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Wednesday 22 January 2020

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Volume 24 | Number 8144

Amir and Italian President review strategic tiesQNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Pres-ident of the Italian Republic, H E Sergio Mattarella, held a session of official talks at the Amiri Diwan yesterday.

The session discussed the close bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and means of developing them in different fields. During the session, they exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of common concern, especially the latest developments in the region.

The session was attended by Their Excellencies the Ministers. From the Italian side, it was attended by a number of Their Excellencies members of the official delegation accompa-nying H E the President.

An official reception was held for H E the President on his arrival at the Amiri Diwan.

H H the Amir also hosted a

luncheon banquet in honour of H E the visiting President and the delegation accompanying him at the Amiri Diwan. The banquet was attended by Their Excellencies Sheikhs, Ministers and businessmen.

H E the President of Italy spent a busy day in Doha yes-terday. H E Sergio Mattarella

and his accompanying dele-gation visited the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) as part of their visit to the country.

The President, who was wel-comed by Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz bin Jassim Al Thani, Director of NMoQ, was given a tour of the museum’s galleries and briefed was about the pieces and collections related to the life and history of the people of Qatar.

H E the President of Italy also opened the exhibition “Between East and West: Biblioteca Angelica in Doha” at Qatar National Library (QNL) yesterday.

The exhibition displays five manuscripts and 16 printed volumes from the Biblioteca Angelica in Rome, Italy, and an autographed letter written by Pietro della Valle, a pilgrim from the XVI century, loaned by Qatar National Library, which illustrates the scientific and cul-tural exchange between Europe and the Arab world from the 16th century to the 19th century.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the President of the Italian Republic, H E Sergio Mattarella, during the welcoming ceremony at the Amiri Diwan, yesterday. �P2

Qatar, FIFA present World Cup Sustainability StrategyQNA — DOHA

The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) and FIFA announced yesterday the first-ever Joint Sustainability Strategy for the 2022 World Cup which the State of Qatar will host in less than three years’ time, for the first time in the Arab world, and in the most geographically compact area since the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1930.

The path to achieve that ambitious goal started five years ago, when FIFA and the SC began to develop and implement the event’s

Sustainability Strategy the first to be planned and delivered jointly by FIFA, the host country and local organisers, repre-sented in this case by the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22). The associated policy applies to all functional areas and projects involved in the preparations for and staging of the tournament, in addition to post-event activities.

To deliver on that shared vision, five sustainability com-mitments have been defined: to develop human capital and safeguard workers’ rights; to provide an inclusive tour-nament experience; to catalyse

economic development; to deliver innovative environ-mental solutions; and to set an example of good governance and ethical business practices. On that basis, a total of 22 objectives have been described in detail, together with more than 70 concrete initiatives and programmes to deliver the strategy and achieve the objec-tives set.

“When Qatar bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, it did so with a vision to use the tour-nament as a catalyst for sus-tainable, long-term change in Qatar and across the Arab world. From the start, we

believed in the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to inspire innovation, to build bridges between cultures and peoples, and to accelerate pos-itive social transformation. Our measure of success for the tour-nament in Qatar will ultimately be the legacy it leaves behind. This strategy will help Qatar to realise that vision and ensure its success,” said SC Secretary General and Q22 Chairman H E Hassan Al Thawadi.

The issues and initiatives that form the framework of the strategy were identified with the help of a thorough and con-tinuous consultation process

with local and international stakeholders, and thematic experts through surveys, work-shops, meetings and the circu-lation of drafts. Throughout the process, over 100 national and international governmental, non-governmental and private sector organisations were con-sulted. Furthermore, the devel-opment process for the strategy also included a full human rights salience assessment, a first for a mega-sporting event.

“The FIFA World Cup offers us a unique opportunity to bring about positive change one that FIFA and Qatar cannot, and will not, let slip away. �P3

Ashghal signs QR4bn infrastructure project contractsIRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA

With a total value of around QR4bn, the Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ yesterday signed 10 new construction contracts for Infrastructure Development Projects of Citizens’ Sub-Divisions which will serve over 8,400 land plots.

These projects, in 10 different areas of the country, are set to start during the first quarter of 2020. Upon completion they will provide advanced roads and infrastructure including the provision of a total of 223km of roads, 325km of pedestrian and bicycle paths, more than 20,000 parking lots, about 192km of sewage networks, 305km of stormwater and groundwater drainage net-works, and 142km of TSE networks.

The contracts were signed in a press meeting which was held in the presence of the President of Ashghal, Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi; Central Municipal Council (CMC) Vice-President, Mohammed bin Hamad Al Attan; many CMC members, Ashghal officials and representatives of companies whom contracts were awarded.

On this occasion, Dr. Eng. Al Muhannadi, said that based on the directives of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Infrastructure projects of Citizens’ Sub-divisions were considered a top priority.

“Today’s contracts are signed with a total value of approximately QR4bn to serve more than 8,400 residential plots in 10 areas, and this is considered a first step in Ashghal’s plan for 2020 to develop the cit-izens’ sub-divisions throughout the country, as more projects will be awarded to cover additional areas in the country.”

Later talking to The Peninsula, the Ashghal President said that awarding of new projects to Qatari companies was an expression of full trust of the Authority on

them. He said that Infrastructure Devel-opment Projects of Citizens’ Sub-Divisions would also boost Qatar’s economic activity.

The first contract ‘Roads and Infra-structure in Duhail South and Umm Lekhba - Package 1’ has been awarded to ‘Petroserv’ and ‘Roadbridge’ JV at a value of QR422m. The project serves 862 residential plots by implementing road works with a length of about 14km, 44km of pedestrian and cycle paths and more than 2,600 parking lots. The second contract ‘Roads and Infrastructure in Jeryan Nejaima’ has also been awarded to ‘Petroserv’ and ‘Roadbridge’ JV at a value of QR352m, which will serve 625 land plots.

Another contract ‘Roads and Infra-structure in South of Al Meshaf – Package 7’ has also been awarded to ‘Petroserv’ and ‘Roadbridge’ JV at a value of QR422m. The project serves 1,394 land plots.

The fourth contract ‘Roads and Infra-structure in Al Mearad and Southwest of Muaither – Package 3’ was also awarded to ‘Petroserv’ and ‘Roadbridge’ JV at a value of QR257m and this project will serve 466 plots.

Another contract ‘Roads and Infra-structure in Al Ebb and Leabaib – Package 4’ has been awarded to ‘QBS Constructions’ company for a value of QR587m. �P3

Over 3.36 million visitors accessed Hukoomi web portal last year

SACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

The popularity of Hukoomi, Qatar’s official e-government portal, rose significantly in 2019 as the number of visitors accessing the portal jumped by around 23 percent. More than 3.36 million visitors accessed Hukoomi portal in 2019 compared to 2.73 million in 2018.

Higher number of visitors to the portal resulted in more page views and led to increased traffic. The portal witnessed around 22 percent rise in page views. It received around 16.9 million page views last year compared to 13.9 million in 2018.

The consistent rise in the visitors and page views reflects that a growing number of people are now using Hukoomi services and that the awareness about the services is increasing among the residents.

November emerged as the busiest month of last year as it witnessed the highest number of visitors during 2019. A total of 310,866 visitors accessed the portal last year which was the highest number of visitors during the year.

After November, high vis-itors’ traffic was witnessed in October and September which recorded 307,697 and 307,686 visits, respectively.

The lowest number of visits was seen during June when 242,887 visits were recorded.

When it comes to page views, January emerged as the busiest month. A total of 1.7 million page views were reg-istered during January 2019. March was also a busy month as 1.6 million page views were recorded during the month.

Through cooperation with the government entities and public service providers, Hukoomi portal allows users to access information and services online, easily and quickly. The portal provides a number of important e-services, as well as official documents, service application forms and general information.

Asia on alert as China virus kills six, infects more than 300AFP — BEIJING

Asian countries yesterday ramped up measures to block the spread of a new virus as the death toll in China rose to six and the number of cases surpassed 300, raising concerns in the middle of a major holiday travel rush.

Nations across the Asia-Pacific region stepped up checks of passengers at airports to detect the SARS-like corona-virus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

Fears of a bigger outbreak rose after a prominent expert from China’s National Health Commission confirmed late on Monday that the virus can be passed between people.

Authorities previously said there was no obvious evidence of person-to-person trans-mission and animals were sus-pected to be the source, as a seafood market where live animals were sold in Wuhan was identified as the centre of the outbreak.

But the World Health Organisation (WHO), which was concluding a fact-finding mission in Wuhan, was still being cautious, saying at a briefing in Geneva that “not enough is known to draw definitive conclusions about how it is transmitted”. �P14

H H the Amir and H E the Italian President discussed the close relations between the two friendly countries. They exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues, especially the latest developments in the region.

02 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020HOME

Draft Law on industrial designs discussed

QNA — DOHA

The Financial and Economic Affairs Committee of the Shura Council held a meeting yesterday, chaired by its Rapporteur H E Ali bin Abdullatif Al Misnad Al Mohannadi.

During the meeting, the Committee discussed a draft law on the protection of industrial drawings and designs, in the presence of Acting Undersecretary for Trade Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Saleh bin Majid Al Khu-laifi, Director of the Legal Affairs Department Hilal bin Mohammad Al Khulaifi, and Assistant Director for Intellectual Property Protection Department at the ministry Abdulrahman bin Saad Al Qahtani.

The Committee decided to complete its study of the said draft law at its next meeting.

Credentials of Qatari envoy received QNA — PRETORIAThe Chief of State Protocol at the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, H E Nonceba Losi, has received a copy of the credentials of H E Tariq Ali Al Ansari as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar to the Republic of South Africa. The Chief of State Protocol wished H E the Ambas-sador Al Ansari success in his mission and bilateral relations between the two countries further progress and prosperity.

Italian President visits NMoQ

The President of Italy, H E Sergio Mattarella, and his accompanying delegation visited the National Museum of Qatar (NoMQ) as part of their visit to the country. The President, who was welcomed by Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz bin Jassim Al Thani, Director of NMoQ, was given a tour of the museum’s galleries and briefed about the pieces and collections related to the life and history of the people of Qatar.

Italian President opens QNL exhibitionTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The President of Italy, H E Sergio Mattarella, opened the exhibition “Between East and West: Biblioteca Angelica in Doha” at Qatar National Library (QNL) yesterday.

The opening ceremony was attended by the State Min-ister for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi; Member of the Shura Council and QNL Board of Trustees, H E Dr. Hessa Sultan Al Jaber; the Ambassador of Italy to the State of Qatar, H E Alessandro Prunas; the Secretary General of the Dante Alighieri Society, Alessandro Masi; and senior Library officials.

The exhibition displays five manuscripts and 16 printed volumes from the Bib-lioteca Angelica in Rome, Italy, and an autographed letter written by Pietro della Valle, a pilgrim from the XVI century, loaned by Qatar National Library, which illustrates the scientific and cultural exchange between Europe and the Arab world from the 16th century to the 19th century.

The Islamic Qurans on display were selected by Michele Bernardini, an Italian expert on Arabic literature and formerly Director of the Department of Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean of the Uni-versity of Naples, L’Orientale. The printed volumes were selected by curator Fiammetta Terlizzi, the curator of the exhibition, as well as books by European authors which are translated into Arabic, and books by Arab authors trans-lated into Latin, which was the

international language of culture at the time. The selection includes volumes on the subjects of medicine, geog-raphy, travels, and scientific studies on falconry and horses, highlighting the intense dia-logue between Italian and A r a b c u l t u r e s a n d civilizations.

The Biblioteca Angelica was established as the first public library in Europe in 1604 and is internationally renowned as an important cultural institution. Its col-lection, which comprises more than 100,000 antique books printed from the 15th century to the first decades of the 19th century, includes Arabic volumes and Latin translations

of Arab works, emphasizing the vivid interest of the Western world in Arab culture.

The rarity of the manu-scripts and volumes, their magnificent frontispieces, the diligence of bookbinding and the handmade illustrations show how books have long been a bridge between cul-tures and a means of dialogue between civilizations.

Massimo Papa, professor of Muslim and Islamic law at University Tor Vergata of Rome and Vice President of Istituto per l’Oriente, gave a tour of the books on display to President Mattarella to mark the opening of the exhi-bition, which runs until Feb-ruary 19.

The President of Italy, H E Sergio Mattarella (centre), with the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi; Member of the Shura Council and QNL Board of Trustees, H E Dr. Hessa Sultan Al Jaber; Ambassador of Italy to the State of Qatar, H E Alessandro Prunas, and other officials at Qatar National Library, yesterday.

Amir, Italian President hold official talks

(TOP LEFT) Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the President of the Italian Republic, H E Sergio Mattarella, during official talks at the Amiri Diwan, yesterday. The other pictures show H H the Amir with Their Excellencies members of the official delegation accompanying H E the President.

03WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020 HOME

MoPH programme creates awareness about health, safetyFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

The Workplace Wellness Program by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has made a positive impact on large number of employees across the government and semi- government sectors, said a senior official at the Ministry.

The programme with a potential to reach a large per-centage of the people in Qatar encourages a healthy and safe work environment, said Dr Salah Al Yafie, Acting Director, Health Promotion and Non Communi-cable Diseases at MoPH, speaking at an event recently.

Workplace Wellness Program was launched by the MoPH in

2014, in line with the Health Strategy 2018-2022 and its priority area ‘Healthy and Safe Employees.’

“Since its launch the Work-place Wellness Program has been very successful. The Ministry has invited all ministries and govern-mental and semi-governmental institutions to participate in the program as numerous organisa-tions have expressed enthusiasm to participate in it,” said Dr Al Yafie.

“The programme has been implemented in 12 institutions and MOUs have been signed with several organisations to improve, monitor and evaluate the health status of employees in efforts to implement a systematic plan to add as many partners as possible

to the program within the objec-tives of the National Health Strategy 2018-2022 and its vision,” he added.

He said that Qatar’s public health strategy, through one of its four pillars, aims at empowering the community to improve health for all Qataris by educating them to make better health decisions that ensure their well-being.

Dr Al Yafie added that it also aims to improve local participation by providing health program to support all The National Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan, in par-ticular the health in the workplace program.

The Workplace Wellness Program aims to detect and

prevent risk factors for chronic non-communicable disease, control infectious diseases.

“The programme is based on an integrated plan that includes needs assessment, a follow up comprehensive action plan in col-laboration with the participating organization, the implementation of the activities, and ongoing mon-itoring and a follow-up evalu-ation,” said Dr Al Yafie.

“The focus of the program is on how to prevent chronic non-communicable diseases. This is achieved by focusing on healthy nutrition, physical activity in the work environment and outside. The program also addresses ces-sation of tobacco consumption,

alongside increasing the awareness of how to overcome daily stress,” he added.

Additionally, the wellness program in the workplace brings numerous benefits to the health of employees by enhancing the health and safety of the work envi-ronment, raising staff confidence and morale, reducing work pressure, increasing job satisfaction and increasing health protection skills.

According to the National Health Strategy 2018-2022, about 55% of government and semi-gov-ernment organisations will have access to an occupational health-based workplace wellness programme

Dr. Salah Al Yafie, Acting Director, Health Promotion and Non Communicable Diseases at MoPH. PIC: BAHER AMIN/THE PENINSULA

Qatar takes part in World Education Forum in UKQNA — LONDON

The State of Qatar is partici-pating with a delegation headed by the Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi, in the Education World Forum, currently held in London.

The theme of this year’s forum is titled ‘One generation

- what does it take to transform education’ in which a large number of education ministers, experts and specialists in the field of education participate and discuss a set of topics that are directly related to education in the next stage, in order to raise the quality of education and reach the optimal impact of edu-cational policies in the 21st century, in addition to benefits

that cooperation and community participation can bring and how to develop and shape policies to solve educational problems at the local and international levels.

H E the Minister visited the exhibition accompanying the forum and was briefed on the latest modern educational systems and methods, including mechanisms and policies for the use of technology in education.

The Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr. Mohammed Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi, at the Education World Forum in London.

Qatar, EASA sign pact to share aircraft safety THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Minister of Transport and Communications, H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, yesterday witnessed the signing ceremony of a Working Agreement between the State of Qatar and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on the collection and exchange of information on aircraft safety in accordance with the EU Ramp Inspection Program.

The Agreement was signed by Qatar’s Civil Aviation

Authority (CAA) Chairman, H E Abdulla bin Nasser Turki Al Subaey, and EASA Executive Director, Patrick Ky, at the Min-istry offices. Under the agreement, the CAA is joining the EU Ramp Inspection Program. The Agreement also boosts coop-eration and exchange of infor-mation between CAA and EASA, in addition to possible exchange of the Program database between the two sides.

The Agreement is of great importance in enhancing coop-eration with international

organizations with extensive experience in aviation safety, thereby helping develop Qatar’s civil aviation industry. Qatar is a pioneer in civil aviation safety and the first to have scored 91.16 percent in the overall audit con-ducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on all aspects of air safety in its civil aviation system.

H E the Minister had a meeting with Patrick Ky during which the two officials reviewed means of further enhancing cooperation with the Agency.

The Minister of Transport and Communications, H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, witnessing the signing of a Working Agreement between the State of Qatar and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on the collection and exchange of information on aircraft safety in accordance with the EU Ramp Inspection Program, yesterday.

Eight countries join General Assembly of GPDNetTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The meetings of the General Assembly of Global Public Diplomacy Network yesterday witnessed the joining of eight new countries to the network’s membership, a development considered a major achievement for the Network and the Presi-dency of the Network.

Eight new countries sub-mitted their credentials to the General Assembly, namely Bosnia, Cuba, Georgia, Malaysia, Serbia, South Africa, Ukraine and after voting the applications of five countries were accepted as permanent members which are (Cuba, Malaysia, South Africa, Georgia, Ukraine) while the other three countries (Bosnia, Serbia, Kenya) were given status of par-ticipating members.

Thus, the number of member states in the Network doubled from nine to eighteen, under the Presidency of the State of Qatar for the International Public Diplomacy Network. Therefore, the activities of the second day witnessed the signing ceremony of the accession of new countries whose membership has been permanently accepted into the Public Diplomacy Network and those countries which have been accepted as participating members.

The meetings of the sixth General Assembly of the Inter-national Public Diplomatic Network (GPDnetwork) con-tinued at Katara, headed by Dr. Khaled bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara and President of the Global Public Diplomatic Network, in the

presence of Darwish Ahmed Al-Shebani, Secretary-General of (GPDNetwork), and Dr. Khaled Aba Al-Zemat, Assistant Sec-retary General of the Network.

The heads of the official del-egations of the participating countries took part in a dis-cussion session that dealt with a series of topics, projects and pro-grams presented by the State of Qatar and the member states. Discussions focused on experi-ences, exchange of ideas and activating joint work in the field of public international diplomacy. In the first and second sessions of the yesterday’s meeting, members discussed also issues of the agenda including lis-tening to the deliberations of del-egations of new countries who applied to join the membership of the network.

The member countries rep-resent specialized cultural insti-tutions related to public interna-tional diplomacy programs at the meeting, and specialized teams under the supervision of eminent personalities have achieved wide

fame in the cultural sector of their countries.

The general assembly meetings in the third and fourth sessions turned into closed meetings to discuss some important issues, such as the expansion of membership, voting system, proposed programs, and the diplomatic network roadmap after expanding its membership and terms of reference and attracting new members.

While the fifth session talked about the new electronic portal for the general international dip-lomatic network that was launched yesterday in the presence of the delegations of member states, which is a pio-neering initiative for Katara aimed at enabling effective means of communication between the member countries, as the portal provides a flexible and dynamic mechanism for exchanging information, building capabilities and providing all forms of support for cultural events organised by the member states.

In this context, Eng. Darwish Ahmed Al-Shaibani, Secretary General Public Diplomacy Network, said: “After receiving the leadership of the Network, Katara pursues a distinguished strategy in the electronic aspect establishing a portal linking the members and providing many common services to them, in more secure and advanced way.”

He further said that it is based on international standard, spec-ifications, where social media is an essential part of this development.

The Secretary-General of the Public Diplomatic Network added that Katara made great efforts to establish the website of the Network, which is a dynamic mechanism in line with the requirements of the next stage, and keeps pace with the prin-ciples of dealing with develop-ments and seeks to implement the goals of social media “ enhancing the cultural role of virtual reality and contributing to the development of societies.”

Officials during the meetings of the General Assembly of Global Public Diplomacy Network. Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi (right), President of the Public Works Authority, during the signing ceremony at Ashghal headquarters, yesterday. PIC: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

Ashghal signs project contractsFROM PAGE 1

The project will serve 1,097 land plots, and includes the con-struction and development of 26km of roads, 67km of pedes-trian and cycle lanes and more than 4,000 parking lots.

‘QBS Constructions’ has also been awarded another contract ‘Roads and Infrastructure in North of Mall of Qatar and Cele-bration Road – Package 2’ at a value of QR259m.

Another contract ‘Roads and Infrastructure in Al Mearad and Southwest of Muaither – Package 6’ was awarded to ‘UrbaCon’ and ‘InfraRoad Trading & Contracting’ JV at a value of QR498m. The project will serve 853 land plots, and includes the construction and development of about 30 km of roads, 5 km of pedestrian and cycle lanes, and more than 3,430 parking spaces.

The eighth contract ‘Roads and Infrastructure in Al Kharaitiyat and Izghawa

– Package 2’ was also awarded to ‘UrbaCon’ and ‘InfraRoad Trading & Contracting’ JV at a value of QR499m to serve 1,492 plots. The ninth contract ‘Roads and Infrastructure in Semaisma West – Package 1’ has been awarded to ‘Iris Trading and Con-tracting Company’ at a value of QR305m. The project will serve 377 land plots. The last contract ‘Roads and Infrastructure in Al Eqda, Al Heedan and Al Khor – Package 1’ was awarded to ‘Al Darwish Engineering Company’ at a value of QR303m. The project serves 399 land plots.

Regarding new projects, Mohammed bin Hamad Al Attan, Central Municipal Council Vice-President, said: “There is no doubt that new projects to develop the infrastructure are very important to the citizen, as it provides him with an integrated infrastructure of rainwater and sewage drainage networks as well as advanced roads and other services.”

Qatar, FIFA present World Cup Sustainability StrategyFROM PAGE 1

All critical topics related to the event have been identified and duly addressed in this strategy, such as workers’ welfare, human rights, non-discrimination and environ-mental protection. The

document is also in line with the UN’s Sustainable Devel-opment Goals, and we are committed to contributing to those through the power of football and of the biggest single-sport event on the planet,” said FIFA Secretary

General Fatma Samoura. Meanwhile, General Sec-

retary of Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Ambet Yuson, said: “The BWI recognises the commitment and efforts made by the SC and FIFA to improving the working

and living conditions of con-struction workers building the 2022 tournament projects in Qatar. The SC, in particular, has taken the risk and broken new ground by going far beyond declarations to form a partnership with the BWI in

order to conduct joint safety inspections and train elected workers’ representatives. This is action on the worksite and not mere words and promises of reforms. It is making a dif-ference for construction workers.”

