Volume 24 | Number 7889 | 2 RiyalsSunday 12 May 2019 | 7 Ramadan 1440 www.thepeninsula.qa

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Ramadan TimingToday's Iftar: 6:13pm

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Sheikha Moza reappointed UN SDG AdvocateTHE PENINSULA DOHA

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has reappointed H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser along with 16 influential public figures, as part of the 2019-2020 class of Sustainable Development Goals’ Advocates.

This new class of advocates is committed to raising awareness, inspiring greater ambition and pushing for faster action on the SDGs, which were adopted by world leaders on September 25, 2015. Peace, prosperity, people, planet, and partnerships are the principles at the heart of the SDGs, which also drive the new class of Advocates.

The Advocates will use their unique platforms and leadership to inspire cross-cutting mobili-sation of the global community.

Guterres, said: “The Advo-cates will be important partners for the Hub as they will be taking

our messaging out into the world, amplifying our initiatives, partic-ipating in our events, and will be feeding into our work streams. We look forward to working and partnering closely with them going forward.”

H H Sheikha Moza has been selected for a second time to be an Advocate, in recognition of her leading role in providing quality education, youth empowerment, and human development through her initiatives at the local and international level.

Vodafone Qatar to launch first 5G smartphonesTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Vodafone Qatar continues to mark 5G milestones, as the company will be the first in the region to make highly antici-pated 5G smartphones available to its customers.

Vodafone Qatar will open pre-orders for a limited number of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G

starting Tuesday. The news was unveiled at Galeries Lafayette Doha, Vodafone Qatar’s exclusive partner for the smart-phone’s pre-order and collection phases.

Vodafone Qatar’s CEO Sheikh Hamad Abdulla Al Thani handed the first locally available Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G to Adel Ali bin Ali, Chairman & President of Ali Bin Ali Holding, that operates

Galeries Lafayette Doha, in the presence of Nabeel Ali bin Ali, Vice-Chairman & EVP of the Group. Intertec Group, the sole distributor of Xiaomi in Qatar, was represented by its Managing Director, Abdulla Khalifa Al Subaey, and Divisional Manager, Asraf NK.

“Since the launch of our 5G network less than a year ago, we have been the region’s 5G pioneer

and are driving 5G forward. We’re delighted that people in Qatar will be amongst the first in the world to enjoy the 5G experience on a 5G smartphone," said Sheikh Hamad Abdulla Al Thani, CEO, Vodafone Qatar.

"We’re proud of our part-nership with Galeries Lafayette and Intertec to launch the cutting edge Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G,” he added. �P2

H H Sheikha Moza has been selected for a second time in recognition of her leading role in providing quality education, youth empowerment, and human development through her initiatives.

HMC calls on public to become organ donorsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Public here are asked to consider giving the gift-of-life and regis-tering to become an organ donor as part of Hamad Medical Corpo-ration’s (HMC) annual organ donation campaign, which was launched this week at shopping malls and other prominent loca-tions around the country.

There are more than 345,000 people in Qatar’s organ donor registry, which is more than 12 percent of Qatar’s total popu-lation and it is hoped that this number will increase to 400,000 by the end of the year.

As part of the annual Ramadan campaign, information booths staffed by Qatar Organ Donation Center (Hiba) repre-sentatives are providing members of the public with infor-mation about becoming a regis-tered organ donor, including the process involved and the benefits.

Dr Riadh Fadhil, Director of the Qatar Organ Donation Center at HMC, said the main objective

of the annual event is to increase awareness within the community about organ donation and to help correct misconceptions.

“In Qatar, we have kidney, liver, stem cell, and cornea trans-plantation programs, and trans-plant surgeries are performed by a team of highly skilled profes-sionals. We have state-of-the-art facilities and provide safe and compassionate care,” said Dr Fadhil.

An organ transplant can be a life-saving procedure and can significantly improve the quality of life for someone with chronic organ failure. These life-saving organs come from deceased donors who have pledged during their lifetime to give their organs to someone in need. A deceased organ donor can save up to eight lives. “It is also possible to donate a kidney or part of the liver to a relative while you are alive. Under the Doha Donation Accord, we make sure we look after donors and their families. For living donors, we provide health insurance for life, as well as cov-ering any loss of income due to

working days missed during the operation and recovery. We also honor our donors for giving this precious gift during an annual ceremony organized especially for this purpose. Each donor receives a medal in recognition of their selfless gift,” said Dr Fadhil.

Dr Fadhil added that Qatar aims to become self-sufficient in organ donation and noted this can’t be achieved without wide-spread community support, underscoring the significance of the annual Ramadan campaign in helping to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation.

Dr Asma Al Abdulghani, Director of HMC’s Organ Donation Campaign, said her team has briefed more than 500 staff members who will be directly involved in the campaign. HMC is asking the public to visit one of the organ donation booths at all popular malls which will be staffed each evening during Ramadan between 7pm and 11pm and during the Eid holidays from 5pm to 9pm

Protests continue as Sudan far from civilian ruleAFP KHARTOUM

Sudan’s army rulers and protesters are to resume talks over handing power to a civilian administration, protest leaders said yesterday, a month after president Omar Al Bashir was deposed. The Alliance for Freedom and Change — an umbrella for the protest movement — said the generals had invited it for a new round of talks after several days of deadlock.

The apparent invitation to fresh talks came as thousands of protesters remain camped outside army headquarters in central Khartoum, vowing to force the ruling military council to cede power — just as they forced Bashir from office exactly a month ago. “We received a call from the military council to resume negotiations,” the Alliance for Freedom and Change said in a statement.

Late last month, the alliance, which brings together protest organisers, opposition parties and

rebel groups, handed the generals its proposals for a civilian-led transitional government. But the generals have pointed to what they call “many reservations” over the alliance’s roadmap.

They have singled out its silence on the constitutional position of Sharia'h law, which was the guiding principle of all legislation under Bashir’s rule.

“We want to hold the talks quickly and sort out all these points in 72 hours,” the alliance said without specifying when the negotiations would resume.

S&P affirms stable outlook on QatarDOHA: Rating agency S&P Global has affirmed Qatar’s sovereign ratings with a stable outlook, and said that govern-ment’s assets will likely remain a core rating strength of the economy.

The rating agency, in its report released yesterday, pro-jected that Qatar’s GDP is expected to grow by 2.8 percent and the current account surplus will be averaging 4.5 percent of GDP in 2019-2022, assuming lower hydrocarbon prices from 2021. �Business 01

Hamad International Airport: The World’s Best8.3 Score HIA got out of 10 in the AirHelp study.

132 Airports were ranked in the study on various parameters.

72 Airlines were analysed in the study by AirHelp.

2nd Best airport — HIA came second globally for on-time performance in OAG’s report.

HIA’s Qatar Duty Free (QDF) is composed of more than 90 shops, 30 cafes and restaurants.

QDF is spread out over 40,000 square metres of combined retail, food and beverage facilities.

02 SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019HOME

A-G meets French counterpart, Diplomatic Adviser to President

Quality matters as Texas A&M Aggie engineers reach heights in industry FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Hundreds of Aggie engineers from Texas A&M at Qatar have innumerable success stories by holding key positions in the industry, becoming entrepre-neurs and academics.

The first classes of Texas A&M at Qatar began in Education City in September 2003 with 29 students. Since then, the student population has grown to more than 500 engineering students, and as of today, more than 1,050 engineering degrees have been awarded.

“It is a tremendous accom-plishment, it’s great excitement and testimony of the great work done here from the beginning,” said Dr César O. Malavé, Dean of Texas A&M at Qatar.

“It’s not about the number of students but the quality of grad-uates the campus has produced. Most of them hold key positions in the industry, few of them have become entrepreneurs and four have become academics. It is inspiring to see entrepreneurs as they are the ones Qatar needs to create new industries,” he told The Peninsula.

Texas A&M commands an international reputation as one of the world’s premier engi-neering programmes, and Texas A&M University at Qatar builds on that esteem. Students at Texas A&M University at Qatar receive the same top-tier training as stu-dents enrolled at the main campus, so each of the engi-neering programmes offered by Texas A&M University at Qatar-chemical, electrical, mechanical and petroleum ranks among the top American universities for education and research.

“We have succeeded because we have a good faculty, curriculum and we have right missions and facilities,” said Dr

O. Malavé.He said that at Texas A&M at

Qatar a majority of 54 % are Qatari and most have an interest in electrical and mechanical engineering. The freshman class at Texas A&M at Qatar has enrolled an average of around 100 new students and this year it has increased by 50 %.

“Electrical and mechanical engineering are very popular among students, because of job opportunities,” said Dr O. Malavé.

The branch campus dedi-cates tremendous resources to advanced research, and students work closely with faculty and graduate students throughout their undergraduate career.

For its future, Texas A&M at

Qatar plans to introduce Project Based Learning module. It is a teaching method in which stu-dents gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge.

“We have found that areas such as ethics and safety standards will become even more important in the future. To bring this into the curriculum, we are going to introduce Project Based Learning,” said Dr O. Malavé.

He also emphasised the necessity of students diversified field such as engineering and medicine, engineering and law, engineer and business.

Dr César Malavé, Dean of Texas A&M University at Qatar. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT / THE PENINSULA

Vodafone Qatar to launch first 5G smartphonesFROM PAGE 1

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G is powered by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform featuring the Snapdragon X50 5G modem with integrated transceiver and Qualcomm Technologies’ RF Front-End solution, ushering in a new decade of revolutionary mobile experiences.

The smartphone’s elegant black exterior is coupled with its unique slide function for quick-fire selfies and videos with no notch full display screen With each pur-chase of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G priced at QR3,999, customers will get a Galeries Lafayette Doha gift voucher worth QR1500. In addition, customers who sign up to Vodafone Red Me and above postpaid plan will get several ben-efits including free valet parking for 12 months. Pre-orders will be taken on the first floor of Galeries

Lafayette Doha until stocks last from 10am to 3pm and from 7:30pm to 1:00am. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G will be on display and Vodafone staff will be on hand to answer any questions.

Adel Ali Bin Ali, Chairman of Ali Bin Ali Holding said: “As a brand, Galeries Lafayette is a trendsetter and all about exclu-sivity. It is a great opportunity for Galeries Lafayette Doha to coop-erate with Vodafone Qatar in unveiling this landmark upgrade in mobile network technology in the country. We are glad that Galeries Lafayette Doha is the place where, for the first time in Qatar and in the region, mobile phones with this latest technology is being made available to the public. We commit to keep this pioneering spirit alive and introduce many firsts for the people of Qatar.” Since switching on its 5G network in August last year and receiving the spectrum

license to operate 5G commercially from the Communications Regu-latory Authority in January this year, Vodafone Qatar has already deployed 5G in dozens of locations across the country including Al Waab, Abu Hamour, Al Azizya, Al Mamoura, Al Rayyan, Katara Cul-tural Village, Salwa Road, Souq Waqif and Umm Salal Muhammed.

The Company has also marked several milestones- recently Vodafone Qatar made 5G tech-nology commercially available to its customers with the launch of - Vodafone GigaHome- the latest innovation in home internet solu-tions. Last month, it made the first live local and international 5G calls using a 5G handset in the region. The Company also announced that it entered into a strategic agreement with Huawei to signif-icantly expand and enhance its entire wireless network infra-structure including a large-scale 5G technology roll-out.FROM LEFT: Nabeel Ali bin Ali, Sheikh Hamad Abdulla Al Thani and Adel Ali bin Ali.

The first classes of Texas A&M at Qatar began in Education City in September 2003 with 29 students. Since then, the student population has grown to more than 500 engineering students, and as of today, more than 1,050 engineering degrees have been awarded.

Qatar’s Attorney—General H E Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri, who is currently visiting Paris, met yesterday with his French counterpart, Francois Molins. During the meeting, they discussed developing the exchange of experiences and training courses between Qatar’s Attorney —General deputies and the National School of the Judiciary in France. H E Dr Al Marri also met with French President’s Diplomatic Adviser, Philippe Etienne. The meeting dealt with a host of topics of mutual interest.

03SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019 HOME

HIA ranked best for passenger experienceTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Hamad International Airport (HIA) has been named the “Best Airport for Passenger Expe-rience” for the second consec-utive year in a study by AirHelp, the world’s leading air passenger rights specialist. Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar has also been ranked as the number one airline for the second consecutive year.

The study ranked 72 air-lines and 132 airports on punc-tuality, quality of service, dining and shopping experi-ences. It also included an extensive survey amongst thousands of people around the world to gather information on their customer service, queues, cleanliness, dining and shopping experiences at their local airports. AirHelp used the time performance statistics for each airport to calculate flight time arrivals.

Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer (pictured), Chief Oper-ating Officer at Hamad Inter-national Airport stated, “It is a pleasure to receive this ranking from AirHelp and to witness that HIA is recognised by our passengers and partners. HIA will continue to raise the bar and introduce innovations in the passenger experience to provide travellers with excep-tional services. We dedicate this success to our strong cus-tomer-centric vision and our employees for the hard work and commitment that helps HIA stand out on the global spectrum.”

Henrik Zillmer, AirHelp’s CEO and co-founder added, “AirHelp analyzed 132 airports and found that customers enjoyed the best experience at Hamad International Airport. All airports were rated based on on-time performance (60 percent of the score), service quality (20 percent), and food and shopping options (20 percent). HIA is also ranked as one of the top airports in the world for on-time performance (8.3 out of 10), while air

passengers are very pleased with the service quality (8.5) and food and shopping available there (8.5) and con-sider it among the best found at airports around the world. On behalf of AirHelp, I commend Hamad International Airport for consistently offering travellers a superior experience.”

HIA is home to Qatar Duty Free (QDF), an award-winning shopping emporium, composed of more than 90 shops, 30 cafes and restaurants, spread out over 40,000 square meters of combined retail, food and beverage facilities. HIA’s pas-senger terminal complex also boasts 12 lounges across the terminal and an airport hotel, featuring a Vitality Well-being & Fitness Centre, responding to the diverse needs of the modern traveller. These facil-ities shape the travel expe-rience for passengers, by pro-viding a smooth and hassle-free experience through world-star customer services and facilities.

Recently, HIA ranked second best airport in the world for On-Time Per-formance (OTP) in OAG’s Punc-tuality League report. HIA has also retained its top position as the best airport in the Middle East for the fifth consecutive year and ranked as the fourth best airport in the world at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2019.

GU-Q celebrates 11th commencement ceremonyTHE PENINSULA DOHA

In a ceremony held on the Education City campus of Geor-getown University in Qatar (GU-Q), 64 seniors gathered to receive their diplomas at the u n i v e r s i t y ’ s 1 1 t h commencement exercises.

The graduating seniors join a growing community of GU-Q alumni pursuing graduate degrees or working in a diverse range of industries in Qatar and beyond, including government, business, tech, law, and education.

This year’s graduating class

of 24 Qataris and 25 non-Qatari women and 7 Qatari and 8 non-Qatari men, received a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS) degree, a globally rec-ognised interdisciplinary pro-gramme offered in four majors, and taught in a supportive learning environment that enables students to develop intellectually and personally.

H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, the Per-manent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, was the special guest at the ceremony.

“Today’s GU-Q graduates carry on a legacy of academic

excellence, strength through diversity, and an unwavering commitment to work for the common good. Through dedi-cated scholarship in the field of humanities and social sciences, their academic work has con-tributed to the development mission of Qatar Foundation, and the ambitions and optimism of tomorrow’s leaders inspire us all to envision a better future.”

Guests at the ceremony included friends and family members, Qatari officials, members of the diplomatic and international community, and from Georgetown’s main

campus in Washington DC, Provost Robert Groves and Dean of the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), Dr. Joel Hellman, who pre-sented the candidates for degrees. Degree conferral and closing reflections were made by the President of Georgetown University, Dr John J. DeGioia.

