Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani with President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, in Doha yesterday during his current visit to Qatar. They discussed bilateral relations and ways of boosting them, in addition to developments in Jerusalem and a number of issues of common concern. The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister reiterated Qatar’s firm stance in supporting the Palestinian cause and the steadfastness of the brotherly Palestinian people based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the two-state solution agreed upon by the international community to ensure the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Deputy PM and FM meets Palestinian President

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Al Rayyan, Al Gharafa to clash in final of QSL Cup

QC & Kazakhstan chamber sign MoU

for cooperation

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Emir greets President of Kazakhstan

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of congrat-

ulations to President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nur-sultan Nazarbayev, on the occasion of his country’s Independence Day. Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani also sent a similar cable of congratula-tions to the President. The Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also sent a cable of con-gratulations to Prime Minister of the Republic of Kaza-k h s t a n , B a k y t z h a n Sagintayev.

Qatar committed to achieving all goals, says PM The Peninsula

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani has said that

the National Day’s celebrations this year coincide with extraor-dinary circumstances being experienced by the State of Qatar because of the siege imposed on it.

“This shows the importance of sending messages to the whole world that Qatar is fol-lowing in the footsteps of its founder in order to achieve the desired goals and objectives by promoting the process of sus-tainable and comprehensive development and providing leading models in various sec-tors,” the Prime Minister said.

In an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the Prime Minister and Interior Min-ister conveyed his greetings and congratulations to Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad

Al Thani, and Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

He also congratulated all the citizens and expatriates living in the country, on the occasion of the Qatar National Day. He stressed that the current crisis has strengthened the values of solidarity and cohesion between citizens and expatriates in the face of unjust measures taken by the siege countries.

About the theme of this year’s celebration, he said that the slogan: “Promise of Pros-perity and Glory” is quoted from the speech of the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on July 21, as his first speech after the siege was imposed on Qatar.

He added that this slogan reflects the spirit of challenge, cohesion and mutual trust between the leader and the peo-ple. It promotes the values of loyalty to the homeland, solidarity,unity and pride of national identity, and contrib-utes to the advancement of society to face foreign conspir-acies against the state.

The Prime Minister said that the siege has exposed the bad intentions and uncivilised behaviour of the siege countries towards Qatar, which stood firm against them and benefited its people who have successfully passed this stage.

He stressed that the position of Qatar has been clear and con-stant since the beginning of the crisis that dialogue is the only way to resolve it without affect-ing the sovereignty of the State and allowing interference in its internal affairs.

→ Continued on page 4

2022 World Cup projects on schedule, says Al Thawadi QNA

Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC)

Hassan Al Thawadi has said that all State institutions, including the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, have backup plans that enabled them to deal with the consequences of the siege without any impact on plans and projects related to the state’s infrastructure.

“Within the Supreme Com-mittee for Delivery and Legacy, the work on projects related to the World Cup 2022 is in full swing and according to timetables.”

Regarding the most impor-tant achievements of the Supreme Committee for Deliv-ery and Legacy in 2017, Al Thawadi said that the Commit-tee’s projects were not affected by the siege. He confirmed that Qatar is well-prepared to host

FIFA World Cup 2022 according to schedule as promised.

In a statement to QNA on the occasion of Qatar’s National Day, Al Thawadi said: “This day is also a good occasion to introduce our sons and daughters to the glories of the State and its accomplish-ments over the past decades, and to motivate them to achieve more success to become the leaders of the future”.

→ Continued on page 12

Qatar’s tallest arched monument openedThe Peninsula

Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohammed bin Abdul-

lah Al Rumaihi opened yesterday the Lusail Expressway project after completing all its main work which also includes the arches at Interchange 5/6, the biggest and tallest monument in Qatar. This was in participation of Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, President of the Public Works Authority, Eng. Abdullah Al Attiyah, the Assist-ant President, officials and managers from Ashghal, repre-sentatives of the consulting and construction companies that participated in the implementa-tion of the project, in addition to the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Qatar.

One of the most prominent

architectural monuments in Doha, the arches of Interchange 5/6, was launched which is a Qatari monument standing tall and with its height representing an icon of creativity and engi-neering achievements, and proving to the world that Qatar is going ahead towards achiev-ing its vision, overcoming the challenges, and demonstrating that this vision is realized to become a reality full of pride.

The arches at Interchange 5/6 are the biggest and tallest monument in Qatar with a height of 100 metres and width of 147 metres, and weighing more than 9,300 tonnes of steel.

A documentary video was played during the launch event of Lusail Expressway, showing the journey of the implementa-tion of Lusail Expressway and the engineering challenges that

Ashghal overcame, in addition to the consecutive openings that this year witnessed for the com-plete parts of the project, until the completion of all main work

including the main carriageways, tunnels and bridges. That was followed by giving the signal to start the launch of the arches at Interchange 5/6, where the sky

was lit up with the Qatari flag colours, decorating the 100 metre high arches.

→ Continued on page 8

55 communities take part in Friendship ParadeSidi Mohamed The Peninsula

In their traditional clothes, more than 55 communities participated yesterday

evening in the Friendship Parade at Darb Al Saai in order to show the unity to the beloved country the State of Qatar.

Around 2,500 people wielding Qatari flags joined the Friendship Parade, which rep-resents the historical context of solidarity between Qataris and expatriates.

Cheering and chanting words “I love Qatar”, the par-ticipants also showed their traditions and culture in a way that meet the National Day vision.

→ Continued on page 12

Official holidays today and tomorrow

On the occasion of Qatar National Day which will be celebrated on

December 18, the Emiri Diwan announced that today and tomorrow will be official hol-idays, and that employees will resume work on Tuesday.

A view of arches at Interchange 5/6 at the Lusail Expressway.

Meet on Arab World conflict & crisis begins

A two-day conference on “Crisis and Conflict in the Arab World: Local-

isation of Responses” got under way in Doha. The aim of the conference is to exam-ine in detail the concept of localisation of responses to crisis and conflict within the context of the Arab region.

→ Full report on page 8

Congratulatescitizens andexpatriates on National Day

Siege strengthened solidarity and cohesion between citizens and expats

Lauds KuwaitEmir’s efforts for bid to resolve crisis

Outlines MoI’s achievements andfuture line of action

Main work of Lusail Expressway project over

02 SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017HOME

President Mahmoud Abbas of the sisterly Palestine State arrived in Doha yesterday on a working visit to the State of Qatar. The Palestinian President and his accompanying delegation were welcomed upon arrival at Hamad International Airport by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, and the Palestinian Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Munir Abdullah Ghannam.

Souq Waqif Spring Festival from December 25QNA

Souq Waqif will host Spring Festival events from December 25, to April 25,

2018. The festival is organised by the Organizing Committee of the Private Engineering Office.

Talking to QNA, Director of Souq Waqif Mohammed Al Salem said that it is the first time that the Spring Festival will be held over four months.

He added that this’s year fes-tival offers a range of family-friendly fun including

parades, shows, plays, music featuring top stars and children’s entertainment, adding that the Spring Festival will also present fine arts events in the various sections of Souq Waqif Arts Center, including workshops directed to all visitors.

Warm welcome for Mahmoud Abbas

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04 SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017HOME

Qatar committed to achieving all goals: PMContinued from page 1

He thanked, the Emir of Kuwait, H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, for his efforts to resolve the crisis. He also noted the role of all broth-erly and friendly countries that sought to resolve the crisis through the support of Kuwaiti mediation.

He reaffirmed that Qatar was able, by God’s grace to manage the crisis and overcome its repercussions with wisdom, awareness and knowledge in accordance with well-made plans.

“We were able to face the challenges of the siege and thwart them through strength-ening the internal coherence of the society and invest in national energies, continuing develop-ment, infrastructure, health and education projects, upgrading the Qatari economy, encourag-ing local investments, protecting the national product and increas-ing production through promoting food, water and med-icine security projects to achieve self-sufficiency, as well as improving the business environ-ment and increasing the tourist turnout and other steps,” he said.

He said that Qatar was engaged active diplomatic activ-ities based on dialogue with all

countries, bodies and organisa-tions to clarify the Qatari point of view.

In response to a question about the most important achievements made by the Min-istry of Interior during the past year, and the plans for the next phase the Prime Minister and Interior Minister said: “With Allah’s Grace, and in the frame-work of our strategy and plans to provide the highest levels of security and safety in the coun-try, we have made many achievements to keep abreast of the boom and renaissance wit-nessed by the State in various fields.”

He said one of the most prominent achievements is that the security situation in the country has witnessed a signifi-cant decrease in the number of crimes compared to the global level, especially in major crimes reports to the specialised and geographical security agencies, as major crimes (murder, abduc-tion, serious assault and robbery) accounted for only three percent of the total number of criminal offenses committed in 2016.

He pointed out that these successes were made as a result of the tireless efforts of the Min-istry of Interior in cooperation with all relevant authorities in

the State, putting Qatar on the top of the Middle East and North Africa in the Global Security and Peace Index.

“The State of Qatar has also achieved advanced positions in the regional and global rankings of the Global Competitiveness Index (2014-2017) in the sectors of combating crime, violence and terrorism, public satisfaction and confidence in the services pro-vided by the police force worldwide.”

He said that Qatar also ranked first in the world index of the lowest countries in terms of the costs of crime and vio-lence, ranked sixth in the world index of combating organised crime. “The crimes of drugs smuggling and abuse signifi-cantly decreased in the period following the unjust siege com-pared to the previous period, where seizures of all types of drugs in the State decreased by between 88 to 99.9 percent.”

In the service field, the Prime Minister and Interior Minister said the Ministry of Interior has paid great attention to enabling the public to access all the serv-ices of the ministry easily in high quality in accordance with inter-national standards through a variety of service outlets.

He pointed out that these

efforts have resulted in an increase in the rate of services performed through various geo-graphical and electronic ports with the required accuracy and speed. This was reflected in the level of satisfaction achieved by the services provided by the Min-istry during 2016 by 95 percent, referring that the transactions completed in the year up to more than 71 million transactions, a monthly average of 6m transac-tions, with a daily average of 200,000 equivalent to (140) transaction in almost every minute.

He said for example, “Mat-rash2” has contributed to increasing the speed of comple-tion of transactions, saving time and effort for the clients who deals with the ministry.

Regarding human resources, the Prime Minister said that police and security capabilities have been strengthened through continuous training, especially after the opening of the Police College and providing it with dis-tinguished policing cadres that have been widely accepted by the community.

As for the strategy of the Ministry of Interior during the next phase, he said: “It is derived from our attention to achieve tranquillity and to increase the

sense of security and safety for citizens and expatriates living in the country by reducing crime rates to less than their global rates, especially security, eco-nomic and electronic crimes in addition to increasing the number of patrols, enhancing the efficiency of the operations room, the speed of receiving and responding to reports, protect-ing lives and property, the speed of emergency response to achieve security and safety, pre-paring to face crises and emergencies, preventing and reducing fires, and minimizing the negative effects resulting from it.”

With regard to the efforts for providing roads security and safety, the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani said: “We are working hard to provide security and safety on the roads, to keep pace with the growth rates of the population of the state, and meet its need for development and implementation of major projects.”

He pointed out that the Min-istry’s priorities extend to the development of the system of securing the coasts and borders of the State, especially the long coasts representing 75 percent of its borders, which places

greater obligation on the Minis-try of the Interior to complete the coastguard fleet and strengthen it with modern naval vessels and equipment to counter infiltration and smuggling attempts partic-ularly drug trafficking and to raise capacity to counter any hostile and subversive acts in light of the changes and trans-formations taking place in the region.

On the symbolism of Qatar’s celebration on this glorious national occasion, the Prime Min-ister and interior Minister affirmed that the celebration of the National Day of Qatar has great effect on memory of the homeland and embodies the meaning of unity and true brotherhood among its people and brings lofty meanings to the hearts and minds of all cit-izens and expatriates living on this good land.

The Prime Minister outlined the activities related to security organizations such as Interpol, which refutes the fabrications of the siege countries, pointing to the first conference for the secu-rity and safety of major events and the international conference on combating trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants, which were held in cooperation between the State of Qatar and the Interpol.

Qatar Rail celebrates National DayThe Peninsula

Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) held a cere-mony marking the

National Day of the State of Qatar at its headquarters in Al Sadd area. This year, the event included several activities

focusing on the country’s historic values and cultural customs.

“Qatar Railways seeks to foster the spirit of citizenship among its Qatari employees by celebrating this important national occasion and at the same time we aim to introduce employees to the richness of

Qatari culture through various activities,” said Eng. Abdulla Abdulaziz Turki Al Subaie, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Rail. He added: “we are pleased with the interaction which demon-strates the solidarity between the people and its leadership.

The statement of His Highness “Promise of Prosperity and Glory” is the biggest incentive for us to move forward with determination to achieve the objectives of the comprehen-sive development renaissance we aspire for under the guid-ance of our wise leadership”

The ceremony commenced with raising of the Qatari flag at the main entrance of the

company with the national anthem of the State of Qatar in the presence of senior manage-ment of the company, executive directors and all employees. The event was attended by all employees of the company. The employees enjoyed the different activities such as falconry, tra-ditional games, homemade Qatari dishes and traditional cos-tumes photography.

Qatar Rail has recently produced a special song on the occasion of the national day, “Our Homeland in Prosperity “. The artwork showcases the pride the company takes in achieving its mission, deter-minat ion to overcome challenges and its aspiration to deliver a world class trans-portation system to the people of Qatar.

Officials during the celebrations at Qatar Rail.

Milaha marks QND with series of activities depicting history

The Peninsula

In celebration of Qatar National Day, Milaha held a series of activities and events celebrat-

ing the country’s rich history and culture at its headquarters in Ain Khaled.

The events celebrated the his-tory of Qatar as well as 60 years of Milaha, with the serving of tra-ditional Qatari food, a cake cutting ceremony, a Aarda dance performed by children, an exhi-bition of images showcasing Qatar’s history, a perfume & incense mixing station, and a henna booth, among others.

Milaha’s staff and senior man-agement participated in the various interactive activities and booths that aimed to entertain as well as educate the staff on the remarkable progress Qatar has made since the days of the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Muhammad Al Thani. As part of the celebration, Milaha unveiled a giant Qatari flag made from the individual pictures of its staff.

Commenting on the occasion, Milaha’s Chairman Sheikh Ali Bin

Jassim Al Thani said: “On this day, we reflect on the efforts under-taken by the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Muhammad Al Thani to unify the country and lay the foundations of a modern nation. We owe our success to the vision-ary leadership of Qatar over the years, and are grateful to the Emir, H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is success-fully continuing to guide Qatar towards further progress and innovation.”