“In the strategy, FIFA and the other tournament organ-izers commit to expanding

these efforts to cover workers in other sectors involved in delivering the tournament. We know that this work has already begun. The workers’ rights legacy of the 2022 tour-nament will be more mean-ingful once these initiatives are implemented for all workers in Qatar in construction and beyond,” added Yuson.

04 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020HOME

Al Marri meets heads of national human rights institutions

QNA — DOHA

The Chairman of National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), and Secretary General of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Insti-tutions H E Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri met with a number of heads of national human rights institutions and human rights officials, on the sidelines of their participation in the Asia Pacific Forum’s (APF) three-day workshop on accreditation of national human rights institu-

tions, which is organised by the APF’s regional office in Doha.

H E Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri met with Commissioner of the Palestine Independent Commission for Human Rights, H E Issam Abu Al Haj, Chair-person of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, H E What Tingsamitr, Chairman of the Human Rights Com-mission of Malaysia, H E

Othman Hashim, and Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights, H E Ulugbek Muhammadiev.

During the meetings, they reviewed a range of human rights issues and the most important conditions for the accreditation of national human rights institu-tions with the accreditation com-mittee of the Global Alliance of

National Human Rights Institu-tions (GANHRI) in accordance with its commitment to the Paris Principles.

The Paris Principles are the international minimum standards that all NHRIs - regardless of size or structure - must meet if they are to be legitimate, credible and effective in promoting and pro-tecting human rights.

H E Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri (right) with the Commissioner of the Palestine Independent Commission for Human Rights, H E Issam Abu Al Haj.

Kahramaa opens office in KidZania DohaSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) opened yesterday its office in KidZania Doha, an edutainment concept in Aspire Park to introduce its activities and services to children in an interactive and fun-filled way.

Public Relations and Communi-cation Manager, Mohamed Ali Saleh Al Muhannadi at Kahramaa and Chief Business Development and Enterprise Manager, Aspire Zone Foundation, and Board Member of Qatar Entertainment ‘Tasali’ Ali Abdulla A Y Al Mutawaa signed the partnership agreement between Kahramaa and Tasali in the opening ceremony.

The newly opened Kahramaa office consists of two main sections with an area of about 30 square meters having seven educational activities covering Kahramaa’s major business and activ-ities in the field of electricity, water and smart grids.

The activities also include conser-vation of electricity and water con-sumption, energy efficiency, renewable energy, water resources and cus-tomers’ services in an ideal interactive environment for children to help develop their skills and obtain new knowledge and skills with more fun and entertainment.

The visitor of Kahramaa office will find many activities that enable children to get acquainted with the real practical life and gain experiences from

it. The visiting children

will be informed through realistic sim-ulation of the nature of the work of the institution in its various fields and the importance of its practice.

The first section of the office is ded-icated for activities of National Program for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed). The activities are about conserving resources and pro-tecting the environment through a demonstration to children in a creative way that suits their ages.

This section will provide oppor-tunity to children to work as a water electronics engineer and how to test electronic sensor systems and water flow control with a faucet. The children will be also educated about testing sensor systems and how to conserve

energy and to generate electricity from solar energy and use it as an alternative energy.

In this section, the children can practice working as a water resource engineer and testing the quality of drinking water, or treat water inter-ruption problems, in addition to working as a smart meter engineer and learn how to produce and distribute electricity, and training on how to trou-bleshoot faults.

The Services and Resources Department provides training to work as a solar panel engineer by training children to install, dismantle and repair solar panels to provide alternative energy from the Sun.

Children can work as an energy efficiency checker by educating children about the most important wrong practices in electricity and water consumption and its impact on state resources and damage In the envi-ronment.The children will tour Kid-Zania facility to ensure that they follow good practices while giving necessary advice in case of violations.

Kahramaa provides a unique experience to the visitors, as events were designed to simplify ideas so that children can learn how the economy rotates within cities, through interactive activities that simulate the realistic roles practiced by professionals in their field of Kahramaa.

KidZania Doha is located at Aspire Zone in Doha, with a footprint size of over 5,500 square meters. It provides

a unique educational and enter-tainment experience, offering 42 estab-lishments where children are able to role play ‘adult jobs’ in up to 60 pretend

roles, learning a variety of values including self-reliance, teamwork, honesty, integrity, and giving back to society.

The newly-opened Kahramaa office consists of two main sections with an area of about 30 square meters having seven educational activities covering Kahramaa’s major business and activities in the field of electricity, water and smart grids.

Sidra Medicine to host conference on prevention of child abuse and neglect

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, will be hosting a conference in partnership with the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) from February 15 – 17, at the Grand Hyatt Doha.

ISPCAN Qatar 2020, is themed on ‘Child Protection, The Journey So Far and the Future Ahead’, and will focus on approaches to stop violence against children based on scientific knowledge and research. Sidra Medicine and ISPCAN are working together to create awareness around the subject, while striving to change the lives of children who are victims of abuse.

More than 10 local and interna-tional experts in child advocacy and child protection will be speaking at the ISPCAN Qatar conference. These include Linda Steele from the US National Child Advocacy Center who will focus on the art of interviewing children in cases of suspected child abuse, and Anthony Macdonald, Director of UNICEF EMRO Region from

the School of Violence in the Middle East specializing in data and challenges.

The guest speakers also feature Howard Taylor, Executive Director of the Global Partnership to End Violence, who will speak about ending violence against children; Professor Muthanna Samra, Professor of Psychology, Kings College, UK, who will give a keynote on protecting children in the age of smartphones and the internet. The conference will see the CEO of the International Center for Sports and Human Rights, Mary Harvey, talk about violence against children in sports and exercise. Keynote speakers from the region involve Professor Figen Sahin Dagli from Gazi University in Turkey, Professor Muhammad Ghaly from the University of Qatar, and Dr. Bernard Gerbaka, an established pediatrician from Lebanon.

Prof. Khalid Al Ansari (pictured), Chair of Emergency Medicine, Sidra Medicine and founder of the healthcare organization’s Child Advocacy Program, said, “The fight against child abuse is a global issue. We are com-mitted to raising further awareness, working with the community and key government partners so that together, we can advance and develop programs

that will serve as permanent solutions to tackling this ongoing social problem. We look forward to welcoming a strong lineup of international and local experts who have come together under the ISPCAN umbrella to build strong support systems for childrens and families.”

ISPCAN Qatar 2020 will also address key issues such as psycho-social support for families; victims and perpetrators of child abuse; as well as analyzing and finding psychological solutions for abused children.

Other relevant topics such as the role of medical care systems in pre-venting child maltreatment, special cir-cumstances such as: sports and child safety, care of refugees and children in conflict zones, and children with special needs will also abe tackled.

Sidra Medicine launched its Child Advocacy Program in 2018, which was established to coordinate the care of children suspected of being abused or neglected and provide resources and quality care.

A dedicated Sidra Medicine Child helpline – 40034000 - has been estab-lished for the general public who can call during working hours or leave a message out of hours, if they know or suspect a child is being abused.

Mohamed Ali Saleh Al Muhannadi (centre), Public Relations and Communication Manager, Kahramaa; and Ali Abdulla A Y Al Mutawaa (left), Chief Business Development and Enterprise Manager, Aspire Zone Foundation, and Board Member of Qatar Entertainment ‘TASALI’; jointly inaugurating the Kahramaa office at the Kidzania, Doha yesterday. PIC:: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

Al Muraikhi chairs meeting of GHAEA in DavosQNA — DAVOS

H E the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Muraikhi chaired a meeting of the Global Human-itarian Action Executive Alliance (GHAEA) yesterday, on the side-lines of the annual World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, Switzerland.

GHAEA is a unique alliance led by senior executives from the private sector who seek to combine expertise and inno-vative skills to work with the UN and effectively meet humani-tarian emergencies in response to the growing global needs.

The meeting was attended by executives from a number of international companies, and a number of heads of UN organi-zations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP).

The alliance, which repre-sents the various industrial sectors, regional and local mul-tinationals, federations, govern-mental and charitable bodies, seeks to benefit from the expe-riences, knowledge and

collective resources of the private sector, and to explore cooperative models for more effectiveness in humanitarian work and ways of involving this sector in preparing for and responding to humanitarian emergencies.

At the conclusion of the meeting, executives from BD Foundation, Henry Schein, Qatar Financial Centre , Salesforce and UPS Foundation signed a mem-orandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in order to achieve the goals of the alliance, which combines the unique competencies of com-panies and humanitarian organ-izations to meet global human-itarian needs in an effective, sus-tainable, wide and preliminary manner.

Dr Al Muraikhi said that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of 2030 Agenda calls for global actions to ensure that no one is left behind. He noted that this means mobilizing all resources, technology devel-opment and financial resources, capacity building and multi-stakeholder dynamics to achieve effec-tiveness and impact.

During the meetings, they reviewed a range of human rights issues and the most important conditions for the accreditation of national human rights institutions with the accreditation committee of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) in accordance with its commitment to the Paris Principles.

05WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020 HOME

CRA publishes public consultation on Qatar Spectrum Outlook 2022THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Communications Regu-latory Authority (CRA) has published yesterday a public consultation on Qatar Spectrum Outlook, at the aim of providing an opportunity for interested parties and stakeholders to send their views and comments on the draft document “Qatar Spectrum Outlook 2022” maximum by February 20, 2020.

The purpose of Qatar Spectrum Outlook 2022 is to provide stakeholders with an overview of CRA’s overall approach and planned activ-ities related to meeting the expected spectrum demand for commercial mobile services, satellite services, broadcasting service, and program making and special events applications over the next three years, said CRA in a press release, yesterday.

CRA presents in the doc-ument its spectrum man-agement priorities through its three-year spectrum outlook for the period 2020-2022. This outlook is expected to cover the prioritisation of spectrum work in the short-term and to be updated and published after the approval from competent authorities and reflecting con-sideration of submissions from interested parties and stakeholders.

The document outlines CRA’s plans to address issues related to access to spectrum and enabling new technologies, and to make resources available to support

telecommunications services and applications that are expected to require new or additional spectrum in the coming years, especially during the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Furthermore, it provides stakeholders and interested parties with an overview of spectrum man-agement activities and projects, including the national fre-quency allocation plan, the spectrum usage fees, a mech-anism for Quality of Service mobile networks audit as well as highlights the strategic spectrum projects that are expected to be completed before 2022.

“It is a true pleasure to share the three-years spectrum outlook of CRA with the stake-holders and interested parties in Qatar. This document will provide a transparent and pre-dictable approach to spectrum management in the short term. The document will open the way for all partners to under-stand the future plans and pro-grams of the CRA in relation to the spectrum, especially that the World Cup 2022 is very close,” said Mohammed Ali Al Mannai, President of CRA.

On the other side, Mohammed Ali Al Mannai invited the stakeholders and interested parties in Qatar and all partners outside Qatar to review the document and provide the CRA with the com-ments that assist and ensure the best and most efficient use of radio spectrum in accordance with international best practice and provide CRA

with the suggestions that con-tribute promoting the public policy objectives of Qatar.

It is worth to mention that CRA ensures to appropriately and pragmatically meets the spectrum needs of a diverse range of actual and potential spectrum users. In this regard, CRA balances the numerous considerations to establish a prioritized work plan commen-surate with its resources.

A wide range of factors that influence the demand for and the supply of radio spectrum including: end-user demand, technology changes or advancements, the interna-tional harmonization of radio spectrum, and relevant national or international policies. CRA has taken these factors together with the outcomes of the World Radiocommunication Con-ference 2019 and the FIFA World Cup 2022 and included it in its programs to be done during the coming three years.

Interested parties and stakeholders can check the public consultation document through CRA’s website www.cra.gov.qa and send their views and comments by email to spectrumaffairs@cra.gov.qa. They should specify the subject name as “Consultation on Qatar Spectrum Outlook 2022”.

Mohammed Ali Al Mannai, President of CRA

Spanish artists shine at Katara exhibitionRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

The vibrancy of Spain’s art scene can be enjoyed by art lovers in Qatar through a vast spectrum of Spanish artworks on display at the “Spanish Artists in Doha” exhibition launched on Monday at Katara Cultural Village.

A diverse collection of around 70 works by 13 Spanish artists are on show at the exhi-bition including paintings by Adela Castillo, Aixa Portero, Blanca Cuesta, Encarnacion Hitos, La Chunga, Isabel Valde-casas, Jose Gabaldon, Kiko Camacho, Maria Acuyo, Maria Teresa Ibanez, Romy Querol, Tomas Baleztena, and Viky Garcia.

Many of the participating artists were happy coming to Qatar to showcase some of their art pieces.

“I knew that I was coming to a very special, wonderful country, but I’m absolutely and completely overwhelmed by the beauty and warmth of the people, how welcoming eve-rybody and how stunningly clean the country is,” Isabel Val-decasas, one of the participants told local media at the opening, adding she would want to come back in the future.

For the exhibition, Valde-casas brought a series of land-scape paintings in which she uses figuration and abstraction to depict seasons in Andalusia where she comes from and which shares some similarities

with Arabic culture, she said.“It’s my first time in Qatar

and I’m delighted to come here. I like everything I’ve seen,” said Tomas Baleztena, a Madrid born artist with Spanish and British heritage.

Baleztena, whose works stand out for their expressionist feel, said he likes to paint the atmosphere and environment of places he visits. In some of his paintings on show, Baleztena depicts the decadence of the night in London clubs, while two of his paintings are por-traits, all of which he attempts to tell stories.

“I use oil paint and play with the texture, and the light and shades which give it more of an expressionist feeling and basi-cally tell story,” he said.

The exhibition has been organised by Art & Culture Without Borders (ACWB) and Katara in cooperation with the Embassy of Spain in Qatar and the Chamber of Commerce of Spain to Qatar.

Qatari artist Hessa Kalla, ACWB goodwill ambassador, is also taking part in the exhibition with four of her paintings which exude Qatari heritage. She expressed delight to be the link between Spanish and Qatari artists through membership in the organization her partici-pation in the exhibition charac-terized by diversity.

H R H Princess Beatrice of Orleans, Honourary President of ACWB; Belen Alfaro, Ambas-sador of Spain to Qatar; Soumaya Akbib, President and Founder of ACWB; and Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara were present at the launch.

“The deep rooted and strong relations between Qatar and Spain in several fields, espe-cially the important sector of arts and culture, makes this exhibition a great opportunity for enriching mutual knowledge. Spain has a very important historical legacy of Islamic art and I hope this exhi-bition will contribute to bring Spain closer to Qatar,” said

Alfaro in a statement.“Katara believes that arts

and culture are the best and safest way to communicate between cultures and peoples. Within this framework, the cul-tural Village Katara is hosting the Spanish Art Exhibition in Doha, which emphasizes the strong cooperation and rela-tions between Qatar and Spain and the common ties between the two friendly peoples,” said Al Sulati.

“Art is not only a visual or aesthetic experience, it is also a cultural message conserving human connections. This is what the exhibition highlights through various artistic methods and approaches,” he added.

“For our Foundation, which is dedicated to using art as a common language to unite people of different backgrounds in the appreciation of beauty, it is great honour to have had the opportunity of bringing this exhibition to Qatar,” said Akbib.

“The art exhibited offers a glimpse of the culture of Spain to all the visitors of this won-derful country. By learning about people of different cul-tural backgrounds, we can increase our horizons, have better interpersonal dialogue and communicate more on a personal level and undoubtedly it enriches us all,” she added.

The exhibition runs until January 30 at Katara Building 47.

Paintings by Spanish artist Tomas Baleztena on show at “Spanish Artists in Doha” Exhibition.

FROM RIGHT: H R H Princess Beatrice of Orleans, Honourary President of ACWB; Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara; Belen Alfaro, Ambassador of Spain to Qatar; and Soumaya Akbib, President and Founder of ACWB at the launch of “Spanish Artists in Doha” Exhibition on Monday at Katara Building 47.

Doha Institute for Graduate Studies to organise Career FairTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Doha Institute for Graduate Studies is gearing up to organise the 4th edition of Career Fair next Monday with participation of more than 25 business entities from various sectors in the country.

Companies from education sector, the financial, business sector, and media sector and other sectors will participate in the fair.

Also a number of entities from government sector will participate in the event, QNA reports.

The exhibition provides the appropriate opportunity for students and graduates to

get acquainted with the most important job opportunities offered by the Qatari market, and to explore possible options, in addition to informing them about vacancies, training opportu-nities that are compatible with their aspirations and future career orientations.

In preparation for this exhibition, the Academic Guiding Unit of the Deanship of Student Affairs at Institute is holding a training workshop to assist students in preparing for the exhibition, in addition to creating the appropriate atmosphere for students and creating an interactive envi-ronment that enables them to

determine their career options.

On the sidelines of the Exhibition, introductory workshops and other training workshops provided by par-ticipating institutions will be held. The aim of organising these workshops is to provide an advice to attendees to improve their CVs and their performance in job interviews, and that the exhibition pro-vides an opportunity for those coming from outside the Institute to learn about the study programs, the majors it offers, and other important information through the Office o f A d m i s s i o n a n d Registration.

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles, dealer of Mercedes-Benz in Qatar, announced a service measure recall of Mercedes-Benz GLE Class model of 2019, due to the calibration of the plastic cover gap for the front

vehicle's fenders may not be corresponding to manufacturer specification.

The recall campaign comes within the framework of the Ministry’s continuous efforts to protect consumers and ensure that car dealers follow up on vehicle defects and repairs.

The Ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to

follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will com-municate with customers to ensure that the necessary repairs are carried out.

The Ministry urged all cus-tomers to report any violations to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department, which processes complaints, inquires and suggestions.

MoCI recalls Mercedes-Benz GLE Class 2019 model

06 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020HOME

HBKU event in New York focuses on role of education in tackling violent extremismTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation, aspirations to develop novel solutions with a global impact was underlined by its organising of a high-profile roundtable discussion on the importance of higher education in countering extremism, in partnership with the Institute of International Education (IIE), in New York recently.

Hosted by IIE, Educate to Eradicate drew on security, political and socio-devel-opment perspectives to develop a deeper understanding of the causes and solutions for com-bating violent extremism. The event also considered the vital but under-represented role that academic institutions and other educators play in tackling extremist behaviour and rhetoric.

In doing so, a high-level panel of senior UN officials, academics from New York Uni-versity, University of Maryland and Columbia University, experts and policy-makers identified priority areas for further research and discussion, as well as best practices in rel-evant policy programming.

The discussion was led by HBKU President Dr Ahmad M. Hasnah who navigated attendees through a series of thematic discussions. These began with a high level overview by Miguel Ángel Mor-atinos, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civ-ilizations followed by an expert overview of the causes of

extremism provided by former FBI agent and founder of the Soufan Center, Ali Soufan. This was followed by a session on the role of higher education institutions in countering violent extremism.

Higher education’s efforts to counter extremism undoubtedly require the support of digital media and other communication channels. This was ably demonstrated in a discussion with Dr Raffi Gre-gorian, Director and Deputy to the Under-Secretary- General, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT). Proceedings concluded with a session on the practical steps academic entities should take to tackle extremism, which was informed by the insights of Emilio Cassinello, a former Spanish diplomat and Director General of the Toledo Interna-tional Center for Peace.

Speaking after the round-table, Dr Hasnah, said, “HBKU was delighted to organize an event that not only attracted leading figures in the fields of counter-extremism and edu-cation, but also changed the

parameters of the conversation. The fact that Educate to Erad-icate took place in New York further demonstrates the uni-versity’s growing international profile and inter-connectedness with like-minded organisations. In this respect, I’d like to pay tribute to our partners at the Institute of International Edu-cation, whose expertise and knowledge was invaluable from start to finish.

“Extremism has no religion or community, single minded in its pursuit of goals through violent means that harm others, threaten the lives and stability of people all over the world as well as challenging norms and development of communities. Most solutions and discussions around extremism are focused on security related matters. There is a need to explore the pos-itive role of education, which is the basis for all development, whether social, economic, or political. Education gives people hope, instils tolerance, critical thinking, and as a result political stability.”

During the roundtable, Dr Alan Goodman, president of IIE, said: “While we can’t be sure that education works every time we know for sure the con-sequences of not trying.”

While, Moratinos said, “Youth’s engagement in fostering mutual understanding between people of different cultures and religions is crucial in preventing violent extremism. In response to the changing nature of violent extremism, UNAOC’s project activities have evolved into a robust and growing portfolio that tackles the threat from multiple directions.”

The Educate to Eradicate roundtable underscored the under-represented role that academic institutions and other educators play in tackling extremist behaviour and rhetoric.

Qatar’s envoy to Indonesia presents credentials

Chief of State Protocol and Director-General for Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, H E Andri Hadi, receiving a copy of the credentials of H E Fawzia bint Idris Salman Al Sulaiti, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Indonesia. H E the Chief of State Protocol and Director-General for Protocol at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wished H E the Ambassador success in her work and bilateral relations further development and progress.

QRCS provides hygiene, medical aid for thousands of displaced SyriansTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is going on with its emergency response to the recent mass displacement in southern Idlib Countryside. So far, the medical professionals of QRCS have helped over 1,200 internally displaced persons (IDPs), including 761 children and 462 pregnant and breast-feeding women. In addition, 157 families (785 persons) received hygiene kits.

At the same time, QRCS supported the major hospitals in northern Syria to be able to serve the injured victims of the recent escalation across southern Idlib.

In coordination with the Idlib Health Directorate, a total of 27

surgical kits were delivered to nine hospitals that serve a 25,000 popu-lation. These deliveries fell under the following medical specialisations: orthopaedics, urology, general surgery, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, car-diothoracic surgery, gynaecology, and neurosurgery.

Dr. Mohamed Salah Ibrahim, Executive Director of Relief and International Development Division at QRCS, said: “Sadly, things are going even worse across Idlib. The calamity is by far larger than the available resources. The community and IDPs lack the very basics of life, such as food, treatment, heating, and hygiene”.

“Through our representation

mission in Turkey, we are doing our best to secure these needs, with a special focus on the most vulnerable groups like babies, pregnant women, and nursing mothers,” said Dr. Ibrahim.

He emphasised that major efforts are needed to overcome the out-standing challenges. “We seek every support from individual and institu-tional donors to implement a QR4m relief plan that would supply heating oil, food parcels, blankets, tarpaulins to up to 56,000 IDPs in Idlib,” he explained.

Dr. Ibrahim said he was sure of the response by the generous people of Qatar to their appeal to help the helpless mothers and children who are hungry, thirsty, and freezing.A doctor is checking a Syrian child under the program of QRCS for displaced people.

