call to reduce recruitment...2016/11/13 · meshal al shamari, director of qgbc announced the...

We have achieved a lot, says Fahad Al Qahtani

BUSINESS | 26 SPORT | 32

UK minister to ease voters’

frustrations

www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Volume 21 | Number 6980 | 2 RiyalsMonday 14 November 2016 | 14 Safar 1438

Qatar Central Bank (QCB) Governor H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud Al Thani (fifth right), with the Union of Arab Banks (UAB) Chairman Sheikh Mohammed Jarrah Al Sabah (fourth right); UAB Board member Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari (second left); Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Thani Al Thani, Chairman and Managing Director QIIB (fourth left) and Wissam H Fattouh, Secretary-General of the UAB ((fifth left) at an event held to honour the QCB Governor in Doha, yesterday. Pic: Abdul Basit/The Peninsula

QNA

EMIR H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani offered condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Sal-man bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Min-i s t e r o f I n t e r i o r Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Premier and Min-is ter of Defence Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to the sons of Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as well as to members of the royal family on the death of Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, pray-ing to Allah Almighty to bestow His mercy and eter-nal peace on him.

Mohammed Osman The Peninsula

Amid complaints about the increas-ing cost of hiring domestic helps, the Ministry of Admin-

istrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs has urged employers to be aware of their rights and the recruitment procedures.

Fares Al Kaabi, Head of the Department of Manpower Agencies at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs said that the ministry is encouraging manpower recruitment agencies to reduce the prices.

This is one of the aspects being taken into consideration while grading manpower agen-cies. Agencies that have helped stabilize the prices over the past four to five years, with a mar-ginal increase of up to 10 percent have the chance of get-ting a higher rating, said Kaabi, talking in interactive discussion hosted by Qatar TV.

A number of issues con-cerning recruitment of domestic helps were raised in the program titled “Bisaraha” (Frankly Speaking) hosted by

famous Qatari TV anchor Has-san Al Saai with Al Kaabi and Ali Afifa, member of Recruit-ment Companies’ Team at Qatar Chamber.

About 90 per cent of the participants in a survey con-ducted live during the program said that the cost of hiring domestic helps was “very high”

→ Continued on page 9

Call to reduce recruitment charges

The Peninsula

Huge numbers of people are turning up at cur-rency exchange houses

here to exchange the demone-tized 1,000 and 500 Indian currency notes. However, exchange houses claim that nothing can be done from Qatar, following the cancella-tion of these denominations.

“There is a panic among the

Indians here, and we are get-ting number of queries,” said Zubair Abdulrahiman, Opera-tions Manager, Al Zaman Exchange.

India recently discontin-ued Rs500 and Rs1,000 currency notes, forcing the exchange houses to suspend selling and buying of Indian currency.

“We still cannot do anything from here. There is no direction

from the concerned authorities and there is slim chance for Reserve Bank of India or other authorities to issue any directives for the exchanges abroad,” he said.

The situation is more or less the same in various exchange houses The Peninsula con-tacted yesterday. While many have stopped buying, they are selling Indian currency by few thousands, according to

officials. “There is no Indian retail banks here, so there is no way for people here to exchange. Even the embassy also cannot do anything,” said Abdulrahiman.

He also said that the cash cannot be exchanged from exchange houses in airports.

“All one can do is to take the money to India and deposit in their Non Resident Ordinary Rupee (NRO) accounts, which does not pose much hurdle.

FIRST TIME in the world, a sustainability loyalty cam-paign "Green Life Hero" was launched yesterday in Qatar by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC).

Green Life Hero, a national campaign by QGBC, aims at raising awareness and education about the different aspects of sustainability among businesses, institutions, families, and the public through training and healthy competi-tions. All citizens and residents can register themselves via mobile app (greenlifehero) and take part in training workshops and can win scores through eco-friendly activities like energy conservation, trash col-lection, water preservation, plantation and recycling.

→ Full report on page 4

Washington

AFP

Donald Trump will keep his vow to deport mil-lions of undocumented

migrants from the United States, he said in an interview to be broadcast Sunday, saying as many as three million could be removed after he takes office.

"What we are going to do is get the people that are crimi-nal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million — we are getting them out of our coun-try or we are going to incarcerate," Trump said in an

excerpt released ahead of broadcast by CBS's 60 Minutes programme.

The billionaire real estate baron made security at the US-Mexico border a central plank of his insurgent presidential campaign, which resulted in last Tuesday's shock election victory against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Trump added that the bar-rier to be erected on the US border with Mexico may not consist entirely of brick and mortar, but that fencing could be used in some areas.

"There could be some fenc-ing," Trump says in his first primetime interview since being elected president last week..

→ See also page 19

Ankara

Bloomberg

TURKEY’S Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning for the United States, citing dangers linked to protests and possible

assaults by racists following the election of Donald Trump.

Turkey has more often been on the receiving end of such com-muniques over the last two years, a period when foreign tourists have been among those targeted

by a series of terrorist attacks in major Turkish cities. It’s lashed out at the US and other allies for issu-ing pronouncements about risks to their citizens on Turkish soil, with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saying earlier this

month that Istanbul and Ankara are just as safe as any US state.

Yesterday’s notice on the Foreign Ministry’s website advises Turks living in or con-sidering travel to the US to take precautions by avoiding areas

around the protests, which it noted were taking place in "dif-ferent cities across the country" including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle and Oakland.

Three million illegal migrants to go: Trump

Indian expats worried over currency crisis

Emir offers condolences to Saudi King

Sustainability loyalty drive kicks off

Included with today’s edition is a 4-page supplement on CSR

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016

The weekly supplement issued byThe Peninsula to enhance the role of companies and institutions in

society development.

MAIN SPONSOR SPONSOR

Corporate Social Responsibility

Turkey turns tables with warning US may be unsafe for tourists

Domestic help

Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs has urged employers to be aware of theirrights and the recruitmentproceduresfor domestichelps.

Agencies that have helped stabilise the prices over the past four to five years, with a marginal increase of up to 10 percent have the chance of getting a higher rating.

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QCB Governor honoured

H E Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa Al Thani and members of the delega-tion accompanying the Emir and a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs and Ministers also offered condolences.

Upon his arrival at

King Salman Air Base Airport in Riyadh, the Emir was received by Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Qatar's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdul-lah bin Thamer Al Thani and

m e m b e r s o f t h e Q a t a r i embassy.

Earlier the Emir sent a cable of condolences to King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the death of Prince Salman bin Fawaz Bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh, yesterday.

02 MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 HOME

03MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 HOME


Amna Pervaiz RaoThe Peninsula

For the first time in the world, a sustainability loyalty campaign "Green Life Hero" was launched yesterday in

Qatar by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC).

Green Life Hero, a national campaign by QGBC, aims at raising awareness and educa-tion about the different aspects of sustainability among busi-nesses, institutions, families, and the public through training and healthy competitions. The website greenlifehero.com was also launched as part of the campaign.

All residents can register via a mobile app (greenlifehero) and take part in training workshops and can win scores through eco-friendly activities like energy conservation, trash collection, water preservation, plantation and recycling.

The app is divided into

various categories like "The Cleaning Authority", "Active Transportation", "Ultra-efficient Homes", "Global Steward", Fly non-stop", "Eco-friendly shop-ping bag", "PET plastic", "Electricity use" and "Reuse and reduce". Residents with higher score on performance table will

be Heroes. Unveiling the new

year-round national sus-tainability initiative by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) under the title of ‘The Action’, Meshal Al Shamari, Director of QGBC announced the launch of the campaign.

He said Green Life would promote a com-m u n i t y d r i v e n sustainable lifestyle by establishing a sustaina-bility loyalty programme platform, adding it was the "world's fist sustain-a b i l i t y l o y a l t y campaign".

The platform drives a w i d e r a n g e

of community participation in relevant activities throughout the year to serve the effort in per-sonalizing the concept of sustainability.

“QGBC will provide partici-pants with continuing professional development (CPD) hours. LEED accredited profes-sionals will receive up to 17 continuing education hours by attending workshops held on the final day of the conference. This conference will hold more than 16 interactive expert sessions and four workshops over the three-days period,” said Meshal. H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Atti-yah , Chairman of the Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah Interna-tional Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development, said: “We focus on human capital development that is needed to achieve the state’s endeavours and efforts in building a knowl-edge economy. There is no doubt that cities all over the world need producers to reduce the green house gas emissions which is caused by humans to prevent the occurrence of climate change."

“Some of the factors on which we all can ponder are to increase the share of renewa-ble energy such as wind and the solar energy in the combina-tion of energy consumption, improving the efficiency of energy used in home appli-ances and buildings, reducing carbon dioxide emissions in transportation, imposing meas-ures to curb the emission from landfills, changing human behaviours by following a strat-egy to raise awareness of the importance of green buildings and renewable energy and most importantly, curbing trop-ical deforestation,” he further noted while giving his speech on the opening of QGBC.

Engineer Issa Al Muhannadi, Chairman of QGBC and Qatar Tourism Authority, said: “Our sustainability education and pro-fess ional development programme has provided more than 2,000 construction profes-sionals, school teachers and university students with the nec-essary skills to collectively contribute..”

Deputy Emir condoles withSaudi King

Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday sent a

cable of condolences to Cus-todian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the death of Prince Salman Bin Fawaz Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Prime Minister and Min-ister of Interior H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Kha-lifa Al Thani also sent a cable of condolences to the Custo-dian of the Two Holy Mosques on the death of Prince Salman Bin Fawaz Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Qatar attends Cities of the Future ForumQNA

The Ministry of Municipal-ity and Environment has participated in the Cities

of the Future Forum, which was held in the framework of the the World Wide Web Sum-mit, hosted by the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. International political leaders, managers, decision-makers and leading companies in the field of tech-nology attended the forum.

On the sidelines of the Forum, the Qatari delegation headed by Engineer Fahad Al-Q a h t a n i , A s s i s t a n t Undersecretary at the Ministry of Municipality and Environ-ment met with Chairman of Portuguese Trade and Invest-ment Agency (AICEP), Miguel Frasquilho, Director for Urban and Territorial Development, Disaster Risk Management, and Resilience of the World Bank's Social, Rural, Urban and Resilience Global Practice (GSURR), Sameh Wahba, along with a number of officials of the Municipality of Lisbon.

Sustainability loyalty campaign launchedGreen Life Hero

Green Life Hero aims at raising awareness and education about the different aspects of sustainability.

All residents can register via a mobile app (greenlifehero) and win scores.

H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attyiah, Chairman of Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attyiah International Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development, speaking at the Qatar Green Conference 2016 opening ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Center yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula

Sanaullah AtaullahThe Peninsula

A dense fog blanketed the country yester-day, with the Met

Office forecasting the weather condition to con-tinue for two more days. The Qatar Meteorology Department (QMD) has warned of poor horizontal visibility today.

The fog made commut-ing a little tricky early yesterday due to low visibility.

The fog began in early hours of Sunday and lasted until 9am in various areas.

“The fog is expected to continue for two to three days,” an official from Qatar Meteorology Depart-ment (QMD) told The Peninsula.

“This is normal for the season. We are going through a weather transi-tion. The climate is shifting towards winter,” the met official said.

Today, poor horizontal visibility is expected over most areas. The visibility can drop less than 2km at places and will increase gradually to 5 to 8km, the QMD said.

Minimum temperature today will be 18C while maximum will be 30c.

The Traffic Department has posted instructions on its social media accounts asking motorists to follow the safety instructions while driving in fog.

“Low visibility is reported in most parts of the country due to thick fog. Motorists are advised to be cautious. Don't use hazard lights while driving in fog as it is meant for emer-gency stopping only, instead use fog lights." the ministry said on its social media accounts.

Many students reached schools late, with traffic jam in various areas. Par-ents who dropped their children at schools frist struggled to report at office on time.

“I was surprised to see the dense fog in the morn-ing. I did not have any clue or I would have left home early. My daughter missed the morning school assem-bly," a a person in Ain K h a l i d t o l d T h e Peninsula.

"It was difficult to drive fast even on roads where there was no traffic because of low visibility. I reached the school about 15 minutes late but the gate was open. It closes by 7:30am," said another father, a resident of Madinat Murra.

While driving in the fog, one has to allow more dis-tance between vehicles than the normal, must avoid overtaking no mat-ter what the speed of other vehicle is. If the fog is too dense, don’t hesitate to pull completely off the road and try to park your vehicle on the right side of the road safely.

Fog hits visibility in some areas


Focus on prevention in fight against diabetes: MinisterThe Peninsula

H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, yes-terday visited a

diabetes screening stand at Hamad General Hospital (HG) to create awareness about the high prevalence of diabetes in Qatar and the importance of early detection.

The screening at HGH is part of a month-long schedule of activities aimed at raising awareness of diabetes and the importance of preventative measures such as healthy eat-ing habits and exercise.

In recognition of World Dia-betes Day, observed globally on November 14, the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation and the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) will also hold a series of infor-mation sessions and other community-based activities aimed at educating the public about the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes.

“World Diabetes Day is a time when our collective atten-tion is turned to the growing problem of diabetes. Diabetes is a serious condition which has many consequences if left untreated, including complica-tions such as blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputations. It is important that we educate our-selves as individuals and take control of our own health,” said Dr Al Kuwari.

“We must continue to pri-oritise prevention, early diagnosis and effective treat-ment. Diabetes screenings are

important but they are only part of the puzzle. Successful self-management depends on empowering patients. We must provide our patients with the information and education they need to make appropriate deci-sions about their own health. This includes helping the pub-lic understand their role in

preventing type 2 diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. It also means ensuring newly diag-nosed diabetics find pathways to proper care,” she added.

Professor Abdul Badi Abou-Samra, Chairman of Internal Medicine at HMC, stressed the importance of education, stat-ing that it is the cornerstone of both diabetes management and prevention. He added that a large number of type 2 diabetes cases are preventable.

“Simple lifestyle measures have been shown to be effec-tive in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. Maintaining a normal body weight, engaging in regular physical activity and eating a healthy diet can reduce your risk of developing type 2 dia-betes. The first steps in prevention are getting tested and understanding one’s risk of type 2 diabetes,” he said.

Awareness drive

Month-long awareness activities on the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Getting tested and understanding the risk of type 2 diabetes is essential.

Minister of Public Health H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari and senior HMC officials at the launch of the World Diabetes Day Exhibition and Public Screening pavilion at Hamad General Hospital, yesterday.


The blood donation campaign saw the participation of more than 120 blood donors.

Ooredoo is Official Telecom Partner of QOC for ANOC meetThe Peninsula

OOREDOO is the Official Tel-ecommunication Partner of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) ahead of the upcoming 2016 Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly, which started yesterday and contin-ues till November 17 in Doha.

The ANOC General Assembly is the largest gath-ering of the Olympic Movement outside of the Olympic Games, and this year will be the first time the event will be held in the Middle East.

The General Assembly, which will include 1,200 par-ticipants from 206 National Olympic Committees, Inter-national Federations and Olympic Stakeholders, aims to discuss topics of impor-tance to the National Olympic Committees for the mutual benefit of all participating countries and the future of the Olympic Games.

Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari, Director, Community and Public Relations, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “This is an ideal opportunity for us to help showcase Qatar as the home of a world-leading National Olympic Committee, and pro-mote our country’s sporting stars. We’ve worked with the QOC team throughout 2016 and from the Committee itself, from the organisation and the athletes, we’ve seen passion, drive and talent. We’re proud to support the QOC with this event, and will use the power of the Ooredoo Supernet to ensure true Qatari hospitality is broadcast.”

Ezdan Real Estate holds blood donation campaignThe Peninsula

Ezdan Real Estate Company, an Ezdan Holding Group subsidiary, organised a

blood donation campaign on November 1 and 2. The cam-paign, which stems from social responsibility values the Group strives to instil in the commu-nity, witnessed the participation of more than 120 blood donors, including tenants of its residen-tial villages and employees of the Group and its subsidiaries.

On the first day, the cam-paign’s activities kicked off with a Mobile Blood Donor Unit being dispatched in front of Sakin Center, Ezdan Village (9) in Al Wakrah. The mobile unit then

moved, on the following day, to Ezdan Towers in the West Bay area. Hamad Medical Corpora-tion’s (HMC) Blood Donor Centre has allocated a dedicated team to oversee donors’ registration, and to conduct necessary tests and procedures to ensure their fitness to donate blood. Donors also received healthy meals comprising fruits, vegetables and fresh juices.

Ezdan Hotels Company, a subsidiary of Ezdan Holding Group, was also involved in the drive and provided all support to make the blood donation campaign a success, offering logistical support by dedicating a convenient space for the Mobile Blood Donor Unit setting,

and organising donors’ activities.

Ezdan Real Estate Acting General Manager Omar Al Yafey expressed his gratitude to HMC for its contribution to the suc-cessful delivery of this initiative, through the provision of all nec-essary medical equipment and requirements for the campaign. Al Yafey also thanked everyone who participated in the blood donation drive whether tenants or employees, and praised their overwhelming response and active contribution, which "expressively reflects the com-munity’s great and acute awareness of the importance of humanitarian and charity work within the community".

Scholars share experience at research meet

The Peninsula

The First World Con-g r e s s o n U n d e r g r a d u a t e Research 2016 (WorldCUR2016)

opened in Doha yesterday bringing together undergradu-ate researchers, scholars and administrators to share their research outcomes and explore collaboration opportunities.