For his part, Milaha’s Pres-ident and CEO Abdulrahman Essa Al Mannai added: “Qatar National Day is a celebration of our country’s unification as well as a reminder of the growth and success it has achieved in such a short period. We, at Milaha, remain whole-heartedly committed to contributing to the realisation of our leadership’s vision of prosperity and development for the country.”

Milaha officials cutting a cake to mark the occasion.

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The Peninsula

H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health: Dr Abdulla Al Ansari, Acting Chief Medical Officer at Hamad Medical Corpora-

tion (HMC), and senior leaders from across the healthcare provider’s network of hos-pitals celebrated Qatar National Day with patients and staff.

Led by the public relations team from its Corporate Communications Department, HMC’s network of hospi-tals and facilities celebrated Qatar National Day with a series of events that reflected the country’s heritage, culture, and traditions.

As part of the celebrations, each hos-pital organised a number of events featuring traditional tents and activities, including henna drawing and hand-crafted items. Staff dressed in traditional clothing served local delicacies and tra-ditional songs were played in celebration

of the occasion. Decorated in accordance with this

year’s theme — Promise of Prosperity and Glory — the national flag was proudly displayed throughout HMC’s hospitals. On December 12, events were held at Al Khor Hospital, The Cuban Hospital, the National Center for Can-cer Care and Research (NCCCR), the

Communicable Disease Center (CDC), and the Enaya Continuing Care Center in Muaither.

Al Wakra Hospital, Hamad General Hospital, Heart Hospital, and the men-tal health service held their celebrations on December 13, and were followed by a number of cultural events held at Al Rumailah Hospital, the Women’s Well-ness and Research Center, Qatar Rehabilitation Institute, and the Ambu-latory Care Center on December 14.

Ali Abdulla Al Khater, Chief Com-munications Officer and Chair of the Healthcare Communications Commit-tee, said: “On December 18 we celebrate our shared identity and the history which shapes our country. We contem-plate the values and ambitions that bring this country together; a nation small in size, but great and noble in actions and in ambition. Qatar National Day presents an opportunity to express our gratitude and reverence to our ancestors who have endured many hardships to make

Qatar what it is today.”While, Nayef Abboud Al Shammari,

Assistant Executive Director of Media at HMC, added that Qatar National Day provides an opportunity to pause and celebrate the country and the achieve-ments of its people. He said: “We are filled with pride for our country and our National Day provides an opportunity

to celebrate this. The activities which take place across our network of hos-pitals to mark this occasion highlight our values of unity, respect, and good-will. As each year passes, we are proud to see the extent to which HMC, as the leading healthcare provider in Qatar, has contributed to the country’s devel-opment and progress.”

H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, and senior officials from across the HMC during the Qatar National Day 2017 celebrations.

Minister joins patients and staff in QND celebrations at HMC

Led by the public relations team from its Corporate Communications Department, HMC’s network of hospitals and facilities celebrated Qatar National Day with a series of events that reflected the country’s heritage, culture, and traditions.

Winners of Ad Al Qaseed competition honouredQNA

The Ad Al Qaseed com-petition, part of the educational sector

activities organised by the Committee of the National Day Celebrations, concluded yesterday at Darb Al Saai with honouring those who won the first three positions.

In the boys’ schools com-petitions, Yusuf Faleh Al Anzi from Umm Al Amad Primary School won the first place, followed by Abdullah Mohammed Al Marri from Ali Bin Abdullah Model School, who won the competition last year, and Salmin Saleh Al Marri from Abdullah bin Rawahah Primary School.

In the girls’ schools compe-titions, Ghalia Nasser bin Fahd Al Thani from Al Bayan Primary School was the winner of the first place, followed by Al Jawhara Bader Al Shammari from Al Shifa Bint Abdulrahman Primary School, and Haya Sul-tan Al Nuaimi from Al Markhiya Elementary School.

Nasser Al Marri, the head of the event, praised the outstand-ing performance of students.

The total amount of the award is about QR210,000. The winner of the first place receive QR250,00, followed by the second place with QR20,000, while the third will receive QR15,000. The fourth, fifth and sixth places will each receive QR10,000.

The winner of the first place of poets will receive QR30,000, while the second and the third places will get QR25,000 and QR20,000 respectively. The fourth, fifth and sixth place will each receive QR15,000.

Some 314 students from 70 schools have actively par-ticipated in the event.

National Day an occasion to express solidarity: QC chiefThe Peninsula

Chairman of Qatar Cham-ber (QC) H E Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin

Mohammed Al Thani said that celebrating the National Day on December 18 of each year is a national ceremony where Qatari people express their support and solidarity with their wise lead-ership. The day also is a chance to remember the founding of the

state on the hands of Sheikh Jas-sim bin Mohammed bin Thani.

The chairman of QC expressed his congratulations to the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, and the Qatari people on the occasion.

Speaking exclusively to Qatar News Agency to mark the

occasion, he said that the chair-man of QC said that the celebration will take place in unprecedented circumstances this year given the unfair siege Qatar is subjected to by three countries who targeted the sov-ereignty of Qatar.

Sheikh Khalifa noted that the wise leadership dealt confidently with the siege and managed to guide Qatar to safety.

He said that the State of

Qatar managed to limit the impact of the siege, benefiting from its distinguished interna-tional ties and economic capabilities to find new aerial and maritime routes with a number of countries including the Sultanate of Oman, Kuwait, Turkey, India, and Pakistan among others.

Chairman of QC stressed that the Qatari economy surprised everyone with its strength as

Qatar’s exports of oil and gas continued uninterrupted.

The year 2017 was a busy one for Qatar Chamber, partic-ularly as it hosted a number of events focused on alleviating the impact of the siege and prevent-ing from spilling over into the local market. The chamber was quick to hold many meetings with suppliers of basic materi-als and food products to find ways to supply all products.

The Peninsula

To celebrate Qatar National Day and showcase its com-mitment to the Qatar

community, Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles, the authorised general distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Qatar, has launched special offers on Mercedes-Benz 2018 models E 200 and GLC 250.

Sheikh Faleh bin Nawaf Al Thani, Operations Director – Auto, NBK Holding, said: “We are proud to celebrate our National Day with the special offer. On this precious occasion, we would like to con-gratulate our wise leadership and people in Qatar. It is through such initiatives we give back to the community, providing customers with special offers to drive away one of our cars at more afforda-ble prices.”.

The special offer is valid till December 31, 2017, where car enthusiasts can buy the 2018 mod-els for a starting price QR179,000.

E ClassWith its distinct, emotive

design, exclusive interior and impressive number of innova-tions, Mercedes-Benz is taking a big step into the future with the E-Class. The car is available now in Qatar at the showroom of Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles. Marking the world premiere of numerous technical innovations

that enable comfortable, safe driving on a new level, plus a new dimension in driver assist-ance – the E-Class sees Mercedes-Benz taking another step closer to its goal of acci-dent-free and autonomous driving.

The E-Class is the core of Mercedes-Benz brand, and in the past has repeatedly redefined the standards in the executive-class segment. Now it carries this tradition into the future with a wealth of top-class innovations that take safety, stress relief and comfort to a new level. It is with-out doubt the most intelligent sedan in the executive class.

GLC The new GLC is in top form.

Under all operating conditions the new midsize SUV excels with the outstanding safety that is a hallmark of the brand, the latest assistance systems and energy efficiency.

The design philosophy behind the GLC essentially favours sensual purity and modern aesthetics over the classic off-road look. The dynamic design exudes emo-tional appeal while also employing purist forms. Sur-faces embodying a degree of tension and precise lines cite the clear design line followed by all state-of-the-art SUVs

from Mercedes-Benz. The GLC only represents a departure from its progenitor – the G-Class – in terms of appear-ance, however. On a technical level it sets new benchmarks in all disciplines — the mid-size SUV’s off-road capabilities remain as outstanding as ever.

A key focus of the totally new interior design is the dash-board and the centre console with its flowing lines. In com-parison to its predecessor, the

new model is substantially more spacious for front and rear occu-pants alike.

The new GLC features the Agility Control suspension with steel springs and a variable damping system as standard. The GLC is the sole model in this market segment to offer the option of fitting the chassis with a full-support multi-chamber air suspension system and electron-ically controlled, continuously adjustable damping.

ibq offers host of benefits for loan takersThe Peninsula

International Bank of Qatar (ibq) is celebrating Qatar National Day by

offering clients applying for loans over QR250,000 a host of benefits, such as a free 12.9-inch iPad Pro and an optional grace period of up to three months. Both existing and new clients, Qataris and expatriates, owners of ibq credit cards and whose monthly salaries are not less than QR10,000 can benefit from this attrac-tive offer.

Hassan Al Mulla, AGM, Head of Retail Banking at ibq, saidd: “Since its estab-lishment, ibq showcased excellence in its customer service by offering the best promotions on the market. Our customers’ loyalty and long-term relationships with them is testament to ibq’s leadership in Qatar, with 60 years of operations in the country.

“We wish our custom-ers a wonderful Qatar National Day 2017 and encourage them to take full advantage of this new promotion.”

NBK launches National Day special offers

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Dandy, QDC and Zad Holding display products at Made in Qatar ExhibitionThe Peninsula

Dandy, QDC and Zad Hold-ing are showcasing their products among hun-

dreds of local companies at Made in Qatar Exhibition.

Dandy Company limited has been exhibiting at the ‘Made in Qatar’ Exhibition at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.

The exhibition was set up by the Qatar Chamber of Commerce as a way of promoting local Companies; The exhibition has more than 300 local companies participating, and is being used as a platform to showcase the wide range of quality products, that are Made Locally in Qatar.

Amongst the visitors were some local food bloggers, who were shown around the stand and were given the opportunity

to try some of the newer prod-ucts that have been recently launched. The bloggers were also able to customize their own Dandy ice cream with various toppings at the’ Ice cream Sta-tion’ that has been set up.

The ice cream station was set up to allow the visitors to the exhi-bition a chance to sample Dandy ice cream along with adding sauces and toppings of your own choice.

Dandy has serviced the needs of Qatar for almost 40 years, supplying a wide range of Dairy, Ice cream and Beverage products. The company has recently undertaken a packag-ing rebranding which has made the products more prominent in the stores.

Dandy has increased the pro-duction capacity of various products such as yogurts, this has been done in an effort to keep

up with the demand of the local consumers, Dandy is also in the process of building a cold stor-age facility that is scheduled for opening in the first quarter of 2018.

Since the blockade, Dandy has released various new prod-ucts such as Fresh Laban, launched a complete range of fresh juices as well as strength-ening their ice cream portfolio with new products and recipes; a product to note in Dandy’s ice cream range is Bon Bon which became a consumer favorite for both the nationals as well as the expats of Qatar.

Qatar Detergent Company (QDC) has been showcasing some of the products in their portfolio at the ‘Made In Qatar’ Exhibition at the Doha Exhibi-tion and Convention Center

Qatar Detergent Company has been operating in Qatar for almost 40 years and strives to make a high quality of life afford-able to its consumers. The company vision is to make QDC one of the country’s most valu-able corporations through brands of world-class quality.

QDC products are manufac-tured in advanced facilities ensuring that all products adhere to the exacting international standards for quality and the brands are backed by an inter-national standard of quality and are all manufactured in Qatar.

The Company has 8 Brands,

with the flagship brand being Pearl; QDC also have over 100 products in categories including Fabric Care, Kitchen Care, Per-sonal Care, Surface Care, Lavatory Care etc.

Through rigorous quality assurance tests, and constant safety checks, the company is committed to providing products that are safe for daily use.

This week Zad Holding has been exhibiting some of the brands in its portfolio (Qbake, QFM, and QFI) at the ‘Made In Qatar’ Exhi-bition at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center

Amongst the numerous visitors

were some local food bloggers, who were shown around the stand and had the opportunity to try some newly launched products such as Qbake’s Cake Rusks.

They were also informed about the manufacturing proc-ess for QFM, and for the distribution of QFIs’ newly launched edible oil brand ‘Yara’.

Zad has been showcasing the various products that are pro-duced by some of its subsidiaries, which includes Flour and Flour Derivatives, Edible Oils, Baked Goods and Pastas.

Zad is proud to have serviced the needs of Qatar for over 50

years, and says they will continue to provide the country with the products that they have come to require on a daily basis.

Zad has also been focused on updating their packaging for Qbake, this has been done to give the brand a revitalized and mod-ern feel as well as helping the consumers which are loyal to the brand identify it easily on the shelves.

Since the blockade was enforced QFM has increased the milling capacity exponentially. This is to be able to supply 100% of Qatar’s needs for flour and flour derivative products.

Meet on Crisis and Conflict in the Arab World beginsThe Peninsula

A two-day conference on “Crisis and Con-flict in the Arab World: Localisation of Responses” got

under way yesterday.The Conference is organised

by the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in collaboration with the Institute for Peace Studies in Oslo, the Hague Institute for Global Justice, the United Nations Office for the Coor-dination of Humanitarian Affairs and a German university.

A Doha Institute for Gradu-ate Studies’ press release said that the aim of the conference is to examine in detail the concept of localisation of responses to

crisis and conflict within the con-text of the Arab region.

Director of the Center for Con-flict and Humanitarian Studies Dr Sultan Barakat said that the con-ference is a first of its kind to explore the concept of “localisa-tion of responses” from a multi- and inter-disciplinary per-spective in relation to the humanitarian, and developmen-tal issues that the Arab world faces.

Barakat pointed out that more than 180 papers were sub-mitted, of them 25 papers were selected after being reviewed and will be published in a later scientific journal.

He added that the conference tried to shed light on the local component in terms of better understanding of local culture and its impact on conflict resolution,

good management of human resources and distribution of humanitarian assistance in a way that preserves the dignity of the affected people, pointing out that the Istanbul Summit in May 2016 stressed the importance of local-isation of local work.

F o r h i s p a r t ,

the UN Secretary-General’s Humanitarian Envoy Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Muraikhi called for understanding the needs and culture of people affected by cri-ses and conflicts in order to maximise humanitarian assistance and prevent their waste, pointing to the importance of cooperation and coordination with local actors and partners to achieve this for the sake of peoples.

Al Muraikhi highlighted the importance of taking into account a number of key points in providing humanitarian assist-ance to the people, and linking them to what is known as the localisation of humanitarian action and enhancing its effec-tiveness through local partners within societies affected by cri-ses and conflicts.