Hosted by IIE, Educate to Eradicate, drew on security, political and socio-development perspectives to develop a deeper understanding of the causes and solutions for combating violent extremism.

The winner of the Lexus LX570 2020 Car, Amir Hossain Abdul Khalek (coupon number 0381122), with an official of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Safari Management staff. Safari Hypermarket Group in Qatar announced the Winner of ‘Visit & Win Lexus LX570 2020 Car Promotion’ and the lucky draw was held at Safari Hypermarket Al Khor on January 20.

Safari ‘Visit & Win Lexus LX570 2020’ winner

Refugees to teach GU-Q studentsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Learning a new language is part of most students’ academic curriculum. But, this year, those studying at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) will take part in a language learning program unlike any other, one taught by refugees from around the world.

The pilot phase of the lan-guage learning platform will take place during the 2019-2020 aca-demic year. It is designed to help participants improve their con-versation skills and prepare for language proficiency exams, while the instructors will practice their native language, such as Arabic, Mandarin, or Urdu.

The program is a partnership between WISE, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), and Chatterbox, a UK-based startup, and is the first step in the estab-lishment of an education tech-nology (edtech) testbed in Qatar.

“The collaboration between WISE, GU-Q, and Chatterbox represents the first attempt

towards building an edtech testbed in Qatar in order to understand what works, why, and under what circumstances,” said Dr. Ameena Hussain, Director of Programs and Content at WISE.

The edtech testbed will provide an opportunity for pro-fessionals and experts within schools and universities, such as administrators and teachers, to support startups to improve their solutions via testing and experimentation.

“Our partnership with WISE and Chatterbox allows us to offer

our students an innovative platform to support language learning, and, at the same time, help an exciting edtech start up to expand and evolve in new ways,” said Dr. Anne Nebel, Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at GU-Q.

The establishment of an edtech testbed also aims to tackle educational challenges faced by schools and universities in Qatar by leveraging innova-tions developed by startups from around the world. These startups were selected and supported for a year by WISE – an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF) – through its Accelerator program.

The learnings derived from the partnership will go on to help QF scale up its edtech testbed in Education City, and throughout Qatar, in the coming years. And WISE and local academic insti-tutions will be able to leverage the edtech testbed to conduct research, which will help improve innovation in education worldwide.

The program is a partnership between WISE, GU-Q, and Chatterbox, a UK-based startup, and is the first step in the establishment of an education technology (edtech) testbed in Qatar.

07WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020 HOME

Saudia Group NRI businessman felicitatedSaudia Hypermarket Group of Companies Managing Director, N K Musthafa, was felicitated by the Indian Cultural Centre for completing over 40 years as an NRI Business Person in Qatar. Musthafa received the honour from the Ambassador of India, H E P Kumaran during the ‘A Passage to India 2020’ community festival at the Museum of Islamic Art Park on January 17, 2020.

Best Buddies Qatar members take part in ‘Farm Your Country’ projectTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

A total of 50 Best Buddies Qatar members of Rehabilitation and Vocational Program partici-pated in ‘Farm Your Country’ project, implemented by Al-Faisal without Borders Foundation, in cooperation with the Public Parks Department of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

General Manager of Al-Faisal without Borders Foundation, Abdullatif Al Yafai said: “We are proud to work alongside Best Buddies Qatar to implement new ways to develop skills of persons with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, and to empower and integrate them in the community. We affirm our commitment and keenness to achieve one of our main goals to present various environmentally friendly initiatives, and we seek

to adopt a sustainability system, to focus attention to the envi-ronment and the impact of the

population on it.” He said that program aims

to spread the values of

agriculture and preserving the environment according to the Qatar National Vision 2030, in

its aspect of environmental development.

He added that Al Faisal without Borders Foundation does charity work with the Public Parks Department at MME and the Ministry of Edu-cation and Higher Education to achieve the desired goal in helping and educating public in growing and producing healthy food and take care of plants using the simplest tools and fer-tilizers in natural environmental conditions,

“Collaborating with Best Buddies Qatar, we intend to implement ‘Farm Your Country’ program to educate its members the principles of planting the seeds and growing leaf, fruit and decorative plants, with the parodic inspection of the experts of Al Faisal without Borders Foundation,” said Al Yafai.

The Executive Director of Best Buddies Qatar, Laalei Abu

Alfain expressed high gratitude to Al-Faisal Without Borders Foundation, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for their great and efficient efforts in implementing ‘Farm Your Country’; and for contribution in providing an appropriate educational environment in the inclusion of Best Buddies Qatar members with intellectual and developmental disabilities and promoted opportunities to develop their social skills.

She said that the achievement of sustainable development is a mutual responsibility among all entities, and they should strive to inte-grate persons with disabilities in various programs, to escalate understanding the role of green spaces in the environment and to raising awareness of the importance of agriculture in our lives.

Best Buddies Qatar members of Rehabilitation and Vocational Program during the ‘Farm Your Country’ project.

Education Ministry, QF organise academic & vocational guidance forumQNA — DOHA

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education, represented by schools for girls in the northern cities, and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Devel-opment, represented by the Qatar Academy - Al Khor, organised the first academic and vocational guidance forum as the first educational initiative in the country. The forum, held at Al Khor Secondary School for Girls, aims to consolidate the professional culture among high school students and introduce them to the areas through which they can serve the state, to the requirements of university life and to the career paths available to them, by visiting the wings of institutions and universities.

The forum, in which schools for girls in the northern cities participated, is also considered one of the most important activ-ities that help high school stu-dents in identifying specialisa-tions available in universities and admission requirements, providing employment oppor-tunities, training and

development, career guidance and attracting cadres from high school graduates and univer-sities to enter the labour market and take advantage of the energies in advancing the development of the country.

The forum focused on career guidance for students by intro-ducing the requirements of the labour market and current and future specialisations that insti-tutions and companies desire to appoint graduates as well as

educating and encouraging young people to see strategic plans for ministries and institu-tions, governmental and non-governmental companies and areas of employment and future desired disciplines, and choosing university majors and aligning them with the needs of the labour market, to achieve the goals of sustainable devel-opment of the country within the framework of its national vision 2030.

The forum focused on career guidance for students by introducing the requirements of the labour market and current and future specialisations.

Over 110 dental specialists attend Hamad Dental Centre SymposiumTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Hamad Dental Center of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), held the first Hamad Dental Centre Symposium with over 110 dentistry professionals from both the public and private sectors and Qatar and abroad in attendance, recently.

The one-day event aimed to highlight the importance of the interdisciplinary dental man-agement of children.

Dr Khalifa Al Ansari, Vice-Chair Education, HMC Dental Center, and President of the Symposium’s organising com-mittee said the event provided the ideal platform for the local dental community to exchange ideas with leading experts, from both Qatar and abroad, and to enrich the field of dentistry in the country. He said the latest scien-tific research and treatment methods and techniques in the field of pediatric dentistry were among the topics discussed.

Dr Al Ansari said the treatment and prevention of dis-eases related to dental medicine in children and adolescents, and the latest surgical and non-sur-gical treatments to address dental disease in growing children were also highlighted. He extended his sincere thanks to both speakers and delegates and praised the active partici-pation of those who attended, which included a large number of dentists.

The Symposium’s scientific program included lectures from world-renowned speakers, including Professor Mandeep (Monty) Singh Duggal, Professor of Pediatric Dentistry and Vice Dean and Faculty Research Director at the National Uni-versity Centre for Oral Health, Singapore. Professor Duggal spoke about auto-transplan-tation, an interdisciplinary approach in the management of complex dental trauma cases. HMC’s Dr Hani Nazzal lectured on the emerging field of regen-erative endodontics and Dr Kalaiarasu Peariasamy, Head and Consultant in Pediatric Den-tistry and NIH Malaysia spoke about the surgical management of dental conditions in children. Ireland’s Dr. John Walsh led a session on the field of inter-ceptive orthodontics, which is a

phased type of orthodontics.Held under the patronage of

HMC’s Medical Education Department and with support from Dr. Ghanim Al Mannai, Dental Service Chairman, the Symposium’s organizing com-mittee included Dr Hani Nazzal, Senior Consultant Pediatric Den-tistry, Dr Najat Alhashimi, Senior Consultant and Unit, and Division Chief Orthodontics, Dr Jamal Alabdulla, Head of the Pediatric Dentistry Section, and Dr Huda Al Hashemi, Senior Consultant Pros-thodontics and Chair of the Hamad Dental Center CPD Committee.

The event concluded with both speakers and delegates par-ticipating in an open discussion. Conference attendees were eli-gible for Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP) Continuing Professional Devel-opment (CPD) points.

The first Hamad Dental Centre Symposium in progress.

Public Diplomacy Conference holds workshop on social mediaTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

As part of the activities of the Global Public Diplomacy Network conference hosted by Katara, a workshop for youth on social media was organised yesterday, in which a group of specialists, heads of companies and international experts in the information technology and modern media sector partici-pated.

A group of Qatar University students and young activists in social media from eight member countries of the Public Diplomacy Network also par-ticipated in the workshop.

In its six sessions, the workshop discussed a number of important topics and issues related to public diplomacy, digital diplomacy, and its rela-tionship to the field of electronic security, cyber crime, and the impact of social media on indi-viduals and societies.

The workshop witnessed

brainstorming sessions in which students and young activists participated, during which pro-posals were presented on the creation and application of social media as tools for guiding youth and platforms for science and knowledge purposes, spreading awareness , exchanging ideas and opinions, and their importance in cultural construction.

The participants also dis-cussed the responsibility of the Network in disseminating infor-mation and how to ensure its validity, circulation and broadcast in the targeted communities.

The workshop highlighted the reality of social media in each of the member states, and through every modern means such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp, carefully analysed and clarified the position of each member state in each of these applications.

In addition to its approach, responsibilities and rights in the field of social media, explaining the tasks of communication in public diplomacy, discussing the importance of social media within societies in today’s world and how to influence the members of the Network were

also discussed in the workshop.Eng. Darwish Ahmed Al

Shebani, Secretary General of the Public Diplomacy Network, said that the workshop repre-sents an opportunity for offering suggestions and ideas on how to use an effective mechanism that is characterised by

creativity, explaining that it aims to attract young people involved in the field of social networking during the past 15 years.

Al Shebani pointed out that the website of the Public Diplomacy Network was developed in a way that enables

users from member countries to interact and benefit from the content, noting that the site is distinguished by a new mech-anism that contributes to moti-vating member countries towards creating new ideas and projects that contribute to raising the level of cultural activities. Al Shebani pointed out that the site will be available in English.

It is noteworthy that the portal of the Network contains a special section for the publi-cations of cultural institutions and associations in member states, in addition to infor-mation related to all cultural and artistic activities that set by the competent institutions and associations in each of the member states. The information includes detailed explanation the cultural programs, their dates and places and parties involved and how to contact those who are in charge of them.

The participants of the workshop held yesterday for youth on social media under Katara Public Diplomacy Conference.

Dr Khalifa Al Ansari addressing the symposium.

Democrats have called on the Senate to remove the Republican President from office, describing him as a danger to American democracy and national security. Trump and his lawyers have decried his impeachment, saying he has done nothing wrong and that Democrats are simply trying to stop him from being re-elected.

08 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMAN

SHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFIeditorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITOR

MOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMEDm.salim@pen.com.qa

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

MOHAMMED OSMAN ALI osman@pen.com.qa

EDITORIAL

WITH the unparalleled diplomacy and friendly relations with other countries, Qatar has made its presence felt in the international arena and its stature and stance on the global stage is achieving greater significance every day. Qatar has been keen on exchanging high-level visits with countries across all the continents boosting bilateral relations and expressing its position on several pressing issues vexing the world affairs.

Yesterday, Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held official talks with the Italian President, H E Sergio Mattarella, who is on a state visit to the country. A high-level delegation is accompanying him. The two leaders discussed close bilateral relations and means to enhance them. They also discussed international issues, especially the latest developments in the region. H H the Amir also hosted a luncheon in honour of the visiting President and his delegation.

Ties between Qatar and Italy have been witnessing a steady growth ever since both countries opened their embassies in 1992. Mutual visits by leaders and several agreements signed by the two countries have taken the strong bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. H H the Amir visited Italy in January 2016 and in November 2018, while Italian Prime Minister H E Giusseppe Conte paid an official visit to Qatar in April 2018. At the same time, several visits were exchanged by ministerial delegations in both countries, especially the ones which were led by Foreign, Defence and Interior Ministers strengthening mutual trust and relations.

Business and economic activities also passed several milestones in the past few years. The opening of the Adriatic LNG terminal in the Italian coastal city of Rovigo in October last year, which receives eight billion cubic metres of Qatari LNG every year, meeting 10 percent of Italy’s needs, is an example. Qatar purchased seven Italian naval units worth €5bn and NH90 helicopters, boosting defence ties. Italy is Qatar’s eighth trading partner and the seventh supplier as the trade exchange volume between the countries exceeds €1bn. Qatar has significant investments in different sectors in Italy and some 250 Italian companies are operating in Qatar, out of which 50 companies are with 100 percent Italian capital and ownership.

The visit of H E the Italian President will definitely result in taking the strategic relations between Doha and Rome to new heights, open more horizons for further cooperation and will serve the aspirations and common interests of the two countries and their friendly people.

Strengthening Qatar-Italy ties

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Quote of the day

We need to go heavy in and train (in Iraq). Build everything from the ministry of defense, institutions, command and control, to train forces. Nato can do that. We already do it, but we can scale up.

Jens Stoltenberg, Nato Secretary-General

US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts presides over the start of the US Senate impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump in this frame grab from video shot in the US Senate Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, yesterday.

Donald Trump’s impeachment trial began in earnest in the Senate yesterday in a rare use of the constitutional mechanism for ousting a President that has only deepened the polarization of US voters ahead of presidential elec-tions in November.

Democrats have called on the Senate to remove the Republican president from office, describing him as a danger to American democracy and national security. Trump and his lawyers have decried his impeachment, saying he has done nothing wrong and that Democrats are simply trying to stop him from being re-elected.

The televised trial is expected to hear opening arguments in the Republican-controlled Senate this week, and votes could take place as early as today on the rules gov-erning the trial. This would include deciding whether the Senate should at a later date con-sider subpoenas for witnesses, such as Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton.

The chamber’s 100 members must decide whether to convict Trump on charges approved by the Democratic-led House of Rep-resentatives on Dec. 18, accusing him of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress arising from his dealings with Ukraine.

“If the Senate permits Pres-ident Trump to remain in office, he and future leaders would be emboldened to welcome, and even enlist, foreign interference in elections for years to come,” Democrats wrote in a pre-trial document over the weekend, making the case for his removal.

Trump’s legal team, in their

pre-trial brief yesterday, accused Democrats of using impeachment as a “partisan, election-year political tool” and said the Senate should move speedily to acquit him.

The trial of a US president should be a moment freighted with drama, huge political risk and the potential unravelling of a presidency. But financial markets have shrugged it off, and the rev-elations in the months-long impeachment investigation thus far have done little to boost anti-Trump sentiment among unde-cided voters or shift away mod-erate Republican voters.

Indeed, Trump has sought to rally his base with the impeachment issue, fund-raising off it and at raucous election rallies painting himself as the victim of a witch hunt.

Proceedings are due to start at around 1pm and the trial is expected to continue six days a week, Monday through Saturday, until at least the end of January. Opening arguments could last for four days and run well into the night, with a team of Democratic House lawmakers presenting the case against Trump, and the pres-ident’s legal team responding.

This is only the third impeachment trial in US history. No president has ever been removed through impeachment, a mechanism the nation’s founders - worried about a monarch on American soil - devised to oust a president for “treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

With a two-thirds majority needed in the Senate to remove Trump from office, he is almost certain to be acquitted by fellow Republicans in the chamber. But the impact of the trial on his re-

election bid is far from clear.Twelve Democrats are vying

for their party’s nomination to face Trump, including former Vice President Joe Biden.

Trump’s request to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last July to investigate Biden is at the heart of the impeachment case. Democrats accuse Trump of pres-suring a vulnerable ally to interfere in US elections at the expense of American national security. Trump’s legal team says there was no pressure and that the Demo-crats’ case is based on hearsay.

Televised congressional tes-timony from a parade of current and former officials who spoke of a coordinated effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden has done little to change support for and against Trump’s impeachment. Reuters/Ipsos polling since the inquiry began in September shows Democrats and Republicans responding largely along party lines.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll conducted Jan. 13-14, 39% of US adults approved of Trump’s job performance, while 56% disapproved. It also found that 45% of respondents said Trump should be removed from office, while 31% said the impeachment charges should be dismissed.

As the impeachment drama plays out, it has consumed much of Trump’s attention even as the United States faces a series of international challenges. These include tensions with Iran that nearly boiled over into open war, an on-again, off-again trade war with China, Trump’s so-far failed outreach to North Korea, con-cerns about a repeat of Russian interference in a US election and strains with traditional allies in Europe and elsewhere.

BOBBY GHOSH BLOOMBERG

If you strain your eyes very hard, you might see a silver lining in the gloomy outcome of the Berlin summit over the Libyan civil war: At least Khalifa Haftar didn’t storm off in a huff. The commander of the rebel forces besieging Tripoli did not reprise his performance of the previous week, when he left Moscow without so much as a by-your-leave to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was able to extract a modicum of courtesy from Haftar, getting him to stay through the end of the summit, and agreeing to a deal she tried heroically to cast as progress. It was “a comprehensive plan forward,” she said, claiming that “all participants worked

really constructively together.”

It isn’t, and they didn’t. If Haftar showed his contempt for the peacemaking efforts in Moscow - by refusing to sign a deal after Putin and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had persuaded Libya’s internationally-recog-nized Government of National Accord in Tripoli to agree - he signaled his disdain for the Berlin parleys even before they’d begun. On the eve of the summit, he blocked oil exports from ports under his control, effectively slashing Libya’s output by more than half.

It was a demonstration of power ahead of the gathering of belligerents, and added to the list of disputes that the middlemen would have to mediate. The Europeans, led by Merkel, and the US, repre-sented by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, weren’t even

able to extract from Haftar a firm commitment to reopen the ports.

All they got from the rebel commander and the GNA leader Fayez al-Sarraj was an agreement to talk some more; each is to name a five-person team for meetings in Geneva.

Pompeo, like Merkel, made an effort to portray this pig’s ear as a silk purse, but then gave up. “There was progress made toward a full-fledged ceasefire, a truce, temporary stand-down,” he said as he left Berlin. “There’s still a lot of work to do.”

In truth there’s not a great deal that the Europeans and Americans can do - or are prepared to. Such leverage as exists in Libya now is in the hands of other powers: Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates on the side of Haftar, and Turkey shoring up Al Sarraj’s besieged GNA.

In Berlin, all of these players said they wanted peace, committed to end their military backing of the warring parties, and signed an agreement to uphold a United Nations arms embargo. There were plans, too, for interna-tional monitoring of the ceasefire.

These promises ring familiar, and hollow. Even if Egypt and the UAE were entirely sincere in their desire for peace, they will not agree on any terms that leave Turkey supporting GNA - firmly ensconced in Libya. Nor is Erdogan in any mood to back down: On the eve of the Berlin summit, he reit-erated his commitment to send Turkish troops to Tripoli’s aid. To make matters even more complicated, Ankara seems already to have dispatched hundreds to Libya, to hold the line against Haftar.

Trump’s Senate trial begins as a polarized America looks on

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Libya deal is a gentleman’s bargain, between rogues

Established in 1996

WILL DUNHAM REUTERS

09WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020 OPINION

There will be no shortage of observers calling the gathering at Davos an empty gesture this week, but the billionaires are right about one thing: Ignoring inequality and climate change is no longer an option. Now let’s see who’s willing to pay for it.

Advancing “high-tech” was one of the items on Kuala Lumpur Summit’s agenda. The most populous (Muslim) countries in the world have a long way to go before they could catch up to the infor-mation age that the developed countries currently live, to eventually affect technology advancement, not only be affected by it. But, could the abundance of natural and human resources available to these countries be utilized for rapid growth of tech indus-tries? What could a country like Qatar do to truly embrace innovation-driven economy and further foster technology development domestically and regionally?

For the past several years, the Qatari government has been creating institutional “engines” to kickstart entre-preneurship ecosystem in Qatar. Most notably, Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) is the front promoter of innovation culture in Qatar by pairing businesses and academic institutions; Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) is Qatar’s generous arm of funding scientific

research of local and interna-tional researchers; Qatar Financial Center (QFC) is the platform that attracts both nascent and developed busi-nesses to Qatar; Qatar Free Zones (QFZ) is another attractive environment for international businesses to locate in Qatar with a prom-ising potential to diversify Qatar’s economy by the addition of technology devel-opment sites of companies such as UniStrong and Gaussin; Qatar Development Bank (QDP) financially sup-ports Qatari small and medium enterprises and has remarkably backed self-suffi-ciency efforts against the blockade on Qatar.

These Qatari organiza-tions have made great strides in local technology devel-opment. They can only get better by examining some concepts that measure insti-tutional effectiveness with regard to technology development:

Do we effectively manage the flow of technology knowledge, and the dynamics, between universities and companies?

Q Is equal care given to companies, research institu-tions and people?

Q Do we have open and direct communication channels between companies, individual entrepreneurs and technology specialists?

Q Do available environ-ments enhance cultures of

innovation and creativity? Do these environments avail equal opportunity?

Q Are there effective pro-cedures that facilitate the cre-ation of new businesses, e.g. via incubation and spin-off, and accelerate the growth of small companies?

Q Have we created strong international ties and global network(s) that connect us with other innovative com-panies and research institu-tions? Will it be easy to facil-itate the internationalization of local/resident companies?

Continually addressing these questions, rather than trying to answer them, puts us on a road to thrive in new

technology development. And as far as our intuitions are methodologically approaching these questions, we can start the discourse and the institutional efforts on financial return and growth.

Spending on research, development and innovation has certainly spurred produc-tivity and continues to increase integration of infor-mation and communications technology with the Qatari economy. This spending, however, is no substitute to private capital, especially when it comes to commer-cialization. Southern San Francisco Bay Area would not have been the “Sillicon Valley” that it is today if it had not been for Sand Hill Road – where venture capitalists located to invest in startups coming out of universities, mainly Stanford.

Venture funding plays a critical role is in the stages that follow R&D to turn inno-vation into product. This is the money that facilitate com-mercialization and may go into costs of manufacturing, marketing, sales, or simply expenses of “keeping the lights on.” The venture money can not be but private capital.

The zeal of fiduciary duty is what drives successful commercialization. Privat funding is the only compelling way to answer hard questions about the future of a venture like: what are actual motiva-tions of the working team? Is everyone on the team aligned on the same final goal?