The three-day event is organised by Qatar University College of Arts and Sciences (QU-CAS) in collaboration with the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) - USA,

the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR), and the Australasian Council for Undergraduate Research (ACUR).

A group of 62 students from QU participated in the congress among 150 students from insti-tutions around the world.

“Qatar University continues to support the country’s research strategy by promot-ing initiatives among its faculty and students, by boosting research capacity in key disci-plines and by strengthening links with government, indus-try and research institutions. It is very important for us to con-tinue building international research collaborations and partnerships as we seek to con-nect Qatar further with the world, which will contribute to advancing the quality of research outcomes in Qatar and beyond. We look forward through this congress to estab-lishing an international body that oversees and promotes research at the undergraduate level,” said QU President Dr Hassan Al Derham (pictured) addressing the inaugural session.

Keynote speaker Dr Julio Rivera, Professor of Manage-ment and Marketing and Geospatial Science at Carthage College and CUR former Prov-ost and Emeritus President, gave a presentation on ‘The Ordinary and Extraordinary of Undergraduate Research.’

Deep Study

A group of 62 students from QU participated in the congress among 150 students from institutions around the world.


The second ‘QF Art Atelier Exhibition’, a fine art event showcasing works of 10 local artists, opened yesterday at the Community and Recreation Center, Qatar Foundation – Education City. Pic: Kammutty VP/ The Peninsula

Admiring art

LG V20 smartphone available in marketThe Peninsula

LG Electronics’ newest smartphone that sets a new baseline for multimedia

capabilities in smartphones, is now available across all Jumbo Electronics showrooms and leading hypermarkets.

Since its public unveiling last month, the V20 has collected a strong portfolio of positive reac-tions from industry insiders who appreciated the smartphone’s design and feature-rich specifications.

The V20 is designed for users who want to create professional-looking content and differentiates itself from com-peting devices with its professional-grade visual and audio features.

When it comes to video recording, this smartphone’s Steady Record 2.0 neutralises shaky images using both elec-tronics image stabilisation (EIS) built into Qualcomm Snap-dragon 820 processor in a d d i t i o n t o

digital image stabilisation (DIS) in post-processing. And because high quality video wouldn’t be high quality without audio to match, the V20 captures audio using 24-bit/48 kHz Linear Pulse Code Modulation (LPCM), the same format used in profes-sional video equipment.

And the V20 not only records Hi-Fi audio but also supports optimal playback with Hi-Fi

Quad DAC to minimise distor-tion and noise by up to 50 percent, a first for a smartphone. Its HD Audio Recorder gives users the power to create stu-dio-quality recordings using three high Acoustic Overload Point (AOP) microphones cap-ture sound with a wider dynamic frequency range.

In designing the V20’s audio features, LG collaborated once

again with renowned European audio brand B&O PLAY, the company within Bang & Olufsen that develops innovative porta-ble audio products

Still images aren’t neglected by the LG V20.

Armed with front-and rear cameras, the V20 can take wide-angle photographs with rear-facing 135-degree and front-facing 120-degree lens.

Key public projects using special paint Irfan Bukhari The Peninsula

Along other concrete steps being taken by Qatar to ensure sustainable devel-opment, ongoing

mega-structures like Metro and Qatar National Museum will be painted with environment-friendly, bacteria-resistant emulsions.

The move will not only reduce stress on the environ-ment but also save people from harmful effects of chemicals. Hempel, the company produc-ing this sustainable alternative paint, has already coated the walls of Hamad Medical City with this bacteria-resistant emulsion.

The Peninsula learnt this on the sidelines of “Qatar Green Building Conference” organised by Qatar Green Building Coun-cil which opened yesterday and will continue until November 19.

Jad Abou Fadel, Specifica-tions and Business Development Manager at Hempel said that government organisations, fol-lowing goals set in Qatar National Vision 2030, were adopting the latest hazard-free and bacteria-resistant emulsion “Topaz Zero” and the company had provided a complete coat-ing to Hamad Medical City.

He said Ashghal (Public Works Authority) also intended to use the environment-friendly

emulsion for independent schools and other government buildings. He said “Topaz Zero”, part of Hempel’s Purearth greener living range, had been designed to meet those needs.

He said the emulsion was VOC free. VOC (volatile organic compounds) are used in solvent-borne and conventional waterborne paint in different concentrations. They can con-tribute to health risk when inhaled like causing eye, skin, nose and throat irritation, head-aches, loss of coordination, nausea, dizziness, breathing dif-ficulties, asthma attack. They also contribute to poor outdoor and indoor air quality further con-tributing to global warming.

The representative of the company said that “Topaz Zero” emulsions with their environ-mental credentials and superior washability had offered the perfect solution to Hamad Med-ical City’s walls.

He said the emulsion was also bacteria-resistant and had been designed in a way that its waterborne top coat had the power to prevent growth of harmful bacteria and mould.

CNA-Q rewards top student achieversThe Peninsula

College of the North Atlan-tic – Qatar’s (CNA-Q) top students were rewarded

for their academic achievements for last year, 2015-16, with a show-stopping awards cere-mony held on November 9.

The 14th annual Awards Cer-emony was sponsored by ORYX GTL for the third year. ORYX GTL offered four very special awards to students who demonstrate academic excellence as well as a commitment to leadership, entrepreneurship, sport, and

health and wellness.Jabor Abdulla Al Kuwari, a

Business Administration – Human Resource Management student, won the ORYX GTL Aca-demic Excellence Award in Entrepreneurship. At 22 years old he started a franchise of healthy restaurants called the Diet House with his friend. Today they have four locations in Qatar and are looking to rap-idly expand.

This year, 108 students who achieved a Grade Point Average of 4.0, were entered into the Honour Society. On average, the

cumulative averages of award winners this year are higher than last year, which were higher than the year before.

Other awards presented during the ceremony included the Highest Achiever Scholar-ship, which was presented to Information Systems — Web Developer student Namreen Rabia Javlikar for her 97.32 per cent weighted average. Highest Achievers from each of the Col-lege’s Schools — Engineering Technology, Business Studies, Information Technology and Health Sciences – were also rec-

ognised with scholarships.The Awards Ceremony

opened with inspirational mes-sages from CNA-Q President Dr Ken MacLeod, and Mohamed Al Enazi, Chief Administrative Officer at ORYX GTL.

“This is one of the most rewarding events of the year. It is a delight to see so many stu-dents acknowledged for their hard work and dedication to their studies. As educators, we feel a sense of fulfilment in knowing that we helped foster the success of our students", said Dr MacLeod.

The V20 is designed for users who want to create professional-looking content.

GCC envoy to EU to deliver lecture at HBKUThe Peninsula

The College of Humani-ties and Social Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa

University (HBKU) will be hosting Ambassador Amal Al Hamad, Head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to the European Union for a pub-lic talk entitled “The GCC and the EU: Building A Strategic Partnership” at the HBKU Stu-dent Center in Education City today at 6.30pm.

The event is the inaugural Dean’s Lecture by the HBKU college, which houses the Translation and Interpreting Institute and currently offers

master’s degrees in translation studies and in audiovisual translation.

It will be hosted by Dr Amal Al Malki, Dean of HBKU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Ambassador Hamad has led the GCC dele-gation at the European Union since 2008, having previously been deputy head of mission.

Prior to that she held sen-ior roles in Kuwait’s Ministry of Information. A reception and light dinner will follow the lecture.

Those wishing to attend are asked to email the event organ-isers at [email protected].

Umm Lekhba eatery shut for 15 daysThe Peninsula

A RESTAURANT in Umm Lekhba has been closed for 15 days for selling food pre-pared in unhealthy conditions.

Doha municipality’s inspectors have also found a cafeteria in Bin Omran and a restaurant in Al Dafna violat-ing the Law No. 8 of 1990 on Regulation of Human Food Control.

The erring cafeteria was found using expired eggs in meals, and also preparing food in unhealthy conditions, while the restaurant was stor-ing food items outside.

Green Coat

Emulsion to be used by Metro and Qatar National Museum is environmentally-friendly and bacteria-resistant.


Stars of Science finalists set to fight it out

The Peninsula

With four inspiring final-ists left standing and the finale of Stars of Science Season 8 fast approaching, vast

numbers of TV viewers across the region are voting online to help choose the Arab world’s best innovator. Only one of the finalists, all of whom have captured the hearts of fans, will be able to walk away the winner. One can vote at www.star-sofscience.com. Voting concludes on Thursday at 6pm KSA/ 3pm GMT.

In order to vote, one has to visit www.starsofscience.com and click on the ‘Vote Now’ icon. Then, one can choose ones favourite innovator from the four options and cast the vote via Facebook or via email.

The four Stars of Science finalists are tantalizingly close to walking away with their share of a $600,000 cash prize, which will serve as seed funding for them to deliver their problem-solving innovations to the market. For viewers, online voting takes a matter of minutes. But the stakes have never been higher

for the finalists, who have dedicated months to developing their innovations on the show.

In the finale episode, to air on Sat-urday, at 10:30pm KSA/ 7:30pm GMT on MBC4, online voting will be combined with a vote from a panel of expert jurors to produce the results. Online voting will count for 50 percent of a candidate’s score, while jury vote will count for the remaining 50 percent.

The first place winner will earn $300,000, while his competitors will earn $150,000, $100,000, and $50,000 respectively depending on rank.

Stars of Science has proven popu-lar among audiences, earning over 8.5 million views on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram from this season alone.

Over four million unique users have engaged with the show’s channels online this season.

For longtime fans of the show, the slate of four candidates provides the toughest choice ever in a Stars of Sci-ence finale. Voters must choose between Abderrahim Bourouis of Algeria, the dependable engineer who created Won-derkit, a smart autism shirt, the disciplined martial arts master Ghassan Yusuf of Bahrain, with Take One, his auto scoring and management system for Taekwondo, Sadeem Qdaisat of Jor-dan, the determined medical researcher with GenomiQ, the automated slide dropping in genetic testing, and Sevag Babikian of Lebanon, the engineering perfectionist who invented Modifix, an efficient desktop 3D printer.

The Peninsula

A public talk will be held at the Educa-tion City tomorrow

to discuss about a smart autism shirt that could detect, monitor and calm children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who may suffer from extreme anxiety and panic attacks.

Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), one of Hamad Bin Khal-ifa University’s (HBKU’s) three national research institutes, and Stars of Science are inviting the pub-lic to a talk by Dr Abderrahim Bourouis, an Algerian engineer who was recently announced as one of four finalists in Stars of Science, the flag-ship ‘edutainment reality’ TV format initiated by Qatar Foundation .

The talk will take place in the mul-tipurpose room at the HBKU Research Complex in Education City, at 9am.

Dr Bourouis will speak to attend-ees about ‘Wonderkit’ which he has been developing on Stars of Science.

Dr Bourouis said, “I am very proud to be showcasing Wonderkit as a final-ist. My hope is to develop Wonderkit for the wearable technologies market and improve the daily lives of fami-lies affected by autism – with it now

becoming a reality, autistic children and their families will have a great resource.” “During the development phase of the innovation, Qatar Foun-dation and the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute at Hamad bin Kha-lifa University gave the Wonderkit continuous support in every aspect. I would like to thank them sincerely for making this project possible. I am also grateful to the end users that trusted me and gave me feedback on the innovation.”

QBRI played a key role in further-ing the aspiring innovator’s work by granting him Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to test his prod-uct. The institute conducts specialised research targeting the improvement of healthcare in Qatar and the region..

The four Stars of Science finalists.

Smart shirt to help kids with ASD

‘Wonderkit’ developed by Dr Abderrahim Bourouis.

Qatar warns travellers to India on currency crisisQNA

AN OFFICIAL source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that India has cancelled its old currency of Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes and issued new currency notes of Rs500 and Rs2,000, which came into effect last Thursday.

In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the source urged all Qatari citi-zens or residents in Qatar wishing to travel to India to take the financial receipt of currency exchange from Indian money changers and make sure that it is a new cur-rency as a hedge against accountability for the source of the cash.

The source noted that Indian law does not allow bringing Indian currency from outside the country and allows US$ 10,000 of foreign currency.

Ford Ranger models recalledThe Peninsula

THE MINISTRY of Economy and Commerce, in collabora-tion with Al Mana Motors Company, dealer of Ford vehicles in Qatar, has announced the recall of Ford Ranger model year 2012-2015 over a potential defect in the rear folding seatback latch spring since it may break causing the latch mechanism to malfunction

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

The ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and repair.

MMR immunisation campaign extended until Nov 30The Peninsula

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has extended the ongoing national immuni-

sation campaign against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), until November 30.

The ministry received a number of requests asking for the extension of the campaign, according to officials.

Some 150,000 children have been vaccinated as part of the ongoing immunisation drive that

began here October 17. The cam-paign has covered 320 schools which include 214 government schools and 106 private ones.

The drive has been a suc-cess with huge demand from parents to vaccinate their chil-dren. Added to this, the vaccination unit at MoPH has been receiving high volume of phone calls requesting the extension of the campaign activities. So the ministry decided to extend the campaign at the level of various

healthcare facilities till the end of the month.

Parents can take their chil-dren to get vaccinated in all primary healthcare facilities in Qatar, Qatar petroleum medical centres, the Ras Gas health facil-ities in Al Khor region and various private healthcare facilities.

MoPH has urged all parents with children between the age of one and 13 years who were not yet vaccinated as part of the campaign to take their children

to any of the medical facilities to avail the booster dose free of charge. This is to ensure maxi-mum immunity in the children and to put check on the diseases.

MoPH has ensured that the campaign complies with the highest standards and highest quality in vaccination adminis-tration. This has had great impact on the fact that no serious side effects have been recorded even with the high number of children being vaccinated daily.

The campaign is part of Qatar’s efforts to eliminate mumps, measles and rubella by 2020, which is in line with World health Organisation’s targets. Though according to Qatar’s vac-cination schedules, children should be given two MMR shots at 12 and 18 months of age, a few of the children do not develop sufficient immunity against the diseases after the first or the sec-ond dose. Hence the third MMR booster dose is important, according to MoPH officials.

Participants at the two-day workshop on labour rights.

Workshop on labour rights heldThe Peninsula

Labour rights are integral part of human rights which are indivisible rights which

all states are required to respect in order to make people enjoy equal rights and protections, said a senior official from the Qatar National Human Rights Committee.

Speaking at the two-day workshop on “labour’s rights” ending today, Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah, NHRC Sec-retary General said the aim of the workshop is to raise aware-ness about labour rights and means of its protection at local, regional and global levels, along highlighting the key role of national institutions and civil society organisations in

enhancing these rights. The workshop was organised by NHRC and Regional Office of Asia-Pacific Forum (APF) in Doha with the aim of enhanc-ing the culture of human rights among the members of national human rights institutions in the countries exporting and receiv-ing expatriate workers.

The unlimited cooperation of QNHRC shows it is commit-ted to disseminate the culture of human rights at local and regional levels, said Kieren Fit-zpatrick, Director of the APF secretariat.

Protection of the rights of the expatriate workers is essen-tial everywhere in the world not only in Qatar, Keiren said add-ing that the number of migrant workers has doubled within the

past 50 years. ILO has estimated the number of migrant workers in 2014 by 214 million account-ing for 3 percent of the world’s population. More than 90 per cent of these are workers who have migrated with their fami-lies and the overlap between living conditions and social environments will become key factor increasing the number of expatriate workers in the com-ing decades he added.

The workshop was held to support the role of national human rights institutions in the countries exporting and import-ing labours and these institutions can cooperate with each other to set up polices helping to protect the rights of the migrant workers and their families.

QC implements 35 plans in Burkina FasoThe Peninsula

Qatar charity has imple-m e n t e d 3 5 i n c o m e - g e n e r a t i n g

projects for poor people in dif-ferent areas of Burkina Faso.

At least 26,368 most deserving poor people includ-ing widows and people with special needs were financed to set up small business to earn their livelihoods.

The project included distri-bution of 20 bicycles and 10 truck ploughs to needy fami-lies. The beneficiaries also received help in setting up four shops and a grain mill.

The income-generating

projects are the best way to fight poverty all over the world, said Eng Khalid Abdullah Al Yafei, the Executive Director for Operations Department at Qatar charity. Many develop-ment organisations including the United Nations carry out income-generating activities to increase the living standards of the poorest groups of popula-tion in the world.

He added that the income-generating projects reduced the suffering of the poor and low-income people suffering from job crises due to lack of employment opportunities and reduce their reliance on aid materials.

A farmer receiving agricultural equipment under an empowerment scheme run by Qatar Charity in Burkina Faso.

Innovation Pitch

The four finalists are tantalizingly close to walking away with their share of a $600,000 cash prize, which will serve as seed funding for them to deliver their problem-solving innovations to the market.


Rise in number of dhows at festival

Raynald C Rivera The Peninsula

There has been an increase in the number of dhows participating in the sixth

Katara Traditional Dhow Festi-val – a vital event in Katara’s calendar to keep youth con-nected with history amid new technology, Katara General Manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti told The Peninsula yesterday.