He underlined the need to understand the needs and cul-ture of peoples so that the maximum benefit from human-itarian assistance can be achieved and to avoid waste by providing assistance that does not meet the actual needs of these communities or conflicts with their culture, stressing the importance of respecting the dignity of the people and pro-viding the best possible assistance. This should be through certain mechanisms and in advance coordination with the main actors in these communities to know their needs and the most appropri-ate ways to meet them.

Al Muraikhi also stressed the need to take into account the development aspect in providing

humanitarian assistance to deal with conflicts and crises in the long term in order to sustain such assistance, in cooperation with local partners to identify priorities and develop plans and mecha-nisms and ways to achieve and follow-up the goals.

He called for taking advantage of the youth ener-gies in the local communities, and giving them the opportu-nity to part ic ipate in humanitarian work.

Al Muraikhi pointed to the importance of relying on local leaders within the affected com-munities and their help in identifying priorities and needs and chart a road map to achieve the greatest return of humani-tarian assistance for the benefit of local communities.

The aim of the conference is to examine in detail the concept of localisation of responses to crisis and conflict within the context of the Arab region.

ABOVE AND BELOW: Some of the products displayed at Made in Qatar Exhibition.

→ Continued on page 1

The lights wrote the words of Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the arches “Promise of Prosperity and Glory”, after which the numbers 5/6 appeared in the sky as a sign of the launch of the most

prominent architectural icon in Doha, that reflects a unique com-bination of modernity and heritage, and stands tall in a place where the present of Doha meets its future.

In this occasion, Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi

President of the Public Works Authority, expressed his thanks for the care and guidance of H E the Prime Minister, for fol-lowing up with the major projects in progress, which had the biggest impact in doubling work and overcoming

challenges to achieve Qatar’s ambitious vision and to strengthen its position.

He added that the comple-tion of Lusail Expressway, with the preceding achievements in many important projects throughout the current year, is

a proof of our capability to accomplish big achievements, and to head towards achieving Qatar’s vision and its develop-ment goals, overcoming all challenges.

Lusail Expressway is an iconic architecture with

characteristics inspired by the Qatari marine heritage vocab-ulary, and forms a combination of Qatar’s past and future, given that it is the main expressway on the sea front that stretches over the northern coast of Doha City.

LEFT: The Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi (centre) inaugurates the Lusail Expressway and Interchange 5/6, in the presence of President of Ashghal, Dr Eng Saad Ahmed Al Mohannadi (second right), Assistant President of Ashghal, Abdulla Hamad Al Attiyah (third left), and other officials yesterday. Above: A view of the expressway. Pic: Kammutty VP/The Peninsula

Qatar’s tallest arched monument opens

09SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017 HOME

The Peninsula

Qatar Airways hosted a private gala dinner with influential busi-ness leaders, industry experts and heads of

commerce to help complete the celebrations for the launch of its newest route to Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The dinner was attended by H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Com-munications for the State of Qatar, who hosted an array of trade and industry representa-tives, alongside Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker.

The Thai Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Soonthorn Chai-yindeepum, travelled from Doha to Chiang Mai on the inaugural flight to participate in the pres-tigious occasion.

The private event also wel-comed the Qatari Ambassador to Thailand, Jassem Al Thani, who travelled from Bangkok to be part of the Qatari delegation. Other representatives included leaders from the tourist indus-try, local businesses and major industry associations, represent-ing companies from across Thailand.

Qatar’s Minister of Trans-port and Communications said: “Qatar Airways’ new route to Chiang Mai from Doha recognises the very important ties of friendship and commerce that exist between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Thailand. It is a relationship that will

only grow stronger thanks to the launch of this new service and one which we are delighted to pay tribute to tonight.

“Qatar is a nation that deeply understands and appreciates the importance of friendship between countries and their peo-ples. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the people of Thailand through the launch of this new connection.”

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “It has been an honour to mark the start of this, our new four-times-weekly service from Doha

to Chiang Mai, in the company of so many illustrious guests, including so many important government officials, influential business leaders and heads of commerce.

“We have been warmly welcomed by the people of Chi-ang Mai who have come together to recognise the importance of our new route into Thailand’s second biggest city. I feel very confident this new route will prove fruitful for Qatar’s national flag carrier, for the people of Thailand and good for the significant tour-ism industry here. We look forward to working closely with all of the guests who joined us here at tonight’s event to cement the strong bonds that exist between the State of Qatar and Thailand.”

Chiang Mai is the airline’s fourth gateway into Thailand, continuing Qatar Airway’s rapid expansion into the country to meet the growing demand from tourists. The five-star airline is also to launch a fifth Thai desti-nation to Pattaya on January 28, 2018.

As Thailand’s second larg-est city, Chiang Mai is famous for its relaxed lifestyle, attract-ing tens of thousands of visitors every year who travel from around the world to see its hun-dreds of ancient and beautiful temples, nearby rainforest reserves, stunning mountain scenery and peaceful country villages.

The ever-growing tourist industry is just one reason so many international businesses have relocated to make Chiang Mai their home. Businesses have also taken advantage of the city’s excellent infrastruc-ture, including direct international flight connections to all the major countries in the region, including flights with Qatar Airways’ codeshare part-ner, Bangkok Airways.

Qatar Airways, one of the fastest growing airlines in the history of aviation, will continue to expand its global network in 2018 by adding flights to Can-berra, Australia; Penang, Malaysia, and Cardiff, UK, in the coming months.

Now celebrating its 20th

successful year of operations, Qatar Airways has one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the world, with more than 200 aircraft flying to business and leisure destinations across six continents.

The award-winning airline has received a number of acco-lades this year, including ‘Airline of the Year’ by the prestigious 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards, which was held at the Paris Air Show.

This is the fourth time that Qatar Airways has been given this global recognition as the world’s best airline. In addition to being voted ‘World’s Best Air-line’ by travellers from around the world, Qatar’s national car-rier also won a raft of other major awards at the ceremony, including ‘Best Airline in the Mid-dle East,’ ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge.’

Doha – Chiang Mai Flight Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday while Chi-ang Mai – Doha Flight Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

QA fetes Chiang Mai service with gala dinner

Minister of Transport and Communications, H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti (third right), and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker (second left), with other officials during the gala dinner.

“Qatar Airways’ new route to Chiang Mai from Doha recognises the very important ties of friendship and commerce that exist between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Thailand. It is a relationship that will only grow stronger thanks to the launch of this new service and one which we are delighted to pay tribute to tonight,” said Minister of Transport and Communications.

Vodafone launches ‘Nostalgia for the Future’The Peninsula

To mark Qatar National Day (QND), Vodafone Qatar launched its lat-

est short film titled “Nostalgia for the Future” that tells the story of how technology bridges the gap between gen-erations and brings people together. The film, which was shot and produced in Doha using local talent, highlights Vodafone’s on-going commit-ment to Qatar.

The theme of the film comes as part of Vodafone’s new and dynamic brand, “The Future is Exciting. Ready?”, which represents an invitation from Vodafone to all its cus-tomers and the people of Qatar to embrace and enjoy the future together as partners.

The entire Vodafone team along with their Brand Ambassadors gathered on Thursday in a colourful cele-bration to mark QND. Vodafone also launched sev-eral activities across the country to commemorate QND and as a tribute to the country, exchanged its red brand colour for maroon for its QND campaign.

Fully in line with Qatar’s 2030 National Vision, Voda-fone Qatar is committed to providing innovative services and solutions designed to fur-t h e r d e v e l o p t h e telecommunications sector in Qatar as the country progresses toward its vision of becoming a knowledge-based economy. Vodafone’s increasingly strong links with all elements of Qatari society allows it to support the Qatar National Vision 2030 laid out the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar is celebrating National Day with all its glory and prosperity tomorrow. Every corner of the country is decked up to mark this historic day with joyful exuberance. Celebrations already started many days ago

with citizens and expatriates participating in various activities alike.

It is a special day for each and everyone in this country as it provides a great platform to understand and share its vast and varied culture and history.

It is also an opportunity for the citizens to highlight their country’s rich heritage, reflect and share its customs, and ultimately promote their culture and legacy to the whole world.

But above all, this year’s National Day is more significant and a proud occasion to celebrate as it comes when the country is facing the unjust siege imposed on this country.

It’s for more than six months that the great nation has been facing the inhuman blockade due to the unjustified approach of some countries.

As Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said: “As you know, Qatar has come under an unjust blockade, during which all established values and norms — not only those prevalent among fraternal and friendly countries, but even among enemies — were breached. It was evident from the nature of the steps that were taken, as well as the accompanying behaviour and rhetoric, that their goal was

not to reach a solution or settlement.”

These festivities are a true celebration of Qatar’s culture and heritage. It’s a time of great pride for everyone, and one should take this opportunity to extend the best wishes and prayers to the country’s visionary leaders and pledge to continue the efforts to achieve excellence and prosperity for the beloved nation and its people.

And it is the time to reflect Qatar’s relations with its true and sincere friends all over the world. The country has also accomplished great achievements and recorded highest growth rates in the region despite all attempts to disrupt and damage it during this period. It’s also the time to set agenda for the future growth and self-reliance.

The current crisis has strengthened the values of solidarity and cohesion between citizens and expatriates in the face of

unjust measures taken by the siege countries, which are contrary to all international conventions, laws and norms.

The celebrations and the joyous mood shows as H H the Emir’s said: “The Qatari society knows how to lead a normal life, flourish and develop, whether the blockade is prolonged or not.”

10 SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017VIEWS

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

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

Time to celebrate

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Petty squabbling that takes us nowhere needs to take back seat, our people are frustrated when we spend more time fighting among ourselves instead of solving the daily challenges they experience. Factionalism has become the biggest threat to our movement.

Jacob ZumaSouth African President

National Day festivities are a true celebration of Qatar’s culture and heritage. It’s a time of great pride for everyone, and one should take this opportunity to extend the best wishes and prayers to the country’s visionary leaders and pledge to continue the efforts to achieve excellence and prosperity for the beloved nation and its people.

M inister of Justice and Acting Minis-ter of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Dr Hassan Lahdan Saqr Al Mohan-nadi (pictured) has extended congratulations the Emir H H Sheikh

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the Qatari people and residents of Qatar on the occa-sion of the National Day. In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), H E the Minister of Justice underlined that the National Day is an important occasion for the people to express their loyalty to their leadership and their adherence to the path of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammad bin Thani in building the State of Justice, Law and institutions, which were consolidated by H H the Emir.

H H the Minister stressed the significance of the National Day celebrations this year as it comes amidst an unprecedented state of cohe-sion and unity among the Qatari people in support of their wise leadership, just like when the tribes of Qatar joined the Founder to estab-lish the beloved homeland. “Today, we celebrate with pride to affirm our national identity, our national sovereignty and our established princi-ples,” H E the Minister of Justice said, referring to H H the Emir’s speech at the opening of the 46th ordinary session of the Advisory Council, when he said: “Qatar has come under an unjust block-ade, during which all established values and norms - not only those prevalent among frater-nal and friendly countries, but even among enemies - were breached”.

Nonetheless, H E the Minister underlined, Qatar continued to uphold its morals and prin-ciples, driven by H H directives to his government and people not to be effected by the campaign of slander and abuse against Qatar. H E expressed thanks and appreciation to the National Day organising committee for its choice of this year’s slogan, “Promise of Pros-perity and Glory”, which is a quote by H H the Emir, indicating that H H the Emir’s promise has been fulfilled, as the people of Qatar are cele-brating their National Day in prosperity and glory, which were achieved through his wisdom and the management of this crisis.

H E noted that the Ministry of Justice, within the framework of government work and coor-dination, has taken the appropriate legal measures to prosecute those who committed offense against Qatar and worked with various legal bodies in the State to cooperate on any-thing that would strengthen the legal position of the State in this regard. The Ministry also partic-ipates actively in the Compensation Claims Committee to preserve and protect the rights of citizens and residents affected by the unjust siege imposed on Qatar.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice has been keen on implementing an integrated plan to modernize the Qatari legal system and provide it with a package of national legislations that meets the needs of development and contrib-utes to the achievement of Qatar National Vision 2030, through seven main tracks. In order to improve the legal profession, support the investment climate and transparency, and enhance judicial assistance to the authorities in the country, a number of legislations were issued in various sectors that include real estate brokerage, arbitration law in civil and commer-cial procedures, regulation of works of expertise and adjustment of some provisions regarding authentication.

The Ministry of Justice has devoted its efforts to upgrade all services provided to the public and enhance its role in spreading legal aware-ness, training and developing its national cadres in accordance with a strategy consistent with these aspirations and goals. The main areas of the Ministry’s strategic objectives are the devel-opment of legal services, legislation and legal

National Day comes amid unprecedented national cohesion and unityQNA

tools, field of international legal coopera-tion, field of legal qualification and training, government digital strategy, Min-istry of Justice posts and initiatives, institutional development and Ministry publications and social media.

As for the development of legal serv-ices, the Ministry has made many achievements in the framework of its vision to develop the legal profession and its project in order to transfer its services to electronic services through the “Sak” project that aims to empower the depart-ments of real estate registration and documentation; so that they will be able to effectively offer their services at high qual-ity and adequate speed, and simplify real estate registration and documentation transactions. The main achievements through this project were the completion of the first, second and third phases of the Sak services, which encompasses most of the real estate registration and documen-tation services, brining the total number of services provided on the portal to 200, 125 of them were officially activated.

Among others achievements of the project is the re-engineering of the public services procedures and the development of the work system as the Ministry reviewed the procedures for executing transactions and reduced them in accord-ance with the “comprehensive employee” system which the Ministry started to oper-ate in its service centers. In this context, the Real Estate Registration Department has prepared a Comprehensive Guide of Sak Services, which includes the Guide of Real Estate Registration Services and the Documentation Services Manual.

Service procedures were also reorgan-ised in some offices as the Ministry began operating a new building at the Exhibition and Conference Center, to deal with public transitions, and a new office in Qatar Islamic Bank at Grand Hamad Banking Street. The Ministry activated the elec-tronic signature within the real estate registration system that reduced the implementation time of the transaction to 15 minutes only, if the requirements for the issuance of the bond were complete. Fur-thermore, title bonds will be issued in a sophisticated manner as security docu-ments, labels and agencies were adopted. These statements will use security paper with safety features against fraud.

The Ministry is also working on acti-vating the electronic signature service for transactions provided through the soft-ware portal, as well as activating the “Absher” service, which assists a group of beneficiaries to complete their transac-tions by sending staff to their homes to get their signature for processing the transac-tions. The Ministry is now working to provide the beneficiaries with the possibil-ity to fully implement the transactions in their sites.