The Dean of GU-Q, Dr Ahmad Dallal, gave the opening remarks and introduced the guest speaker. “It is with great pride and pleasure that I extend my congratulations to the Class of 2019 for the dedication, drive, and commitment they have shown in achieving the

distinction of becoming a Geor-getown University degree recipient,” he said. “With the guidance and support of our dedicated academic com-munity, they have acquired the critical skills required by our ever changing world, and their stories and diligence will con-tinue to inspire the next gener-ation of students following in their footsteps.”

This year saw the university celebrating several milestones, including the largest appli-cation pool to date for the Class of 2022, the 100 year anni-versary of the founding of SFS, and the GUQ100 Celebration of

Knowledge, marking over 100 published volumes produced by affiliated faculty and staff since the campus opened its doors in 2005.

In addition to the main cer-emony, the Tropaia Awards were held prior to com-mencement to honor major achievements of senior stu-dents. With a starting student body of 25 students in 2005, GU-Q has now produced more than 500 alumni representing more than 50 countries, and delivers the same interna-tionally ranked curriculum as Georgetown’s main campus in Washington, D.C.

H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, with the students of Georgetown University in Qatar’s Class of 2019, faculty and guests during the 11th commencement exercises of the university.

National competition for mind sports held THE PENINSULA DOHA

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education in cooperation with the Skills Development Center organised the third national competition for mind sports under the auspices of the International Society of Sport Psychology.

The event was held at the headquarters of the Ministry. It was attended by Fawzia Al Khater, Assistant Under-Secretary for Edu-cational Affairs at the Ministry; Moza Al Mad-hahka, Director of the Educational Guidance Department at the Ministry; Hamda Al Mazroui, Managing Director of the Skills Development Center; members of WHARF Skills Development Center, and Dr Fatima Al Obaidli, Head of Programs and Activities Department of the Department of Schools. A total of 884 students from nine government schools participated in the competitions of the National Competition for Mind Sports.

The students were given 24 hours of actual training per level plus 15 minutes of home training. The final competitions were held for each level, with 50-60 minutes per level. Tasnim Ehab from Moza Bint Mohammed School won the first place, Bismala Ehab from Rabaa Al Adawiya School won second place and Fatma Khalaf Al Khalaf from Moza Bint Mohammed School won third place.

Fawzia Al Khater said, “We are proud to have participated in the National Mind Sports Competition for the third year in a row, and it is one of the most exciting activities we seek to spread throughout our schools.”

Latifa Al Hardan, Head of Mathematics Department at the Department of Educa-tional Guidance, said “We give in the Min-istry of Education and Higher Education a lot of attention to developed mental skills to prepare prominent Qatari cadres in this sector.” She said that the Max Mind pro-gramme helps sharp memory, enhance imag-ination skills and increase focus, add skills, speed, information analysis, hearing skills and reaction speed.

Al Hardan said that the programme helps students to discover their talents, develop their ideas, enhance their skills, establish self-confidence, demonstrate their mental abilities, and strengthen their learning abil-ities. “Together we overcome the difficulties our students face, such as poor concen-tration, memory, slow reading and analysis, the fear of competition and lack of self-con-fidence, and our presence here today is to prove the changes that occurred after the students underwent mind sports training program (Max Mind),” said Al Hardan.

Hamda Al Mazrouei congratulated the winners and the students who were not for-tunate enough to be qualified and successful.

Fawzia Al Khater, Assistant Under-Secretary for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, with other officials during the event.

Qatar Cancer Society distributes Iftar boxesQatar Cancer Society (QCS) for the fifth consecutive year has distributed Iftar boxes for fasting people on the streets of Doha during the Holy Month of Ramadan. The ‘Iftar Boxes’ campaign under the slogan ‘Al Baraka Fekom’ by QCS, is held in cooperation with Al Meera Consumer Goods Co. The initiative aims to facilitate the fasting of those who work outdoors. Boxes include water, juice, milk, cake and dates, as well as messages about the importance of a healthy lifestyle to prevent diseases such as cancer.

04 SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019HOME

Qatar Organ Donation Centre (Hiba) appreciates Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah for his supportTHE PENINSULA DOHA

H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Chairman of Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah International Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development, recently visited the Qatar Organ Donation Centre (Hiba) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) to attend a special event organised by the Centre to celebrate his return from undergoing medical treatment abroad.

Dr Riadh AbdulSattar Fadhil, Director of the Centre, welcomed Al Attiyah to the Centre and expressed his gratitude for the great trust he placed in the team.

The Centre was able to suc-cessfully provide lungs for His Excellency from a deceased donor in Doha and transfer them to London in a record time for a lung transplant operation. The transport is believed to be one of the longest involving an organ for transplantation. While Qatar has a successful and world recognized organ donation program it cur-rently does not undertake lung transplants.

“The Centre had the honour to provide its services to one of the leaders who have dedicated their lives and continuously laying the foundation pillars of sustainability and progress in Qatar,” Dr Riadh said. “We pray to God to grant him

long life and good health to con-tinue in his role in the devel-opment of Qatar.”

Al Attiyah expressed his sincere thanks and gratitude to H E Dr Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, for the careful follow-up at all stages of treatment abroad and at home in Qatar. He also thanked the clinicians, nurses, paramedics and support staff who work at HMC who contribute and continue to provide the best health services for all citizens and residents alike.

At the ceremony, Dr Riadh presented His Excellency with memento to thank him for his support and wished him full health and long life.

Al Attiyah enjoyed a long career in the service of the State of Qatar - he started his work in the Ministry of Finance and Petroleum in 1972. He held several leadership positions in Qatar and abroad, including minister of energy and industry in 1992 as well as chairing the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Coun-tries on several occasions. He was appointed deputy prime minister in 2007 while keeping his position as minister of energy and industry. In 2015, he established the Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah International Energy and Sus-tainable Development Foun-dation, an independent non-profit organization.

H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah with officials of Qatar Organ Donation Centre (Hiba).

Ooredoo teams up with MoneyGram for ICC Cricket World Cup promoTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Ooredoo and MoneyGram announced yesterday an exciting promotion as part of the telco leader’s ongoing part-nership with the renowned global remittance service provider.

The promotion will see one lucky winner walk away with an all-expenses-paid trip to the UK to watch the India vs Bang-ladesh match of the ICC Cricket World Cup on July 2, 2019.

Any customer sending a remittance of QR2,000 or more to any of the Cricket World Cup-playing countries - using Mon-eyGram from their Ooredoo Money app – will be eligible to enter the competition, with a winner selected via electronic draw. Ooredoo Money offers customers a safe, secure, reliable way to carry out a number of financial transactions quickly, easily and efficiently via the “Ooredoo Money” app, and MoneyGram is one of the world’s most respected remit-tance services offering instant money transfers across the globe. Speaking about the promotion, Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi – Director PR and Corporate Communications at Ooredoo – said: “We know our customers rely on us and our trusted partners to u n d e r t a k e e s s e n t i a l

transactions such as sending remittances to their home countries and, as such, we ensure we work with partners who share our values and commitment to quality service. This new promotion in partnership with Mon-eyGram offers our customers an exciting incentive to use MoneyGram via our Ooredoo Money app, with a spec-tacular prize on offer. We wish all our Ooredoo Money customers the best of luck, and we hope the winner enjoys the match!”

Customers who do not yet have the Ooredoo app can download it for free on the Apple Store or Google Play.

16,000 people in Qatar benefit from Qatar Charity’s Ramadan initiativesTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Charity continues to implement its ‘Ramadan Supply’ and ‘Ramadan Gift’ projects to support low-income families in Qatar during the holy month.

The ‘Ramadan Supply’ project provides these families with coupons for essential

foodstuffs for the month of Ramadan while the ‘Ramadan Gift’ is given to them as financial aid to help them meet their living needs associated with the holy month.

The total cost of the “Ramadan Supply” project amounts to QR1.2m, benefiting 13,300 people within Qatar, while the ‘Ramadan Gift’, which is one of social

assistance that Qatar Charity provides to low-income fam-ilies, targets 2,500 people this year with a total cost of more than QR1m. Ali Al Ghareeb, director of the Local Devel-opment Department at Qatar Charity, said: “Ramadan Supply and Ramadan Gifts are among the most important projects launched by Qatar Charity during the holy month,

in addition to its other pro-grammes to help a large number of low-income persons during the holy month.”

Through the implemen-tation of these projects, Qatar Charity aims at promoting pos-itive values within the com-munity and helping low-income families during this holy month, Al-Gharib added,

emphasizing the keenness of Qatar Charity to reach the largest possible number of these families. He further said that the distribution of coupons for the basic foodstuff started before the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, pointing out that the number of bene-ficiaries of both projects would reach 16,000 persons across Qatar this year.

N.Bar opens first branchTHE PENINSULA DOHA

N.Bar Qatar, the go- to salon for all things and beauty, has opened its first branch in Qatar and they have never looked so good.

Located at The Gate Mall & Doha Festival City, N.Bar has opened its doors to community dedicated to fostering growth, leading change, driving inno-vation and building world-class businesses. Similarly, N.Bar shares the same ethos and passion for creativity and glamour in every form. Think cool yet inviting, it offers the perfect post workshop and polish proposition.

The Middle East’s first brand for dedicated nail bars and award winner N.Bar remains the pioneer of fast, hygienic and high quality professional nail treatments continuing to set industry benchmarks in every element of nail care and grooming.

N.Bar is passionately dedi-cated to creating a truly unique experience within each of its branches, working with world-famous brands and offering a host of treatments and ther-apies. N.Bar’s clients are women who demand efficient, high-end services and treatments in con-temporary surroundings.

Since launching in 2001 b Iranian-American entrepreneur Negin Fattahi, N.Bar has remained the pioneers of premium nail across The Middle East. Its aggressive growth is now set to expand further afield to several locations interna-tionally, through its Franchise Model.

“Its never been a better time to be a woman. Together we are leading change, driving inno-vation, and building world-class

businesses. We are surrounded by strong women, real women looking for real results. N.Bar is a reflection of who we are. We are a pioneering brand that is as strong, determined, innovative and hardworking as you are. A trendsetting nail bar where you can end a busy day, start a night out or simply unplug and put life on hold for a moment. We are thrilled to welcome and pamper you ladies in Qatar” said the spokesperson of N.Bar in Qatar.

Expect chic surroundings, superior attention to detail, and pleasingly affordable prices at both locations. The state of the art salon in The Gate Mall, which spreads across 170 square meter, features four manicure stations, six dual mani/pedi stations, two treatment rooms and dedicated space with two hair stations providing clients with all of N.Bar’s signature services from luxurious manicures and pedicures.

Client’s can also experience a world class service in Doha

Festival City branch which spreads across 80 square meters, with the same services except for hair which is exclusively found at the Flagship branch. The intimate spaces has the feeling of sitting in a friends stylish living room – the art is well curated and the music is well chosen. Staff give the impression of genuine friend-liness; you’ll leave feeling you’ve had a chat with friends who are really good at manicures.

Weather you are in between meetings or looking to ‘unplug’ and enjoy some much needed ‘me time’, your nails will thank you as N.Bar is recognised as a sanctuary for today’s woman.

N.Bar continues to work simultaneously to further cement its position as the go to nail bar for enviable nails and looks forward to welcoming its new clients in Qatar. Beautify yourself with N.Bar this Ramadan. Enjoy our special packages to relax this holy month. Available from 6th May 6 to 16.

N.Bar is dedicated to creating a truly unique experience within each of its branches, working with world-famous brands and offering a host of treatments and therapies.Eurasian Kestrel reportedly sighted

in Qatar for the first timeTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The sighting of a Eurasian Kestrel, a falcon, was reported in Qatar. It is said to be the first sighting of this species in the country.

These Eurasian Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) were found on the rainbow arch during a bird watching by Dr.Zubair Medammal, falcon researcher and assistant professor, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut. He was on a short visit to Qatar recently. He said that the Eurasian Kestrel, weighing around 1kg, was found on a mon-ument in Qatar.

These falcons were seen fre-quenting one of the prominent architectural monuments in Qatar, the lower one in the 100 m high twin arches nearby Interchange 5/6 on the Lusail Expressway built on the location of the one-time Rainbow (Arch) roundabout in Al Dafna area. The bird, not very Eur-asianly, but seen in Qatar, normally

nests on ledges on cliffs, trees and also top of buildings.

About 3- 7 eggs are laid a year that takes almost four weeks to hatch. The hatchlings are fed with chicks of other birds, small rodents, and the like and rarely lizards. Nesting on such a manmade, metallic and fully exposed structure below which there is

intense traffic round the clock is first time seen in the country.

On close watch, it was seen that the bird has established its nest in a junction box that hold a red sign lamp on the upper reaches of the lower arch. The hole through which the parental birds enter the box seems apparently only of 10-15 cm in diameter.

The promotion will see one lucky winner walk away with an all-expenses-paid trip to the UK to watch the India vs Bangladesh match of the ICC Cricket World Cup on July 2, 2019. Any customer remitting QR2,000 or more to any of the Cricket World Cup-playing countries will be eligible to enter the competition.

Eurasian Kestrel hovering above the arch. RIGHT: Dr Zubair Medammal

05SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019 HOME

Texas A&M at Qatar graduates 1,000th engineerFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

In an accomplishing milestone, Texas A&M University at Qatar graduated its 1,000th engineer during the annual commencement held on Thursday.

The historic commencement cer-emony, held at the Qatar National Con-vention Centre, saw more than 100 Aggie engineers earn their bachelor and master degrees. They included 95 who graduated with bachelor’s degrees in chemical engi-neering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and petroleum engineering. The branch campus also awarded 12 with Master of Science and Master of Engineering degrees in chemical engineering.

To date, Texas A&M at Qatar has awarded a total of 1,056 degrees, with 42.8% awarded to Qatari graduates.

Texas A&M University also presented H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in rec-ognition of his achievements and longtime support of the university and its branch campus in Qatar, during the commencement ceremony.

“This is not only a personal accolade for me but also a tribute to Qatar under

the leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Since 2003, I have witnessed the evolution, development and growth of Texas A&M at Qatar as a branch campus of Texas A&M University. It is a matter of pride for all of us to have witnessed the successes and accomplish-ments of this institution over the past 16 years. The work of Texas A&M at Qatar directly contributes to the pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030, and I applaud this prestigious institution for all it does to make a positive impact on Qatar and throughout the region in the noble cause of education,” said H E Al Sada upon receiving the honorary degree.

Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), was the invited speaker for the ceremony. He congrat-ulated the graduates for their achieve-ments, recognising the pressures and challenges the students faced during

their academic years.“The graduation that was a distant

dream few months ago became a reality today, and it will help graduates achieve their purposes and face any challenges in their professional lives. I would like to invite all graduates to discover them-selves and the world and find a purpose for their future and encourage to always look at leaving a mark in the community around them,” he said.

The commencement ceremony marked a significant milestone for Texas A&M at Qatar, the main campus in College Station, Texas (USA), is cele-brating more than half a million degrees awarded since its humble beginnings as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1876.

“Through our partnership with Qatar Foundation, Texas A&M at Qatar is edu-cating world-class engineers to meet growing demand for technical expertise and human capital in a workforce that is diversifying as rapidly as it is expanding. For the past 16 years, we have kept this mission in mind. This incredible journey and its innumerable success stories would not be possible without Qatar Foundation’s devotion to education and diverse thought,” said Dr César O.

Malavé, Dean of Texas A&M at Qatar.Saeed Binnoora, a Class of 2019 elec-

trical engineering graduate, was selected to address his classmates and fellow graduates during the ceremony.

The ceremony ended after Todd Creeger, a Class of 1986 graduate of Texas

A&M and president of ConocoPhillips Qatar, inducted the graduates into The Association of Former Students, Texas A&M’s alumni organization that com-prises the 500,000 graduates of the uni-versity and is known worldwide as the Aggie Network.

