian medal of honour from Abbas.

China has historically had a good relationship with the Pal-estinians. The Middle East, however, is fraught with risk for China, which has little experience navigating the religious and polit-ical tensions that frequently rack the region. Deputy Chinese For-eign Minister Zhang Ming later said Xi reiterated support for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and also called for the secu-rity of both the Palestinians and Israelis to be protected.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (left) shakes hands after presenting a medallion to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, yesterday.

Heavy rainfall hits IstanbulIstanbul

AFP

Heavy rainfall hit Istanbul yester-day, flooding streets and causing disruption to public transport, offi-

cials said.People were forced to wade through

the water after flash floods stranded cars and caused tram lines to be suspended in the city.

Images shared on social media and Turkish television showed flooding inside metro stations and residents forced to wait for inflatable boats to rescue them.

In Uskudar, a district on the Asian side of Istanbul, the rough waters of the Bos-phorus overflowed leaving roads and squares covered.

Several boats belonging to the city’s shipping authority had to be nailed down to the port because of rain and strong winds of up to 80km.

Istanbul governorate warned the pub-lic not to use their cars unless absolutely necessary while the Eurasia tunnel which opened last year was also temporarily closed one way.

The municipality said on average 65mm (2.5 inches) of rain fell while the district of Silivri experienced as much as 128 mm. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said it was a “disaster”, adding: “In a short period, an unusual amount of rain fell” for the time of year.

“But the mayor and the governorate are cooperating to deal with the situation in the best way,” Yildirim said.

UN dissuades migrants from heading to LibyaGENEVA: West Africa migrants and asylum-seekers must be dissuaded from going to Libya, the main point of departure for Europe but where they often face abuse and detention at the hands of traffickers, the United Nations said. The UN High Commissioner for Ref-ugees (UNHCR) appealed to donors for funds to provide “meaningful alternatives” for people taking dangerous boat journeys to reach Europe.

More than 110,000 migrants and refugees have arrived by sea in southern Europe so far this year, including 92,000 in Italy, it said. At least 2,360 have died at sea and an unknown number have perished in the Sahara desert trying to reach Libya. “People should not go to Libya. We have no idea about the number of people losing their lives in those detention centres run by traf-fickers,” Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean situ-ation, told a news briefing.

“But when you interview the people in Italy, you just hear horror stories about people missing.”

A submerged car seen on a flooded road after heavy rains hit Silivri District of Istanbul, yesterday.

Tension between Israel and the Palestinians is rising over the restrictions imposed by Israel on prayers inside Al Aqsa mosque. Palestinians boycotted the holy site for the third day yesterday after

the Israeli authorities installed metal detectors and cameras at entrances to the mosque following an attack that killed two policemen. Dozens of worshippers prayed outside the Haram al-Sharif compound rather than enter through the metal detectors. There have been protests and scuffles with police. Palestinians are angry that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to impose new restrictions and thus restrict the freedom of worship at Al Aqsa mosque. This is the latest aggression by Israel in its ongoing bid to take away all the freedom of Palestinians and confiscate their land and places of worship. Al Aqsa mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and any attempt to restrict the entry of Muslims into the compound will invite resistance from Muslims all over the world. “We refuse these dangerous measures that will lead to a ban on the freedom of worship and will obstruct the movement of the faithful,” Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said, reflecting the sentiment of Muslims all over the world.

The Israeli measures are also flagrant violations of international law and conventions in and around

Occupied Jerusalem. “The latest example of Israel’s unbridled violations is the placement of metal detectors and security cameras at the entrances of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound (Al-Haram Al-Sharif); this constitutes a flagrant violation of the rights and freedoms of Palestinian Muslim worshippers,” PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi said in a statement quoted by Palestinian WAFA news agency. As Ashrawi rightly pointed out, with the recent

escalations, the Israeli occupation is not only provoking the Palestinians, but the entire Muslim world and the international legal system.

Palestinians and the Islamic world are fully aware of the sinister designs of Israelis. Israel has been gradually encroaching into the holy site and deliberately changing the 19th century status quo. Through escalations, violations and violence, it’s trying to create new realities on the ground to impose its control on the holy site. But it’s a dangerous game. Al Aqsa is holy not only to Palestinians, but to Muslims all over the world. Any attempt to change the status quo will invite a worldwide reaction with huge consequences.

Israel must remove the metal detectors and cameras it has installed at the holy site and allow freedom of worship. A single act of violence cannot be used as an excuse to change the character of Al Aqsa.

08 WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017VIEWS

E S T A B L I S H E D I N 1 9 9 6

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

msalim@pen.com.qa

Protecting Al Aqsa

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Poles are not satisfied with how the justice system functions. The judiciary needs to be reformed, but the reforms need to be wise.

Andrzej DudaPolish President

Israel must remove the metal detectors and cameras it has installed at the holy site and allow freedom of worship.

It’s hard to imagine the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates thought it would go this way. Officials from their governments — as well as jun-ior partners Egypt and Bahrain

— described the punitive sanctions they col-lectively slapped on Qatar in early June as an unfortunate but necessary action, aimed at bringing Qataris to heel. It was as if Qatar was an unruly child who needed to be disciplined.

But in the grown-up world of geopoli-tics, the Saudi and Emirati-led move against Doha does not seem to be achiev-ing its goals. Rather than isolating Qatar, it has deepened Qatari ties with regional powers Turkey and Iran. Oman and Kuwait, two other states in the Gulf Coop-eration Council, have not joined in. Food supplies and other goods are still flowing into Qatar’s docks and airports. And, no matter the White House’s mixed messag-ing, American diplomats appear to be pushing for conciliation and compromise with Qatar rather than seeking Doha’s acquiescence to the Saudi and Emirati demands.

“As with their disastrous war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE radically over-stated their prospects for success and failed to have a plausible plan B in case things did not go to plan,” wrote Marc Lynch, a Middle East expert at George Washington Univer-sity. “The anti-Qatar quartet seems to have overestimated Qatari fears of isolation from the GCC and their own ability to inflict harm on their neighbour.”

A new Washington Post report this week added to the awkwardness facing the blockaders. According to unnamed US intelligence officials, the UAE was behind a controversial late-May hack of Qatari government news and social media sites that helped trigger the crisis. The hack attributed false quotes to Qatar Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, that had him celebrating Iran as an “Islamic power” and praising Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

Despite Doha’s vociferous denials, the furor led Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt to ban Qatari media, then later break relations with Doha and impose their trade and diplomatic boycott. US officials “became aware last week that newly ana-lysed information gathered by US intelligence agencies confirmed that on May 23, senior members of the UAE government discussed the plan and its implementation,” my colleagues Karen DeYoung and Ellen Nakashima reported. “The officials said it remains unclear whether the UAE carried out the hacks itself or contracted to have them done.”

In a statement, the UAE’s ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, rejected these claims. “The UAE had no role whatso-ever in the alleged hacking described in the article,” he said, before reiterating his coun-try’s complaints about Qatar’s foreign policy.

There is plenty of precedent for rumours

The blockade of Qatar is failingIshaan Tharoor The Washington Post

and murky innuendo fuelling tensions in this part of the world: A rupture in relations in 2014 saw false news reports proliferate about Saudi and Emirati citizens being banned from Harrods, the London department store owned by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.

Analysts explain that the current impasse is an extension of long-run-ning disagreements and tensions with Qatar, which has irritated its larger neighbours by using its riches to play an outsized role on the world stage. At issue are squabbles over support for different proxies in conflicts from Syria and Libya, as well as the work of Qatari-funded network Al Jazeera, which Riyadh and Abu Dhabi want to see shut down.

The Qataris have also charted a dif-ferent diplomatic path from their neighbours, playing host to political offices for groups such as the Taliban and Hamas in a bid to mediate regional

conflicts. “Against a backdrop of purr-ing limousines and dhows moored in the bay, Doha has become a neutral city with echoes of Vienna in the Cold War, wrote Declan Walsh of the New York Times.

Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson carried out a fitful round of shuttle diplomacy in Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in an attempt to defuse the situation. The squabbling countries are all US allies — Qatar hosts the United States’ largest mili-tary base in the Middle East — and Tillerson would prefer everyone calm down and get back to other issues, notably the fight against the Islamic State. But his efforts have yet to bear much fruit.

Tillerson made a public gambit in Doha, signing a memorandum of understanding in which Qatar pledged to do more to block funding for extremist groups in the Middle East and elsewhere. It quickly became a farce. “The Qataris said that they were the first in the region to sign such a pact and urged the Arabs allied against them to do the same,” my colleague Carol Morello wrote. “The four coun-tries heading the embargo claimed credit for pressuring Qatar into sign-ing, and simultaneously dismissed it as ‘insufficient’ to end their embargo.”

The Saudi Embassy tweeted, “Pres-ident Trump: Qatar ‘Known as a Funder of Terrorism’”!!

On Monday, as the Emiratis were rejecting the hacking allegations, the Saudi Embassy in Washington tweeted lines from an interview with President Trump where he had lashed out at Qatar. It was yet another illustration of the dissonance between the White House and State Department over the crisis — and yet another reminder that the crisis in the Gulf won’t stop any-time soon.

The author writes about foreign affairs for

The Washington Post. He previously was a

senior editor and correspondent at Time

magazine, based first in Hong Kong and

later in New York.

Food supplies and other goods are still flowing into Qatar’s docks and airports. And, no matter the White House’s mixed messaging, American diplomats appear to be pushing for conciliation and compromise with Qatar rather than seeking Doha’s acquiescence to the Saudi and Emirati demands.

ED ITOR IAL

A general view of Doha skyline.

09WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017 OPINION

pollution, the future of this unique ecosystem faces a grave threat today.

It is well known that global warming is mainly caused by the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil. Since industrialisation in the 19th century, the amount of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere has risen by as much as 40%.

If not for the oceans, temperatures would be even higher than they are now because they absorb a quarter of the carbon dioxide released into the air. When the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises, oceans absorb more to restore the balance. The colder the sea-water is, the more effectively the process works.

It is in this context that mapping of the oceans on various parameters that affect human life assumes importance. To illustrate the important role played by the ocean and its ecosystems, Ger-many’s Heinrich Böll Foundation has recently released the latest in a series of global environ-mental reference works called the Ocean Atlas: Facts and Figures on the Threats to Our Marine Ecosystems 2017.

The atlas aims to give a current insight of the state of the seas and the threats to them. “We hope to stimulate a broader social and political discussion about the meaning of the ocean as an important sys-tem and the possibilities for protecting it,” the foundation said while launching the atlas.

A shortsighted terrorism fight

While in Paris last week, President Donald Trump praised the libera-tion of Mosul while blaming the Obama administration for allow-ing the Islamic State to run amok

in Iraq in 2014. But Trump’s administration is repeating mistakes of the past on counterterror-ism, neglecting the long game and increasing the likelihood that the terrorists will be back.

“Now we must work with the government of Iraq and our partners and allies in the region to consolidate the gains and to ensure that the victory stays a victory, unlike the last time,” Trump said.

While he was making those remarks, a senior UN official was shaking a cup around Washington, explaining to lawmakers and administration offi-cials that if urgent humanitarian relief funds were not forthcoming, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who fled Mosul during the fighting would soon lack basic necessities.

Bruno Geddo, the Iraq representative for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told me that the gains achieved militarily in Mosul, at great human and financial cost, could be squan-dered if the international community fumbles the next stage — stabilisation and reconstruction.

“The stakes are higher than just shelter, food and water,” he said. “We think Iraq is at a crucial

stage. It’s a turning point, and we

want to make sure we do everything we can to make sure it turns to a better future.”

More than 900,000 Iraqis fled the city, with more than 700,000 yet to return, but only 21 per-cent of UNHCR’s Iraq budget for this year has been funded, Geddo said. Unless the organisation gets $126 million in the next two months, it will be forced to scale back crucial humanitarian services. The United States covers about a quarter of UNH-CR’s Iraq program.

If humanitarian assistance is cut off, the largely Sunni population in northern Iraq could feel aban-doned and turn back to the extremists, Geddo said. That, of course, is what happened about a decade ago. “Hopefully this time around, a lesson will have been learned,” he said.

The Trump administration doesn’t seem to have learned that lesson. For example, the United States doesn’t have a well-developed plan to help rebuild the cities in Iraq and Syria damaged during the fight, said former White House counterterror-ism adviser Richard Clarke.

“The best breeding ground for terrorists is a city without services,” he said. “The short-termism in our counterterrorism policy is baffling, because

we will have to come back and do it all again.”Trump’s budget shows a clear disdain for pro-

grams focused on preventing wars or keeping finished wars finished. The State Department’s spending request would slash programs that build capacity in partner countries for fighting terrorism and cut funding for all manner of UN activities. After cutting $600 million from the UN’s peace-keeping budget, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley boasted, “We’re only getting started.”

In Syria, the current strategy is to partner with Russia to establish deconfliction zones and tempo-rary cease-fires that Trump often praises. But partnering with Russia in Syria without a better plan to help liberated areas prosper could lead to disaster. The Assad regime and its partners could expand their control of Sunni Arab regions, exac-erbating grievances that led to the rise of extremism there in the first place.

The United States must do more to help local Sunni governance take hold, not hand over Sunni land to the regime, said Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute. “We need to continue to invest in these communities.”

The shortsighted nature of US strategy is

When people think of cli-mate change, pictures of melting glaciers, sweltering heat in sum-mers and flooding of

coastal areas predominate. Often lost in the imagery is the role the world’s oceans play in countering the worst effects of global warming.

Although oceans and seas cover more than two-thirds of the earth’s sur-face, they are taken for granted most of the time. People and governments forget that they are rich in resources and pro-vide us with food, energy and minerals. It is a truism to say that since the high seas belong to no nation, they are the most exploited by everyone.

It is thus important to remember that oceans are crucial for the stability of the

planetary climate and local weather. But due to overfishing, loss of biodi-versity and ocean

Climate change: Neglecting oceans no longer an option

Displaced people seen at a refugee camp in Domiz, Iraq.

The atlas clearly explains the role oceans play in battling climate change. In the Labrador Sea and Greenland Sea as well as in regions near the Antarctic coast, large quantities of surface water sink into the deep sea where carbon dioxide is stored for a long time.

The lion’s share of the stored greenhouse gas since the start of the Industrial Revolution will take cen-turies to return to the surface of the ocean again. Part of it will remain fixed in the sediment of the sea floor. That is how the ocean significantly slows down climate change.

However, the ability of the oceans to sequester carbon dioxide is not unlimited. For example, while

carbon dioxide absorption in the Southern Ocean declined between 1980 and 2000, it has increased in the years since, according to the atlas. The ocean does more than absorb a considerable amount of the greenhouse gas. It also soaks up nearly all the additional warmth resulting from the manmade greenhouse effect.

According to the atlas, oceans have absorbed an astounding 93% of the excess heat over the past 40 years. Increased atmospheric temperatures are attributable to just 3% of this additional thermal energy and would be much greater if not for the oceans. The extra warmth is essentially hidden in the ocean, where it slowly spreads through the depths. Because of this, the surface tempera-ture only increases at a snail’s pace.

All of this comes at a price. Absorbing excess carbon dioxide leads to a progressive acidification of the ocean water, while absorbing excess heat contributes to rising sea levels and troubling changes in marine ecosystems. The warming of the oceans also contains dangerous feed-back loops. When the rate of evaporation on the ocean surface increases, it produces more water vapor — a potent greenhouse gas — which in turn causes tempera-tures to rise, which causes the rate of evaporation to increase.

These feedback loops can accelerate global warming in ways that are difficult to predict, one more reason not to further burden the ocean system, the atlas warns. For this reason, meeting the goal of limiting global warming to two degrees agreed upon at the Paris Climate Confer-ence is essential.

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not limited to the Middle East; counterterrorism policies at home are similarly out of balance.

The Trump administration is focused on tightening immigra-tion from several Muslim-majority countries and boosting spending on border defences. But most recent terror-ist attacks on US soil were committed by people long inside the country.

Yet Trump’s Department of Homeland Security budget would cut programs that help prevent or minimise the damage from domestic terrorist attacks, includ-ing funding for Federal Emergency Management Agency first responders and programs that engage Muslim communities inside the United States.

The administration is focused on borders but not paying enough attention “to what we are doing inside our borders to defend the country” from terrorism, said Rand Beers, former deputy home-land security secretary.

Terrorism isn’t a root cause; it’s a symptom of wider problems faced by disenfranchised popula-tions in the Middle East and at home. The Trump administra-tion’s penny-wise, pound-foolish approach addresses the symp-toms while leaving the causes in place.

The writer is a columnist for the Global

opinions section of The Washington

Post. He writes about foreign policy

and national security.

Josh RoginThe Washington Post

The shortsighted nature of US strategy is not limited to the Middle East; counterterrorism policies at home are similarly out of balance. The Trump administration is focused on tightening immigration from several Muslim-majority countries and boosting spending on border defences. But most recent terrorist attacks on US soil were committed by people long inside the country.

Soumya SarkarIANS

If not for the oceans, temperatures would be even higher than they are now because they absorb a quarter of the carbon dioxide released into the air. When the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises, oceans absorb more to restore the balance. The colder the seawater is, the more effectively the process works.

10 WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017ASIA

BSP supremo Mayawati resigns from Rajya SabhaNew Delhi IANS

BSP chief Mayawati yes-terday quit the Rajya Sabha, accusing the BJP of preventing her from speaking in the

House on issues close to her heart like the cause of depressed sections particularly Dalits.

“I had wanted to raise issues relating to Dalits and about the atrocities committed on them in Saharanpur’s Shabirpur village. But you saw the way the treas-ury benches, including ministers, behaved and prevented me from speaking. When I cannot convey what I want to, then I thought it is not okay.

“I decided I will resign. I have just met the Rajya Sabha Chair-man (Hamid Ansari) and I have handed over my resignation from the House,” she told reporters.

Mayawati has given a three-page resignation letter to Ansari which officials say may not be accepted because members quit-ting Parliament are expected to submit their resignation in a sim-ple format and without conditions.

Mayawati, whose six-year

term was to end in April next year, said when she was on her way to submit the resignation, leaders of the UPA requested her not to resign saying her strong voice was needed in the House.

“I am thankful to them but I have decided to stick to my deci-sion,” she said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, criticized the treasury benches and ministers for not allowing Mayawati to raise issues of concern to her.

“I tried to persuade her from not resigning but I think she had already made up her mind,” he said. The BSP has five more members in the Rajya Sabha. Mayawati, 61, lost power in Uttar Pradesh in 2012 and her party was routed in this year’s assem-bly elections, winning 19 seats in the 402-member House.

Earlier, Mayawati stormed out of the Rajya Sabha

threatening to quit when she was not allowed to speak beyond three minutes over atrocities on Dalits. She demanded a discus-sion over the issue but Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien told her she

had already made her demand for a full discussion and should let the House conduct its business.