What is the initial target market, and will there be an emerging market for the product? Do the entrepre-neurs have realistic per-spective of the market and competition landscape? Questions like these, to assess the team, market, technology, trends, traction and investment terms, are essential to the success of a tech development venture.

One possible way to encourage private invest-ments is blended capital, public and private, to com-mercialize and make profit coupled with governmental efforts to create apt policies and programs to encourage business to innovate and heighten added value.

Besides being a weak link in the entrepreneurship eco-system, able private investors will be missing on the tail-winds of technology devel-opment if they do not cease chances.

“Growth hacking” is

another realm to improve in our emerging entrepre-neurship ecosystem. Leading companies to grow is a skill and a culture that we need to learn and propagate. Contrary to what many might think, size of the Qatari market is not an issue in tech devel-opment. Many countries have flourished beyond their rel-ative size with large pene-tration into international markets. In this regard, the Qatari government has exerted efforts and spent wealth to foster entrepre-neurship and grow tech development ecosystem. Most recently, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) appears to have larger appetite for tech investments which can emboldens other institutional investors in Qatar to follow, broadening international trade.

Much like Qatar, Taiwan is a small island, off the coast of China, with relatively small population. Nonetheless, Taiwan has matured as an innovation-driven economy for the past two decades, according to the World Eco-nomic Forum’s report on global competitiveness. Taiwan ranks in top 5 nations with highest broadband speed, produces more than 50 percent of the world’s inte-grated circuits and many of the laptops sold around the world. Taiwan’s population has almost 100 percent lit-eracy rate and ranks in the world’s top 5 countries with highest standardized math test scores. More than quarter of all university degrees con-ferred in the country are in engineering. These great strides have come as a result of the country’s encouraging business environment and the national drive for the country to become an international hub of technology.

Technology has become the key aspect of every suc-cessful enterprise and devel-oping it is becoming the standard to make the dis-tinction between a developed and developing countries. Afterall, technology, espe-cially digital technology, is not only critical of economic growth, national security, and international competitiveness, it is a catalyst of sustainable development.

Dr. Soud is the Sustaina-bility Director at ASTAD and Adjunct Professor of Sus-tainable Development at Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

Fostering and sustaining Qatari technology development

If investors want a better world, they’ll have to pay for it. The world’s uber-elite converged on Davos, Swit-zerland, on Tuesday for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. The group of more than 2,000 is worth an estimated $500 billion and includes at least 119 billion-aires. This year’s theme is “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World” and includes panels such as “Averting a Climate Apoca-lypse” and “Balancing Domestic and Global Inequality,” so you can count on plenty of chatter about the world’s most pressing problems.

Aside from the obvious point that no one wants to hear about wealth inequality and climate change from a gaggle of billionaires whose carbon footprint dwarfs that

of an ordinary person, the gathering comes amid growing suspicions that many of the corporate titans expected at Davos aren’t just casual observers of the world’s ills but actively per-petuate them in the pursuit of profits.

Corporate executives seem to be coming to that realization themselves. The Business Roundtable, an asso-ciation of US CEOs, aban-doned the principle of share-holder primacy last August, pledging instead to “lead their companies for the benefit of all stakeholders,” including customers, employees, sup-pliers and communities. The move is an implicit - if not explicit - admission that, as my Bloomberg Opinion col-league Joe Nocera put it last week, “Shareholder value has caused much harm in the three decades since it became the core value of American capitalism: diabetics who can’t afford insulin; students ripped off by for-profit uni-versities; patients gouged by hospital chains; and so much else.”

That singular focus on profits has also been an unde-niable

windfall for shareholders of US companies. Consider that from 1871 to 1979, earnings per share for the S&P 500 Index grew 3.4% a year, according to numbers com-piled by Yale professor Robert Shiller. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a new generation of executives, including most famously General Electric Co.’s Jack Welch, made profit maximization their single-minded priority. Since 1980, earnings have grown 5.6% a year.

Earnings are the invisible hand that drive stock returns. The S&P 500 returned 11.8% a year during the four decades from 1980 to 2019. Of that, nearly half came from the 5.6% of earnings growth. Divi-dends contributed 3% and change in valuation kicked in the remaining 3.2%, as measured by change in the 12-month trailing price-to-earnings ratio. Earnings have been even more of a work-horse in recent years as div-idend yields have declined and - contrary to popular per-ception - investors have been reluctant to pay more for stocks. Of the 13.6% annual return from the S&P 500 from 2010 to 2019, a whopping

10.2% came from earnings growth and just 3.4% came from dividends and change in valuation.

It’s hard to see how that pace of earnings growth - and the return from stocks by extension - is sustainable if companies decide that share-holders are no longer their only concern.

Sure, some efforts to broaden the base of stake-holders may contribute to future growth, or at least not detract from it. Germany, for example, has a decades-old tradition of co-determination in which workers are repre-sented on corporate boards, and German companies have generated higher earnings growth than their US coun-terparts since Germany enacted co-determination in 1976.

But the scale of the problems contemplated at Davos this week is likely to require more drastic inter-vention. Taking on inequality is likely to mean retraining millions of workers for higher-value jobs and paying them accordingly. Con-fronting climate change will require significant spending on research and in some cases

abandoning whole lines of business. Those costs will be borne by shareholders big and small, from the bigwigs gathered at Davos to uni-versity endowments to pension funds to ordinary retirement savers.

And not just in the US The swell of protest and populist movements around the world is in part a reaction to the negative effects of share-holder primacy. Executives appear to be listening. Days after the Business Roundtable ditched shareholder primacy in the US, Business for Inclusive Growth, a coalition of 34 multinational com-panies, announced an initi-ative to tackle inequality with help from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

There will be no shortage of observers calling the gath-ering at Davos an empty gesture this week, but the bil-lionaires are right about one thing: Ignoring inequality and climate change is no longer an option. Now let’s see who’s willing to pay for it.

Nir Kaissar is a Bloomberg Opinion col-umnist covering the markets.

Davos seeks a better world, but who’s going to pay for it?

DR. SOUD KHALIFA AL THANI

NIR KAISSAR BLOOMBERG

Spending on research, development and innovation has certainly spurred productivity and continues to increase integration of information and communications technology with the Qatari economy.

For the past several years, the Qatari government has been creating institutional “engines” to kickstart entrepreneurship ecosystem in Qatar. Most notably, Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) is the front promoter of innovation culture in Qatar by pairing businesses and academic institutions.

Qatar Science & Technology Park has become an international hub for applied research, technology innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship.

10 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020HOME

11WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020 GULF / MIDDLE EAST

Russian air strikes leave 23 dead in SyriaAFP — BEIRUT

Russian air strikes killed 23 civilians yesterday in north-western Syria, as renewed violence tightened the noose around the country’s last major rebel-held bastion and deepened an already dire humanitarian crisis.

Retaliatory rocket attacks blamed on rebels and militants killed three more civilians in the government-held city of Aleppo in northern Syria, state news agency SANA said.

The spike in violence in the neighbouring provinces of Aleppo and Idlib follow so far unsuccessful diplomatic attempts to reduce hostilities in the flashpoint region, with the latest truce in theory going into effect less than two weeks ago.

Most of Idlib and parts of Aleppo province are still con-trolled by factions opposed to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, including a group that includes onetime members of Al-Qaeda’s former Syria franchise.

The Damascus regime, which controls around 70 percent of the country after

nearly nine years of war, has repeatedly vowed to recapture the region. Yesterday, air strikes by regime-ally Russia on a rebel-held region in Aleppo’s western countryside killed eight members of the same family sheltering in a house, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Six children were among those killed in the raid on Kfar Taal village, where three girls already died a day earlier in strikes, according to the Britain-based monitor.

Three other victims where killed in separate Russian air strikes on western Aleppo on Tuesday, while raids also by Moscow in a southern region of Idlib killed two more people, the Observatory said. “Over the past three days, the bombardment on Idlib and its surroundings,

including in western Aleppo, has been exclusively Russian,” saud Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

“They want to push rebels and jihadists away from the city of Aleppo and from the motorway linking Aleppo to Damascus,” Abdel Rahman said.

SANA said rebel rocket fire also killed two women and a child in Aleppo city.

The surge in violence comes despite a ceasefire announced by Russia earlier this month that never really took hold.

Russia has thousands of forces deployed across Syria in support of the army, while a contingent of Russian private security personnel also operates on the ground.

Moscow’s military inter-vention in 2015, four years into

the Syrian conflict, helped keep Assad in power and marked a long, bloody reconquest of ter-ritory lost to rebels in early stages of the war.

Abdul Rahman said the latest spate in air strikes could

be a prelude to a land offensive in western Aleppo, as the regime and its allies continue their drive to shrink the last opposition-held pocket. “The regime has massed reinforce-ments on the outskirts of the

city of Aleppo,” Abdel Rahman said. The violence in northern Syria is escalating an already dire humanitarian situation, with aid groups warning of dis-placement on an unprece-dented scale.

A woman uses crutches to walk at Al Hol camp for the displaced in the Al Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria, yesterday.

Oman’s foreign minister in IranANATOLIA — TEHRAN

Oman’s foreign minister yesterday arrived in Iran’s capital Tehran in an unan-nounced visit for the second time in January.

Iranian Fars news agency stated that Yusuf bin Alawi will meet his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif to “discuss bilateral cooperation and the most important issues

of common interests.” Bin Alawi had previously met Zarif on January 17 in the Omani capital Muscat. The Omani foreign minister had previously visited Iran to participate in the “Tehran Dialogue Forum” earlier this month.

During the forum, Bin Alawi said his country has important relations with both the Iranian and American sides and that it hears from both sides. Earlier

this month, Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Rev-olutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) elite Quds Force, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.

His death marked a dra-matic escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which have often been at a fever pitch since Trump chose in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw Washington from a 2015 nuclear pact.

Iran confirms two missiles fired at Ukrainian planeAFP — TEHRAN

Iran has confirmed two missiles were fired at a Ukrainian airliner that brought down this month, in a catastrophic error that killed all 176 people on board and sparked angry protests. The country’s civil aviation authority said it has yet to receive a positive response

after requesting technical assistance from France and the United States to decode black boxes from the downed airliner. The Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines plane was accidentally shot down shortly after takeoff from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on January 8.

Iraqi protesters assist an injured comrade amid clashes with riot police following an anti-government demonstration on Mohammad Al Qasim highway in the east of Baghdad, yesterday.

Protester dead as Iraq's police struggle to stem ongoing unrestREUTERS — BAGHDAD

Iraqi police fought running street battles with anti-government demonstrators yesterday, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse stone-throwing youths pressing for an overhaul of a political system they see as deeply corrupt.

One protester was killed in Baghdad while another suc-cumbed to a bullet wound sus-tained on Monday in Baquba city, medical sources said, adding at least 50 demonstrators were wounded.

Violent clashes erupted for a third straight day in Baghdad’s Tayaran Square and in other southern cities including Basra and the holy Shi’ite cities of Kerbala and Najaf, with pro-testers hurling stones and petrol bombs at police who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

“Our protests is peaceful. We call for the resignation of the government and an independent prime minister who does not belong to any party,” said a hooded protester in Baghdad, who declined to give his name. Anti-government unrest has crippled Iraq since Oct. 1, with

protesters demanding an end to what they say is deeply-rooted corruption and a ruling elite that has controlled Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. More than 450 people have been killed. Iraqi President Barham Salih is expected to appoint a new premier this week, state media reported, to replace out-going Adel Abdul Mahdi who was forced out by the demon-strations. Yesterday’s unrest fol-lowed violent gatherings on Monday that killed six Iraqis, including two police officers, and wounded scores across the country.

Political row flares up as Lebanon struggles to form governmentREUTERS — BEIRUT

Tensions between Hezbollah’s two main Christian allies flared up yesterday when one said the other’s “greed” was to blame for holding up the formation of a new Lebanese government that is urgently needed to address a major economic crisis.

The comments by Suleiman Frangieh about Gebran Bassil, head of the political party founded by President Michel Aoun, point to deepening com-plications in the drive to form the government even as Leba-non’s financial emergency deepens.

The heavily indebted country has been without effective government since Saad al-Hariri quit as premier in October due to protests against state corruption and poor governance - the root causes of Lebanon’s worst crisis since a 1975-90 civil war.

The issue has become increasingly pressing as largely peaceful protests took a violent turn over the weekend, when hundreds were injured in clashes with security forces. Ordinary Lebanese have been hit hard by banks’ restrictions on access to cash, a slump in the Lebanese pound, job losses and inflation.

The heavily armed Shi’ite

group Hezbollah and its political allies have been unable to agree the make-up of the cabinet since designating former government minister Hassan Diab as prime minister more than a month ago.

Political sources say the main sticking point has been over the number of seats sought by Bassil, who heads the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and is the son-in-law of President Aoun. Bassil has been at the heart of efforts to broker the formation of a new government.

FPM, the largest Christian party, has been seeking a third of the cabinet’s expected seats, according to political sources, a share that would effectively afford it a veto power which it also enjoyed under the pre-vious government.

At a news conference on Tuesday Frangieh, leader of the Christian party Marada, cast blame for the delay squarely on Bassil and the FPM.

“His (Bassil’s) greed and ambition are obstructing the government... Let Gebran Bassil form the entire government and may God bless him,” said Frangieh, who had sought to nominate two cabinet members but was restricted to one. Leb-anon’s government is expected to be comprised of specialists rather than politicians.

Syrian regime uses evacuation as means of seizing IdlibANATOLIA — ISTANBUL

The head of Syria’s White Helmets (Civil Defense) yesterday said the Syrian regime sought to capture oppo-sition-controlled northwestern Idlib city of Syria through forced evacuations.

In an interview, Raed Al Saleh commented on the Bashar Al Assad regime and its allies’ aggression on the city and vio-lat ion of cease-f ire agreements.

“The cease-fire in Idlib seems to be collapsed, it was relatively better. Those who

migrated would return home, but the regime and Russia did not abide by the cease-fire same as before,” Saleh said.

“The regime attempts to seize Idlib through evacuation,” he said, and added that the international community remained silent to the suffering of those being bombed to death in Idlib city.

The regime and allies’ aggression in southern Idlib have recently triggered forced migration of some 350,000 civilians, he stressed, adding: “Over a million civilians have fled their houses in Idlib since

April 2019.” Saleh went on to say that a humanitarian disaster was imminent in Idlib city if the regime and allies maintained attacks.

He also said the locals were so desperate that they did not even dream about returning.

The aid organisations have had difficulty in meeting the needs of locals and hundreds of thousands of civilians were in dire need of humanitarian assistance, Saleh added.

Responding to a question about the strikes on employees working voluntarily, he said: “There is no mechanism

protecting the voluntary employees. There is an approach of not targeting ambulances, but we build hos-pitals around mountains and camouflage the ambulances.” Media outlets also targeted the White Helmets as well as armed strikes, he said, and added: “We are the first witnesses of the crimes committed by Russia and the regime. Therefore, they also target or credibility.” - Vio-lations of Sochi, Astana agree-ments Located in northwestern Syria next to Turkey’s bor-derline, Idlib has been a fortress for opposition forces and

anti-regime armed groups since the eruption of the bloody civil war in 2011.

The city population has climbed to a whopping 4 million due to domestic migration in the city center amid intense attacks. Turkey, Russia, and Iran held meetings in Astana city of Kazakhstan in 2017 and announced that Idlib and neigh-boring cities, Eastern Ghouta region of capital Damascus and southern regions, namely Daraa and Quneitra cities, would be de-escalation zones. But the Assad regime launched attacks in violation of the agreements.

Turkey: Threearrested foralleged droneshipment to Syria

ANATOLIA — ADANA, TURKEY

Turkish police arrested three suspects yesterday for allegedly sending a shipment of four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to terrorist groups in Syria, security sources said.

The suspects were arrested in Istanbul and the southern Adana province, while another of Syrian nationality was held in the southern Hatay province, said the sources who asked not to be named, due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Acting on a tip-off received earlier this month, Adana police detained another suspect in a cargo office, while allegedly trying to send drones to people with links to terrorist groups in Syria.

Prosecutors in Adana issued arrest warrants for three other people over alleged links to terrorist groups.

Although the statement did not mention any specific ter-rorist group, Turkish forces have long been conducting operations against the terrorist group YPG/PKK in the region.

Kuwait looks into Ukraine’s ‘enticing’ investment lawsKUNA — KUWAIT

Ukraine possesses “enticing” investment legislation, in addition to an alluring business environment, Kuwait’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) said yesterday.

Kuwait and Ukraine’s “ever-growing” cooperation encompasses numerous fields, including agriculture, infor-mation technology and industry, KCCI’s deputy chairman

Abdulwahab Al Wazan said as he met with a Ukrainian trade delegation.

Kuwait’s Chamber of Com-merce encourages nationals to invest in the European nation, he said, while simul-taneously urging Ukrainian firms to contribute towards Kuwait’s development plans.

He went on to say that a “lack of direct flights between Kuwait and Ukraine” is the only impediment to bilateral trade growth, hoping the issue will be sorted out for the good of investors. As “ripe ground” for foreign investment, Ukraine enjoys enduring and solid relations with Kuwait, according to the Oil Ministry’s undersecretary, Sheikh Nimr Al Sabah.

The spike in violence in the neighbouring provinces of Aleppo and Idlib follow so far unsuccessful diplomatic attempts to reduce hostilities in the flashpoint region, with the latest truce in theory going into effect less than two weeks ago.

12 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020AFRICA

Turkey: Haftar must choosepolitical solution in LibyaAGENCIES — ANKARA

Eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar must abide by calls for a political solution to the conflict in Libya and take steps to secure “calm on the ground”, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said yesterday.

Haftar abandoned talks for a ceasefire in Moscow last week and the blockade of Libyan oil-fields by his forces over-shadowed a summit in Berlin on Sunday aimed at shoring up a shaky truce.

His Libyan National Army (LNA) aims to capture the capital, Tripoli, through the backing of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Russian merce-naries and African troops.

Turkey supports the Tripoli-based internationally recog-nised Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez Al Serraj, and has dispatched mil-itary advisers and trainers to help the GNA.

Cavusoglu said Haftar’s refusal to sign a joint commu-nique in Berlin had raised ques-tions about his intent.

“Does Haftar want a political or military solution? Until now, his stance has shown he wants a military one,” he told Turkish broadcaster NTV at the World Economic Forum

in Davos. “Haftar must imme-diately fall back to the political solution line and take concrete and positive steps in line with calls of the international com-munity for calm on the ground”.

Libya has had no stable central authority since Muammar Gaddafi was over-thrown by Nato-backed rebels in 2011. For more than five years, it has had two rival gov-ernments, in the east and the west, with streets controlled by armed groups.

At the Berlin summit, foreign powers active in Libya committed to uphold an existing UN arms embargo and stop shipping weapons there, but Cavusoglu suggested that the commitment was

dependent on a ceasefire holding. “There were calls for no one to send additional forces or weapons there. All partici-pants pledged to abide by this as long as the ceasefire con-tinues,” Cavusoglu said. “Our president was clear on this... and we voiced it at the end of the summit too.”

In the meantime, The United States called yesterday for an immediate resumption of Libya’s lifeline oil exports that have been blocked by forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar since last week.

“The suspension of National Oil Corporation (NOC) opera-tions risks exacerbating the humanitarian emergency in #Libya and inflicting further needless suffering on the Libyan people,” the US embassy in Tripoli tweeted.

“NOC operations should resume immediately,” it said.

Haftar’s forces, at war with fighters loyal to the UN-recog-nised Government of National Accord, blocked oil exports from Libya’s main ports on Sat-urday, a day before an interna-tional peace conference.

The move to cripple the country’s main income source was a protest against Turkey’s decision to send troops to shore up Haftar’s rivals.

The United States called yesterday for an immediate resumption of Libya’s lifeline oil exports that have been blocked by forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar since last week.

Tunisia’s designated PM vows to tackle economic illsREUTERS — TUNIS

Tunisia’s new designated prime minister Elyes Fakhfakh said he would form a smaller cabinet than in previous governments and combat poverty and margin-alisation of poorer regions.

President Kais Saied named the former finance and tourism minister as his choice for premier on Monday, giving him a month to form a government that can win majority support in the deeply fragmented parliament.

Speaking late on Monday, Fakhfakh said his cabinet would try to meet the aspirations of the 2011 revolution that introduced democracy, citing the October election of Saied as evidence Tunisians wanted big change.

“We will work... to establish the conditions for a fair and strong state, a state that will reward weaker regions and weaker neighbourhoods and end decades of poverty and margin-alisation,” he said.

The economy has languished since the revolution, with low

growth, high state deficits and debt, mounting unemployment and declining public services that have caused many Tunisians to lose faith in politics. “We will focus all our forces on raising the priority challenges, social and economic, and strengthening democracy,” he added.

Tunisia needs to borrow about $3 billion internationally in 2020 to meet spending com-mitments, and faces strong pressure from international lenders to cut spending. Addressing Fakhfakh in

published comments, Saied said: “Remember the martyrs. Heed the cry of the unemployed and the cry of the poor”.

Saied named the former Total employee after the par-liament this month rejected a government proposed by Habib Jemli, who was designated prime minister in November.

Jemli was nominated by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, a member of successive governments since the revo-lution, after it came first in the October elections with 53 of the

217 seats.However, he was not able to

win enough support from other parties for his proposed cabinet, giving President Saied the opportunity to designate his own choice for premier.

His selection of Fakhfakh came despite the wishes of most parties in parliament, which showed more support for two other candidates. He now has a month to form a government and put it to a confidence vote. If he loses, there will be another election.

Zimbabwe oppn vows street protestsAP — HARARE

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader said yesterday he will roll out anti-government street protests this year, declaring that the collapsing economy will improve only if political issues, including a long-disputed election, are resolved.

Nelson Chamisa told hun-dreds of Movement for Demo-cratic Change party supporters in the capital, Harare, that he will use the protests to push for a ”transitional authority” to run the southern African nation

until credible elections are held.“This year is going to be a

year of demonstrations and action,” he said to cheers. “It is time to fight for a Zimbabwe we all want, and have been dreaming of. Come what may, we will not be intimidated.” Zimbabwe held largely peaceful elections in 2018 in a transition from former leader Robert Mugabe’s nearly four-decade rule. But days later the military shot dead several people in Harare as opposition sup-porters protested a delay in releasing results. President

Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe protege, has said Chamisa should accept the election results, but the oppo-sition leader still asserts the vote was rigged even though the constitutional court threw out his legal challenge.

Zimbabwe’s military and police have crushed subsequent anti-government protests, while opposition events are routinely banned.

The economy has continued to deteriorate, erasing hopes of improved fortunes that greeted the fall of Mugabe in 2017.