“The number of participat-ing boats has increased from 110 the previous year to 118 this year. We are now talking beyond numbers because every year numbers are increasing,” said Al Sulaiti, stressing the importance of the festival not only to Qatar but the Gulf region.

“Rarely you will find insti-tutions that look after this aspect of our cultural heritage so this is something that Katara takes

care of because we consider it a significant part of our coun-try’s history and the people’s lives in the Gulf especially in Qatar,” he told this daily.

Al Sulaiti was speaking on the sidelines of a press confer-ence to announce the details of the five-day festival which opens tomorrow on Katara Beach.

He underlined the impor-tance of keeping the new generation in touch with their rich maritime heritage and of reminding them of the history of their forefathers through the festival and the profusion of events to be held in line with it.

This edition of the festival is set to witness action through maritime tournaments such as rowing, diving, Al-Ghazl, Al-Hadaq, Al-Lufah, in addition to the two new contests boat launching and Al-Nahmah.

“The number of events and competitions has also increased. We are introducing a number of new features such as Al Nah-mah, which traces back in the past when pearl divers used to take someone with a nice voice to entertain them onboard as a way to pass time as they embark on a long voyage to the sea,” explained Al Sulaiti.

A highlight of the festival will be the announcement of the

third Fath Al Kheir journey at the end of the festival, said Al Sulaiti.

In its first two editions, the journey has taken the 33-year-old Fath Al Kheir dhow to Oman and India to revive the centu-ries-old maritime heritage Qatar shares with neighbouring countries.

There will also be morning field trips for international and Arab schools organised by Katara in bid to promote aware-ness about the maritime rich legacy of Qatar and the Gulf, in addition to sea trips from 3pm to 9pm taking passengers from the Pearl to Katara Beach.

There will also be newly-designed events in place to attract a large public turnout of all age categories and nationalities.

Spectators can watch the Al-Dasha (opening) tomorrow at 3:30pm on Katara Beach. Over 230 participants from the GCC and India and more than 118 dhows of all kinds have regis-tered for the festival.

There will be stalls selling traditional handicrafts created by the region’s best artisans, some known as the Wadaj, Al-Tawash profession, Alyal, Al-yezaf, Laskar, Al-Zarafah, Al-Hadhrah, Al-Qalafah and falaq among others.

The traditional cafe will welcome audiences interested in meeting Qatari and Gulf researchers for a glimpse on the deeply-rooted maritime herit-age and listening to narration of epic stories.

A number of cultural activ-ities will be staged including traditional shows inspired by the maritime legacy of the region featuring performers from Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

As in previous editions, there will be fine art and pho-tography competitions open to citizens and residents in and outside Qatar.

Maritime Culture

Katara Traditional Dhow Festival is set to witness action through maritime tournaments such as rowing, diving, Al-Ghazl, Al-Hadaq, and Al-Lufah.

Katara General Manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti durign a press meet at Katara yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin/ The Peninsula

Two children receiving education and food supplies provided by RAF in Yemen.

RAF starts QR1.2m project in YemenThe Peninsula

Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitar-ian Services (RAF) has

launched a fresh initiative at a cost of QR1.2m to create educa-tional opportunities for poor students in Yemen.

The project is financed by the Endowment Fund of Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani for charity works. The project cre-ated educational opportunities for 976 poor students and finan-cial supports to their 704 families in four governorates of Yemen: Aden, Lahaj, Abin and Al Dale .

RAF partnered with local authorities, charity organisa-tions and schools to help enrol

school dropouts and those who could not access education facil-ities due to financial reasons. They were given textbooks, bags, stationery and school uniforms.

The families of the benefi-ciary students are being provided food baskets for a year so they could send their children to school and not to work.

The initiative is part of the ongoing project ‘Al Ghaza W Al Nur (Food and Light)’ being exe-cuted by RAF, in collaboration with Unicef and the UN World Food Program (WFP).

The plan is to provide basic food items to needy families on a monthly basis so that they could send their children to school. The beneficiary families

were suffering from extreme poverty. They could not send their children to schools due to financial reasons, said Dr Zaid Al Naqib, Chairman of Jusur foundation for development solution, RAF’s local partner in Yemen. The project 'food and light' aims at sending back school dropouts and those who are depriving from such facili-ties due to poverty, he added.

'Food & Light' initiative pro-vides needy families with basic food items on a monthly basis for one year so they could send their children to school.

Small development projects are also being launched to pro-vide livelihood for needy families like groceries and supermarkets among others.

Awards applications deadline todayThe Peninsula

The organising Commit-tee of the 10th edition of the Scientific Excellence

Awards 2016 said today is the deadline for submitting appli-cations for the award held annually under the patronage of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin

Hamad Al Thani. The Depart-ment of Public Relations and Communication at the Ministry of Education and Higher Edu-cation said it has received many applications since the announcement of the award at the end of September. The pub-lic relations department of the ministry is entitled to receive

applications from nominees of the elementary, preparatory and secondary school levels.

While Qatar University has also received many applications from graduates, Education City and scholarship students.

The awards are given every year to honour outstanding stu-dents in Qatar.

HMC honours outstanding medical physicistsThe Peninsula

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) marked the International Day of Medical Physics recently by hon-

ouring outstanding medical physicists.They were hounored with HMC’s

‘Medical Physicist of the Year’ Award in recognition of their contribution to the science of radiation during a celebra-tory event organised by the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Department at

HMC. More than 100 healthcare profes-sionals including medical physicists, biomedical engineers, radiographers, oncologists, radiologists, nuclear med-icine specialists, technicians and radiation safety officers were present at the event.

Medical physicists assess radiation doses and associated risks to patients and personnel, especially to pregnant women and children. In addition, med-ical physicists play an important role in

radiation protection education and training of healthcare professionals, and also participate in research and devel-opment to improve patient care.

International Day of Medical Physics aims to raise awareness of the role that medical physicists play in patient care. The theme for the day this year is ‘Education in Medical Physics – the Key to Success.’

Dr Huda Al Naemi, Executive Direc-tor of HMC’s OHS Department and Vice President of the Middle East Federation

of Organizations of Medical Physics (MEFOMP) said, “Because of their com-plex and highly specialized work, medical physicists are required to obtain an advanced postgraduate degree and then undergo specialized clinical training in one or more medical physics disciplines, such as radiation oncology, diagnostic and interventional radiology, nuclear medicine and radiation protection.

"Due to this high level of training, we are very confident that our medical

physicists will continue to positively contribute to the safe and accurate use of radiation to achieve the best possible outcome of the prescribed medical pro-cedure for either diagnosis or therapy.” The OHS Department, in collaboration with MEFOMP and the European Fed-eration of Organizations of Medical Physics also organised a scientific work-shop in observance of the day, which was initiated by the International Organ-ization for Medical Physics.

375 recruitment agencies in QatarContinued from page 1

“Every Qatari house has a min-imum of three domestic helps as we talk about maids, nannies, driv-ers, cooks, guards and gardeners who are under the law No 14/2004 and the ministerial decision No8/2005,” said Al Kaabi.

There are 375 manpower recruitment agencies in Qatar, said Al Kaabi, emphasising that major-ity of the employers are signing the contracts with the agencies even without reading the contents.

The contract grants the employer the right to specify duration of recruitment, specifi-cations, salary and violations of the contract. The employer is enti-tled for a refund of all the expenses from the agents within the first three months of recruit-ment, in case he wants to return the employee.

After the three months of guar-antee under the ministry, the parties need to refer the case to other competent authorities including the Ministry of Interior, said Al Kaabi.

The law has stipulated three months of guarantee during which the employer can return the domestic worker if he/she did not meet the specifications mentioned in the contract, found unfit, did not pass security screening or refused to handle the given job.

Al Kaabi said that some employers return the worker to the hiring agency within the three months period and take back their money without informing the ministry and this prompts the agency to find another job for the maid.

Regarding hiring charges, Afifa said that there is no fixed price, and foreign hiring agencies impose the

prices they want depending on the demands they get from different counties and nationalities but Qatar remains the best in terms of charges compared to the neigh-boring counties.

Recruitment fees range from QR 8000 to QR16,000 depending on the nationalities.

The profit margin of the agents range from 20 to 25 percent ,said Afifa, adding that any reduction in prices is deducted from this margin because they cannot impose prices on the foreign offices.

The public reaction on the topic varied, with some saying recruiting charges have reached a record (QR18,000 to 22,000) for some nationalities. One of the par-ticipants suggested that the hiring offices bring the domestic helps to Qatar and then the employers hire them from the local agencies.

Egypt mourns film star Mahmoud Abdel AzizCairo

AFP

Egypt yesterday mourned film star Mah-moud Abdel Aziz who died aged 70 after a prolific career that included more than

90 feature films, many with searing social messages.

Culture Minister Helmy El Nemnem described Abdel Aziz as a "magician", using the title of one of the actor's box office hits, and said the country had lost a "great artist".

His death on Saturday was announced by Sameh Al Sirity from the Egyptian Actors' Syndicate.

Abdel Aziz died on Saturday evening "in hospital in Cairo, at the end of his fight against illness", he said.

Yesterday a star-studded funeral was held for the actor in a Cairo suburb before his body was flown to his home town in the coastal city of Alexandria for burial. Mourners including

film stars Ezzat Al Alayli and Elham Chahine surrounded his wife, popular television host Poussy Chalabi, and his sons, producer Mohamed and actor Karim for the final farewell.

Abdel Aziz was born in June 1946 in Alex-andria, where he graduated from university with a degree in agronomy.

He cut his teeth in a string of television series before making the leap to the big screen, and went on to work under some of Egypt's most celebrated directors.

One of them, realist filmmaker Daoud Abdel Sayed, gave him perhaps one of his great-est roles.

In the 1991 film "Al Kit-Kat", Abdel Aziz played an eccentric blind religious cleric who dreams of riding a motorcycle. Although a com-edy, the work was critically acclaimed for its searing social commentary.

"Egyptian cinema has lost a great actor," Abdel Sayed told AFP.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has made an impassioned and desperate plea to President-elect Donald Trump not to wreck the global climate deal which was signed

after years of hard work. Kerry said the majority of Americans believed that climate change was happening and that they supported the deal. “We will wait to see how the next administration addresses this but I believe we’re on the right track and this is a track that the American people are committed to,” Kerry told reporters on a trip to New Zealand. Kerry spoke after a visit to Antarctica, where he took a helicopter ride to view the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Kerry’s plea comes amid reports that Trump is looking at quick ways of withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement in defiance of growing international support for the plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

A source in the President-elect’s transition team was quoted as saying Trump was considering ways to bypass a theoretical four-year procedure for leaving the accord. The Paris agreement was reached by

almost 200 nations in December and has been formally ratified by 109 representing 76 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, including the United States with 18 percent.

Trump has made a U-turn on a number of controversial issues after getting elected, but he hasn’t yet changed his views on climate change. He has labelled climate

change a hoax and threatened to pull out of the Paris climate deal as early as possible, sending shockwaves throughout the world. The US pullout from the deal would have huge consequences and can weaken the agreement.

It will be a mockery of the hard work of thousands of diplomats who had negotiated for years to arrive at this deal, and will deal a lethal blow to the efforts of thousands of climate activists and scientists who helped create public awareness about the dangers of climate change and pushed governments to sign the agreement.

The climate issue is too important to be left to Trump’s ignorance and whimsical decisions because the future of our planet is at stake. Americans and the rest of the world must oppose Trump’s plan to quit the Paris deal.

Many nations have expressed hopes that the United States will stay, but such optimism is not enough and must be followed by intense pressure on Trump and his Republican party. It will be quite unfortunate if a superpower which should be setting an example to other nations takes a reactionary and dangerous decision on an issue like climate change.

10 MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 VIEWS

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

[email protected]

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

[email protected]

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORHUSSAIN AHMAD

[email protected]

Saving climate deal

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The European Union is trying to compel us to withdraw from this (accession) process. If they don’t want us they should be clear about this, they should make a decision.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkish President

Washington should not withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

Anyone interested in how the United States president-elect Donald Trump will fill in the many blanks in his foreign policy should keep an eye on the Mid-

dle East — the most dramatic convergence point of ongoing American military engage-ments and Russia’s foreign policy.

Russia and its leader President Vladimir Putin is also the issue on which Trump has spoken with perhaps the most clarity and specificity, amid his otherwise vague and often changing foreign policy positions.

Syria, in particular, is where Trump’s emphatic “America-first” principles and his disdain for promoting regime change and nation-building abroad naturally line up with two of his expressed views: The US should get out of the war in Syria and avoid destabilising more Middle Eastern countries, and the US should work with Putin to defeat terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

What to expect?Putin was one of the first foreign leaders

to congratulate Trump on November 9, noting specifically that Russia and the US shared a special responsibility to “sustain global stabil-ity and security”. It played well into Trump’s statement from last summer: “Wouldn’t it be nice if we got together with Russia and knocked the hell out of ISIL?”

Trump also has not explicitly criticised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its annexa-tion of Crimea, suggesting that he might be comfortable with returning to a Cold War-type unofficial agreement on spheres of influence for the two great powers.

Trump’s penchant to work with Putin, and even Bashar Al Assad, aligns with another aspect of his anticipated foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere, which is his respect or even admiration for “strong leaders”.

This could signal closer relations with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Egypt, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey, or even Assad in Syria.

They might form the nucleus of a loose fraternity of leaders in the Middle East that allows the US to continue its decades-old policy of favouring “stability” under strong leaders to democratic transformations and civil rights.

President-elect Trump’s naming of his foreign policy and national security teams should clarify further his foreign policy direc-tion, which has been quite vague on a number of issues during the past 18 months of campaigning.

He has been clear, however, on his respect for Putin as a strong leader, his desire to coordinate with Russia where possible (such as fighting ISIL and

What will Trump do on Syria?Rami G KhouriAl Jazeera

“stabilising” Syria), his preference to refrain from criticising human rights violations in increasingly authoritar-ian regimes in the region and to keep the US out of local conflicts that only destabilise countries (such as Libya, Yemen, and Syria).

Part of this posture reflects his own “America first” attitude on alliances such as Nato, whose other members he thinks should pay more of the alli-ance’s costs, and on renegotiating global trade agreements, so that the US benefits as much as others do. Part of it also responds to a clear aversion among Americans to more foreign wars and entanglements by the US.

The Syrian angleOne of the first places he could put

this into action would be Syria, by coor-dinating with Putin to attack ISIL and also allowing Assad to remain in power, even in a rump Syrian state that shares sovereignty with rebel groups in the north of the country.

Trump said in one presidential debate: “I don’t like Assad at all, but Assad is killing ISIL. Russia is killing

ISIL and Iran is killing ISIL,” indicating that he would worry less about consistent American relationships in the Middle East, and

more about defeating ISIL and getting the US out of the region.

Trump has declared his desire to strike hard at ISIL in Syria and Iraq, without offering any views on whether the US would play any subsequent role in stabilising both countries.

Presumably his incumbency will educate him on the complexities of these situations on the ground.

His main aim seems to be to resume some calm in war-torn lands in a manner that allows the US to withdraw its troops from them, even if this means maintaining regimes such as Assad’s and ceding big power influence there to Russia.

He explicitly told an interviewer in October that he prioritised defeating ISIL over removing Assad from power.

What is not clear is how Trump would resolve the contradictions of maintaining Assad in power, which Assad’s ally Iran would welcome, with its plan to renegotiate the nuclear agreement with Iran.

He would also have to figure out how to accommodate the desire of regional allies such as Turkey, Jordan, and most Arab Gulf states, to topple the Syrian president.

Trump clearly will respond to such tests by affirming what he feels is best for the US, regardless of the consequences in the Middle East, perhaps, in part because he can focus on addressing American domestic challenges only by end-ing the US’ expensive legacy of fighting non-stop wars in the region for the past 35 years.

The writer is a senior public policy fellow at the Issam Fares Institute at the Ameri-can University of Beirut and a non-resident senior fellow at Harvard University Kennedy School.

Trump has declared his desire to strike hard at ISIL in Syria and Iraq, without offering any views on whether the US would play any subsequent role in stabilising both countries.

ED ITOR IAL

Syrian children walk around the camp grounds during a sandstorm at a temporary refugee camp in the village of Ain Issa.

Theresa May’s Brexit gambit

No one had a plan for this. Neither Brexit campaigners nor the government made any contingency plan for

how Britain’s exit from the European Union would be organised, or on what terms, if the majority of people voted to leave. So why is Theresa May in such a big hurry?

No one had a plan for this. Neither Brexit campaigners nor the govern-ment made any contingency plan for how Britain’s exit from the European Union would be organised, or on what terms, if the majority of people voted to leave. So why is Theresa May in such a big hurry?

Once the result was in, the Con-servative establishment moved quickly to install a leadership that could be trusted with its management. David Cameron resigned as prime minister and Conservative leader.

His former ally and the Home Sec-retary Theresa May was piloted into power after potential rivals, the clown-ish Boris Johnson and the hard-right fund manager Andrea Leadsom, were forced to stand down.

May was no Brexiter. She had been quietly on the Remain side, and had given a private speech to Goldman

Sachs warning of the dire economic consequences of leaving the European Union. But she was also preparing her leadership bid, and knew that in the event that she had a chance to stand, she would have to shred her liberal, modernising credentials and come out as a new model reactionary.