Launching a scathing attack against the BJP government in

Uttar Pradesh and Modi-led cen-tral government, she said both were “mute spectators” to the vio-lence against Dalits in Saharanpur in May when their houses were torched and 15 Dalits injured.

Demonstrators holding placards as they take part in a rally in New Delhi, yesterday, in protest over a spate of assaults against Muslims and low-caste Dalits by cow vigilantes.

Zakir Naik’s passport revoked

New Delhi

IANS

The Congress yesterday staged a protest against the faulty implementation

of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in its current form, say-ing it has adversely affected the business of the small and medium traders. Hundreds of Congress workers who marched from Jantar Mantar in central Delhi to Parliament House were stopped by police near Parliament Street police station.

The demonstrators carried banners and placards with slo-gans opposing the GST and its implementation which affected traders and small businesses.

Addressing the demonstra-tors, Delhi Congress President Ajay Maken said: “The BJP-led central government has

implemented the GST to help its rich and industrialist friends, as the GST in its present form, with multiple tax slabs and an outer limit of 40 per cent, has broken the backs of the small and medium-size traders and the common people.”

The former Union Minister said: “The GST that the Congress wanted to introduce had an outer limit of 14 percent which would have been the most prac-tical way of bringing a uniform tax structure in the country -- one tax, one nation -- but the Bharatiya Janata Party govern-ment’s GST with multiple tax slabs would only help its rich and powerful friends.”

The Congress leader also said “the GST has affected the poor and medium class people so badly that the price of a cooking gas cylinder will now go up by Rs32”.

Ahmedabad

AFP

The death toll from severe monsoon flooding across India rose to at least 83 with

seven more fatalities confirmed in western Gujarat state in the last twenty-four hours, officials said yesterday. Gujarat and north-eastern Assam state have been hardest hit by the deluge. A.J Shah, director of relief operations with the Gujarat government, confirmed seven deaths in the state since Monday.

“Two persons drowned, four died after they were struck by lightning (in separate incidents) and the body of one of the four persons who were swept away in a river three days back was recovered,” Shah said.

At least 18 people have now lost their lives in Gujarat since

the monsoon intensified across the western state. In hilly Assam 60 people have been killed and a state-wide emergency relief operation has been underway

since the wet season arrived in April.

At least five people were killed by a landslide last week in a remote village in Arunachal

Pradesh state along the border with China. Pockets of the east-ern states of Odisha and Bihar have also been affected by tor-rential rains and flash floods.

The government has called in the army to help with relief and rescue operations in some parts of the worst-hit states.

Meanwhile, Incessant rains for the second consecutive day yesterday affected normal life in Hyderabad and some towns in Telangana and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

Some low-lying areas in Hyderabad were inundated while roads were flooded, caus-ing traffic jams. Motorists were caught in long traffic snarls in busy commercial centres like Abids, Koti, Dilsukhnagar, Bash-eerbagh, Lakdi Ka Pul, Khairatabad, Punjagutta, Ameerpet and Mehdipatnam.

New Delhi

IANS

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yester-day said a patient from

Pakistan-administered Kash-mir who is seeking treatment in New Delhi for a liver tumour needed no recom-mendation from the Pakistan government for a medical visa because the territory is “an integral part of India”.

Osama Ali, 24, who has been diagnosed with a liver tumour, had reportedly sought visa to travel to New Delhi for treatment. However, he has not been given a recommen-dation letter by Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs - a clause India has made man-datory for medical visas.

As ties between the two countries soured over various issues, including the death sentence on Kulbhushan Jad-hav, India made Aziz’s recommendation compulsory for Pakistani patients seeking medical visa to travel to the country. Sushma Swaraj said patients from the parts of Kashmir under Pakistani con-trol needed no such letters because the territory is part of India. PoK is an integral part of India. Pakistan has illegally occupied it. We are giving him (Ali) visa. No letter required,” the Minister tweeted.

Patna

IANS

In their first interaction since the crisis broke out, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejas-

hwi Yadav yesterday night met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in his official chamber and clari-fied his position on the CBI case against him.

Tejashwi Yadav had a closed door meeting with Nitish Kumar for nearly 40 minutes, an offi-cial in the Chief Minister’s Office here said. He is believed to have presented the Chief Minister with a detailed defence of the

charges against him.According to officials, Tejas-

hwi Yadav’s elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav, who is Bihar Health Minister, and Congress state president Ashok Choud-hary, who is Bihar Education Minister, were present during the meeting.

Bihar has been in the grip of a political crisis after the CBI registered a case against Tejas-hwi Yadav in a benami property case and also raided his premises earlier this month, leading to demands for his res-ignat ion. The Janata Dal-United, the major partner

in the ruling Grand Alliance, has asked its Rashtriya Janata Dal partner to come clean on the allegations.

Yesterday evening meeting between RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and the Chief Minister may help to end the crisis.

Senior JD-U leader K.C. Tyagi had earlier suggested that Tejashwi Yadav should meet Nitish Kumar, who is JD-U Pres-ident, and clarify his stand on the CBI raids.

With both sides adamant on their stand, it was left to their third ally - the Congress - to mediate.

Mumbai

IANS

The Indian passport of tel-evangelist Zakir Naik, who is wanted in connection

with his role in a terror case, was yesterday revoked on the NIA’s request, an official statement said here.

“The Regional Passport Office, Mumbai, has revoked the Indian passport of Dr Zakir Abdul Karim Naik, resident of B-1005/1006 Jasmine Apart-ment, 65-B, Dockyard Road, Mazagaon, Mumbai, under the provisions of the Passport Act 1967,” a National Investigation Agency (NIA) statement said.

The NIA had requested the External Affairs Ministry to revoke

Naik’s passport after he failed to respond to three summons in cases filed under Unlawful Activ-ities (Prevention) Act against him last year, an NIA official said. The NIA took the step after a special NIA court on April 21 issued non-bailable warrant against Naik and subsequently issued proclama-tion on June 15 requiring his appearance.

Following the Dhaka terror attacks last year, the NIA had filed the case against Naik, 51, and other officials of his Mum-bai-based NGO Islamic Research Foundation. Naik was on a tour abroad at that time and has since not returned to India alleg-edly to evade arrest under various charges, including inspiring terrorist activities and

money-laundering. In Decem-ber last, the Central government had permanently cancelled the FCRA licence of Naik’s NGO and his educational trust after declaring it as a terror outfit.

According to ‘Middle East Monitor’, an online news portal on developments in Middle East, Naik has already been granted citizenship of Saudi Arabia. There was no independent ver-ification to this so far.

Naik had his passport renewed in January last year and it has a validity for 10 years.

The NIA, on November 18, 2016, had registered a criminal case against Naik at its Mumbai branch under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Unlaw-ful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Kohima

IANS

The Gauhati High Court’s Kohima bench yesterday upheld Nagaland Gover-

nor P B Acharya’s directive to Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezi-etsu to prove his majority in the assembly, following which Ach-arya sought an special session today for the floor test.

The Naga Political Front, led by Lieziestsu, summoned an emergency meeting at which they decided to ask President Pranab Mukherjee to recall Acharya immediately so that the “sanctity of the gubernato-rial Office in the State is

maintained in future”.While issuing a whip to all

its 47 legislators to vote in favour, the NPF, which is also a constituents of the ruling National Democratic Alliance at the Centre and in Manipur, decided to sever ties with the BJP, with which it has been associated for decades.

Earlier in the day, Justice Lanusungkum Jamir dismissed Liezietsu’s writ petition chal-lenging the Governor’s directive noting “that the petitioner does not enjoy the support from the majority of the House and therefore, it is open to the Gov-ernor to act at his own, without any aid and advice”.

Seven dead as floods death toll rises to 83

A man sitting on a car after his vehicle got stuck on a flooded road after heavy rains in Ahmedabad, yesterday.

People protesting against the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi, yesterday.

Congress protests against implementation of GST

Tejashwi meets Nitish Kumar to end crisisSushma confirms visa to Pakistani Kashmiri patient

Nagaland floor test today after HC rejects CM’s plea

»Atrocities on Dalits

“I had wanted to raise issues relating to Dalits and about the atrocities committed on them in Saharanpur’s Shabirpur village. But you saw the way the treasury benches, including ministers, behaved and prevented me from speaking.” Mayawati said.

11WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017 ASIA

Duterte seeks martial law extension in southManila

AFP

President of Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, plans to extend martial law in the southern Philip-pines to defeat Islamist

militants who have seized a major city, his administration said, as critics warned the coun-try could be edging towards a dictatorship.

Duterte had imposed mili-tary rule for 60 days in the Mindanao region, home to 20 million people, after gunmen waving black Islamic State flags occupied Marawi city on May 23, triggering clashes that have killed more than 550 people.

While the military said at least 60 militants continued to hold out against government forces nearly two months later, critics expressed surprise by Duterte’s request for a martial law extension until December 31.

“I have come to the conclu-sion that the existing rebellion in Mindanao which has prompted me to issue (the martial law proclamation), will not be quelled completely by 22nd July 2017,” Duterte said in a letter to Congress. Congress is to convene

on Saturday to discuss an exten-sion after Duterte met with its leaders late Monday, presiden-tial spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters.

The President also asked Congress to suspend a constitu-tional safeguard against warrantless arrests. “This is not only a step back, but several steps back for our democracy,” opposition lawmaker and prom-inent martial law critic Edcel Lagman said, calling Duterte’s request illegal.

Lagman and Senator Anto-nio Trillanes, a fellow critic, also warned of a potential repeat of human rights abuses under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose 20-year rule was ended by a bloodless popular revolt in 1986. Trillanes, a retired naval officer, also accused Duterte of using martial rule as preparation for installing a revolutionary

government that would allow him to stay in office beyond his six-year electoral mandate. “Once he feels that there is not e n o u g h o p p o s i t i o n

to a nationwide martial law dec-laration, he will go for it,” Trillanes said.