Zimbabwe’s main opposition Movement for Democratic Change supporters gather for a rally in Harare, Zimbabwe, yesterday.

Nigeria files graftcharges againstformer ministerover oil scandal

AFP — LAGOS

Nigeria’s anti-graft agency said yesterday it had filed corruption charges against a former justice minister over a $1.3 billion dollar oil scandal involving international majors Shell and Eni.

Mohammed Adoke was arrested last month on arrival from the United Arab Emirates where he had been detained on a Nigerian warrant in con-nection with one of the West African state’s biggest-ever corruption scandals.

“We have filed multiple corruption charges in Abuja against Mr. Mohammed Adoke in respect of the Malabu oil deal. The former minister will appear in court soon,” Tony Oriade, spokesman for Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, said. Oriade said Adoke, a former attorney general, was accused of money laundering and collecting a bribe worth 300 million naira ($800,000, 750,000 euros) to broker the sale of lucrative offshore oil block OPL245 to Shell and Eni.

Both oil companies deny any wrongdoing in the case dubbed the “Malabu scandal” after the key company involved in the deals.

Adoke was alleged to have collected the bribe from a businessman.

Somalia promises to securesecurity of Turkish nationalsANATOLIA — MOGADISHU

Somali Prime Minister said in a statement yesterday that the government will take any action to secure the security of Turkish nationals after a meeting with Turkish ambas-sador to Somalia and other officials in Somali capital Mogadishu.

“We thank our Turkish brothers for their support, and Somali government will take any action to secure the security of Turkish nationals” Hassan Ali Khaire said.

The terrorist will not be able to stop Turkish devel-opment projects going on in our country, the statement added.

Turkish ambassador to

Somalia Mehmet Yilmaz, Qatari Ambassador to Somalia Hassan Hamza Asad Hashem, and Seracettin Aksun, a senior project official of the Turkish company Enez — building the Mogadishu-Afgoye highway — attended the meeting.

According to the available information from sources concerned with the matter.the meeting came days after Al Qaeda affiliated militant group Al Shabaab targeted a police convoy guarding Turkish nationals working on a road building project in Somalia’s Afgoye town, killing at least 3 people and wounded over 25 others, including six Turkish nationals.

A South African Airways plane is towed at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa.

South African Airways cancels 10 domestic flights in bid to save cashAFP — JOHANNESBURG

Beleaguered national airline South African Airways (SAA) announced yesterday it was cancelling 10 domestic and one international flight in an effort to streamline services and save cash.

The cash-strapped airline was last month placed under a state-approved business rescue plan to avoid its total collapse following a costly week-long strike by thousands of its workers. SAA said it was dropping 10 domestic flights between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, while

canning its direct route between Johannesburg and Munich.

Passengers on cancelled domestic flights will be accom-modated on its budget sister airline, Mango, while interna-tional travellers would be re-routed via its flights between Johannesburg and Frankfurt, and London Heathrow.

“These decisions are in line with SAA’s usual policy of reviewing flights and consoli-dating services with low demand,” it said in a statement.

“Furthermore, during the current process of business rescue, these cancellations rep-resent a responsible strategy to

conserve cash and optimise the airline’s position ahead of any further capital investment.” The company said there may be further flight schedule changes over the coming days.

The debt-ridden carrier, which has failed to make a profit since 2011 and survives on government bailouts, has been awaiting a two-billion rand payout from the Treasury to fund its business rescue process that was announced in December. Finance Minister Tito Mboweni last week said that the government was still trying to “find a solution to finance the airline.”

Niger suspends voter registration in militant-hit region

AFP — NIAMEY

Niger’s election commission said yesterday it had suspended a voter registration drive in a western border region buffeted by militant insurgents.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) said because of security cir-cumstances in the Tillaberi region, registration operations have been suspended in the dis-tricts of Abala, Tondikiwindi, Makalondi, Torodi, Gouroual, Diagourou, Inates and Banibangou.

Voter registration was also suspended in Tillia, a district in the neighbouring region of Tahoua, it said on its website.

Registration “will resume as soon as circumstances allow,” it said, adding that its agents would be withdrawn from these zones for the time being. Western Niger is bearing the brunt of a jihadist revolt that has swept in from neighbouring Mali and spread to Burkina Faso. Three attacks in Tillaberi in December and January, claimed by the Islamic State group, killed 174 soldiers,

according to an official toll. More than 7,000 people have fled their homes, according to the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The first round of presi-dential elections, coinciding also with a legislative ballot, is scheduled for December 27 this year.

These will be preceded by municipal and regional elec-tions, on November 1.

According to UN figures, militant attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left around 4,000 dead last year.

Namibia looks to import cattle as drought decimates local herdsREUTERS — WINDHOEK

Namibian state-owned meat processing and marketing firm Meatco is in talks with neighbour Botswana to import cattle, as severe drought deci-mates local herds and threatens

beef export deals with China and European countries.

The southern African desert nation moved closer to famine last month after dam levels fell below 20%, a drop officials blame on climate change and the worst drought in almost a

century that also hit South Afr ica , Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Meatco Acting Chairperson Ronald Kubas told Reuters on Tuesday that his company had recently visited Botswana and that buying cattle from there

made sense because Botswana had the same animal health standards as Namibia.

Namibia became the second African country after South Africa to meet China’s stringent import conditions for bone-in beef last year.

China’s massive population has seen its appetite for beef grow after an outbreak of African swine fever wiped out hundreds of millions of pigs.

Namibia currently exports 10,000 metric tons of beef a year to the European Union.

A five-year drought in southern Africa has caused plunging dam levels in Zambia and Zimbabwe which have resulted in power cuts. In parts of South Africa, people have been drilling boreholes and trucking in water.

13WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020 ASIA

N Korea may seek ‘new path’ after US fails to meet deadlineREUTERS — GENEVA

North Korea said yesterday the United States had ignored a deadline for nuclear talks and it no longer felt bound by its commitments, which included a halt to nuclear testing and inter-continental ballistic missile tests, and may “seek a new path”.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un set a year-end deadline for denuclearisation talks with the United States and White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said at the time the United States had opened channels of communication.

O’Brien said then he hoped Kim would follow through on denuclearisation commit-ments he made at summits with US President Donald Trump.

US disarmament ambas-sador Robert Wood voiced concern at Pyongyang’s latest remarks and said Washington

hoped the North would return to the negotiating table.

Ju Yong Chol, a counsellor at North Korea’s mission to the UN in Geneva, said that over the past two years, his country had halted nuclear tests and test firing of inter-continental ballistic missiles, “in order to build confidence with the United States”.

However, the US had responded by conducting dozens of joint military exer-cises with South Korea on the divided peninsula and by

imposing sanctions, he said.“As it became clear now

that the US remains unchanged in its ambition to block the development of the DPRK and stifle its political system, we found no reason to be unilaterally bound any longer by the commitment that the other party fails to honour,” Ju told the UN-backed Conference on Disarmament.

Speaking as the envoy from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),

North Korea’s official name, Ju accused the United States of applying “the most brutal and inhuman sanctions”.

“If the US persists in such hostile policy towards the DPRK there will never be the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,” he said.

“If the United States tries to enforce unilateral demands and persists in imposing sanc-tions, North Korea may be compelled to seek a new path.”

North Korea warned in December that it may take an unspecified “new path” if the United States failed to meet its expectations with a new approach to negotiations.

US military commanders said the move could include the testing of a long-range missile, which North Korea has suspended since 2017, along with nuclear warhead tests.

“In the past two years, the DPRK took the initiative by taking crucial measures to halt

nuclear tests, (halt) test firing of ICBMs and dismantle the nuclear testing ground in order to build confidence with the United States,” Ju said.

“However, far from responding with appropriate measures, the U.S. threatened DPRK militarily by conducting dozens of large- and small-scale joint military exercises (with South Korea) which the US President himself promised to discontinue...” Pyongyang has rejected unilateral disar-mament and given no indi-cation that it is willing to go beyond statements of broad support for the concept of uni-versal denuclearisation.

“The US behaviour also threw a wet blanket over our efforts for global disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Ju said.

North Korea has said in previous, failed talks that it could consider giving up its arsenal if the United States provided security guarantees

by removing its troops from South Korea and withdrew its so-called nuclear umbrella of deterrence from South Korea and Japan. Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are techni-cally still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

The North regularly used to threaten to destroy the South’s main ally, the United States, before rapprochement began after the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

“My hope is that they are not talking about moving away from that agreement reached between President Trump and Chairman Kim in 2018,” Wood told reporters.

“What we hope is that they will do the right thing and come back to the table and try to work out an arrangement where by we can fulfil that pledge that was made by Pres-ident Trump and Chairman Kim to denuclearise,” he said.

Rescuers dig snow at two mountain locations for trekkers missing during Nepal avalancheREUTERS — KATHMANDU

Rescuers began digging through several feet snow at two moun-tainside locations in Nepal yesterday where four South Korean trekkers and three Nepali guides are thought to be trapped, officials said.

The hikers have been missing since Friday, after being swept away by an avalanche during a trek in the region of Mount Annapurna, the world’s tenth highest mountain.

Nepal Tourism Board official Nandini Thapa said army res-cuers, who were ferried in by helicopter, had already started digging.

“It is very deep ice and the work would take time,” Thapa said. Army official Gokul Bhandari said the nine rescuers would spend the night there and continue the search early today.

The operation could take several weeks as the avalanche had dumped up to 12 feet at the site of the disaster, about 150km

northwest of the capital Kath-mandu, rescuer Bijay KC said.

The incident comes as the winter trekking season in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest, is drawing to a close this month.

In 2018, five South Koreans and four Nepali guides on a Himalayan climbing expedition were flung to their deaths after a huge block of ice crashed over a cliff into a narrow mountain gorge.

Nepalese army personnel prepare to leave for the search and rescue operation to find seven missing people after an avalanche hit the Annapurna region, in Pokhara, Nepal, yesterday.

8 Indians dead after falling unconscious at resort in Nepal

AP — KATHMANDU

Eight Indian tourists, including four children, were declared dead yesterday after being found unconscious in their room at a mountain resort in Nepal, officials said.

Rescue helicopters flew the tourists to Kathmandu, where they were declared dead at a hospital in the capital, police official Hobindra Bogati said.

A doctor at the Hospital for Advanced Medicine and Surgery in Kathmandu, Kamal Thapa, said the four adults and four children showed no signs of life when they arrived at the hospital.

The eight tourists were part of a group of 15 who had traveled to Nepal from the Indian state of Kerala.

Thapa said another member of the tour group said they had tried to wake the eight around 7am but found them unconscious.

The group reportedly turned on a gas heater inside the room while the windows and doors were closed. Police were investigating the case.

The resort at Daman is popular with tourists for mountain views and snowfall during winter. It is about 56 ki lometers west of Kathmandu.

The resort was fully booked so the eight tourists were sharing the same room.

India to auction assets of fugitive diamond magnate Nirav Modi

REUTERS — MUMBAI

The seized assets of Indian diamond magnate Nirav Modi (pictured), arrested in Britain last year over fraud allegations, will be auctioned within the next two months, the Mumbai-based Saffronart auctioneers said yesterday.

The auction, sanctioned by a court order, is part of efforts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to sell assets confiscated in criminal cases with the proceeds used to shore up banks struggling with piles of bad debt.

Modi, a billionaire jeweller in his late forties whose dia-monds have adorned Hol-lywood stars such as Kate Winslet and Dakota Johnson, was arrested over allegations of his involvement in a $2 billion fraud at India’s state-run Punjab National Bank .

He has denied the charges and is opposing efforts to extradite him from Britain to India.

Highlighting Saffronart’s auction of Modi’s assets - seized by India’s financial crime-fighting agency, will be “Boy with Lemon” by pioneering Hungarian-Indian modernist artist Amrita Sher-Gil valued at $1.69-$2.53m.

Other paintings to be sold will include an oil on canvas by India’s best known painter M.F. Husain of similar value, and a work worth 70-90m rupees by modernist VS Gaitonde.

Also on the block will be luxury wristwatches from Jaeger Lecoultre and Gerrard Perregaux, several Birkin and Kelly luxury handbags from Hermès and two cars - a Porsche Panamera and a Rolls Royce Ghost, a Saffronart statement said.

It said it was assessing the value of some assets and would say next week how much it expected to raise from the auction.

Indian tax authorities raised about $8m in an auction con-ducted last year by Saffronart of rare oil paintings that were seized from Modi.

The pending auction, however, will be the first time India’s financial crimes agency has appointed a professional auction house to sell off seized assets , according to Saffronart.

SC to hear pleas challenging citizenship law todayIANS — NEW DELHI

India's Supreme Court today will hear in excess of 140 pleas against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which include a majority seeking that the court examine its constitu-tional validity.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde, had issued notice to the Centre on December 18 on various pleas including those filed by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

The top court had sought

the Centre’s response by on nearly 60 pleas challenging the CAA’s legality, which has swelled to over 140, and fixed the hearing on January 22.

The anti-CAA petitions, also include those filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi.

The CAA grants Indian cit-izenship to non-Muslim minor-ities -- Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian -- who migrated to India from Afghan-istan, Pakistan and Bangladesh till December 31, 2014, fol-

lowing religious persecution.The petitions filed later

have also sought a stay on the operation of the legislation which came into force on January 10.

On January 9, the apex court had refused conduct urgent hearing on a plea seeking that CAA be declared constitutional.

The apex court had observed that saying the country is going through dif-ficult times against the backdrop of violence in many states, and therefore the endeavour should be for peace.

Protesters hold placards and national flags as they take part in a demonstration against new citizenship law, in Kolkata, yesterday.

Family of Irish girl who died in Malaysia seeks inquestREUTERS — SEREMBAN

The parents of an Irish girl who was found dead in Malaysia last year have asked authorities in Kuala Lumpur to conduct an inquest into the death, their lawyer said yesterday.

Nora Anne Quoirin, 15, who suffered from learning difficulties, went missing in early August from a rain-forest resort in Seremban, about 70km south of the Malaysian capital, a day after her family arrived on holiday.

Her naked body was found 10 days later near a jungle stream in a deep ravine near the Dusun resort, where the family was staying.

Lawyer Sankara N Nair, who is representing the family, said he has written to Malaysia’s attorney general asking for an inquest on the parents’ behalf and is yet to hear back from the country’s top prosecutor.

“They feel that the inves-tigation carried out by the police is not thorough,” Nair told reporters at a court complex in Seremban.

Australian bushfires threaten to drive tiny animal groups extinctREUTERS — SINGAPORE

Australian animals living in specific habitats, such as mountain lizards, leaf-tailed geckos and pear-shaped frogs, are battling the threat of extinction after fierce bushfires razed large areas of their homes, a new analysis shows.

Fire has destroyed more than two-thirds of a north-eastern zone sprawling over 12sq km where a type of lizard, the Mount Surprise Litter-skink, lives, the analysis of known habitats and satellite-detected fire activity shows.

“The Mount Surprise Litter-skink is one of a number of species that has very limited dis-tribution. That can mean there’s a huge risk of extinction,” said conservation biologist David Lindenmayer.

“When species distributions are so limited, there’s a really high risk that just a single event could knock them down,” added Lindenmayer, an academic at A u s t r a l i a n N a t i o n a l University.

The huge wildfires have razed more than 11.2m hectares, an area equivalent to half the United Kingdom, and killed 29 people since flaring last year in

the southern hemisphere spring. Officials estimate the fires have ravaged more than 80 percent of the unique ecosystems of at least 49 animal and plant species already listed as ‘threatened’.

Analysis shows species at risk also include the Kate’s leaf-tailed gecko and the tiny Pugh’s frog, after fires ravaged more than half of their home areas.

The government has called the blazes an ecological disaster, and up to a billion animals, including livestock and domestic pets, are estimated either to have died in them or be at risk after the destruction of food sources and shelter.

Even species with much larger habitat ranges, such as the rarely-seen eastern ground parrot, face challenges as the ground-dwelling bird lives in coastal and sub-coastal shrubland that is prone to catching fire, environmental officials say.

Even many animals that survive the fires, such as the long-footed potoroo, a rat-kan-garoo that lives in southeastern forests, will face threats, said Brendan Wintle, a specialist in conservation ecology at the Uni-versity of Melbourne.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had set a year-end deadline for denuclearisation talks with the United States and White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said at the time the United States had opened channels of communication. O’Brien said then he hoped Kim would follow through on denuclearisation commitments he made at summits with US President Donald Trump.

14 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020ASIA

Asian countries step up checks as China virus kills six and infects 300AFP — BEIJING Asian countries yesterday ramped up measures to block the spread of a new virus as the death toll in China rose to six and the number of cases jumped to almost 300, raising concerns in the middle of a major holiday travel rush.

Nations across the Asia-Pacific region stepped up checks of passengers at airports to detect the SARS-like corona-virus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

Fears of a bigger outbreak rose after a prominent expert from China’s National Health Commission confirmed late Monday that the virus can be passed between people.

Authorities previously said there was no obvious evidence of person-to-person trans-mission and animals were sus-pected to be the source, as a seafood market where live animals were sold in Wuhan was identified as the centre of the outbreak.

But the World Health Organization (WHO), which was concluding a fact-finding mission in Wuhan, was still being cautious, saying at a briefing in Geneva that “not enough is known to draw defin-itive conclusions about how it is transmitted”.

Spokesman Tarik Jasarevic warned though that “more cases

should be expected” both in China and in other countries.

Hundreds of millions of people are criss-crossing China this week in packed buses, trains and planes to celebrate the Lunar New Year with relatives.

Almost 80 new cases have been confirmed, bringing the total number of people hit by the virus in China to 291, with the vast majority in Hubei, the province where Wuhan lies, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).

Other cases have also been confirmed in Beijing and Shanghai plus Guangdong, Zhe-jiang and Henan provinces.

Meanwhile, Wang Guangfa, one of the doctors on the NHC team investigating the epi-demic, told Hong Kong TV station iCable News that he was

receiving treatment after becoming infected.

The first case on the self-ruled island of Taiwan was also confirmed yesterday, with a woman taken to a hospital on arrival at the airport from Wuhan.

Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang told state broadcaster CCTV yesterday that the death toll had risen from four to six.

China said it would attend a special WHO meeting today which will determine whether to declare a rare global public health emergency over the disease, which was also detected in Thailand, Japan and South Korea among four people who had visited Wuhan.

The coronavirus has caused alarm because of its genetic similarities to Severe Acute Res-piratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.

At four airports in Thailand, authorities introduced man-datory thermal scans of pas-sengers arriving from high-risk areas of China.

Anyone exhibiting signs of fever will be quarantined for 24 hours for monitoring. Around 1,300 passengers are expected each day in Thailand from Wuhan over Chinese New Year, which starts on Friday.

In Hong Kong, where mem-ories of SARS still haunt the city,

authorities said they were on “extreme high alert”, with pas-sengers from Wuhan required to fill out health declarations and face possible jail time if they do not declare symptoms.

Enhanced screening measures have also been set up at airports in Australia, Bang-ladesh, Nepal, Singapore and the United States.

A man showing symptoms of the disease who had travelled to Wuhan has been put in iso-lation in Australia as health offi-cials await test results, author-ities said yesterday.

In China, the government announced it was classifying the outbreak in the same category as SARS, meaning compulsory isolation for those diagnosed with the disease and the potential to implement quar-

antine measures on travel.In Wuhan, authorities

banned tour groups and police were conducting spot checks for live poultry or wild animals in vehicles leaving and entering the city, state media said.

Passengers were being screened for fever at the airport, railway stations and bus ter-minals. Those with fevers would be registered, handed masks and advised to see a doctor.

Chinese train and plane authorities said travellers with tickets to Wuhan could get refunds.

Zhong Nanshan, a renowned scientist at the National Health Commission, raised the alarm when he said on Monday that patients can contract the virus without having visited Wuhan, though

he added that it was milder than SARS. Doctors at the University of Hong Kong released a study on yesterday estimating that there have been 1,343 cases of the new virus in Wuhan.

Scientists at Imperial College in London said last week the number was likely closer to 1,700.

The WHO has only called a global public health emergency a handful of times, including during the H1N1 — or swine flu -- pandemic of 2009 and the Ebola epidemic that devastated parts of West Africa from 2014 to 2016.

China was accused of cov-ering up the SARS outbreak in 2003 but some foreign experts have praised the swift release of information on this new virus.

People arrive at the Beijing railway station to head home for the Lunar New Year, yesterday.

‘US, Taliban leaders inch closer to a peace deal’BLOOMBERG — KABUL

The US and Taliban leaders are moving toward a peace deal that would see the eventual with-drawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and an end to the 18-year long conflict, according to the militant group’s spokesman and a person familiar with the talks in Wash-ington.

It’s the second time in recent months the two sides have appeared close to announcing an agreement. In September President Donald Trump abruptly called off talks in response to a suicide bombing in Kabul that killed an American soldier.

Led by special envoy on Afghan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US delegation is discussing the Taliban’s offer of a 7-to-10 day halt in its military operations in talks underway in Doha, where the group has a political office, the militant group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said via a series of mes-sages yesterday. The talks will also decide when and where the agreement will be signed.

Khalilzad has imposed a communications blackout on his team, wary that any leak could result in the deal again being scuttled at the last minute, the person said. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus declined to comment.

General Scott Miller, the US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, is also attending the meeting that began Monday night, Mujahed said. The

American embassy in Kabul was unable to provide a comment, it said in an emailed statement yesterday. The militant group controls or contests half of the country, more territory than any time since they were toppled in 2001. And the US now has 13,000 of the 22,673 foreign troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak of 100,000 in 2011.

Mujahed said there were no changes to the terms of agreement that had been decided before Trump called off the talks last year.

“After the deal, the US will only have an embassy in Kabul for diplomatic relations,” Mujahed said.

“All their military will leave the country,” he said, adding that according to the agreement the US would pull out some 5,000 of the 13,000 American troops in the war-torn nation within 135 days. The rest would follow gradually. Washington had asked for a complete long-term ceasefire before a peace deal. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said the Taliban must first accept a nationwide ceasefire before any direct peace negoti-ations. The militant group has said it will open direct talks with Afghan officials after the US troop withdrawal deal.

The militant group’s offer is a key step forward to persuade the US to sign the agreement, said a former Taliban official, Sayed Akbar Agha, by phone.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of Afghans, more than 2,400 US forces and cost the US about $900 billion.

People perform a traditional Chinese lion dance to introduce Chinese culture ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia, yesterday.

Pakistan govt and opposition agree on new head of ECP

INTERNEWS — ISLAMABAD

After months of deadlock on the appointment of a chief election commissioner (CEC), the government and oppo-sition yesterday agreed on Sikandar Sultan Raja as the new head of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Both the Imran Khan gov-ernment and the opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif also agreed to Nisar Durrani as the ECP member from Sindh, while Shah Muhammad Jatoi will fill the vacant slot for Balochistan province.