This strategy was cleverly epito-mised in her recent speech to the Conservative Party’s annual confer-ence, in which she laid into immigration but also promised to use the power of government to defend working-class people, while attacking tax dodgers and multinationals.

By articulating a right-wing, nationalist version of Jeremy Corbyn’s class language, she hoped to tap into popular discontents, squeeze out the UK Independence Party (UKIP) as a right-wing challenger, and use racism to cut into Labour’s electoral base.

Currently, her government has the support of more than 40 percent of the population, a level of support rarely achieved by the Conservatives in recent decades. This is remarkable, given that her government has over-seen a sharp fall in the value of the currency, to its lowest levels since 1985, food prices are likely to soar, and the property market - at the centre of a growth system based on speculation and debt — is set to flatline.

No right to use prerogative powerSo why, then, did she set herself up

for such a dramatic failure in the High Court last week? Having come into

office with no plan for leaving the EU, May promised “Brexit means Brexit”.

She adopted a timetable for leaving based on triggering Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, giving notification of the intention to leave, by March next year. She claimed that she could do this without consulting parliament by invoking royal prerogative powers.

These powers derive from the Crown, and in principle give the mon-arch a great deal of power to make decisions.

In practice, it is usually used by the executive in Downing Street in matters of defence and national security - a legacy of empire. But, as the High Court ruled, the prime minister had no right to use prerogative power in this case. May is a sophisticated, shrewd operator, but she almost gives the impression of being a ham-fisted, UKIP-style pugilist. Unless, that is, the result was actually a success for her.

If we were to work on the hypothe-sis that she still agrees with the views that she outlined before and during the referendum, then her task is to engineer the softest possible Brexit while appear-ing to give the right-wing what it wants.

In British politics, “hard Brexit” has come to mean leaving the EU and the single market, and ending the free movement of labour to and from the UK. “Soft Brexit” means leaving the EU, but retaining access to Britain’s biggest trading partner — accounting for 44 percent of UK exports, and 53 percent of imports, in 2015. Hard Brexit would

be devastating for business (and almost everyone else), while soft Brexit would necessitate British acceptance of some form of free movement of labour.

Since immigration was the big issue galvanising Brexit, Theresa May has claimed to put immigration con-trols ahead of having access to the single market. There is a harsh irony in that. For many of those who supported Brexit, controlling immigration was supposed to spare jobs and resources for hard-press British workers.

In practice, punishing immigrants now matters more than people having work or enough to eat.

But May’s apparently gauche invo-cation of prerogative powers may have been subtler than anyone realised. There is a strong likelihood now that her government will be “forced” to bring legislation to parliament before triggering Article 50. This allows for all sorts of delaying motions, as well as making it more likely that the process will result in a “soft” Brexit.

What is more, May will not have to take responsibility for any of it. She can blame the opposition parties, above all Labour, for sabotaging sincere govern-ment efforts to fulfil the democratic will. Of course it is just possible that May doesn’t know what she’s doing and is essentially stumbling around in the dark. Pundits often don’t make enough room for that aspect of politi-cal life. But May’s record is far more suggestive of guile than ineptitude, and this looks like a gambit that paid off.

11MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 OPINION

Richard Seymour Al Jazeera

In a major move of its kind, Bangladesh and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening investment and production capacity

cooperation in mid-October, with Bang-ladesh set to receive $24.45bn in bilateral assistance from China for 34 projects and programs.

Combined with a further $13.6bn in Chinese investment in the form of 13 joint ventures, the sum of $38.05bn is the big-gest ever assistance pledged to Bangladesh by any single country.

The agreement is part of Chinese Pres-ident Xi Jinping’s initiative to promote and implement China’s Silk road economic belt under its ambitious Belt and Road Initia-tive — a trade and infrastructure network for connecting at least 60 Asian countries with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

The agreement is highly significant, not just because of the purported eco-nomic benefits that it will bring to both Bangladesh and China, but also because of the substantial geopolitical implications that it portends. This becomes all the more important in light of the changing political and economic dynamics within the South Asian region, shaped by the interests of emerging superpowers, such as India, in addition to those of existing heavyweights, such as China and the United States.

Back in March, Bangladesh and India signed a $2bn agreement to implement socio-economic development projects in Bangladesh and strengthen bilateral rela-tions, in what had been hailed as the “biggest line of credit that India had extended to any country so far”.

At the time, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the move as “clever and unexpected”, and a “checkbook coup” that would bowl the Bangladeshis com-pletely in the face of China’s checkbook diplomacy.

Furthermore, in accordance with the “Make in India” policy of Modi — whereby under the line of credit a minimum of 75 percent of goods and services needs to be of Indian origin and must be procured from India — the agreement is expected to create 50,000 jobs in India.

The latest Bangladesh-China agree-ment, however, dwarfs that, leading to speculation of a “zero-sum game” being played out between India and China over Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, dismissed that when

How huge China investment in Bangladesh affects region

Mohammad Hossain Anatolia

asked October 14 in an interview with Indian daily The Hindu whether that investment could jeopardize ties with India.

Hasina said Bangladesh would maintain “good relations with everyone”.

“The purchasing power of our people will increase, and who will be the bigger beneficiary of that in our region? India. India is best poised to benefit from the Bangladeshi market.”

Despite China’s deep pockets, its interests in Bangladesh are less stra-tegic and more economic and commercial. Unlike India, whose relationship with Bangladesh is stra-tegic-cum-military, and is seen as a mark of its supremacy and ambitions in the South Asian and Indian Ocean regions.

This apparent competition between India and China over Bang-ladesh is part of a much wider rift between the two countries on the international stage.

In what can only be termed as conflicts of political and economic interests of two rising superpow-ers, India’s Look East policy, which aims to balance India’s relationship with the West and the East, are at odds with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Moreover, India is not keen on the idea of joining in on Beijing’s proposed economic corridor link-ing Bangladesh, Myanmar, China

and Northern India as part of the Belt and Road initiative.

The tensions between the two countries were evident in the context of the recently held BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) conference in Goa, India, where the issue of Pakistan figured in pivotal terms in defining Sino-India relations.

China’s strong ties with Pakistan via the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, its move towards blocking India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its blocking of India’s attempt to add Masood Azhar to the UN’s list of terrorists, clearly sets the tone from its side.

India, on the other hand, has had deteriorating ties with Pakistan, most recently over the issue of Kash-mir and its refusal to join the South Asian Association for Regional Coop-eration (SAARC) summit in Pakistan, and its emphasis towards trying to strengthen strategic ties with the US and Russia, instead of China.

Moreover, the BRICS-BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Outreach Summit, held after the main BRICS summit Oct. 16, was more than a move towards potential synergizing between the two frameworks — it was meant to signal the rise of India as the “leader” of BIMSTEC while at the same time downplay-ing the continued relevance of

SAARC in light of the increasingly strained India-Pakistan relations.

It is in this context that the Chi-nese move to woo Bangladesh, traditionally seen as a strong Indian ally in the subcontinent, through massive investments, will be of con-cern to India.

India’s growing strategic relations with the United States — itself histor-ically more of an ally of Pakistan instead of China — speaks volumes regarding how India perceives its relationship with China.

Incidentally, recent US-Paki-stan relations have been relatively weak compared to US-India rela-tions, considering the strategic weight of India vis-a-vis China in the eyes of the US.

Former US Ambassador to India Frank Wisner, speaking at a recent Conference on Foreign Relations (CFR) event entitled New Geopoli-tics of China, India, and Pakistan,

said India was “hugely important” in maintaining a balance of power throughout the Asia Pacific for the United States, and that it was a two-way street.

“India sees the United States and its relationship with us as part of its ability to secure itself in the long term and manage its own relations with a rising Chinese power,” Wis-ner said.

In the meantime, the role of Bang-ladesh has not been just that of a passive recipient of foreign develop-mental aid from either India or China.

The government of Sheikh Hasina has actively responded to Modi’s Look East policy, the most recent manifes-tations of which have been its being part of a coordinated effort at boycott-ing the now-postponed SAARC summit in Pakistan and its pro-India stance on the issue of unrest in Kashmir.

At the same time, Bangladesh has balanced its act with China through bilateral trade; China is the largest trade partner of Bangladesh, while Bangladesh is the third largest trade partner for China in South Asia.

In this light, a close Bangladesh-China partnership, whether as part of increased BRICS-BIMSTEC economic cooperation or the proper utilization of the recent Chinese funds as planned, will surely ensure continued close, if not greater, Bangladesh-China collaboration in the future.

Bangladesh premier Hasina, now in her seventh consecutive year in power, can be credited with setting up a stable regime in Dhaka, through

tight control on socio-economic activities, activities of the political opposition and the media.

Stable long-ruling auto-cratic governments have long been seen as conducive to trade and developmental activities in the Asian region, and recent investment activity alludes to the realisation of just that perception.

Another of the wild cards in terms of regional diplomacy is the role that counterterrorism can play in bringing countries closer, and Bangladesh’s recent counterterrorism efforts have resonated with regional and glo-bal powers India, China and the US, despite being criticised by international human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International as being sweeping and misdirected at political opponents.

The political opposition in Bangladesh, namely the Bangla-desh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamists led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, have not been able to effectively counter or cir-cumvent the strict and at times oppressive measures of the government.

Their lack of strong alternative leadership and farsighted planning, coupled with a strong government clampdown on political opposition, has rendered them weak and una-ble to carve a voice in the rapidly changing dynamics of the country or the region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) meets with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed in Beijing, capital of China.

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12 MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 MIDDLE EAST

Kuwaitis attend a campaign meeting for Islamist and former MP Adel Al Damkhi, in Kuwait City, yesterday ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election. A total of 454 candidates, including 15 women, have registered to stand for election to the 50-seat parliament.

Poll campaign

Baghdad

AFP

Iraqi forces said yesterday they had recaptured the Nimrud area, the site of an ancient Assyrian city blown up by the Islamic State (IS)

group, as they battled the mili-tants south of Mosul.

Iraqi troops pushed towards Nimrud last week as they pressed an offensive launched on Octo-ber 17 to recapture Iraq's second city, which the jihadists seized along with swathes of Iraq and Syria in mid-2014.

A Kurdish-Arab alliance is pursuing a twin offensive against the other major city still under IS control, Raqa in Syria, and a US-led coalition is backing both assaults with air strikes.

Yesterday, Iraq's Joint Opera-tions Command (JOC) said troops had retaken the Nimrud area and another village southeast of the famed archeological site. "Units of the 9th Armoured Division com-pletely liberate the Nimrud (area) and raise the Iraqi flag over the buildings," the JOC said in a state-ment. It did not specifically mention the Nimrud archaeolog-ical site, which is located a little more than a kilometre west of the village that bears its name.

Nimrud was the one of the great centres of the ancient Mid-dle East. Founded in the 13th century BC, it became the capi-tal of the Assyrian empire, whose rulers built vast palaces and monuments that have drawn archaeologists for more than 150 years. In April last year, IS posted

video on the Internet of its fight-ers smashing monuments before planting explosives around the site and blowing it up.

It was part of a campaign of destruction against heritage sites under jihadist control that also took in ancient Nineveh on the outskirts of Mosul, Hatra in the desert to the south and Palmyra in neighbouring Syria.

IS says the ancient monu-ments are idols that violate the teachings of its extreme form of Sunni Islam but has still sold artefacts to fund its operations.

The Iraqi offensive has seen federal forces and Kurdish pesh-merga fighters advance on Mosul from the east, south and north.

The elite Counter-Terrorism Services (CTS) have pushed into the eastern outskirts of Mosul, with heavy fighting in recent days. Commanders had said on Saturday that the clashes were "intense", in particular as they prepared to surround the dense neighbourhood of Al Bakr.

In neighbouring Syria, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia alliance has moved to about 30km from Raqa since launching its offensive a week ago. Commanders have said the SDF is close to complet-ing a first phase of the operation to surround and isolate Raqa before launching an assault on the city itself.

The jihadists are putting up fierce resistance in both Mosul and Raqqa, and military com-manders have warned of long and difficult battles ahead.

Turkey has launched its own operation against IS just south of its border in Syria and a monitor said Sunday that Ankara-backed rebels had neared the IS strong-hold of Al Bab. The rebels had moved to about two kilometres (just over a mile) from Al Bab, as Turkish forces targeted the town with artillery fire and air strikes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Istanbul

AFP

ACCUSING Brussels of want-ing Turkey to abandon its bid to join the EU, Turkish Pres-ident Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted in an interview pub-lished yesterday he might put the question to a referendum.

"The European Union is trying to compel us to with-draw from this (accession) process. If they don't want us they should be clear about this, they should make a deci-sion," Erdogan told the leading daily Hurriyet.

"Our patience is not end-less. If need be, later, we could also consult our peo-ple," he said, alluding to the UK's Brexit referendum in June.

Turkey's bid to join the EU dates back to the 1960s with formal talks starting in 2005. But the process has been mired in problems, which current tensions have done nothing to help.

Rocky relations between Ankara and the EU became even more strained in the wake of the failed coup in Turkey in July.

Since then, some 35,000 people have been arrested and tens of thousands more have lost their jobs — includ-ing military officers, judges, teachers, civil servants and journalists — in a sweeping crackdown against alleged supporters of those behind the coup.

More than 100 journalists have been arrested while 170 media outlets including newspapers and broadcast-ers have been closed down, according to the Turkey Jour-nalists' Association.

"Some people are saying we should lift the state of emergency. Why would we lift it now?" Erdogan told Hurriyet.

Abu Dhabi

AFP

The United Arab Emirates urged US president-elect Donald Trump yesterday

to increase his country's involve-ment in the Middle East and adopt an "overarching strategy" towards developments in the turmoil-hit region.

"Washington's weight and influence remains more impor-tant than ever," said Anwar Gargash, minister of state for

foreign affairs in the UAE, a long-time Washington ally.

"Following eight years of weakened American engage-ment in the region, which many feel has created a disconcerting vacuum, it looks like we will have to wait a little longer until the contours of president-elect Trump's approach" becomes clearer, Gargash told politicians at an event organised by the Emirates Policy Centre in Abu Dhabi.

"It is essential that there is an

overarching strategy rather than isolated positions towards regional issues," he said in remarks published in English on the official Wam news agency.

"In short, America's engage-ment is positive and its withdrawal and disengagement is counterproductive," he added.

President Barack Obama's administration's policy in with-drawing from the region has been "a recipe for unremitting chaos and violence", he said, pointing to crises in Iraq, Syria

and Libya which have spiralled out of control and fuelled extremism.

Breaking "this cycle of dis-cord and instability requires difficult decisions, collective action and a continuous search for constructive solutions", Gar-gash said.

Under Obama, relations between Washington and Gulf Arab states turned frosty with US overtures towards their regional rival Iran.

Washington and other major

powers reached an agreement, which took effect in January, to lift international sanctions on Iran in exchange for guarantees that it would not pursue a nuclear weapons capability.

Obama's reluctance to become involved in Syria's deadly war and other regional conflicts that have turned increasingly bloody and seen extremists such as the Islamic State group grow has also angered Washington's historic allies in the Gulf.

Ankara

Reuters

Turkey suspended from duty 168 officers and 123 non-commissioned offic-

ers from its navy over alleged links to a coup attempt in July, the defence ministry said yes-terday, as the government continues its purge.

It also dismissed 15 officers and 4 non-commissioned offic-ers from the navy, the statement said.

Since the failed coup attempt, more than 110,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants have been sus-pended or dismissed and 36,000 formally arrested in a crackdown that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crit-ics say is quashing legitimate opposition.

Late on Saturday, an Istan-bul court formally arrested the chairman of opposition news-paper Cumhuriyet at Istanbul’s main airport on Friday, days after nine of its executives and journalists were formally arrested.

Authorities had ordered the paper’s editor and senior staff be held in jail pending trial over the secularist newspaper’s

alleged support for a coup attempt on July 15.

Under the state of emer-gency declared after the coup attempt, police can detain sus-pects for up to 30 days before a court must decide whether to issue a formal arrest warrant pending trial.

Turkey has also closed more than 130 media outlets since July, raising concerns among its Western allies about deteriorating press freedoms.

France demands release of French journalist arrested in Turkey

Meanwhile, France has demanded that Turkey release a French journalist arrested there on Friday, as a crackdown on the media after an attempted coup this year continues to draw international criticism.

Olivier Bertrand, who works for French news website lesjours.fr, was arrested while reporting in the town of Gaziantep, just north of Tur-key’s border with Syria.

“What is happening is shocking and completely unac-ceptable. France demands the release of this journalist,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told Europe 1 radio yesterday.

UAE urges Trump to up US involvement in region

Iraqi forces claim recapture of Nimrud

Sana'a

AP

Hundreds took to the streets of Yemen's capi-tal Sana'a and the

southern port city of Aden to protest a liquidity crunch that has prevented authorities from paying salaries for the past three months.

Security forces loyal to the anti-government Shia Houthi rebels dispersed dozens of pro-testers in Sana'a yesterday. They also maintained a heavier than usual presence throughout the capital in anticipation of renewed protests.

Lengthy power outages and fuel shortages have also added to the suffering of

many in Sana'a and Aden.Yemen has been in the midst

of a civil war since September 2014 when the Houthi rebels captured Sana'a, forcing Pres-ident Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi to eventually seek refuge in Saudi Arabia. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign against the Houthis.