The country’s constitution allows the president to impose

martial law for up to 60 days, as well as allowing authorities to detain suspects for up to three days without charges to suppress invasion or rebellion. Beyond

two months, the president can extend it “for a period to be determined by the Congress”.

But Duterte’s allies dominate Congress, and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said Tuesday he saw no obstacle to approving an extension.

Duterte had initially con-sulted the military and police on extending martial rule. His spokesman would not say if the plan to extend by five months was their idea.

In May, Duterte said he had made the move to stamp out an attempt by militants, including foreign fighters, to establish an IS caliphate on Philippine territory.

“He also explained clearly his fear that terrorism might slowly spread throughout Mindanao and eventually the country,” Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who attended the Monday meeting, said.

However, opposition Sena-tor Francis Pangilinan told AFP that martial rule was an “extraor-dinary and temporary measure” and it was not right to extend it for a much longer period.

Duterte should consider lim-iting martial law to the Muslim regions of Mindanao, he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte holds a caliber 45 pistol while Eduardo Ano, Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, looks on during a turnover ceremony for procured firearms at the Malacanang presidential palace in metro Manila, yesterday.

Duterte had imposed military rule for 60 days in the Mindanao region, home to 20 million people.

Karachi

AFP

Five people died when an apartment building col-lapsed in southern Pakistan

yesterday as most of its residents were sleeping, officials said.

Rescuers struggled to pull sur-vivors from the rubble of the three-storey building in the south-ern city of Karachi. “Five bodies were recovered from the rubble,” the city’s deputy commissioner, Fareed Uddin, said. Another local official said a woman and a 13-year-old boy were among the dead. Rescuers pulled at least nine injured people from the debris.

Karachi — a booming megac-ity of some 20 million people — has expanded rapidly over the last decade. The number of poorly constructed buildings, thrown up to meet the needs of the rapidly growly population, has grown quickly. The mayor of Karachi Waseem Akhtar visited the scene of the accident on Tuesday after-noon and hit out at the local building department for failing to

enforce construction codes.At least 44 people were killed

when a factory collapsed in the eastern city of Lahore in 2015, an

accident also blamed on poor building standards.

Five killed as building collapses in Karachi

Pakistani rescue workers search for victims as they remove debris after a three story building collapsed at a residential area in Karachi, yesterday.

UN probe ‘can only aggravate’ Rakhine tension: MyanmarYangon

Reuters

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s security adviser told diplomats

that a UN mission looking into allegations of rape, torture and killings of Rohingya Muslims would only “aggravate” troubles in the western state of Rakhine.

Myanmar has declined to grant visas to three experts appointed by the United Nations in May to look into allegations of abuses against the powerful armed forces.

Last week, the US ambassa-dor to the United Nations in New York, Nikki Haley, called on Myanmar to accept the mission, which was mandated in a Human Rights Council resolution.

“We dissociated ourselves from the decision because we found that it was less than con-structive,” said National Security Adviser Thaung Tun, speaking to UN officials and diplomats, including US Ambassador Scot Marciel.

The decision of other coun-tries — including China and India — to join Myanmar in distancing themselves from the resolution was a “principled stand”, Thaung Tun said. “We feel that that mis-sion can only aggravate the situation on the ground,” he said.

The treatment of the roughly one million Muslim Rohingya has emerged as majority Buddhist Myanmar’s most contentious rights issue as it makes a transi-tion from decades of harsh military rule.

The Rohingya are denied cit-izenship and classified as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite claiming roots in the region that go back centuries, with communities marginalised and occasionally subjected to communal violence.

The government denounces the violence but has done little to improve the lot of the Rohingya.The European Union proposed the investigation after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the army’s operation in the northern part of

Rakhine State — where most people are Rohingyas — likely included crimes against humanity.

Troops fanned out to villages after Rohingya militants killed nine policemen in attacks on border posts in October. The operation sent an estimated 75,000 people across the nearby border to Bangladesh, where many gave accounts of abuses.

Rohingya women told reporters of husbands and sons arbitrarily detained, and of kill-ings and arson by security forces that broadly match the accounts from refugees in Bangladesh.

Myanmar has largely denied the accusations, and says most are fabricated.

Thaung Tun did not directly address the allegations, but said Myanmar had a “clear right to defend the country by lawful means” as it tackles “increasing terrorist activities”.

Officials say a domestic investigation, led by Vice Presi-dent Myint Swe, a former lieutenant general, is sufficient.

Indonesia speaker named suspect in graft caseJAKARTA: Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency has named the country’s speaker of par-liament as a suspect in a major graft scandal which is estimated to have siphoned around $170m out of govern-ment coffers.

The Corruption Eradica-tion Commission named house speaker Setya Novanto as a suspect late Monday in the giant graft case that has also implicated other senior politi-cians, including the justice minister, ex-interior minister and several governors. The head of the commission, Agus Rahardjo, said Novanto “alleg-edly abused his authority and position for personal gain or for the interest of a corporation”.

Investigators allege that Novanto was among many politicians who received kick-backs from funds earmarked for a government project to issue new ID cards to the country’s 255 million inhabitants.

N Korea lacks capacity to hit US with accuracyWashington

Reuters

North Korea does not have the ability to strike the United States with

“any degree of accuracy” and while its missiles have the range, they lack the necessary guidance capability, Vice-Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Paul Selva said yesterday.

“I ... am not sanguine that the test on the Fourth of July demonstrates that they have the capacity to strike the United States with any degree of accu-racy or reasonable confidence or success,” Selva said while appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Earlier this month North Korea said it had conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and that it had mastered the tech-nology to mount a nuclear

warhead on the missile.Pyongyang’s state media

said the test successfully ver-ified the atmospheric re-entry of the warhead, which experts say may be able to reach the US state of Alaska.

“What the experts tell me is that the North Koreans have yet to demonstrate the capac-ity to do the guidance and control that would be required,” Selva, the second highest-ranking US military official, added.

South Korea’s intelligence agency also does not believe North Korea has secured re-entry capabilities for its ICBM programme.

South Korea on Monday proposed military talks with North Korea, the first formal overture to Pyongyang by the government of President Moon Jae-in, to discuss ways to avoid hostile acts near the heavily militarised border.

Myanmar scribes decry military’s role in detentionYangon

Reuters

Three journalists jailed in Myanmar after contacting ethnic minority rebels

questioned the role of the mili-tary in their detention and trial, as they made an unannounced court appearance.

Soldiers took Aye Nai, Pyae Phone Aung and Lawi Weng, and three ethnic minority men trav-elling with them, into custody on June 26.

The journalists were on their way back from reporting on some illegal drugs being burned by the Ta’ang National Libera-tion Army, a rebel group fighting the army for greater autonomy.

In video filmed after the procedural court hearing on Tuesday, released by Demo-cratic Voice of Burma (DVB), the three are seen giving their first comments to media since their

arrest. Aye Nai said in the video they were held for two days and questioned by members of an army regiment based in the northeastern town of Hsipaw, before being handed over to police. The military then filed charges accusing all six of “unlawful association” under a colonial-era law. “The Ministry of Home Affairs should be han-dling the case, but the military is handling the case and I think it shouldn’t be like that,” Aye Nai says.

The military’s communica-tions unit, the True News Information Team, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The military ruled Myanmar for decades after seizing power in a 1962 coup but has made way for a civilian government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party swept an election in late 2015.

12 WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017EUROPE

Italy may issue temporary visas for migrantsMilan

AP

With Italians s h o w i n g increasing dis-content over u n a b a t e d

migrant arrivals and European partners not responding to pleas to ease Italy’s burden, the coun-try’s leaders are considering what many have dubbed the nuclear option: approving emer-gency visas for migrants that could allow them unrestricted travel in Europe.

Premier Paolo Gentiloni is under growing domestic pres-sure over the migrant crisis, with more than 85,000 migrants have arrived in Italy in the first half of

this year, a 20 percent increase over last year. Asylum requests are up by 25 percent.

The emergency visa proposal was not on the agenda when

foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday — but it was a hot topic on the sidelines.

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano denied media reports that 200,000 visas could be issued under the plan. But other Italian officials have acknowledged the plan is being considered, if only to gain nego-tiating leverage at the EU table.

“It is not a threat. It is an instrument of persuasion,” Ital-ian Senator Luigi Manconi of the Democratic Party said.

He confirmed that the idea was being studied by Interior Minister Marco Minniti.

A deputy in foreign ministry, Mario Giro, acknowledged that Italy lacks leverage in Brussels.

“At the moment we don’t

have a strong negotiating power, but we need to find allies”.

Gentiloni has already had to abandon one proposed legisla-tive measure to tackle the migrant crisis. Amid a political backlash, he has withdrawn from the Senate consideration of a new citizenship law for migrant children until after the summer break.

Opponents of the law, which has passed in the lower house, have leveraged on the crisis — even though no migrants arriving in recent waves would be imme-diately eligible under the five-year legal residency requirement.

Meanwhile, mayors through-out Italy, particularly in the south, are revolting against the

government’s attempts to relo-cate migrants to their midst. In o n e S i c i l i a n t o w n , Castel’Umberto, the mayor joined a protest that temporar-ily blocked 50 migrants from a hotel this weekend. He will join some 40 mayors from the area around Messina, which is expect-ing thousands of new arrivals, in a meeting with the local prefect later this week.

All of this has pushed Gen-tiloni’s hand.