“It is good that Parliament itself decided the matter and no other institution was involved in the matter,” Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari said as she announced the decision.

“The names will be sent to the prime minister for finalisation.”

“Both sides showed flexi-bility on the matter and this is a good omen,” senior Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Rana Sanaullah said after the announcement.

The announcement was eventually made after a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of the CEC and members of the ECP yesterday.

The post of the CEC had been lying vacant since the retirement of Justice (retd) Sardar Raza on December 6, 2019, whereas the positions of the two ECP members have been empty for a year now.

Bangladesh: 22 Rohingya detained before being trafficked to MalaysiaANATOLIA — DHAKA

Bangladesh police detained some 22 Muslim Rohingya refugees as they were gathered to be trafficked to Malaysia through Bay of Bengal, a police officer said yesterday.

In a tip off, police in a drive, detained 18 Rohingya women, three men and one child who gathered at the coast area of Bahar Chara village in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar Monday night to be trafficked to Malaysia

illegally through Bay Bengal, said Liakat Ali, the police inspector at Bahar Chara police outpost.

Police, however, could not arrest any broker in the incident, he said, adding that they will send back the detained Rohingya refugees to their respective refugee camps yesterday.

Some 796 Rohingya were detained in 28 law enforcement drives in Bangladesh last year, while 29 brokers were arrested,

according to the local daily Prothom Alo. Of these drives, at least seven human traffickers were killed in alleged gunfights with law enforcement officers, and three of them were Rohingya, while the other four were Bangladeshi, it added.

Rohingya, described by the UN as one of the most perse-cuted community in the world, has been facing systematic state persecution in the northern Rakhine state of Myanmar since early 1970s.

Celebration time

Opposition party not guilty of seeking to oust monarchy, says Thai courtBLOOMBERG — BANGKOK

Thailand’s second-biggest opposition party escaped disso-lution yesterday after being acquitted of seeking to oust the monarchy.

The Constitutional Court in Bangkok ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to back up the accusation against the Future Forward party. The monarchy sits at the summit of power in Thailand and top royals are treated as semi-divine.

Televised images showed the court verdict triggered cel-ebrations at Future Forward’s headquarters in Bangkok. The reprieve may be short lived as

the party faces other cases, including one on funding vio-lations that would lead to dis-solution if it is found guilty.

One of the claims in the petition before the court was that Future Forward’s logo evoked the secret Illuminati sect “believed to be behind the unseating of monarchies in Europe.”

The term “Illuminati” traces back hundreds of years and has become a watchword for dis-credited conspiracy theories about secretive groups trying to control world affairs.

Future Forward denied the allegations, describing them as part of a crackdown on dissent

by supporters of the military-backed government after a dis-puted March election.

The party finished third in the poll — which ended five years under a junta — on a platform that included rewriting the current constitution, curbing the army’s influence and breaking up oligopolies.

“We’ll continue our work both in the parliament and outside of the parliament,” party leader Thanathorn Juan-groongruangkit, who is banned from the legislature, said after the verdict.

Co-founder Piyabutr Saeng-kanokkul said Future Forward had no intention of

overthrowing the constitutional monarchy.

“There’s now a high like-lihood that the party will be dis-banded in the next case,” said Punchada Sirivunnabood, an associate professor in politics at Mahidol University near Bangkok.

“The big question is what the party will do after that.”

Thai royalists have dis-banded multiple pro-democracy political parties over the past two decades, spurring a cycle of destabilization that contributed to slower economic growth compared with neighbors such as Indonesia and Vietnam.

Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit (centre) gestures at a meeting in Bangkok, yesterday.

Nations across the Asia-Pacific region stepped up checks of passengers at airports to detect the SARS-like coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

15WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020 EUROPE

Putin names new Cabinet as key members of Russian government stayAP — MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin formed his new Cabinet yesterday, replacing many of its members but keeping his foreign, defence and finance ministers in place.

The Cabinet shake-up comes as Putin has launched a sweeping constitutional reform that is widely seen as an attempt to secure his grip on power well after his current term ends in 2024.

I m m e d i a t e l y a f t e r announcing the proposed changes last week, Putin fired Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who had the job for eight years, and named tax chief Mikhail Mishustin to succeed him.

Yesterday, Putin issued a decree outlining the structure of the new Cabinet and named its members. He appointed his economic adviser Andrei Bel-ousov as first deputy prime minister and named eight deputy prime ministers, including some new names, such as Dmitry Chernyshenko who was the head of the organ-izing committee for the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei

Shoigu and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov have retained their jobs. Siluanov, however, was stripped of his additional role of first deputy prime min-ister, which he had in the old Cabinet.

Other leading figures in the previous Cabinet, including Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Industry and Trade Min-ister Denis Manturov, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev, also stayed.

Medvedev’s longtime asso-ciate, Alexander Konovalov, lost the job of justice minister, and Konstantin Chuikchenko, who

was chief of staff in the old Cabinet, was moved to succeed him.

Others who lost their jobs include Economics Minister Maxim Oreshkin, Sports Min-ister Pavel Kolobkov, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova and Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky.

Kolobkov was replaced with Oleg Matytsin, who served as president of the International University Sports Federation, a body which often works closely with Olympic sports bodies. His connections could be important as Russia appeals against a ban on its name and flag at events like the Olympics over doping-related issues.

Along with the Cabinet members, Putin also dismissed Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika and replaced him with Igor Krasnov.

Putin met with members of the new Cabinet yesterday, hailing it as “well-balanced.”

“The most important tasks are to increase the well-being of our people and to strengthen our state and its global standing,” he said.

Putin, 67, has been in power for more than 20 years, longer than any other Russian or Soviet leader since Josef Stalin, who

led from 1924 until his death in 1953.

Under the current consti-tution, Putin must step down as president when his current term ends in 2024, and the set of con-stitutional changes he proposed last week are widely seen as part of his efforts to continue calling the shots.

Putin’s proposes that par-liament will have a broader say over Cabinet appointments, but maintain and even strengthen the powers of the presidency.

Putin also suggested that the constitution must specify the authority of the State Council, an advisory body that consists of regional governors and top

federal officials. The Kremlin’s constitutional bill submitted to parliament empowers the council to “determine the main directions of home and foreign policy,” its specific authority yet to be spelled out in a separate law.

It remains unclear what position Putin may take to con-tinue calling the shots, but observers say that the proposed changes could allow him to stay in charge by shifting into the position of the State Council’s head.

The lower house quickly scheduled the first of three required readings of the consti-tutional bill for tomorrow.

Putin said that the constitu-tional changes need to be approved by the entire nation, but it wasn’t immediately clear how such a vote would be organised. Russia’s leading opposition politician, Alexei Navalny, and other Kremlin foes have denounced Putin’s move as an attempt to secure his rule for life, but the proposals didn’t immediately trigger any major protest.

The public response was muted by the vagueness of Putin’s constitutional changes, and the dismissal of the unpopular Medvedev also helped divert attention from the suggested amendments.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin meeting members of the new government (not seen in the picture) in Moscow, yesterday.

UK Lords slam Brexit bill for not addressing child migrantsAP — LONDON

Britain’s Parliament has urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to rethink part of his key Brexit bill and restore a promise to reunite child refugees with family members in the UK.

Par l iament ’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, voted 300-220 yesterday to ensure that post-Brexit Britain continues letting unaccom-panied migrant children else-where in Europe join relatives living in the U.K.

The promise was made in 2018 by former Prime Minister Theresa May but it was removed from the Brexit leg-islation after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives won a big parliamentary majority in an election last

month. Alf Dubs, a Labour Party member of the Lords who came from Nazi-occupied Europe to Britain as a child refugee, said the government was sending a “very negative” signal. He implored it not to use migrant children as “bar-gaining chips” in the negotia-tions on future relations between the European Union and the UK.

“If the government wants to disprove the accusation that it is mean and nasty, then surely the thing to do is to accept the amendment,” Dubs said.

The prime minister’s office said the government would not accept any changes the House of Lords makes to the With-drawal Agreement Bill, which sets out the terms of Britain’s

departure from the 28-nation bloc at the end of the month.

The government says it intends to continue resettling child migrants in Britain after the country leaves the EU but argues that the issue does not belong in the withdrawal bill.

The legislation must be passed by both houses of Par-liament before January 31 if the UK is to leave the EU on schedule.

The vote was one of several defeats for the government over the bill in the House of Lords. The chamber’s members, known as peers, voted Monday for amendments to bolster the rights of EU cit-izens in Britain and to protect the powers of UK courts.

They also voted Tuesday to stress the need for approval

from the governments of Scotland and Wales for any legal changes affecting those regions.

The defeats in the Lords - where the Conservatives don’t have a majority — won’t stop the bill becoming law because the House of Commons has already approved the legis-lation, and the elected lower chamber can overturn deci-sions by the non-elected Lords. But it means the bill must return to the Commons later this week rather than automat-ically becoming law once it’s passed by the Lords.

The EU parliament also must approve the Brexit divorce deal with Britain before January 31. A vote by the European Parliament is expected next week.

The UK voted narrowly to leave the EU in a 2016 refer-endum, but after years of nego-tiations lawmakers repeatedly defeated attempts by both Johnson and predecessor May to secure backing for their Brexit plans. That changed when Johnson’s Conservatives won the December 12 election, giving the government the ability to override the objec-tions of opposition parties.

Despite Johnson’s repeated promise to “get Brexit done” on January 31, the departure will only kick off the first stage of the country’s EU exit. Britain and the EU must then head into negotiations on future ties, racing to strike the terms of their new relationship in trade, security and a host of other areas by the end of 2020.

Thunberg slams Davos elites on climate as Trump takes stage

AP — DAVOS

Young climate activists including Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg told business and political elites gathered yesterday at the World Economic Forum that they aren’t doing enough to tackle the climate emergency and warned them that time was running out.

At a panel in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, climate campaigners expressed hope that their gen-eration could work with those in power to bring about the change needed to limit global warming even as Thunberg — a vocal critic of leaders’ inaction — said not enough has been done.

“We need to start listening to the science, and treat this crisis with the importance it deserves,” said the 17-year-old, just as US President Donald Trump was arriving in Davos, where he later gave

a speech. Trump has pulled the US out of the Paris accord to limit climate change and has traded barbs with Thunberg on social media.

“Without treating it as a real crisis we cannot solve it,” Thunberg said , adding that it was time to stop burning fossil fuels immediately, not decades from now.

The Swedish teenager came to fame by staging a regular strike at her school, sparking a global movement that eventually earned her Time Mag-azine’s award as the 2019 Person of the Year. Last year she told leaders gathered in Davos that they should “panic” about climate change.

Speaking in the afternoon, Thunberg brushed aside Trump’s announcement that the US would join the economic forum’s initiative to plant 1 trillion trees across the globe to help capture carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere.

“Planting trees is good of course but it’s nowhere near enough,” Thunberg said. “It cannot replace mitigation,” she added, referring to efforts to dras-tically cut emissions in the near term.

Thunberg accused leaders of “cheating and fid-dling around with numbers” with talk of cutting emissions to ‘net zero’ — that is, emitting no more carbon than is absorbed by the planet or technical means - by 2050.

While there has been widespread criticism both inside and outside the United States over Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the 2015 Paris climate accord, Thunberg said the rest of the world, too, was effectively missing the targets set down in that agreement. She dismissed the notion that climate change is a partisan issue, insisting that “this isn’t about right or left.”

Responding to those who have accused her of doom-mongering, Thunberg said her message was simply based on scientific facts, not irrational fears.

“My generation will not give up without a fight,” she said. Her views were echoed by other climate activists, such Natasha Wang Mwansa, an 18-year-old activist from Zambia who campaigns for girls’ and women’s rights.

She told an audience in Davos that “the older generation has a lot of experience, but we have ideas, we have energy, and we have solutions.”

Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, yesterday.

UK’s Prince Harry and Meghan warn media over paparazzi shotsREUTERS — LONDON

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have issued a warning over harassment by paparazzi photographers after stepping down from their royal duties to start a new life in Canada, a royal source said yesterday.

The warning came after the media published images of Meghan taking a stroll through a park in Canada. They have been used by several outlets, including on the front page of the Sun, Britain’s best-selling daily newspaper.

“The Sussexes’ legal team have issued a legal notice to UK press, TV and photo agencies, concerning the use of paparazzi agency photos,” the royal source said, referring to the couple by their title as Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Harry said last year he felt his wife had faced “bullying”

from some tabloids similar to that faced by his mother Princess Diana who died in a 1997 car crash while trying to e s c a p e p a p a r a z z i photographers.

The couple accepted sub-stantial damages and an apology from a news agency last year after it took aerial photographs of their home in the Cotswolds, southern England, forcing them to move out.

Earlier yesterday, Harry was shown arriving on Van-couver Island, days after reaching an arrangement with his grandmother Queen Eliz-abeth and other senior royals that will see him and Meghan quit their royal roles to seek an independent future.

Buckingham Palace con-firmed on Saturday that Harry and Meghan would no longer be working members of the royal family.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visit Canada House, in London, in this file photo.

French union cuts power to thousands of homesAFP — PARIS

Striking workers at France’s national grid operator cut off electricity to thousands of businesses and homes south of Paris yesterday, the latest in a string of power cuts over a planned pensions overhaul.

“The goal is to take things up a notch” ahead of the gov-ernment’s formal presentation of the pension reform on Friday, said Sebastien Mene-splier, secretary general of the hardline CGT union’s energy branch.

French officials have denounced the cuts which have affected thousands of homes across France since mid-December, warning that they could have dangerous consequences for ordinary citizens.

Grid operator Enedis said yesterday’s outages were reported at around 6 am and affected several suburbs south of the capital as well as Orly airport and the sprawling food and produce market at Rungis, a key source for retailers and restaurants.

Technicians were able to restore power after two hours, and Enedis said it would file suit for the “malicious acts.”

“We take responsibility for the cuts and their conse-quences, including any com-plaints by Enedis man-agement,” Menesplier said.

His union also says it is blocking seven of the 11 equipment warehouses used by Enedis and natural gas network operator GRDF, pre-venting them from dispatching material to work sites.

The CGT has also warned it could begin limiting output at nuclear power plants and other sites as part of its efforts to force the government to abandon the pensions overhaul.

The union has been a leading force in a massive transport strike launched on December 5 that has disrupted train traffic and the Paris metro, spelling misery for mil-lions of travellers.

Unions are protesting the plan for a single French pension system that would do away with dozens of special schemes that offer early retirement and other benefits to a range of employees, chiefly in the public sector.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov have retained their jobs. Siluanov, however, was stripped of his additional role of first deputy prime minister, which he had in the old Cabinet.

16 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020EUROPE

Swedish govt girds for diplomatic crisis with China over free pressBLOOMBERG — STOCKHOLM

Sweden’s government has demanded a meeting with the ambassador to China after he lambasted Swedish media.

Ambassador Gui Congyou (pictured) caused a diplomatic furore over the weekend after giving an interview to Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT, in which he said that some local media representatives “have a habit of criticising, accusing and smearing China.” He then went on to compare the relationship between Swedish media and China to one in which “a 48kg weight boxer keeps challenging an 86kg weight boxer to a fight.”

Three parties in Sweden’s parliament have now called for Gui Congyou to be thrown out of the Nordic country, adding to tensions ahead of a meeting scheduled to take place with the ambassador at the foreign min-istry in Stockholm.

Sweden’s foreign minister, Ann Linde, has already ruled out the option of expelling Gui Congyou. But she also made clear Sweden won’t accept veiled threats from China.

Relations between the two countries have soured recently over jailed Chinese-born Swedish publisher Gui Minhai, who was honored last year by

the Swedish chapter of PEN International with its annual Tucholsky Award.

Gui Minhai, who has written several books that are critical of China’s leadership, has been detained since late 2015 by Chinese authorities, who accuse him of crimes including “oper-ating an illegal business.” Gui Congyou says Minhai is a “lie-fabricator” who “committed serious offenses in both China and Sweden.”

He also said Swedish media “is full of lies” about the case and that the Tucholsky Award, which was handed out by

Sweden’s minister of culture, would result in Chinese “countermeasures.”

The spat comes amid a more assertive diplomatic stance from China, which dom-inates global export markets and is one of Sweden’s most important trade partners. In neighboring Norway, the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 to Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo led to a deep-freeze of diplomatic rela-tions that lasted more than half a decade and hurt trade. In 2018, Sweden exported goods and services to China worth $7bn, making it the Nordic country’s eighth-largest export market.

Gui Congyou, who was appointed ambassador to Sweden in 2017, has repeatedly angered lawmakers in the country with his remarks over the years.

Commenting on Swedish media’s coverage of Gui Minhai, Gui Congyou in December cited a Chinese proverb: “We treat our friends with fine wine, but we have shotguns for our enemies.”

The ambassador’s latest remarks prompted the nation-alist Sweden Democrats as well as the Christian Democrats and the Left Party to demand that he be thrown out.

Three parties in Sweden’s Parliament call for expulsion of Chinese envoy. Fire at Siberian workers’ shack leaves 11 dead

AFP — MOSCOW

Eleven people including 10 from Uzbekistan died when a fire ripped through a wooden shack in a remote Siberian village yesterday, in the latest tragedy involving migrant workers in Russia.

Millions of migrant workers from Central Asia live in Russia, where they often perform menial jobs for low pay under lax safety conditions.

Regional authorities said that in the early hours yesterday the fire raced through a shack on the grounds of a private saw mill in the Prichulymsky

settlement in the Tomsk region of western Siberia.

The shack was “unfit for habitation”, regional authorities said.

“People were living in a structure that was not intended for it, and which also had barred windows,” said regional governor Sergei Zhvachkin, who visited the scene. “Inves-tigators will establish the cause of the blaze and the guilty will be punished”.

Images released by inves-tigators showed firefighters combing through the burned shell of the shack in a snow-covered field.

Russia’s emergencies min-istry said in a statement that the bodies of 11 people had been found.

According to preliminary information 10 of the victims were from Uzbekistan. Two people escaped the fire unharmed.

Zhvachkin ordered officials to conduct fire safety checks of similar sites in the region.

Investigators said they had opened a criminal probe into negligent manslaughter, adding the cause of the blaze was being established. Authorities in Uzbekistan were working to identify the victims.

Firefighters working at the site of a fire that broke out in a one-storey wooden shack in the Prichulymsky settlement in Russia’s Tomsk region, yesterday.

British PM urged to release report on Russian meddlingANATOLIA — LONDON

A prominent member of Brit-ain’s parliament has demanded that Prime Minister Boris Johnson release a report on Russian interference in British politics after delays, local media reported.

“The public interest and the imperative is and has always been clear: lift your sanction on publishing this report and re-establish the (parliament’s) Intelligence and Security Com-mittee so that it can be imme-diately published,” Ian Blackford, head of the Scottish National Party (SNP) delegation for Westminster, said in a letter to Johnson.

The Russia report was com-piled by the committee during the last parliament. Johnson must give final clearance to ensure that no classified intel-ligence is included, but he said he did not have enough time to clear the report before the Dec. 12 general election. This was a controversial decision and hot election topic. It was also crit-icized by the then-chairman of the committee Dominic Grieve, a former Conservative MP.

When parliament is dis-solved for elections, so are the internal committees. These committees must be restarted with members of parliament following an election in order to continue work. In this case, the Intelligence and Security Committee must restart in order to release the report.

Johnson pledged to publish the report after the election.

His Conservative Party won a majority, while the SNP

emerged as the third largest party in parliament.

“Members of the committee saw evidence of Russian infil-tration in Conservative political circles, but it is unclear how much of that concern reached the final document,” the lib-eral-left Guardian newspaper reported

Blackford said that “Russian interference in elections is widespread and well docu-mented. The evidence that Russia poses a direct threat to the functioning and operability of democracy among our allies in the EU and beyond is overwhelming.”

“If this report, as you have recently claimed, shows that Russia has never interfered in any democratic event in the UK, then it is inexplicable that you chose not to restore public trust and publish this report before the 2019 general election,” he added.

Johnson and Russian Pres-ident Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of an international conference on Libya in Germany on Sunday.

The British prime minister ruled out any normalisation of ties until the UK was sat-isfied that there had been a genuine change in Russian behaviour.

“He was clear there had been no change in the UK’s position on Salisbury, which was a reckless use of chemical weapons and a brazen attempt to murder innocent people on UK soil. He said that such an attack must not be repeated,” said a British government spokesperson.

Search under wayfor migrants after British crossing bid

AFP — BRUSSELS

Belgian authorities were searching for eight migrants following their failed bid to cross to Britain by boat, police said.

Six other migrants who were in the boat, five Iranians and an Afghan, were arrested after returning to shore near the border with France, they said.

Those detained said the other eight — including pos-sibly two children — came back ashore with them, but police said they had “no cer-tainty” as to their whereabouts.

Attempts by migrants seeking to get to Britain by crossing the English Channel off France have increased in recent months, prompting increased surveillance by UK and French authorities. There have been fewer reports of bids to cross the North Sea off Belgium to Britain.

Belgian police had initially launched a sea rescue oper-ation after a migrant suffering hypothermia was discovered near a building before dawn.

That migrant said he had been in a boat with 13 others who had left from De Panne, a Belgian coastal town just north of the French city of Dunkirk.

he five others arrested were found on a bus heading to France, leading police to switch to a search on land.

French police had been informed, Belgian officials said.

Spain declares climate emergencyAFP — MADRID

Spain’s new government yesterday declared a “climate emergency” and pledged to unveil a draft bill on transi-tioning to renewable energy within its first 100 days in office.

In a statement announced after the weekly cabinet meeting, the government com-mitted to bringing a draft bill “to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the objective of reaching climate neutrality by 2050” — effectively net-zero carbon emissions.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s leftwing coalition government, which took office on January 13, also committed

to updating the national plan for tackling climate change.

The government has decided to ensure that “climate change and the transition is the cornerstone for all (ministerial) departments and governmental action,” spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero told reporters.

Environment Minister Teresa Ribera said the gov-ernment had been inspired by French moves to create a public advisory panel “to generate ideas about responding to climate change in an inclusive, consultative way with a special focus on the youth.”

Last summer, France announced the creation of a cit-izens’ panel on climate change

made up of 150 people who would offer ideas and views on an array of issues touching on climate change “in keeping with the spirit of social justice”.

At the end of November, the European Parliament voted to declare a “climate and envi-ronment emergency” in a sym-bolic gesture just ahead of the UN global crisis summit which took place in Madrid last month

The motion urged efforts to ensure the “objective of limiting global warming to under 1.5 degrees Celsius”.

It was followed by similar moves in a number of parlia-ments across the EU, notably in France, the United Kingdom and in Austria.