Furthermore, the Ministry will activate the services of the real estate exchange after the approval of Stocks Exchange Law and the Executive Regulations of the Law.

Regarding the expansions of service centers, the Ministry of Justice has 18 cent-ers and offices located in most parts of the country, which provides comprehensive coverage of these areas. The Ministry is currently opening a number of specialized service offices for specific areas and desti-nations according to their needs. Regarding electronic services to the public, the Minis-try of Justice provides these services through its official electronic platforms and through devices (Mobile - Software Portal-One Stop System). The Ministry also activated a number of applications to pro-vide these services through mobile systems and smart devices, while the guide on Sak portal provides a list of services and the interface to apply for the service according to the user’s desire. The instructions for each service are also provided through the service’s link at www.sak.gov.qa.

In the framework of the Ministry’s strategy of linking with government agen-cies in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Digital Government Strategy 2020, the Ministry launched a number of electronic linking projects with other gov-ernment agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Public Health, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Ministry of Municipality and the Environment, the Ministry of Transport and Communica-tions, State Audit Bureau and the Ministry of Economy and Commerce.

Among the achievements of the Minis-try of Justice in the field of training and legal qualification was the preparation of a training plan to develop the skill and knowledge of employees within the framework if its comprehensive plan to improve the level of national cadres. In this context, the Ministry organised 40 specialised course for Qatari lawmakers in various government agencies, in addition to the Compulsory training courses for the 2017 training year with its three categories for new lawyers, assistant prosecutors and lawyers under training. More than 614 trainees participated in these courses.

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice launched the “Distinguished Employee” program, which aims to provide the Qatari employee in the Ministry of Justice with the opportunity to develop his or her skills. The Ministry also organised the first train-ing course to prepare certified legal notaries. The Ministry has worked on including the objectives of the Digital Strategy 2020 in its executive plans, and has made a number of achievements in this area, including joining the govern-ment call center (109) and participating in Qatar Digital Government Forum 2017. The Ministry also worked on electronic payment portal, linking government data platform, securing a disaster recovery site “Meza”, activating the “Mawared” pro-gram, launching the second version of Qatari Legal Portal Project “Al Meezan 2”.

To enrich the legislative environment in the State, the Ministry held a series of workshops, scientific seminars, training courses, as well as activities, receptions and external participations.

The Ministry of Justice has launched a number of initiatives to support the legal system and enrich its legislative space, including the “Model Government Con-tracts” initiative, the launch of the “Financial” system, the launch of the Ram-adan Legal Awareness Initiative and the “Absher” service for external transactions.

ED ITOR IAL

11SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017 OPINION

This same problem almost lead to a nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union in 1983.

The military exercises that caused difficulties for North Korea annually (and may have been instru-mental in it creating its own nuclear deterrent), peaked in scale around 1990. The number and scope of these exercises rapidly declined with the first nuclear control agreement of 1994. The war games were only re-ignited in their full capacity after North Korea broke the agreement and tested their first nuclear bomb in 2006.

Current exercises now involve troop and aircraft numbers that are equal to or even exceed historical levels. In addition, nuclear strike drills, nuclear pre-paredness status, a near-continuous sequence of military routines, and a new generation of weapons are taking stress levels to heights equal, if not beyond, the most tense points of the Cold War.

Although neither side actually intends to collide with the other, they are only one accident, provoca-tion, tantrum or paranoid misunderstanding away from a catastrophe. None of the safeguards or confi-dence building measures that prevented accidental conflict during the Cold War is being applied. There is no hotline for the leaders to communicate directly with each other.

There is minimal transparency, information sharing or independent observers, so as not to mis-understand or be startled by the war games, missile or nuclear tests of the other. Neither side is predicta-ble nor have they been unambiguous in setting down their respective red lines. Neither side is sincere, trusts the other, or communicates with respect. The recipe for war is nearly perfect.

In this very tense atmosphere, both Russia and China are proposing to the two sides a “freeze-for-freeze” or “dual suspension” agreement, as a first step towards substantive negotiations. The core of this idea is that North Korea would freeze both its nuclear explosions and missile tests, and in return, the US and its allies would suspend their large-scale military exercises that threaten North Korea.

The freeze-for-freeze deal will not solve the much larger issues of how to deal with a nuclear-armed North Korea and the likely proliferation of nuclear weapons in South Korea and Japan if this

The situation on the Korean Penin-sula - with the clear risk of a Third World War — is the most tense and dangerous peace and security issue humanity currently

faces. The insanity of this situation is akin to two madmen — “Rocket Man” and “Dotard” as they like to call each other — rapidly acceleratingtowards one another on a train-track.

As they hurtle towards each other, US President Donald Trump is unequivocal that he will not cancel the war games that are so provocative to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while demanding his oppo-nent give up his nuclear arsenal. In reply, Kim shouts he will not talk to Trump while military exercises are being conducted next door, and his country will never give up its nuclear deterrent.

Kim Jong-un is accelerating from one direction, in clear defiance of Trump and the international community with his nuclear and missile tests. His most recent nuclear test,over ten times larger than the one that flattened Hiroshima, has been matched by rapid increases in both the types and capacities of his missiles. This progress is driven by more missile tests during his time than all of the earlier North Korean dictators added together (86 out of all 117 North Korean missile tests were con-ducted during Kim Jong-un’s rule).

Trump is speeding from the other direc-tion. He is conducting military exercises in clear defiance of warnings from both Rus-sia and China that these exercises are, in the eyes of North Korea, becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from actual attacks.

Is there a way to avoid war on the Korean Peninsula?upset in the regional balance of power remains. Although this freeze-for-freeze proposal will not solve these longer-term problems, it is currently the best chance for avoiding an acci-dental war in the short term.

Kim Jong-un knows that a freeze-for-freeze is his next best option. He now has very powerful nuclear weapons and possibly the missiles needed to deliver them. His comple-mentary goal is to ensure the survival of his regime, for which freezing the status quo would suit him well. He is also aware of the precedent that the Americans stopped or shrank their war games in the 1990s to pave the way to the original agree-ment with North Korea on nuclear weapons.

The Americans do not see it the same way. They know North Korea has complained and threatened about their mili-tary exercises for decades. They also recall that the last time they suspended their military exercises, the North Koreans cheated on the reciprocal commitments they made. The Americans are also aware that no matter how provocative their military exercises are, they are not illegal or, in compar-ison to North Korea’s nuclear programme, in violation of the will of the international community. For Trump, to agree to a freeze on war games would be to reward the bad behaviour of a regime that is now promising to destroy cities in the US mainland.

Despite holding the high ground on this issue, in the face of a possible nuclear conflict, the US president should not dis-miss the freeze-for-freeze option. Every option to avoid war must be fully explored. The most advanced military in the world could continue to prepare in any other theatre, except next door to North Korea.

At the same time, further deployments of missile defence may still be possible in South Korea without violating the conditions of a freeze-freeze deal. Also, North Korea could be convinced to freeze its military exercises. A timeline for the freeze could be attached to the deal, and everything agreed in a temporary freeze would be without prejudice to the much larger possible settlement with North Korea.

None of this is ideal, but it is much better than the only certainty before us. The certainty is that if accidental war does occur, everyone will lose a lot more than the cost of exploring whether a temporary safety measure can be placed between two trains heading towards each other at high speed.

The writer is a professor of international law at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.

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Alexander Gillespie Al Jazeera

National Day a pride of glory made by grandfathers

M inister of Trans-port and Communica-tions H E Jassim bin Saif Al

Sulaiti (pictured) has said that the celebration of the National Day is an expression of pride and the eternal glory that the parents and grandfathers made on this blessed land, in particular the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, who charted for the State the path of develop-ment, growth and prosperity, and carried the torch after him the wise leadership of this nation.

In a statement to Qatar news agency (QNA), on the occasion of the National Day, H E the Minister of Transport and Communications noted that thanks to its wise leader-ship, the State of Qatar was able to make great achieve-ments that contributed to the security and well-being of the citizens. It established the foundations of development and modernization and a solid national economic base in the ranks of the global economic powers, HE the Minister noted, stressing that the wise leadership of the country is moving forward in making more achievements for this precious country in all fields.

On the theme of celebrat-ing the National Day this year Promise of Prosperity and Glory, H E the Minister said that this slogan represents a factor of safety and confi-dence in the strength, wisdom and steadfastness of the lead-ership and its ability to overcome obstacles and diffi-culties. It also reassures the citizens and residents in this country, adding that the other dimension of this statement by the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is to ensure maintaining growth and development, along with

adherence to the sovereignty of the state, freedom of deci-sion, unity of its people and leadership.

On the unjust siege imposed on the State of Qatar, HE the Minister of Transport and Communications said that since the first moment of the declaration of the siege by the blockading countries , the State of Qatar has realised that the crisis is fabricated and there is no justification for it. It therefore chose a firm approach to dealing with developments based on a number of pillars, far from being dragged into making ill-considered decisions in light of the crisis.

He said that the State of Qatar has repeatedly declared its commitment to its willing-ness to discuss any differences on the dialogue table in exchange for rejecting any attempt to impose dic-tates on it or to harm the independence of its national sovereignty. This has led to its response to the various efforts put forward to resolve the crisis.

H E the Minister noted all the legal measures taken by the State of Qatar to counter the arbitrariness of the siege countries, particularly in the air and maritime transport sector and the postal sector, which resulted in important decisions of the relevant international organisations forcing the siege countries to comply with the relevant

international conventions and resolutions.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has made many achievements in 2017. It has developed and improved services in the land and maritime transport sec-tors, telecommunications and information technology, the implementation and supervi-sion of e-government programs. The Ministry has also adopted Qatarisation strategy and has attracted qualified Qatari cadres of both sexes to fill administrative and specialised positions in the transport and communi-cations sectors in the country, HE the Minister said.

In the field of road trans-portation, the Ministry has continued to work on the draft railways law with the aim of establishing a world-class sustainable rail network with the highest standards of quality and safety. The Minis-try is also working on the establishment of an integrated system for the payment of public transport tickets in the State of Qatar as well as inte-grated database for the road transport sector and heavy transport, he added.

In the field of preliminary design projects, designs are being prepared for a number of roads in Doha. The designs are expected to be completed and transferred to the execu-tive bodies before the end of 2017. The ministry has com-pleted the study of the comprehensive plan for pedestrian crossings in the State of Qatar and will be launched in the first quarter of 2018. The Ministry also working on a study on the comprehensive plan for vehi-cle parking in the State of Qatar, in order to develop a strategy for the state in terms of vehicle parking and associ-ated systems and standards, in addition to the work of studying the modernization of the comprehensive transport plan of the State of Qatar, H E the Minister said.

In terms of improving public transport services, the Ministry has been working hard to intensify effort for the existing bus network and routes to include improve-ments and new services for bus traffic, he the Minister noted. (Karwa) has made great strides in expanding its bus services. The company has increased the require-ments of public bus services to 295 buses, an increase of about 25%, he added.

The Qatar Railways Com-pany (Rail) has made great efforts. In the Doha Metro project, the overall comple-tion rate of the project has reached about 70% according to schedule. The Lusail light rail project is 66%.

Al Ruwais Port is also ready to receive various types of commercial goods, mainly construction materials. The Port Market will be launched at Ruwais Port to sell a wide range of foreign products from the commercial shipping vessels directly before enter-ing the local market.

In the air transport field, Civil Aviation Authority has many achievements. It has started to modernize the avia-tion safety technical regulations in cooperation

with all aviation stakeholders in the country. A number of modifications have been made to the airworthiness regulations to ensure a more efficient aircraft maintenance system, he noted.

As part of the commitment of the Ministry of Communi-cations to create an integrated digital society, the Ministry has made a number of pro-grams and initiatives, such as Qatar Smart Program “Tasmu” at Qitcom 2017. In addition, the Digital Commu-nity Development Sector has completed the development of information security stand-ards for the Qatar Smart Program, the data manage-ment standards and the design criteria of Qatar Smart Platform, which ensures that the technology sector is com-petitive globally, as well as the design of the detailed model of the Smart Qatar platform and the completion of three projects, HE the Minister said .

In the cybersecurity sector, the ministry launched a threat monitoring system. More than 14 million records of threat information have been proc-essed. The number of threats detected has reached 2 mil-lion, including home and companies networks.

Activities at the National Day Celebration at Katara yesterday. Photo by Kammutty VP / The Peninsula

QNA

For the common infrastruc-ture services, the efficiency of administrative processes in gov-ernment agencies has been increased by 85%, with 112 enti-ties connected to the government network and the provision of Internet to 64 government agen-cies, 28 government entities transferred to the government data center, the number of users of the government call center has increased to 29 government agencies, while users of SMS reached 40 government agencies and users of the electronic pay-ment gateway reached 19 government departments, H E the Minister stated.

12 SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017 HOME

The Peninsula

A spectacular Drones Show, a first of its kind to be held in Katara, is

expected to captivate thousands of its visitors today and tomorrow.

In addition, a patriotic show is scheduled to be staged at Katara Amphitheatre this evening. The Joint Special Forces will also present thrill-ing shows today and tomorrow from 3.30pm to 5pm at Katara’s waterfront, in which 60 para-troopers will adorn Katara’s skies with many colourful for-mations. The eight-day

National Day celebrations at Katara will conclude on Tues-day with a fireworks display.

Yesterday, uge crowds from all age groups thronged Katara to enjoy a number of spectac-ular shows, from which included colourful Aerobatics Air Show organized by Qatar Armed Forces; which com-prised the ‘Air Ambulance Service’ Show, ‘Aerobatics Air show’ by Al-Zaeem college, ‘Aerobatics Air Show showcas-ing the Air Ambulance service’, and an ‘Aircraft without a pilot’ show.

People also enjoyed sam-pling popular traditional Qatari

cuisine available at various food kiosks at Katara Beach.

The events present a glimpse of Qatar’s rich herit-age, through the food market, daily folkloric performances, exhibitions and workshops.

The Fath Al Kheir Dhow is expected to arrive today at 4pm after a month-long voyage to Kuwait and Oman.

The team comprising 16 Qataris led by its Captain Mohammed Al Sada will be welcomed with the traditional Al Qaffal ceremony at the con-clusion of the third edition of its journey outside the country.

Spectacular Drones Show at Katara

Continued from page 1It shows the keenness of the State

of Qatar to appreciate positive contri-butions of expatriates in the light of strong relations Qatar has with other brotherly and friendly countries. It also reflects the pride expressed by Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on citizens and residents in his historic speech at the United Nations.