Italy’s neighbours are wor-ried that the proposed visas could allow migrants to continue their journey to other European countries.

Austria has repeated threats to close its borders, with Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka

telling Bild Zeitung that it could have soldiers at the Brenner Pass border — one of the main routes connecting Italy with northern Europe — within 24 hours “if the number of illegal migrants toward Austria increases more.”

Austria’s foreign minister said that redistributing migrants was not the answer, rejecting the issuance of emergency visas by Italy as well as any European Union plan to relocate migrants to central and northern Europe.

“It cannot be that Italy and Greece get relief by allowing more people to travel north. If that is the case, more people will follow, traffickers will earn more and more people will drown in the sea. Nothing will be solved,” Sebastian Kurz said.

Macron helps France top ‘soft power’ rankingsParis

AFP

France has leapfrogged the United States and Britain as the world’s top so-called

soft power, helped by the elec-tion of President Emmanuel Macron, a study of countries’ non-military global influence showed yesterday.

While France has risen, Don-ald Trump’s ascent to the White House has seen the US slip from the top last year to third place in the Soft Power 30 study, com-piled by PR company Portland Communications and the Uni-versity of Southern California.

Soft power measures a coun-try’s ability to secure international alliances and influ-ence others through its attraction and appeal.

The study uses polling in 25 countries and digital data to measure a country’s influence.

It takes into account factors such as the ability of countries to attract foreign students to its universities and tourists, as well

as its cultural allure.France’s rapid rise from fifth

place last year, when it was in the doldrums under unpopular ex-president Francois Hollande, is partly due to the centrist Macron’s election in May.

But the country’s diplomatic reach also played a key role.

“France’s greatest strength lies in its vast diplomatic net-work,” the study says.

“It is unrivalled in terms of membership to multilateral and international organisations, as well as in its diplomatic cultural missions.

“With Macron having long campaigned for cooperation and integration, it is not unreasona-ble to expect France’s global engagement and influence to grow.”

France also remains the world’s top tourist destination, the report said.

The terror attacks that have cost the lives of more than 230 people since 2015 “have not stopped tourists flocking to France and enjoying its rich

cultural offering, cuisine, and lifestyle,” the report says.

The top five countries by order are France, Britain, US, Germany and Canada. Japan has risen to sixth place from seventh,

Switzerland is seventh and Aus-tralia slips to eighth.

The survey attributes the US decline -- it has slipped from first last year to third -- to a deterio-ration of “global sentiment” as a

result of Trump’s “America First” policy. The US was still “unri-valled” in higher education, technological innovation and the production of film, music and TV, it pointed out.

Le Pen faces probe overracist remarkParis

AFP

THE co-founder of France’s far-right National Front (FN), Jean-Marie Le Pen, faces trial for inciting racial hatred over a swipe at a Jewish singer that was seen as anti-Semitic, judi-cial sources said yesterday.

Le Pen, 89, has a long his-tory of lashing out at minorities.

He already has several convictions for inciting racial hatred and Holocaust denial.

He made the remark about pop singer Patrick Bruel in a video interview posted on the FN’s website in 2014.

Asked about criticism from Bruel and other singers, he chuckled and said: “Listen, we will make an oven load next time”.

The remark was widely seen as a veiled reference to the crematoria used by the Nazis to incinerate Holocaust victims.

His daughter, current party leader Marine Le Pen, slammed it as a “political mistake”.

The elder Le Pen, who delights in provoking, denied his remark was intended as an allusion to the Nazi death camps.

A member of the Euro-pean Parliament, he was charged in February after the EU assembly lifted his immu-nity from prosecution.

In 2015, the former para-trooper was booted out of the FN by his daughter for repeat-ing his view that the Holocaust was but “a detail” of World War II.

He remains the FN’s hon-ourary president, however.

Vatican begins former hospital officials’ trialVatican City

AFP

A TRIAL against two former members of a Vatican founda-tion charged with embezzling charity money to refurbish the luxury apartment of a cardi-nal opened yesterday.

The former executives of the Vatican’s Bambino Gesu pediatric hospital are accused of diverting $485,000 in dona-tions to a company tasked with renovating the home of Tarci-sio Bertone, the state’s former second-in-command.

Former hospital president Giuseppe Profiti and ex-treasurer Massimo Spina, who face up to five years in jail, were present in the c r a m p e d g o l d - g i l t courtroom.

Bertone, who was not part of the investigation and is not accused, was absent.

The Italian cardinal could be called later in the trial as a witness for the defence, according to lawyers cited by a small pool of journalists present at the hearing.

The defence team chal-lenged the Vatican court’s jurisdiction on a technicality but were overruled.

Profiti has said the funds handed over for the renova-tion of the 300sq metres apartment were an investment because there had been a plan for the hospital to use the space for future fundraising events.

Macedonia rejects ‘Klingon’ name in row with GreeceBrussels

AFP

Macedonia yesterday rejected suggestions it could end a row with

Greece over its name by adopt-ing an unwieldy acronym instead, saying it was as alien as the “Klingon” language in Star Trek.

Athens, Brussels and the United Nations all refer to the Balkan country as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedo-nia (FYROM), with Greece insisting that the name Macedo-nia should only be used for its own northern province.

“When you say FYROM, that has as much reference to my country as ‘Klingon’ from the Star Trek TV series,” Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov

told a news conference yesterday.

The Klingons are a fictional human-like species with bumpy heads who run their own extra-terrestrial empire in the US science fiction franchise.

Their language initially appeared as a few words at the end of the first Star Trek movie but has since become a full-blown fan cult, spawning an opera and Klingon translations of the Bible and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”.

Despite his out-of-this world name comparison, the Macedo-nian minister hinted that another form of compromise was possi-ble with Greece.

“I really believe we cannot resolve if one of the two parties will be quote unquote ‘defeated’,” Dimitrov said alongside the EU’s

foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and neighbourhood

commissioner Johannes Hahn.“We have to find a way

where both countries will go for-ward with straight heads. I think that’s possible.... We need to do the right steps carefully and at the right time.”

Macedonia’s new prime min-ister Zoran Zaev suggested last month in Brussels that his coun-try could join Nato and the EU under a provisional name in a bid to end the row.

“With the new government in place ready to actively engage in implementation of overdue reforms, there is a real opportu-nity to move the country forward on its European Union integra-tion path,” Mogherini said recently.

The name issue came to the fore after Macedonia gained independence in the 1990s fol-lowing the bloody collapse of Yugoslavia.

Separatists proclaim new state in UkraineMoscow

AP

Separatists in eastern Ukraine yesterday pro-claimed a new state that

aspires to include not only the areas they control but also the rest of the country. But Russia, their chief backer, sought to play down the announcement, saying it was merely part of public discussion.

The surprise announcement in the rebel stronghold of

Donetsk casts further doubt on the 2015 ceasefire deal that was supposed to stop fighting in Ukraine’s industrial heartland and bring those areas back into Kiev’s fold while granting them wide autonomy. Some rebels said they have no intention of joining the new state.

More than 10,000 people have died in fighting since Rus-sia-backed rebels took control of parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions in April 2014 after Russia annexed

Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. The rebels originally sought

to join Russia but the Kremlin stopped short of annexing the area or publicizing its military support for the rebels.

Donetsk separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko said in comments that rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk as well as representatives of other Ukrainian regions would form a state called Malorossiya.

Most of the areas which are currently part of Ukraine were

referred to as Malorossiya, or Little Russia, when they were part of the Russian Empire.

Zakharchenko said they are drawing up a constitution that would be put up to a popular vote.

“We believe that the Ukrainian state as it was can-not be restored,” Zakharchenko said. “We, representatives of the regions of the former Ukraine, excluding Crimea, proclaim the creation of a new state which is a successor to Ukraine.”

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano denied media reports that 200,000 visas could be issued under the plan. But other Italian officials have acknowledged the plan is being considered, if only to gain negotiating leverage at the EU table.

Possible measure

French President Emmanuel Macron (left) poses with his official portrait with Andorra's head of government Antoni Marti Petit (centre) and Andorran Parliament President Vicenc Mateu Zamora at the Elysee Palace in Paris, yesterday.

Bujar Osmani (left), Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs; Nikola Dimitrov (centre), Foreign Minister of Macedonia; and Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy during a conference in Brussels, yesterday.

13WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017 EUROPE

Warsaw

Reuters

Surrounded by security guards and amid oppo-sition deputies’ shouts of “shame” and “dis-grace”, Poland’s

parliament debated a bill yes-terday that critics say would erode the independence of the judiciary.

The ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), which has defied past accusations by critics including the European Union that its pol-icies undermine media freedom and civil liberties, is seeking reforms it says will make the Supreme Court more accountable.

The debate follows a bill passed on Friday that will end the terms of current members

of the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), one of main judiciary organs in Poland, and give parliament powers to choose 15 of its 25 members.

That would deliver effective control to PiS with its large majority.

The PiS is a socially conserv-ative party, espousing what it sees as traditional national val-ues at a time of eurosceptcism.

That conservatism is tem-pered by more “left-wing” welfare policies.

The parliament building has been cordoned off by barriers since Sunday, when thousands rallied against the Supreme Court reforms that would give the PiS broad freedom to replace all its judges.

They are currently appointed by the President at the sugges-

tion of the KRS.A small group of protesters

urged lawmakers yesterday as they were walking into the building to vote against holding the debate.

“Cowards, cowards,” depu-ties of the parliamentary opposition chanted as the speaker of the chamber began the debate.

Critics and the centrist oppo-sition say the new proposals violate the constitutional sepa-ration of powers, something the government denies.