Turkey suspends 291 navy officers over failed coup

Erdogan hints at referendum on joining EU

Yemenis protest against unpaid wages

Beirut

AFP

Syrian rebels backed by Turk-ish forces are 2km from the Islamic State group strong-

hold of Al Bab as they press Ankara's Operation Euphrates Shield, a monitor said yesterday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish forces were targeting the town with artillery fire and air strikes

but it had no immediate word on casualties. Al Bab, about 30km from the Turkish border, has been a key target for Ankara and its Syrian rebel allies since its cam-paign began on August 24.

"Opposition factions backed by Turkish troops are two kilo-metres north and northwest of the town of Al Bab," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Observatory.

"This progress is a

continuation of the campaign that began with the capture of Jarab-lus and has seen the jihadists expelled from an area of 2,500 sq km along the border with Tur-key," Abdel Rahman said.

Ankara launched its unprec-edented cross-border operation saying it was targeting both IS but also the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, which has been a key opponent of the jihadist group.

Turkey considers the YPG a "terrorist" organisation, and wants to avoid the creation of a contiguous, semi-autonomous Kurdish zone along the Syrian border. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara wants to capture Al Bab from IS and then push Kurdish-led forces from the nearby town of Manbij. Abdel Rahman said IS forces in Al Bab were almost surrounded.

Turkey-backed Syria rebels near IS bastion Al Bab

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters detonate a land mine laid by the Islamic State (IS) group militants in the Iraqi town of Bashiqa, some 25km north east of Mosul, yesterday. after they retook control of the town.

Fight for Mosul

Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC) did not specifically mention the Nimrud archaeological site, which is located a little more than a kilometre west of the village that bears its name.

Military has no role in Mugabe successor: Chief Harare

Reuters

ZIMBABWE'S military has no say on who should take over from President Robert Mugabe, the coun-try’s army commander said, as tension mounts within the ruling party over who will succeed Africa’s oldest leader.

L ieutena nt-Gen-eral Valerio Sibanda, the Zimbabwe National Army Commander, told the state-owned Sunday Mail newspaper that the military should not get involved.

“In Zanu-PF the mili-tary has no role to play in terms of succession pol-itics, and that is the long and short of it,” he said, in his first comments on the succession issue.

Nepali police arrest Maoist protestersKathmandu

Anatolia

NEPALESE police yester-day arrested more than 100 cadres of a Maoist faction for enforcing a nationwide strike as a protest against price rises.

The protesters called on schools, factories and public transport to close across the country, demanding the govern-ment control steep rises in the prices of daily essentials.

Some 142 cadres from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), a splin-ter group, which broke away from the ruling Maoist party three years ago, were arrested early yesterday.

4 kids injured in Indonesia blast Jakarta

AP

AN explosion outside a church on Borneo island injured four children yes-terday, Indonesian police said. Several motorbikes were also damaged in the explosion in the park-ing lot of the Oikumene Church in Samarinda, the provincial capital of East Kalimantan province, said national police spokes-man Maj. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar. The children, aged 2 to 4 years old, suffered burn injuries, Amar said.

NEWS BYTES

Visitors standing outside a cave home where China's President Xi Jinping lived as a youth, in Liangjiahe, in China's Shaanxi province.

Royal cave

13MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 ASIA

Canberra

AP

The United States has agreed to resettle an unspecified number of refugees languishing in Pacific island camps

in a deal that is expected to inspire more asylum seekers to attempt to reach Australia by boat, officials said yesterday.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) would not say whether he had discussed the deal with President-elect Don-ald Trump during their telephone conversation on Thursday. The Obama administration had

agreed to resettle refugees among almost 1,300 asylum seekers held at Australia's

expense on the island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Another 370 who came to Aus-tralia for medical treatment then refused to return to the islands would also be eligible.

"We deal with one adminis-tration at a time and there is only

one president of the United States at a time," Turnbull told reporters.

US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed that the United States had "agreed to consider referrals" from the United Nations refugee agency on Aus-tralia's refugees.

"We are going to work to protect vulnerable refugees around the world, and we'll share that responsibility with our friends in the regions that are most affected by this challenge," Kerry told reporters in New Zea-land. Australia refuses to resettle any refugee who has arrived by boat since the date the tough pol-icy was announced on July 19,

2013. Australia pays Nauru and Papua New Guinea to house boat arrivals and has been searching for countries that will resettle them. Few refugees have accepted offers to resettle in Papua New Guinea and Cambo-dia because most hope that Australia will eventually take them in.

Any refugee who refuses to go to the US would be given a 20-year visa to stay on Nauru, a tiny impoverished atoll with a population of 10,000 people, Immigration Minister Peter Dut-ton said.

The Refugee Council of Aus-tralia, an advocacy group, welcomed the deal as a vital first

step in ending the indefinite detention of asylum seekers on the islands. London-based rights group Amnesty International accused Australia of taking "an extreme step in shirking responsibility."

US Department of Homeland Security officials are expected in Australia this week to begin assessing refugees.

Turnbull would not say how many refugees the United States might take, but said the most vul-nerable would be given priority. "Our priority is the resettlement of woman, children and fami-lies," Turnbull said. "This will be an orderly process. It will take time. It will not be rushed."

Seoul

Anatolia

South Korean leader Park Geun-hye is set to become her nation’s first sitting

president to be questioned by prosecutors, according to an official investigating a power abuse scandal that has rocked Seoul’s leadership.

Park conceded back on November 4 that she would be prepared to cooperate with the country’s prosecution. “The

face-to-face questioning of President Park should be con-ducted by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. We're waiting for a faithful answer,” the official was quoted as say-ing yesterday by local news agency Yonhap. But the presi-dential office cautioned that a response may not come until tomorrow because of Park’s schedule and the process of appointing an attorney.

Several aides to the presi-dent have already been arrested

or questioned including private citizen Choi Soon-sil, who is accused of wielding an undue influence over state affairs amid claims that corporations were pressured into making large donations in return for favors.

Prosecutors are pushing to complete any investigation into Park this week because of the upcoming expiry of Choi’s legal detention period. Organizers of a rally in Seoul said over a mil-lion people gathered to call for Park’s resignation.

Christchurch

AFP

Residents in coastal areas of New Zealand fled through the night yester-

day after a powerful 7.8 earthquake struck just after midnight, triggering a poten-tially destructive tsunami.

The earthquake, centered north of Christchurch in the South Island, was felt through-out the country, causing widespread damage and reported casualties.

As tsunami warning sirens were activated in South Island coastal towns and along the east coast of the North Island, police and emergency workers went door-to-door to evacuate seaside properties.

A "destructive tsunami" with waves up to five metres (16 feet) was possible, the min-istry of civil defence, responsible for emergency management in New Zealand, said in a bulletin.

Some early waves were up to two-metres but civil defence warned they could intensify and described the tsunami as "an event of life-threatening or national significance".

Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee told a media briefing he had received reports of casualties near the South

Island coastal town of Kaikoura but details were unclear.

Local media reported emergency services were searching for a missing person in a collapsed homestead. A second person who had been thought missing in the building was found alive.

The earthquake struck at 12:02am Monday (1102 GMT Sunday) and was 23 kilometres deep, the US Geological Survey said, putting the epicentre near the alpine tourist village of Hanmer and the rural township of Cheviot in North Canterbury.

It was one of the most pow-erful shakes to rock earthquake-prone New Zea-land and ignited painful memories for residents in Christchurch which was dev-astated five years ago by a 6.3 tremor which killed 185 people.

"It was massive and really long," Tamsin Edensor, a mother of two in Christchurch, told AFP, describing the pow-erful quake as the biggest since the 2011 tremor which was one of New Zealand's deadliest dis-asters. The main tremor was followed by a series of strong aftershocks and there were reports of damaged houses. Roads were cut and rail and ferry services were halted.

US to resettle nearly 1,600 Australian refugeesAwaited deal

Any refugee who refuses to go to the United States would be given a 20-year visa to stay on Nauru.

US officials are expected in Australia this week to begin assessing refugees.

South Korean people march during a demonstration, demanding the resignation of South Korean President, Park Geun-hye, at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, yesterday.

Prosecutors to question Park

NZ evacuates coastal areas on tsunami alert

Lagos

Reuters

A Nigerian militant group said yesterday the con-tinued presence of the

army in the southern Niger Delta energy hub has under-mined peace talks and prompted attacks on oil and gas facilities in the region.

The Niger Delta Avengers spoke out days after the oil minister urged militants to stop attacks following strikes on the Trans Forcados Pipeline, main contributor to the Forcados crude stream, the most recent of which was claimed by the NDA. Most groups have adhered to a ceasefire in the last few weeks while the government held talks with community leaders who, like the militants, want a greater share of Niger-ia’s energy wealth to go to the region that produces most of its oil.

“The Niger Delta Avengers cannot be blamed for the con-tinuous bombing of crude oil export pipelines and other oil installations, since the govern-ment has been relentlessly carrying out military build ups to continuously harass

communities,” the NDA said on its website.

President Muhammadu Buhari sent army reinforce-ments in May to hunt down militants, a move that stoked anger as residents complained of rape, looting and arrests of youths unrelated to the mili-tants, charges denied by the military. On November 1, Buhari met leaders from the region for the first time since the attacks began. They urged him to with-draw the army, order oil firms to move their headquarters there and spend more on devel-opment to end the militancy.

Buhari, a former military ruler, responded by saying he would “revisit the situation” in the Niger Delta once he had considered reports from armed forces chiefs. But militants, including NDA, have attacked oil facilities since the talks.

“The High Command of the NDA is only reacting to govern-ment’s deliberate attempts to undermine the process to dia-logue and negotiations,” the NDA said in its statement.

Attacks since the start of the year cut the Opec member’s oil production by more than a third in the summer.

Army presence prompts Niger attacks: Militants

Yangon

AFP

Myanmar's Rakhine state was hit by fresh waves of violence over the week-

end with more than 30 insurgents killed over two-days of fighting, the military said, as fears soar for the strife-torn region. Northern Rakhine, which is home to the Muslim Rohingya minority and borders Bangladesh, has been

under military lockdown ever since surprise raids on border posts left nine police dead last month.

Soldiers have killed scores and arrested many more in their hunt for the attackers, who the government says are radicalised Rohingya militants with links to overseas Islamists.

The crisis and reports of grave rights abuses being car-ried out in tandem with the

security crackdown have piled international pressure on Myan-mar's new civilian government and raised questions about its ability to control the military.

Days of apparent calm were shattered on Saturday when the army said six attackers and two soldiers were killed during a series of coordinated ambushes that were only beaten back with the help of helicopter gunships.

Many dead in Rakhine violence

14 MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 PAKISTAN

Baloch residents gather during a protest to mark Baloch Martyrs Day in Quetta yesterday. Baloch Martyrs Day is observed on November 13 and organised by the Free Balochistan Movement to pay tribute to those died fighting as part of the movement.

Baloch Martyrs Day

Families in shock as shrine attack toll climbsKhuzdar

AFP

Survivors of a massive bomb attack on a shrine in south-west Pakistan that killed

dozens spoke of their horror after families were ripped apart in a strike showing the expand-ing reach of the Islamic State group.

The blast, later confirmed to be the work of a teenage suicide bomber, hit male and female worshippers as they were danc-ing and chanting at the shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Noorani on Saturday, some 750km south of Quetta, the provincial capital of restive Balochistan province.

Mohammad Shehzad, a 25-year-old who had travelled in a group of 120 pilgrims, said: "The pressure of the blast was so strong, people were blown away. Everyone was running, shouting and searching for families. "Chil-dren were looking for the mothers and fathers. People looking for brothers and sisters

but no one was able to listen to their cries."

The attack killed 52 and wounded more than 105 and was the fourth deadliest in Pakistan this year. Stricken survivors swathed themselves in blankets and braved the cold under open skies overnight as they made

their way home. Many had trav-elled hundreds of kilometres to pay their respects to the saint and seek blessings, in line with their belief in Sufism.

Witnesses said problems were compounded by the fact that it took several hours for res-cue services to reach the remote shrine, located on a hilltop in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan several kilometres away from surrounding villages, with poor mobile network coverage.

Hafeez Ali, a 28-year-old auto mechanic, said: "We had left the area only five minutes before the attack to go and cook our dinner. From our viewpoint on a hill, we could see three whirl-ing dervishes dancing to a drummer, as hundreds formed a circle around them. Then came the explosion.

"We realised that it was a bomb blast. Two of us rushed down and saw the bodies scat-tered all around — mostly children. We also saw the drum beater dead and his exploded

drum was lying nearby." Sarfraz Bugti, the province's

home minister, said the blast was carried out by a teenage suicide bomber. "We have found body parts of the bomber which place his age at around 16 to 18," he said. The announcement lent credence to a claim of respon-siblity by the Islamic State group,

which released a photo overnight of the purported attacker — a dark-skinned youth dressed in white tunic with a green back-pack — via its affiliated Amaq news agency.

It was the second major assault claimed by the outfit in as many months, following a raid on a police academy in the same

province that killed 61 people.Militant sources in the prov-

ince have said that IS, which had earlier struggled to gain a foot-hold in Pakistan because of competition from already estab-lished groups, has now forged alliances with local affiliates including the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group.

Residents yesterday mourn the death of a relative who was killed in a suicide bomb attack on the shrine of Sufi saint Shah Noorani in Karachi.

Afghan parliament dismisses more ministersKabul

Reuters

Afghanistan's parliament dismissed two more cab-inet ministers yesterday,

ignoring pleas from the president and chief executive to halt votes that threaten an already fragile Western-backed government.

The power-sharing unity government was brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry fol-lowing the disputed 2014 presidential elections, but has since been weakened by infight-

ing between rivals.Parliament removed the

transportation and education ministers yesterday, citing poor performance and bringing the total number of ministers dis-missed to five over two days.

Finance Minister Eklil Hak-imi was the only minister yesterday to survive the vote, a relief for international donors and the government.

The vote took place despite pleas from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Execu-tive Abdullah Abdullah to halt

further action against the cabi-net. "President Ghani and Dr Abdullah told MPs that their decision will deal a huge politi-cal blow to the government at this critical time and urged them to stop the process," Mirdad Najrabi, chairman of parlia-ment's security commission, said. A statement released by Ghani's office said the govern-ment did not want confrontation and respected the decision of the parliament, but asked the House of Representatives to suspend its decision.

Parliament, which has a con-stitutional right to sack ministers, may hold votes on as many as 11 more ministers. "This is our right and we will use it and will not let the government politicise this process," lawmaker Gul Padsha Majidi said before the vote.

Parliament on Saturday dis-missed three ministers including, Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani.

The deteriorating political situation in Afghanistan could become a major foreign policy challenge for US President-elect

Donald Trump, who has said lit-tle about Afghanistan on the campaign trail.

Kabul was supposed to have overseen fresh parliamentary elections and a constitutional grand council to re-establish political legitimacy. However, a two-year deadline has passed with none of the promised steps taken, leaving question marks over the future of the govern-ment at a time when political uncertainty is already being stoked by rising ethnic tensions.

UN agency appeals for $152m in refugee aidKabul

Reuters

The United Nations yester-day appealed for $152m to provide shelter, sani-

tation and food for a huge influx of refugees returning to Afghan-istan from Pakistan.

Pakistan has stepped up the pressure for its 1.5 million reg-istered Afghan refugees to return home, citing security concerns.

Refugees and others see Islamabad as driven by a strengthening in Afghan-Indian relations while its own ties with India are fraying.

Thousands are crossing the Torkham border with Pakistan each day, said the World Food

Programme, the UN's food assistance branch. Last month, the UN said nearly 170,000 Afghans had returned this year, many of them citing harass-ment by Pakistani authorities.

The flow of returnees from not only Pakistan, but also Iran, is straining the capacity of the government and aid agencies as yet more Afghans are uprooted by the war between Taliban insurgents and Afghan troops.

"We need sufficient and timely funds, in the coming weeks and months, to ensure that we can help returnees as rapidly and efficiently as pos-sible," said Mick Lorentzen, WFP's country director in Afghanistan.

US embassy closes after attacksTHE US Embassy in Afghan-istan has closed following deadly insurgent attacks on a German Consulate and an American military base.

In a statement, the embassy says it will be "closed for routine services" "as a tem-porary precautionary measure." The unusual deci-sion comes after four Americans — two soldiers and two contractors — were killed in a suicide attack on Saturday on the Bagram Airfield near Kabul. Two days earlier, insur-gents attacked the German Consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, killing six people and wound-ing more than 100.

Deadly attack

The blast, confirmed to be the work of a teenage suicide bomber, hit male and female worshippers at the shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Noorani, some 750km south of Quetta.

The attack leaves 52 dead and more than 105 wounded and was the fourth deadliest in Pakistan this year.

World Bank likely to finance Trans-Khyber Pass projectIslamabad

Internews

The World Bank is actively consid-ering financing of the ‘Trans-Khyber Pass’ project which

will serve as gateway for Pakistan’s trade to Central Asia’ and give further impetus to growing Pak-Afghan trade.

The Peshawar-Torkham express-way as a gateway to Central Asia will leverage the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) signed in 2010, and will facilitate access to poten-tial new regional markets.