“The parade reflects the strong relationship between communities and Qataris. The communities keened to come and share with citizens their joy of celebration of the National Day,” said one of the participants.

“This year celebrations are unique. Expats and Qataris proved that they are united and standing behind the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and this unity is the real vision behind the Qatar National Day cele-brations,” said a citizen Jassim.

The communities represented countries from all continents. The countries included Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan, Sudan, Algeria, Somalia, Mali, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Lebanon, Japan, Syria, Iran, Greece, Egypt, Nepal, and South Africa.

Also a number of ambassadors in Qatar attended Darb Al Saai celebra-tion yesterday. “It was amazing to see all these communities together repre-senting different countries and cultures but keened to prove their unity with citizens. We should do more for Qatar, it deserves a lot from us and our par-ticipation is not less than a duty.” said a participant from Malaysia. “We are living in Qatar since many years and we came to share Qataris’ celebration of the National Day. Also we want to tell citizens that we are together with them,” said a participant from South Africa. It was for the first time that expatriate communities participate in the National Day celebrations at Darb Al Saai through this new activity “Friendship Parade” which represents historical context of solidarity between Qataris and expatriates.

55 communities take part in Friendship Paradein Darb Al Saai

Pics: Hussein Sayed

The Peninsula

An artwork by renowned Tunisian artist eLSeed has been installed at the Fire Station plaza to mark Qatar National Day celebrations.

Generously loaned by Sheikh Fahad bin Saoud bin Qasem Al Thani to mark the occasion, the sculp-ture will be on show until mid-January.

The sculpture is made of stainless steel and depicts a line of poetry by the founder of Qatar Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed Al Thani that touches on the power of justice. Skilfully crafted into steel, the calligraphic text reads: “Woe to the judges on earth from the justice of Allah… when his scale slopes away from righteousness.”

Khalifa Al Obaidly, Director of the Fire Station, said: “We thank Sheikh Fahad Al Thani for his sup-port of the Fire Station and the opportunity to display a piece of beautiful craftsmanship that holds such meaning for the people of Qatar. This year’s National Day is made even more poignant by the circum-stances we find ourselves in now and the opportunity to be reminded of our steadfast foundations is timely and encouraging.”

Born to Tunisian parents, eLSeed grew up in France and started his career as a street artist in the late 90’s. Moving to North America, eLSeed’s inter-ests in Arabic calligraphy and contemporary street art fused to create his signature style of “calligraf-fiti,” which he has expressed through spray painting

and striking steel sculptures. The artist’s works can be seen in public spaces,

galleries and institutions on every continent where his contemporary approach aims to bring people, cultures and generations together.

This is the third time works by eL Seed have been installed by Qatar Museums as part of its pub-lic art programme, with two previous works visible in the Salwa Road Tunnel and the Lusail Multipur-pose Hall. QM’s Public Art Department and the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) commissioned eL Seed to cover four underground tunnels on Salwa Road with calligraffiti murals.

Artworks by Tunisian depicting poetry installed at Fire Station

Continued from page 1

Al Thawadi said that the National Day is not only a national occasion celebrated by everyone, but a day to remember the glo-ries of the homeland and its success.

Al Thawadi said that the State’s celebration of this national occasion is a symbol of the pride of the Qatari citizens and resi-dents have toward the identity of this country and its glorious

history. It also symbolize their unity and cooperation to revive this cherished national occasion.

He added that the National Day embodies the national unity that characterize the Qatari soci-ety, as the National Day is celebrated by all sectors of Qatari society and residents from differ-ent countries; thus, they renew their loyalty, and belonging to this generous country, and their sup-

port to their wise leadership. \The SC Secretary-General

pointed out that the National Day organizing committee’s selection of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s quote as a slo-gan for this year’s celebration came at a time when the country is witnessing a historic turning point to strengthen its sovereignty and position in the regional and international communities. The slogan also reflects the cohesion

of the Qatari citizens and resi-dents and their alignment behind their wise leadership to express their readiness to defend the State with their lives and blood.

Al Thawadi stressed that Qatar with all its institutions were not affected by the siege. “Thanks to the wise leadership of H H the Emir, Qatar has overcome the siege and infrastructure projects and even daily life were not affected. On the country, all

projects are progressing accord-ing to planned timetables. Furthermore, there were some projects that were accomplished despite the siege. For example, the inauguration of Hamad Port in September is an evidence that Qatar is a strong country and was not and will not be affected by any siege.”

He said that the siege con-firmed that Qatar, with its wise leadership and calm diplomacy,

is a strong state that is capable of overcoming all obstacles and playing its leading role at the regional and international levels. Furthermore, the designs for Thu-mama Stadium and Ras Abu Aboud Stadium were announced in August and November respec-tively. “We expect the completion of Al Wakra Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor next year. All stadiums will be ready in 2020,” Al Thawadi said.

A view of the sculpture.

2022 World Cup projects on schedule, says Al Thawadi

13SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Ramallah

AFP

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah faction yester-day called for a massive demonstra-

tion next week to protest against a visit to Jerusalem by US Vice-President Mike Pence after Washington said it would recog-nise the holy city as Israel’s capital.

Breaking with decades of US policy, President Donald Trump also said on December 6 that he would move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The move has stirred global condemnation and sparked angry protests across Arab and Muslim countries, as well as deadly clashes in the occupied territories between Palestinians and Israeli forces.

It also prompted Abbas to cancel a meeting with Pence, who arrives Wednesday in Jeru-salem, and warn that Washington no longer had a role to play in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. “We call for angry pro-tests at the entrances to Jerusalem and in its Old City to coincide with the visit on

Wednesday of US Vice President Mike Pence and to protest against Trump’s decision,” Fatah said in a statement.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most controversial issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel seized control of the east-ern part of the city in the 1967 Middle East war and sees the whole of Jerusalem as its undi-vided capital. The Palestinians view the east as the capital of their future state.

The call to protest came as thousands of Palestinians took part in funerals for four men killed Friday in clashes with Israeli forces during protests in the West Bank and in the Gaza

Strip. Mourners chanted anti-Trump slogans and masked men fired into the air during one of the ceremonies in the village of Beit Ula in the occupied West Bank.

Funerals were also held for the two other Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, where the enclave’s Islamist Hamas rul-ers had on Friday called for a “day of rage”.

One of those killed was Ibra-him Abu Thurayeh, a Palestinian who lost his legs in an Israeli attack a decade ago, who, with his wheelchair, was a regular feature at protests along Gaza’s border with Israel.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniya attended Abu Thurayeh’s funeral in a refugee camp west of Gaza City.

“With his death there is no valid excuse not to fight,” Haniya said. “No one in the world can change the truth that Palestine and Jerusalem belong only to the Palestinians,” he said.

Friday’s deaths brought to eight the number of Palestinians killed in violence or air strikes since Trump’s Jerusalem move, and hundreds have been also wounded. Pence will no longer see Palestinian officials during

his visit to the region after they -- as well as Egyptian Muslim and Christian religious leaders -- cancelled meetings in protest at the embassy move.

“We understand that the Pal-estinians may need a bit of a cooling off period, that’s fine,” a

senior White House official said Friday. “We will be ready when the Palestinians are ready to re-engage.”

Pence is expected to try to push the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward after he lands in Jerusalem on

Wednesday, US administration officials have said.

They also suggested that that the Western Wall -- in largely Palestinian east Jerusalem -- would almost certainly be part of Israel under any deal, spark-ing Palestinian condemnation.

Fatah calls for protests over Pence’s Jerusalem visit

Johannesburg

AFP

South African President Jacob Zuma yesterday blamed infighting and a failure to

tackle corruption for the trou-bles of the ANC party, which risks losing power for the first time since the end of apartheid.

Zuma, whose reign has been marred by graft scandals, spoke at a party conference that will elect his successor as head of the ANC, though he will remain as head of state ahead of 2019 elections.

The two front-runners in the divisive party leadership race are his ex-wife and former African Union head Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a wealthy

businessman. Zuma said that the African National Congress’s poor local election results last year “were a stark reminder that our

people are not happy with the state of the ANC”. “Petty squab-bling that takes us nowhere needs to take a back seat. Our

people are frustrated when we spend more time fighting among ourselves instead of solving the daily challenges they experi-ence,” he said, adding that “factionalism has become the biggest threat to our movement”.

The ANC is still South Afri-ca’s biggest party by far, but the 54 percent it won in local elec-tions last year was its worst poll result since the 1994 elections that marked the end of white-minority rule.

Opposition parties the Dem-ocratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters are both hop-ing to exploit the ANC’s woes in the 2019 election, with one pos-sible outcome being a coalition government.

Soaring unemployment and government corruption have

fuelled frustration at the ANC among millions of poor black South Africans who face dire housing, inadequate education and continuing racial inequality.

The five-day ANC meeting outside Johannesburg to elect a new leader is widely seen as a pivotal moment in the country’s post-apartheid history.

The battle between Dlamini-Zuma, backed by Zuma, and Ramaphosa could even split the party. The conference started seven hours late after an acri-monious dispute over which delegates will be qualified to vote. The day of the vote remains uncertain. Dlamini-Zuma, 68, headed the African Union com-mission until earlier this year and is a former interior, foreign affairs and health minister.

Beirut

AP

Syrian government forces have entered small parts of the northwestern

rebel-held province of Idlib in one of their deepest incur-sions into the area where President Bashar Assad’s gov-ernment almost has no presence.

Syrian government forces have been on the offensive toward Idlib from the central province of Hama for weeks. They broke through recently before being pushed back by insurgents. The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops captured Saturday the village of Tal al-Khanazeer on the southeastern edge of Idlib.

The opposition’s Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tal al-Khanazeer was captured after intense fighting and airstrikes. The Al Qaeda-linked Levant Liberation Committee that controls large parts of Idlib issued a religious edict Friday calling for general mobiliza-tion to “deter the savage attack of the criminal” government.

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest in Jerusalem’s Old City, yesterday.

The move also prompted Abbas to cancel a meeting with Pence, who arrives Wednesday in Jerusalem, and warn that Washington no longer had a role to play in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

South Africa’s Zuma bemoans state of ruling ANC

Aden

Reuters

The Yemeni army and allied fighters yesterday drove Houthi militants from a

town that was one of the last positions they held in the coun-try’s south, military sources and local officials said.

The forces advanced into Bayhan, about 300km southeast of the Houthi-held capital Sanaa’, killing dozens of the mil-itants in clashes, the sources said. Bayhan is important in Yemen’s war because it is located on a major road linking Shabwa province with Marib

province, part of which is held by the Houthis, to the north. The army’s advance means that the Houthis have been expelled from most of Shabwa, sources said.

Yemen’s more than two-year-old war pits the Iran-allied Houthis, who control Sanaa, against a Saudi-led military alli-ance that backs the government now based in the southern port of Aden. The conflict has killed more than 10,000 people and triggered a humanitarian crisis. The government-run Sabanew agency said the remaining Houthis had fled after battles for strategic positions in

the Bayhan area which had left hundreds of them dead and wounded.

The agency said the army also seized other positions in the area, where the movement of heavy artillery had been diffi-cult because of sand dunes.

This month the Saudi-led coalition, which is backed by US and British weapons and intel-ligence, intensified air strikes after the Houthis killed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh when he switched sides in the civil war. There has been rela-tively little change in positions on the ground around the capital.

Army pushes Houthis from Bayhan Tunis

AFP

A new date next May has been set for Tunisia’s f irst post-revolt

municipal elections, already long delayed, polling officials said yesterday.

The Independent High Authority for Elections said the polling date was set at May 6, rather than March 25 as previously announced, at a meeting with political par-ties which requested the delay to better prepare for the vote.

The polls have been seen as the final stage in Tunisia’s transition to democracy fol-lowing its 2011 uprising which sparked the Arab Spring revolutions.

Tunisia in new delay of first post-revolt polls

Syrian troops march into rebel-held Idlib

Ankara

Anatolia

The Muslim world is the target of plots to reshape it to the benefit of others,

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned yesterday.

“Like a century ago, the Islamic world is facing efforts to reshape it through blood, tears, and strife between brothers,” Erdogan said in Istanbul, at the 7th Hadith and Sira Studies Awards Ceremony.

He called on people “to be prepared for attacks which try to bring down Muslims from within.”

“When Muslims are at odds, the ones that benefit are terrorist groups, and countries like Israel that use state terror,” he said.

Erdogan also reiterated his condemnation of US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Also yesterday, in an address at the Yalova Provin-cial Congress of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, Erdogan urged the UN and the Security Council to

take action against Trump’s move on Jerusalem. “If you [UN, Security Council] will not, we will approach relevant authorities within the legal framework,” he said. “Turkey will not stop defending Pales-tine or Jerusalem just because Israel wants it to.

“We supported our broth-ers and sisters in Bosnia, in the Caucasus and around the world. We are doing the same today, more strongly and more decisively, and we will con-tinue to do so.

“We will never give up this task that our ancestors have entrusted us with,” he added.

Erdogan also stated that Turkey will not allow the establishment of a terrorist state in Syria and will not watch the division of Iraq based on sect and ethnicity.

Fol lowing Trump’s announcement, the Organiza-tion of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) this week issued a dec-laration recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.

Erdogan said the OIC move would create a multiplier effect, encouraging other nations to follow in its lead.

Erdogan: Muslims being targetted to reshape others’ benefits

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma speaks during the 54th ANC national conference in Johannesburg, yesterday.

Yemeni tribesmen from the Popular Resistance Committees hold position during clashes with Houthi rebels and their allies in Bayhan, yesterday.

14 SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017ASIA

Winter in China

Rahul takes over as Congress presidentNew Delhi

AP

Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India’s most famous political dynasty, took over as president of the main

opposition Congress party yes-terday while facing a stiff challenge from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalists.

Gandhi, who took the man-tle from his mother, Sonia Gandhi, at a party function, takes over the leadership of a party

that has been losing power to Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014. Gandhi’s party has suffered humiliating defeats in recent state elections despite his active campaigning to win back support.

In a speech, Sonia Gandhi described her son as a new hope for the Congress as party work-ers danced, burst firecrackers and distributed Indian sweets to celebrate the generational shift in the leadership.

Gandhi, 47, will be taking on Modi when the prime minister seeks a second five-year term in

2019. Modi has vowed to create a Congress-free India while working for the rise of Hindu nationalist forces.

In his speech, Gandhi described himself as an “ideal-ist” and said Indian people were getting disillusioned by policies pursued by the Modi government.