The graduates during the commencement ceremony of Texas A&M University at Qatar, held at QNCC. PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada receiving the honorary Doctor of Letters degree, during the Graduation Ceremony of Texas A&M University at Qatar held at QNCC. PIC: BAHER AMIN / THE PENINSULA

To date, Texas A&M at Qatar has awarded a total of 1,056 degrees, with 42.8% awarded to Qatari graduates.

06 SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Houthis start withdrawalfrom port in Hodeidah REUTERS HODEIDAH

Yemen’s Houthi movement yesterday started withdrawing forces from Saleef port in Hodeidah under a UN-sponsored deal stalled for months, a witness said, reviving hopes for peace efforts to end the four-year war.

But a Minister in the Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia dismissed the Houthis’ pullout as a “show” meant to “mis-inform the international community”.

The move, yet to be verified by the United Nations, is the first major step in implementing the pact reached last year by the gov-ernment and the Houthis for a truce and troop withdrawal in Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis. UN teams were over-seeing the Houthi redeployment in Saleef, used for grain, as other teams headed to the second port of Ras Isa, used for oil, to start implementing the withdrawal from there, according to the witness.

A dozen trucks carrying Houthi fighters, armed with

rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machine guns, departed from Saleef. Two ships were docked at the port and oper-ations were running normally, said the witness who was at the facility.

“The coast guards have taken over in Saleef,” he said. “They and UN officials have started checking equipment at the port.” The Houthis said their “unilateral step shows our commitment to implement the Hodeidah agreement and to achieving peace,” after four years of fighting in the Arab nation. The group called on the UN to press the Saudi-led coalition to take “similar steps”. However, Yemeni

Information Minister Muammar Al Iryani said the pullout was “a flagrant show”.

“It’s an attempt to misinform the international community ahead of a meeting of the UN Security Council” on Yemen, he said. “A group of (Houthi) mili-tiamen left and they were replaced by others wearing coast guard police uniforms.” The UN Rede-ployment Coordination Com-mittee (RCC) has said the Houthis would make an “initial unilateral redeployment” from the ports between May 11 and May 14.

It said the redeployment would enable the United Nations to take a leading role in supporting the local Red Sea Ports Authority in managing the ports and enhance UN checks on cargoes. It would also allow humanitarian corridors to be reopened.

There has been no comment so far from the Saudi-led military coalition that has massed forces outside Houthi-held Hodeidah, which handles the bulk of Yemen’s imports and aid supplies. Western allies, which supply arms and intelligence to the coalition, have pushed for an end to the war.

The British ambassador to Yemen reacted sharply to the Yemeni government’s scepticism about Houthi withdrawal. “The Yemeni cynics who criticise eve-rything the other side does even if it is positive and who say the UN are naive seem to be saying the only solution is perpetual war in Yemen,” Michael Aron said in a Twitter post. He said a UN presence in the ports would

prevent arms smuggling.It was not clear if UN special

envoy Martin Griffiths had secured agreement between the two sides over the main sticking point regarding which local authorities would control the ports and city under UN supervision after both sides withdraw. A UN source said yesterday that the RCC would announce its assessment of the Houthi redeployment next week.

Under the first phase, the Houthis would pull back 5km from the ports over the next four days. Coalition forces, currently massed 5km from Hodeidah port on the edges of the city, would retreat 1km from “Kilo 8” and Saleh districts.

In the second phase, both sides would pull troops 18km outside the city and heavy weapons 30km away.

UN vehicles on their way to Saleef port are seen at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen, yesterday.

Moderate quake jolts Iraq and Iran’s westAGENCIES TEHRAN

An Iranian semi-official news agency is reporting that a 5.1 magnitude earthquake has jolted the western region bordering Iraq.

Fars news agency reported yesterday the quake hit Ezgeleh district, which has a population of roughly 30,000 in western Kermanshah province.

The US Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 5.3 and said it also jolted Hal-abjah in Iraq, near the Iranian border. The report says the epi-center of the earthquake was 8km deep.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in November 2018 a nearby area and injured more than 500 people.

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck near the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya also, the US Geological Survey reported. Local medics said no injuries were reported and officials said there was no significant material damage.

USGS said the quake occurred 71 km southeast of the city at a depth of 10 km.

Oman to reopenembassyin BaghdadANATOLIA BAGHDAD

Oman will reopen its embassy in Iraq, according to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry yesterday.

A ministry statement said Foreign Minister Mohamed Alhakim has received a message from his Omani coun-terpart Yusuf bin Alawi in which he said the Gulf state was planning to reopen its diplo-matic mission in Baghdad.

“Iraq sees this step reflecting keenness of our brothers in Oman to deepen the brotherly relations between the two countries,” the Ministry said. It added that the move would also contribute to bol-stering joint Arab action.

The statement, however, did not give an exact date for reopening the embassy.

There was no comment from Omani authorities on the report. Relations between Baghdad and Muscat have improved in recent years.

ANC gets 57.5% votes in weakest election victoryAP PRETORIA

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress yesterday marked its weakest victory in national elections in a quarter-century, while President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that the vote had given him and others “a firm mandate to build a better South Africa for all.”

With all votes counted, the ANC had 57.5%, the electoral commission said. It was the worst-ever showing at the polls for the party of the late Nelson Mandela that has ruled since the end of the apartheid system of racial discrimination 25 years ago. The party won 62% of the vote in 2014.

Voter turnout was another low at 65%, reflecting the frus-tration of many South Africans after corruption scandals around the ANC that led former pres-ident Jacob Zuma to resign last year under party pressure. Turnout was 74% in 2014.

Ramaphosa, a Mandela protege, has vowed to clean up

the rot and apologised to South Africans. But his new five-year term is threatened by Zuma allies within the ANC’s leadership, who could pressure the party to oust

him from power.Observers have said South

Africa’s economy, the most developed in sub-Saharan Africa, would be further weakened if

Ramaphosa is removed by his own party. He narrowly won the party leadership in late 2017, weeks before Zuma was pushed out. Ramaphosa’s image as a

leader willing to rid the gov-ernment of graft helped the ANC’s showing in this election, political analyst Karima Brown said. “It’s a departure from a president who faced continuous allegations of corruption,” she said.

But ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule, seen as leading the party faction opposed to Ramaphosa, has said the victory could not be attributed to the president alone.

Widespread disillusionment over the ANC and long-standing issues of high unemployment and poor delivery of basic services had been expected to give top opposition parties a boost in Wednesday’s election. A record 48 parties were on the ballot. Top opposition party the liberal Democratic Alliance slipped in its share of votes, however, winning 20.7%, down from 22.2% in 2014. The populist Economic Freedom Fighters in just their second showing in par-liamentary and presidential elec-tions did gain ground, winning 10.7% of the vote, up from 6.3% five years ago.

Around 60 migrants drown off TunisiaAFP TUNIS

Around 60 migrants most of them from Bangladesh have died after their boat capsized in the Medi-terranean Sea after it left Libya for Italy, the Tunisian Red Crescent said yesterday.

Survivors told the Red Crescent the tragedy unfolded after some 75 people who had left Zuwara on the northwestern Libyan coast late Thursday on a large boat were transferred to a smaller one that sank off Tunisia.

“The migrants were trans-ferred into a smaller inflatable boat which was overloaded, and 10 minutes later it sank,” Mongi Slim, a Red Crescent official in the southern Tunisian town of Zarzis, said.

Tunisian fishermen rescued 16 people and brought them to shore in Zarzis. The survivors said they spent eight hours trapped in the cold sea before they were spotted by the fishermen who alerted the Tunisian coastguard, Slim said.

The bodies of three people were plucked out of the waters on Friday, the Tunisian defence min-istry said.

Survivors said the boat was heading to Italy and had on board only men, 51 from Bangladesh, as well as three Egyptians, several Moroccans, Chadians and other Africans.

Fourteen Bangladeshi nationals, including a minor, were among the survivors, said the Red Crescent.

“If the Tunisian fishermen hadn’t seen them (migrants), there wouldn’t have been any survivors and we would have never known about this” boat sinking, said Slim.

Charity ships have plied the Mediterranean Sea to rescue migrants in large numbers but the number of rescue operations have dwindled as these vessels have come under fire, namely from the

populist Italian government, over their action. Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has imposed a “closed ports” policy, refusing to allow migrants rescued at sea to enter his country.

On Friday, however, more than 60 migrants disembarked in Italy after two boats which had left Libya faced difficulties at sea and needed assistance.

The UN agency for refugees UNHCR called for stepped up search and rescue operations to avoid future tragedies in the

Mediterranean, which it calls the “world’s deadliest sea crossing”.

“Across the region we need to strengthen the capacity of search and rescue operations,” said Vincent Cochetel, the agency’s special envoy for the Mediter-ranean. “If we don’t act now, we’re almost certain to see more tragic events in the coming weeks and months,” he warned.

According to the UNHCR, the journey across the Mediterranean “is becoming increasingly fatal for those who risk it”.

Migrants, who were rescued after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Tunisian Coast after they had left Libya, are seen inside a local Red Cresent chapter in Zarzis, yesterday.

Gazans bid farewell to youth martyred by IsraelANATOLIA GAZA CITY

Hundreds of Palestinians paid farewell yesterday to a youth, who was martyred by Israeli gunfire during anti-occupation protests in the Gaza Strip a day earlier.

Mourners buried the body of Abdullah Abdul Aal, 24, in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip amid chants for holding Israel accountable for its viola-tions against Palestinian pro-testers. At least 30 other Pales-tinians were injured by Israeli army fire during Friday’s protests near Gaza’s buffer zone with Israel, according to the Pales-tinian Health Ministry.

Since the Gaza rallies began in March of last year, nearly 270 demonstrators have been mar-tyred — and thousands more injured — by Israeli troops deployed near the buffer zone.

Demonstrators demand the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel. They also demand an end to Israel’s 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The move, yet to be verified by the UN, is the first major step in implementing the pact reached last year by the government and the Houthis for a truce and troop withdrawal in Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.

The screens display the final National Assembly results of South Africa’s parliamentary and provincial elections at an announcement ceremony in Pretoria, yesterday.

07SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Syrian troops expand offensive in IdlibAP BEIRUT

Syrian government forces expanded their ground offensive in northwestern Syria, pushing yesterday into the last rebel stronghold and regaining control of a number of villages along its southern corner, activists and media said, despite calls for honouring a ceasefire put in place in September.

The pro-government Military Media Center said that troops battled insurgent led by an Al Qaeda-linked militant group out of Midan Ghazal village, which falls inside Idlib province. The gov-ernment ground offensive has so

far focused on areas at the southern edge of the rebel stronghold, in the Ghab plains and Hama province.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed troops gained new ground, but said all were in Hama province. The Observatory said government forces are now in control of nine villages forming an L shape at the far southern corner of the rebel stronghold. The vil-lages include the strategic village of Kfar Nabuda and the elevated Qalaat Madiq, giving the gov-ernment troops advantage over the insurgents.

The insurgents launched a failed counteroffensive on Friday,

aiming to regain control of Kfar Nabudah. Yesterday, Al Ikhbariya state TV broadcast from inside Kfar Nabudah to confirm the gov-ernment forces have it under control.

An unnamed Syrian army officer told the station the insur-gents’ counteroffensive included car bombs and suicide attacks.

Al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir Al Sham said it continued to launch missiles at the village and was fighting government troops elsewhere. Airstrikes on villages and towns inside Idlib continued. Fighting in the area, which began on April 30, has been the worst breach of a September ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey.

Smoke rises above buildings during shelling by Syrian regime forces and their allies on the town of Khan Sheikhun, in the southern countryside of the rebel-held Idlib province, yesterday.

The world should still be concerned about the current spat congealing into a lengthy cold war. Deepening rifts between hegemonic powers are often the first warning signs of a hotter conflict. If China and America no longer want to make peace, we should be worried about where we’re all headed.

YOMIURI NEWS

08 SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019VIEWS

The US and China may not want a deal after all

In order to make peace, first you have to want it. That’s a major barrier to any de-escalation of the simmering US-China trade war.

The economic Defcon alert went up a notch at midnight on Friday, as US tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports were lifted to 25 percent from 10 percent and Beijing promised to retaliate. People familiar with the matter told Shawn Donnan, Jennifer Jacobs and Kevin Hamlin of Bloomberg News that there had been little to no progress in talks that started Thursday.

The problem for those hoping for a speedy resolution now is that players on both sides seem alarmingly com-fortable with the deteriorating status quo.

This is most obvious in Wash-ington. President Donald Trump this week declared himself “very happy with over $100 Billion a year in Tariffs filling US coffers” and is confident the trade war is hurting China more than his own country:

Indeed, in many ways it’s the tariffs themselves, rather than a hoped-for deal to replace them, that will best deliver the economic policy platform that put President Trump in power.

One of the more detailed policy pro-posals put forward by Republicans in Congress after the 2016 election was a border adjustment tax, a form of sales tax that would have been imposed on imports and domestically produced goods, but exempted exports. That plan fell by the wayside, but the emerging order doesn’t look so very different. If tariffs go up

on the whole volume of Chinese trade, as the White House has been threat-ening, roughly a third of America’s non-Nafta imports will have a levy imposed on them. Should this pattern spread to other trading partners, the main difference from the border adjustment tax will be that no taxes would be levied on domestic

production - a decent outcome in political terms.

The same populist calculation weighs against the agreement that US Trade Representative Robert Light-hizer has spent months hammering out. A best-case deal would make China a more appealing destination for foreign investment by tightening up intellectual-property laws; cracking down on industrial espionage; ending forced technology transfers; reducing licensing and joint-venture requirements; and ending conditions that favor state-owned enterprises. It’s not hard to see why large US multinationals might be tempted by reforms of that sort - but if you’re looking to make America great again by bringing jobs home, making China a more attractive place to do business seems a strange way to go about it.

In China, the calculus is less skewed in favor of escalation, but there’s still reason for Beijing to prefer that outcome. For one thing, domestic political considerations mean it’s unthinkable that Beijing could be seen giving in to American arm-twisting, even if it were capable of delivering on Washington’s demands (and, as my colleague Andrew Browne has written, following through may not be as easy as US negotiators seem to think).

On top of that, the sectors most likely to be hurt by an extended trade conflict are precisely the ones that far-sighted economic planners want to leave behind to help China escape the

middle-income trap. In an extended trade conflict, low-margin manufac-turing of toys, furniture, clothing and final assembly of electronic goods would likely shift away from China to destinations such as Mexico and Vietnam. That’s not a bad thing for an economy whose desire to move up the value chain toward the manufacture of battery-powered vehicles, elec-tronic components, aircraft, robots and medical technology is one justification for the trade war itself.

Trade hawks in Beijing can comfort themselves with the like-lihood that while the immediate pain has been felt more in China, over the long term the US would likely do as badly. The loss of integration with Chinese supply chains would mean that American manufacturing would also suffer, according to the Interna-tional Monetary Fund, while both economies would end up experi-encing a weakening in growth in the region of 0.5 percentage point.

Those numbers are small enough that it’s little surprise leaders in Wash-ington and Beijing seem so prepared to fight on, especially with the wind of fiscal and credit stimulus at their backs.

Still, the world should still be con-cerned about the current spat con-gealing into a lengthy cold war. Deep-ening rifts between hegemonic powers are often the first warning signs of a hotter conflict. If China and America no longer want to make peace, we should be worried about where we’re all headed.

DAVID FICKLING BLOOMBERG

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Our mothers, who teach us love, respect,

solidarity, sharing and tolerance, are

our greatest strength in establishing

happiness and peace in our country.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkish President

US, Iran must halt exchange of threats to end standoff

Destabilization of the situation surrounding Iran will further intensify turmoil in the Middle East and have an

adverse effect on the world economy. Self-restraint is called for on the part of both the United States and Iran.