In this regard, Pakistan has formally submitted the project to the World Bank for possible financing while the bank is seriously considering the project.

It is expected that the World Bank’s soft window, the International Devel-opment Association (IDA) will provide $375m for the project, according to informed sources.

Under the project, a comprehensive master plan covering spatial dimensions for regional development leveraging the corridor development will be prepared.

The plan will take a more holistic view and focus on promoting inclusive growth by expanding economic oppor-tunities in backward regions and linking cities and towns with urban centres and industrial clusters.

Further, it will consider future growth by improving access to markets, stimulating trade and investment and

boosting productivity and efficiency through associated network externali-ties and agglomeration effects.

The spatial approach will be fol-lowed to identify shared infrastructure needed and services geared towards specific industries, as well as economic projects such as secondary roads, micro-dams, wholesale markets and storages which are critical for the development of the value-chains and the corridor.

One of the key features of APTTA, which became operational in 2011, is that it provides reciprocal transit trade privileges to Pakistan to enter Central Asian markets and Iran, unlike the Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) which was signed in 1965.

This provides much potential

growth, with Pakistan’s exports to Cen-tral Asian Republics at only $28m in 2015, although on an upward trend since 2000. According to the World Bank, the construction of Peshawar-Kabul motor-way will contribute to improve this volume because of higher efficiency and savings of time and costs.

Sources said that the Peshawar-Torkham expressway will yield even further benefits if expansion of APTTA to include Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic, and Turkmenistan materializes.

Recently, Tajikistan has requested to be part of a ‘Trilateral Transit Trade Agreement’ and several expert level group meetings among Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan have been held during the past one year.

A draft trilateral transit trade agree-ment has been prepared and Pakistan has provided its consent to it. The Kyr-gyz Republic and Turkmenistan have also indicated their interest to be part of the transit trade agreements with Pakistan and Afghanistan, sources said.

While Pakistan’s overall trade has declined in the past few years, Afghan-istan has emerged as one of the major trading partners after the United States, European Union and United Arab Emirates.

Despite political and recent border tensions, the transit and bilateral trade has remained intact and has been grow-ing at a faster pace, which shows the political commitment to enhance eco-nomic cooperation.

23 militants dead in AfghanistanAT least 23 IS militants were killed in an airstrike in east-ern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the airstrike was carried out in Achin dis-trict of Nangarhar.

No further details were given regarding the airstrike and it is yet not clear if the raid was conducted by the Afghan Air Force or the US forces based in Afghanistan.

This comes as at least 13 loyalists of the group were killed in a similar airstrike car-ried out by the US forces in Nangarhar.

DAYS after a controversial departure from Pakistan, it emerged that National Geo-graphic's famous "Afghan Girl" Sharbat Gula will be travelling to India for medi-cal treatment. Shaida Abdali, Afghanistan's Ambassador to India, announced on Twitter: "The Iconic Afghan Sharbat Gula will soon be in India for medical treatment free of cost."

According to her lawyer, Gula, who's in her 40s, suf-fers from Hepatitis C.

She is now scheduled

to travel to Bangalore to receive treatment, accord-ing to Afghan news agency Khaama Press.

Sharbat Gula was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan on October 26 from her house in Pesha-war for forgery of a Pakistani Computerised National Iden-tity Card. She pleaded guilty to all charges against her and was sentenced to 15 days in jail and a fine of Rs 110,000 by a special anti-corruption and immigration court.

15MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 INDIA

A man selling garlands made of currency notes at a market in Jammu, yesterday.

Currency garlands

Panaji

IANS

Even as lakhs across India queue up outside ATMs and banks for a fourth day to surren-der demonetised

currency and withdraw cash, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday made an impassioned plea to the nation to give him 50 days to weed out ill-gotten wealth in India.

Modi, who broke down dur-ing his speech in Goa, also said that his dramatic decision to demonetise 500 and 1,000 rupee notes had placed him in the cross-hairs of vested inter-ests, but vowed to end black money and corruption with more projects.

"I know what kind of pow-ers I have taken on. I know the kind of people who will be against me now. I am looting what they had accumulated over 70 years," Modi said in his

speech at the Shama Prasad Mukherjee indoor stadium in Bambolim village near Panaji.

During his three-hour stay in Goa, the Prime Minister dig-itally laid the foundation for two major projects, including a greenfield civilian airport.

"They will not leave me alive. They will destroy me. Let them do what they want. (For) 50 days, help me.

The country should just help me for 50 days," Modi said,

adding that the same vested interests were now fuelling panic by spreading rumours about salt shortage.

"This is not the end. This is

not a full stop. I am openly say-ing, this is not a full stop... There are other projects in my mind to stop dishonesty and corruption in the country.

These projects are coming... I am doing this for the poor, hon-est people for those who are working hard to survive," Modi added in his hour-long speech.

Thiruvananthapuram

IANS

A hi-tech school project that began as a pilot project in four assembly constituen-

cies is all set to be introduced in the remaining 136 constituencies this week and will cover 45,000 state-run schools from Class 8 to 12. "This project aims to make Kerala a fully digitalised state in education sector," said Minister for Education C. Raveendranath. The project was run on pilot basis in Alappuzha, Puthukad, Kozhikode North and

Thaliparamba constituencies. Raveendranath said the project envisages a comprehensive upgradation of various elements of classroom learning such as infrastructure, textbooks, learn-ing materials, teachers training, handbooks, monitoring and eval-uation, e-governance using ICT.

"Under this programme, all schools would be equipped with digital content besides the class-rooms would be equipped with computers, multimedia projector, sound system and high speed internet connection which every student and teacher could make

use of," said the college professor turned CPI-M politician.

In the first phase, ICT equip-ment would be deployed in these schools at the ratio of one com-puter lab for every 15 divisions. Each lab would contain enough number of computers in the pro-portion of 3:1 so that all students in the division with maximum strength can use them at a time.

According to K Anvar Sadath, executive director, IT School Project, the schools have to pro-vide the basic facilities for setting up classrooms and computer labs to be made hi-tech.

"Schools can make use of var-ious funding sources such as MP/MLA LAD funds, funds from local bodies, School PTA, contributions from individuals and institutions etc., for ensuring the required infrastructure," said Sadath.

The support mechanisms include a team comprising of school IT coordinators and stu-dent school IT coordinators. These will be set up in each school.

"The IT coordinators in each school would be provided train-ing to extend technical support for supplementing digital con-tent development locally.

Thiruvananthapuram

IANS

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac yesterday described as "sheer mad-

ness" the massive rush for money at banks and ATMs and warned that this could lead to mass poverty.

The economics professor-turned-politician said he was shocked to hear Finance Min-ister Arun Jaitley argue that it will take a month for normalcy to return in the banking sector.

"By now things have gone haywire. Wages have not been paid in the plantation sector in Kerala. If this is going to last a week, then it will be abject

poverty in the state. This is sheer madness," he said.

Issac had come under fire in the social media when he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's November 8 decision to spike Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currencies. He said his worst fears were now coming true. Like in the past few days, yesterday also saw serpentine queues in front of banks and ATMs in the state as people tried to surrender the old currency and withdraw their own money.

But many ATMs were still not working. The ones that were functional ran out of cash, leaving many shattered. Now the money spinning tourism industry in Kerala has started to feel the heat.

Modi asks for 50 days to streamline crisisDemonetisation woes

Modi vows to end black money and corruption with more projects.

Prime Minister made an impassioned plea to give him 50 days to weed out ill-gotten wealth.

A tourist taking pictures of people standing in a queue outside a bank in Kolkata, yesterday.

Govt hikes withdrawal limits

45,000 Kerala schools to benefit from IT project

This is sheer madness: Kerala finance minister

'Afghan girl' to travel to Bangalore

New Delhi IANS

Amid unending queues of cash-starved citizens at banks and relentless

attacks by the opposition, the government yesterday announced an increase in with-drawal limits at banks and ATMs.

The Centre also urged the states to "facilitate the opening of new bank accounts" and last-mile distribution of small denomination notes as it announced that the new Rs 500 note had been issued.

The daily withdrawal from ATMs has now been hiked to Rs 2,500 from Rs 2,000 and from bank counters to Rs 4,500 from Rs 4,000, the Finance Ministry said.

The limit of Rs 10,000 per day withdrawal has been

removed, the ministry said in statement here.

The upper limit for weekly withdrawals from bank accounts has been raised to Rs 24,000 from Rs 20,000.

Following a review meeting, the Ministry decisions came a day after Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi returned to India from Japan and made an impassioned plea to the citizens while addressing public meetings in Maharashtra and Goa.

He sought 50 days' time until December 30 to tide over the cash crisis and weed out the ill-gotten wealth in the coun-try's economy. Lakhs of people have virtually mobbed banks and ATMs all over the country since Thursday when the banks opened after a day's closure, fol-lowing Modi's dramatic N o v e m b e r 8 n i g h t

announcement to spike Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

Banks have also been told to cater separately to senior cit-izens and the handicapped.

Under attack from regional satraps and Chief Ministers like Mamata Banerjee of West Ben-gal and Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi, the Centre on Sunday also appealed to state governments to make the scheme successful and extend the currency reach to the rural and remote areas.

"The Chief Secretaries of states have been requested to identify the rural pockets, if any, where availability of cash has been a problem and provide all support to the banks and post offices in order to ensure last-mile distribution of small denomination notes through mobile banking vans and bank-ing correspondents," it said.

Kolkata

IANS

STATE Bank of India (SBI) expects to calibrate 1,000 of its ATMs for Rs 2,000 currency notes by tonight, its Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya said yesterday.

"We are working hard to bring back normalcy in bank-ing service. In all India level, we expect to calibrate 1000 ATMs with Rs 2,000 notes by today night and many more ATMs will gradually be cal-ibrated for new currency," she said.

ATMs in India have sepa-rate cassettes (boxes) to hold different denominations of cash such as Rs 100, Rs 500

and Rs 1000 notes. Configu-rations of cassettes vary as per the currency they hold.

Bhattacharya said the bank has started "reconfig-uring ATMs' cassettes for new Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes". New notes of Rs 500 would also be "available for dispen-sation in ATMs", once they are available with the bank.

Presently, banks have been refilling ATMs with Rs 100 notes. "We are replenish-ing ATMs with Rs 100 notes. But a ATM carries about 2,500 notes of Rs 100 denomination. These are going empty quickly after serving 125 persons on average," she said. The banks are trying level best to pro-vide Rs 100 notes, she added.

SBI to calibrate 1,000 ATMs for Rs2,000 notes today

Sack full of banned notes in garbage binAMID the chaos over demon-etisation move, citizens of Kolkata yesterday spotted two sacks stuffed with torn Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in a garbage dump.

Torn and damaged cur-rency notes of the banned denominations were found in a garbage bin in south Kolka-ta's Golf Green area yesterday morning, a spectator said.

"We saw a crowd of peo-ple at the garbage dump at around 8.30 a.m. It is clear it is black money," he said.

FOUR people were arrested yesterday evening on charge of possession of fake cur-rency notes with a face value of Rs 1 crore in Bihar, police said.

The four were arrested by the Government Railway Police from a coach of Udhna Express at the Danapur rail-way station in Patna. They were on way to deliver the counterfeit notes in Surat in Gujarat, GRP official Raj Kishore said.

The GRP later informed the police, who are question-ing the accused.

POLICE in Telangana yester-day seized Rs20 lakh cash in demonetised currency notes from a milk van of a private dairy company.

The amount was seized in Yacharam mandal of Ranga Reddy district near Hyderabad.

The driver of the van told police that he was carrying the amount to pay arrears to the dairy farmers through a milk procurement centre.

IN the wake of the pre-vailing currency crisis, the Assam government is mull-ing extension of the deadline for making payments in scrapped currency notes to help those undergoing treatment at government hospitals, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The state gov-ernment plans to extend the deadline further by another week to help those undergo-ing treatment in government hospitals, Sarma said.

Four held with fake currency in Bihar

Rs20 lakh cash seized from milk van

Assam may push deadline for old notes in hospitals

Repeating Paris

The detainees “were planning terror attacks according to the Paris scenario” referring to Islamic State group attacks a year ago that killed 130 people, a newspaper reported.

16 MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 EUROPE

Leader of opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn (front centre), Prime Minister Theresa May (right), Westminster Leader of the Scottish National Party Angus Roberston (left), former Prime Ministers Tony Blair (second row left) and John Major (second row right) take part in the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Westminster, central London, yesterday.

In remembrance

London

AFP

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg issued a stark warning that “going it alone is not an option”, in a pointed article in Britain’s Observer news-paper yesterday following Donald Trump’s US election win.

“We face the greatest challenges to our security in a generation,” Stoltenberg wrote as he outlined Nato’s strengths, amid concerns over the president-elect’s position on the US-led alliance. “This is no time to question the partnership between Europe and the United States.”

Trump caused alarm dur-ing his election campaign when he suggested Washing-ton would think twice about coming to the aid of an endangered Nato ally if it had not paid its dues, casting doubt on the alliance’s core c o l l e c t i v e d e f e n c e commitment.

In an apparent response to these remarks, Stoltenberg noted the only time Nato’s self-defence clause—“an attack on one is an attack on all”—has been invoked was after the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States,

He said Nato had made possible the “integration of Europe” and ended the Cold War, adding: “European lead-ers have always understood that going it alone is not an option.”

The alliance continues to play a key role in fighting ter-rorism and has responded in recent years to “a more asser-tive Russia”, Stoltenberg added.

He conceded, however, that European leaders must increase their financial con-tributions to the 28-nation alliance, a demand made by Trump during his campaign.

Paris

Reuters

France has demanded that Turkey release a French journalist arrested there

on Friday, as a crackdown on the media after an attempted coup this year continues to draw international criticism.

Olivier Bertrand, who works for French news website lesjours.fr, was arrested while reporting in Gaziantep, north of Turkey’s border with Syria.

“What is happening is shocking and completely unac-ceptable. France demands the release of this journalist,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told Europe 1 radio yesterday.

“We are in permanent

contact with him (Bertrand) via our embassy. We are doing eve-rything we can to get him released,” he added.

Turkey has detained tens of thousands of people over alleged links with Fethullah Gulen, a cleric living in US who is accused of masterminding abortive putsch, — something he denies.

France expressed “serious concern” this month at Turkey’s arrest of Kurdish lawmakers.

Ayrault also voiced concern over signs that Turkey could bring back death penalty, some-thing Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said was a possibility.

Turkey abandoned the death penalty in 2002 as part of its EU accession process, although there had been no executions since 1984.

Moscow

AFP

Suspects detained by Russian authorities were plotting simultaneous “Paris-style”

attacks on Moscow and Saint Petersburg, local media reported yesterday.

The FSB security service, the KGB’s successor, announced on Saturday it had detained 10 cit-izens of Central Asian states who planned “high-profile acts of sabotage and terror” in the two Russian cities.

Saint Petersburg’s Fontanka.ru news site reported yesterday

that the seven people taken into custody in the city were sus-pected of planning attacks on two large shopping centres, cit-ing official sources.

Government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported, cit-ing security service sources, the detainees “were planning terror attacks according to the Paris sce-nario” referring to Islamic State group attacks a year ago that killed 130 people.

“Several explosive devices were supposed to trigger simul-taneously in busy places. At the same time in different parts of the cities some of the terrorists...

were going to open fire with machine guns on crowds,” the paper reported, referring to the Russian plot.

Rossiiskaya Gazeta called the

attackers “a professional terror-ist group.”

The FSB said it confiscated four homemade bombs as well as trigger devices, guns, ammu-nition and communications equipment. Authorities did not say when the attack plot was to take place. The security service released video footage of its black-clad officers in balaclavas holding two suspects facedown on the street.

Another video shows a stash of Kalashnikovs in a flat and detainees lying facedown on mattresses on the floor.

The FSB said the raids were

carried out in cooperation with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan’s law enforcement authorities.

Impoverished majority-Mus-lim Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan both say they are battling Islam-ist extremism.

Tajikistan said up to 1,000 of its nationals are fighting with radical groups in Syria and Iraq, while Kyrgyzstan said some 500 of its citizens have gone to fight alongside jihadists. The Tajik interior ministry said it learned of the planned attacks from an alleged local accomplice of the group and passed the informa-tion to Russia.

The Hague AFP

DUTCH police said they had arrested nearly 200 people protesting against Black Pete, the sidekick of Dutch Saint Nicholas accused of being a racist stereotype.

“We arrested about 190 people who were demon-strating in Rotterdam, where the protests were banned for the day,” local police spokes-woman Lil l ian van Duijvenbode told reporters.

“We asked them to stop their demonstration at three different places in town, but they refused,” she added, say-ing possible legal action would be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Several thousand people including many children gath-ered earlier in the day in Maasluis, a small town between Rotterdam and The Hague, to watch arrival by boat and parade of Saint Nicholas and his companions.

They traditionally bring gifts for children at the start of December, but every year there is a debate on whether Black Pete represents a rac-ist stereotype.

While many Dutch peo-ple refuse to countenance a change in tradition, critics say his Afro hair, black skin, red lips and earrings are a reminder of the era when the Netherlands exploited slaves.