He said the Congress party, which had ruled India for dec-ades, took the country into the 21st century through moderni-zation and development. He accused Modi of taking India “to a medieval path where people are butchered because who they are, beaten for what they believe

in and killed for what they eat.”“The Congress will take on

this challenge and will never back down,” he said.

Gandhi was referring to kill-ings and attacks on minority groups, especially Muslims, since the Bharatiya Janata Party swept national elections in 2014. Most of the violence against Muslims has involved fringe Hindu vigi-lante groups that have become active in small towns and cities across India. Muslims make up about 14 percent of India’s 1.3 bil-lion people and Hindus about 80 percent.

Gandhi is the sixth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to lead Congress. His father, Rajiv Gandhi, grandmother Indira

Gandhi and great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru have all served as prime minister since India’s independence from British colo-nialists in 1947. Rahul Gandhi entered politics in 2004.

“Today, the Congress faces a possibly existential crisis even as Sonia Gandhi makes way for Rahul Gandhi to head the party,” said Neerja Chowdhury, a polit-ical commentator.

Gandhi was elevated as the party’s vice president in January 2013, serving as his mother’s No. 2. Sonia Gandhi, 71, stepped down yesterday as the party’s longest-serving chief, leading the party for 19 years. She has been unwell in recent years and push-ing her son to the fore.

Asked what role she would play after her son’s elevation, she said, “My role is to retire.”

However, Randeep Surejew-ala, a party spokesman, clarified that Sonia Gandhi retired as party president and not from politics.

“Her blessings, wisdom and innate commitment to Congress ideology shall always be our guiding light,” he tweeted.

The Gandhi family and the Congress party have released lit-tle information about Sonia Gandhi’s health problems.

She had surgery in the United States for an undisclosed reason in 2011, and has returned to the US for regular checkups since then.

Deal mercilessly with discrimination: NaiduPanaji

IANS

No mercy should be shown to those who discrimi-nate on the basis of caste,

religion, region or gender, said Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu yesterday and bemoaned the tendency to link even icons like Mahatma Gandhi with their caste.

Speaking at an awards cer-emony during the ongoing “India Ideas Conclave”, Naidu said some people perceive the word “Hindu” from a narrow religious connotation.

“Discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, region or gen-der and discrimination on the basis of your belief... This should not be allowed at all. That has not been the tradition of India,” Naidu said.

“Anybody indulging in such

things he has to be identified and law must take its own course and the society must also come together and tell him what you have done is wrong. The weakness in our system is that because of politics, you try to highlight it and blow it out of proportions and sometimes people try to make it heroism also.”

The vice-president also said that instead of taking a sensa-tionalist view of stories which deal with discrimination, such elements should be dealt with in isolation and without mercy.

“And thanks to the media (which) makes it sometimes very sensational, thereby hurting national interest also. We have to identify them. We have to iso-late them. We have to take action against them, without any mercy. I am very clear about it, other-wise this will spoil the name of

the civilisation,” Naidu said.Even the Vedas speak of

equality, universal peace, toler-ance, non-violence, welfare and brotherhood, where nobody is superior or inferior, he added.

Naidu said that Indianness is the same as Hindutva and that the nomenclature should not be an issue at all.

“There should not be (an) issue with this. It is the unfortu-nate part of our system that some people view ‘Hindu’ in a very narrow, religious perspec-tive. Hindu is not a narrow religious connotation. It is a larger identity of way of living of the people of this country for years together. That is why this civilisation is able to survive after so many onslaughts.”

The Vice President also cau-tioned against the trend where heroes were being bracketed with region or caste.

Gurugram man found deadin New Delhi Gurugram

IANS

A 28-year-old man, who was abducted after being offered a lift in a

car from Gurugram bus stand on Thursday evening, has been found murdered in Delhi, his family has alleged.

The victim's family has alleged that Gurugram police failed to act despite their fil-ing a timely complaint.

A family member said the dead person, Sunil Kumar Bhatt alias Subhash Bhatt, was employed at Manesar's Denso India Ltd on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway.

Bhatt left from Gurugram bus stand on Thursday evening for Haridwar in Uttarakhand to attend the naming ceremony of his brother's child.

"Bhatt was waiting for a bus when he was offered lift in an Alto car around 7.30 p.m. in which two persons were already sitting. Bhatt called his wife Deepak around 8.30pm and inquired about the wellbeing of their four-year-old baby girl. The phone suddenly disconnected and then went out of order," read the complaint.

Rs 10,000 were with-drawn from an ATM booth in Mahipalpur, after that money was withdrawn from several ATM booths in Delhi by using Bhatt's card. A report of the deceased's ATM card was awaited.

His body was recovered from an isolated area in Del-hi's Mahipalpur. "Now Delhi Police is investigating Bhatt's murder while Gurugram police was sitting idle with the missing complaint which was registered on Friday evening," said a relative of Bhatt.

He hailed from Vaila vil-lage in Champaran district of Uttarakhand and was the sole breadwinner of the family. The deceased was living with his wife in Gandhi Nagar Col-ony of Gurugram.

Rahul Gandhi (centre), the newly-elected president of India's main opposition Congress party, receives a certificate of election during a ceremony at the party's headquarters in New Delhi, yesterday.

Members of the Indian National Congress party celebrate the appointment of newly-elected party President Rahul Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi described her son as a new hope for the Congress.

New hope

Rahul Gandhi accused Modi of taking India “to a medieval path where people are butchered because who they are, beaten for what they believe in and killed for what they eat.”

Myanmar faces mounting calls for release of two journalistsYangon

Reuters

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the United States was

demanding “the immediate release” of two Reuters report-ers arrested in Myanmar “or information as to the circum-stances around their disappearance.”

The United States joined mounting demands for the reporters to be freed. The United Nations, United Kingdom, Swe-den and Bangladesh, among others, have denounced the arrests.

The journalists, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, went missing on Tuesday after being invited to meet police officials over dinner on the northern out-skirts of the city of Yangon. They had worked on stories about a military crackdown in Rakhine state, which has

triggered the flight of more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh since late August.

As of Friday, Reuters had not been formally contacted by offi-cials about the detention of the reporters. The Ministry of Infor-mation has said that Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo “illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media,” and released a photo of the pair in handcuffs.

Reuters President and Edi-tor-in-Chief Stephen J Adler has called for the immediate release of the journalists, saying in a statement on Wednesday that the global news organisation was “outraged by this blatant attack on press freedom.”

A court official in the north-ern district of Yangon where they were detained said that no paperwork had been filed relat-ing to either journalist.

The official said that usu-ally cases are lodged 20 to 30

days after an arrest as suspects can be held in custody for up to 28 days without being charged.

On Wednesday, Myanmar’s Ministry of Information said the reporters and two policemen faced charges under the British colonial-era Official Secrets Act, though officials have since dis-closed that they have not been charged. The 1923 law carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

In calling for release of the Reuters reporters Tillerson said, “A free press is vital to Myan-mar’s transition and becoming a viable democracy, and we want Myanmar’s democracy to succeed.”

He said the US embassy in Myanmar was “expressing our concerns over the detention of individuals, demanding their immediate release or informa-tion as to the circumstances around their disappearance.”

A motorcyclist rides amid snow in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, yesterday.

Spain grants extradition of 121 Taiwanese nationals to ChinaMadrid

AP

A Spanish court granted China’s extradition request for 121 Taiwan-

ese citizens accused of belonging to Spain-based gangs that swindled people in China out of millions of euros by telephone.

Interpol told Spain about the scam a year ago, and Span-ish and Chinese authorities cooperated in an operation that nabbed a total of 269 people.

Officials said the gangs made contact with people in China, pretending at first they were friends or family and warning them of fraud scams.

The National Court ruled there was no impediment to the extradition. Spain has an

extradition treaty with China and no diplomatic relations with Taipei.

Part of the legal arguments at the extradition proceedings in Madrid centered on diplo-matic disputes over Taiwan.

The suspects’ lawyers argued against extradition, say-ing their Taiwanese nationality meant they couldn’t be sent to China.

The court rejected those arguments, noting that inter-national law has increasingly accepted the “One China” prin-ciple that asserts that Taiwan belongs to China. The ruling noted that Taiwan hasn’t belonged to the UN since 1978, that Taiwan has diplomatic relations with only 23 countries, and that it does not have dip-lomatic relations with the EU.

15SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017 ASIA

3 dead, 77,000 flee as storm hits Philippines Tacloban, Philippines AFP

At least three people were dead and tens of thousands were driven from their homes by floods as

Tropical Storm Kai-Tak pounded the eastern Philippines yester-day, cutting off power and triggering landslides, officials said. Kai-Tak, packing gusts of up to 110km an hour, hit the country’s third-largest island Samar in the afternoon and tore through a region devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan four years ago, the state weather service said.

Local officials reported three deaths on neighbouring Leyte island—a two-year-old boy who drowned in the town of Mahap-lag, a woman buried by a landslide and another person who fell into a flooded manhole in Ormoc city. Samar and Leyte, with a combined population of about 4.5m, had borne the brunt of Haiyan in 2013, which left

more than 7,350 people dead or missing.

Bus driver Felix Villaseran, his wife and four children hunkered down in their two-storey house in the Leyte city of Tacloban along with 11 relatives whose homes were flooded. ”I hope to God we don’t have a repeat of that,” Villa-seran, who lost 39 cousins in the Haiyan onslaught, told this news agency. ”My missus stockpiled on groceries before the storm hit, but since we also have to feed these three other families we’re now running low on food,” he added.

Military trucks drove through

rising floodwaters on Samar and Leyte to rescue trapped residents, with more than 77,000 people now in evacuation centres, local officials said. Strong winds top-pled trees and power pylons, knocking out power throughout

the region while floods, small landslides and rock falls blocked roads and buried some homes, local officials and witnesses said.

Farmland in the mainly rural region inundated, while seven people were injured by landslides

and flying objects, the regional civil defence office said. A spokes-woman for national government said it was trying to confirm reports of two other deaths from landslides and floods on the islands of Biliran and Dinagat.

Russia warns against fresh conditions for US-N Korea talksMoscow

AFP

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryab-kov yesterday warned

of a risk of escalation after Washington toughened its stance on North Korea nuclear talks and US Presi-dent Donald Trump accused Moscow of failing to help.

”It’s sad that this power-ful element of demands for further pressure on Pyongyang has once again appeared in the American position,” Ryabkov told RIA Novosti news agency.

”It’s high time to stop this race of threats, pressure, blackmail and presentation of preconditions and shift to a real search for a political solution,” Ryabkov said. He said that now both Pyongyang and Washington are now putting forward precondi-tions for talks and there is a “risk of uncontrolled escalation”.

Trump on Friday com-plained that “Russia is not helping” to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons programme.

Ryabkov said that “after the UN Security Council ses-sion and speeches by senior representatives of Western countries, we got the impres-sion that the logic of pressure is the dominant one in their approach”. He warned that the current situation is “extremely dangerous”.

”We wouldn’t like to end up in a situation where despite all the efforts by Rus-sia and North Korea and by our two countries jointly, yet another spiral of confronta-tion begins.” Moscow had close ties with North Korea during the Soviet era and they still have warm relations.

Pakistan marks APS massacre anniversaryIslamabad

Anatolia

The third anniversary of a deadly school attack in the northwestern Pakistani

city of Peshawar that claimed the lives of over 140 people, mostly schoolchildren, was observed across the country yesterday.

The main function was being held at Peshawar’s Army Public School (APS) with the attendance of the parents of all the victims and army officers, but there are several memorial events nation-wide. Portraits of the victims are on display at the school and along the roads of Peshawar to pay trib-ute to the slain children and their teachers. On December 16, 2014, six Taliban terrorists stormed the

school and killed over 140 peo-ple, including 122 schoolchildren and their teachers. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Khalifa Mansoor group had claimed responsibility.

Prime Minister Shahid

Khaqan Abbasi called the attack a black day in the country’s his-tory, saying the terrorists brutally targeted innocent chil-dren. ”The Pakistani nation has made unprecedented sacrifices in war against terrorism—more

than any other nation in the world—and we are the first nation to defeat terrorists in our region,” Abbasi said in a mes-sage issued from his office.

He added that the tragedy has led to national unity and a firm resolve to launch decisive action against terrorists. ”Our forces broke the terrorists’ back and destroyed their hideouts across the country,” he said.

Pakistan lifted a six-year de facto ban on the death penalty after the massacre. According to ISPR all six militants who were involved in the attack have since been executed. Four were hanged in December 2015 while two were executed later. Umar Mansoor, who claimed respon-sibility for the attack, was killed in a US drone strike.

Afghan delegation to visit IslamabadIslamabad

Internews

Afghan Ambassador to P a k i s t a n O m a r Zakhilwal has said

that bilateral ties have improved after an increase in high-level contacts b e t w e e n t h e t w o countries.

He said yesterday that a delegation led by the speaker of Afghanistan’s National Assembly would be visiting Pakistan later this month. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Moham-mad Faisal said that in order to improve Pak-Afghan rela-tions, Islamabad has suggested an action plan for solidarity to Kabul.

Toll rises to three as more tremors felt in IndonesiaJakarta

Reuters

A powerful magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the island of Java in Indone-

sia just before midnight on Friday, with authorities report-ing toll climbing to three and damage to hundreds of buildings.

The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake was located at a depth of 92km, about 52km southwest of Tasikmalaya.

Indonesia’s national disas-ter management agency said the

quake activated early tsunami warning systems in the south of Java, prompting thousands to evacuate from some coastal areas, but no tsunami was detected.

Tremors were felt in central and west Java. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the disaster agency, said in a press briefing yesterday three people had been killed, seven injured and hundreds of buildings dam-aged, including schools, hospitals, and government buildings in West and Central Java.

Dozens of patients had to be

helped to safety from a hospital in Banyumas and were given shelter in tents, he said.

He posted on his Twitter page photos of people scouring collapsed buildings.

The quake swayed build-ings for several seconds in the capital Jakarta. Some residents of high rise apartment buildings in central Jakarta quickly escaped their apartments, local media reported.

Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency said a magnitude 5.7 quake early yes-terday also struck south of West Java.

Australian govt survives by-election testSydney

AFP

Australia’s government avoided losing its slim majority in parliament

yesterday, voting showed, as it claimed victory in a bitterly fought by-election that had threatened its hold on power.

The poll in the suburban Sydney seat of Bennelong was triggered by a constitutional cri-sis that has seen a host of parliamentarians resign over a once-obscure rule barring dual citizens from federal office.