As a countermeasure against the “maximum pressure” campaign pursued by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Iran has announced its decision to halt its ful-fillment of part of the obligations agreed upon in a deal on its nuclear program. Iran said it would start stockpiling enriched uranium and heavy water, disregarding the upper limits set for their domestic stockpiles.

Tehran has also announced a policy to begin its nuclear devel-opment program in earnest, including the production of enriched uranium, if resumption of crude oil and financial transactions is not guaranteed within 60 days. Iran’s tactics of intimidating

countries concerned, by resorting to acts that would violate the nuclear deal, is unacceptable.

The Trump administration is also responsible for having intensified the U.S.-Iran standoff. Arguing that there is a grave defect in the 2015 nuclear deal reached under the initiative of the Obama administration, its prede-cessor, the Trump administration withdrew from the deal a year ago and resumed sanctions.

In connection with the ban on importing Iranian crude oil, Wash-ington revoked waivers early this month that had allowed Japan and seven countries and regions to con-tinue importing Iranian crude oil. In response to Iran’s decision to halt the fulfillment of some obligations spec-ified in the nuclear deal, the Trump administration has put forth additional sanctions, including bans on transac-tions with Iran for materials such as iron, steel and copper.

It is understandable that Wash-ington has a sense of crisis regarding

the current situation, in which Iran is acting in Middle East conflicts in an attempt to weaken U.S. influence in the region. It is also true that there is room for improvement in the nuclear deal, including the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities, which are limited to 10 to 15 years.

But can Iran’s behavior be cor-rected by applying continued sanc-tions pressure alone?

Iran’s crude oil exports have declined sharply due to U.S. sanctions, placing its economy in a predicament. Discontent has been mounting domes-tically against the administration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, which has pursued a moderate policy line, while conservative hard-line ele-ments have been raising their voices. Given this, Iran’s softening of its stance cannot be expected.

Finding a solution to the problem will be difficult as long as there are those who believe Washington’s true aim is to change the current Iranian regime.

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, has been re-appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, as UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocate along with 16 influential public figures.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFIeditorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMEDm.salim@pen.com.qa

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI osman@pen.com.qa

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Global recognition

Widespread poverty, hunger, diseases in the world and lack of quality healthcare, schooling, gender inequality, and environmental degradation com-

pelled the world and pushed it to adopt Millennium Devel-opment Goals (MDGs) to mobilise the international com-munity to work together to achieve a set of key social pri-orities by 2015.

MDGs were followed by adoption of multiple goals and targets seen as a network under the Sustainable Devel-opment Goals (SDGs) which function as indicators for the international development for the period 2015–2030.

Thus the world through the UN platform created “tools to answer the questions posed by climate change, environ-mental pressure, poverty and inequality” according to the UN Secretary General, António Guterres.

But having these tools may not be enough to achieve the great agreements of 2015 – the 2030 agenda for SDG and challenges related to climate change. So what is need as Guterres articulated are “action, ambition and political will” and to build the momentum for transformative, inclusive development by 2030, global advocators are

needed to inspire cross-cutting mobilization of the global community.

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, has been re-appointed by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, as UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocate along with 16 influential public figures. The Advocates who represent the universal character of the SDGs are “committed to raising awareness, inspiring greater ambition, and pushing for faster action on the SDGs” to be achieved by 2030. H H has been selected for a second time to be an Advocate, in recognition of her leading role in providing quality education, youth empowerment, and human

development through her initiatives at the local and inter-national level

“The United Nations Secretary General has announced 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates for 2019-2020 - including Her Highness,” H H posted in her facebook account yesterday. Adding “United Nations Member States agreed to accomplish the SDGs by 2030. To build the momentum for transformative, inclusive devel-opment by 2030. H H and her fellow UN SDG Advocates will use their unique platforms and leadership to inspire and mobilise the global community to achieve the SDGs”.

H H is the Chairperson of Education Above All which is a successful multi-sector model for achieving universal access to quality education and sustainably accomplish all other SDGs.

“By joining forces to achieve our goals, we can turn hope into reality – leaving no one behind,” said Co-Chair of the SDG Advocates group, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway. On 24 and 25 September 2019, the first UN summit on the SDGs since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in Sep-tember 2015 will be held at the UN Headquarters for follow up and comprehensively review progress in the implemen-tation of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 (SDGs).

If the confidence of consumers, domestic businesses and foreign investors is to revive, it will need to focus more on the 93 percent of the economy that doesn’t involve digging rocks out of the ground. South Africa’s golden age is dead. Its people shouldn’t mourn that fact.

09SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019 OPINION

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Malaysia’s hopes of economic revival underMahathir fade

South Africa’s golden age is dead. Good riddance

JOSEPH SIPALAN & ROZANNA LATIFF REUTERS

A year ago, Malaysian land sur-veyor Muhammad Nur Aliff had high hopes that a shock election victory by 93-year-

old Mahathir Mohamad could be the catalyst for reform and revival in a

country hobbled by sky-high public debt and corruption.

But polls show that such optimism has been steadily eroded since the election upset, in which the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was removed from power for the first time in 60 years and replaced by Mahathir and the patchwork Pakatan Harapan coalition.

Mahathir, who inherited a debt-laden economy, has focused much of his administration’s attention on cleaning up public finances following a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal involving state fund 1MDB and former prime minister Najib Razak. Najib is facing charges but denies any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, deep divisions within the ruling coalition have curbed efforts to boost government revenue, attract investment or create jobs.

Support for the government fell to just 39 percent in March, sharply down from the 66 percent rating in August 2018, according to a survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center.

Mahathir also saw his popularity plunge to 46 percent from 71 percent over the same period, although he says he doesn’t put much faith in these numbers.

Worryingly for Mahathir, Merdeka Center said Malay Muslims, who make up around 60 percent of Malaysia’s 32 million people, were largely more critical of his administration.

Most of the poorest people in the country are Malay and for decades

they have been the beneficiaries of subsidies and other affirmative action policies pushed by UMNO.

Many in the majority community were also angered when Mahathir appointed an ethnic Chinese finance minister and an attorney-general from the Malaysian-Indian minority, and said cash handouts to Malays could be reduced.

Pledges to end the death penalty and rescind oppressive laws such as the colonial-era Sedition Act were also unpopular with traditionalists.

“Many young people placed a lot of hope in this new government, but we haven’t seen anything that we had hoped for,” said Aliff, 28, protesting in the capital last week with hundreds of other Malays.

“We want to ensure a better future for young people, especially young Malays.” Following protests by Malays and a series of by-election defeats for the ruling Pakatan coalition this year, many of these planned policies have been put on the backburner.

In recent months, Malaysia has rolled back efforts to abolish the death penalty and revoke repressive security laws, as well as reversed plans to ratify two UN human rights treaties, after pro-Malay groups raised objections.

But UMNO and members of the opposition Islamist party PAS have been quick to remind voters of what they describe as Mahathir’s failure to uphold Islam and protect Malay interests. “Pakatan is unpopular with the Malay-Muslim electorate,” said Adib Zalkalpi, a Malaysia director with political risk consultancy Bower Group Asia.

“UMNO and PAS have formed a credible opposition front to challenge the government by exploiting com-munal sentiments.” Reform ambi-tions are also hampered by fractures within Pakatan, a coalition of parties that was aligned in its goal of removing Najib and UMNO, but doesn’t seem to agree on much else. “Everyone is working in silos. Eve-ryone has a general idea of the problems we face but there really are no discussions going on,” said a senior government source, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the topic.

“We don’t have a common nar-rative to counter the opposition’s racial rhetoric.”

Mahathir says accusations the coa-lition is dysfunctional are false. “Our attention is directed at correcting all the mistakes of the previous gov-ernment. That has taken much of our time,” he told reporters on Thursday.

Business sentiment has cooled after initial optimism that followed Pakatan’s electoral win, due mainly to a lack of consensus on the way forward for the economy, according to an April survey of 250 businesses by Ipsos Business Consulting.

“The continued lack of clarity on economic policies may lead to increased level of anxiety among the businesses and further intensify the fear of an economic slowdown,” the firm said its report.

Investors in the survey also expressed concerns over currency fluctuations and slowing economic growth. The ringgit currency has slumped this year and stocks are underperforming regional rivals.

Malaysia has had to fill a revenue shortfall stemming from a populist measure to scrap a goods and services tax last year, while efforts to turn around struggling state entities that burden the treasury, including long-suffering Malaysia Airlines, have faltered.

In March, Malaysia’s central bank cut its 2019 economic growth forecast to 4.3-4.8 percent from 4.9 percent, on expectations of a significant drop in export expansion due to slowing global growth and the US-China trade war. On Tuesday, Bank Negara Malaysia became the first central bank in the region to cut its benchmark interest rate , in a move to support the country’s economy.

Mahathir has mended ties with China, reaching a cut-price $11 billion rail link deal, which is a welcome investment boost.

But with Malaysia’s debt-to-GDP ratio around 50 percent, public support waning and a unstable ruling coalition, it will become increasingly difficult for Mahathir to boost eco-nomic growth and win back disillu-sioned voters.

“With exports likely to remain in the doldrums, GDP growth in Malaysia looks set to slow to a post-financial crisis low this year. The gov-ernment’s recent policies will make the downturn even worse,” Capital Economics said in a research note on Wednesday.

BLOOMBERG

Even the richest mine even-tually runs out. That’s what’s happening in South Africa, where AngloGold Ashanti Ltd.

announced plans Thursday to dispose of its last remaining pit in the country, just as voters were heading to the polls for the sixth general election since the end of apartheid.

A transaction for the Mponeng mine southwest of the capital Johan-nesburg is unlikely to rock financial markets or cause a great political upset. While it’s still one of the world’s 10 biggest gold reserves, AngloGold will do well to get more for the pit than its $533 million carrying value at the end of 2018.

Even so, a sale (and the shift of AngloGold’s main listing to London or Toronto that would probably follow)

would mark a turning point for the country. As Felix Njini of Bloomberg News has detailed in multiple articles, the gold mining industry that built South Africa and produced about half of the yellow metal that’s ever been dug up seems now to be in terminal decline.

Despite ore containing almost 10 grams of gold per metric ton - an extraordinarily rich grade in an industry where levels one-tenth of that are considered decent - the chal-lenges of making money at Mponeng are immense. It’s the world’s deepest mine and the commute two miles down from the surface takes an hour, with ice and concrete pumped down to cool and stabilize the hot, under-pressure rocks. In common with other South African gold pits like Sibanye Gold Ltd.’s Driefontein and Gold Fields Ltd.’s South Deep - both

potential buyers of Mponeng, along with Harmony Gold Mining Co. - it’s on its last legs despite an illustrious history and theoretically rich reserves.

AngloGold and the Witwa-tersrand deposits these mines exploit are deeply bound up with the history of South Africa. It was a late 19th century gold rush that led to the founding of Johannesburg. Gold formed the original core of Anglo-Gold’s one-time parent Anglo American Plc, a conglomerate that at one time reached into so many corners of South Africa’s life that it was likened to an octopus. While Anglo American’s founding Oppen-heimer family and their successors were vocal opponents of apartheid, their empire was still built on the cheap black labor generated by that system.

Labor is still a decisive issue in South Africa’s gold mines. Workers last went on strike at Mponeng in 2012, but industrial action is a con-stant threat; courts blocked another attempted action in 2014. South Deep and Driefontein have both been crippled by strikes over the past year, and the latter is now being grad-ually closed down.

These fractious workplace rela-tionships aren’t so much the fault of refractory unions or exploitative bosses, as the inevitable outcome of poor geology. In most parts of the world, the biggest gold reserves are contained in open pits that can be dug from the surface with explosives, dra-gline excavators and 400-ton dump trucks - or at the very least, in under-ground mines that are developed only as a last resort when the surface pit is exhausted. In South Africa the biggest mines are entirely underground, where workers must drill the walls of sweltering tunnels to extract the ore lump by lump. That contributes to accident and fatality rates well above the industry average, as well as strikingly poor productivity. Harmony Gold uses almost three times as many

“With exports likely to remain in the doldrums, GDP growth in Malaysia looks set to slow to a post-financial crisis low this year. The government’s recent policies will make the downturn even worse,” Capital Economics said in a research note.

employees as Newmont Goldcorp Corp. to produce just one-fifth of its revenue. South Deep is arguably the richest gold deposit in the world, with 34 million troy ounces of contained metal, but Gold Fields loses several hundred dollars on every ounce it digs up.

No pay agreement or restruc-turing is likely to change the fact that comparative advantage in the global gold market lies with giant, lower-grade pits in Siberia, Nevada and the Pacific rim. As a result, labor and capital in South Africa are tussling over a profit pie that’s simply too small to feed them both adequately.

It’s tempting to see echoes of South Africa’s recent economic stagnation in the slow death of its century-long gold rush - but the country shouldn’t shed many tears over the decline of this dangerous, unprofitable business.

President Cyril Ram-aphosa looks to have a strengthened mandate to pursue economic reforms after the May 8 election. The onetime mine union leader and director of platinum producer Lonmin Plc will need to push South Africa down a less resource-intensive road if he’s to pull the country out of its economic funk. Pretax income from the mining industry only fitfully rises above its level of capital expend-iture, a sign that funds could be better deployed elsewhere.

If the confidence of consumers, domestic businesses and foreign investors is to revive, it will need to focus more on the 93 percent of the economy that doesn’t involve digging rocks out of the ground. South Africa’s golden age is dead. Its people shouldn’t mourn that fact.

59 constituencies in 7 Indian states go to polls today

IANS NEW DELHI

As campaigning for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections in 59 constituencies ended on Friday evening, over 10.17 crore voters across seven states will decide the fate of 979 candidates by casting their votes today.

Voting will take place for 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 in Haryana, eight seats each in West Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, seven in Delhi and four in Jharkhand.

Some key constituencies going to the polls today include Morena in Madhya Pradesh where BJP’s Narendra Singh Tomar is competing with Ram Niwas Rawat of the Congress.

Tomar, the Union Minister, has been shifted to Morena this elections by denying ticket to former MPs Anup Mishra and Ashok Argal. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s Anoop Mishra had contested against Congress’s Brindawan Singh Sikarwar and had defeated him by a margin of 132,981 votes.

Both Tomar and Rawat had gone up against each other in 2009 with Tomar emerging vic-torious with more than one lakh votes. By fielding Tomar again,

the BJP is hoping for a replay of the 2009 results.

Since 1996, Morena, the birthplace of former Prime Min-ister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has constantly voted for the BJP.

In Guna, Madhya Pradesh, Congress’s Jyotiraditya Scindia will take on BJP’s KP Yadav.Scindia is seeking another term from this parliamentary constit-uency which he has represented since 2002. Guna was one of the two seats in Madhya Pradesh which the Congress could manage to win in 2014 Lok Sabha election. The other was Chhindwara from where Kamal Nath was elected.

Yadav was a trusted lieu-tenant of Scindia till 2018. He

switched sides to the BJP earlier this year after the Congress denied him ticket for the bypoll.

In Bhopal, the contest is between Congress’s Digvijay Singh and BJP’s Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.

Utter Pradesh constituencies going to the polls today include

Sultanpur, Allahabad , Azamgarh.

Other key constituencies where election is being held to day include East Champaran in Bihar and Hisar, Sonipat and Rohtak in Hayrana.

The ruling BJP has the maximum at stake as it has to defend 45 of the 59 seats it won in 2014.

The Election Commission has

set up 1.13 lakh polling stations for the smooth conduct of elections.

In 2014, the BJP had won seven of the eight seats in Bihar, eight of 10 in Haryana, all four in Jharkhand, seven of eight in Madhya Pradesh and 12 of 14 in Uttar Pradesh. It had won all the seven seats in Delhi.