Nato chief warns against ‘going it alone’

France urges Turkey to free detained reporter

Suspects plotted Paris-style attacks in Russia: ReportsDutch police arrest nearly 200 protesting ‘Black Pete’

Chisinau, Moldova AP

Moldovans voted in presi-dential election yesterday in which the favourite

has promised to restore ties with Russia that cooled after the former Soviet republic signed a trade deal with the European Union.

Igor Dodon, a pro-Moscow figure, has tapped into popular anger with corruption under pro-European government that came to power in 2009.

“I voted for future of the country. I am totally convinced that Moldova has a future. It will be independent, united and sov-ereign,” said Dodon, who heads

opposition Socialists’ Party after voting, predicting an easy win.

Dodon says he wants to feder-alise Moldova to include the breakaway region of Trans-Dni-ester where more than 1,000 Russian troops are stationed, and his comments about a “united” Moldova alluded to that.

Rival Maia Sandu, who ran on an anti-corruption ticket, urged Moldovans to get out and vote. She needs a high turnout to stand a chance of winning. At midday, about 22 percent of the elector-ate had voted — the same as in the first round.

“If the vote is correct, we will win.... it is important to be vigi-lant and not let them steal the vote,” she said.

Presidential candidate Maia Sandu (left) casts her vote at a polling station in Chisinau, yesterday.

Moldovans vote in presidential runoff

New York Reuters

Leading Brexit cam-paigner Nigel Farage (pictured) visited Don-ald Trump at his home early yesterday, after

suggesting he could act as a go-between to help smooth British r e l a t i o n s w i t h U S President-elect.

Prime Minister Theresa May is not expected to meet with the incoming leader until early next year and Farage has suggested her criticisms of Trump in the early days of the campaign could damage ties with Washington.

“We’re just tourists!” Farage, head of UK Independence Party (UKIP), told reporters as he waited for an elevator in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City.

He later tweeted a photo-graph of himself with Trump standing in front of a pair of golden doors and smiling

broadly, the president-elect giv-ing the camera a thumbs-up.

“It was a great honour to spend time with @realDon-aldTrump,” Farage said on Twitter. “He was relaxed and full of good ideas. I’m confident he will be a good President.”

Trump’s election campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said: “I think they enjoy each other’s company, and they actu-ally had a chance to talk about freedom and winning and what this all means for the world.”

In a separate photograph posted on Twitter, UKIP donor Arron Banks, Breitbart London Editor in Chief Raheem Kassam, and Gerry Gunster, an American whose advocacy firm worked on the Brexit campaign, were also

pictured with Trump and Farage.While the British govern-

ment has congratulated Trump on his election, head of opposi-tion, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, said he should “grow up” on the immigration issue and recognise that the U.S. economy depends on migrant workers.

“The treatment of Mexico by the United States just as much as its absurd and abusive language towards Muslims is something that has to be challenged and should be challenged,” Corbyn, whose wife is Mexican, told the BBC yesterday.

UKIP, which has only one member of parliament in Lon-don, said Farage and Trump spent more than an hour dis-cussing Trump’s victory, global politics and Brexit.

A party official has suggested Farage be the next ambassador to the US but British media reported May’s office rejected any the idea of any involvement

by Farage, citing unnamed sources describing him as an “irrelevance”.

A day after Trump’s election victory, Farage called on the real estate mogul to reverse “loath-some” Barack Obama’s policy by making Britain his top priority.

Farage said he was pleased at Trump’s “very positive reac-tion” to the idea that a bust of former British prime minister Winston Churchill be put back in the Oval Office.

Farage, who spoke at a Trump rally during the election campaign, had predicted the former reality TV host would tap into the same dissatisfaction among voters that led to Britain deciding on June 23 to leave the European Union.

Trump made repeated ref-erences to Brexit during his campaign, saying it had high-lighted the desire for change among voters frustrated with traditional politics.

UKIP leader Farage meets Trump in NYDifferent views

The UKIP leader suggested he could act as a go-between to help smooth British relations with US President-elect.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, said Trump should “grow up” on the immigration issue and recognise the US economy depends on migrant workers.

Tribute to victims

Under heavy security, President Francois Hollande unveiled a plaque outside the Stade de France “in memory of the victims.

17MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 EUROPE

Word of caution

Since the country is to begin a presidential campaign in a few weeks with meetings, with public gatherings, it is difficult to end the state of emergency, Manuel Valls said.

The state of emergency was introduced on the night of the Paris attacks and extended for six months in late July.

France likely to extend state of emergencyLondon

AFP

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls (pictured) said yesterday that the country’s

state of emergency, imposed after last year’s Paris attacks, will likely be extended as France gears up for presidential elections.

“It is difficult today to end the state of emergency,” Valls told BBC television as France marked exactly one year since the November 13, 2015 jihadist attacks that left 130 people dead.

“Especially since we are going to begin a presidential campaign in a few weeks with meetings, with public gatherings. So we must also protect our democracy,” Valls added in the

interview with the BBC’s HARD-talk programme.

“Besides, this state of emer-gency device allows us to make arrests, administrative checks

which are effective... So yes, we are probably going to live a few months more with this state of emergency.”

The state of emergency was introduced on the night of the Paris attacks and extended for six months in late July.

While stressing he remained “very cautious”, Valls said the risk of similar coordinated attacks appeared to have dimin-ished. “But we may face attacks of the kind that we saw in Nice,” he said, referring to the July attack in the Riviera resort in which a 31-year-old Tunisian mowed down 86 people in a truck.

“That’s to say some individ-uals who are driven directly by the internet, by social networks, by the Islamic Sate group, with-out having to go to Syria or Iraq.”

Meanwhile, on the separate subject of a possible renegotia-tion of the 2003 Le Touquet accords which extend the Brit-ish border to Calais’ ferry ports, Valls made a plea for cooperation.

“We can always change a treaty, but if tomorrow we were saying that there was no agree-ment, that there was no longer a treaty, and that the border was open, there would be thousands and thousands of people who would converge on Britain, that would be a drama in the Chan-nel and a major problem for Britain,” he said.

“That really shows that we need cooperation.” The com-ments come after France last month demolished the notori-ous Jungle migrant camp in

Calais, where thousands of peo-ple had been living in squalid conditions hoping to stow away on trucks headed to Britain.

Under the Le Touquet agree-ment, Britain pays millions of euros each year for security in Calais but it is French police and border agents who are on the frontline.

Many French politicians believe London has simply out-sourced a problem to France and the agreement should be torn up.

The leading candidates hop-ing to represent the right in next year’s race for the French pres-idency have called for the Le Touquet deal to be renegotiated, with frontrunner Alain Juppe calling last month for the British border to be shifted back across the Channel.

Paris

AP

France marked the anniver-sary of Islamic extremists’ coordinated attacks on

Paris with a somber silence yes-terday that was broken only by voices reciting the names of the 130 slain, and the son of the first person to die stressing the importance of integration.

Michael Dias lauded the les-sons his father Manuel, an immigrant from Portugal, taught him so youth can integrate instead of turning themselves into “cannon fodder.”

Under heavy security, Pres-ident Francois Hollande unveiled a plaque outside the Stade de France “in memory of Manuel Dias,” pulling away a French flag covering it on a wall at one of the entrances to the French national stadium, where Dias was killed on Nov. 13, 2015, by a suicide bomber.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo joined the president at six other sites where crowds ate or rev-eled in music at Bataclan concert hall. The IS group claimed responsibility for the attacks .

Three teams of extremists from neighbouring Belgium tar-geted eateries, turning scenes of Friday night fun into bloodbaths. At the Stade de France, on the northern edge of Paris, Michael Dias said his father Manuel was “living proof that integration is possible, necessary” to end the madness of violence carried out by those who felt excluded.

Learning to live again after extremists killed his father was “a personal challenge, but it concerns us all,” Dias said, cred-iting his father, who came to France at 18, with life lessons like the need for education.

“It is by knowledge, by intel-ligence that the children of tomorrow can stop humiliating themselves as cannon fodder in service of criminal, mafia-style

interests ... as is the case today. (They are) incapable of reflec-tion, thinking about the world and expressing the unease and social exclusion they feel.”

The final stop, the Bataclan concert hall — which reopened on Saturday night with a con-cert by British pop star Sting — was the site of bloodiest and longest attack. There, 90 peo-ple were killed by three attackers who also took a group of people hostage. The young-est and oldest victims of the night of horror were a 17-year-old and a 68 year-old — both killed at the Bataclan.

Families of victims, security and rescue forces and some still trying to heal were among those present at the ceremonies. Jesse Holmes of Eagles of Death Metal, the California band whose con-cert that night ended in a bloodbath, paid respects at Bata-clan ceremony, placing his hand on his heart as he departed.

In addition to those killed, nine people remain hospitalised from the attacks and others are paralysed. The government says more than 600 people are still receiving psychological

Rome

AFP

AROUND 1,400 migrants were rescued in the Mediter-ranean, as thousands of people continue to risk the dangerous crossing despite the arrival of winter.

The migrants were onboard seven different ves-sels including six rubber dinghies, said the Italian coastguard, which coordi-nated the rescue operations.

One of the boats, whose passengers were rescued by a ship operated by the char-ity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), was crammed with 800 people including nearly two dozen children, the aid group said.

The charities SOS Medi-terranee, Migrant Offshore Aid Station and Jugend Ret-tet also took part in the rescues.

Since the start of Novem-ber—when attempts to cross the Mediterranean tend to drop as the winter chill sets in—nearly 5,400 migrants have landed in Italy, hoping to start new lives in Europe.

This compares to slightly over 3,200 for the whole of November last year.

London

AFP

Donald Trump’s US elec-tion victory heralds the “building of a new world”,

France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen said yesterday in a BBC television interview that sparked immediate criticism in Britain.

Le Pen described the Repub-lican’s win as a “victory of people against the elite” and said she hoped a similar outcome could

be achieved in French presiden-tial elections in May.

“Clearly, Donald Trump’s victory is an additional stone in the building of a new world, des-tined to replace the old one,” she told the BBC’s flagship Sunday politics programme, the Andrew Marr Show.

Trump “made possible what had previously been presented as impossible,” she said, predict-ing the “global revolution” that resulted in his election, as well

as in the vote for Brexit, will also see her elected as president.

Hailing the rise of “patriotic movements” in Europe, Le Pen drew parallels between the US vote, Britain’s June 23 decision to leave the European Union, and France’s rejection of the Euro-pean constitution in 2005.

“All the elections are essen-tially referendums against the unfettered globalisation that has been imposed on us... and which today has clearly shown

its limits,” she claimed.She said the French election

would throw up the choice between a “multi-cultural soci-ety... where fundamental Islam is progressing” and an “inde-pendent nation, with people able to control their own destiny”.

The interview sparked a backlash on social media as it fell on Remembrance Sunday, mark-ing the contribution of British and Commonwealth forces dur-ing the two World Wars.

“Some people are offended and upset that I have been to interview Marine Le Pen and that we’re showing this interview on Remembrance Sunday,” said Marr, defending the decision to run the piece.

“I understand that but... Le Pen could, under some circum-stances, become the next French president... I don’t think that the best way to honour the fallen is to fail to report on the next big challenge to western security.”

Sofia

AFP

A Moscow-friendly general backed by Bulgaria’s Socialist opposition won

the presidential run-off yester-day, beating the personal nominee of conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov by a whopping margin.

Rumen Radev swept just over 58 percent of the vote to Tsacheva’s 35 percent in the run-off, exit polls showed. Borisov earlier threatened to step down if his handpicked candidate failed to win.

Earlier in the day, while cast-ing his ballot, the premier reiterated his vow to throw in the towel if his pro-EU protegee—par-liamentary speaker Tsetska Tsacheva—loses to former air force chief Rumen Radev, seen as friendly to Moscow.

“We will not participate in any way in the government if we lose today,” Borisov said.

A political novice, Radev stunned pollsters by sweeping just over 25 percent of the vote to Tsacheva’s nearly 22 percent in the first round of the election on November 6.

“I voted against Borisov

because I don’t think that he’s honest and he hasn’t really done anything to improve our lives,” said 52-year-old Zora Kardachka, a dry cleaner.

Observers say the general’s victory might tilt ex-communist and Soviet ally Bulgaria, which has long walked a tightrope between Moscow and Brussels, towards Russia’s orbit—a trend seen across eastern and central E u r o p e a m i d r i s i n g euroscepticism.

Tsacheva, 58, has vowed to keep Bulgaria on a pro-European path and accused her rival of being a “red general”.

treatment after the attacks.A sign scrawled and posted

near the Bataclan, “Love for all, hate for no one,” captured sense of defiance shared by many — but not all. Some residents of lively neigh-borhood where most of the attacks occurred are still trying to heal.

“We always have this fear that weighs heavily in our hearts. We always try to be careful. And every time we pass by here, we think of them,” Sabrina Nedjadi said.

Soubida Arhoui said fear is now part of her life. “I am afraid for my children, when they take

the Metro. When my son goes to work, I am afraid. When I get into a Metro I am afraid.”

“This anniversary is a further reminder of volatile terrorist threat faced in Europe today,” said a statement by Europol, the European police agency.

The remembrances come after the Sting concert on Satur-day night that reopened the refurbished Bataclan concert hall.

Sting, in a T-shirt with a gui-tar slung over his shoulder, asked concert-goers in fluent French to observe a minute of

silence as he opened the show.“We’ve got two important

things to do tonight,” the 65-year-old singer said. “First, to remember and honour those who lost their lives in the attacks a year ago ... and to celebrate the life and the music of this historic venue. ... We shall not forget them.”

He then strummed out a string of hits, including Fragile and “Message in a Bottle.”

Elodie Suigo, who lost six friends in the attack, said it was a hard night.

Paris attacks anniversary marked with silence

French President Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo unveil a commemorative plaque next to La Belle Equipe restaurant in Paris, yesterday.

Le Pen hails ‘new world’ after Trump's victory 1,400 migrants rescued in Mediterranean

Socialist ally Radev wins Bulgaria presidency: Polls

Presidential candidate of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Rumen Radev casts his vote in Sofia, yesterday.

18 MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 AMERICAS

A woman in Friendship Park in San Diego, California, speaks with children across a fence separating Mexico and the United States, early yesterday.

Beyond barriers

An ostrich and its young are seen at Talampaya National Park in Argentina's province of La Rioja, yesterday.

New horizons

Hopes kindle

The latest agreement aims to address some of the concerns of opponents of the original accord, who said the deal was too lenient on a rebel group.

The new deal is an opportunity to clear up doubts, but above all to unite us, said government negotiator Humberto de la Calle.

Havana

AP

Colombia’s government and its largest rebel group signed a new, modified peace accord in Havana

early yesterday following sur-prise rejection of an earlier deal by voters in a referendum.

The latest agreement aims to address some of the concerns of opponents of the original accord, who said the deal was too lenient on a rebel group that had kidnapped and committed war crimes.

“The new deal is an oppor-tunity to clear up doubts, but above all to unite us,” said gov-ernment negotiator Humberto de la Calle, who signed the accord along with rebel negoti-ator Ivan Marquez, moving to end a half-century-long conflict that has claimed more than 220,000 lives and driven almost 8 million people from their homes.

De la Calle described the text

of the modified accord as “much better” than the previous one, but didn’t say if or how it would be submitted again to voters or to congress.

President Juan Manuel San-tos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia inked an initial peace deal on

September 26 amid interna-tional fanfare after more than four years of negotiations. But voters rejected it on October 2 by just 55,000 votes.

Santos immediately began looking for ways to rescue the deal and the sides extended a cease-fire until December 31 to get the modified deal done. The rebels insisted they wouldn’t go back to drawing board and throw out years of arduous negotiations with the government.

“The meetings with the FARC delegation were intense,” said De la Calle. “We worked 15 days and nights to reach this new agreement.”

De la Calle said some mod-ifications made were related to justice, punishment for combat-ants accused of war crimes and reparations for the conflict’s vic-tims. He said negotiators had worked out the details of how and where those responsible for crimes would serve their sen-tences, addressing complaints by opponents that rebels accused of atrocities would not

be imprisoned but submitted to “alternative punishments.”

Other modifications include requiring the rebels to present an inventory of acquired money and holdings, and the provision of safeguards for private owners and property during reforms car-ried out in the countryside.

Cases of conflict participants accused of drug trafficking would be dealt with under Colombia’s penal code and be heard by high courts.

In a televised address early yesterday, Santos said he had instructed De la Calle and the

negotiating team to return to Bogota to explain the details of the new accord to the “no” cam-paign led by conservative former President Alvaro Uribe.

Santos said that an issue where negotiators did not achieve advances was on the insistence by opponents of the peace deal that guerrilla leaders not be allowed to run for elected office.

“We won’t have assigned leg-islative seats. To the contrary, they will have to participate in elections. Nor will they have posi-tions in government, as has occurred in other cases. But yes

they can be elected,” he said.FARC negotiator Marquez

said “the implementation of the accord is all that remains for the construction of the bases for peace in Colombia.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry congratulated Colombians, including Santos and those from the “no” campaign, for reaching the new peace deal.

“After 52 years of war, no peace agreement can satisfy eve-ryone in every detail. But this agreement constitutes an impor-tant step forward on Colombia’s path to a just and durable peace.