They included Bennelong MP and former tennis star John Alexander, from Prime Minis-ter Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberal-National coalition, who stepped down after saying he was most likely a dual British citizen.

It was revealed later that he may not even be entitled to UK nationality. He was recontest-ing the seat against Labor’s former New South Wales pre-mier Kristina Keneally. The Australian Broadcasting Corpo-ration’s respected election guru Anthony Green said Alexander,

who was once the world’s number-eight ranked tennis player, had won.

While results showed a swing to Labor, it was not enough to take the seat. ”There is a five per-cent swing. There is no sign of a swing larger than that which would endanger the Liberal Party holding the seat and John Alex-ander will be re-elected,” he said.

Sky News also called the result for Alexander. Kennealy said it was “an extraordinary” swing to Labor, but conceded defeat. It will be a relief for the government as it battles falling voter support and internal division.

If Keneally had won, Turn-bull’s coalition would have lost its one-seat majority, putting the prime minister’s leadership under pressure. It would have meant Labor could defeat the government in parliamentary votes if it had the backing of all five independents. Turnbull admitted earlier that “people will be casting a judgment on the gov-ernment”. ”Australia’s security, prosperity, depends on John Alexander being back as part of our government, he said.

Hurt N Korean defector sent to hospital in Seoul Seoul

Reuters

A North Korean soldier who suffered critical gunshot wounds dur-

ing a defection dash across the border to South Korea has been transferred to a military hospital, a South Korean intelligence official said yesterday.

The North Korean soldier, 24-year-old Oh Chong Song, was transferred to the mili-tary hospital on Friday from a trauma centre at Ajou Uni-versity Hospital south of Seoul, where his treatment for gunshot wounds and pre-existing conditions included two major operations.

”Oh has been transferred to South Korea’s military hos-pital and South Korea’s intelligence services will soon schedule the security ques-tioning process depending on Oh’s condition,” the intelli-gence official said.

Oh was shot and badly wounded by his fellow North Korean soldiers while fleeing across the border into the South in November.

Three South Korean sol-diers brought Oh to safety and he was immediately taken aboard a US Black Hawk mil-itary helicopter and rushed into surgery.

”Medical staff at the Armed Forces Hospital will continue to provide proper care and treatment for Oh,” a South Korean defence min-istry official.

Military trucks drove through rising floodwaters on Samar and Leyte to rescue trapped residents, with more than 77,000 people now in evacuation centres, local officials said.

A man cleans up the wreckage of a house damaged by earthquake in Sumelap Village, Tasikmalaya City, West Java, Indonesia, yesterday.

Villagers wading through a flooded street in Brgy Calingatngan, in Borongan, on easterm Samar in central Philippines, yesterday.

Pakistani human rights activists mark third anniversary of Army Public School massacre in Karachi, yesterday.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and John Alexander.

16 SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017EUROPE

Austria’s far-right returns to powerVienna

AFP

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) was in trium-p h a n t m o o d yesterday after

agreeing a coalition deal with the conservatives, capping a year of successes for Europe’s national-ist movements.

As the parties met to rubber-stamp the accord struck the previous day, Herbert Kickl, the FPOe’s secretary general and Austria’s next interior minister, said he had “very, very good feeling”.

“Nobody has anything to fear,” Kickl said, one of six FPOe ministers in the new government including defence and foreign affairs. Party leader Heinz-Chris-tian Strache, 48, will be vice-chancellor.

The agreement reached by Sebastian Kurz’s People’s Party (OeVP) and the FPOe sets Kurz, 31, up to become chancellor and also the world’s youngest leader.

Kurz and Strache were to unveil their programme on Sat-urday afternoon, with the government likely to be sworn in on Monday.

The OeVP came first in Octo-ber snap elections after Kurz—who is known as “wunderwuzzi” or “whizz-kid”—rebranded the formerly staid party as his own personal “movement”, promising to get

tough on immigration and to lower taxes.

Economy and security

“Our aims are quite clear. We want to ease the tax burden for people, we want to strengthen our economy, which will bolster our social system,” Kurz said.

“And first and foremost we want to increase security in our country, including by combat-ting illegal immigration,” Kurz told reporters.

The anti-immigration FPOe came third in the election with 26 percent of the vote, which was double the stunning 13 percent notched up by the far-right Alter-native for Germany (AfD) in elections the month before.

Both Kurz and Strache stoked concerns about immigra-tion following a record influx in 2015, and also took advantage of

voter fatigue with the OeVP’s previous “grand coalition” with the Social Democrats (SPOe).

Their success was mirrored in elections elsewhere in Europe this year.

Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party became the second-larg-est in the Netherlands, France’s National Front was in a runoff for the presidency in May and the AfD entered the Bundestag, re-drawing Germany’s political map.

But the FPOe is rare in west-ern Europe, having translated its ballot box success into real power. Last year it came close to winning the largely ceremonial presidency.

The last time the FPOe entered government was in 2000 under Joerg Haider, its controversial leader at the time who has since died, in a move which saw Austria briefly ostra-cised within the European Union.

This time though the reac-tion is likely to be much more muted with the FPOe seen as having mellowed and with Europe more inured to rightwing parties.

Several different groups including the anti-fascist “Offen-sive against the Right” have said they plan to stage demonstra-tions today in Vienna.

The FPOe is also ambivalent about the EU but the joint pro-gramme shows that Kurz has managed to ensure the govern-ment will be decidedly

pro-European, political analyst Thomas Hofer said.

“The European part is very strongly influenced by the OeVP and it is ruled out that there might be a referendum on Aus-tria’s membership of the EU or other international organisa-tions,” Hofer said.

“The election gave a clear mandate from the Austrian peo-ple to take people’s concerns seriously in this country, to lis-ten and to avoid a repeat of the

mistakes of recent years,” Stra-che said on Friday.

“That covers lots of areas—security, illegal immigration and also the tax cuts that are needed... The main thing is the responsi-bility to represent the people of this wonderful homeland.”

Kurz and Strache’s news conference later was to be held atop the Kahlenberg hill over-looking Vienna and the Danube river, a location of major sym-bolic importance for the FPOe.

There, in the year 1683, a Polish king launched an attack that broke the Ottoman siege of Vienna. Some of Europe’s nation-alists liken the 17th-century Ottoman offensive to the immi-gration of Muslims in recent years.

“They say there is no real rel-evance but of course at least for the FPOe it has some relevance with 1683,” Hofer said. “The pic-tures up there will be pretty nice.”

Our aims are quite clear. We want to ease the tax burden for people, we want to strengthen our economy, which will bolster our social system. And first and foremost we want to increase security in our country, including by combatting illegal immigration: Kurz

Clear aims

FROM LEFT: Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen; Leader of Austria’s conservative People’s Party (OeVP), Sebastian Kurz and the Chairman of the Freedom Party (FPOe), Heinz-Christian Strache during a press conference at the Hofburg, in Vienna, yesterday.

Terror suspect deported from SwitzerlandGeneva

AFP

Swiss police said yester-day they had expelled a person facing criminal

charges in Switzerland for suspected links to a terrorist group, over fears he poses a threat to national security.

Federal police confirmed that their “decision to expel a person who is facing (Swiss) criminal charges for partici-pation in, or lending support to, a terrorist organisation”.

According to Swiss media, the man is a French-Tunisian national in his 40s who was working as a taxi driver when he was arrested in Geneva last June. He had reportedly attempted to travel to Syria with his family and also helped recruit others to join the jihadists there.

He was released from detention last Wednesday and has since been sent back to France, where he is also facing criminal charges, the Tribune de Geneva daily reported.

Federal police spokes-woman Lulzana Musliu said the expulsion was justified in this case due to the threat posed “to Switzerland’s domestic and external security.”

Thousands attend king Michael’s funeralBucharest

Reuters

Thousands of Romanians lined the streets of Bucha-rest yesterday for the

funeral of the country’s former king Michael, one of the last sur-viving World War II European heads of state.

Born in 1921, Michael ruled Romania twice, switched its alli-ance away from Nazi Germany to the Allied side during the war and was subsequently forced

into exile by a Communist take-over in 1947.

He died in Switzerland on December 5 at the age of 96, having retired from public life due to severe illness in 2016.

Yesterday, Bucharest churches rang their bells and mourners, many in tears, threw white flowers at the funeral pro-cession, chanting “King Michael” a n d “ D o w n w i t h communism”.

European royalty attended, including Spain’s former king,

Juan Carlos, Britain’s Prince Charles, King Carl Gustaf of Sweden and his wife Queen Silvia.

Even though the restoration of the monarchy is not an issue in the European Union state, Michael commanded great respect from Romanians who saw him in sharp opposition to a political class which they link with poverty and corruption.

His death comes at a time of deep divisions in Romanian society.

FROM LEFT: Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Princess Astrid of Belgium, Princess Muna of Jordan, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece and Prince Charles of Wales attend the funeral ceremony for late king Michael of Romania at the former Royal Palace, in Bucharest, yesterday.

Athens

Anatolia

Athens should take a respectful policy towards the Muslim community

in western Thrace on the issue of religious leaders, according to Greece’s education, research, and religious affairs minister.

Speaking to the Greek Par-liament’s TV channel Vouli, Kostas Gavroglu spoke on the mufti religious leaders in west-ern Thrace, home to a large Muslim population.

Gavroglu said that remov-ing Islamic rules from family law and inheritance issues is part of the government’s strat-egy on minorities. He added that mufti elections is one of the issues to be addressed and reworked.

He added that minorities were once subjected to “unac-ceptable laws” and for this reason many distrust the state.

Over the last three years,

there were 2,200 marriages in areas in western Thrace with large Muslim populations, but only 680 of them were civil marriages (without a mufti), meaning around 70% were tra-ditional unions.

“It is necessary to respect this reality,” Gavroglu said.

Since 1991, the election of religious leaders or muftis has been a chronic problem for Greece’s Muslim Turkish.

The majority of Muslim Turks in the Western Thracian cities of Komotini and Xanthi do not recognise the appointed muftis and instead elect their own, but these muftis are not recognised by Greek state.

On Friday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that the issue concerns the Greek state and Thrace’s Muslim com-munity and must be discussed by the two sides “so it can be solved as soon as possible and permanent legal arrangements can be made.”

Merkel’s ally draws red line in talks with SDPBerlin

Bloomberg

Angela Merkel’s chief Bavarian ally said he’ll halt any compromise in

talks to form a new German gov-ernment that would endanger his party’s state campaign next year, raising potential barriers as the chancellor’s bloc begins negotiations with the Social Democrats (SDP).

Horst Seehofer, the leader of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, told

party delegates that he’ll stand by the conservative bloc’s val-ues in coalition talks in Berlin. The CSU will struggle to preserve its absolute majority in the state legislature in the fall 2018 bal-lot after suffering losses in this year’s national election.

“We won’t negotiate any-thing that would hinder or hurt our state election campaign,” Seehofer, the Bavarian premier, told a party conference in the southern German city of Nurem-berg yesterday. “We won’t do anything that would disadvan-tage us in Bavaria.”

A day after Germany’s Social Democratic leaders agreed to enter exploratory talks with Merkel’s faction and end almost three months of political dead-lock, Seehofer signaled that Bavaria’s election-year politics could throw a wrench into the process. As the SPD coaxes reluctant party members into a renewed coalition with Merkel, the rivals are likely to clash on issues such as migration, health care and spending.

Seehofer, who was also Mer-kel’s chief antagonist during the country’s refugee crisis,

reiterated his proposal for a cap on migration, one rejected both by Merkel and the SPD. To loud applause by the delegates, the CSU chief said Germany “needs limits on migration so that our country’s capacity to integrate can work.”

Merkel’s bloc emerged vic-torious but weakened in the September 24 election, not least because of heavy losses in the CSU’s Bavarian homeland, where resistance to Merkel’s open-door refugee policy lin-gered. The CSU has governed Bavaria continuously since 1957.

Macron criticised for marking 40th birthday in royal styleParis

AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday celebrated his birthday at the iconic chateau of King Francois I, a choice denounced by critics as an example of how he is

“cut off from the people”.Macron, who turns 40 on Thursday, is spending the week-

end with his wife Brigitte and extended family at the chateau of Chambord in France’s Loire Valley, the French daily La Nou-velle Republique reported.

Chambord is probably the valley’s best-known Renaissance chateau, Macron and his family will stay at one of the cottages on the vast estate, French media said, with a birthday gala held in one of the castle’s 440 rooms.

The Elysee Palace said Macron and his wife were using pri-vate funds to pay for their stay. But the choice of venue was still criticised from some French politicians.

“Why is he celebrating his birthday at Chambord?” asked radical-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, quoted in the news-paper Le Figaro.

“What a strange idea! I am so republican that everything about royal symbols exasperates me, I find it ridiculous.”

“While the French suffer from taxes, insecurity, immigra-tion, Macron celebrates his 40th birthday at Chambord,” rightwing politician Nicolas Dupont-Aignan said on Twitter.

Call for respectful policy towards Muslims

17SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017 AMERICAS

Peru President faces impeachment trialLima

Reuters

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s (pic-tured) chances of surviving the political crisis gripping Peru

faded yesterday after Congress passed a motion to start “pres-idential vacancy” procedures with enough votes to unseat him within a week.

The opposition-controlled Congress voted 93-17 to seek his removal from office over graft allegations, which he denies. Eighty-seven votes will be needed to oust him in a session scheduled for December 21, when he will be asked to defend himself.

A Brazilian construction company at the centre of Latin America’s biggest graft scandal disclosed this week payments totaling $4.8m to companies owned by Kuczynski or a close friend, triggering calls for him to resign.

Kuczynski had previously denied any links to the Brazil-ian company, Odebrecht, and said on Thursday there was nothing improper about the payments. Flanked by his Cab-inet, Kuczynski vowed not to resign in a defiant message to the nation.

However, Kuczynski was aware his chances of surviving the scandal were slim, said a

government source who asked not be identified. “By resisting calls to step down, he hopes to clear his name and defend due process as the Odebrecht graft investigation widens.”

“This is a national disgrace,” said opposition lawmaker Lour-des Alcorta. “The less harmful option for Peru would be his resignation. He’s forcing us to impeach him.”

Odebrecht has rocked poli-tics in Latin America since agreeing a year ago to provide details on bribery schemes across the region - landing elites in jail from Colombia to the Dominican Republic and nearly toppling a president in Brazil.

Two former presidents in Peru, Ollanta Humala and Ale-jandro Toledo, have been ensnared in the Odebrecht probe over alleged payments they deny. Humala was jailed pending trial in July and

authorities are seeking Toledo’s extradition from the US.