BJP’s allies Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Apna Dal had won one seat each. The Congress had won two seats while the Samajwadi Party and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) had won one seat apiece.

The Trinamool Congress had won all the eight seats going to the polls in the sixth phase in West Bengal.

A security official guards Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) at a polling material centre in Bhopal, India, yesterday.

IANS/NEW DELHI

The BJP yesterday slammed American news magazine Time, which featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the cover of its international edition dated May 10 with the headline “India’s Divider in Chief”, by saying the author of the article was a Paki-stani national. “The author (Aatish Taseer) is a Pakistani citizen who calls Modiji a divider and Rahul Gandhi tweets about it. What can we expect from Pakistan?” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here. Aatish Taseer is a British-born writer-journalist and the son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistani politician and businessman Salmaan Taseer. “Pakistan can not touch a hair of the Indian Army or Modi and that’s why it is trying to malign the Prime Minister’s image by writing such articles,” Patra said, adding that Modi was a unifier, not a divider.

IANS/NEW DELHI

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has told the Election Commission (EC) that he did not violate the Model Code of Conduct and asked it to maintain a fair, non-discriminatory and non-arbitrary attitude in dealing with complaints. The EC on May 1 had sent a show-cause notice to Rahul for his speech in Madhya Pradesh’s Sahadol on April 23 in which he alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has made a new rule under which the tribals can be shot at. Gandhi in response on Friday told the poll panel that his words, in Hindi, were used in a “free flow of a political speech” and there was no intention of “misleading, misrepresenting or stating false and non-existent facts”. “The Model Code of Conduct should not be construed in an over-expansive manner against the letter and spirit of the brooding omnipresence of the Indian Constitution,” he said. Claiming there was no violation of the poll code during his speech, the Congress President said he was targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies and programmes. He said his remarks were part of a political speech criticizing BJP’s “anti-tribal policies”. Rahul also requested the poll panel to dismiss the complaint against him and not initiate further action.

Malabar Group to provide jewellery to poor bridesTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Malabar Gold & Diamonds, one of the largest jewellery retailers globally with a strong retail network of 250 outlets spread across the globe, has announced “Brides of India Golden Heart” programme to provide jewellery as marriage assistance to poor brides.

The group has launched the programme in the presence of their brand ambassador Miss World 2017, Manushi Chhillar, at an event held in Marina Con-vention Centre, Kozhikode, Kerala, said a statement issued here.

Golden Heart programme is a free wedding ornament pro-gramme specially designed for women hailing from the eco-nomically weaker sections of the society. The programme is aimed at giving assistance to would be brides from the weaker section of the society. With the partici-pation of more people with social commitment, Malabar Group intends to make the programme a major social initiative.

Malabar Group Chairman M P Ahammed said: “We at Malabar Group believe that wedding eve is the noblest occasion. We do accept that with our contribution of 101 kilogrammes of gold, mar-riages of all the needy would be

brides cannot be solemnised. But, this is just the beginning. Therefore, anybody can chip in by contributing to this pro-gramme either in cash or gold. We could reach out to larger number of needy with such contribution.”

He said the group had firmed up plan to turn Malabar Gold & Diamonds as the number one gold jewellery retail chain in the world. The plan is already afoot with the opening of showrooms in the USA and other geogra-phies, he added.

The names of the needy can be registered with their consent

by the next kin or kith on the website of Malabar charitable trust who are leading the charity efforts of the group. The site address is w.w.w.malabarcharitabletrust.org. Among those who have registered deserving candidates will be given gold for the purpose of marriage. 101 kg of gold is being kept apart for this alone. Selected applicants may receive one sovereign to three sovereigns of gold for free according to criteria.

During the same event the group felicitated the winners of ‘Golden Girls’ competition organised for the college stu-dents in Kerala. Manushi Chhillar

gave away the awards to the winners. The prize money of Rs20,000 was distributed to 125 girl students who participated in the competition from all over Kerala. Besides gold medallion of 20 grammes each were dis-tributed to 5 selected participants.

IIM Kozhikode Director, Prof Debashis Chatterjee delivered the keynote address at the function. Malabar Gold & Dia-monds Managing Director India operations, O Asher welcomed the gathering while Times Group Vice-President Shaju kumar delivered the vote of thanks.

The initiative was launched in the presence of Malabar Gold & Diamonds Brand Ambassador Miss World 2017, Manushi Chhillar (fourth right), at an event in Kozhikode, Kerala, India.

The visitors walk past as they look at a large-scale sculpture of a killer whale made of single use plastic and 40,000 plastic bottle caps being displayed to raise awareness on ocean contamination at Elliot’s beach in Chennai, India, yesterday.

BJP-Trinamool workers clash in BengalIANS KOLKATA

Incidents of clashes between Trinamool Congress and BJP activists were reported from parts of West Bengal yesterday, a day before the penultimate phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Activists of the two parties clashed in East Midnapore dis-trict’s Egra after Trinamool sup-porters allegedly blocked state BJP President Dilip Ghosh’s convoy and agitated, accusing him of continuing the election campaign well after the deadline.

Local BJP leaders, however, claimed that Ghosh was returning after having lunch at a party activist’s house in the area.

Ghosh is contesting from the

Midnapore Lok Sabha seat against Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Member Manas Bhunia.

The incident took place two days after Ghosh’s car was attacked and vandalised by uni-dentified persons on its way back from the district Khejuri.

BJP leader and Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma was with Ghosh during that attack. A day before, Tri-namool Congress and the saffron party workers had clashed during a meeting of former IPS officer and BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh in West Bengal’s Paschim Midnapore district, police said.

The police said two Tri-namool workers were injured. But some unofficial sources said as many as 16 members

belonging to the either party were injured in the clash on Friday evening.

The former Superintendent of Police of Bengal’s Jhargram district is taking on Bengali film star-cum-MP Deepak (Dev) Adhikari of the Trinamool Con-gress in the Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency, which will go to polls on May 12.

“BJP workers along with Ghosh had gathered at a reli-gious place in Baikunthapur on Friday. They were distributing articles, like sari and caps, when Trinamool workers chased them and a clash broke out,” said a police officer.

An FIR had been lodged against unknown persons and the articles being distributed had been seized, the police said.

President, PM and FM mourn Deveshwar’s demise IANS DELHI/KOLKATA

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday led the nation in paying tributes to ITC Chairman YC Deveshwar who died in Gurugram earlier during the day.

K o v i n d d e s c r i b e d Deveshwar as a stalwart of Indian business and a builder of Indian brands. “Sad to hear of the passing (away) of Y.C. Deveshwar, a stalwart of Indian business and a builder of Indian brands. His emphasis on sus-tainability and the triple bot-tomline will remain ever influ-ential. My condolences to his family and colleagues in ITC and beyond,” the President said.

Prime Minister Modi recalled Deveshwar’s contribution to Indian industry. “His efforts helped ITC become a profes-sionally-run Indian company with a global footprint. Saddened by his demise. My thoughts are with his family, friends and the ITC group in this hour of grief,” Modi said in a tweet. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also expressed his sadness while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called Deveshwar “a giant in the corporate world.” “I have many memories of him as a distinguished captain of industry. Condolences to his family, his colleagues and his admirers,” she said in a tweet.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao recalled Deveshwar’s presence when the TS-IPass project was launched in Hyderabad in June 2015 and the way he extended his support to Telangana in that meeting for the industrial development in the state.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said in Deveshwar’s death Madhya Pradesh had lost a true friend. “Deeply shocked by the news of passing away of @ITCCorpCom Chairman Shri YC Deveshwar. Madhya Pradesh has lost a true friend & a brand ambassador. This is a personal loss for me,” he tweeted.

15 dead in Andhraroad crash

IANS AMARAVATI

As many as 15 people were killed and three others injured when a speeding bus crashed into a multi-utility vehicle (MUV) on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru national highway near Veldurthi in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh yesterday, police said.

The bus, on its way from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, col-lided with the vehicle coming from the opposite direction.

According to the police, to save a two-wheeler rider the bus driver hit the road divider and crashed into the MUV in the opposite lane. The victims hailed from the Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana and were returning to their village after attending an engagement ceremony.

While 13 people died on the spot, two succumbed at a hos-pital. Telangana CM K Chan-drashekhar Rao expressed shock over the loss of lives. He asked the district collector to ensure proper treatment to the injured admitted in Kurnool hospital. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed grief over the accident.

10 SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019ASIA

The Election Commission has set up 1.13 lakh polling stations for over 10.17 crore voters for the smooth conduct of elections.

‘Modi a unifier, not a divider’

Rahul denies poll code violation, urges fair treatment

Ocean contamination awareness

11SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019 ASIA

Gunmen attack luxury hotel in Gwadar; 1 deadREUTERS QUETTA, PAKISTAN

Three gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Pakistan’s southwestern port city of Gwadar yesterday, killing at least one guard and battling security forces inside, officials and the army said.

Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests had been evacuated from the five-star Pearl Conti-nental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was underway. He said there were reports of casualties, but did not give details.

The military said three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered.

Security forces had cor-doned off the area and cor-nered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in its

statement.Balochistan Liberation

Army, an outlawed militant group, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement.

Gwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60 billion China Pakistan Eco-nomic Corridor, which is itself part of China’s mammoth Belt and Road infrastructure project.

The hotel, located on a hillside near the port, is used by foreign guests, including Chinese project staff, but there were none in the building at the

time of the attack, Langove said. Pakistani officials have said the security forces were on alert for attacks during the fasting month of Ramadan, which began in early May.

Security across most of Pakistan has improved over recent years following a major crackdown after the country’s

worst attack, when some 150 people, most of them children, were killed in an attack on a school in the western city of Peshawar in 2014.

But Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, remains an exception and there have been several attacks this year, with at least 14 people killed last

month in an attack on buses travelling between the southern city of Karachi and Gwadar.

Yesterday’s incident follows a bombing this week that tar-geted police outside a major Sufi shrine in Lahore, in the north of Pakistan, that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20, officials said.

People watch from a road the five-star Pearl Continental hotel, located on a hill in the southwestern Pakistani city of Gwadar, yesterday.

Chinese accused of human trafficking in Pakistan remanded into custodyINTERNEWS LAHORE

A sessions court in Lahore yesterday remanded 11 Chinese nationals into the Federal Inves-tigation Agency’s (FIA) custody for two days.

The Chinese nationals are accused of operating an illegal human trafficking ring. During proceedings, two locals were also sent to jail on judicial remand till May 13.

The Chinese nationals main-tained their innocence, telling the court they had come to Pakistan for business. The 11 Chinese nationals were arrested by the FIA on Thursday from Lahore’s Johar Town.

According to FIA,

the suspects would approach marriage bureau agents who would take a commission from them and then have them married to Pakistani girls.

They were arrested in part of a crackdown by the FIA in several cities of Punjab in which several Chinese nationals accused of trapping Pakistani women into fake marriages have been arrested.

The Chinese Embassy has denied media reports that Pakistan women were being forced into prostitution or sale of human organs.

“According to investigations by the Ministry of Public Security of China, there is no forced pros-titution or sale of human organs for those Pakistani women who

stay in China after marriage with Chinese,” the embassy said in a statement.

The statement added that a few criminals would not be allowed to undermine China’s friendship with Pakistan and hurt friendly feelings between people of the two countries.

The FIA on Friday arrested Chinese and Pakistani couples from the Islamabad Airport.

According to the FIA, the arrested Chinese nationals appeared as married couples and were smuggling Pakistani girls to China. Two Chinese men and three Pakistani women were among those arrested.

The FIA further said the Chinese nationals were involved in organ trafficking.

Pakistan bans several charity organisations

ANATOLIA ISLAMABAD

Pakistan yesterday banned several charity organisations for their links with banned outfits in the country, an official statement said.

“The Ministry of Interior has proscribed 10 entities for being affiliated with Jamat-ud-Dawah, Falah-e-Insaniyat and Jaish-e-Muhammad groups,” the Ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, the organisations which have been banned by the gov-ernment are, Al-Anfal Trust, Idara-e-Khidmat Khalaq, Al-Dawat-ul-Irshad, Al-Hamd Trust, Mosque and Welfare Trust, Al-Madinah Foundation, Muaz-bin-Jabal Education Trust, Al-Eesar Foundation, Al-Rehmat Trust Organization and Al-Furqan Trust.

On March 5, Pakistan black-listed Jamat-ud-Dawah and its affiliated charity group Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation.

Since then, the government has also taken control of reli-gious seminaries in the north-eastern cites of Lahore and Bahawalpur claimed to have serve as the headquarters of Jamat-ud-Dawah and Jaish-e-Muhammad, which has been banned in Pakistan since 2002.

According to the ministry, Islamabad has also frozen the assets of dozens of banned groups and individuals across the country under a United Nations Security Council order.

In June last year, Pakistan was placed on a gray list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money-laun-dering watchdog, for “strategic deficiencies” in its anti-money laundering and counter-ter-r o r i s t f i n a n c i n g frameworks”.

In March this year, the FATF was called on Islamabad to move quickly in implementing its action plan to address its strategic deficiencies until the end of May 2019.

A Pakistani Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) official (left) and a policeman escort handcuffed Chinese nationals to a court, in Lahore yesterday.

Militants shoot dead female journalist in KabulAP KABUL

Unidentified gunmen shot and killed an adviser to the country’s parliament in the capital Kabul yesterday, an Afghan official said.

In eastern Ghazni province, at least seven children were killed when a roadside bomb exploded, according to a pro-vincial official.

Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said that Mena Mangal, a cultural adviser for the lower house of parliament and former TV pre-senter, was killed when she was on her way to work around 7:30am.

Rahimi said one or more assailants escaped from the scene. Kabul police have launched an investigation.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Kabul police said it was not

immediately clear whether the killing was a terror act or the result of a personal dispute. Both Islamic State group and Taliban militants regularly carry out attacks in the capital.

In eastern Ghazni province, at least seven children were killed when a roadside bomb exploded, said Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Noori said two other children were wounded in the blast that took place Saturday in Muqar district.

“All the children killed and wounded in the blast were between 5 and 14 years of age,” he said. No one claimed respon-sibility for the blast in Ghazni, but Noori blamed Taliban insur-gents who are active in the province, especially in Muqar district. Recently there has been an increase in security opera-tions targeting the insurgent group in the district.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli (right) reviewing the guard of honour with his Vietnamese counter-part Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, yesterday.

PTI govt to allocate Rs1.57trn for development next year INTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

The government of Pakistan has called a meeting of the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) on May 20 to approve a developmental portfolio of about Rs1.57 trillion for next fiscal year, about 10 per cent lower than current fiscal year.

A senior government official said that the Planning Com-mission was working on a federal Public Sector Devel-opment Programme (PSDP) of about Rs675 billion under an

indicative budget ceiling con-veyed by the Ministry of Finance.

The four provinces are together expected to come up with annual development pro-grammes (ADPs) of about Rs900bn. Officials said the federal PSDP for current year (2018-19) was originally approved at about Rs1.03tr which was later reduced to about Rs750bn.

In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, the gov-ernment has released about Rs564bn even though foreign financing for development

schemes has amounted to Rs186bn against a target of Rs144bn. They said the gov-ernment was trying to convene the APCC meeting on May 13 but many key requirements for development budget coordi-nation could not be completed because of overall lack of clarity on economic direction, particu-larly the talks with the Interna-tional Monetary Fund (IMF). Therefore, the APCC meeting has now been called on May 20.

Completion of ongoing projects particularly those under the China-Pakistan Economic

Corridor (CPEC), water sector and those nearing completion would be given top priority in the PSDP for 2019-20, they said.

Besides the finalisation of development plan for next fiscal year, the APCC would also be briefed on performance of the economy during the outgoing year that recorded the lowest growth rate in last nine years. Growing at 3.3pc rate, the GDP missed its growth target of 6.2pc by a wide margin.