Big waves overpass a breakwater as storm Gloria batters Spanish eastern coast, at the Port Olympic marina, in Barcelona, yesterday.

Prosecutors detail case against father in Dutch farm children caseREUTERS — ASSEN

Dutch prosecutors yesterday laid out their case against a father accused of depriving his children of their freedom by detaining them for nine years in an isolated farmhouse.

Gerrit-Jan van Dorsten, 67, is charged with unlawful detention and child abuse. Now ailing after a stroke, he did not attend the pre-trial hearing.

The children were watching proceedings remotely, pre-siding Judge Herman Fransen said.

In October, police found Van Dorsten and five adult sib-lings at the farm in Ruinerwold

in the northern Netherlands after a sixth sibling escaped and reached a nearby village bar. Local people alerted police.

A prosecution document named eight children as having allegedly been “deprived of their freedom” and said Van Dorsten had constantly sur-veilled their activities, some-times with cameras.

He told the children that “bad spirits would enter their bodies” if they came in contact with outsiders and that the world would end violently.

Between 2007 and their discovery last year, Van Dorsten withheld food, drink or medical treatment. Some of the older

children have said their father abused them between 2004 and 2008, prosecutors said.

The six siblings and their father had lived on the farm since 2010, and had never had their births registered or been to school, as required by Dutch law.

Their mother died in 2004, and three more older siblings had left the family before they went into seclusion.

Van Dorsten is in a prison hospital where police have been unable to question him because of the stroke.

A second suspect, Austrian Josef Brunner, 58, a follower or accomplice of Van Dorsten who paid the rent on the farmhouse,

is charged with endangering the health of others and unlawful detention. He was also in court.

The children, all now over 18, have not spoken publicly.

The four eldest said in November that they support the criminal case against their father. Separately, the five youngest children — those found at the farm — say they do not support the charges.

The five younger ones are receiving help with trying to reintegrate into society and continue to hold the values their father instilled in them to “find happiness in our relationship with God and to educate ourselves.”

Kosovo President vows to work with PM-elect on EU integrationBLOOMBERG — PRISTINA

Kosovo President pledged to work with his pick for premier to advance the country’s efforts to join the European Union and Nato and expects Prime Minister-designate Albin Kurti to create a government “very soon.”

“We have one goal: to move as fast as possible toward European integration and to be a member of Nato,” President Hashim Thaci said in an interview.

Thaci gave Kurti, whose party won October elections,

15 days to create a new gov-ernment on Monday. Coalition talks have dragged on for months as the top two parties wrangle over key posts and future endorsements for next year’s presidential race.

Thaci also hailed a US-bro-kered agreement signed by Serbia and Kosovo that will allow flights to resume between their capitals for the first time since they fought a 1998-1999 war. He said it should be seen as a “crucial step” toward mending the ties, which the EU has set as a condition for both countries to win membership.

The first full day of the historic trial saw the Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell submit a resolution on procedures that does not admit evidence from the investigation of the President. It also significantly compresses the timeline of Bill Clinton’s 1999 trial, and prevents witnesses from being subpoenaed until both sides have finished arguing their case — in what Democrats alleged was a bid to prevent fair and open proceedings.

17WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020 AMERICAS

Sparks fly as Trump impeachment trial opensAFP — WASHINGTON

Sparks flew yesterday over pro-posed rules for the Senate trial of President Donald Trump, as Democrats accused Repub-licans of attempting a “cover-up” of evidence that the US leader abused his powers.

The first full day of the his-toric trial saw the Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell submit a resolution on proce-dures that does not admit evi-dence from the investigation of the President. It also signifi-cantly compresses the timeline of Bill Clinton’s 1999 trial, and prevents witnesses from being subpoenaed until both sides have finished arguing their case — in what Democrats alleged was a bid to prevent fair and open proceedings.

“Leader McConnell’s process is deliberately designed to hide the truth from the Senate and from the American people, because he knows that the President’s wrongdoing is indefensible and demands removal,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

“The Senate GOP Leader has chosen a cover-up for the Pres-ident, rather than honor his oath to the Constitution,” she said.

Democratic prosecutor Adam Schiff, who led the inves-tigation that resulted in Trump’s December 18 impeachment by the House of Representatives, accused McConnell of working “in concert” with the White House to prevent a fair trial. “This is a process for a rigged trial,” he charged.

After the two articles of impeachment charging Trump

with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress were submitted to the Senate last week, his trial got under way in earnest yesterday with the 100 senators — the jurors in the case — voting on a timeline and rules for evidence.

It is only the third time a president has endured an impeachment trial, after Clinton and Andrew Johnson in 1868. Like his two predecessors, Trump looks almost certain to be acquitted by the Senate Repub-lican majority in a trial that could be as short as two weeks.

McConnell unveiled proce-dures late on Monday which called for each side to have 24 hours over two days to present their case.

That suggested that the arguments in front of presiding Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts could stretch for 12 hours at a time and spilling into the early morning hours.

Only afterwards would the question of witnesses be addressed: Democrats say they need to hear from key officials whose testimony the White House has until now blocked,

but many Republicans retort that they had their opportunity and must now be content with the record to date.

Democrats have vowed to fight the proposed rules, accusing McConnell of rushing the trial and making it harder for witnesses and documents to be presented. But with a 53-47 Republican majority in the Senate, and little dissent within the party, the rules are likely to pass with ease.

Schiff, who is leading the House impeachment man-agers team prosecuting the case against Trump, never-theless urged Republican sen-ators to force McConnell to change his proposal. “This is the process if you do not want the American people to see the evidence,” he said.

The trial opens four months after the Ukraine scandal exploded, and 10 months before Americans go to the polls to decide whether to re-elect Trump.

The President himself was in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum yesterday, where he repeated his

The members of US President Donald Trump’s defense team, including Jane Raskin and Martin Raskin, arrive for the Senate impeachment trial of Trump at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, yesterday.

longstanding characterization of impeachment as a “hoax”. In Davos, Trump said, “we’re meeting with world leaders, the most important people in the world and we’re bringing back tremendous business”.

“The other’s just a hoax,” he said. “It’s the witch hunt that’s been going on for years and frankly it’s disgraceful.”

The articles of impeachment state that Trump tried to pressure Ukraine into inter-fering in the 2020 election to help him win, and that he then tried to thwart the investigation by blocking witnesses and

denying documents to the House of Representatives.

Central to the scandal is a July 25 telephone call in which Trump pushed Ukrainian Pres-ident Volodymyr Zelenskiy to announce an investigation of former vice president Joe Biden, Trump’s potential opponent in the November vote.

Trump is accused of with-holding nearly $400m in mil-itary aid for Ukraine’s war against Russian-backed sepa-ratists, and refusing Zelenskiy a White House meeting, unless he opened a probe of Biden.

On Sunday, Trump’s legal

team issued a 110-page defense which claimed the House has accused him of no specific “crime,” that their investigation was a “rigged process,” and that Trump was within his rights to push Ukraine to investigate Biden.

The Democrats’ hopes for conviction rest heavily on whether they can persuade four Republican senators to break ranks and agree to subpoenaing four witnesses, current and former high-level Trump aides who Democrats say have first-hand knowledge of Trump wrongdoing.

Hillary Clinton says ‘nobody likes’ Bernie SandersAFP — NEW YORK

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has launched a scathing attack on presidential hopeful and 2016 Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, telling a documentary that “nobody likes him”.

Clinton also refused to say whether she would endorse and campaign for Sanders if he becomes the Democrats’ choice to take on President Donald Trump in November’s election.

“He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him,” Clinton, 72, says in a four-part series due to air on streaming site Hulu in March. “Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician.

“It’s all just baloney and I

feel so bad that people got sucked into it,” he adds.

Sanders, a leftist senator from Vermont, is among the leaders in the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination.

He sits second in national polls behind centrist Joe Biden and ahead of Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, two weeks before the first nomi-nation vote in Iowa.

Sanders, 78, pushed Clinton to the wire four years ago in an acrimonious, months-long battle for the party’s nomi-nation. Clinton won that race but lost to Trump in November.

Asked whether she would back Sanders if he won the nomination this time around, Clinton said: “I’m not going to go there yet. We’re still in a very vigorous primary season.”

Warren has accused Sanders of telling her privately

in December 2018, as they con-templated White House runs, that he did not believe a woman could win a presidential election.

Sanders denies the claim but Clinton said the comment was “part of a pattern.” “If it were a one-off, you might say, ‘OK, fine.’ But he said I was unqualified,” she recalled.

“It’s the culture around him. It’s his leadership team. It’s his prominent supporters. It’s his online Bernie Bros and their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors, particularly the women,” she added.

Sanders was forced to apol-ogize to Biden on Monday after one of his supporters, Zephyr Teachout, wrote an opinion article in The Guardian accusing the former vice-president of having “a big corruption problem”.

An April 11, 2019 file photo shows former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton speaking during the Women in the World Summit in New York. Clinton has launched a scathing attack on Bernie Sanders, telling a documentary that “nobody likes him”.

Warren wants task force to probe Trump administrationAP — WASHINGTON

Elizabeth Warren says she’ll create a federal task force to investigate corruption during the Trump administration if she’s elected president.

The Massachusetts senator yesterday released a plan that her campaign says will “restore integrity and competence” to government after President Donald Trump. She said the task force would be created within the Justice Department and would hold the previous admin-istration’s officials “accountable for illegal activity.”

She also said she’d ask for the resignations of all Trump political appointees and void any federal contracts that “arose as the result of corruption.” With the leadoff Iowa caucuses two weeks away, Warren is con-sidered a front-runner in that state and nationally, bunched near the top of polls with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice- President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

All four have long decried corruption in the Trump administration, but Warren’s proposal seeks to provide a blueprint for how to specifically roll back Trump’s influence

should she win her party’s nomination and November’s general election.

Trump campaigned for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination on a promise to rid Washington of corruption and to “drain the swamp.” He claims he’s been successful in doing so.

Presidents can use exec-utive actions to wield broad power over the federal gov-ernment, including creating task forces. Any investigation, however, may fall to the new administration’s attorney general.

Warren’s campaign is cen-tered around pledging broad structural changes to the nation’s political and economic system, but her plan for remaking the federal bureaucracy focuses more on the immediate logistics of governing.

As part of it, the senator promised that her Cabinet will be at least 50% women or non-binary people and that she’d announce all of its positions by December 1, less than a month after Election Day. She said her administration would fill all senior and mid-level White House positions by Inaugu-ration Day next January.

US military claims ‘success’ in hacking ISIS: DocumentsAFP – WASHINGTON

The US military claims to have “successfully” disrupted the online propaganda efforts of the Islamic State in a hacking operation dating back at least to 2016, according to declas-sified national security docu-ments released yesterday.

The heavily redacted, previously top secret docu-ments said the US Cyber Command “successfully con-tested ISIS in the information domain” and limited its online efforts on radicalization and recruitment “by imposing time and resource costs” on the jihadist group.

The documents released by the National Security Archive at George Wash-ington University offer the most detailed look at “Oper-ation Glowing Symphony,” the first offensive hacking operation acknowledged by the Pentagon.

The assessment pointed to a “significant reduction” in the online campaign waged by ISIS, but added that the Cyber Command efforts were slowed by a “lengthy and difficult” process for approving its operations.

It said that, given the expectation of “more frequent and widely scoped cyber oper-ations,” better procedures should be in place to “help expedite the request and approval process.” Officials have previously acknowl-edged the use of offensive cyber weapons as part of the US arsenal, but the newly released documents offer the most detailed assessment of the moves against ISIS by a joint task force created in 2016 by president Barack Obama.

According to a statement from the university archive, “Glowing Symphony” was ini-tially approved for a 30-day window in late 2016 but a July 2017 administrative message extended the operation, and it was unclear if it is continuing.

The documents released under a Freedom of Infor-mation Act request “reveal the unprecedented complexity of the operation, resulting chal-lenges in coordination and deconfliction, and assessments of effectiveness,” the GWU archive said.

US confirms first case of coronavirus REUTERS — CHICAGO

A traveler from China has been diagnosed in Seattle with the Wuhan coronavirus, a spokesman from the US Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention (CDC) said yesterday.

The news was first reported by CNN. More details will be released soon in a news con-ference, CDC spokesman Benjamin Haynes said.

The newly identified coronarvirus originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, and has spread to Beijing and Shanghai. More than 300 people have been infected so far and six have died, according to Chinese health officials.

Last week, the CDC began screening travellers from China in three US airports. Besides the United States, cases outside of China have been reported in South Korea, Thailand and Japan.

US Census begins in rural AlaskaAP — ALASKA

Lizzie Chimiugak has lived for 90 years in the windswept western wilds of Alaska, born to a nomadic family who lived in mud homes and followed where the good hunting and fishing led.

Her home now is an outpost on the Bering Sea, Toksook Bay, and she is about to become the most well-known woman in the tiny town, where at 90 she is considered an elder: She will be the first person counted in the U.S. Census, taken every 10 years to apportion representation in Congress and federal money.

“Elders that were before me, if they didn’t die too early, I wouldn’t have been the first person counted,” Lizzie Chimiugak said, speaking Yup’ik language of Yugtun, with family members serving as interpreters. “Right now, they’re

considering me as an elder, and they’re asking me questions I’m trying my best to give answers to, or to talk about what it means to be an elder.”

The decennial US census has started in rural Alaska, out of tradition and necessity, ever since the US purchased the ter-ritory from Russia in 1867. The ground is still frozen, which allows easier access before the spring melt makes many areas inaccessible to travel and resi-dents scatter to subsistence hunting and fishing grounds. The mail service is spotty in rural Alaska and the internet connectivity unreliable, which makes door-to-door surveying important. The rest of the nation, including more urban areas of Alaska, begin the census in mid-March.

Steven Dillingham, director of the census bureau, conducted the

first interview. Because of federal privacy laws, the bureau won’t even confirm Chimiugak will be the first person counted, even though it’s the worst kept secret in her hometown. After the count, a celebration is planned at Nelson Island School, and will include local Alaska Native dancers and traditional food, which could include seal, walrus, musk ox and moose.

Chimiugak was born just after the start of the Great Depression in the middle of nowhere in western Alaska, her daughter Katie Schwartz of Springfield, Missouri, said. Lizzie was one of 10 siblings born to her parents, who lived a nomadic lifestyle and traveled with two or three other families that would migrate together, her son said. Lizzie and her 101-year-old sister from Nightmute, Alaska, survive.

18 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020AMERICAS

Puerto Rico probes unused emergency suppliesAFP — MIAMI

Protests broke out in earth-quake-hit Puerto Rico yesterday as a judicial investi-gation was opened into the weekend discovery of unused emergency supplies leftover from the devastating Hurricane Maria.

On Saturday, a Facebook user posted a live video showing a warehouse in the southern city of Ponce, filled with undistributed emergency supplies such as tents, diapers, baby formula, radios, batteries and thousands of bottles of water, which appeared to have expired.

Some of the aid was appar-ently intended for victims of Hurricane Maria, which ravaged the island in Sep-tember 2017, killing some 3,000 people.

“According to the findings that suggest inaction or omis-sions in the management of the warehouse and supplies by some officials,” the government referred the investigation to the Justice Department, Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced said in a statement.

She also fired Carlos Acevedo, the head of the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency, and housing secretary Fernando Gil Ensenat in an immediate response to the video.

Some 5,000 people are living in tents after more than 1,000 earthquake tremors have rattled the US territory since December.

Many of those people went to the warehouse after the video was posted and raided the supplies stored there.

Dozens of protesters also

took to the streets of the capital San Juan yesterday against Vazquez Garced, in a scene reminiscent of July demonstra-tions demanding the resig-nation of then-governor Ricardo Rossello.

Rossello was forced to step down after the release of text chats in which he and 11 other male administration members made fun of Hurricane Maria victims.

They also made jokes, including about San Juan native pop star Ricky Martin.

Martin posted on Instagram Monday that he intends to travel to the island to respond to the new situation.

“What happened in a ware-house in Ponce, Puerto Rico is an act of insensitivity, mis-treatment and unparalleled irresponsibility,” he wrote in Spanish.

Canada, Iran at odds over downed plane’s black boxesREUTERS — OTTAWA

Iran said it had asked the US and French authorities for equipment to download infor-mation from black boxes on a downed Ukrainian airliner, potentially angering countries which want the recorders analysed abroad.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, which lost 57 of the 176 people killed in the crash, said Iran did not have the ability to read the data and he demanded the cockpit and flight recorders should be sent to France. Kiev wants the recorders sent to Ukraine.

The US-built Boeing 737 flown by Ukraine International Airlines was shot down in error by Iranian forces on Jan. 8 during a period of tit-for-tat military strikes that included the killing by the United States

of a senior Iranian general on January 3.

Tehran, already embroiled in a long-running standoff with the United States over its nuclear programme, has given mixed signals about whether it would hand over the recorders.

An Iranian aviation official had said on Saturday the black boxes would be sent to Ukraine, only to backtrack in comments reported a day later, saying they

would be analysed at home.A further delay in sending

them abroad is likely to increase international pressure on Iran, whose military has said it shot the plane down by mistake while on high alert in the tense hours after Iran fired missiles at US targets in Iraq.

“If the appropriate supplies and equipment are provided, the information can be taken out and reconstructed in a short period of time,” Iran’s Civil Avi-ation Organization said in its second preliminary report on the disaster released yesterday.

A list of equipment Iran needs has been sent to French accident agency BEA and the US National Transportation Safety Board, the Iranian aviation body said.

“Until now, these countries have not given a positive response to sending the

equipment to (Iran),” it said. It said two surface-to-air TOR-M1 missiles had been launched minutes after the Ukrainian plane took off from Tehran.

Iran’s aviation body says it does not have equipment needed to download infor-mation from the model of recorders on the three-year-old Boeing 737.

Trudeau said the data should be downloaded immediately.

“There need to be qualified experts doing that but it’s also a question of technology and equipment and that is not available in Iran,” he told a news conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

“There has been broad con-sensus in the international com-munity that France would be the right place to send those boxes (and) we continue to pressure Iran to do just that.”

Trudeau also said Tehran’s refusal to acknowledge dual cit-izenship was posing a challenge when it came to helping support the families of the Canadian victims, many of whom had close ties to Iran.

Iran, which took several days to acknowledge its role in bringing down the plane and faced street protests at home as a result, fired its missiles at US targets in response to a US drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani on January 3.

Iran has for years faced US sanctions that limited its ability to purchase modern planes and buy products with US tech-nology. Many passenger planes used in Iran are decades old.

Under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, Iran received sanctions relief in return for curbing its nuclear work. But Washington

reimposed US sanctions after withdrawing from the pact in 2018, a move that led to the steady escalation of tension in recent months between the United States and Iran.

European governments say they want to save the deal but have also suggested it may be time for a broader pact, in line with Trump’s call for a deal that would go beyond Iran’s nuclear work and include its missile programme and activities in the region.

Iran says it will not nego-tiate with sanctions in place.

Since the plane disaster, Iran’s judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi has said compensation should be paid to families of the victims, many of whom were Iranians or dual nationals.

Canada, Ukraine, Britain, Afghanistan and Sweden, which all lost citizens, have demanded Iran make the payouts.

Protesters demanding the resignation of Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced during new demonstrations in front of the governor’s mansion, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, yesterday.

Venezuela lawmakers blocked again from Congress sessionAP — CARACAS

Venezuelan lawmakers opposed to President Nicolás Maduro called off an attempt to hold a session in the national congress building yesterday, saying they wanted to avoid clashes with security forces and armed government supporters blocking entry.

Juan Pablo Guanipa, 1st vice-president of the National Assembly, said from the head-quarters of a political party that streets leading to their legis-lative building had been “mili-tarized” by armed groups, so they were not going to attempt an entry until next week.

Instead, the lawmakers held a makeshift meeting in an open-air public square in an opposition-friendly part of Caracas away from downtown. They sat on chairs set up before a stage amid trees and backed by their flag-coloured streamer and emblem.

It was the third consecutive week that groups of armed civilians known as “colectivos” and security forces have

blocked access for members of the National Assembly, the last major national institution under opposition control and the center of the struggle over who governs the crisis-wracked nation.

Last week, a caravan of SUVs carrying lawmakers toward the building was struck with rocks and poles by civilians, and gunfire could be heard.

Guanipa called on sup-porters to march with law-makers to retake the Assembly chambers next week — setting up a potential clash with the backers of socialist President Nicolás Maduro.

“We are going to show them that we are fighting for the freedom of Venezuela,” Guanipa said. “We’ll demon-strate, as we always have, that we’re absolutely ready to do whatever is required to achieve democracy in Venezuela.”

The United States and about 60 other nations recognize National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s consti-tutional president, arguing that

Maduro’s 2018 reelection was invalid and marred by fraud. Guaidó, however, has no control over government institution or the military.

Maduro backers this month attempted to undermine Guaidó’s standing by swearing in another deputy as leader of the congress despite lacking a

majority. Maduro maintains that breakaway group is now the legitimate legislature.

Local news media yes-terday showed that group meeting in the congressional chambers, led by lawmaker Luis Parra, who claims the body’s presidency.

Guaidó, meanwhile, was on

an international tour to build support — breaking a year-old travel ban by the Maduro-loyal Supreme Court.

Guaidó met on Monday in Colombia with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and was in London yesterday to meet British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

Venezuela’s National Assembly First Vice-President Juan Pablo Guanipa reacts beside lawmakers before a news conference, in Caracas, yesterday.

Brazil charges Vale employees with homicide for dam disaster: SourceREUTERS — SAO PAULO

Brazil state prosecutors have charged employees at miner Vale and auditor TUV SUD with homicide in relation to a deadly dam disaster last year, a source said yesterday.

In addition to the charge against employees, the source, with access to the charges, said Vale SA and TUV SUD have been charged with environ-mental crimes.

State prosecutors have con-vened a media conference to unveil the charges.

They said on Twitter they will charge Vale, TUV SUD and 16 people, but did not offer further details.

Reuters reported earlier this month that prosecutors were set to file criminal charges in coming days.

The Wall Street Journal was

first to report the nature of the charges.

Vale shares were down almost 2% after the Twitter announcement.

State prosecutors are filing charges almost a year after the catastrophic dam collapse, which took place in the town of Brumadinho in the state of Minas Gerais and killed more than 250 people.

The collapse of the Vale tailings dam was one of the world’s deadliest mining acci-dents and knocked $19bn off Vale’s market value in a single day.

In a statement, TUV Sud said it was cooperating with author-ities and could not comment further on the case as investi-gations were continuing.

Vale did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Canada PM also said Tehran’s refusal to acknowledge dual citizenship was posing a challenge when it came to helping support the families of the Canadian victims.

Brazil to create ‘Amazon Council’ to protect and develop rainforest

REUTERS — SAO PAULO

Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured) said yesterday that he will create an “Amazon Council” to protect and ensure the “sustainable development” of the world’s largest rainforest, following intense criticism of his environmental policies.