PiS says it has a democratic mandate to make the judiciary m o r e e f f i c i e n t a n d accountable.

Since winning the 2015 elec-tion, it has overhauled the constitutional court and given the Justice Ministry control over

the prosecutor general’s office.Threatening to take Poland

to court, the European Union executive has said those meas-ures undermined democratic checks and balances.

In December last year, Poland saw its biggest political standoff in years when opposi-tions leaders blocked for a month the parliament’s plenary hall podium ahead of a budget vote, after objecting to plans by PiS to curb media access to parliament.

Pawel Olszewski, a mem-ber of the largest parliamentary opposition grouping, the Civic Platform, called for a moment of silence after the vote on the debate took place yesterday, “because on this day, July 18, our democracy is de-facto dying”.

Polish parliament debates judiciary bill

Turkey ‘unwilling’ for Cyprus dealNicosia

AP

Turkey showed it is not ready to come to an agree-ment on reunifying

ethnically divided Cyprus dur-ing recently failed peace talks, Greece’s foreign minister said yesterday.

Nikos Kotzias said 10 days of negotiations at a Swiss resort, which ended July 7, collapsed because of Turkey’s insistence on keeping troops on Cyprus and maintaining the right to intervene militarily there.

“We saw a Turkey that was playing with words but when it

came time for decisions, it showed that it was totally unwilling, that it wasn’t yet ready for a solution,” Kotzias said.

The talks at Crans-Montana capped two years of negotia-tions between Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades — a Greek Cypriot — and breakaway Turk-ish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on reunifying the island as a federation.

Also participating were top diplomats from Cyprus’ ‘guar-antors’ — Greece, Turkey and Britain. Their input was neces-sary to resolve the core issue of would happen to the 35,000

troops that Turkey has kept in the breakaway north since 1974 when it invaded following a coup mounted by supporters of union with Greece.

Kotzias said any future talks will now have to first resolve this issue and must be better prepared. He faulted United Nations envoy Espen Barth Eide who facilitated the talks for showing up unprepared.

The Greek foreign minister said that Turkey and others mis-takenly believed throughout the negotiations that Greece and the Greek Cypriot side would buckle under pressure and accept Tur-key’s positions.

Ad agencies face tougher gender stereotype rulesLondon

AFP

Britain’s advertising watch-dog yesterday signalled tougher regulation for ads

featuring gender stereotypes, saying they were potentially harmful to young people.

The Advertising Standards Agency said a review found that such stereotypes could limit the aspirations of children.

“A tougher line is needed on ads that feature stereotypical gender roles or characteristics which can potentially cause harm, including ads which mock people for not conform-ing to gender stereotypes,” the ASA report said.

For example, adverts show-ing a family making a mess and a woman cleaning it up alone, men failing at simple parental or household tasks, or

suggestions that an activity was inappropriate for boys because it was stereotypically associated with girls, are depictions likely to prove problematic under the new rules, the watchdog said.

However, the new stand-ards are not intended to ban all gender stereotypes.

“Harmful stereotypes can restrict the choices, aspirations and opportunities of children, young people and adults”.

“These stereotypes can be reinforced by some advertis-ing, which plays a part in unequal gender outcomes, with costs for individuals, the econ-omy and society.”

The Committees of Adver-tising Practice, responsible for writing Britain’s advertising codes, will set out new stand-ards on adverts featuring gender stereotypes, which should come into force next year.

Court orders Russia to pay Dutch over ship seizureThe Hague

AFP

Russia must pay $6.25m in damages to The Nether-lands for the 2013 seizure

of Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise ship during an oil drilling pro-test, international judges revealed yesterday.

Unveiling the amount of the award made on July 10, the Per-manent Court of Arbitration said it had “unanimously determined the... compensation owed by Russia to the Netherlands.”

The sums include 1.69 mil-lion euros “for damage” to the Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise, and 2.46 million euros for “the material damage” suffered by 30 Greenpeace activists and jour-nalists detained by the Russian authorities.

Russian commandoes seized the ship in September 2013 and detained the 30 Greenpeace activists and journalists onboard after a protest at an offshore oil

rig owned by Russian state oil giant Gazprom.

In 2015, in a case brought by The Netherlands the tribunal found that “Russia breached its obligations” under the UN

Convention on the Law of the Sea “by boarding, investigating, inspecting, arresting, detaining, and seizing the Arctic Sunrise.”

The court had also then ordered Moscow to pay

compensation. Moscow’s angry response to the 2013 protest, during which two Greenpeace activists tried to scale the drill-ing platform, sparked an international outcry.

Critics and the centrist opposition say the new proposals violate the constitutional separation of powers, something the government denies.

Political stand off

London drivers protest rise in acid attacksLondon

AFP

DISTRESSED over a rise in acid attacks, some 200 deliv-ery drivers protested in front of the British parliament yesterday, demanding the government takes action.

“Most of the time we get attacked or our bikes are sto-len. I don’t feel safe doing my work. Yesterday, I felt threat-ened because some boys wanted to attack me,” Musa, an UberEATS driver said.

The protest was organised after five people, including delivery driver Jabed Hussain, were attacked with acid in the space of just 90 minutes on the night of July 13. Two teen-agers aged 15 and 16 were subsequently arrested.

“I’ve been working for Deliveroo for 4 years. I don’t feel safe to go on my bike. I don’t know what I’m going to do for a living,” Hussain, who suffered slight burns to the chest, said.

“The government needs to take proper actions. There needs to be more police in the streets,” he added.

Montenegro court to begin coup plot trialPodgorica

AFP

TWO pro-Russian opposi-tion leaders in Montenegro and 12 other suspects will go on trial today over their role in an alleged attempt to over-throw the government.

Montenegrin police arrested a group of Serbian nationals on the eve of a gen-eral election in October last year, accusing them of plan-ning to storm parliament and target the then prime minis-ter, pro-Western Milo Djukanovic.

Montenegro authorities allege that “Russian state bodies” were involved in the conspiracy in a bid to prevent Montenegro from joining Nato.

The 14 suspects, who risk lengthy jail terms, include Democratic Front leaders Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic and two Russian nationals who will be tried in absentia.

The two Russians -- iden-tified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov -- were organisers of the foiled coup, the indictment says.

May urges ministers to show strength & unityLondon

Reuters

Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured) told her ministers yesterday to

show the “strength and unity” Britain needs, and to keep discussions private, blaming hostile briefings to journalists on colleagues who are “not taking their responsibilities seriously”.

Since losing the Conserv-atives’ majority in parliament at an election she did not need to call, May has been increas-ingly unable to dictate to her ministers, who have begun to air their disagreements in public.

Much of the criticism, briefed by anonymous sources in the British media, has centred on finance min-ister Philip Hammond, who has been attacked on his stance on government spend-ing and his approach to Britain’s departure from the European Union.

“There is a need to show strength and unity as a coun-try and that starts around the cabinet table,” May told her top team of ministers, accord-ing to her spokesman.

“She said the government would make better decisions if colleagues were able to hold open discussions but it was vital that discussions in cab-inet must remain private”.

“The PM said the briefings and counter-briefings over the weekend had been a case

of colleagues not taking their responsibilities seriously.”

Hammond was quoted as saying he believed public sec-tor workers were overpaid last week, a statement at odds with many in the cabinet who want to increase pay to try to win back voters and seized upon by the opposition Labour Party.

Described as “an enfee-bled chancellor” in parliament by a Labour law-maker, Hammond said: “I don’t know which planet he lives on but I have to tell you I don’t feel particularly enfeebled.”

Earlier Sky News said May, whose authority was shattered by last month’s ill-judged election, had taken the floor at a summer party for Conservative lawmakers to tell them there should be “no backbiting, no carping”.

“The choice is me or Jer-emy Corbyn – and nobody wants him,” May told her law-makers, according to the Daily Mail newspaper.

“Go away, have a proper summer break and come back ready for serious business.”

Pawel Olszewski, a member of the largest parliamentary opposition grouping, called for a moment of silence after the vote on the debate took place yesterday, “because on this day, July 18, our democracy is de-facto dying”.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias (second right) sits next to his Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kassoulides and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades (right) during a national council meeting of Greek Cypriot party political leaders in the Presidential Palace, in Nicosia, yesterday.

A file photo of Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise navigating through the canals of Amsterdam.

14 WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017AMERICAS

Cuba’s President Raul Castro (second left) and Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos review an honour guard during an official reception ceremony at Havana’s Revolution Palace in Cuba.

Honour guard

Venezuela rejects Trump sanctions threatCaracas

AP

Venezuela rejected President Donald Trump’s call to halt a rewriting of its constitution that is

widely seen as a move to con-solidate the government’s power, saying Tuesday that it is review-ing its relations with the United States in response to Trump’s threat to impose economic sanctions.

Foreign Minister Samuel Moncada said on state television that the election of members of a constitutional assembly will take place as planned on July 30. He said President Nicolas Maduro has asked him to recon-sider the country’s diplomatic relations with the US.

“The constitutional assem-bly is happening,” Moncada said, adding that Venezuela is “con-ducting a deep review of relations with the US govern-ment because we don’t accept humiliation from anyone.”

On Monday, Trump

threatened to take unspecified “economic actions” if Maduro goes ahead with the assembly. Maduro’s socialist supporters want the assembly to grant him more power over the few insti-tutions still outside the control of his ruling party.

The US is a major market for the oil exports that drive Vene-zuela’s economy. Trump has imposed travel bans and has fro-zen the assets of high-ranking officials in recent weeks, but refrained from broad sanctions against the country that could deepen its economic crisis.