The lacklustre performance was contributed by all the three major sectors of economy as none

of the agriculture, industry and services sectors could meet their output targets set for the year. Officials said the date for the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) had not been finalised yet. The NEC is the coun-try’s highest decision-making body on economic matters and led by the prime minister, it is comprised of four chief ministers and four federal ministers.

Minister for Planning, Devel-opment and Reform Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar has expressed commitment to accelerate imple-mentation of CPEC projects.

Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests had been evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel.

Nepal PM in Vietnam

Sri Lanka probes British bride’s deathAFP COLOMBO

The husband of a British bride who died on her honeymoon in Sri Lanka will be kept in the country at least until a formal hearing on the death is held on Wednesday, police said.

Khilan Chandaria is not under arrest or facing a charge, but has been stopped from leaving Sri Lanka since his wife Usheila Patel, 31, died on April 25. The bride died just six days after her wedding and two days after the couple checked into a hotel in the resort town of Galle, south of the capital Colombo.

The couple’s family has told British media that the new-lyweds had suffered severe food poisoning.

Chandaria, 33, was also taken ill. Police said an inquest hearing will be held on Wednesday when authorities expect toxicology reports ordered by a judicial medical officer. “Chief Magistrate Har-shana Kekunawela ordered the government analyst to provide all the necessary reports for the hearing on May 15,” a police official in Galle told AFP.

The court was holding Chandaria’s passport until the magistrate can rule on the cause of death, the police official added.

“At the moment, the mag-istrate has given an open verdict,” the officer said referring to term used when the cause and circumstances of a death are unclear. “The body is still in the custody of the judi-ciary and kept at the Karapitiya hospital morgue.”

12 SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019ASIA

North Korea urged toscrap N-weaponsAFP UNITED NATIONS

Seventy countries have urged North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and related programs, decrying the “undiminished threat” posed to world peace.

Signatories included the United States and South Korea, as well as nations in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe.

Russia and China, supporters of Pyongyang, did not sign the document drafted by France.

With two missile launches in a week, Pyongyang is walking a fine line between increasing pressure on the US and not derailing nuclear negotiations -- all while giving itself room to escalate, analysts say.

According to a diplomatic source, about 15 countries asked to sign on to the request for North Korean disarmament after the new missile firings.

The signatories “strongly deplore the grave and undimin-ished threat to regional and international peace and security posed by the ongoing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programmes that the Demo-cratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has developed,” the text said. “We encourage the DPRK to avoid any provocation,” it added. “We also call for the DPRK to continue discussions with the United States on

denuclearization.” Pyongyang fired two short-range missiles Thursday following an earlier drill on Saturday. The North had not launched any since November 2017, shortly before leader Kim Jong Un embarked on diplomatic overtures.

Kim declared an end to the testing of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles during rapid rapprochement last year.

Meanwhile, the US President Donald Trump has said North Korean missile launches over the past week had not affected his relationship with Kim Jong Un, in a change of course after initially expressing his dissatisfaction.

Pyongyang fired two short-range missiles on Thursday fol-lowing an earlier drill the pre-vious Saturday - the first in 18 months.

The North had not launched any missiles since November 2017, shortly before once reclusive Kim embarked on dip-lomatic overtures.

“I don’t consider that a breach of trust at all. And, you know, at some point I may. But at this point no,” Trump said in an interview with Politico.

A second summit between the two leaders in Hanoi in Feb-ruary ended without a deal after they failed to agree on what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in exchange for sanc-tions relief.

Indonesian police hunt inmates after mass prison breakAFP JAKARTA

More than 100 inmates escaped from an Indonesian jail on Sumatra island yesterday, police said, in the latest breakout to hit the country’s creaking prison system.

The prisoners fled the jail in Siak district on Sumatra island early in the morning after rioting and a fire broke out at the detention centre.

Footage on local TV stations

showed the facility engulfed in flames. Authorities launched a massive manhunt and 115 pris-oners had been recaptured by late morning, Riau province police chief Widodo Eko Pri-hastopo said.

Dozens of detainees from a prison population of more nearly 650 remained at large, he added.

“Police with assistance from the army and surrounding com-munity are still searching for the rest,” Prihastopo said.

The rioting was triggered

after guards beat several inmates who were caught using meth-amphetamine, police said.

Three detainees suffered stab wounds and a policeman was shot during the rioting, the local health office told AFP.

Jailbreaks are common in Indonesia, where inmates are often held in unsanitary condi-tions at overcrowded prisons.

There was a spate of brea-kouts in 2013, including one where about 150 prisoners escaped from a jail.

Indonesian soldiers from the Raider 112 infantry battalion transport a “rescued hostage” from a helicopter as they participate in an anti-terror drill in Banda Aceh, yesterday.

Hong Kong legislators brawl over extradition lawREUTERS HONG KONG

Scuffles broke out in Hong Kong’s legislature yesterday between pro-democracy lawmakers and those loyal to Beijing over a proposed extra-dition law that will extend Beijing’s powers over the China-ruled financial hub.

One person was taken to hospital.

The former British colony is trying to enact rules that would allow people accused of a crime, including foreigners, to be extra-dited from the city to countries without formal extradition agreements, including mainland China.

Opponents fear the law would erode rights and legal pro-tections in the free-wheeling financial hub that were guar-anteed when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Tempers boiled over when pro-democracy lawmakers and the pro-Beijing majority tried to hold separate hearings on the bill. The democrats say the pro-China lawmakers breached rules in forming their own committee to try and ram through the legislation.

Lawmakers clambered over

tables, cursed and piled into each other as security personnel tried to maintain order.

One pro-democracy law-maker, Gary Fan, fell heavily and had to be stretchered to hospital. Several pro-Beijing lawmakers also fell, one needing a sling for his arm.

“It’s a sad day for Hong

Kong,” said pro-establishment lawmaker Elizabeth Quat. “We laughed at (scuffles in) Taiwan’s legislature in the past, but Hong Kong’s is even worse.” The bill is the latest lightning rod for Hong Kong people worried about Beijing’s powers over the city that was promised a high degree of autonomy under a

“one country, two systems” formula when it returned to Chinese rule.

More than 130,000 oppo-nents of the bill marched against it two weeks ago, while several thousand gathered outside the legislature on Friday night to demand it be scrapped.

Even Hong Kong’s normally

conservative business community has expressed opposition. The International Chamber of Com-merce said the bill had “gross inadequacies”.

Hong Kong’s Bar Association has said the law lacks sufficient safeguards for fair trial in mainland China.

In the United States, a con-gressional commission said the law could extend China’s “coercive reach” and create serious risks for U.S. security and business interests in Hong Kong.

China rejected that saying Hong Kong affairs were an internal matter.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has insisted on the need for arrangements to extradite offenders to China and Taiwan, an island Beijing claims as its own, and other countries that do not have extradition treaties with the city.

37 rescued seal pups releasedAP BEIJING

Animal rights groups yesterday cheered the release of 37 spotted seal pups rescued from traffickers into the wild in northern China in a small victory for efforts to save the country’s endangered species.

Humane Society Interna-tional said the pups were dis-covered three months ago by police in a shed in a remote coastal farm in the northern Chinese city of Dalian, many of them starving and dying. Eight suspects were arrested in the operation. The society’s Chinese partner, VShine, sent a repre-sentative to participate in the release by the Dalian author-ities. It said the pups had been taken from the wild by traf-fickers for the aquarium industry and for display in aquariums, shops and restaurants.

Pro-democracy lawmakers clash with pro-Beijing lawmakers during a meeting to consider the controversial extradition bill, in Hong Kong, China, yesterday.

Rights groups demand answers on missing Thai activistsAFP BANGKOK

Three Thai activists in exile and accused of insulting the coun-try’s powerful monarchy have gone missing, rights groups and a family member said yesterday, as demands mount for answers on their wherea-bouts.

The activists, Chucheep Chiwasut, who broadcasts political commentary online, and two colleagues, Siam Theerawut and Kritsana Tupthai, were arrested in Vietnam early this year and sent back to Thailand this week, according to rights groups.

The mother of Siam, 34, said he was last heard from a few months ago.

“He said he is fine, and talked about what he has eaten and places he has visited, but did not say where he was,” Kanya Theerawut told AFP, adding she had visited police this week but was told there was no information available.

“I want to know where my son is,” she said.

A senior official with Thai-land’s special branch police confirmed the three men were in Vietnam but had no infor-mation about the arrests.

Thailand’s deputy prime minister denied they were in Thai custody on Friday.

Scores of dissidents, aca-demics and pro-democracy activists have been pressed into self-exile since the junta seized power in a 2014 coup, in what analysts say is one of the biggest waves of political flight in Thai-land’s troubled recent history.

The majority fled to neigh-bouring Laos and Cambodia to avoid charges and jail terms.

But Chucheep, Siam and Kritsana moved from Laos fol-lowing the disappearance of three other dissidents who had also sought shelter there.

Two of those men were found in late December in the Mekong river with concrete stuffed into their stomachs. The government has denied any responsibility. Prosecutions under Thailand’s lese-majeste law, which carries penalties of up to 15 years for insulting the wealthy monarchy, soared after the junta took over. But activists say the military has also stepped up its pursuit abroad. “The long arm of repression also reaches across the border as exiled dis-sidents have been pursued”, said Sunai Phasuk, senior Thai expert for Human Rights Watch.

“Nowhere is safe.” Amnesty International has called on the Thai government to provide answers. Lese-majeste prose-cutions within the country have fallen since newly-crowned Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne in 2016.

Workers demolish the former US embassy in Beijing, yesterday. The former embassy is being demolished, 20 years after it was attacked by Chinese protestors on May 8, 1999. The protests came a day after US forces struck the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during a Nato bombing campaign, killing three Chinese journalists.

Australia’s Dutton goes AWOLamid tight election battleAFP BRISBANE

Australia’s conservatives control the ruling Liberal Party and occupy key positions in government, but a week out from tight elections their talisman has gone into hiding and the movement is on the back foot.

Unsmiling, uncompromising and polarising, 48-year-old former policeman and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was front and centre of Aus-tralian politics, until now.

Amid a closely fought election battle that the oppo-sition Labor Party is on track to win, Dutton - the darling of hard-right Liberals - has all but disappeared from the national view and is fighting to save his seat in parliament.

It is just one sign of how dif-ficult the terrain has become for Australia’s mainstream

conservatives, stuck between moderates moving to the left and a globally inspired populist movement. For much of the last year, Dutton’s faction in the ruling Liberal-National coalition had been in the ascendency.

Buoyed by the success of pol-iticians like Donald Trump they ousted moderate prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in a party coup, tightened their grip on immi-gration policy and took control of Australia’s domestic spy agency. Dutton had carried himself with a swagger, unflinchingly espousing strident views and defending Australia’s policies of sending asylum seekers to remote Pacific camps. He boycotted a national apology to indigenous children taken from their families, joked with climate-hit Pacific Islanders about “water lapping at your door”, and told business leaders to “stick to their knitting” when they supported same-sex marriage.

Opponents fear the proposed law would erode rights and legal protections that were guaranteed when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Former US Embassy demolished in Beijing

13SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019 EUROPE

‘UK’s May expected to clarify resignation timetable’AFP LONDON

British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to set out her departure plans within days, the leader of backbench lawmakers in her governing Conservative Party said yesterday.

Graham Brady, who chairs the 1922 Committee of rank-and-file Conservative MPs, said he expected May to provide clarity on her exit timetable at a meeting with him on Wednesday.

He also said he thought talks between the government and the Labour main opposition on a

compromise Brexit deal will flounder within days.

“I find it very hard to see how that route can lead to any sen-sible resolution,” Brady said.

Labour is pressing for closer customs alignment with the European Union post-Brexit.

“If the customs union is agreed without a second refer-endum then half the Labour Party won’t vote for whatever comes through regardless, and if a customs union is agreed then most of the Conservative Party

isn’t going to support it,” said Brady.

“So, I can’t see that is a very productive route to follow, and I may be wrong, but I suspect it will peter out in the next few days without having come to any significant conclusion.”

May has said she will step aside once a Brexit deal has been passed by parliament.

But the clamour for her to go sooner increased after the May 2 English local elections.

The Conservatives lost

control of several local author-ities and well over a thousand seats, performing far worse than even the gloomiest predictions as voters vented their frustration over the Brexit impasse.

May has agreed to meet Brady on Wednesday over her resignation plans.

“The 1922 executive has asked her to give that clarity. She has offered to come and meet the executive, which we’ve accepted,” Brady said. “It would be strange for that not to result

in a clear understanding at the end of the meeting.

“We have asked the question and she is coming, I assume, to answer it.”

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson is the bookmakers’ favourite to become the next Conservative leader, and therefore prime minister.

Bookies have him ahead of former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and then Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

London mayor under police protection after threatsANATOLIA LONDON

The mayor of London has been put under 24-hour police protection following repeated abuse and threats on social media.

Sadiq Khan, who defeated the Tory Zac Goldsmith to become mayor in 2016, has said that the intensity of abuse has risen exponentially since the 2016 Brexit referendum.

“I will not be cowed or bullied by these people, but you can’t escape the fact that those

close to me are worried,” Khan said in an interview with the Guardian.

“It can’t be right that one of the consequences of me being the mayor of London and a Muslim in public life is that I have police protection,” he added.

Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a global city who also cam-paigned to remain in the EU, said that the referendum campaign three years ago allowed “things” to come to the surface and nor-malised certain behaviours and ideas that shouldn’t be normalised.

The London mayor also warned that such threats, if left unchallenged, could lead to vio-lence and gave the example of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox who was shot and stabbed by a far-right terrorist prior to the referendum.

“What sort of message does it send to my children’s gener-ation who want to get into pol-itics?” Khan said.

In recent months, a large number of MPs have reportedly received death threats and abuse following their public stance against Brexit. These threats

have been received online and in person.

Former Tory MP Anna Soubry was harassed and ver-bally abused by far-right indi-viduals outside the houses of the parliament. Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said he was attacked and called a “traitor” while talking to his constituents.

Jess Phillips, another Labour MP, has met with the electoral commission to create a code of conduct for parliamentary can-didates and would ban people from issuing death threats.

Graham Brady also said he thought talks between the government and the Labour main opposition on a compromise Brexit deal will flounder within days.

Russia’s oldest man dead at 123ANATOLIA MOSCOW

Russia’s oldest man, Appaz Iliev, has passed away at the age of 123, the country’s state-run news agency TASS reported.

Iliev, who lived long enough to see his great grandchildren, slipped into a coma and died in the intensive care unit of a hos-pital in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia.

Yunus-bek Yevkurov, pres-ident of the Republic of Ingushetia, said earlier that offi-cials had appealed to the authorities to declare Iliev —born on March 1, 1896 — the oldest man alive.

Simon Armitage is Britain’s new Poet LaureateAP LONDON

Simon Armitage has been named the UK’s new Poet Laureate, succeeding Carol Ann Duffy in the 10-year post.

Queen Elizabeth II has approved the appointment, Britain’s highest literary honour. It dates back to the 17th century, and previous laureates have included John Dryden, William Wordsworth and Ted Hughes.

It is up to the poet to decide whether or not to produce poetry for national and royal occasions.

Armitage, a professor of poetry at the University of Leeds, has published 28 collec-tions of poetry and his work is studied by British school-children as part of the national curriculum.

Freed French hostages in Burkina Faso back homeAFP PARIS

Three hostages freed in Burkina Faso in a special forces raid in which two French soldiers died yesterday arrived in France to be greeted by President Emmanuel Macron.

The president and other top officials greeted Frenchmen Patrick Picque, 51, and Laurent Lassimouillas, 46, and a South Korean woman as they disem-barked from the plane sent to fetch them at Villacourblay mil-itary airport southwest of Paris.