Colombia's FARC lead negotiator Ivan Marquez (left) and Colombia's lead government negotiator Humberto De la Calle (right) sign a new peace deal to end their 52-year war, while Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez looks on, in Havana, early yesterday.

Lima

AFP

A PERUVIAN judge has ordered former president Ollanta Humala to report to court every 30 days as a money laundering case in which he is a defendant is litigated.

Judge Richard Concep-cion’s ruling also states that the ex-president cannot change addresses and must post a $15,000 bail.

Prosecutors fear that Humala—whose five year presidency ended in July—might flee the country as the case winds through the courts.

Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia are accused of laundering some $1.5m allegedly sent from Brazil and Venezuela to help fund his 2006 and 2011 presidential campaigns.

In both cases Humala was candidate for the leftist Nationalist Party, which he co-founded with his wife Nadine.

The hearing lasted 10 hours. Humala, who was not in the courtroom, denies all charges.

If found guilty he and his wife could face between eight and ten years prison.

Caracas

AP

Venezuela’s government a n d o p p o s i t i o n announced early yester-

day some preliminary agreements to try to pull the country from its deep political and economic crisis, but a defin-itive solution has not yet been found and talks will continue.

Among the agreements is a pledge to hold new elections in Amazonas state to choose replacements for three National Assembly deputies who were dismissed by Venezuela’s supreme court for alleged vote buying.

The parties also agreed to respect the autonomy of Ven-ezuela’s legislature and to work

to overcome the impasse cre-ated by the high court’s decision to nullify the National Assem-bly’s decisions.

Vatican-appointed media-tor Monsignor Claudio Celli announced the agreements after reading the conclusions from the second meeting of representatives of the opposi-tion and the socialist government of President Nico-las Maduro.

Celli said there was also an agreement on how to name the replacements of two National Electoral Council members whose mandates end in December. The sides also said they had agreed on measures to combat the food and medi-cine shortages that have plagued the country.

Philadelphia

AP

A student at the University of Oklahoma was tempo-rarily suspended and

police are investigating a threat against a Muslim student near the University of Michigan amid racially charged outbursts at schools and universities across the country following Donald Trump’s presidential election.

Media outlets identified

several reports of racist incidents at schools since Tuesday, includ-ing a group chat that the Oklahoma student got involved with aimed at black freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania, Trump’s alma mater.

The chat contained “violent, racist and thoroughly disgusting images and messages,” and Penn is “appalled” its students were added to the GroupMe account,” UPenn President Amy Gutmann said. Gutmann said UPenn police

have been working with the FBI. She earlier said officials had increased campus safety and were “reaching out to support the affected students.”

University of Oklahoma President David Boren in a state-ment said the student has been temporarily suspended as the school investigates further.

“It would appear this matter did not originate at University of Oklahoma, but started else-where,” Boren said.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, police are looking into a report of a man who threatened to set a Muslim student on fire with a lighter if she didn’t remove her hijab. The incident happened near the University of Michigan campus, according to Ann Arbor police Sgt. Patrick Maguire. He added the department is “inves-tigating it ... and soliciting information from anyone who may have witnessed anything.”

A crime alert issued by the

university said the woman took off her hijab and left the area. Witnesses told police the man was white with an “unkempt appearance” and “intoxicated with slurred speech.”

The Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations called for the incident to be investigated as a hate crime, saying the “alleged attack is just the latest anti-Muslim inci-dent reported since the election of Donald Trump as president.”

Montreal

AFP

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to Cuba tomorrow as the

breakthrough in US relations with communist regime hangs in bal-ance following Donald Trump’s presidential election win.

The prime minister’s official visit comes 40 years after his father Pierre Elliott Trudeau committed to a lifelong friend-ship with Fidel Castro during a three-day trip.

According to his office, the goal is to “renew and strengthen” bilateral relationship.

The visit will also provide an opportunity to “collaborate

more closely on sustainable eco-nomic growth, inclusive governance, security, climate change, and gender equality,” a statement said.

It is also possible to rile Wash-ington. Trump has sent mixed messages about thaw in US-Cuba relations which was started two years ago by his predecessor.

He gave it a lukewarm wel-come at first saying “50 years is enough,” before vowing to reverse new policies unless Cuban President Raul Castro agrees to democratic reforms and other demands.

The visit is primarily “sym-bolic,” John Kirk, a politics professor and Cuba expert at Dal-housie University in Halifax, said.

Canada, he noted, is the only country in the Americas, along with Mexico, to have maintained diplomatic ties with Havana after the revolution, “despite significant pressure from Wash-ington” over the years.

Ottawa also remained steadfastly opposed to the American embargo, which remains in place due to the US Congress’s rejection of Obama’s s i g n a t u r e C u b a rapprochement.

During a 30-hour stopover en route to Peru for an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leader’s meeting, Tru-deau is to meet with Raul Castro, who succeeded his ailing brother Fidel in 2008.

Colombia and rebels sign new peace deal

Venezuela govt & oppn reach initial agreements

Peru leader ensnared in money laundering case

Racially charged incidents continue at varsities

Trudeau to visit Cuba tomorrow

19MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2016 AMERICAS

Tough stand

We are going to get people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million—we are getting them out of our country, the US President-elect said.

Washington

Agencies

Donald Trump (pic-tured) will keep his vow to deport mil-l i o n s o f u n d o c u m e n t e d

migrants from the United States, he said in an interview to be broadcast today, saying as many as three million could be removed after he takes office.

“What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million—we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate,” Trump said in an excerpt released ahead of broad-cast by CBS’s 60 Minutes programme.

The billionaire real estate baron made security at the

US-Mexico border a central plank of his insurgent presiden-tial campaign, which resulted in last Tuesday’s shock election vic-tory against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Trump added that the bar-rier to be erected on the US border with Mexico may not con-sist entirely of brick and mortar, but that fencing could be used in some areas.

“There could be some fenc-ing,” Trump says in his first primetime interview since being elected president last week.

“But (for) certain areas, a wall is more appropriate. I’m very good at this, it’s called construc-tion,” he told CBS.

Such a promise was directly

at odds with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who told CNN’s “State of the Union” yesterday that mass deportation is not a focus of Republicans right now. Ryan said “I think we should put people’s minds at ease” on mass depor-tation because the top priority is really border security.

The network released por-tions of Trump’s interview in advance of its broadcast.

Trump campaigned on a vow to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it. He also has insisted he will deport all 11 million people in the country illegally, with exceptions.

Earlier in the day President-elect Donald Trump has been receiving congratulatory phone calls from a number of his former rivals, including Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Mitt Romney.

Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Trump, told reporters in Trump Tower yesterday about

the calls and said that conversa-tion the President-elect had with Bush was “incredibly gracious.”

And Trump later tweeted that he received calls from former Presidents George H W Bush and George W Bush.

He later mentioned his con-versation with Kasich, the governor of Ohio.

But Trump reserved his praise for the “GREAT, GREAT, GREAT” state of Ohio, which helped to elect him. Trump tweeted: “The people of Ohio were incredible!”

Trump had angrily attacked all of those fellow Republicans during his bruising run through the GOP primaries. None of them endorsed Trump.

Trump tweeted twice yester-day about the New York Time's “bad” and “highly inaccurate” coverage of his campaign and claimed it was losing “thousands

of subscribers.”In a letter to subscribers after

the election, the publisher of the Times questioned whether Trump’s “sheer unconvention-ality” led the paper and other news outlets to underestimate his support among American voters. The letter vowed to “red-edicate” the Times to its mission of reporting news “without fear or favour.”

Meanwhile, a senior congres-sional Republican said the GOP’s agenda in the upcoming Con-gress doesn’t include further investigations of Hillary Clinton.

Speaking on Fox News yes-terday, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Republi-cans on Capitol Hill will focus on job creation, reforming and repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law, and rebuilding’s America’s roads and bridges.

New York/Los Angeles

Reuters

Chanting “Not my president” and “love trumps hate,” thousands of demonstra-

tors took the streets in cities across the United States at the weekend to protest against Pres-ident-elect Donald Trump, who they say threatens their civil and human rights.

Police in Portland, Oregon, where a protester was shot on Saturday but not seriously injured, said they arrested more than 20 people early yesterday after protesters tossed burning flares and bottles at them and refused orders to disperse.

The biggest rallies were in New York, Los Angeles and Chi-cago, where organisers said they wanted to build on the momen-tum after several nights of protests triggered by the real-estate mogul’s surprise win in

Tuesday’s presidential election.In New York, several thou-

sand protesters marched peacefully up Fifth Avenue past its glitzy store fronts, some already bearing Christmas dec-orations, before filling the streets at the foot of Trump Tower, the president-elect’s skyscraper home.

“We’re horrified the country has elected an incredibly unqual-ified racist on a platform that was just totally hateful,” said Mary Florin-McBride, 62, a retired banker from New York who held a sign reading, “No Fascism in America.”

There were also demonstra-tions in Chicago and Los Angeles, where several thousand protest-ers gathered beneath MacArthur Park’s palm trees holding plac-ards including “Dump Trump” and “Minorities Matter,” before marching toward downtown.

Some waved American,

Mexican or rainbow flags. Holding a “Keep Love Legal” sign, 25-year-old gay Los Angeles resident Alex Seedman called Trump a fascist and feared he would repeal mar-riage equality.

Evelyne Werzola, 46, an immigrant from South Africa, said she had seen what a police state could do.

“I’ve seen people oppressed. And this is like a heartbreak of the American dream for me,” Werzola said. “So I’m fighting to keep what America has stood for alive.”

In Portland, the protester who was shot had been taking part in a march across the city’s Morri-son Bridge. Portland police said four people had been detained in connection with the shooting, and were believed to be criminal gang associates.

Police also said some protest-ers attacked a film crew in the city yesterday morning and at least

two people were assaulted. They began making arrests when the crowd refused to disperse.

Since Trump’s victory, dem-onstrators in several cities have decried the Republican’s cam-paign promises to restrict immigration and register Mus-lims, as well as allegations that the former reality-TV star sexu-ally abused women.

Dozens of protesters have been arrested and a handful of police injured.

The demonstrations since the election have been impromptu affairs, quickly organized, with weekend protests expected to swell in size.

Trump initially denounced the protests, saying they were “incited” by media, but later praised the demonstrators’ “pas-sion for our great country.”

“We will all come together and be proud!” he said on Twitter.

New YorkAP

DONALD Trump may take a victory tour to states that elected him president, an aide said early yesterday, as bois-terous protests unfolded outside the tower where he holed up with members of his transition team and fielded calls congratulating him.

While he’s announced one decision — putting Vice President-elect Mike Pence in charge of the transition instead of Chris Christie — Trump must identify other people for top White House jobs and Cabinet posts. The president-elect remained out of sight at Trump Tower, with streets outside swarming with thousands objecting to the results of Election Day.

At one point, documen-tary filmmaker Michael Moore, who had predicted his victory, entered the tower lobby with a camera crew in tow and asked to see Trump. “I just thought I’d see if I could get into Trump Tower and ride the famous escalator,” said Moore, who did just that until he reached the fourth floor and the Secret Service told him he could go no higher.

Kellyanne Conway, who was Trump’s campaign man-ager, told reporters that Trump’s choice of a chief of staff was “imminent,” though not coming today.

New York/Washington

Reuters

Hillary Clinton (pictured) blamed FBI director James Comey for her stunning

defeat in Tuesday’s presidential election in a conference call with her top campaign funders early yesterday, according to two par-ticipants who were on the call.

Clinton was projected by nearly every national public opin-ion poll as the heavy favourite going into Tuesday’s race. Instead, Republican Donald Trump won the election, shock-ing many throughout the nation and prompting widespread protests.

Clinton has kept a low profile since her defeat after delivering her concession speech on

Wednesday morning.Clinton told her supporters

yesterday that her team had drafted a memo that looked at the changing opinion polls leading up to the election and that the letter from Comey proved to be a turn-ing point. She said Comey’s decision to go public with the renewed examination of her email server had caused an ero-sion of support in the upper Midwest, according to three peo-ple familiar with the call.

Clinton lost in Wisconsin, the first time since 1984 that the state favoured the Republican candi-date in a presidential election. Although the final result in Mich-igan has still not been tallied, it is leaning Republican, in a state that last favoured the Republican nominee in 1988.

Comey sent a letter to Con-gress only days before the election announcing that he was reinstating an investigation into whether Clinton mishandled clas-sified information when she used a private email server while sec-retary of state from 2009 to 2012.

Comey announced a week later that he had reviewed

emails and continued to believe she should not be prosecuted, but the political damage was already done.

Clinton told donors that Trump was able to seize on both of Comey’s announcements and use them to attack her, accord-ing to two participants on the call.

While the second letter cleared her of wrongdoing, Clinton said that it reinforced to Trump’s sup-porters that the system was rigged in her favour and motivated them to mobilise on Election Day.

The memo prepared by Clin-ton’s campaign, a copy of which was seen by a section of press, said voters who decided which candidate to support in the last week were more likely to sup-port Trump than Clinton.

“In the end, late breaking

developments in the race proved one hurdle too many for us to overcome,” the memo concludes.

A spokesperson for the FBI could not immediately be reached for comment.

On the phone call, Dennis Chang, who served as Clinton’s finance chair, said her campaign and the national party had raised more than $900m from more than 3 million individual donors, according to the two participants who spoke to Reuters.

As Clinton gave her account to donors, Trump hunkered down at Trump Tower with members of transition team announced and tasked with selecting the 15 Cab-inet posts and thousands of political appointment jobs.

Washington/Marrakesh

Reuters

Donald Trump is seeking quick ways of withdrawing from a global agreement to

limit climate change, a source on his transition team said.

Since the US President-elect was chosen, governments ranging from China to small island states have reaffirmed support for 2015 Paris Agreement at 200-nation cli-mate talks running until November 18 in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Trump, who has called global warming a hoax and has promised to quit the Paris Agreement, was considering ways to bypass a the-oretical four-year procedure for leaving the accord, according to the source, who works on Trump’s

transition team for international energy and climate policy.

“It was reckless for the Paris agreement to enter into force before the election” on Tuesday, the source said, speaking on con-dition of anonymity. The Paris Agreement won enough backing for entry into force on November 4.

Alternatives were to send a letter withdrawing from a 1992 Convention that is the parent treaty of the Paris Agreement, voiding US involvement in both in a year’s time, or to issue a presidential order simply delet-ing the US signature from the Paris accord, he said.

Many nations have expressed hopes the United States will stay. Host Morocco said the agreement that seeks to phase out greenhouse

gases in the second half of the cen-tury was strong enough to survive a pullout.

“If one party decides to with-draw that it doesn’t call the agreement into question,” Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar told a news conference.

The agreement was reached by almost 200 nations in December and, has been formally ratified by 109 representing 76 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, includ-ing the United States with 18 percent.

The accord seeks to limit ris-ing temperatures that have been linked to increasing economic damage from desertification, extinctions of animals and plants, heat waves, floods and rising sea levels.

Thousands march against Trump presidency

Many voters were shocked by the outcome, after polls pre-dicted a Clinton victory.

Some 60.3 million people voted for Trump, fewer than the

60.8 million who chose Clinton. But Trump’s strong showing in swing states including Michigan meant he triumphed in the Elec-toral College.

A man is arrested during a rally.

Hillary blames FBI’s Comey for her defeat Trump may revisit Trump Country during a victory tour

Trump seeks to quit climate deal: Source

A cake brought by supporters to celebrate President-elect Donald Trump is shown at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, early yesterday.

3 million undocumented migrants to go: Trump


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Indonesian embassy marks National Day

The Peninsula

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Doha marked the 71th Independence and National Day, recently.

The event which saw the participation of Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Minister of Munic-ipality and Environment; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi; H E Ibrahim Yousif Fachroo, Director Protocol and Sheikh Faisal Al Thani along with some 300 guests con-sisting of ambassadors, diplomats, Qatari government officials and members of the Qatari civil society also commemorated the Anniversary of Anniversary of 40th Diplomatic Relation RI-Qatar.

“From a humble beginning, Indone-sia, which gained independence on August 17, 1945, has now developed into one of the most robust economies in the world

with a relatively steady economic growth of about four to five percent in the last three years,” said Muhammad Basri Side-habi, Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar.

He also expressed satisfaction at the ever expanding bilateral relation between Indonesia and Qatar.

The reception also promoted an array of activities organised by the Indonesian Community in Qatar (Permiqa) led by Edwin Kurniawan. Celebration showcased a colorful cultural show, and food festi-val. The festival showcased most delicious select dishes from tropical Indonesia, tra-ditional dances, and soothing music of bamboo Angklung music. The guests were welcomed by Gendang Tari Palembang dance. The event unfolded Indonesian cul-tural and traditional diversity before the guests.

“This is the perfect way of promoting Indonesia and tourism to the country that has some of the most popular tourist des-tinations in the world. The embassy is

Officials at the National Day reception.

taking lot of measures to promote Indonesian tourism through such cultural activities. We are the larg-e s t M u s l i m c o u n t r y , population-wise, in the world and the 16th most powerful economy.

We have become the member of G-20. We are also the member of 1 trillion dollar club,” said the ambassador, hoping there would be more business cooperation between Indonesia and Qatar.

call to reduce recruitment...2016/11/13 · meshal al shamari, director of qgbc announced the...

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