Venezuela’s opposition called on Monday for a 24-hour nationwide strike to pressure Maduro to drop his plans to rewrite the constitution. The opposition said that more than

7.5 million people voted against the constitutional assembly at unofficial ballot boxes set up nationwide and in expatriate communities on Sunday.

While that number cannot be independently verified, it’s roughly equivalent to the number of votes garnered by winning candidates in recent Venezuelan elections, an indica-tion that Venezuelans would vote down the constitutional assem-bly if asked in an official referendum.

Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Ger-many, Argentina, Colombia and the European Union have also come out against the effort.

The opposition said it would launch a plan it called “zero hour” today that includes an agreement to form an alternate government and create 2,000 local commit-tees that would function as street-level support for the oppo-sition. That would be followed by a nationwide strike tomorrow, which could bring much of Ven-ezuela’s already sputtering economy to a standstill. Venezue-la’s largest chamber of commerce

told The Associated Press that its members would not punish employees for participating in the strike.

On Friday, the opposition plans to name 13 judges to the supreme court to replace those named by the outgoing, ruling-party-dominated congress in 2015 in a process that legal experts say violated nomination procedures. Those nominations

would not give the opposition a supreme court majority but are almost certain to be rejected by the current court and the exec-utive branch, making them a largely symbolic tactic to increase pressure on Maduro.

More than three months of street protests have left at least 93 people dead and 1,500 wounded. More than 500 pro-testers and government

opponents have been jailed.Opponents of Venezuela’s

government blame it for turning one of the region’s most pros-perous countries into an economic basket case with a shrinking economy, soaring inflation and widespread short-ages. The government blames the crisis on an economic war waged by its opponents and outside backers.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Daniel Moncada at a press conference in Caracas yesterday.

Trump threatened to take unspecified “economic actions” if Maduro goes ahead with the assembly.

Trump fumes as health care reform bid collapsesWashington

AFP

An angry President Donald Trump railed yesterday against dissenters in his

party who dashed his months-long effort to dismantle Barack Obama’s landmark health care law.

Trump fired off a series of early morning tweets complain-ing about how he was “let down” by Democrats “and a few Repub-licans,” who announced their opposition the previous night to the latest leadership plan to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

With four Republicans now lined up against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s health overhaul, the plan has flatlined in the 100-member chamber, where the party could afford only two defectors in order to get the measure passed.

The dramatic implosion effectively means Trump, who marks his first six months in office later this week, has no major legislative victory under his belt, squandering months of political capital.

Trump had campaigned relentlessly on a pledge to

abolish most of the Affordable Care Act, proclaiming at an Octo-ber campaign rally that it would be “so easy” to immediately repeal and replace the law.

But on Monday night he ran into the uncompromising real-ity of American politics: even with a president’s party enjoy-ing a majority in both chambers, crafting and passing landmark legislation can be difficult in the US Congress.

The failure suggests an ina-bility by Trump — a political neophyte who often highlighted his lack of connections to estab-lishment Washington — to get members of his own party to fall into line.

Nevertheless Trump put on a brave face, insisting on Twit-ter that “we will return!”

“As I have always said, let ObamaCare fail and then come together and do a great health-care plan. Stay tuned,” he added.

McConnell was by no means giving up. He told colleagues Tuesday that despite “regret” that the effort failed, “I believe we must continue to push for-ward now.”

In the coming days, McCon-nell will introduce a bill that repeals Obamacare outright, but with a two-year delay of

implementation, in order to allow Congress time to craft a replacement.

A straight repeal bill passed Congress in 2015. But that was during Obama’s presidency, and Republicans knew they would pay no political price for their votes, as Obama vetoed the measure.

Trump would likely sign

such legislation, putting Repub-licans on the hook for any ensuing disruption to the health care system.

Two years ago, the nonpar-tisan Congressional Budget Office warned that simply repealing Obamacare would essentially kick 18 million peo-ple off health care in the first year compared to current law, a

figure that would balloon to 32 million by 2026.

That is far above the 22 mil-lion that CBO forecast would lose coverage under the latest repeal-and-replace legislation.

Nevertheless, Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday he and Trump “fully support” McCon-nell’s decision to move ahead with an Obamacare repeal.

Seated with US National Security Adviser HR McMaster (right), US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with service members at the White House in Washington, yesterday.

California extends climate policy measures to 2030LOS ANGELES: California leg-islators approved extending the state’s tough measures to fight climate change to 2030, a major victory for Democratic Governor Jerry Brown.

The “cap-and-trade” measure — which cuts green-house gas emissions by using free market methods — was approved by the state Assem-bly and Senate by a two-thirds majority.

Brown, a 79 year-old gov-ernor of the most populous US state, wants to make Califor-nia a leader in meeting standards set by the Paris cli-mate accord, especially after President Donald Trump with-drew the United States from the agreement on June 1.

“Tonight, California stood tall and once again, boldly confronted the existential threat of our time,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “Republi-cans and Democrats set aside their differences, came together and took courageous action,” Brown wrote.

Haiti’s army reborn 20 years after it was demobilisedLeogane

AFP

Lined up in two long col-umns in the courtyard of a military base, hundreds of

young men and a few women await interviews to join Haiti’s national army.

After decades marked by coups and military interference in politics, Haiti demobilised its army in 1995, long before these potential recruits were born.

But now the government wants to rebuild the military, so these young people are stepping forward to do their patriotic duty — and get a job in a coun-try where poverty is extreme and unemployment is endemic.

There is an opening for 500 recruits between the ages of 18 and 25 years.

“Many young people after the last year of high school can’t find much to do ... so for them this is a chance to find work and to serve their country,” said Captain Louicin Dieudonne, in charge of recruitment at the Leogane military base east of the capital Port-au-Prince.

The screening for new recruits began Monday and con-tinues throughout the week.

The poorest country in the Americas is invoking the need to “reclaim national sover-eignty” as a 13-year UN peacekeeping mission comes to an end.

The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was deployed in 2004 to stem vio-lence following the sudden departure of then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and is

set to leave in October amid an improving security situation and a successful electoral process after two years of political turmoil.

It will leave behind a resid-ual training force of international police officers.

Like many people lined up, Benjamin Ferry said that patri-otism was the driving force that led him to try to sign up.

The 24-year-old telecom-munications student says he wants Haiti “to be responsible, without having to depend on foreigners as with the MINUSTAH.”

With no declared enemy or known terrorist threat, Haitian officials say they plan to deploy troops along the border with the Dominican Republic to fight smuggling.

15WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017 BREAK TIME

Yesterday’s answer

SHOWING ATVILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

HAGA

R TH

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RRIB

LE

ALL IN THE MIND

ABBREVIATED, ABRIDGED, AGES, BRIEF, CEASELESS,COMPRESSED, CONDENSED, CUT BACK, DECREASED,DIMINISHED, ENDLESS, EPHEMERAL, ETERNAL, EXTENDED, FLEETING, INCESSANT, INCREASED, INTERMINABLE, LENGTHY,LESSEN, LITTLE, LONG, MOMENTARY, PERPETUAL, PRECIS, PROLONGED, PROTRACTED, REDUCED, SHORT, TRUNCATED.

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18:20 Storage Hunters

18:50 Mega Shippers

20:35 How Do They Do

It?

21:00 Blowing Up

History

21:50 Strip The City

22:40 Made By

Destruction

23:05 Made By

Destruction

23:30 Fast N' Loud

00:20 Wheeler

Dealers

01:05 Blowing Up History

01:50 Strip The City

12:50 Guardians Of

Rescue

13:45 Big Fish Man

14:40 Wildest Middle

East

15:35 Tanked

17:25 The Bronx

Zoo

18:20 Insane Pools: Off

The Deep End

19:15 Tanked

20:10 Dogs/Cats/Pets

101

21:05 The Bronx

Zoo

22:00 Insane Pools: Off

The Deep End

22:55 Wildest Middle

East

23:50 Big Fish Man

00:45 Animal Cops

Philadelphia

01:40 The Bronx Zoo

02:35 Tanked

03:25 Wildest Middle

East

13:10 Girl Meets World

13:35 Austin & Ally

15:15 Whisker Haven

Tales...

15:20 Bizaardvark

15:45 Elena Of Avalor

16:10 Liv And Maddie

17:30 Bunk'd

17:55 Girl Meets World

19:15 Star Darlings

19:20 Liv And Maddie

19:45 Mako

Mermaids

20:10 The Adventures

Of Disney Fairies

20:35 Cracke

20:40 Alex & Co.

21:30 Stuck In The

Middle

21:55 Tsum Tsum

Shorts

22:00 Bunk'd

23:10 Miraculous Tales

Of Ladybug...

23:35 Lolirock

00:00 Hank Zipzer

Conceptis Sudoku: Conceptis Sudoku is a number-

placing puzzle based on a 9×9 grid. The object is to

place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so

that each row, each column and each 3×3 box

contains the same number only once.