Opposition leader Keiko Fujimori, whom Kuczynski unexpectedly defeated in last year’s presidential election, is also under investigation and denies wrongdoing.

If Kuczynski is forced out, he would be replaced by First Vice-President Martin Vizcarra, a former governor of a copper-rich mining region and Peru’s current ambassador to Canada.

Kuczynski was once lauded by many as a brilliant techno-crat who would help uproot widespread corruption in Peru. But his 16 months in office have been marked by clashes with the right-wing opposition party that controls Congress.

Kuczynski is the latest Latin American politician to be linked to the scandal, which saw Ecua-dorian Vice-President Jorge Glas sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday for taking $13.5m in bribes from Odebrecht.

Santo Domingo

AFP

Venezuela’s government and opposition concluded a new round of talks in an

effort to bridge deep and entrenched differences to find a way to end the dire political and economic crisis tearing apart their country.

After eight hours of discus-sions at the foreign ministry in Santo Domingo, the two sides agreed to resume negotiations on January 11, Dominican Pres-ident Danilo Medina announced.

It will be followed by a meet-ing of foreign ministers on January 12.

“There has been significant progress,” said Medina, whose country is hosting the second meeting after a first on Decem-ber 1 and 2 yielded what was

similarly termed “significant advances.”

“There are six major issues

that we are discussing... We can-not announce any of the advances we have had because

they are part of a package. As long as agreements are not reached completely, we cannot make an announcement.”

Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz expressed hope that an agreement would be “finalised” by January 12.

The parties agreed to desig-nate a spokesperson for each side: Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez for the govern-ment and, for the opposition, Julio Borges, president of the o p p o s i t i o n m a j o r i t y parliament.

In addition to the Dominican Republic and Chile, foreign min-isters from Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are serving as guarantors of the process, along with former Spanish prime min-ister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

The Venezuelan government is demanding an end to what it calls economic “sabotage” it claims is being waged by the opposition with support from the United States and Colombia.

The opposition is seeking guarantees that presidential elections next year will be trans-parent and fair.

The government of Vene-zuelan President Nicolas Maduro is feeling politically strengthened after winning local elections last weekend in which the main opposition groups were excluded and after mostly triumphing in October guber-natorial polls.

However, an opposition advisor, Colette Capriles, said those victories merely showed that Maduro was using the tac-tics of “contemporary dictatorships.”

Apotex boss, wife found dead in TorontoOttawa

AFP

Canada’s global pharma-ceutical giant Apotex has confirmed the death of its

billionaire founder Barry Sher-man, after police reported two “suspicious” deaths at the cou-ple’s upscale Toronto home.

Police did not identify the victims, who were found yes-terday, but Canadian media named them as Sherman and his wife Honey, prominent Canadians whose deaths sparked an outpouring of grief among the country’s political elite.

“We’ve been informed of the tragic news that Barry and Honey Sherman have unexpect-edly passed away,” said the Twitter account of Apotex, which Sherman founded in the year 1974.

The company, which made its name producing generic drugs, grew to employ more t h a n 1 1 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e worldwide.

Toronto Police said on Twit-ter that “two people (were) found deceased in a home” in the Bayview Avenue and Old Colony Road area, after officers responded to a medical call around noon on Friday.

They labeled the deaths sus-picious but, according to

Canadian media, clarified that no suspects were being sought.

Prime Minister Justin Tru-deau said he was “saddened by news of the sudden passing of Barry and Honey Sherman.”

He spoke on Twitter of the “vision and spirit” of the couple known for their philanthropy.

One of two bodies is removed from the home of Canadian pharmaceutical firm Apotex Inc. founder, Barry Sherman and his wife Honey, in Toronto, Ontario, yesterday.

Venezuela talks set to resume in January

The opposition-controlled Congress voted 93-17 to seek his removal from office over graft allegations, which he denies. Eighty seven votes will be needed to oust him in a session scheduled for December 21.

Graft scandal

FROM LEFT: Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina; Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas; Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray and Chile’s Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz during a press conference, in Santo Domingo, yesterday.

US denies it sabotaged Italy’s data breach probeRome

Reuters

The US has denied sugges-tions it undermined an investigation into a mas-

sive data breach at the Italian cybersecurity firm Hacking Team, saying it did everything it could to help in the case.

A Milan magistrate last week recommended shelving an investigation into six people who were suspected of orches-trating the 2015 data theft.

A senior judicial source crit-icised US officials for not handing over a computer belonging to a key suspect, say-ing it might have contained information vital to the probe.

But in an email, the US Department of Justice in Wash-ington denied the United States was to blame for the case floundering.

“The US assisted Italy to the

greatest extent possible and the relevant Italian authorities know that,” a US Department of Justice spokesperson wrote.

Magistrates opened their investigation in July 2015 after hackers downloaded 400 giga-bytes of data from the firm, which makes software that allows law enforcement and intelligence agencies to tap into the phones and computers of suspects.

The company said at the time it believed former employ-ees had stolen vital code that gave them access to its systems. It also speculated that a foreign government might have been behind the hacking.

“We could not carry out the checks on the computer to see if it contained the evidence that we were looking for because the US did not give it to us. We did not receive an explanation for this decision,” the source said.

Presidential elections in Chile todaySantiago

AFP

Chilean voters will decide their next president today in a run-off election

whose outcome is far from cer-tain after an unexpectedly strong surge for the left.

Sebastian Pinera, a conserv-ative billionaire former president who ruled from 2010-2014, is trying for a comeback to succeed center-left incum-bent leader Michelle Bachelet, who is constitutionally excluded from standing again.

But his plan could be upset by Alejandro Guillier, a senator and veteran TV presenter who is Bachelet’s candidate.

In the first round, on

November 19, Pinera went in as the runaway favourite—but then garnered a lower-than-expected 37 percent of the vote to Guilli-er’s 22 percent.

Most problematically for Pinera, a surprising 20 percent of ballots went to a third-placed radical-left candidate, Beatriz Sanchez, and many could now go Guillier’s way.

“The election will probably come down to a difference of less than 20,000 votes,” said political scientist Marcello Mella at the University of Santiago.

Voting will begin at 8:00am and end at 6:00pm, with official results expected within the fol-lowing two hours.

With a possibly tight race before them, both candidates

fiercely wooed the 13.4 million voters.

A high turnout would ben-efit Guillier, analysts said.

Pinera, who is worth $2.7bn according to Forbes magazine, has painted himself as the most experienced steward of the economy.

“I’m not promising heaven and earth, but I promise that Chile will grow robustly,” he said in a debate this week.

Pinera, 68, and Guillier, 64, are also promising to expand free university tuition brought in under Bachelet—a measure with historical resonance in Chile because paid tuition was introduced under the 1973-1990 military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Workers prepare a voting station ahead of Chile's presidential election, in Santiago, yesterday.

California blaze grows, prompts new evacuationsLos Angeles

Reuters

A raging California wild-fire yesterday became the state’s third largest

blaze on record, with more devastation possible from a resurgence of the harsh winds that have fuelled the deadly fire’s growth.

The so-called Thomas Fire has destroyed more than 1,000 structures, including about 750 homes, in coastal communities in Southern Cal-ifornia since erupting on Dec. 4, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protec-tion said in a statement.

It has cost $97m to fight the 259,000-acre blaze, with thousands of firefighters con-tending with it around the clock and helicopters and air-planes being used to drop retardant on the flames.

The vast landscape charred by the blaze, which is centered less than 161km northwest of downtown Los Angeles, reached 259,000 acres early yesterday, sur-passing the 257,314 acres destroyed by California’s Rim Fire in 2013, authorities said. The Rim Fire had been the third-largest blaze on record in the state.

The Thomas Fire is only 40 percent contained and it threatens 18,000 structures, officials said, including some in the wealthy enclave of Montecito just outside the city of Santa Barbara. The blaze is chewing up tall grass and brush as it expands along the scenic Pacific Coast.

The hot Santa Ana winds that have helped the fire grow were forecast to remain strong through yesterday evening in the Santa Barbara County mountains, the National Weather Service warned. Gusts of up to 40 miles per hour were expected.

18 SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017HOME

Sidra Medicine staff pose during the celebration to mark Qatar National Day. Sidra is all set to open its women and children hospital on January 14.

Sidra marks National Day

FAJRSHOROOK

04.51am

06.13 am

ZUHR 11.30 am

AZR 02.27 pm

MAGHRIBISHA

04.49 pm

06.19 pm

PRAYER TIMINGS

HIGH TIDE 05:00 – 15:30 LOW TIDE 11:45 – 22:00

Mild daytime with scattered clouds

to partly cloudy and chance of scat-

tered rain may bethundery at time

at places.

WEATHER TODAY

Minimum Maximum

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

17oC 23oC

Activities organised by United Development Company (UDC), the master developer of The Pearl-Qatar, in celebration of Qatar National Day. The island was decorated with pictures of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, along with colourful lights, illuminations, and the national flag. The festive setup coincides with the events held by UDC on The Pearl-Qatar in celebration of Qatar National Day, which spans over four consecutive days from December 15 to 18 between 6pm and 10pm in 6 and 7 La Croisette, Porto Arabia. Pic: Kammutty V P / The Peninsula

The Peninsula

Bedaya Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Development

(Bedaya Center), a joint ini-t i a t i v e b y Q a t a r Development Bank and Silatech, recently held a two d a y s e m i n a r o n leadership.

The seminar titled, ‘Be A Leader,’ was organised in collaboration with the Min-istry of Education and Higher Education and held at the Qatar National Library.

The event focused on leaders of student cabinets in all schools to highlight their leadership skills, develop them and create a decent rivalry among the peers.

Held for the fourth con-secutive year, the event was

aimed at preparing mem-bers of the student council of local independent sec-ondary schools (boys and girls) to lead the future of Qatar.

Several workshops were organised for all par-ticipants. The first workshop for boys titled ‘how to create leadership initiatives’ was addressed by instructor Naser Al Mughaseeb, while the sec-ond one about declamation skills was presented by Instructor Ahmad Al Malki.

Likewise, for girls, a workshop on ‘how to cre-ate leadership initiatives’ as well as another workshop on declamation skills that was conducted by Shaikha Burshaid. The event ended with a competition ‘leader-ship under the siege’ to gauge the best leadership

initiative. Reem Al Suwaidi, Gen-

eral Manager of Bedaya Center, said, “We are hold-ing this initiative for the fourth consecutive time along with our partner, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, through which we are keen to train members of Student Coun-cil on the principles of leadership and professional guidance. This initiative will enable them to be ambas-sadors in their schools and raise awareness on how to make decisions among their colleagues.”

Members of Student Councils are part of the main pillars in the process of developing education in public schools, and they are the voice of students at school administration he added.

Bedaya Center holds seminar on leadership

Participants and other officials during the seminar.

The Peninsula

Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) marked this year’s Qatar National Day (QND)

yesterday by hosting QND activ-ities for all community members to enjoy, including lively paras-ailing performances by the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), that left Aspire Park’s skyline bright with Qatar’s Maroon and White colours.

Lekhwiya also put on out-standing horses and police dogs shows, demonstrating various horse formations, and how trained police dogs react to var-ious threatening situations, such as how to stop a thief, stop a kid-napper, sniff drugs or expose bomb threats.

AZF also organised group activities for children including basketball, football and a tug-of-war. A large number of community members flocked to see and take part in the various activities making this year’s QND event a huge success. ‘Dari

Qatar’ Film on show in Aspire Park on Sunday evening AZF will continue its QND celebra-tions by collaborating with the Doha Film Institute (DFI) to dis-play the ‘Dari Qatar’ Film at 5:15 pm on Sunday evening, at Aspire Park. After the movie, the DFI will choose the top five winners in the ‘short film’ competition that was launched earlier this month, where participants were asked to create films inspired by speeches from the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Parasailing by Lekhwiya marks AZF’s National Day celebrations

Parasailing activity as part of National Day celebrations at Aspire Park.

Lekhwiya also put on outstanding horses and police dogs shows, demonstrating various horse formations, and how trained police dogs react to threatening situations.

UDC lines up National Day activities

19SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017 HOME

20 SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017HOME

Raynald C Rivera The Peninsula

Qatari artist Ahmed Al Maadheed, who shot to fame for his

‘Tamim Al Majd’ paint-ing, yesterday launched his first solo exhibition at Katara showcasing brand new art pieces he created especially for National Day.

“Today is the launch of my first exhibition in Katara. It is an exhibi-tion about National Day in which I’m exhibiting my new paintings which are first time to be shown in public,” Al Ammadheed told The Peninsula at yesterday’s inauguration.

Three new portraits of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani entitled ‘Tamim Al Ezz, Tamim Al Fakher, and Tamim Al Khir, as well as paint-ings of Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the founder of Qatar Sheikh Jas-sim bin Mohammed bin Thani created in Al Maadheed’s signa-ture style are among the highlights of the show.

“This exhibition underlines the importance of National Day and an expression of pride for our leaders,” Al Maadheed explained his exhibition, following a suc-cessful show in London several days back. While majority of the paintings are in black and white, some of the pieces have been cre-ated using vibrant colours including a number of works with

the current blockade as the sub-ject in which the artist effectively employs symbolism and Arabic typography.

“We are very proud of our country amid the blockade,” he said when asked about the mes-sage he wants to convey through the pieces on the blockade.

Qatar’s national bird, which is the falcon, which is a cultural sym-bol which exudes force and courage also features at the exhi-bition which runs for six days.

Ahmad Al Sayed, Deputy Gen-eral Manager and Head of Operations at the Cultural Village Foundation – Katara, attended the opening of the exhibition along with other officials and VIP guests.

“This is my first time to exhibit in Katara. I’m very proud and hon-oured to be here and I would like to thank Katara for giving me this opportunity,” said Al Maadheed.

He invited the public to see his new masterpieces which he cre-ated using similar style to his Tamim Al Majd painting.

Al Maadheed is a contempo-rary Qatari artist who, through his works, embraced the world. He said for him, art is a universal lan-guage and a means of educating people and serving the causes of the nation and humanity.

The Ahmed bin Majed Al Maadheed Exhibition is open to the public until December 21 at Katara Building 18 Gallery 2.

Ahmed’s artworks about QND on display at Katara

Qatari artist Ahmed Al Maadheed (centre) and Katara Deputy General Manager and Head of Operations Ahmad Al Sayed (right) tour the exhibition at Katara Building 18 yesterday. Pic: Raynald C Rivera / The Peninsula