The council will be led by Brazil’s vice-president, General Hamilton Mourao, Bolsonaro said on Twitter, and will coordinate “diverse actions within each ministry focused on the protection, defense and sustainable devel-opment of the Amazon.”

Bolsonaro has said previ-ously that his government is protecting the rainforest, but he wants economic development in the Amazon to improve the lives of its 30 million inhab-itants, including its indigenous tribes. Environmentalists fear that will hasten deforestation.

Under Bolsonaro, the number of fires in the Amazon reached a 10-year high last year, prompting world leaders to denounce his environ-mental record.

Last week, indigenous leaders held a four-day tribal gathering in the Amazon to plan their opposition to Bolsonaro's push to open their reservations for commercial mining and agriculture.Protected tribal lands have seen increasing invasions by illegal loggers and miners since Bolsonaro became president last year.

Mexican troops repel migrant caravanAFP — CIUDAD HIDALGO

Hundreds of Central Americans from a new migrant caravan tried to storm into Mexico Monday by fording the river that divides the country from Guatemala, but National Guardsmen fired tear gas to force them back.

The Central Americans, from the so-called “2020 Caravan” of around 3,500 undocumented migrants, gathered on the Guatemalan side of the Suchiate River at dawn, demanding migration authorities let them continue their journey to United States.

When authorities did not immediately respond, the migrants began wading across the river, which is shallow this time of year.

Mexican troops fired tear gas to force them back, leading

to scenes of chaos as huge crowds of people flailed across the river.

Scores of migrants, many with cloths tied around their faces to protect them from the gas, pelted the military police guarding the southern border with large stones, as the latter sheltered behind riot shields.

“Let us through! Put your hands on your hearts,” shouted one migrant, Jorge, who was trying to ford the river with his wife and two young children.

Dozens of migrants made it through the security cordon, but the majority were forced back.

Around 200 who made it through were later detained, authorities said. A corre-spondent saw large groups of them being rounded up along a highway and loaded onto buses and trucks — some after trying and failing to run away.

Mexico’s migration authority said the country was ready to welcome foreigners as long as they entered the country in a “lawful, safe and orderly” way.

“They’re trying to trick us. They tell us to enter the country legally, but then they deport us,” said one migrant, Tania, who has been with the caravan since it set out last week from San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

“I’m asking Mexican Pres-ident Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to consider his con-science” and let the migrants through, said another, 33-year-old Elvis Martinez.

But Mexico faces pressure to do just the opposite from Pres-ident Donald Trump, who last year threatened to impose steep tariffs if the country did not do more to stop a surge of undocu-mented Central Americans arriving at US-Mexican border.

19WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020 HOME

QU’s Al Bairaq collaborates with Education Ministry to offer workshops for QSTEAM competition studentsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education offered Qatar University’s (QU) Al Bairaq program the opportunity to join the QSTEAM 2020 Competition’s Organization and Arbitration Committee, where it contributed, compiled and offered educa-tional training workshops for the competition students.

This is a natural extension of Al Bairaq’s permanent role in developing the scientific skills of students in Qatar and encour-aging students to innovate and join scientific research, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.

As part of its role in the com-mittee, the team from Al Bairaq trained students to conduct com-petition projects following the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathe-matics) approach and apply problem-solving steps. The QU program also helped to enhance teamwork, critical thinking, cre-ative thinking and presentation skills. The workshops provided the students with the funda-mentals of engineering design process and the way to implement the projects using sci-entific laboratories and modern devices at QU.

As many as 140 students from 35 different primary and prepar-atory schools attended the pres-entation. Al Bairaq will continue to supervise the students during

the competition period and provide them with all the support and equipment needed to ensure the creation of high-quality projects.

Al Bairaq was also chosen to be part of the arbitration and evaluation of the competition’s projects, of which it has extensive experience in, following its

previous participation in national and international competitions.

President of Al Bairaq Program and Head of Commu-nication and Outreach at QU, Dr. Noora Jabor Al Thani commented saying the participation of the Al Bairaq Program in organising the QSTEAM competition comes from the “belief in our effective

role in developing the educa-tional process that directly affects the new generation who serve and build their country.”

She added that Al Bairaq would always welcome all those looking for scientific excellence and creative thinking, and will continue to support and encourage the students of Qatar towards more progress and improvement.

Executive Director of the QSTEAM 2020 Competition and Mathematics Standards Specialist at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Hatem Al Dhawi, commented saying, “In preparation for the QSTEAM competition, several procedures were set, the most important of which is training the students on how to implement STEAM projects.

The Al Bairaq team at Qatar University has prepared and presented a training workshop on how to implement STEAM projects for the participating students. All attendees praised the excellent organization and greatly valued the presented material, which included many activities, through which they were able to implement the STEAM projects. The students also learned about the equipment and tools available at Qatar University, which they could benefit from during the implementation of their projects.”

The workshops provided the students with the fundamentals of engineering design process and the way to implement the projects using scientific laboratories and modern devices at QU.

QYH gets gold rating of International Youth Hostel FederationQNA — DOHA

Qatar Youth Hostels (QYH) obtained the gold rating of International Youth Hostel Federation as the first Arab country to obtain this classifi-cation.

This came after the periodic evaluation by the International Youth Hostel Federation which is rating different youth hostels members in the Federation, representing 65 countries, Qatar Youth Hostels said in a statement.

The classification is based

on the objectives achieved in the strategic plan for youth hostels 2018-2021, which was approved at the 52nd Interna-tional Conference of the Fed-eration in Iceland.

Qatar Youth Hostels is among the few hostels that have achieved this category, scoring

13 points out of a total of 16 points in record time, thanks to the concerted efforts of the working group and the members of the Executive Board.

Qatar Youth Hostels are implementing various programs and events in line with the plans

of the International Federation and the vision of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Qatar Youth Hostels had won the confidence of the International Youth Hostel Federation during its recent conference in Iceland, to host the 54th conference at the beginning of 2022, reflecting the confidence of the organi-zations of youth hostels in various countries of the world in the State of Qatar which succeed in hosting major inter-n a t i o n a l e v e n t s a n d conferences.

Qatar Youth Hostels is among the few hostels that have achieved this category, scoring 13 points out of a total of 16 points in record time, thanks to the concerted efforts of the working group and the members of the Executive Board.

CROSSWORD

Pattas is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language martial arts film written and directed by R. S. Durai Senthilkumar and produced by Sathya Jyothi Films.

PATTAS

MALL ROYAL PLAZA

Dhamaka (2D/Malayalam) 2:00pmL.O.L Surprise! on The Big Screen (2D/Animation) 4:15pm; Dolittle (2D/Comedy) 5:15 & 7:30pmBad Boys For Life (2D/Action) 7:00 & 9:15pmPattas (2D/Tamil) 3:30 & 11:30pm Yom W Leila (2D/Arabic) 9:30pm; Entha Manchivaadavuraa (2D/Telugu) 2:00pm; Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2D/Telugu) 4:30pm; Big Brother (2D/Malayalam) 5:30, 8:30 & 11:30pm; Foodiverse (2D/Animation) 2:00pmJai Mummy (2D/Hindi) 11:30pm

Pattas (2D/Tamil) 12:00, 6:00 & 12:00pmDolittle (2D/Comedy) 11:45, 4:45 & 9:45pmDarbar (2D/Tamil) 11:45, 5:45 & 11:45pmBig Brother (2D/Malayalam) 3:00 & 9:00pmBad Boys For Life (2D/Action) 2:00, 7:00 & 12:00pmAla Vaikunthapurramuloo (2D/Telugu) 2:45 & 8:45pm

LANDMARK

AL KHOR

Big Brother (2D/Malayalam) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9;00 & 10:00pmAla Vaikunthapurramuloo (2D/Telugu) 12:15 & 6:00pmEntha Manchivaadavuraa (2D/Telugu) 3:15pmDhamaka (2D/Malayalam) 12:00 midnightPattas (2D/Tamil) 12:30, 3:15, 6:15, 8:45 & 11:30pmAvane Srimannarayana (2D/Kannada) 6:00pmSarileru Neekevaru (2D/Telugu) 12:30pm

ASIAN TOWN

ROXY

FLIK Mirqab Mall

1917 (2D/Crime) 17:05, 7:30pmBad Boys For Life (2D/Action) 10:30am, 11:45, 1:00, 2:10, 3:30, 4:35, 6:00, 7:00, 8:30, 9:30, 11:00pm & 12:00 midnightBig Brother (2D/Malayalam) 10:20am, 11:50am, 2:20, 4:20, 5:55, 8:20pm, 12:00 midnight & 0:20amDolittle (2D/Comedy) 10:45am, 11:20am, 12:45, 2:50, 3:20, 5:20, 7:20, 9:20 & 11:20pmDolittle (3D/Comedy) 12:20, 6:20 & 10:20pmJumanji: The Next Level (2D/Action) 12:50, 3:15, 5:40 & 8:05pmL.O.L Surprise! on The Big Screen (2D/Animation) 10:10am & 11:30am; Miracle in Cell No.7 (2D/Comedy) 6:15 & 8:40pmSpies in Disguise (2D/Animation) 12:00, 2:05 & 4:10pmStar Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2D/Action) 11:10pmUnderwater (2D/Action) 10:30pm & 0:25amYom W Leila (2D/Action) 9:50 & 11:50m

Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2D/Telugu) 10:30am, 12:50, 1:00, 3:30, 4;10, 7:00, 7;10, 10:00 & 10:40pmAvane Srimannarayana (2D/Kannada) 10:20 & 10:30pmBad Boys For Life (2D/Action) 10:30, 11:00, 1:00, 3:20, 5:00, 5:40, 7:20, 8:10, 10:00 & 10:40pmBig Brother (2D/Malayalam) 11:00am, 1:00, 2:10, 4:10, 5:20, 6:50, 7:20, 7:30, 8:30 & 11:40pmDolittle (2D/Comedy) 10:30am, 12:30, 12:40, 1:20, 2:40, 2:50, 3:00, 4:50 & 5:00pmPattas (2D/Tamil) 1:50, 4:20, 4:50, 7:20, 7:50, 10:30 & 10:50pmUnderwater (2D/Action) 1:00pm

Foodiverse (2D/Animation) 2:30pmDolittle (2D/Comedy) 4:00 & 6:00pmBig Brother (2D/Malayalam) 8:00 & 11:00pmPattas (2D/Tamil) 2:00 & 11:30pmL.O.L Surprise! on The Big Screen (2D/Animation) 2:15 & 4:45pmBad Boys For Life (2D/Action) 6:00 & 11:15pmParasite (2D/Comedy) 8:15pmJai Mummy (2D/Hindi) 3:30pmA Hidden Life (2D/Drama) 5:30pmAla Vaikunthapurramuloo (2D/Telugu) 8:30pm

Big Brother (2D/Malayalam) 2:30, 8:30 & 11:30pmAla Vaikunthapurramuloo (2D/Telugu) 5:30pmL.O.L Surprise! on The Big Screen (2D/Animation) 2:00 & 4:30pm; Dolittle (2D/Comedy) 3:15, 5:15 & 7:15pmBad Boys For Life (2D/Action) 9:15 & 11:30pmPattas (2D/Tamil) 2:00 & 11:30pmFoodiverse (2D/Animation) 5:30pmYom W Leila (2D/Arabic) 7:00pmAvane Srimannarayana (2D/Kannada) 8:45pm

20 WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2020MORNING BREAK

FAJR SUNRISE 05.01 am 06.20 am

W A L R U WA I S : 16o↗ 24o W A L K H O R : 16o↗ 23o W D U K H A N : 16o↗ 25o W D O H A : 17o↗ 23o W M E S A I E E D 16o↗ 23o W A B U S A M R A 16o↗ 24o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 03:04 – 12:41 LOW TIDE 09:52 – 20:33

Misty at places at first becomes moderate temperature daytime with slight dust and scattered clouds, relatively cold by night.

Minimum Maximum17oC 23oC

ZUHRMAGHRIB

11.45 am05.13 pm

ASR ISHA

02.50 pm06.43 pm

2.229 billion years: Scientists date world’s oldest meteor craterAFP — TOKYO

A crater in western Australia was formed by a meteor strike more than 2.2 billion years ago and is the world’s oldest known impact site, new research shows.

The study marks the first time that the Yarrabubba crater has been precisely dated, at 2.229 billion years old, and means it is 200 million years older than any similar site known on Earth.

The revelation also raises the intriguing possibility that the massive impact could have sig-nificantly altered the Earth’s climate, helping end a period of global “deep freeze”.

Scientists had long sus-pected that Yarrabubba, in a remote part of the outback,

dated back several billion years.But dating ancient craters is

not easy: the sites tend to be poorly preserved because erosion and tectonic events such as earthquakes have “pro-gressively erased into the geo-logic past”, the researchers wrote in their paper, published in the journal Nature Communications.

And even where craters are still present, determining their age is complex.

To date Yarrabubba pre-cisely, the team hunted for evi-dence of “shock recrystalli-sation” in minerals at the site -- essentially where the massive impact of the meteor had altered the structure of mate-rials including zircon and monazite.

But finding that record in

the minerals involved searching for microscopic grains, using a high-tech scanning process known as Sensitive High Reso-lution Ion Micro Probe or SHRIMP dating.

Once identified, uranium in the grains helped the scientists determine a precise date, which they found coincided with a period when the planet emerged from a global deep freeze known as “Snowball Earth”.

“Glacial deposits are absent from the rock record for around 400 million years after the Yar-rabubba impact,” Chris Kirkland, a professor at Curtin University’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences who was involved in the study, said.

“The impact fits within the context of Earth moving out of

frigid conditions.”The researchers theorise

that when the meteor hit Yar-rabubba, the site was covered with ice, like much of the rest of the Earth at the time.

The massive strike, which created a crater around 70km in diameter, may have sent up to half a trillion tonnes of vaporised ice into the atmos-phere, according to models run by the team.

“If the impact occurred into an ice sheet then it would release lots of water vapour, which is an even more efficient greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide,” lead author Timmons Erickson, of Nasa’s Johnson Space Center and Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said. “That, in turn, may result in warming of the planet.”

That conclusion may raise some eyebrows.

The researchers concede there is no proof for now that the site was covered in ice at the time, and large meteor strikes are more often associated with cooling events than atmos-pheric warming.

“They don’t have any evi-dence that there was a glacier at the site, so it’s like a thought experiment, it’s speculation,” said Tim Barrows, a professor of environmental change at the University of Wollongong, who was not involved in the study.

Erickson acknowledged that the idea was still speculative for now.

“We hope it will prompt other researchers to investigate the role that an impact event may have on the Earth’s climate during a

Snowball scenario,” he said.While Barrows cast doubt

on the climate change theory, he praised the “extremely impressive dating”, saying the technique could help shed new light on other poorly preserved impact sites.

The research team said they hoped their findings would boost the search for clues in the sediment record about the effects of the Yarrabubba strike, as well as encourage more work on dating craters.

“The only way to under-stand the tempo of impacts on Earth is to look back at the history and timing of the cra-tering record,” said Kirkland.

“This work shows that there are impacts preserved on old, highly eroded pieces of the planet.”

Sunscreen ingredients really do seep into the blood. Is that bad?REUTERS — CHICAGO

Scientists at the US Food and Drug Administration have shown that active chemicals in sunscreens can readily soak into the bloodstream, confirming the need for more testing on whether these products are safe, the researchers said yesterday.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, replicates findings of a pilot study by FDA scien-tists in May. That touched off a flurry of questions over the safety of sunscreens, Dr. Adam Friedman, chairman of derma-tology at George Washington University, said in an interview.

“It was completely misin-terpreted,” said Friedman, who was not involved with the study. “Just because it’s in the blood doesn’t mean that is not safe. It doesn’t mean it’s safe either. The answer is we don’t know.”

The FDA has proposed a rule requiring sunscreen

manufacturers to provide additional information on the active ingredients in their products.

The study authors stressed that their findings do not suggest that people should stop using sunscreen.

The latest study aimed to determine whether common sunscreen ingredients exceeded 0.5 nanograms per milliliter of blood. FDA recommends that products exceeding that threshold be tested for safety. Of the six tested, all exceeded that limit.

“Results of our study released today show there is evidence that some sunscreen active ingredients may be absorbed,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

Woodcock said the study emphasises the need for sun-screen makers to test whether their products are safe when absorbed into bloodstream.

The FDA has already cer-tified that sunscreens that block the sun’s rays with minerals — such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide — are safe, but these often leave residue on the skin.

The new study tested six chemical sunscreen ingredients from four commercially available formulations — three sprays and one lotion — on 48 people. They tested three chemicals from the first study - avobenzone, oxy-benzone and octocrylene — plus three new ones — homosalate, octisalate and octinoxate. People applied the sunscreens over 75% of their body once on the first day, then four times a day for three more days.

All six reached blood con-centrations that exceeded the FDA threshold for more safety testing after just one appli-cation, and blood concentra-tions increased over time.

“What this tells us is how much is getting in the blood,” Friedman said. “The next question is is that relevant?”

Louis Vuitton shows off huge rough diamondAFP — PARIS

The biggest rough diamond discovered in over a century was shown to private clients yesterday by French luxury handbag-maker Louis Vuitton, which acquired the 1,758-carat gem to make a big splash in the high-end jewellery market.

The stone named “Sewelo,” meaning “rare find” in the tswana tongue of Botswana where it was discovered, is the size of a tennis ball.

It is the second-biggest diamond ever found, after the 3,100-carat “Cullinan” mined in neighbouring South Africa in 1905, which went on to adorn Britain’s crown jewels.

Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond, which recovered the stone, last week announced a deal with Louis Vuitton and the Antwerp-based diamond manufacturer HB Company to have it carved up

and polished. Louis Vuitton, part of the LVMH luxury con-glomerate, created surprise in the jewellery sector by pipping high-end houses such as Cartier and Graff to acquire the bragging rights to what could be the diamond deal of the century.

It comes after LVMH suc-cessfully wooed New York jew-ellery house Tiffany, agreeing to fork out $16.2bn for the fabled maker of wedding rings and diamonds that come in blue boxes.

“It’s the biggest potential we have right now,” Louis Vuitton chief executive Michael Burke told the Financial Times recently of the company’s gem business.

By showing clients the rough diamond, LVMH also aims to set itself apart in the rarefied world of high jewellery, which is centred on Paris’s ritzy Place Vendome.

“No jeweller has done that (show the rough stone) — that is not the way high-end jew-ellery functions, it does not show what happens behind the scenes,” Burke told the FT, adding that Louis Vuitton’s goal was to be “utterly transparent in what mine it came from and associating the final client in the creation of the final stone”.

While its has a glittering destiny, “Sewelo” currently resembles a lump of coal, still coated in the black carbon in which it was mined.

Lucara, which said it will receive 50 percent of the pro-ceeds of the resulting diamonds with a further five percent going towards community projects in Botswana, said the “full potential of this special stone” would be revealed only when polished.

Louis Vuitton has not said how much it paid for the stone nor how much it could even-

tually be worth.Raluca Anghel, head of

external affairs of the global Diamond Producers Associ-ation, said that experts who enjoyed a close look believed it to have “true potential”.

“You can already imagine everything you can create from this unique diamond,” she said.

For Arnaud Cadart, portfolio manager at the French asset management firm Flornoy & Associes, the acquisition allows Louis Vuitton to “boost its aura and position itself in an increas-ingly high-end market by seeking out very big clients for exclusive products.”

Louis Vuitton made its first foray into the world of ultra-luxury jewels a decade ago, seeking to imbue the brand with a touch of extra glamour and tap into possible cross-selling — handbag-plus-jewels — opportunities.

In 2012, it joined the creme

de la creme of high jewellery, including Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and Boucheron, by opening a store on Place

Vendome.After the Paris showing, the “Sewelo” will be taken on a tour of prospective foreign clients.

A photo shows the world’s second-biggest rough diamond displayed at place Vendome’s Louis Vuitton luxury shop in Paris.

Aura Aesthetic Polyclinic in North Duhail opensThe state-of-the-art aesthetic clinic for Derma & Dental renamed as “Aura Aesthetic Polyclinic” started operations in North Duhail, from January 9. The chief dignitaries of the day was Dr. Salem Nasser Al Naemi, Vice-President of CNAQ, and Ali Muhammed S SH Al Suwaidi. The other dignitaries present were Dr. Naseer Ali, Managing Director; Dr. Aneesha Ashraf, Managing Director; EK Hamza, Managing Director; Dr. Nitha Abdul Kadar, Medical Director.

Rocker Ozzy Osbourne reveals Parkinson’s diagnosisREUTERS — LOS ANGELES

British rocker Ozzy Osbourne (pictured), who last year postponed a world tour due to health issues, disclosed in an interview broadcast yesterday that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Osbourne, 71, said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he received the diagnosis in February 2019 after he fell at home and had to have neck surgery. He also recently suffered from pneu-monia, flu complications and infections in his hand.

The musician, who made his name as lead singer of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, had previously denied having Parkinson’s, but said he now wanted to be open with his fans.

“They’re my air, you know,” Osbourne said while seated next to his

wife, Sharon. “I feel better. I’ve owned up to the fact that I have a case of Par-kinson’s. And I just hope they hang on and they’re there for me because I need them.”

Parkinson’s is a progressive neuro-degenerative disorder that causes

tremors and slowed movements. There is no cure, but medication can ease symptoms.

Osbourne said he was taking Par-kinson’s medication and nerve pills.

Sharon Osbourne said the type of Parkinson’s her husband had was “not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body. It’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day.”

Ozzy Osbourne said he had been working to recover in order to get back to performing in front of fans. His post-poned solo tour, “No More Tours 2,” is scheduled to kick off a North American leg in late May, according to the singer’s website.

“I’m a lot better now than I was last February,” he said. “I was in a shocking state.”

Spain’s 2019 tourist arrivals hit new record high, minister upbeat on trendREUTERS — MADRID

The number of international visitors to Spain hit an all-time high of 83.7 million in 2019 in a seventh straight year of records, Industry and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said, adding that she was optimistic about 2020.

Tourist arrivals rose 1 percent last year from a year earlier, Maroto told a news conference.

Spain is the world’s second-most visited country after France and tourism is crucial for the domestic economy, making up nearly 12 percent of gross domestic product.

“We address 2020 with optimism, because we have a strong and con-solidated sector, capable of tackling the challenges ahead of us,” she said, without providing any specific forecast.

Last year, more visitors coming from Asia and the United States offset a decline of travelers from Britain and Germany, who traditionally have been the core of the Spanish tourism.

The Spanish Minister said that trying to lure visitors from new countries will be one of the ministry’s main priorities along with working to have visitors all year long and not only during the summer high season.