A South Korean embassy official was present to greet the unnamed third hostage. An American female hostage also freed in the nighttime rescue on Thursday was handed over to US officials in Burkina Faso.

Addressing reporters at the airport yesterday, Lassimouillas admitted that he and Picque should have heeded the French foreign ministry’s advice to avoid risky areas of Benin.

“We certainly should have better taken into account the government’s advice as well as the complexities of Africa. Our first thoughts go to the families of the soldiers who freed us.”

The two women were

discovered during the raid and had apparently had been held by the captors for a month.

Macron has announced plans for a national tribute on Tuesday to the soldiers, Cedric de Pierrepont and Alain Berton-cello, members of the elite Hubert squad of the French navy’s special forces who carried out the raid.

The rescue operation came after security forces tracked the kidnappers across the semi-desert expanses of Burkina Faso to a camp on the border with Mali.

Officials feared the hostages were about to be handed over to the Macina Liberation Front (FLM), a jihadist group formed in 2015 that is aligned with Al Qaeda in the region, which would have greatly reduced the chances of a rescue.

“Macron’s decision to meet the hostages goes hand in hand with his decision to honour the soldiers,” the Elysee official said.

“Macron is president of all French citizens, even those who do reckless acts,” he said.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Picque and Lassi-mouillas, who were seized on May 1, were in an area of Benin that France has long advised travellers to avoid.

Italy’s deputy PM seeks stronger power over control of the seaBLOOMBERG ROME

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini (pictured) is taking his next political battle out to sea after suffering a defeat by government coalition partner Five Star Movement this week.

Salvini, the leader of the League party, submitted a pro-posal for a legal decree to switch powers over the movement of vessels within the nation’s maritime territory from the transportation ministry to the interior ministry that he heads. The transportation min-istry is led by Five Star’s Danilo Toninelli.

The plan was immediately rejected by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Five Star’s leader Luigi Di Maio dubbed it a “provocation,” according to newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The issue is likely to further intensify tensions within the populist coalition, which in recent days has been fighting over the removal of League adviser Armando Siri for alleged corruption and taxes.

Conte, who doesn’t belong to either party but was pro-moted by Five Star, has been acting as a mediator between Salvini and Di Maio for most of his 11 months in power. But this week he has been taking the side of Five Star, calling for the resignation of Siri, and siding with Di Maio on tussles over migration.

French ‘yellow vests’ weaker but still going at six-month markBLOOMBERG PARIS

France’s ‘Yellow Vest’ demon-strations drew a lower turnout and drifted away from Paris to smaller cities yesterday, suggesting the movement is weakening as it hits the six-month mark.

Police estimated 18,600 people took to the streets around France, including 1,200 in the capital, on the movement’s 26th Saturday of protests, a report said, citing the interior ministry.

Last Saturday, police counted fewer than 19,000 protesters nationwide, already the lowest turnout since November.

The ‘Yellow Vests’, a decen-tralised movement that began in opposition to higher gasoline taxes, has expanded its list of grievances to include demands for a higher minimum wage and increased pensions.

President Emmanuel Macron

last month promised tax cuts for the middle class in an effort to calm the protesters. Still, a poll on Tuesday found that 47% of the French support the Yellow Vests, up 3 points from 10 days earlier.

Turnout at the protests, and the level of violence, has waxed and waned depending on the weekend.

Some Saturdays have led to shocking footage of street battles between protesters and police, the ransacking of the Arc de Tri-omphe and looting of shops and restaurants.

On others, the events unfold with little violence. Masked anar-chist protesters known as Black Blocs have joined in the demonstrations.

In Paris yesterday, hundreds assembled midday south of the Seine river, in the student-packed neighbourhood sur-rounding the Jussieu university campus.

While demonstrations in the French capital remained

orderly, Lyon and Nantes were rowdier at times as some pro-testers threw objects at police officers.

As long as the unrest

continues, Macron faces a looming political test.

His Republic on the Move Party narrowly trails the far-right National Rally party of

Marine Le Pen in the European Union parliamentary elections on May 26, according to a Harris Interactive poll published yesterday.

Albania’s oppn supporters clash with policeAP TIRANA

Thousands of supporters of the Albania’s centre-right opposition protested in Tirana yesterday, calling for the left-wing government to resign and for an early parliamentary election. The protesters clashed with police at several points and reporters saw some people injured.

The protest began in front of the main government building

at Tirana’s Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard. Flares, firecrackers and other projectiles were thrown.

Police used tear gas when a group of protesters broke the police cordon and headed for the building’s entrance.

After two hours, opposition leaders led the protesters, in smaller numbers, to the par-liament building, where they continued to throw firecrackers. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons, quickly

clearing the main entrance area.Ambulances were seen

taking injured protesters away but there was no immediate information on numbers of casualties.

President Ilir Meta called on protesters “to avoid acts of vio-lence and confrontation.”

The opposition accuses Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Cabinet of being corrupt and linked to organised crime, which the government denies.

Supporters of the opposition party taking part in anti-government protest in front of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office, in Tirana, Albania, yesterday.

Protesters holding a French flag take part in an anti-government demonstration called by the “Yellow Vest” (Gilets Jaunes) movement in Lyon, central-eastern France, yesterday.

14 SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019AMERICAS

Pentagon eyes longer-term support on border

Brazil President ordered to explain gun decreeAP RIO DE JANEIRO

A Brazilian supreme court judge said President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured) and his Justice Ministry had five days to respond to opposition assertions that a recently passed gun decree was unconstitutional.

The decree presented on May 7 widely loosens the country’s strict gun laws by expanding the ability of Brazilians to sell, access and carry firearms, in a move that some critics have qualified as “the most devastating gun reform” in decades.

Igarape, a Brazilian think -tank, said this “death decree”

considerably increases the number of people that could carry firearms without prior authorization from the federal police, further increasing vio-lence in the world’s leader in total annual homicides.

A day after Bolsonaro signed his decree, surrounded by sup-porting lawmakers who made finger-gun gestures with their hands, the Sustainability Network party filed a petition with the Supreme Federal Tribunal.

In the document, the political party argues the decree consti-tutes an “abuse of regulatory power by the executive” and that it should have been passed by Congress. They say the Brazilian Constitution stipulates that it is for Congress to legislate on the possession, carrying and regis-tering of firearms.

The decree’s measures “clearly go against the spirit of

the Disarmament Statute,” the Sustainability Network party wrote, referring to the existing 2003 law on firearms.

Among the decree’s major changes, is the increase in the quantity of ammunitions available to gun owners. Under the new rules, they can buy between 1,000 and 5,000 rounds of ammunition a year, depending on their licenses, up from just 50 rounds.

Brazilians can now own up to four guns without requiring formal clearance from author-ities and also have access to higher calibres, so far restricted to trained members of the armed forces, Igarape said.

REUTERS MCALLEN

Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan made his second trip to the US-Mexico border yesterday as the Pentagon looks to develop a longer-term plan to support President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Shanahan traveled to McAllen, Texas, to meet with offi-cials and visit a migrant processing facility and Border Patrol station, two days after the White House announced Trump’s intention to nominate the former Boeing Co executive as defence secretary.

“We’re not going to leave until the border is secure,” Shanahan told about two dozen border patrol officials as hun-dreds of detained migrants waited in tents to be processed.

Shanahan was accompanied by another acting secretary, Kevin McAleenan, who leads the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a shake-up instigated by Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies

have not stemmed a rising tide of migrants.

On Friday, the Pentagon said Shanahan approved the transfer of $1.5bn to build more than 130km of barriers on the border, part of a patchwork project after Trump failed to secure funding from Congress for a complete border wall.

Trump has been eager to have the US military play a larger role on the border and, despite some criticism from lawmakers, Pentagon officials say they are looking to create a long-term plan for assistance.

Shanahan told a small group

of reporters travelling with him that military assistance would not continue “indefinitely,” but that it would be in place longer than months.

Pentagon has tapped a two-star Army general to work with DHS to look at what military support will be needed in the future. Shanahan said he expected a plan from the general in the next few weeks.

“(It is about) getting us out of this à la carte tasking where, ‘Hey, we need 50 guys to do this, 50 guys to do that,’” a senior defence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said the idea was to look out over a time line of at least two years.

The official added that the Pentagon is reviewing a recent request from DHS to provide housing for detained migrants.

“What we’re hopeful to do is have, in fairly short order for the secretary of Homeland Security, a much more predictable, com-prehensive plan for the next couple of years,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

General Joseph Dunford, said earlier this week.

There are currently about 4,500 US service members on the border, and they are authoriSed to be there until

through September.The decision to transfer the

$1.5bn for border funding came on top of a March transfer of $1bn in military money to fund the wall, which Democratic law-

makers criticised sharply.Lawmakers have hinted they

may respond by putting new restrictions on the Pentagon’s authority to move money around.

Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan is seen at the McAllen border patrol station, where he will meet with Department of Homeland Security officials, in McAllen, Texas, yesterday.

The defence official added that the Pentagon is reviewing a recent request from DHS to provide housing for detained migrants.

Trump says voters don’t care about his personal tax returnsAP WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump is scoffing at Democrats’ attempts to pry loose his tax returns, saying his refusal to release the records as a candidate didn’t hurt him in 2016 and voters “didn’t care” about the issue.

A leading House Democrat has issued subpoenas for six years of Trump’s tax documents and given Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Com-missioner Charles Rettig a deadline of this coming on Friday to deliver them.

Trump has privately made clear he has no intention of turning over the much-coveted material. He is the first president since Watergate to decline to make his returns public, often claiming that he would release them if he were not under audit.

The subpoenas came from Rep Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, on Friday, days after Mnuchin refused to comply with demands to turn over Trump’s returns. Mnuchin said the com-mittee’s request “lacks a legit-imate legislative purpose,” as Supreme Court precedent requires.

Neal, D-Mass., reminded the two Trump appointees in a letter that federal law states that the

IRS “shall furnish” the tax returns of any individual upon the request of the chairmen of Congress’ tax-writing com-mittees and that his committee “has never been denied” a request.

Trump tweeted on Saturday that he won in 2016 “partially based on no Tax Returns while I am under audit (which I still am), and the voters didn’t care. Now the Radical Left Democrats want to again relitigate this matter. Make it a part of the 2020 Election!”

The White House and the Democratic-controlled House are battling over investigations into Trump, and the adminis-tration has refused to comply with subpoenas for the unre-dacted report by special counsel Robert Mueller and documents related to the testimony by former White House counsel Donald McGahn.

If Mnuchin and Rettig fail to heed the latest demand from Neal, he is likely to sue in federal court.

Neal, who first demanded access to Trump’s tax returns in early April, maintains that the committee is looking into the effectiveness of IRS mandatory audits of tax returns of all sitting presidents — a way to justify his claim that the committee has a potential legislative purpose.

US to send Patriot missile battery to MideastANATOLIA WASHINGTON

US Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan authorised the deployment of a Patriot missile battery and a Navy amphibious transport dock ship to the Middle East, citing intel-ligence concerning threats from Iran.

The Pentagon said the deployment was “in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against US forces and our interests”.

It follows the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a

bomber task force to the region earlier this week.

Washington’s move is the latest in a series of actions designed to exert pressure on Iran.

While it previously used economic pressure, the US is now militarily threatening Tehran with new deployments to the Central Command region.

The US administration re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports in November after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal between Tehran, Washington and five other countries.

The administration has also

ended sanctions waivers for countries buying Iranian oil.

“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend US forces and interests in the region,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Patriot missile system is a long-range missile defence system aimed at countering tac-tical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft, while the USS Arlington is a navy ship that transports marines, amphibious vehicles, conventional landing craft and aircraft that have the capabil-ities to support an amphibious assault.

Sentenced for scams, fake heiress not sorry ‘for anything’

AP NEW YORK

A German con artist who was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison for swindling banks, hotels and wealthy New Yorkers said she’s not sorry for anything she did.

“The thing is, I’m not sorry,” Anna Sorokin told The New York Times in a jailhouse interview. “I’d be lying to you and to everyone else and to myself if I said I was sorry for anything. I regret the way I went about certain things.”

Prosecutors said Sorokin, a 28-year-old who was born in Russia, used a fake identity as a German heiress named Anna Delvey to scam victims out of more than $200,000.

They said she defrauded financial institutions and socialites into believing she had a fortune of $67m. They said her ruse included an application for a $22m loan to fund a private arts club, complete with exhi-bitions, installations and pop-up shops. She was denied that loan but persuaded one bank to lend her $100,000 that she failed to repay.

Sorokin was convicted last month on multiple counts of larceny and theft and has been in custody since her October 2017 arrest. Her sentencing on Thursday capped a spectacular case that drew international attention and tabloid headlines.

US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has said it will seek to deport Sorokin to Germany following her release from state prison.

Sorokin apologised “for the mistakes I made” at her sen-tencing Thursday, but she struck a different tone in two interviews with the Times.

Oppn seeks US military help on Venezuela’s political crisisREUTERS CARACAS

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said yesterday that he has asked his envoy to the United States to meet with Pentagon officials to “cooperate” on a solution to the South American country’s political crisis.

Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, added he had received word from China that the country would join a diplomatic effort between European and Latin American countries, known as the International Contact Group on Venezuela, to negotiate an end to the crisis.

In January, Guaido invoked the OPEC nation’s constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing President Nicolas Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.

He has been recognised by most Western and Latin American countries, but Maduro has retained the support of allies China, Russia and Cuba.

Guaido’s effort to oust Maduro so he can take power and call new elections has stalled in recent weeks, after an attempted military uprising on April 30 was put down.

Guaido told an Italian news-paper this week that he would

“probably” accept a USmilitary intervention if the United States proposed it.

“We have instructed our ambassador Carlos Vecchio to meet immediately ... with the Southern Command and its admiral to establish a direct

relationship,” Guaido said at a rally in Caracas yes-terday. “We have said from the beginning that we will use all the resources at our disposal to build pressure.”

Representatives of the US Southern Command and Vecchio did not imme-diately respond to requests for comment. Trump administration officials have repeatedly said that “all options are on the table” to oust Maduro, who calls Guaido a US puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.

The Southern Command said in a tweet on Thursday that it was prepared to discuss “how we can support the future role” of Venezuelan armed forces leaders who

“restore constitutional order,” when invited by Guaido.

Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Defense Minister Vladimir

Padrino separately said yes-terday that a US Coast Guard ship had entered Venezuelan terri-torial waters, which he said “we will not accept.”

A Southern Command spokesman had said on Friday that a US Coast Guard vessel was conducting a “counterdrug detection and monitoring mission” in “international waters” in the Caribbean Sea on May 9.

Guaido was speaking at a rally in support of opposition lawmakers who have been arrested, taken refuge at foreign embassies in Caracas, and been threatened in recent days amid a broad crackdown by Maduro against congress after the April 30 uprising.

Most Latin American coun-tries, as well as the European Union, have expressed oppo-sition to potential military inter-vention in Venezuela.

EU foreign policy chief Fed-erica Mogherini said last week the contact group is prepared to begin a “mission at the political level” in Caracas.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country’s rightful interim ruler, taking part in a rally against the government of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, yesterday.

15SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019 HOME

QCDC celebrates completion of firstedition of Career Readiness ProgramTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), a member of Qatar Foun-dation (QF), has wrapped up the first edition of its Career Readiness Program, which aims to enhance the delivery of career guidance services to students with mild to moderate learning challenges from Awsaj Academy, also a member of QF.

Adapting the best interna-tional career guidance models into the local context, the program bol-sters the confidence of students, creating more opportunities to grow their skills and help them make informed choices about their professional future. It also attempts to establish effective local career eco-systems and reshape society’s approach to edu-cation and learning.

At the same time, the program tackles three key challenges, the first of which is assuring families their child’s education is leading to a valued outcome. The second challenge is to bring awareness to the larger community about bar-riers students are facing and how these can be lifted. A third chal-lenge that will be further addressed in the next academic year is to educate employers on how to integrate the concerned population in their operations.

During a ceremony held recently at Awsaj Academy in Education City to celebrate the

completion of the program, stu-dents shared their journey with parents, counsellors, and members of both QCDC and Awsaj Academy.

Abdulla Al Mansoori, Director, QCDC, said: “The Career Read-iness Program represents more than just another career guidance-related project. It is an important initiative that reflects our strong commitment along with our partners to empowering all seg-ments of society to make a mean-ingful contribution to the advancement of Qatar National Vision 2030.”

Mark Hughes, Director, Awsaj Academy, said: “Our objective is to support our students on func-tional, social, and academic levels with programs that prepare them for beyond school, college, or career pathways. At Awsaj Academy, our students receive support in outlined areas, and col-laborating with QCDC during the Career Readiness Program helps make services available for our students with an emphasis of

meeting diverse learning needs. As we integrate students back into the community, they are equipped with a combination of academics and functional skills aligned with their personal capabilities and professional interests.”

The Career Readiness Program was piloted last year within the framework of a Mem-orandum of Understanding signed between QCDC and Awsaj Academy.

The program featured weekly cross-structural interventions and project-based learning activities that have been integrated in the school’s curriculums. Activities included workshops, motivational talks by Qatari entrepreneurs, field trips to different industries, vol-unteering opportunities, and social responsibility projects that high-light the ethical values of the Qatari society, and connects the larger community with students.

The officials with a student at the QCDC’s Career Readiness Program.

Qatar National Library challenges youth in ‘Ramadan Word Search’ event THE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar National Library presented a ‘Ramadan Word Search Challenge’ for young adults aged 12–18 recently, the first event in a series to be held throughout the month.

P a r t i c i p a n t s w e r e encouraged to test their knowledge on various aspects of Ramadan during the fast-paced word search. The event was held in the spirit of friendly competition and, in keeping with Islamic tradition, encouraged youth to socialize

with each other.During May, which has also

seen the start of the holy month of Ramadan, the Library’s rich program of events, exhibitions and talks is focusing on the theme of faith.

Virgilio JR Medina, Infor-mation Services Librarian at the

Library, said: “The Library encourages youth from our community to learn and be reminded of important aspects of Ramadan through a fun experience.

During the Holy Month, the Library also presents many other such opportunities for everyone to visit the Library and spend time with fellow visitors and engage in useful conversations.”

Y o u n g a d u l t s a r e encouraged to take part in the next ‘Ramadan Word Search Challenge’, which takes place at the Library on May 11, 16, 18, 23 and May 25.

The visitors at Qatar National Library.

WISE opens applications for Learners’ Voice ProgramTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initi-ative of Qatar Foundation, has opened applications for its 2019 Learners’ Voice program. Students aged 16-21 from diverse backgrounds and disci-plines are encouraged to join the international Learners’ Voice community and engage in global dialogue on pressing issues in education.

The revised WISE Learners’ Voice program brings the voice of young people to the chal-lenge of rethinking education and equips them to take active roles in the world of education, while creating a youth com-munity interested in shaping the future of education.

Dr Ameena Hussain, Director of Content and Pro-grams, WISE, said, “We believe young people have the capacity to shape and bring their ideas to life for a better future. The Learners’ Voice is a unique opportunity for young people to meet experts and practi-tioners in this space and expe-rience some of the pressing challenges facing education today.”

The 2019 Learners’ Voice program serves as a unique opportunity for motivated young people to join peers from around the world to voice their collective aspirations for edu-cation. Through interactive

workshops, experiential ses-sions, and creative exercises, WISE Learners will gain the skills and mindsets required to contribute to designing the future of education.

The Learners’ Voice Program was established in 2010 to engage the views and creative energies of young people in shaping the future of education. The current Learners’ Voice community comprises over 180 Learners

from more than 60 countries, who represent diverse back-grounds and disciplines but share a passion for education, and collectively represent a unique perspective within the WISE community.

The global call for applica-tions is now open and will run until 1pm GMT on September 7. Schools, universities, and the wider community are invited to encourage potential Learners to apply.

The 2019 Learners’ Voice program serves as a unique opportunity for motivated young people to join peers from around the world to voice their collective aspirations for education.

NU-Q survey details changing attitudes in the Middle EastTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Northwestern University in Qatar’s sixth annual Media Use in the Middle East survey found that majorities of nationals in most of the countries surveyed generally support online freedom of expression and there has been an increase in the percentage of nationals who feel that film and TV content from the US/Hollywood is good for morality.

“NU-Q’s Media Use in the Middle East 2018: A Seven-Nation Survey is a compre-hensive resource for scholars, as well as business, government and other thought leaders seeking to better understand and engage with the region,” said Everette E Dennis, dean and CEO of NU-Q. “Since 2013, NU-Q has selected six to eight countries to approximate a reasonable rep-resentation of public opinion on media use and related topics in a turbulent and complex region.

Six years of feedback sug-gests that our research has gen-erated useful and discerning findings.”

The participating countries — Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Tunisia, UAE, and Saudi Arabia — represent a cultural and geopolitical cross-section of the Mena region.

The 155-page report, pub-lished in English and Arabic, offers chapters covering cultural attitudes, censorship and digital privacy, media use by platform, online and social media, film, TV, music and podcasts, games, sports, and news, as well as one section focusing just on Qatar.

In addition to charts and summaries, the report also fea-tures guest commentary from such experts as the University of Maryland’s Shibley Telhami, Rice University’s Kristian Ulrichsen, Al Jazeera English’s Leah Harding, the Doha Film Institute’s Fatma Al Remaihi, the Annenberg School for Com-munication’s Marwan M Kraidy, Al Fanar Media’s Ursula Lindsey, the University of Essex’s Fatima el Issawi, Geor-getown University in Qatar’s Mohamed Zayani and Mehran Kamrava, and NU-Q’s Eric Espig and Craig LaMay.

The sixth annual media use survey was conducted face-to-face (phone in Qatar) among 7,635 respondents across seven countries. The survey was conducted by The Harris Poll from July 10 to December 30, 2018.

The complete results of NU-Q’s sixth annual Middle East media use survey are also available on the interactive website, mideastmedia.org.

Adapting the best international career guidance models into the local context, the program bolsters the confidence of students, creating more opportunities to grow their skills.

University of Calgary in Qatar celebrates International Nurses DayTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The University of Calgary in Qatar joins the International Council of Nurses and other healthcare institutions in Qatar and around the world in cele-brating International Nurses Day.

“On behalf of the University of Calgary in Qatar, we are honored to recognize the contri-bution of nurses in Qatar,” said Dean Dr Deborah White. “We proudly recognize all nurses for their commitment to the health and wellness of the people of Qatar.”

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12 and is the anni-versary of the birth of Florence

Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The Interna-tional Council of Nurses has des-ignated this year’s theme as “Health for All” with an aim to focus attention on the inter-section between nursing, global health, and universal health coverage.

“We are fortunate to have H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, as a visionary leader for health and healthcare delivery here in Qatar. Nurses in Qatar are at the forefront of delivering quality healthcare to its residents. An occasion like International Nurses Day is an important opportunity to recognize the vital role of nurses in meeting Qatar’s economic, social, and health pri-

orities,” said Dr White.The University of Calgary in

Qatar is the only Canadian uni-versity in Qatar and its sole pro-vider of nursing higher edu-cation. This distinction drives the University’s mandate of advancing nursing as a pro-fession in Qatar and enhancing the practice of nursing through academic excellence and work-force development.

The University of Calgary in Qatar is committed to increasing the number of nurses to help meet the complex health needs of Qatar. Next month, the Uni-versity will graduate 97 Bachelor and Master of Nursing students, bringing its alumni total to over 700 nurses working in all facets of Qatar’s healthcare systems. The students at the University of Calgary in Qatar during the International Nurses Day celebrations.

The participants were encouraged to test their knowledge on various aspects of Ramadan during the fast-paced word search.

The revised WISE Learners’ Voice program brings the voice of young people to the challenge of rethinking education and equips them to take active roles in the world of education, while creating a youth community interested in shaping the future of education.

16 SUNDAY 12 MAY 2019MORNING BREAK

Space-tourism dream edges towards realityAP SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

British billionaire Richard Branson and his space-tourism company Virgin Galactic announced new steps yesterday towards offering thrill rides into the low reaches of space for paying passengers, with the company immediately starting to move personnel and space vehicles from California to a launch and landing facility in the New Mexico desert.

Branson said Virgin Galac-tic’s development and testing programme has advanced enough to make the move.

Virgin Galactic will be shifting operations to Spaceport America near the southern New Mexico town of Truth or Conse-quences as it prepares to begin for commercial service later this year. The manufacturing of the space vehicles by the company’s sister enterprise, The Spaceship Company, will remain based in Mojave, California.

“We are now ready to bring New Mexico a world-first, world-class spaceline,” Branson said. “Virgin Galactic is coming home to New Mexico where together we will open space to change the world for good.” In February, a new version of Virgin Galactic’s winged craft SpaceShipTwo soared at three times the speed

of sound to an altitude of nearly 56 miles (99 kilometers) in a test flight over Southern California, as a crew member evaluated the passenger experience.

New Mexico officials have eagerly anticipated the arrival of space tourism by Virgin Galactic for more than a decade. Tax-payers invested over $200 million in Spaceport America after Branson and then-Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, pitched

the plan for the facility, with Virgin Galactic as the anchor tenant. While the announcement signals the final countdown to regular commercial service for paying customers, Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides has declined to say how many more test flights must be conducted. Branson has said he would like to make his first sub-orbital flight this year as the venture’s first passenger on the 50th

anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20.

Space tourism has not been a complete novelty since mil-lionaire US engineer Dennis Tito in 2001 paid $20m to join a Russian space mission to the International Space Station. Branson’s goal has been to open up space travel to more and more people.

Hundreds of potential cus-tomers have committed as much

as $250,000 up front for rides in Virgin’s six-passenger rocket, which is about the size of an executive jet. But Virgin Galac-tic’s spaceship development has taken far longer than expected and had a major setback when the company’s first experimental craft broke apart during a 2014 test flight, killing the co-pilot.

The endeavour began in 2004 when Branson announced the founding of Virgin Galactic in the heady days after the flights of SpaceShipOne, the first pri-vately financed manned space-craft that made three flights into space.

The company’s current spaceship doesn’t launch from the ground. It is carried under a special plane to an altitude of about 50,000 feet before detaching and igniting its rocket engine. The craft coasts to the top of its climb before gradually descending to earth, stabilized by unique “feathering” tech-nology in which twin tails rotate upward to increase drag on the way to a runway landing.

Space sector analyst Adam Jonas, a managing director of equity research at Morgan Stanley, said Branson’s venture could have an outsized impact in the age of social media on how the public visualizes space as a domain for scientific and com-mercial exploration.

Mission commander Thomas P Stafford pats the nose of Snoopy, the mission’s mascot, held by Jamye Flowers, secretary for astronaut Gordon Coopers, as the Apollo 10 crew walks along a corridor on the way to Launch Complex 39B in May 1969.

IANS NEW YORK

Anger is more harmful than sadness for older adults and may lead to health complica-tions — potentially increased inflammation which is asso-ciated with chronic illnesses like heart disease, arthritis and cancer, say researchers.

The study, published in the journal Psychology and Aging, shows that anger can lead to the development of chronic illnesses whereas sadness did not.

“Sadness may help older seniors adjust to challenges such as age-related physical and cognitive declines because it can help them dis-engage from goals that are no longer attainable”, said study lead author Meaghan A Barlow from the Concordia University in the US.

For the study, the researchers analysed data from 226 older adults ages 59 to 93 from Montreal, Canada and grouped participants as being in early old age (59 to 79 years old) or advanced old age (80 years or older). During the study, participants com-pleted questionnaires about how angry or sad they felt. The research examined whether anger and sadness contributed to inflammation, an immune response by the body to perceived threats, such as infection or tissue damage.

“We found that experi-encing anger daily was related to higher levels of inflam-mation and chronic illness for people aged 80 or above, but not for younger seniors,” added study co-author Carsten Wrosch.

“Younger seniors may be able to use that anger as fuel to overcome life’s challenges and emerging age-related losses and that can keep them healthier”, Barlow added.

The researchers suggest that education and therapy might help older adults reduce anger by regulating their emotions or by offering better coping strategies to manage the inevitable changes that accompany ageing.

Anger more harmful than sadness for older adults

Moscow–Doha rally team gets warm welcome

THE PENINSULA DOHA

The “Moscow – Doha” motor rally team arrived in Qatar with much fanfare. Touted as the rally’s debut on the international platform, it started from Russia on April 18 for a 20-day voyage to arrive in Doha.

The team comprised of 11 partici-pants, one among them is a Qatari Student, Ahmed Yussef Al Hail, who is continuing his studies at MGIMO in Russia.

The Ambassador of Qatar to the Russian Federation, Fahad bin Mohamed Al Attiya, along with Hassan Al Ibrahim, Assistant Secretary-General of Qatar Tourism Council, and other dignitaries welcomed the ral-lyists, who arrived in Qatar during a reception held in their honour, to cel-ebrate the success of “Moscow-Doha” Rally in the world of rallying and introduce it to the motor sports aficio-nados in town in the presence of VIP and media representatives.

On this occasion, Fahad Bin Mohamed Al Attiya, said, “I am delighted to welcome the participants of the “Moscow-Doha” Rally in Qatar. With the successful run of the maiden rally, we take pride in announcing that it will now be an annual event, which will leave its imprint on the global rally map.”

Elated at this achievement, Hassan Al Ibrahim, “First of all, I would like to welcome the participants in the Rally (Moscow Doha), the first rally of its kind, which intends to support sports tourism – one of the four main pillars identified by the National Tourism Sector Strategy 2017—2023.”

“This initiative aims to achieve the objectives of growth and development in the sports tourism sector. We have been able to strengthen the status of the State of Qatar during the past years as a preferred sports tourism desti-nation desired by all athletes and sports people from different sports fields and sectors. Through such impactful initiatives, the National Tourism Council works to promote and increase its diversity, highlighting Qatar’s unparalleled capabilities, facil-ities and offerings in the region. Today with this rally, we are cultivating one of the most fruitful results of those efforts.”

From his side, Alexander Korobko who was leading the “Russian Hour” film crew who were documenting this first episode of the rally, said, “I would like to thank the State of Qatar for the warm welcome we received from the moment we arrived in Doha, as well as to the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Russia, represented by Fahd bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, and Hassan Al Ibrahim for their endless support and contribution for the suc-cessful launch of the “Moscow Doha” rally, and announcing it an annual affair to attract more youth towards s p o r t s a n d i t s g r o w i n g importance.”

Qatari officials and other dignitaries with the “Moscow – Doha” motor rally team during the welcoming event of the rally upon arrival in Doha.

An act of kindness The holy month of Ramadan is the perfect time to show kindness to others. In view of this, several residents across the country have placed refrigerators outside their homes to provide free refreshments for people in need. Here, a resident is seen making use of such a facility in Doha. PIC: QASSIM RAHMATULLAH / THE PENINSULA

The Ambassador of Qatar to the Russian Federation, Fahad bin Mohamed Al Attiya, along with Hassan Al Ibrahim, Assistant Secretary-General of Qatar Tourism Council, and other dignitaries welcomed the rallyists, who arrived in Qatar during a reception held in their honour.

FAJRSHOROOK

03. 27 AM04. 51 AM

11. 30 AM02. 58 PM

06. 13 PM07. 43 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum28oC 37oC

HIGH TIDE 09:12 –23:13 LOW TIDE 06:06 – 16:01

Slight dust to blowing dust at times with

scattered clouds to partly cloudy and a

chance of light rain at some places.