CROSSWORD

CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

Yesterday's answer

MALL

LANDMARK

ROYAL PLAZA

ASIAN TOWN

NOVO — Pearl

ROXY

Spider Man: Homecoming (2D/Adventure) 10:00am, 12:40, 3:00, 3:20, 6:00, 8:40, 9:00 & 11:30pm Cars 3 (Animation) 3D 11:30am, 12:10, 3:00, 4:30, 8:00 & 8:50pm 2D 10:00am, 2:20, 6:40 & 11:00pmTisbah Ala Khair (2D/Arabic) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 12:20, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnightDespicable Me 3 (2D/Animation) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00 & 6:00pm Pirates of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge (2D/Action) 10:00am, 2:45, 7:30, 8:00, 11:00pm & 12:15am Overdrive (2D/Action) 12:45, 5:30 & 10:15pm Hunter's Prayer (2D/Action) 10:30am, 2:45, 7:00 & 11:15pmThe Bad Batch (2D/Romantic) 12:30, 4:45 & 9:00pmWar For The Planet of The Apes (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 12:50, 3:40, 6:00, 6:30, 9:20, 11:45pm & 12:00midnight Spider Man: Home Coming (3D IMAX/Action) 10:40am, 1:20, 4:00, 6:40, 9:20pm & 12:00midnight

Despicable Me 3 (2D/Animation) 1:30pm Jagga Jasoos (Hindi) 1:45 & 11:30pmThe Bad Batch (2D/Romantic) 2:15pm Cars 3 (2D/Animation) 3:00, 5:00 & 7:00pm Hunter's Prayer (2D/Action) 8:30pm Thondi Muthal (2D/Malayalam) 4:30 & 11:45pm Once Upon A Time In Venice (2D/Comedy) 4:15 & 10:15pm Spiderman: Homecoming (2D/Adventure) 7:00pm War For The Planet of The Apes (2D/Adventure) 6:00, 9:00 & 11:30pm Tisbah Ala Khair (2D/Arabic) 9:30pm

Once Upon A Time In Venice (2D/Comedy) 2:00 & 8:00pm Gemini Ganeshanum Suruli Raajanum 2:00pm Jagga Jasoos (Hindi) 4:30pmCars 3 (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:30 & 6:30pm Despicable Me 3 (2D/Animation) 3:45pm Hunter's Prayer (2D/Action) 9:45pm War For The Planet of The Apes (2D/Adventure) 5:30, 8:30 & 11:30pm Spiderman: Homecoming (2D/Adventure) 9:15pm Tisbah Ala Khair (2D/Arabic) 7:15pm The Bad Batch (2D/Romantic) 11:30pm Thondi Muthal (2D/Malayalam) 11:30pm

Despicable Me 3 (2D/Animation) 2:30pmCars 3 (2D/Animation) 2:00, 4:00 & 6:00pm Thondi Muthal (2D/Malayalam) 2:00 & 7:00pm War For The Planet of The Apes (2D/Adventure) 4:00, 9:00 & 11:30pm Gemini Ganeshanum Suruli Raajanum 4:45pm

Spiderman: Homecoming (2D/Adventure) 6:30pm Hunter's Prayer (2D/Action) 9:30pm Tisbah Ala Khair (2D/Arabic) 8:00pm Jagga Jasoos (Hindi) 11:15pm Once Upon A Time In Venice (2D/Comedy) 10:00 & 11:30pm

Thondi Muthal (Malayalam) 6:00, 6:30, 8:45, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30pm

Jagga Jasoos (Hindi) 7:30pm Gemini Ganeshanum Suruli Raajanum (Tamil) 7:30pm

Role Models (2D/Malayalam) 4:30 & 10:30pm

Cars 3 (Animation) 12:00noon, 2:20, 4:20, 7:00 & 9:20pm Thondi Muthal (Malayalam) 12:00noon, 5:50, 8:40 & 11:30pm

Spiderman: Homecoming (2D/Adventure) 2:15, 5:00, 7:45pm & 12:50am Mom (2D/Hindi) 2:45 & 11:40pm Hourob Ezetarari 12:00noon & 10:30pm War For The Planet of The Apes 12:00noon, 2:50, 5:40, 8:30 & 11:20pm

AL KHORWar For The Planet of The Apes 11:45am, 5:30 & 11:15pm

Cars 3 11:45am, 2:00, 4:15 & 6:30pm Despicable Me 10:30am Jagga Jasoos 12:30, 6:00 &

11:30pm Gemini Ganeshan 3:30 & 9:00pm Thondi Muthal 2:45 & 8:30pm

Spiderman: Homecoming 8:45 & 11:30pm

16 WEDNESDAY 19 JULY 2017HOME

FAJRSHOROOK

03.27 am

04.54 am

ZUHRASR

11.40 am

03.05 pm

MAGHRIBISHA

06.28 pm

07.58 pm

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 14:15 – 00:00 LOW TIDE 06:45 – 20:15

Hazy to misty at places at first be-

comes hot with some clouds and

humid by night.

WEATHER TODAY

Minimum Maximum34oC 40oC

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Fazeena Saleem The Peninsula

Similar to other sectors, the blockade imposed on Qatar has not affected business at eateries and restaurants.

Also some eateries and restaurants continue to offer their promotions and special prices with-out any change. Several restaurant owners and employees, The Penin-sula spoke to, are not concerned about the future of their business, saying the number of daily visitors remains the same.

“We cater to different sections of diners like low income workers, white collar workers as well as fam-ilies. The number of customers at our restaurants has not reduced due to

the blockade. But generally in sum-mer we get less people because many travel out of the country for vaca-tion. Otherwise we receive dinners as well as take away orders similar to any other summer season,” said Tennison De Silva, owner of a chain

of six restaurants in Qatar. In a reply to a question about

prices of food items, he said, “Ini-tially prices of some vegetables saw an increase. But by Saturday we found the prices had reduced again. Also there are some vegetables and other items we purchase from a supermarket on a fixed order. There-fore we had no impact from the prices.”

An employee of a popular Indian restaurant also expressed a similar thought saying, “We don’t see any impact of the blockade in day-to-day business.

During weekends we get fully occupied as same as how it was prior to the blockade. We continue to offer our special buffets and offers as the demand has not reduced.”

“We do home delivery and have taken away option for customers. None of this has been affected and we have the same customer base,” he added.

As restaurants and eateries expe-rience their business not being affected, frequent restaurant visitors also say that food items are being sold at same prices and the present situation has not made an impact on them.

“Every weekend we go out for dining. We haven’t seen any changes in people coming to restaurants or in the price list. Everyone is living a normal day to day life. Restaurants are busy as always during the week-ends,” said Nuzra, an expatriate who is residing here with her husband and two children.

No impact of blockade on business at restaurantsRestaurants and eateries experience their business not being affected and restaurant visitors say food items are being sold at same prices and the present situation has not made an impact on them.

Sidi Mohamed The Peninsula

The denial by officials of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia of the Wash-ington Post’s revelation that the UAE is involved in the

hacking of Qatar News Agency again reflects the lies of siege countries.

“We all know the position of The Washington Post in the media indus-try. It is among the strongest and most credible newspapers in the world. If this news is not true then why intelli-gence official does not deny it,” said Dr. Khalid Mubarak Al Shafi, Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula while talking on a Qatar TV talk show “The Truth” last night.

The Washington Post published the story of Watergate scandal, and was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s.

“It can’t report lies. We know that the beginning of the crisis was the hacking of QNA and through this the siege countries insulted Qatar and the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. However, now after investi-gations the scandal appeared against UAE, they have started saying that this was not the problem and are now lev-elling new allegations,” said Al Shafi.

He said that Anwar Gargash, UAE State Minister for Foreign Affairs, has not denied responsibility in it.

Replying to a question about Bah-rain’s Foreign Minister’s statement in which he described Qatar an enemy, Dr. Al Shafi said: “Actually the siege countries have crossed all red lines and the Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa’s tweet is just part of the game because Bah-rain’ stand is complementary to the UAE position otherwise Bahrain does not have any independent position.”

Al Shafi also added: “Bahrain’s minister has said many things even without caring his own country’s inter-ests. He also abuses his country and his government.”

He said that the siege counties had paid money to people in many coun-tries to make them ally against Qatar but they refused like Algeria as an example. “They used what they had at their disposal to distort the reputation of Qatar but failed miserably.”

“There are many officials from these counties who are also abusing Kuwait and its leadership and their acts are childish acts,” he added.

He said that a number of interna-tional reports had accused the UAE of detaining more than 200 prisoners and no one knew about them “but we don’t want to mention such things”.

Responding to another question, he said that the Middle East had become the notorious for fabricated news after the siege counties denied what the Washington Post had published.

“Let us say the Washington Post is showing solidarity with Qatar then what about The Independent, UK’s newspaper which proved Gargash wrong when he denied the report in which the UAE ambassador to Russia

had stated that the siege countries will ask companies to choose between them or Qatar,” he added.

For his side, Jaber bin Nasser Al Marri, Managing Editor of Al Arab Newspaper said that the siege coun-tries’ denial of what The Washington Post had reported has two parts; first they were denying that the QNA was hacked, and now when it is proved they say the UAE is not responsible.

“The US Intelligence Agency did not rebut what The Washington post has published which means it is true. My analysis is that the US wanted to send slap to the UAE because it is the country which talks on behalf of siege countries,” said Al Marri.

About what Bahrain’s Foreign Min-ister had said, Al Marri said: “I don’t know who allowed him to talk because he is just follower of other siege countries.”

He also added that Qatar is very clear in its position not like these coun-tries which say something in western countries and say something different in their countries.

“We were hoping to solve our dis-putes in GCC countries but now the issue may land at the International Court of Justice as H E Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah has said in an interview with TRT World suggesting that Qatar may approach ICJ asking compensation due to damages of blockade,” Al Marri added.

The Washington Post report exposed lies against Qatar: Dr. Khalid Al Shafi

Dr. Khalid Mubarak Al Shafi, Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula. Jaber bin Nasser Al Marri, Managing Editor of Al Arab Newspaper.

Participants during the talk show “The Truth” on Qatar TV yesterday.

“We all know the position of The Washington Post in the media industry. It is among the strongest and most credible newspapers in the world. If this news is not true then why intelligence official does not deny it,” said Dr. Khalid Mubarak Al Shafi, Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula.