Volume 24 | Number 8013 | 2 RiyalsFriday 13 September 2019 | 14 Muharram 1441 www.thepeninsula.qa

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BUSINESS | 15 SPORT | 20

McLeod, Fraser-Pryce lead strong Jamaica team for Doha Worlds

Gambia President invites Qatari

investors to his country

PM opens Mukaynis Meteorological Center

QNA DOHA

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani inaugurated yesterday the Mukaynis Meteorological Center in Mukaynis area, and launched an app for Qatar Meteorology Department called Q Weather which will allow its users to view weather information, weather forecasts and warnings, as well as special readings of various climate elements directly and round-the-clock.

H E the Prime Minister and Interior Minister toured the center, where he was briefed about the control room, the radar tower and the mechanism of the new weather radar, which is considered the most modern in terms of technol-ogies and capabilities, and will con-tribute to the improvement of the weather forecasts of the Center, as well as the monitoring of many elements of the weather more accurately and

effectively, in addition to the various monitoring stations and services pro-vided to the community and other vital sectors. The ceremony was attended by a number of Ministers and senior officials.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti stressed that there is a commitment to developing all meteorological centers in the State of Qatar.

H E the Minister said that the capa-bilities of the new center is one of the most advanced, and will help make more accurate predictions to the weather. H E the Minister stressed that the transport and communications projects enjoy great attention from Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister and Interior Min-ister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, noting that the state has a clear vision of getting the best systems and technologies in the world to benefit the society. �P2

Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani with other dignitaries during the inauguration of Mukaynis Meteorological Center, yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met yesterday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Stef Blok, who is currently visiting the country. They reviewed bilateral relations, in addition to issues of mutual interest.

Qatar and the Netherlands review bilateral relations

Qatar pioneer in supporting sports integrity, transparencyQNA DOHA

Mohammed bin Hanzab, Vice-Chairman of Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), said Qatar is a pioneer in supporting integrity, transparency and fighting corruption in sport in the region and around the world. He added that it seeks to create a legacy through its vision and strategy for the future.

Bin Hanzab, who is also Chairman and CEO of the Inter-national Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) said the State of Qatar pro-vided initiatives that aims to achieve integrity in Sports. One of those initiatives is SIGA, which is the first independent and self-financed international organi-sation dedicated to sports integrity.

It was founded in 2016 after efforts led by the ICSS to establish this international alliance, which includes more than 100 members of international organisations, sports federations, major sponsors of global sports and civil society organisations.

In press conference held in the attendance of SIGA CEO Emanuel Medeiros, bin Hanzab said that in compliance with Qatari efforts to support sports integrity and fight corruption, Doha will host the two-day SIGA Inter-Regional Summit on Monday and Tuesday.

Attended by Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali and nearly 60 integrity experts, the conference will discuss a number of sugges-tions and ideas which aim to provide solutions to move forward

in the fight against corruption and achieve sports integrity.

The SIGA Vice-Chairman thanked the wise leadership for the great support the State of Qatar provides to eliminating corruption in sport and achieving integrity.

He added that after the great success SIGA has achieved on a European and international level, the alliance is currently discussing sports corruption in Asia, Africa and the Middle Eastern region.

It is also working on setting appropriate suggestions to elim-inate it and achieve trans-parency. He added that SIGA received several suggestions from many countries in the region for partnership and support to eliminate sports cor-ruption. �P4

Qatar’s position on Palestinian cause will never change: Ambassador Al EmadiQNA DOHA

The Chairman of Qatar’s Gaza Reconstruction Committee, Ambassador Mohammed Al Emadi said that the position of the State of Qatar in terms of supporting the Palestinian cause in all international events will never change.

He added, in a statement released yesterday, that the State of Qatar is working with all international parties and UN institutions to improve the lives of people in Gaza and prevent the collapse of the official insti-tutions there, as it would have adverse impact on the lives of

people. He added that this was proof that the State of Qatar will never abandon people in Gaza.

Al Emadi said that his remarks regarding the tragic conditions in Gaza were misconstrued, noting that Gaza is suffering from an almost complete collapse in all sectors. He added that conditions there could lead to an explosive situation that everyone fears.

He stressed that his remarks were not targeting any group, and was not intended to question the integrity and the struggle of Pal-estinian groups and people in Gaza. He noted that the Strip requires more easing from the Egyptian, Palestinian, and Israeli sides. He said that the question of

taxes paid by citizens during a collapsing economy will have an adverse impact on their lives. He also said that his comments on taxes were only made to clarify that they are spent on operational expenses in Gaza, and for being paid to deliver and secure products coming into the Strip.

He said that Gaza’s revenues are not enough to cover its expenses, as it is a big consumer market. He also said that citizens there must feel that their daily needs are more available at a lower cost, in order to support their struggle against the siege and any regional agreements that would liquidate the Palestinian cause.

On reaching a de-esclation in

Gaza, he said that the goal of the State of Qatar’s efforts is to pave the way for international parties to work in the Strip and increase the humanitarian projects. He added that Qatari efforts do not seek to favour one party over the other. He also highlighted that the State of Qatar announced officially that it is against any solutions that the Palestinian Authority rejects.

On the reconciliation, he stressed that the State of Qatar hosted Pales-tinian dialogue, and has called many times on the authority’s President Mahmoud Abbas and all Palestinian parties to hold on to the outcomes of the reconciliation talks in Doha, and to work towards a resolution with no preconditions. �P4

Qatar launches Q Weather app, which will allow its users to view weather information, weather forecasts and warnings, as well as special readings of various climate elements directly and round-the-clock.

Workshop discusses fair recruitment practiceSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, in cooperation with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), organised the first workshop for the team of representatives of public sector institutions concerned for fair recruitment and decent work.

The workshop is part of an initiative ‘Fair Recruitment Forum’ which was launched by the Ministry in May to create necessary awareness about the provisions of the labour law in Qatar, which prohibits the imposition of

recruitment fees on workers.The workshop aims at

opening the door for dialogue, discussion and exchange of ideas with public sector clients (institutions and companies) on innovative steps to integrate fair recruitment into Qatar’s public procurement processes to ensure that no worker pays recruitment fees, said a report posted on the website of the Ministry.

The workshop included a number of sessions on how to adopt strategies for the inte-gration of workers ‘rights and the implementation of the Qatari Labor Law, which requires non-payment of recruitment fees. �P4

02 FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019HOME

Amir condoles with President of Congo DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

and Deputy H H Sheikh Abdul-

lah bin Hamad Al Thani sent

cables of condolences to the

President of the Democratic

Republic of Congo, Felix Tsh-

isekedi, on the victims of the

train accident in Tanganyika

province, wishing the injured

a speedy recovery. Prime

Minister and Interior Minister,

Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser

bin Khalifa Al Thani, Also sent

a cable of condolences to the

Prime Minister of Congo, Syl-

vestre Ilunga Ilukamba, on

the victims of the train acci-

dent in Tanganyika province,

wishing the injured a speedy

recovery. QNA

OFFICIAL NEWS

WEATHER TODAY

Courtesy: Qatar Meteorology Department

Minimum Maximum31oC 41oC

HIGH TIDE 03:38 – 16:25 LOW TIDE 10:22

Hot daytime with slight dust at times and

some clouds.

FAJRSHOROOK

04. 02 AM05. 19 AM

11. 30 AM02.58 PM

05. 43 PM07. 13 PM

ZUHRASR

MAGHRIBISHA

PRAYER TIMINGS

Qatar condemns attack on army base in KabulDOHA: The State of Qatar

expressed its strong con-

demnation and denunciation

of the attack that took place

in an army special forces’

base in Afghanistan’s capital

Kabul, killing and injuring sev-

eral people. The Ministry of

Foreign Affairs reiterated,in

a statement issued yester-

day the State of Qatar’s firm

stance on rejecting violence

and terrorism regardless of

the motives and causes. The

statement expressed the

State of Qatar’s condolences

to the families of the victims

and the government and peo-

ple of Afghanistan, wishing

the injured a speedy recov-

ery. QNA

PM meets Indian petroleum minister

Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, met yesterday the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas of the Republic of India, Dharmendra Pradhan, and his accompanying delegation. The meeting focused on reviewing bilateral relations and means to enhance them, in addition to discussing issues of joint interest. Dharmendra Pradhan also met with Minister of State for Energy Affairs, H E Eng. Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi. They discussed a number of bilateral topics and ways to boost and develop them, especially on cooperation in energy and natural gas affairs. The meeting was attended by the delegation accompanying the visiting minister and a number of senior officials from Qatar Petroleum and Qatargas.

MOI continues preparations for World Cup 2022QNA/DOHA

The Ministry of Interior continues to implement its training programs in preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2022. The programs cover various security, service, crisis management, crowd management, emergency and other related fields. In that context, The Police Training Institute celebrated yesterday the graduation of two training courses for 32 officers from the ministry’s different departments.

The first course aimed at providing the 18 partici-pants with the necessary knowledge and skills to evaluate information from different sources, and to equip the units to carry out the operation with the highest levels of effi-ciency and effectiveness in accordance with the known principles of operational planning and management.

The second course, which had 14 participants, helped them learn how to deal appropriately with any reports related to trains. The course also focused on how to ensure the safety of the passengers, while also maintaining public property.

QA hosts athletics talent identification activities at OISTHE PENINSULA/DOHA

As sporting fever spreads across the country ahead of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 later this month, Oryx International School (OIS) had the opportunity to partic-ipate in an athletics workshop aimed at children aged 10-15 years old.The workshop saw 75 students from OIS take part in a number of disciplines, competing to be crowned the winner in a one-day sporting spectacular created by Qatar Airways, Aspire Academy and the Local Organising Committee for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.

As part of the activities, OIS students took part in Aspire Academy’s Talent Identification Program, aimed at edu-cating the students on some of the skills and attributes required to be an elite athlete. Established in 2004, Aspire has since produced a number of high-per-formance athletes for Team Qatar such as Olympian and World Champion Mutaz Barshim (High Jump), Abubaker Haydar Abdalla (800m) and Ashraf El-Seify (Hammer Throw). They will also be competing at the IAAF World Ath-letic Championships later this month.

Qatar Airways’ Oryx Kid Club

Mascots Orry’ and ‘Orah’ the Oryx and IAAF Doha 2019 Mascot Falah the Falcon presented students with gift bags to remember the day, and as an added bonus Qatar Airways provided each student with tickets to the Champion-ships to experience seeing the world’s best athletes compete.

Qatar Airways Senior Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Communica-tions, Salam Al Shawa, said: “We are delighted to bring the excitement of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 to the students at Oryx

International School. Sport is a key pillar of the long-term vision of the State of Qatar, and as the National Airline Partner of the Championships, we welcome these opportunities to showcase how sport can support the development of our future generations and bring people together from around the world.”

Sheikha Asma Al Thani, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Local Organising Committee, com-mented: “Through the enthusiasm and excitement of our partners for the IAAF

World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, we have been able to spread that excitement into our communities with a memorable day for young sports fans to compete and learn more about the competition. “I thank our partners for helping to celebrate the Championships in what is a truly historical sporting moment for the whole of Qatar.”

Head of ASPIRE National Talent Identification Program, Anthony Hazeldine, said: “The students always enjoy being tested with the same physical tests that many of the athletes

competing at the IAAF World Athletics Championships would have done in their youth. Probably because there is no right or wrong answer to these tests, it’s mostly about their own effort and determination. The students were amazed when we raised the bar on the vertical jump test to show them how high Mutaz Barshim could jump at their age. Through the testing they gained an appreciation for the amazing efforts that Qatar’s very own athletes have achieved over a relatively short time.”

Oryx International School Executive Principal, Derek Laidlaw, said: “We are delighted to have been afforded this opportunity by the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, Qatar Airways and Aspire Academy. This event will offer insight into the world of athletics, sport science and also test our students’ sporting endurance. Oryx stu-dents come from more than 90 different countries, reflecting our and Qatar Airways’ global diversity and how this can be united though sport.” As a national partner, Qatar Airways will help fly in over 3,500 athletes, coaches and tech-nical officials for the ten-day event which gets underway September 27 at Khalifa International Stadium.

PM opens Mukaynis Meteorological Center

FROM PAGE 1For his part, Chairman

of Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority Abdullah bin Nasser bin Turki Al Subaey said during a speech that the center will make an important contribution towards realising the authority’s vision of pro-viding the most modern services to the public.

He said that the new center is the first weather radar of its kind in the country, noting that its services will help serve all major events held in the country led by World Cup 2022. He added that the new electronic application l a u n c h e d b y t h e Department of Meteorology aims to improve weather-related services.

He said that the a p p l i c a t i o n w a s

developed by a Qatari startup called Applab, praising the company for

providing a highly-dynamic application. He said that the innovation was the latest

evidence of Qatari cadres’ embracing of the digital age.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, during the inauguration of the Mukaynis Meteorological Center in Mukaynis area, yesterday.

Qatar stresses importance of UN Declaration on coercive measures’ impact on rightsQNA/GENEVA

The State of Qatar stressed on the impor-tance of a United Nations Declaration on the Negative Impact of unilateral and coercive measures on the state of human rights. This came during the speech of the State of Qatar, given by Permanent Repre-sentative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations in Geneva Ali Khalfan Al Mansoori during a session on unilateral coercive measures, held as part of the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.

The Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar said that the presence of a UN declaration on the matter could act as a hindrance for such practices, and set clear mechanisms for holding violators accountable as well as to the reparation of the victims. Al Mansoori said that the State of Qatar, as one of the countries affected by these measures, stress that they have adverse impact on international relations and human rights, due to the damage it has on the victims and their families. He noted that the State of Qatar’s case saw measures that discriminated against Qatari citizens.

The ambassador concluded the State of Qatar’s speech by stressing that the country will continue using of interna-tional platforms to champion the rights of Qatari citizens and others who suffered damages as a result of the measures.

Qatar Airways and IAAF Doha 2019 mascots with Oryx International School students.

03FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019 HOME

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Ooredoo announced it will offer the latest products from Apple, including iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, a new pro line for iPhone, as well as the new dual-camera iPhone 11.

Customers will be able to pre-order iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max beginning September 20, and the new iPhones will be available starting on September 27. iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max feature a new triple-camera system that provides a pro-level camera experience with an Ultra-Wide, Wide and Tele-photo camera, delivering huge improvements to low-light photography with Night mode and the highest quality video in a smartphone.

The powerful Apple-designed A13 Bionic chip p r o v i d e s unparalleled performance for every task while ena-bl ing an u n p r e c e -dented leap in battery life, with iPhone 1 1 P r o offering up to

four more hours of battery life in a day than iPhone Xs, and iPhone 11 P r o M a x offering up to five hours more than iPhone Xs Max.

The new Super Retina XDR in the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro and 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max is the brightest and most advanced display ever in an iPhone. iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max come in four gorgeous finishes including a beautiful new midnight green.

iPhone 11 is packed with new powerful and innovative capabilities seamlessly integrated with iOS 13, bringing an unparalleled user experience. iPhone 11 introduces a powerful dual-camera system with all-new Ultra-Wide and Wide-angle cameras, producing the highest quality video in a smartphone, offering major improvements in low-light photography with Night mode, and Por-trait mode of people, pets, things and more.

iPhone 11 is powered by the A13 Bionic chip to perform the most demanding tasks, while getting through an entire day on a single charge, and is designed to withstand the elements with improved water resistance and the toughest glass ever in a smartphone. iPhone 11 comes in six new gorgeous colours including purple, green, yellow, black, white and red.

More details on pricing and data plans can be obtained at ooredoo.qa.

Stars of Science kicks off season 11 today with all new formatTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Hundreds of young Arab inno-vation hopefuls will present their ideas for sustainable technology solutions to their peers, estab-lished innovators, and an expert jury today as they aim to win the chance to be part of Season 11 of Stars of Science, Qatar Founda-t ion ’s groundbreaking edutainment TV initiative.

Audiences are invited to tune in and find out who will succeed in impressing the panel and join the quest to find the next top Arab innovator.

“Viewers can expect to expe-rience thrilling reality television that holds a strong educational component,” said Khalid Al Jumaily, the host of Stars of Science. “Having been involved with the show since its inception, I see this season as an exceptional one given the format development that aims at meeting viewers’ expecta-tions. This season, we will con-tinue to witness the high level of Arab talent portrayed and watch our region’s techno-logical capabilities evolve first-hand.”

Fans who have been following Stars of Science since its debut season in 2009 will notice that the show has an all-new format this year, focusing on sustainability and collaboration. This includes exciting changes to its casting

episodes that encourage absorbing discussions on scientific advances and an exchange of knowledge between the competitors.

In the initial three-part casting stage, over 150 aspiring innovators will pitch their con-cepts in front of the jury, sup-ported by Stars of Science alumni, and compete to win a

spot among the final eight contestants.

Stars of Science will air its first episode on Qatar Television today, at 10pm, with a re-run scheduled to appear tomorrow, at 5pm. The show will air weekly until November 8 on seven channels across the region and online.

QEERI, Tarsheed to hold ‘Young Innovator Award’ competitionTHE PENINSULA DOHA

As part of the upcoming International Conference in Sustainable Energy-Water-Environment Nexus in Desert Climate 2019 (IC-SEWEN’19), the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), in cooperation with strategic partner Kahramaa represented by the National Program for Conser-vation and Energy Efficiency, Tarsheed, is to host a ‘Young Innovator Award’ competition for students at all national and international schools in Qatar.

Developed in coordination with the Ministry of Education, Kahramaa and Qatar Foundation Research, Devel-opment and Innovation (QF RDI), the competition tasks students with pro-ducing short videos highlighting how challenges related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be addressed.

Teams of four to six students, sup-ported by a faculty member, will be cat-egorised into three groups based on age. Participants will then develop a video of between three and five minutes

highlighting their insights on the four SDGs relevant to the conference: avail-ability and sustainable management of water and sanitation (SDG 6); access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy (SDG7); making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,

resilient and sustainable (SDG11); and combating climate change and its impacts (SDG13).

Dr Veronica Bermudez, Senior Research Director of QEERI’s Energy Center, and Chairperson of the Con-ference, said, “It is essential that we

encourage youth participation in tackling these challenges. True sus-tainable change will only come when we educate and empower them to work together to-wards making the world a better place. Through this competition, we hope to familiarize students with the SDGs and help them understand the important role their contributions can play, while also encouraging an interest in science and research.”

Abdul Aziz Al Hammadi, Conser-vation and Energy Efficiency Manager at Kahramaa, said, “At Tarsheed, one of our core missions is to promote conser-vation and energy efficiency in Qatar. One of the best ways to build a more sustainable culture, is to raise awareness among children about the significant role they play in securing a greener future. This competition aims to educate them about the existing energy effi-ciency technologies and on what the country’s regulations are, so they will become a well-informed generation, which works towards building a better world.

“United Nations Sustainable Devel-opment Goals (SDGs) 6, 7, 11 and 13 are the core business of Tarsh-eed. Working

towards these objectives, we aim to con-serve our water, save electricity and decrease carbon emissions by seven percent by 2022. These objectives will also reduce Qatar’s carbon footprint in line with the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and SDGs.”

A jury of scientists from QEERI, QF RDI, KAHRAMAA, and other HBKU entities will select five finalists in each category to present their video to a live audience and grand jury on December 2 at the Qatar National Convention Centre. Videos will be judged on various factors including the value of the rec-ommendation showcased, quality and creativity. In addition to the top three in each category receiving awards, all finalists will enjoy an exclusive visit to the KAHRAMAA Awareness Park. The winners will also be honored at Tar-sheed’s Annual Anniversary Celebration in April 2020.

Rules, guidelines and registration forms are available on the conference’s website (https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/qeeri-young-competition). The deadline for registration is September 30 and videos should be submitted by November 5.

Labour Minister meets US Official for Combatting Human Trafficking

Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs and Chairman of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking, H E Yousef bin Mohammed Al Othman Fakhro, met with US Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, John Richmond, during his visit to the country. They discussed joint cooperation aspects in the field of human trafficking, and ways to boost and develop them.

Qatar 2022 training sites showcase legacy valueTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar 2022’s compact configu-ration allows for the introduction of a new innovative accommo-dation and training concept, providing team delegations with a home-away-from-home for the duration of the tournament the purpose-built Team Base Camp (TBC) featuring dedicated training sites for each team.

The 41 training sites for the teams that will participate in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 are already showcasing their legacy value, with pilot usage phase well underway ahead of the official launch.

Several national teams including the Algerian team that won the African Cup of Nations in July have already used the sites. The sites also be used before the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in December.

Each training facility for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will consist of two FIFA-compliant floodlit natural grass pitches, ancillary team facilities, team parking and spectator areas for public training sessions.

Ahmed Al Obaidly, Training Sites Project Manager at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), explained: “Each training site has two natural grass pitches with a three metre

auxiliary area around and a five metre gap between the pitches to guarantee the safety of the players.”

He continued: “The field of play in the training sites resembles the pitches at FIFA World Cup stadiums with same type and quality of playing surface, profile, irrigation and drainage system. These can be used any time of the day during the tournament as they are equipped with flood-lighting to light up the entire site evenly.”

The training facilities are an important pillar of the team base camps, a mandatory FIFA World Cup hosting concept which includes training facilities and a hotel located in close proximity to each other. Each of the par-ticipating teams have their own team base camps during the FIFA World Cup.

Al Obaidly emphasized that

the three years leading up to the tournament will give the SC plenty of time to pilot different uses for the training sites and ultimately highlight the legacy use of this state-of-the-art sporting infrastructure.

Teams that have already used the pitches include the Qatar national team, Taipei, Iran, Palestine, Kazakhstan, the Qatar Rugby Federation and Al Fohood Sports Academy from Oman.

Some of the chosen locations include Qatar University, Doha Golf Course, Al Sailiya and Onaiza, with public sports grounds included in the legacy planning for the facilities.

The extensive infrastructure at each site also includes dressing rooms, a press con-ference area, a catering and lounge area, information tech-nology and communications networks and broadcast and media facilities.

Ooredoo starts new iPhones pre-order from next Friday

Qatar Environment and Energy Institute, part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, is inviting applications to its Young Innovator Award competition through video submissions.

The 41 training sites for the teams that will participate in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 are already showcasing their legacy value, with pilot usage phase well underway ahead of the official launch. Several national teams including the Algerian team that won the African Cup of Nations in July have already used the sites. The sites also be used before the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in December.

Stars of Science will air its first episode on Qatar Television today, at 10pm, with a re-run scheduled to appear tomorrow, at 5pm. The show will air weekly until November 8 on seven channels across the region and online.

04 FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019HOME

LEFT: The President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, meeting with Attorney-General H E Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri. RIGHT: Attorney-General H E Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri and Gambia’s Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou signing the MoU yesterday.

Attorney-General meets Gambia President, signs MoU

QNA DOHA

The President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, who is

currently visiting the country, met yesterday at his residence with Attorney-General H E Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri. The meeting focused on exchanging views on a number

of issues of joint interest, in addition to discussing ways to enhance coop-eration in the legal and judicial fields. Al Marri also signed a Memo-randum of Understanding with

Ga mbia’s Minister of Just ice Abubacarr Tambadou in the field of public prosecution.

The memorandum aims to enhance cooperation between the

two sides in the field of exchanging information, laws, and criminal jus-tice systems. It also aims to provide training in high-priority fields for the two sides.

THE PENINSULA/DOHA

A ‘yearning for education’ exists throughout the world, the President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow has said while visiting Qatar Foundation (QF) his tour of Education City yesterday, was given him an insight into QF’s unique environment, which includes more than

50 education, science and research, and community development entities.

During the visit, he also added taht “The whole world is yearning for education. It is the key focus of mine, and it is the foundation to everything in life. Qatar Foundation also real-izes the importance of education, and we share the same values.”

The Gambia Minister of Information visits QNAQNA/DOHA

The Director-General of Qatar News Agency (QNA) Youssef Ibrahim al-Malki met yesterday with Minister of Information and Communi-cation Infrastructure of the Republic of The

Gambia Ebrima Sillah. Talks during the meeting dealt with media relations between Qatar and The Gambia. The Gambian Minister of Infor-mation then toured the departments and sections of Qatar News Agency, during which he was briefed on the nature of the agency’s work.

The President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow during his to Qatar Foundation (QF) yesterday.

Qatar pioneer in supporting sports integrity and transparency

FROM PAGE 1Bin Hanzab thanked the Ministry of Culture and Sports for spon-soring the conference, as well as Qatar Airways, Ooredoo and the other sponsors. He added that the regional summit will discuss providing assistance to national associations in many countries through contributing to improving the organization of world sports championships and also assisting in drafting legislation and laws aimed at the protecting sports and achieve integrity.

He added that the State of Qatar is one of the first countries that sup-ported achieving sports integrity and transparency, highlighting that

the ICSS partnered with the Qatari league and other sports institutions in Qatar. He added that a national strategy to fight corruption will be announced and called on other countries to follow Qatar in achiev-ing integrity and transparency.

For his part, CEO of the Sports Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) Emanuel Medeiros Qatari officials for hosting the SIGA Inter-regional Summit.

He noted that the State of Qatar is the first in the region in terms of sports facility, adding that it was the only country that uses modern technology in sports. He praised the country for its commitment in sports, noting that this commitment

has added a lot to international sports.

On the summit, Medeiros said that the outcomes of the summit will definitely help combatting sport corruption. He said that the summit will shed light on the seri-ousness of corruption in sport in the region, and to develop solu-tions by encouraging countries to adopt SIGA’s international stand-ard legislation.

He added that another topic discussed is the importance of col-lective action among the region’s countries to enact legislation on integrity and to combat corrup-tion in sport, as its crimes has now become transcontinental in nature.

Workshop discusses fair recruitment practice

FROM PAGE 1The panelists discussed

opportunities to integrate workers’ rights in the procure-ment process, and shared the experiences of companies such as QDVC in this context during the sessions of the workshop.

The workshop was attended by the representa-tives of a number of relevant public sector institutions such as Supreme Commit-tee for Delivery and Legacy, Qatar Foundation for Educa-tion, Science and Community Development, Qatar Rail, Qatar Museums, Ministry of Transport and Communica-tions, Qatar Petroleum, the US Embassy in Qatar and a number of international organizations active in this field.

The Fair Recruitment Forum aims at studying and reviewing the efforts exerted to ensure the achievement of the procedures of fair recruit-ment, and raising awareness of the Qatari labour law, which prohibits the imposition of recruitment fees on workers, and to ensure that workers do not bear any financial costs by agencies and recruitment

companies other than those provided for by law, and adopt the necessary meas-ures and procedures to ensure a smooth, fair, transparent and legal manner of employment.

According to the Ministry, a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) have been signed with the labour-exporting coun-tries in order to achieve the highest standards and con-ditions of employment and fair recruitment, in line with international conventions and best regional and international practices in this regard.

The efforts exerted by the Ministry to implement the laws and legislations issued in the field of protecting the rights of expatriate workers and com-bating recruitment fees were lauded on national and inter-national levels.

The Ministry also coop-erated with the Ministry of Interior in the implementa-tion of the Qatar Visa Center project, which enhances the protection of expatri-ate workers by not charging them recruitment fees and costs with the signing of elec-tronic work contracts.

Qatar’s position on Palestinian cause will never change: Al Emadi

FROM PAGE 1He said that the Qatari calls

were a result of its understand-ing of the great danger facing the Palestinian issue.

Ambassador Al Emadi praised the strength of the Pal-estinian people in Gaza in the face of the siege and its destruc-tive impact on their lives. He stressed that the State of Qatar, thanks to the directives of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will be one of the first countries to provide support to the Palestinian people in their struggle to establish an inde-pendent state.

Qatar supports rehabilitation, reconstruction efforts in hurricane-hit Bahamas IslandsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

On behalf of the State of Qatar, the Qatar Fund for Development has responded urgently to the recent Hurricane Dorian disaster by supporting reconstruction projects and providing immediate support to hurricane victims.

The hurricane caused severe damage and destruction

to hospitals and health centers, resulting in insufficient resources to absorb the growing number of wounded people.

At present, it is difficult to accurately quantify the damage, as access to the affected areas is challenging after roads have been closed due to debris and infra-structure destruction, causing severe difficulties in accessing the necessary supplies, Qatar

Fund for Development said in a statement.

The State of Qatar will provide its support based on the ongoing needs assessment by the Baha-mas Government.

Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas and caused severe damage to the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama, leaving at least 43 deaths and more than 30,000 people affected, including

the destruction of 13,000 homes in the island of Abaco alone. It is expected that the numbers of affected people by this disaster will increase in the coming days.

The State of Qatar expressed its deepest condolences to the Gov-ernment and the people of the Bahamas following the horrific destruction caused by Hurricane ‘Dorian’, and wished a speedy recovery.

President of the Republic of The Gambia visits Education City

05FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019 ISLAM

The hijab or the Islamic dress is cited by many as an example of the ‘subjugation’ of women under Islamic law. Yet, the truth is that 1,400 years ago, Islam recognised women’s rights in a way that grants them the utmost protection and respect, a combination other systems fail to offer. Islam granted them freedom of expression, political participation, business and financial rights, and asked the rest of society to hold them in high esteem and offer them due respect as mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters.

It is Allah Almighty Himself, Who commands the women to wear hijab. In fact, the term hijab means much more than the covering of the body; it refers to the code of modesty.

Is hijab an oppression? It could certainly be so, if someone forces a woman to wear it. But for that matter, semi-nudity also can be an oppression, if someone forces a woman to adopt that style. If women in the west — or east — have the freedom to dress as they please, why not allow the Muslim women to prefer a more modest dress?

Before anyone can have a true and complete under-standing of hijab and its real meaning, one needs to take a step back and start at the beginning. Allah says

in the Quran: Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between!

(Al Anbiyaa’ 21:16)In this verse Allah makes clear that everything He

created has a purpose. Every star in the sky, every fish in the ocean, and every leaf on a tree was made for a spe-cific reason. So too was the human being created for a spe-cific purpose. And Allah explains this purpose clearly in the Quran: And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (Adhariyat 51:56)

It is important to note even the construction of this statement. Allah did not just say that He created jinn and mankind to worship Him. He began with a negation. He said: “I did not create the jinn and mankind.” By saying it in this way, Allah begins by clearing the board from any other purpose before He states what our one and only purpose is: to worship Him and Him alone.

Now, it is in that context that one should begin to understand hijab. Hijab should properly be seen as simply another show of devotion to our Creator. Just as we pray and fast because He commanded us to do so, we should view hijab in the very same light.

Just as praying and fasting sincerely for Allah’s pleasure brings us closer to Him, so too does wearing hijab — if done with the same sincerity. By obeying Allah’s com-mandments, hijab is just another way to worship our Lord. And in so doing, it brings us closer to realising our purpose of creation.

That purpose can be reflected even in the clothes that we choose to wear. If when we choose our dress, our intention is to please Allah, that action in itself is an act of worship. In the very choice of one piece of clothing over another, is an act of worship.

Many people like to refer to hijab as a “personal choice”. Yes. It is a personal choice. It is a personal choice to submit to God rather than the fashion of society. It is a choice to be beautiful to God, rather than to people. And it is a choice to cover and dignify the body Allah gave you, rather than give in to a culture that teaches women they are to be sex objects who sell their bodies.

However, hijab should not just be seen as a cloth one puts on the head. Rather hijab is a symbol of our worship and servitude to God. It is a symbol of modesty, that is not just about our attire; it extends to our whole demeanor.

If someone is wearing the hijab of modest clothing but is not modest in their behavior, they have only shown the external modesty. But internal modesty is missing. Because both internal and external modesty is essential, Allah mentioned the two together in the Quran:

Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty...

(Al Mu’minun 24:30-31)In this verse of the Quran, Allah does not just talk about

the dress of modesty, but also the demeanor of modesty. In fact, both internal and external modesty is so important that the Prophet (peace be upon him) connected it with faith itself.

Unfortunately, we live in a society that teaches the exact opposite. In our society today, modesty is viewed as a sign of weakness and insecurity, when in fact modesty is a sign of dignity and self-respect.

True modesty means not only being modest in front of people, but also in front of Allah.

Hijab: What is it all about

The meaning of hijab

Hijab is a duty Allah Almighty prescribed for the Muslim woman, and she has to carry out that duty in compliance with

the order of Allah, and showing her sincere faith in Allah, for He says:

And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair. (Al Ahzab 33: 36)

So, it is clear that Allah Almighty has obliged Muslim women to wear hijab in order to preserve them from bedizenment which would definitely make them prone to harassment and render them an easy prey for depraved men with lusty motives. This means that hijab is a means of protection for women’s honour and dignity.

Whoever embraces Islam has to accept its rules even if they pose restrictions to his freedom since such rules are set only to benefit mankind. Allah Almighty, the Lawgiver, knows our nature more than we do.

Definitely there is no religion without rules binding on its adherents and followers, so the deviation we see nowadays relates to man’s following his self-inclination; this sometimes drives him to worshipping idols or sun or anything else in his pursuit to lead a life where he will not be subject to any rules.

Logically, if a woman finds hijab as restricting her liberty and, thus, goes about displaying her body to seduce men or snatch another woman’s husband (thus ruining a serene and peaceful marital home), she should not be surprised if her son or husband happens to be the victim of another woman’s foul play. Hence, the wisdom behind prescribing hijab as a duty for women is to safeguard and protect the whole society from temptation and secure the stability of marital lives.

In the following verse, Allah Almighty prohibits women from revealing their adornment in the presence of marriageable males: And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or

sisters’ sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or children who know naught of women’s nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed. (Annur 24: 31)

Persons mentioned in the above verse are women’s maharim (unmar-riageable males), in the presence of whom she is permitted to take off her veil since she could not be harassed by them with lusty motives.

Allah Almighty prohibits women from even stamping their feet to reveal their hidden adornment:...and let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment…

(Annur 24: 31)Despite all this, some people still

consider hijab as a restriction to woman’s freedom, unaware of the fact that it greatly protects her to the extent that had Allah Almighty not com-manded her to wear it, she should have called for it.

Besides, a woman’s beauty is something temporary, which will, after some time, start fading away, with her husband maintaining his youthfulness and vigour, and perhaps, nourishing hope of taking another wife. Being seduced by an unveiled woman may turn the husband against his wife, thus putting his marital life at stake.

Beauty is a kind of quality that the more one sees it the less captivating and enchanting it becomes; it is only absence that makes the heart grow fonder. Parents may not notice any development in their child due to seeing and having him around all the time, but on staying away for some time, they will definitely notice change in him on seeing again.

A husband may not observe the gradual loss of his wife’s beauty as he daily sees her; on the contrary, she will still remain in his eyes the beautiful bride whom he married many years ago. Yet when he goes out and sees those younger and prettier girls exposing their beauties outdoors, this may injure his self-esteem as he tries to notice variation in beauty (the thing that would not happen had all women adhered to the rule of hijab).

It is so strange that many women are not aware of such a wisdom behind ordaining hijab. It is just for their own sake; to safeguard their marital homes.

www.onislam.net

A Quranic commandmentHoly Quran says: Tell the believing

men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them.

Lo! Allah is aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigor, or children who know naught of women’s nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah

together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed. (24:31)

See also verse number 59 of chapter 33: O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them when they go abroad. That will be better, that so they may be rec-ognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

The above verses very clearly show that it is Allah Almighty Himself, Who commands the women to wear hijab, though that word is not used in the above verses. In fact, the term hijab means much more than the covering of the body; it refers to the code of modesty outlined in the verses quoted above.

Look at the expressions used: “Lower their gaze”, “be modest”, “not to display their adornment”, “draw the veils over their bosoms” “not to stamp their feet” etc. It must be clear to any thinking person what is meant by all the above expressions in the Holy Quran. Women in the Prophet’s time used to wear a kind of dress that covered the

head, but not the bosom properly. So when they are asked to draw their veils over their bosoms so as not to reveal their beauty, it is clear that the dress must cover the head as well as the body. And hair is considered by people in most cultures of the world — not only in the Arab culture — as an attractive part of a woman’s beauty.

Until the end of the 19th century, ladies in the west used to put on some kind of head gear, if not a cover for the whole hair. This is quite in conformity with the Biblical injunction for the women to cover their heads. Even in these degenerate times, people pay more respect to the more modestly dressed ladies, than to the scantily clad ones. Imagine a lady prime minister or a queen wearing a low-cut blouse or a miniskirt in an international conference! Can she command as much respect there as she would get if she were in a more modest attire?

For the above reasons, the scholars of Islam are unanimous that the Quranic verses quoted above clearly mean that

women must cover the head and the whole body except for the face and the hands.

Does the hijab prevent a woman from performing her day-to-day duties?

For one thing a woman does not normally wear hijab in her own house, so it shouldn’t get in the way when she’s doing housework. If she is working in a factory close to machinery or in a lab-oratory, for example—she can wear a different style of hijab that doesn’t have dragging ends. Actually loose trousers and a long shirt for instance lets her to bend, lift, or climb steps or ladders more easily, if her work allows that. Such a dress would certainly give her more freedom of movement while protecting her modesty at the same time.

However, it is interesting to note that the very same people who find fault with the Islamic dress code for women do not find anything improper in the dress of nuns. It is evident that the “hijab” of Mother Teresa did not prevent her from social work! And the western world hon-oured her with the Nobel Prize! But the

same people would argue that the hijab is a hindrance for a Muslim girl in a school or for a Muslim lady working as a cashier in a supermarket! This is the kind of hypocrisy or double standards which paradoxically some “sophisti-cated” people find fashionable! Is hijab an oppression? It could certainly be so, if someone forces a woman to wear it. But for that matter, semi-nudity also can be an oppression, if someone forces a woman to adopt that style. If women in the west — or east — have the freedom to dress as they please, why not allow the Muslim women to prefer a more modest dress? www.onislam.net

Lebanon detains ex-militia member

06 FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Demonstrators waving Sudanese flags as they march in Khartoum, yesterday. The protesters gathered at the Presidential Palace to deliver a memo with a list of demands.

Thousands demand justice for slain protesters in SudanREUTERS KHARTOUM

Thousands of Sudanese protested outside the presi-dential palace in Khartoum yesterday, calling for the appointment of senior judicial officials and justice for demon-strators killed since December.

It was the first major protest since the signature last month of a power-sharing deal between the military and civilian groups for a three-year transition

leading to elections, following the overthrow of former pres-ident Omar al-Bashir in April.

Police had blocked pro-testers in central Khartoum about 200 metres from the palace, but they surged past a barbed wire barrier to the palace gates. Police later fired tear gas to disperse them, Reuters wit-nesses said.

The protesters called for the appointment of a new head of the judiciary and a new public prosecutor, steps they hope will

lead to the prosecution of security forces blamed for deaths during demonstrations against Bashir and against the military council that initially replaced him.

“Blood for blood, we won’t accept blood money,” the crowd chanted, repeating a slogan first used during protests against Bashir that began in December.

Some also called out “The people want a new chief justice,” and “Yes to an independent judiciary.”

Israel planted devices to spy on Trump: ReportANATOLIA ANKARA

Israel reportedly planted StingRay surveillance devices near the White House in an attempt to capture President Donald Trump’s cellular tele-phone activity.

An investigation by the FBI and other US agencies con-cluded that Israel was respon-sible from the act, Politico reported citing three former US officials familiar with the matter.

“It was pretty clear that the Israelis were responsible,” one US official told the news outlet on condition of anonymity.

A spokesperson from the Israeli embassy in the US imme-diately denied the allegations and called them ‘’absolute nonsense”.

‘’Israel doesn’t conduct espi-onage operations in the United States, period,” Elad Strohmayer told Politico.

The Trump administration has yet to formally comment.

The StingRay devices, Politico reported, were dis-covered near the White House and other “sensitive locations” in the nation’s capital. They mimic cell towers in a bid to fool cellular telephones into passing on their location and other iden-tifying information, as well as call and data information.

An anonymous official said US agencies concluded following a sweeping forensic analysis that

the devices were likely intended to spy on the president. The assessment was made within the past two years, but a former senior intelligence official told Politico that the Trump admin-istration has not taken any action against Israel, nor pri-vately scolded its leaders, fol-lowing the conclusion.

“The reaction... was very dif-ferent than it would have been in the last administration,” the official cited by Politico said. “With the current adminis-tration, there are a different set of calculations in regard to addressing this.”

“I’m not aware of any accountability at all,” the official added. StingRay surveillance devices are regularly used by police forces, and Vice News pegged their estimated cost at upwards of $150,000 each.

Israeli parties vie for Arab vote in bid to oust NetanyahuREUTERS TIRA, ISRAEL

Challengers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in next Tuesday’s election have courted Israel’s Arab minority, hoping that a strong turnout from this unlikely source could tip the scales in their favor.

The centrist Blue and White party headed by former armed forces chief Benny Gantz has plastered Arab towns with cam-paign posters.

Gantz has appeared on Arabic language television, hoping to capitalise on the growing number of Arab voters ditching Arab parties in favour of other challengers.

“This is a change in strategy from the previous election,” said Ram Ben-Barak, a Blue and White candidate and former deputy director of the Mossad intelligence agency who is leading the campaign to woo

Arab citizens. Blue and White is currently

pollling neck-and-neck with Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and its allies.

Arabs make up 21 percent of Israel’s population. But frus-tration with disunity among Arab-dominated parties and dismay over what they see as Israel’s discriminatory practices against them helped push the community’s turnout to a 20-year low in the last parlia-mentary election in April.

Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition after that race, leading to a new election.

More than 28 percent of Arab voters cast ballots for mostly-Jewish party lists in the April election, up from about 17 percent four years earlier, according to Arik Rudnitsky, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute.

Most of those votes went to Blue and White and the

left-leaning Meretz party, data showed. Ben-Barak says the extra votes will help limit right-wing gains.

“It will still serve Blue and White if they vote for others but will serve twice if they vote for us,” Ben-Barak said.

Most Arabs still vote for parties led by members of their community, which comprises mainly of descendants of the Pal-estinians who remained in their homes or were internally dis-placed after the 1948 war that surrounded Israel’s creation.

Netanyahu’s announcement on Tuesday that he plans to annex the Jordan Valley drew condemnation from Arab law-makers, who regularly speak out in support of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War.

Ayman Odeh, who leads the Joint List coalition of four mostly Arab parties, said Netanyahu’s

pre-election pledge is part of his “right-wing apartheid vision” which consists of “erasing the civilian status of the Arabs in Israel” and “annexing the (Pal-estinian) territories.”

However, despite the bid to win Arab votes, Gantz’s Blue and White has given no indication it was trying to differentiate itself from Netanyahu on this issue.

Gantz told Army Radio on Thursday: “I am in favour of leaving the valley in Israeli hands in any possible scenario.”

Indeed, annexation does not factor heavily into the Arab minority’s political agenda, which focuses on issues of dis-crimination, inequality and crime in their own communities, according to the Konrad Ade-nauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation.

Despite holding Israeli citi-zenship, many Arabs say they face discrimination in areas such as health, education and housing.

Poverty among Arab citizens is 47 percent, compared with a national average of 18 percent, according to Israel’s National Insurance Institute.

The Mossawa Center rights group says Israel’s state budget often favours Jews, allocating more funds to Jewish localities, schools, and institutions than to Arab ones. Netanyahu’s Likud party counters that its 15bn shekel ($4.2bn) “is more than any government has ever invested in the Arab society,” according to Eli Hazan, Likud’s foreign affairs director.

In a rallying cry to right-wing supporters on election day in 2015, Netanyahu famously declared that Arabs were flocking to polls “in droves” to defeat him.

Arab turnout fell by a third to 49 percent in April’s election, the lowest since 1999, the Israeli Democracy Institute said. Overall turnout was about 69 percent.

Former detainees of the pro-Israel South Lebanon Army (SLA) militia, holding posters depicting former SLA member Amer Al Fakhoury during a demonstration denouncing his return to the Lebanese capital Beirut, yesterday. Lebanon has detained Fakhoury, a senior warden in the notorious SLA-run Khiam prison, after his return to Lebanon from exile sparked widespread condemnation and accusations of torture. Opened in 1984 in an Israeli-occupied security zone, the Khiam prison was run by the SLA under Israeli supervision during its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon.

FB suspends Netanyahu’s chatbot for hate speechBLOOMBERG/TEL AVIV

Facebook has suspended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party chatbot for 24 hours for claiming Arabs are out to annihilate Jews.

The Hebrew-language message that appeared on Netanyahu’s official Facebook page on Wednesday called on voters to block the formation of a left-wing government that will rest on “Arabs who want to destroy us all—women, children and men — and allow a nuclearized Iran that will annihilate us,” the Haaretz newspaper said.

The post was later removed. Netanyahu told Israel Radio he wasn’t involved in the message, and that it was posted “mis-takenly” by a campaign employee.

Netanyahu’s political mes-saging ahead of Israel’s Sept. 17 revote has included frequent warnings that his right-wing government is in danger of being toppled by a supposed left-wing coalition relying on the support of an Israeli Arab party.

Such invective has figured prominently in his past three campaigns.

“After careful review of the Likud campaign’s bot activities, we found a violation of our hate speech policy,” Facebook said in a statement, media reported. The bot — an automated chat function — was suspended yes-terday morning, it said.

At least 50 dead in Congo after train disasterREUTERS/GOMA

Up to 50 people were killed when a cargo train derailed in Congo’s southeastern province of Tanganyika in the early hours yesterday, government officials said, though reports on casu-alties differed widely.

The Minister for Humani-tarian Affairs, Steve Mbikayi, said the derailment happened around 3 am local time, near the town of Mayibaridi, and gave a provisional death toll of 50. But the governor of Tan-ganyika, Zoe Kabila, gave a lower estimate: 10 people killed and 30 injured. He said three of the train’s carriages had come off the tracks.

Mbikayi later told Reuters the ministry was aware of the contradictory death tolls and was trying to establish the exact number. Deadly transport acci-dents are common in Demo-cratic Republic of Congo due to poor infrastructure and lack of regulation.

Nearly 200 Nigerians return from S Africa after violenceAP LAGOS, NIGERIA

Nearly 200 Nigerians have returned from South Africa, accepting a free flight back after weeks of violence targeting foreigners in South Africa’s cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Air Peace airlifted 187 Nigerians on Wednesday, according to chairman Allen Onyema. About 700 Nigerians have registered with missions in South Africa, hoping to leave amid foreign-targeted vio-lence. “The situation is terrible my brother I am telling you, we were all scared, they go from home to home looking for Nigerians, that’s what they are looking for,” said Jude Anthony after getting off the plane in Lagos, Nigeria. He said that the policy of segregation con-tinues in South Africa. “This time it is not about segregation of white from black, it is about the oppression of other Africans.”

Bands of South Africans launched violent attacks last week against foreign-owned shops and stalls. More than 12 people were killed and police say more than 700 people have been arrested.

Nigerians were among those targeted. The attacks led to retal-iation efforts in Nigeria as well, sending Nigerians to attack South African-owned businesses in cities like Lagos.

Happy to be back in Nigeria, many of the returnees chanted the national anthem. “When you see your fellow human being... inhuman to you, you know thinking as though you are an animal, you know and when you look around that person share the same colour with you so it becomes so dangerous, I mean you must be in shock,” said Udeogu Uchenna. Rose Uzoma, a Congolese citizen married to a Nigerian said she was glad she was able to bring her children to Nigeria.

Algerian court charges oppn figure

REUTERS/ALGIERS

An Algerian court yesterday ordered a prominent opposition leader, Karim Tabou, to be held in custody on charges of “contributing to weakening the army’s morale”, a lawyer and activist close to Tabou said.

Tabou’s detention follows months of weekly protests that forced veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to stand down in April, with demon-strators still demanding a more thorough overhaul of the ruling system. .

Tabou, who was arrested on Wednesday, is the second major opposition figure to be put into custody in recent months after the June detention of Lakhdar Bouragaa, a veteran of Algeria’s war of independence.

An official said US agencies concluded following a sweeping forensic analysis that the devices were likely intended to spy on the president. The Trump administration has not taken any action against Israel, nor privately scolded its leaders.

07FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019 ASIA

Cong to hold agitations over slowdownIANS NEW DELHI

The Congress Party will organise a massive agitation across the country from October 15 to 25 over economic slowdown, party leaders said here yesterday.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Con-gress General Secretary KC Venugopal said: “We have decided to organise state-level convention on economic slowdown from 20 to 30 September.”

Venugopal said that the party has planned nationwide massive agitation throughout the country on the issue of economic slowdown between October 15 and 25.

The Congress leader also said that the party will celebrate

150 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary by organising a large scale ‘padayatra’ on October 2, in order to educate people about Mahatma’s ideals of freedom and Swaraj.

“We have decided to have a membership campaign from October this year which will be both digital and traditional,” he said.

Venugopal said that each and every leader of the party will participate in the house-to-house campaign for members in their respective area.

Sharing the plans of the party to train leaders across the country, he said, “We have decided that the Congress will organise training activities, building up workers. It was decided to have a more contem-porary training module.

“The emphasis will be on communicating with youth and to educate them about true nationalism and secularism.”

The announcement was made after Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi held meeting with all the general sec-retaries, state in-charges, state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders.

This was the first meeting that Sonia Gandhi chaired after being appointed as party chief on August 10.

To a question, over former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi missing from the meeting, party leader RPN Singh said, “This was the meeting of the general sec-retaries, state in-charges, state unit chiefs, CLPs. Thus invitation was sent to all those leaders only.”

Country in the midst of protracted slowdown: Manmohan SinghIANS NEW DELHI

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday hit out at the Narendra Modi-led NDA government’s ‘compla-cency over the slowdown in the economy and said that there’s an atmosphere of ‘gloom and doom’ all around.

Speaking at the meeting of all general secretaries, state in-charges, state unit chiefs, Con-gress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders, Manmohan Singh said: “The country is today in the midst of dangerous protracted slowdown. And this is not only statement being made by the Congress leaders, but every-where when you talk to people of industry and journalists the economy is going bad to worse.”

The former Prime Minister said: “The dangerous thing about present situation is that the gov-ernment is complacent enough not to realise that we are in the midst of protracted economic slowdown.”

Singh also pointed that the rupee was getting weaker and weaker, “but exports have been sluggish under the NDA regime”, and the result is the balance of payments situation getting worse and worse.

The former Prime Minister said that the first quarter of 2019-20, the national income growth rate declined to five percent. “This reminds me of the situation of 2008 when our gov-ernment was in power because of international financial crisis we faced a very challenging sit-uation. And we faced

that situation head on and we converted that crisis into an opportunity to revitalise our economy,” he said referring to the steps taken by the UPA gov-ernment in 2008 to revive the economy.

In the situation that our country is faced today whether you look at agriculture, real estate, manufacturing all along the line there is downturn in the economy, he highlighted. He underlined that if the situation was not reversed, the worst thing would happen on the employment situation.

“If income growth slows down month after month, quarter after quarter the scope for creating more jobs for young people is going to be seriously affected,” he said.

Singh said that agriculture which is the corner stone of our economic activity in the country as 60 per cent of the family live on agriculture and the latest figures of the growth rate of agri-culture is 2.7 per cent as against previous year of 4.35 per cent.

“The dangerous point is that the real wage rate in agriculture and rural sector has been reduced in last five years of the NDA government.” Singh also said that the demand is going

down, “The manufacturing industries are affected of not having demand for want of investment, incentives and result is that there is an all round fear of gloom and doom,” he said.

Sharing the figures of the real estate sector of eight met-ropolitan cities, Singh said: “In the first half of the 2019-20, in eight metropolitan cities about 4.5 lakh dwelling units are lying vacant and there are no demand for those.

“If the real estate is affected, employment will also be affected and that is what is happening in our economy,” he said.

The former Prime Minister said that automobile industry is crying for help and the general feeling is that if the present trend of sales is not reversed then a million of people will lose their jobs.

“Therefore there is an atmosphere in the country is of gloom and doom,” he said, adding that one could hope that the BJP government will come up with a package to stimulate demand, promote investment.

Singh asked the Congress leaders to go to people and inform them about the promises of the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections. “The promises which the BJP made during the Lok Sabha elections are ignored and the economic reality is some-thing different what is talked by the BJP government,” he said.

Taking a pot shot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said, “The Prime Minister himself talks about achieving 5 trillion dollar economy by 2024. Now this looks like a dream.

Volunteers of the Non-Governmental Organisation Sulabh International exchange a polythene bag with a cloth bag during an awareness campaign “Say no to single-use plastic” in New Delhi, yesterday.

Campaign against single-use plastic

Muzaffarpur case: SC orders 8 girls’ return to familiesIANS NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court yesterday ordered eight girls, who were among the victims of sexual assault in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case, to be restored to their families.

A bench headed by Justice N V Ramana also ordered the Bihar government to process the com-pensation/entitlement as per the process, and also take care of the

overall aid — medical, educa-tional, financial and devel-opment for the victims and report back to it on the matter.

The trial of the 21 accused, charge sheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged sexual and physical assault on the inmates, is on-going in a Delhi court.

The apex court order comes after the Tata Institute for Social Sciences’ (TISS) field action project ‘Koshish’ submitted a

report on the restoration of the girls to their families. A total of 44 girls were victims in the shelter home abuse case, which is cur-rently being probed by the CBI.

Koshish submitted its report in a sealed cover, vouching that the eight girls were fit for repa-triation. The apex court, in July, permitted Koshish to draw out a rehabilitation plan for girls, which included meeting their families.

The counsel appearing for

Koshish, drew the court’s attention on the condition of families of the victims, stressing on the trauma, and submitted the information in a tabular form.

“Some parents are unwilling to accept them. In some cases, relatives are willing to take care. And, in some cases, parents have died and victims gave contact details of the neighbours, where verification has to be done through Sarpanch. In one case, the father of the victim is speech

impaired and could not talk on phone,” said the counsel recom-mending eight girls be sent back to their families.

The counsel also told the court that victims include girls with special needs, and it requires long-term care to be offered by the state government. “Some girls have become violent and some have become adults over the period,” the counsel added, insisting on individual care plan for victims.

Pakistan skips SCO military medicine meet in New DelhiIANS NEW DELHI

Pakistan has abstained itself from the SCO’s Military Medicine Conference that kicked off here yestgerday even as it is participating along with India in a joint anti-terror drill that is at present underway in Russia.

The conference on military medicine is the first military co-operation event under the Shanghai Co-operation Organ-isation (SCO) to be organised in India after it joined the organ-isation in 2017.

Defence Ministry sources said no official reason has been given by Pakistan for skipping the conference in New Delhi.

“An invitation was sent to Pakistan as well as all other coun-tries of the SCO. Pakistan never responded to this invitation,” a senior ministry official said.

Pakistan has skipped the conference even as it is partic-ipating in a joint anti-terror military drill under the SCO that is simultaneously underway in Russia’s Orenburg. The 15-day-long military exercise began earlier this week.

Apart from India and Pakistan and host country Russia, China and four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - that also comprise the SCO - are also taking part in the annual military training exercise.

The two-day military med-icine conference in New Delhi is being held in accordance with the SCO Defence Co-operation Plan 2019-20. Apart from the SCO nations save Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal are partici-pating as dialogue partners.

Police personnel standing next to the men with their faces covered and the weapons and ammunition recovered after their arrest in Kathua.

Modi launches pension schemes for farmersIANS RANCHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday launched three national level schemes for farmers, small traders and tribal students here.

Modi launched the Prime Minister Kisan Mandhan Yojna (PM-KMY). Under this scheme, farmers will get Rs3,000 per month as pension after attaining the age of 60 years. For this, a farmer between the age of 18 and 40 has to register with the government.

The registered farmer has to pay Rs55 to Rs200 per month premium for the pension depending upon the age. The gov-ernment will add the same amount of money. More than 13 lakh farmers have so far registered for this pension scheme and the gov-ernment has deposited more than 16 crore against the premium.

As a symbol, pension cards were given to seven farmers selected from Jharkahnd, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and other states.

The second scheme launched by Modi was the Traders and Self Employment

national pension scheme. The conditions for this scheme are the same as PM-KMY.

It will benefit three crore traders and self employed people in the country. Modi also gave symbolic pension cards to seven traders belonging to Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Jharkahnd and other states.

The third scheme which was launched on Thursday was the Ekalavya Model residential schools. A total of 462 schools including 69 in Jharkhand, will be established across the country in the next three years. Each school will have 480 tribal students. The students will be trained in four different sports.

Modi also dedicated to the nation India’s second riverine multi-modal terminal built at Sahebganj at a cost of Rs 290 crore in a record time of about two years. Modi himself had laid the foundation stone of IWAI’s Sahebganj multi-modal terminal in April, 2017. This is the second of the three multi-modal ter-minals (MMT) being constructed on the Ganga river under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP).

3 Jaish men arrested with major arms haulIANS/KATHUA

In a major success in their anti-terror operations, the Jammu and Kashmir Police yesterday seized a truck carrying a large amount of arms and ammunition, including AK-47 rifles, and arrested three operatives of the

Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group in Kathua in Jammu region.

The police said with the recovery they have managed to “unearth the sinister design of the terrorist organisation and their sponsors to disturb peace and harmony” in the state.

The truck was headed

towards Kashmir from Punjab. It was stopped by police on receiving an intelligence tip-off.

The consignment comprised of four AK-56 rifles, two AK-47s, six magazines, 180 live ammu-nition rounds and Rs 11,000 in cash from the three men in the truck, the police said.

“If income growth slows down month after month, quarter after quarter the scope for creating more jobs for young people is going to be seriously affected.”

Until now, Britain has been blessed by a faith in public institutions that allowed it to mix a vibrant private sector with a more or less effective state. The courts, Parliament and the impressively nonpartisan civil service have enjoyed popular deference; not coincidentally, Britain has a sharp tech sector, good public transport and universal health care.

BLOOMBERG

08 FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019VIEWS

Boris Johnson could break Britain

One of the strange things about the British Brexit turmoil is that it is scram-bling the country’s

unwritten constitution. A single clumsily designed referendum has set off a scary chain reaction. The cohesion of the United Kingdom might be at stake.

The latest sign of this unscripted revo-lution came from Scotland on Wednesday. There, the highest court ruled that Boris Johnson, the prime minister, acted ille-gally in suspending Parliament for five weeks.

Judicial review of executive branch actions, common in the United States but unfamiliar in Britain, has become part of British politics. The case will now be appealed to the country’s Supreme Court.

Britain’s executive has also faced unprecedented challenges from the legislature. Normally, this doesn’t hap-pen, because in a parliamentary system, the executive tends to enjoy a legislative majority - indeed, it is by commanding the loyalty of lawmakers that a leader gets to form a government.

But Brexit has divided Britain’s main parties internally and given rise to new parties. Parliament is fractured and rebel-lious. Another American-style check

and balance has become part of the system.

Checks and balances, plus ruptured party loyalties, have given rise to sti l l another American phe-nomenon: the powerful une-lected appointee. If prime ministers can’t trust fellow politicians, they will rely on spe-cial advisers who owe their jobs unambiguously to them.

Theresa May, Johnson’s pred-ecessor, was criticized for con-centrating power too heavily in unelected con-fidants. Today, politics appears to revolve around the dark genius of adviser Dominic Cummings, John-son’s Rasputin.

On good days, some of these constitutional devel-opments seem welcome. The Brexit referendum, appallingly designed in that it invited people to vote “Leave” without specifying what Leave meant, divided the country almost evenly. Both

the May government and (more egre-giously) the Johnson government have wanted to escape the resulting confusion by ramming through a version of Brexit - some version, any version - without the support of the country. Parliament and the courts have so far prevented this. Britain has avoided an irrevoca-ble step that would damage its economy and reduce its global influence.

But the biggest test will soon be on us. The country is heading for an elec-tion that Johnson appears determined to frame as “Parliament versus the peo-ple.” Nevermind that Johnson himself hails from the heart of the establishment. Goaded on by Cummings, he will cam-paign as a populist anti-system radical.

This means that, at a minimum, Johnson will spend weeks assuring vot-ers that the institutions of politics are rigged against them. The true voice of the people was expressed through the referendum, he will bluster; self-serving snobs in Parliament are out to smother it. The legitimacy of the courts will be called into question.

Just before its recent suspension, Par-liament passed a law requiring Johnson to seek an extension to the Brexit dead-line; the prime minister’s first reaction was that the law could be flouted. As soon as the Scottish court ruled against Parliament’s suspension on Wednesday, an unnamed source from the Johnson team insinuated that a ruling in Scot-land might be illegitimate.

Until now, Britain has been blessed by a faith in public institutions that allowed it to mix a vibrant private sec-tor with a more or less effective state. The courts, Parliament and the impressively nonpartisan civil service have enjoyed popular deference; not coincidentally, Britain has a sharp tech sector, good pub-lic transport and universal health care. The coming Johnson campaign will do its best to degrade this precious social capital. Again, Britain will grow more like the United States, where years of political campaigns questioning the legitimacy and efficacy of government

have generated cynicism and gridlock - a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Then there is the question of what happens after the election. One recent poll puts Johnson’s Conservatives at 30%, the opposition Labour Party at 29%, with an unusually high 40% spread around other parties. Anothergives Johnson a lead over Labour of 32 to 23.

In Britain’s first-past-the-post elec-tions, these numbers could translate into an overall majority for the Con-servatives in Parliament, in which case Johnson will get his wish to crash out of the European Union without a negoti-ated deal. A leader backed by just a third of the country could thus inflict a cata-strophic shock upon his people. What might that do to the legitimacy of the British state?

Alternatively, Conservative support at around 30% might translate into more of the present confusion: a divided Par-liament in which no party commands a majority.

In this case, a wobbly coalition will lack the oomph to resolve the Brexit ques-tion. Business investment will continue to be anemic. The economy will languish. The electorate will seethe.

What makes this prospect especially alarming is that Britain’s unwritten constitution binds four nations that might decide to go their own ways. By raising the specter of a hard Irish border, Brexit has already destabi-lized Northern Ireland’s position in the union. By threatening the hardest possible break with Europe, Johnson will further alienate voters in Scotland who wanted to stay in. The legitimacy and decency of the Westminster sys-tem is the glue that keeps the United Kingdom united. It is under unprec-edented strain.

The author is the Paul A. Volcker senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations and a con-tributing columnist for The Post. He is the author of “The Man Who Knew: The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan.”

SEBASTIAN MALLABY THE WASHINGTON POST

QUOTE OF THE DAYThere was “no

reason to be optimistic” about

striking a possible divorce deal with

Britain before a summit next month.

Michel Barnier EU chief Brexit

negotiator

A deal with the Taliban still makes sense

President Donald Trump is right that it’s time for the U.S. to end its

longest war. He needs to stop making this harder.

The president over the weekend canceled a sum-mit at Camp David with Afghan and Taliban leaders that was meant to finalize a peace deal.

He had little choice. The decision followed an attack in Kabul that killed an Amer-ican soldier. Welcoming Taliban officials to the US just a few days later would have been wrong.

The mistake wasn’t can-celing the meeting - it was summoning it in the first place. The purpose wasn’t to move along the talks. Tal-iban officials said they had no intention of meeting with

Afghan leaders or amend-ing the draft agreement, which reportedly trades a withdrawal of US troops for Taliban commitments to stop Afghanistan from being used as a terrorist base.

The planned event was mainly to afford the pres-ident a photo opportunity. As this scheme fell apart, the abrupt departure of Trump’s third national secu-rity adviser, John Bolton, compounded the impres-sion of disarray. Not for the first time, Trump’s theatrics backfired.

A deal along the lines envisioned still makes sense. Refusing to deal with the Tal-iban and leaving the bulk of American troops in Afghan-istan indefinitely isn’t an option.

There are too few troops to roll back Taliban gains, and their presence keeps the

insurgents fighting. Drag-ging out hostilities would ensure instability and the deaths of thousands more Afghan civilians.

The withdrawal proc-ess needs to resume. As before, the challenge is to prevent Afghanistan from falling back into civil war and becoming a terrorist haven. So in any final agreement, the US must keep as much leverage as possible for as long as possible.

That means planning the departure of troops not by the US political calendar - the draft deal apparently aimed for full withdrawal by the end of 2020 - but by concrete actions.

The last American troops should leave only when a new and agreed upon political order has begun to take shape.

Meanwhile, the US should

do what it can to hedge against Taliban backsliding. This means supporting the Afghan government with money and technical assist-ance, and emphasizing that international aid will van-ish if the Taliban seize power violently.

The US must press Afghanistan’s neighbors to work for stability rather than promoting their prox-ies’ interests.

And US forces should develop their capacity to gather intelligence and strike targets even after a full withdrawal, to prevent a resurgence of Al Qaeda and Islamic State.

If the US demonstrates its calm commitment to this approach, it might succeed. Nothing else is likely to. And the president’s best bet, if he wants his policy to work, is to stay on the sidelines.

Qatar Airways has launched an array of exciting new destinations. The multi award-winning airline will add Langkawi, Malaysia, and Gaborone, Botswana, to its extensive route network next month.

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI

osman@pen.com.qa

ESTABLISHED IN 1996

EDITORIAL

Setting new record

Qatar Airways has become the airline of choice for dis-cerning travellers from around the world. This was evident when the multi award-winning airline scooped the top global titles for ‘Best Seat Comfort’, ‘Best Cabin

Service’ and ‘Best Food & Beverage’, in the 2020 Airline Pas-senger Experience Association’s (APEX) Passenger Choice Awards as well as being named a ‘2020 Five Star Global Airline’ in the APEX Official Airline Ratings as voted by passengers using the world’s highest-rated travel app, TripIt.

In June, the national carrier of Qatar also set a new record for a single airline in a region after winning four out of six regional Passenger Choice Awards in the Middle East, including ‘Best Overall Carrier in the Middle East’; ‘Best Cabin Service in the Middle East’; ‘Best Food & Beverage in the Middle East’; and ‘Best Seat Comfort in the Middle East’.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “To follow our success in the regional Passenger Choice Awards with a further three global APEX accolades is a huge achievement for our airline, and a tribute to the loyalty of our passengers from across the world. As we focus on going from strength-to-strength over the coming year, we look forward

to building upon this incredible foundation of success and will continue to set the highest of benchmarks to distinguish us from our competitors,” he added.

The APEX Passenger Choice Awards and APEX Official Airline Ratings are based on passenger feedback gathered through APEX’s partnership with TripIt from Concur, the world’s highest-rated travel-organising app. Using a five-star scale, more than one million flights are rated by passengers across nearly 600 air-lines from around the world from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. Pas-sengers rate their overall flight experience from one to five stars. The Passenger Choice Awards are independently certified by a pro-fessional external auditing company hired by APEX.

Qatar Airways recently announced to launch its new service to Luanda, Angola, from March 29, next year. The airline has launched an array of exciting new destinations, including Rabat, Morocco; Izmir, Turkey; Malta; Davao, Philippines; Lisbon, Portugal; and Mogadishu, Somalia. The airline will add Langkawi, Malaysia, and Gaborone, Botswana, to its extensive route network next month. The multi-award-winning airline was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite.

Qatar Airways is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted “Skytrax Airline of the Year” title, which is recog-nised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times. Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of more than 250 aircraft via its hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA) to more than 160 destinations worldwide.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson (centre) looks on in the House of Commons in London.

09FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019 ASIA

Pakistani govt rejects Israel’s plan to annex part of West BankANATOLIA KARACHI

Pakistan yesterday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that he will immediately annex a part occupied West Bank if re-elected next week.

“We reject any such move, which would be illegal and a dangerous escalation,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said during a weekly briefing in capital Islamabad.

“While reaffirming our sol-idarity with the Palestinians, Pakistan reiterates its support for a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine, on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967 borders with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital,” he added.

Faisal also stated that Islamabad categorically rejected reports claiming that it was going to recognize Israel in reaction to a “mild” response from some Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia on India’s revoking of long-standing special rights of disputed Jammu and Kashmir region last month.

“Our policy of non-recog-nition of Israel remains unchanged,” said Faisal.

Last week, Pakistan Army spokesman, Major General Asif Ghafoor had also rejected the “rumours” that Pakistan was getting ready to recognise Israel terming it the “fifth generation

propaganda war” against Pakistan and the army.

The foreign ministry spokesman also dismissed reports suggesting that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arabia Emirates (UAE) during their recent visit told Islamabad not to portray Kashmir as a “Muslim Ummah issue”.

He insisted that both foreign ministers “expressed solidarity with Pakistan and support for the Kashmir cause”.

Pakistan is one of many Muslim countries, which does not recognise Israel. Its green passport is valid for travel to all the countries except for Israel, under the country’s law.

Also, Islamabad had openly opposed the United States’ move to recognize Jerusalem as

capital of Israel dubbing it as a clear violation of international laws.

US President Donald Trump had recognised in December 2017 Jerusalem as capital of Israel — a move that sparked wide international condem-nation, including from the Unite Nations.

Responding to a series of questions about suspension of peace talks between the U.S and the Afghan Taliban, Faisal expressed hope that stalled talks would be resumed soon.

“We are hopeful that the peace talks between the United Stated and Afghan Taliban will be resumed at the earliest,” he said.

Reiterating his country’s stance that the only solution to the Afghan conflict lies in a polit-ically negotiated settlement, he said “Pakistan wants all sides to exercise restraint and refrain from violence”.

Last December, Islamabad brokered direct talks between the US and the Taliban aimed at ending America’s longest war through a political settlement.

The two sides, according to US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, had almost reached an agreement when Trump cancelled his scheduled secret meetings with the Afghan Taliban leaders and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at Camp David following last week’s brazen attack in Kabul killing 14 people, including a US soldier.

Terrorists of the Islamic State group arrive as they are being presented to the media at the National Directorate of Security headquarters in Kabul, yesterday, after their arrest by Afghan intelligence forces.

Afghanistan nets IS militants

Afghan Taliban sends warning to Trump in bitter exchangeAFP KABUL

The war of words between the Taliban and President Donald Trump escalated yesterday as the Afghan insurgents warned that the US leader had failed to grasp “what type of nation he is dealing with”.

The latest salvo in the bitter exchange comes a day after Trump boasted during a 9/11 anniversary ceremony that US forces have “hit our enemy harder than they have ever been hit before and that will continue”

just days after peace talks between the two sides collapsed.

“Trump (@realDon-aldTrump) must tread carefully,” tweeted Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

“He has yet to grasp the type of nation he is dealing with. His advisers must make him under-stand & introduce the Graveyard of Empires #Afghanistan to him.” Until this weekend there had been steadily mounting expec-tations of a deal that would see the US drawdown troop levels in Afghanistan.

In return, the Taliban would offer security guarantees to keep extremist groups out.

But then on Saturday, Trump revealed on Twitter that he had cancelled an unprecedented meeting between the Taliban and himself at Camp David and later said the talks with the mil-itants were “dead”.

The Taliban spokesman’s tweet comes just hours after the group launched a suicide attack that killed at least four soldiers near Kabul, as the insurgents ramp up attacks on security forces.

Arif Alvi asks India to lift Kashmir curbsAP ISLAMABAD

Pakistan’s president has called on India to immediately lift all restrictions on people in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, ignoring opposition calls for Prime Minister Imran Khan to step down over his alleged bad governance.

In yesterday’s speech in parliament, Arif Alvi con-demned continued human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The speech comes weeks after India downgraded the special status of Kashmir, drawing nationwide rallies in this Islamic nation.

It also comes a day before Khan was scheduled to address a rally in Pakistan-held Kashmir to express solidarity with people in Kashmir, which is divided between Pakistan and India and claimed by both in its entirety.

APG to file report on Pakistan’s anti-terror financing effortsINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

Based on Pakistan’s ‘effective’ progress report, the Asia-Pacific Joint Group (APG) will submit next month its assessment of Islamabad’s progress on strengthening of its systems against money laundering and terror financing.

“The Pakistan delegation effectively presented Pakistan’s progress on each of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Action Plan items and provided addi-tional information/clarification

to the AP-Joint Group,” said a brief statement issued by the Ministry of Finance after two-day face-to-face meetings with the APG in Bangkok.

It said the APG, as per the FATF’s procedures, would present its report in the FATF Plenary and Working Group meetings scheduled for October 13-18 in Paris, France.

The FATF plenary will con-clude if Pakistan has sufficiently delivered on its 10-point action plan committed at the highest level in June 2018 to fight money laundering and terror financing

in order to qualify exit from the grey list or be given some more time to make further progress.

A 15-member Pakistan del-egation, led by Minister for Eco-nomic Affairs Division Mohammad Hammad Azhar, attended the two-day meetings with the APG to discuss progress on the FATF action plan.

The delegation included rep-resentatives from the Federal Board of Revenue, State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, National Counter Ter-rorism Authority (Necta) and

Federal Investigation Agency.Azhar “conveyed govern-

ment’s strong commitment to implement the international AML/CFT [anti-money laun-dering/counter finance ter-rorism] standards and reaffirmed Pakistan’s unequivocal com-mitment to work with interna-tional community in the fight against money laundering, ter-rorism financing and other financial crimes”, the statement said.

Informed sources said the delegation briefed the APG about the government’s action against

proscribed organisations, par-ticularly confiscation of their assets and blocking movement and activities of their workers and representatives.

The face-to-face sessions also reviewed Pakistan’s overall performance against money laundering and terror financing and how Pakistan had tightened its network against illegal movement of currency.

Much of the discussions revolved around Pakistan’s responses to about 127 questions raised by the APG during one of the previous engagements.

Garment workers react during clashes with police at a protest demanding arrears in Dhaka, Bangladesh, yesterday.

Bangladeshi garment workers stage protest

Myanmar blamed for failure of Rohingya repatriationAFP DHAKA

Bangladesh’s prime minister has blamed Myanmar for the failure of a recent attempt to repatriate Rohingya refugees, saying Myanmar did not do enough to win the community’s trust.

The comments from Sheikh Hasina came three weeks after a fresh push to return the Muslim minority to Myanmar’s conflict-scarred Rakhine state that fell flat when no-one turned up.

“We’ve seen Myanmar could not win Rohingya’s trust in cre-ating a conducive situation (in Rakhine) for their dignified return,” Hasina said in par-

liament late on Wednesday.“We had full preparation, but

still the repatriation did not start... uncertainty looms over Rohingya getting back their homes, land and other properties.” Hasina said she had asked other Asian nations including China, India and Japan to help resolve the crisis.

Her comments reflect Dhaka’s frustration over the lack of a resolution to the refugee crisis. A previous repatriation offer was rejected by Rohingya leaders in October.

Her government has also started to crack down on activity in the camps amid a recent out-break of violence and rising ten-sions with locals.

Car bomb blast leaves four dead in KabulREUTERS KABUL

A suicide bomber targeted an Afghan Special Forces base in Kabul yesterday, killing at least four commandos, officials said, as violence continued to escalate following the collapse of peace talks between the United States and Taliban insurgents.

The bomber blew up an explo-sives-laden minibus at the entrance to the camp in Chahar Asyab district, killing the four special forces members and wounding another three, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi writes open letter to SpeakerINTERNEWS ISLAMABAD

Former Pakistani prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has written an open letter to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, urging that production orders of arrested

opposition members be issued.“It is the fundamental and

inherent responsibility of the speaker of the National Assembly, as the elected Custodian of the House, to ensure that members are able to attend the proceedings of the House unhindered and to ensure that any obstacles to their attendance are removed,” Abbasi

said in the letter. The PML-N leader continued, “Democracy is the strength by deeds, not mere words. The actions of the speaker of the National Assembly, as the Custodian of the House, should speak for themselves.

The National Assembly rules of Procedure provide discretion to the speaker to facilitate the

attendance of proceedings of the House by detained members through the issuance of production orders; neither cab this discretion be used to deny members their privilege to attend proceedings of the House, nor can this discretion be used arbitrarily or selectively.

The intent of the framers of the Constitution and the traditions of

Parliament should serve as the guiding principles in matters related to the rights and privileges of the chose representatives of the people.” He added, “I urge you to issue pro-duction orders for all detained members of the House, without dis-crimination; to attend all pro-ceedings of the House as a matter of right and as their privilege.”

“While reaffirming our solidarity with the Palestinians, Pakistan reiterates its support for a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine, on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967 borders with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

10 FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019ASIA

China urges US to ‘make efforts’ for N Korea talksAFP BEIJING

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the United States yesterday to make efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, warning that applying “maximum pressure” would never work.

Wang also repeated Beijing’s suggestion that the United Nations Security Council should consider discussions on easing sanctions against the North.

The isolated regime is under heavy US and UN sanctions over its weapons programme, and has criticised Washington’s position that they will not be lifted until the country gives up its nuclear arsenal.

“Since last year, the DPRK has taken a series of positive measures, and on these grounds requested the US to meet halfway and make a positive response,” Wang told reporters, using the initials of North Korea’s official name.

Pyongyang said this week it was willing to hold working-level talks on denuclearisation this month with the United States. “We think this is fair and reasonable. We hope that the US side can also take practical measures in this regard, and make due efforts to ease the

situation and promote dialogue,” he said, after meeting Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Bin Abdullah.

However, hours after showing willingness for talks, the North fired unidentified pro-jectiles into the sea — the latest in a series of tests in recent weeks.

Negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington have been gridlocked since a second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in February ended without a deal. The two leaders had agreed to restart working-level dia-logue during an impromptu meeting at the Demilitarised Zone dividing North and South Korea in June, but those talks have yet to begin.

Wang said that imposing a list of conditions on North Korea or seeking concessions through maximum pressure “has not worked in the past, it will not work now, and it will not work in the future”.

HK police ban march after subway station fireBLOOMBERG/REUTERS HONG KONG

Hong Kong police have banned a planned Sunday march and gathering called by the organiser of some of the city’s biggest protests, days after demonstrators set fire to a central subway station as the pro-democracy movement carries on into autumn.

Police commissioner Stephen Lo yes-terday cited violence around previous pro-tests in the city — with some demonstrators vandalising public installations, blocking roads and setting fires, which caused injuries to protesters, officers and journalists — in making the decision, according to a letter of objection issued to the Civil Human Rights Front.

Police also said Sunday’s location was close to “high-risk buildings” that could be subject to violence, including central gov-ernment offices, the letter said.

Co-vice convener Bonnie Leung told journalists that the group was appealing. Police said the result would be made known by afternoon today.

The ban is the second issued to CHRF by police since it began organising mass rallies in early June.

Their events have been largely peaceful, though smaller groups of protesters have broken off and engaged in clashes with police in the hours following them, while violence has also marred some of the now near-daily protests organized by demonstrators online.

“In the past three months, most gath-erings that were originally peaceful were easily hijacked by violent protesters and turned into large-scale clashes in no time,” acting assistant district commander Kwok Chun-kit said at a regular police briefing.

“The police has long respected the pub-lic’s right to peaceful procession and freedom of expression, but it also has social responsibility to maintain public security

and safety.” Some verbal and physical scuffles broke out during an afternoon sing-off between groups singing the Chinese national anthem and others who were pro-democracy and singing “Glory to Hong Kong,” which some demonstrators see as Hong Kong’s anthem, at the centrally located IFC mall, according to footage broadcast on Cable TV.

Hong Kong on August 31 saw one of its worst days of violence since the movement began, as thousands of people came out in defiance of a prior ban on a planned CHRF demonstration.

People threw bricks and Molotov cock-tails, setting fire to a huge road block in the city center. Police cautioned residents in some areas to stay inside as they used “appropriate force” to disperse the crowds.

Small pockets of demonstrators also set fires, vandalised train stations and erected barricades in the city centre this past Sunday

— including setting fire to an entrance at Central station, in a glitzy business and shopping area — after a peaceful march by tens of thousands of people to the US con-sulate in a bid to appeal to President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, the activists plan to combine pro-democracy protests with traditional lantern celebrations marking the Mid-Autumn Festival this weekend.

The protest schedule includes another in a series of “stress tests” of the airport, which in recent weeks have seen the blocking of approach roads, street fires and the trashing of a nearby MTR subway station.

Protesters also jammed the airport arrivals hall last month, leading to cancelled or delayed flights and clashes with police.

Activists also plan to gather outside the British consulate on Sunday to demand that China honours the Sino-British Joint Decla-ration that was signed in 1984.

People gather during a protest at International Finance Center in Hong Kong, yesterday.

Indonesian soldiers carry the casket of former Indonesian President BJ Habibie, who passed away on Wednesday, during a funeral ceremony at Kalibata Heroes Cemetery complex in Jakarta, yesterday.

State funeral for ex-Indonesian president Habibie

Tongan PM, 78, dies in New Zealand hospitalREUTERS WELLINGTON

Tongan Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva, a pro-democracy and climate change campaigner in the South Pacific, died in a New Zealand hospital yesterday.

Pohiva, 78, had been diag-nosed earlier this year with a liver complication and was admitted to a hospital in Tonga two weeks ago for pneumonia,

the prime minister’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.

Medical experts decided he should be medically evacuated to New Zealand, it said.

Parliament has been deferred indefinitely, Tongan media said.

Known as a champion for democracy, Pohiva’s political career was marked with con-stant battles against the mon-archy of the South Pacific nation.

He was charged with sedition in wake of pro-democracy riots in the capital Nuku’alofa in 2006.

Pohiva, Tonga’s longest-serving member of parliament since he was first elected in 1987, was outspoken about climate change and called for world leaders to help island nations, some of which are battling rising sea levels. Pohiva also raised concerns about the mounting Chinese debt in the South Pacific.

Malaysia to raise forest fires issue with IndonesiaREUTERS KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will write to Indonesia’s leader to raise his concern about cross-border haze, Malaysia’s environment minister said yesterday, as a row over smoke from forest fires simmers.

Fires have burnt through parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra and Borneo islands for more than a month, and the Indonesian gov-ernment has sent thousands of security personnel to try to douse the blazes. They are usually set during operations to clear land for palm oil and pulp plantations.

In what has become an almost annual occurrence, espe-cially in dry years, Indonesia’s neighbours are becoming alarmed by the thick haze wafting in, and raising concern about health and the impact on tourism.

But Indonesian officials caused further anger in Malaysia this week by disputing reports that the smoke was coming from their country.

“I have discussed this with the prime minister and he has agreed to write a letter to Pres-ident Jokowi to draw his attention towards the issue of trans-boundary haze,” Malay-sia’s environment minister, Yeo

Bee Yin, told reporters, referring to Indonesian President Joko Widodo by his nickname.

Mahathir’s office was pre-paring the letter and it would be delivered soon, Yeo said.

Indonesia’s forestry min-ister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, said on Wednesday the problem should be viewed “more objectively” and the smoke could have orig-inated from fires in Malaysia.

In response, Yeo said Malay-sia’s data was drawn from the ASEAN Specialised Meteoro-logical Centre, a Singapore-based weather station that tracks forest fire “hotspots” throughout the region.

Just five hotspots were detected in Malaysia yesterday, compared with more than 1,500 in Indonesia, Yeo said.

“The data clearly shows that the haze is from Indonesia,” she said. Malaysia closed hundreds of schools and sent half a million face masks to its Borneo island state of Sarawak this week, after the smoke built up to unhealthy levels.

The government had also prepared aircraft for cloud seeding in the hope of gener-ating rain, Yeo said.

Several parts of Southeast Asia have endured unusually dry conditions in recent months including Indonesia, which has seen very little rain because of an El Nino weather pattern.

Malaysia, China to set up S China Sea dialogue mechanismREUTERS BEIJING

China and Malaysia have agreed to set up a joint dialogue mechanism for the disputed South China Sea, the Chinese government’s top diplomat said yesterday after meeting Malay-sia’s foreign minister.

Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi told a news conference with Malaysian Foreign Min-ister Saifuddin Abdullah that this year, tensions in the South China Sea had dropped.

Littoral states and China were committed to continue appropriately handling the South China Sea issue and jointly safeguard peace and sta-bility there, said Wang.

“To this end, our two sides have agreed to set up a bilateral consultation mechanism for maritime issues, a new platform for dialogue and cooperation for both sides,” he said.

Abdullah said the mech-anism would be led by the two countries’ foreign ministries.

US urges caution as Solomons considers cutting Taiwan linkREUTERS SYDNEY

US officials have warned the Solomon Islands to be wary of Chinese funding promises and not to be pressed into cutting ties with Taiwan, highlighting increasing big-power compe-tition for influence in the South Pacific.

The US warnings were made this week in the Solomons capital of Honiara, on the island of Gua-dacanal, in comments to reporters, after several of the island nation’s senior lawmakers said they wanted to switch their diplomatic links to Beijing from

Taiwan. The South Pacific has become a diplomatic stronghold for Taiwan, with six island nation allies, a third of all countries that recognise Taiwan. The links help stem China’s expansionary pol-icies in the region.

The US officials did not explicitly call for the retention of the Taiwan alliance, according to a recording, but urged caution.

Catherine Ebert-Gray, US Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu said the decision the Solomons Islands faced was tough and “very, very important”.

“We want to encourage the prime minister and all the people

of Solomon Islands and members of parliament to not feel pres-sured in making this decision, to ask for details about funding, about projects, whether these are loans or they’re grants,” Ebert-Gray said.

The Solomons, a former British protectorate, an archi-pelago of just over 600,000 people, has been looking into a possible switch in ties since a general election in April.

China, which claims self-ruled and democratic Taiwan as its own and views it as a wayward province, has offered the Solomons financial assistance if it were to switch.

The United States has tradi-tionally left diplomacy in the South Pacific to its regional partners, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The US officials said they had also met senior Solomons lawmakers, including new Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

China’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement, denounced the United States for interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. “We oppose the US side’s rude and unreasonable interference in the internal affairs of other countries. This is impervious to reason and unacceptable,” it said. The

heads of both a parliamentary task force in the Solomons and a ministerial team convened to talk with Beijing have expressed support for switching diplomatic recognition to Beijing, although there remains opposition among the public and student population.

The number of nations rec-ognising Taiwan has been dwin-dling, with El Salvador in Central America, Burkina Faso in West Africa and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, all switching to Beijing last year.

Solomon Islands government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Mosque attack trial delayed for RamadanREUTERS/SYDNEY

The trial of a man accused of shootings at two mosques in New Zealand that killed 51 people has been delayed by a month because the original court date coincided with the holy month of Ramadan, a judge said yesterday.

Australian man Brenton Tarrant, 29, a suspected white supremacist, has pleaded not guilty to 92 charges against him including murder and terrorism.

A trial was scheduled to begin on May 4, 2020, but pros-ecutors notified the court that “difficulties have arisen with the trial date because it clashes with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan which occurs over the month of May next year”.

Pyongyang has already said it is willing to hold talks on denuclearisation with the United States this month.

11FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019 EUROPE

Johnson denies lying to Queen over Parliament suspensionREUTERS LONDON

Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday denied lying to Queen Elizabeth over the reasons for suspending the British Par-liament after a court ruled his decision was unlawful and opponents called for lawmakers to be recalled to discuss Brexit.

Since Johnson won the top job in July, Britain’s Brexit crisis has spun more furiously, leaving investors and allies bewildered by an array of decisions that have pushed the once stable political system to its limits.

Parliament was prorogued — suspended — on Monday until October 14, a move Johnson’s opponents said was designed to thwart their attempts to scru-tinise his plans for leaving the European Union and to allow him to push through Brexit on October 31, with or without an exit deal to smooth the way.

Scotland’s highest court of appeal ruled on Wednesday that the suspension was not lawful and was intended to stymie law-makers, prompting opponents to question whether Johnson had lied to Elizabeth who must for-mally order the prorogation.

“Absolutely not,” Johnson said when asked by a TV reporter if he had misled the queen, who is the world’s longest reining monarch and is widely respected for more than 67 years of dedicated service during which she has stayed above the fray of politics.

Johnson said the current

session of parliament was longer than any since the English Civil war in the 17th century, adding that lawmakers would have plenty of time to again discuss Brexit after an EU summit on October 17-18.

He says Parliament was sus-pended to allow the government to present its legislative programme.

With less than 50 days until the United Kingdom is due to leave, the government and par-liament are locked in conflict over the future of Brexit, with possible outcomes ranging from leaving without a deal to another referendum.

A “no-deal” Brexit could snarl cross-Channel trade routes, disrupting supplies of medicines and fresh food while protests spread across Britain, according to a worst-case sce-nario reluctantly released by the government on Wednesday.

The “Operation Yellow-hammer” assumptions, prepared six weeks ago just days after Johnson became prime minister, form the basis of government no-deal planning.

Britain is unlikely to run out of essentials like toilet paper in the event of a no-deal Brexit but some fresh fruit and vegetables

could be in short supply and prices might rise, supermarket bosses warned yesterda.

Johnson has repeatedly said he will seek to strike a deal at the EU summit to remove the Irish border backstop, an insurance agreement to prevent the return of border controls between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic after Brexit.

Opponents of the backstop in the British parliament worry it would lock the United Kingdom into the EU’s orbit for years to come.

The European Union would respond positively if the British government shifts its position in Brexit talks in the coming weeks, Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said.

But Coveney said that there were “significant gaps” between British proposals and what Ireland and the EU would con-sider. He said the threat of a no-deal Brexit might help make the British debate “more honest”.

Johnson said the government is waiting to hear an appeal next week against the Scottish court ruling on the suspension of par-liament in the Supreme Court, the United Kingdom’s highest judicial body, and he respected the independence of the judges.

Last week, the High Court of England and Wales rejected a similar challenge by cam-paigners, saying it was a political not a judicial matter. “Indeed, as I say, the High Court in England plainly agrees with us, but the Supreme Court will have to decide,” Johnson said.

Britain’s PM Boris Johnson takes part in an activity with schoolchildren as he visits a lighthouse tender moored on the river Thames to mark London International Shipping Week in London, yesterday.

PM wins court ruling on no-deal BrexitBLOOMBERG BELFAST

A Northern Irish court ruled that a no-deal Brexit wouldn’t violate the Good Friday peace accord, handing Prime Minister Boris Johnson a legal victory in one of a string of cases related to his plans to leave the European Union.

Judge Bernard McCloskey in Belfast yesterday said the debate over the peace accord is a purely political matter in a ruling that was immediately taken up by an appellate court.

The opinion is a boost for Johnson after a court in Edin-burgh on Wednesday ruled that the prime minister’s plan to

suspend Parliament in the run up to the October 31 Brexit deadline was an unlawful abuse of power. A few days earlier, a court in London ruled, like McCloskey, that the issue was not for the courts.

“I consider the characteri-zation of the subject matter of these proceedings as inherently and unmistakably political to be beyond plausible dispute,” McCloskey said.

Raymond McCord, whose son was killed in the political violence that dogged Northern Ireland for decades, had brought the Belfast case, arguing that leaving the EU without a deal would breach the peace deal known as the Good Friday

Agreement. EU membership facilitated an open border on the island of Ireland and a no-deal exit could put that at risk.

There was confusion imme-diately after the Belfast ruling about whether McCord’s case would be heard along with the Scottish and English cases related to the suspension of Par-liament at the UK Supreme Court next week.

“We say Northern Ireland should be represented in the Supreme Court in relation to prorogation, because it ties in with the Good Friday Agreement,” Ciaran O’Hare, McCord’s lawyer, said after the brief Court of Appeal hearing that followed the ruling.

2 die as torrential rains batter southeast SpainAFP MADRID

An elderly couple died when their car overturned as torrential rains and flooding hit south-eastern Spain yesterday, sparking travel chaos and closing schools in a move affecting hundreds of thousands of children, officials said.

The couple, both in their 70s, died when their vehicle was

swept away as fast-moving waters swamped a road in Caudete, a municipality some 100km southwest of the city of Valencia, the emergency services said.

Elsewhere the rain caused chaos on the roads, cutting public transport and prompting the nearby Clariano river to burst its banks, flooding homes and causing the evacuation of surrounding areas, officials said.

Footage shared by the local AVAMET weather service showed cars being swept away in fast-flowing water in Moixent, and torrents of water engulfing the nearby town of Ontinyent, which borders the Clariano and saw its heaviest rainfall since records began in 1917.

Authorities in Valencia ordered the closure of schools in 84 municipalities, affecting more than 255,000 pupils.

French parliament Speaker charged over property dealAFP LILLE, FRANCE

French President Emmanuel Macron stuck by his close ally and speaker of parliament Richard Ferrand yesterday after he was charged with conflict of interest over a property deal involving his wife.

The allegations against Ferrand first emerged in 2017, causing embarrassment for Macron who had just won power on a pledge to rejuvenate France’s corruption-plagued political class.

Ferrand, who had been appointed a minister in Macron’s first cabinet, stepped down at the time, but later made a comeback as speaker after pros-ecutors dropped the case, saying there was no basis for a prosecution.

The matter did not end there, however.

In 2018, an anti-corruption organisation filed another com-plaint against Ferrand, forcing magistrates to re-examine the property deal in 2011 between a public health insurance fund he was managing and his wife in his native region of Brittany.

Macron still has “all his con-fidence” in Ferrand, government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said yesterday, dismissing calls for the 57-year-old to step down from his role chairing the

National Assembly. After the charges were filed by a magis-trate in the northern city of Lille on Wednesday evening, Ndiaye described the former Socialist MP as a “loyal, upstanding man with an exemplary political career.”

Being charged, or “mise en examen”, in France means investigating magistrates believe there is strong evidence against an individual but the decision can be appealed and it does not necessarily mean the case will go to trial.

The allegations against Ferrand, one of Macron’s first backers when he ran for pres-ident, were revealed by the Canard Enchaine investigative weekly in 2017.

The charges come just as Macron is regaining popularity following months of “yellow vest” protests, with the head of state keen to show a more humble side.

The Canard Enchaine revealed that in 2011 a public insurance fund that Ferrand headed had agreed to rent a commercial building from Fer-rand’s wife and also invest ¤184,000 in renovations.

The work carried out dras-tically increased the value of the property. Ferrand denied any wrongdoing, saying that his wife had made the best offer and that he had no say in the matter.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture during a meeting with Ukrainian sailors, who were detained by Russia in the Kerch Strait and released in recent Ukraine-Russia prisoners’ swap, and their relatives in Kiev, Ukraine, yesterday.

Zelenskiy meets freed Ukrainian sailors

Italy pushing for automatic EU migrant sharing systemAFP ROME

Italy is attempting to set up an automatic system for distrib-uting migrants rescued in the Mediterranean between European countries, Italian media said yesterday.

Such a deal would put an end to the case-by-case nego-tiations over who will take those saved during the perilous crossing from North Africa, which have seen vulnerable asylum seekers trapped in limbo at sea for lengthy periods.

France and Germany have given their green light to the new system, which could also involve Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Spain, the Repubblica and Stampa dailies said.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is expected to discuss the plan with France’s President Emmanuel Macron when the latter visits Rome next week.

It will then be studied in more detail at a meeting of interior ministers on September 23 in Malta, ahead of a European summit in October in Luxembourg.

“There is great willingness to immediately reach even a temporary accord on the redis-tribution of migrants, which can then be fine tuned,” Conte said on Wednesday during a visit to Brussels to meet European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen.

He suggested EU countries that decline to take part could suffer financial penalties.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have refused in the past to take in any of those rescued at sea.

The automatic distribution system would be a temporary solution ahead of a revision of the so-called “Dublin regu-lation”, which assigns respon-sibility for migrants to the nation of first entry.

Spain’s king to meet parties in bid to break political impasseAFP MADRID

Spain’s King Felipe VI will meet political party leaders early next week in a bid to break the political deadlock that could see the country heading for its fourth elections in as many years, his office said yesterday.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists won elec-tions in April but fell far short of a majority.

Sanchez now has until Sep-tember 23 to be confirmed as

premier by a deeply fragmented parliament — or face fresh elec-tions on November 10.

Polls suggest the Socialists would win more seats in such polls but still fall short of a majority.

Sanchez has failed to reach agreement with the far-left Podemos, whose support is key along with that of several smaller regional parties.

Seeking to break the logjam, the monarch on Thursday met with Speaker Meritxell Batet ahead of talks next Monday and

Tuesday with party parlia-mentary leaders.

The king will try to “propose a candidate for the head of gov-ernment who can count on the necessary support to win a (par-liamentary) vote of confidence,” a palace statement said.

Failing that, the parliament would be dissolved and new elections would be called, the statement said.

Sanchez was expected to receive a fresh mandate from the king to once again present his candidacy as head of

government to parliament. The Socialist leader came to power in June 2018 by winning a sur-prise no-confidence vote against conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy with the support of Podemos as well as Catalan separatist parties and Basque nationalists.

But he failed twice in July to be confirmed by the assembly following a dispute with Podemos and its leader Pablo Iglesias that has yet to be resolved, with the two men trading accusations over the

deadlock in parliament on Wednesday.

The Socialists had initially sought to form a coalition, albeit reluctantly, with Podemos, offering several government portfolios, but the party refused, saying the posts did not carry enough political clout.

Now Sanchez has taken the offer of a coalition off the table, offering Podemos only talks on a joint policy programme in the hope of establishing a minority government with ad hoc parlia-mentary support from the party.

The Prime Minister says Parliament was suspended to allow the government to present its legislative programme.

12 FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019EUROPE / AMERICAS

French court convicts Saudi princess over workman attackAFP PARIS

A French court yesterday handed a 10-month suspended sentence to a sister of the Saudi crown prince for ordering a bodyguard to beat a workman who came to do plumbing work at her luxury residence in Paris in 2016.

Hassa bint Salman, a daughter of King Salman and sister of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had been charged with instructing her bodyguard to beat, hold captive and humiliate the plumber.

Tried in absentia and the target of an arrest warrant since December 2017, she was also ordered by the Paris court to pay a ¤10,000 fine.

The princess, 42, had never shown up at the trial, which got underway in July.

The punishment was heavier than demanded by prosecutors, who had sought a six-month suspended sentence and a fine of ¤5,000 ($5,480).

The princess was accused of instructing her bodyguard Rani Saidi to beat up Ashraf Eid after he was seen taking pictures inside her home in September 2016.

She had been charged with

complicity in an act of inten-tional violence, complicity in illegal confinement and com-plicity in theft.

Saidi, who was the only pro-tagonist in the case present in court, was handed an eight-month suspended sentence and a ¤5,000 fine, in line with the r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s o f prosecutors.

Lawyers for the princess and Saidi said they planned to appeal, saying the case was based on unfounded allegations while also questioning the conduct of Eid, who presented a ¤21,000 bill for the works just days after the events.

Emmanuel Moyne, lawyer for the princess, contended that Eid’s statements had “largely been fanciful” and said he had in no way been forced to stay in the apartment.

“We will prove the inno-cence of Princess Hassa bint Salman at the court of appeal in Paris,” he said.

Saidi’s lawyer Yassine Bouzrou said that the ruling was “incomprehensible” and accused the court of ignoring key ele-ments that would have proven the innocence of his client.

Eid was working on the seventh floor of the luxury apartment block owned by the Saudi royals on Avenue Foch, a favourite destination of foreign millionaires in Paris, when he was called to the fifth floor to repair a damaged wash basin.

He took pictures of the bathroom which he told inves-tigators he needed to carry out his work. Eid claims that the princess flew into a rage after he caught her reflection in a mirror on camera.

The plumber claimed that he was allowed to leave the apartment only after several hours, during which his phone was destroyed, and that at one point the princess shouted: “Kill him, the dog, he doesn’t deserve to live.” Georges Karouni, Eid’s lawyer, praised the “strength” of his client during the investigation.

Saidi argued during the court hearings he had merely come to the aid of the princess in a tussle with Eid where he feared the plumber was taking photos to sell to media outlets.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (centre) attends the wreath laying ceremony as he visits the memorial in honour of those fallen in World War II, the War in Afghanistan, 1999 counter-terrorist operation in Dagestan and other local conflicts, in the village of Botlikh, yesterday.

EU extends sanctions over Ukraine conflictAFP BRUSSELS

The European Union yesterday extended by six months sanc-tions against Russian and Ukrainian officials over their alleged involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Asset freezes and travel bans now affect 170 persons and 44 “entities”, which include

businesses, organisations and political parties.

The individual sanctions are part of measures taken by the EU to punish Moscow for its support for pro-Russian sepa-ratists in the conflict, which began in early 2014.

Sweeping economic sanc-tions imposed in summer 2014, were extended by six months in June. The EU imposed the

economic sanctions against Russia after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine in July 2014, killing 298 people.

The conflict between Russia-backed fighters and Ukrainian troops has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014, when pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine rebelled against Kiev and Russia annexed Crimea.

Putin visits war memorial in Dagestan

US invokes defense treaty over Venezuela crisisAFP WASHINGTON

The United States invoked a regional defense pact on Wednesday with 10 other coun-tries and Venezuela’s opposition after “bellicose” moves by Nicolas Maduro’s regime.

A request to invoke the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR) came from the Venezuelan opposition, said a statement from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, retweeted early yesterday by President Donald Trump.

“Recent bellicose moves by the Venezuelan military to deploy along the border with Colombia as well as the presence of illegal armed groups and ter-rorist organizations in Vene-zuelan territory demonstrate that Nicolas Maduro not only poses a threat to the Venezuelan people, his actions threaten the

peace and security of Vene-zuela’s neighbors,” Pompeo said.

Venezuela was thrust into a political crisis in January when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to Maduro’s authority over the country from which millions have fled eco-nomic deprivation.

The opposition branded the socialist leader a “usurper” after his re-election last year in a poll widely viewed as rigged.

Pompeo said in the statement invoking the pact is “recognition of the increasingly destabilizing influence” the Maduro regime exerts on the region. “Catastrophic economic policies and political repression continue to drive this unprece-dented refugee crisis, straining the ability of governments to respond,” he said.

“We look forward to further high-level discussions with

fellow TIAR parties, as we come together to collectively address the urgent crisis raging within Venezuela and spilling across its border through the consideration of multilateral economic and political options.”

On Tuesday Venezuela’s armed forces chiefs said they had begun mobilizing 150,000 troops for military exercises on the Colombian border, after accusing Colombia of plotting to spark a military conflict.

Last week Maduro said Colombia was using the rejection by dissident FARC leaders of a peace accord to try to provoke a military conflict, and said he was placing his forces on high alert.

Meanwhile, Colombia’s right-wing President Ivan Duque had accused Maduro of shel-tering FARC dissidents.

Venezuela’s National Assembly — which Guaido leads — in July decided to re-join the

TIAR, which could provide a legal framework for foreign mil-itary intervention.

But the country’s Supreme Court annulled the decision to join. Guaido is backed by more than 50 nations, including the United States and many others in the TIAR, which was originally ratified by 23 countries at the start of the Cold War.

Five of those — at the time all under leftist governments —left in 2012, while Mexico dis-tanced itself in 2004.

Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela withdrew over Washington’s refusal to take Argentina’s side in 1982 after it invaded the British-ruled Falkland Islands .

Despite US backing Guaido has failed to dislodge Maduro, who still enjoys support from Russia, China, and Cuba as well as Venezuela’s military leadership.

Trump: Bolton held me back on Venezuela AFP WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump yesterday warned that the exit of his hawkish national security advisor won’t bring a softening of the US position on Venezuela.

Bolton, a prominent hard-liner in Washington’s attempt to pressure Venezuelan strongman President Nicolas Maduro from power, was sacked on Tuesday.

This sparked speculation in some media outlets that Trump might seek a more conciliatory line. However, the president indicated on Twitter that his pol-icies could instead harden.

“In fact, my views on Vene-zuela, and especially Cuba, were far stronger than those of John Bolton. He was holding me back!” he said.

Cubans queue to buy fuel at a gas station in Havana, yesterday.

Cuba battles acute shortage of fuel due to US sanctionsREUTERS HAVANA

Cuba must implement emergency measures to stave off an acute fuel shortage in September caused by the Trump administration’s efforts to block oil shipments to the country, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Wednesday.

The island will have to make do this month with the little fuel now available, plus supply from a ship that arrives tomorrow and another at the end of September, Diaz-Canel said in a roundtable discussion on state television.

He said all shipments for October were already guaranteed.

“There may be tense situations in the distribution of some products and the provision of services to the population in the coming days,” Diaz-Canel said.

The aim was to avoid blackouts, he said, adding: “If we have to do them... they will not be as long nor as intense of those of the Special Period,” a reference to the severe economic depression Cuba went through in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Cuba’s economy has faced a cash crunch since 2015 following a decline in the supply of oil from leftist ally Venezuela, forcing the government to adopt austerity measures.

Twitter blocks accounts of Raul Castro & Cuban state-run mediaREUTERS HAVANA

US social media firm Twitter Inc has blocked the accounts of Cuban Communist Party Leader Raul Castro, his daughter Mariela Castro and Cuba’s top state-run media outlets, a move the Cuban Union of Journalists denounced as “massive censorship”.

Dozens of accounts of jour-nalists for Cuban state-run media

as well as the official account for the Communications Ministry were also blocked in the crackdown late on Wednesday.

Twitter did not explain or forewarn of the measure, state-run media wrote on their web-sites. The company did not imme-diately reply to a request for comment.

The Cuban Union of Jour-nalists said the platform had sus-pended individual accounts in the

past which had been recovered.The move came just as Pres-

ident Miguel Diaz-Canel was addressing the nation on state-run TV, warning of an energy crisis due to US sanctions.

“What is new here is the massive scope of this act of cyber-netic warfare, clearly planned, that aims to limit the freedom of expression of Cuban institutions and citizens and to silence the leaders of the revolution” it said

in a statement. Some independent Cuban journalists commented ironically on the fact officials of a government which has a monopoly on public spaces and traditional media in a one party state were complaining of censorship.

Independent journalism in Cuba is tolerated but not legal and the websites of several alternative outlets that are critical of the gov-ernment are blocked on the

island. Locals must use virtual private networks to access them.

“Official Cuban press dis-covers ‘freedom of expression’ thanks to Twitter,” wrote 14ymedio, the digital news outlet run by prominent dissident Yoani Sanchez.

Cuba was featured on the list of 10 most censored countries worldwide released this week by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Princess Hassa bint Salman was tried in absentia for allegedly instructing her bodyguard to beat a workman in 2016.

Bahamas revises ‘missing’ list down to 1,300AFP MIAMI

Some 1,300 people are still unaccounted for in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian, officials said yesterday, down from the 2,500 previ-ously reported.

The Bahamian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) attributed the drop to cross-referencing names of missing persons with those in shelters.

“It’s very fluid,” NEMA spokesman Carl Smith told reporters at a press conference in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.

The Bahamian authorities have put the death toll from the devastating Category 5 storm at 50 so far.

But they have said they expect that number to rise sig-nificantly and a former prime minister said he feared the final toll could be in the hundreds.

“Based upon information I have, based on my knowledge, there are hundreds of people who died,” the Nassau Guardian newspaper quoted former premier Hubert Ingraham as saying on Wednesday.

“I pay no attention to 50,” Ingraham said after touring hurricane-ravaged Abaco Island.

“Hundreds of people have died in Abaco, and significant numbers in Grand Bahama,” the other island severely damaged by the storm, he said.

“And I don’t make wild statements,” he said. “I don’t make uninformed statements.” Bahamian police commissioner Anthony Ferguson was asked at the press conference about the search for victims of the storm.

“It’s a slow process,” Fer-guson said. “We have to go through all of that rubble, take our time and search.

“It’s going to take a long time before you can really say (final) numbers,” he said.

Smith, the NEMA spokesman, said 150 people were currently in shelters on the island of Grand Bahama and 2,000 on New Providence, where Nassau is located.

“We are no longer receiving a lot of displaced persons from Abaco,” he added.

13FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019 AMERICAS / CLASSIFIEDS

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US Supreme Court allows Trump’s asylum curbsAFP WASHINGTON

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to implement asylum restrictions that prevent most Central American migrants from applying at the US border.

Democrats said the ruling puts people’s lives at risk.

The decision — temporarily in effect while lower court pro-ceedings play out — is a victory for Trump’s restrictive immi-gration policies, which he has made a central pillar of his pres-idency but which have been repeatedly challenged in court.

The top court stayed a decision by a lower court that had blocked the restrictions, which declare ineligible for asylum any migrants who enter the United States from the southern border and who have not asked for asylum protection in any of the countries they crossed to get to there.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, dis-senting from the decision, wrote that: “Once again the Executive Branch has issued a rule that seeks to upend longstanding practices regarding refugees who seek shelter from persecution.”

“In effect, the rule forbids almost all Central Americans...

to apply for asylum in the United States if they enter or seek to enter through the southern border, unless they were first denied asylum in Mexico or another third country,” she wrote.

Trump took to Twitter to hail the move, saying, “BIG United States Supreme Court WIN for the Border on Asylum!”

The decision “greatly helps build on the progress we’ve made addressing the crisis at our southern border and will ulti-mately make American commu-nities safer,” White House Prin-cipal Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups chal-lenging the asylum restrictions, expressed hope that “we’ll prevail at the end of the day.”

“The lives of thousands of families are at stake,” Gelernt said in a statement.

Democrats in the House of Representatives made a similar point.

“Lives will be lost. This rule will result in those fleeing fear

and persecution to be turned away at our doorstep and will only exacerbate the humani-tarian crisis in the region,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Zoe Lofgren, who chairs the immigration and citizenship subcommittee, said in a joint statement. “The United States can and must do better.”

House Foreign Affairs Com-mittee chairman Eliot Engel said that “for many refugees, this is life and death.” The asylum restrictions target the flow of migrants from Central America and other countries who have tried to cross into the United States from Mexico and request asylum.

These requests — often made by families saying they have fled endemic violence and poverty in their countries — allow the applicants to remain in the United States and to move around freely while their cases are adjudicated, which can take two years.

The policy is among a host of measures Trump has taken in a bid to stem the flow of migrants, including the deployment of troops at the southern border. Official statistics show the number of people apprehended or declared inadmissible at the southern border has dropped to around 64,000 in August, from more than 144,000 in May.

A young migrant from Honduras waits at the Mexico-US border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, yesterday.

Mexico ‘disagrees’ with asylum restrictionsAFP/MEXICO CITY

Mexico said yesterday it disagrees with President Donald Trump’s decision to restrict the right of Central Americans to seek asylum in the United States, a day after the Supreme Court allowed it to go ahead.

Mexico could see asylum requests soar under the measure, which dramatically changes the rules for the thousands of Central Americans fleeing poverty and gang violence in their home countries in hopes of reaching the United States. “Of course we

disagree” with the restrictions, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told a news con-ference, speaking alongside Pres-ident Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

“We have a very different policy in Mexico, and we are not going to change it. Mexico’s refugee and asylum policy is a tradition here,” Ebrard said.

“What we need to do is create alternatives so that people don’t have to take these risks... (because) of the lack of options” in their home countries.

Saying that US migration

policy was already “very tough,” he called the decision “unprece-dented.” “It certainly draws one’s attention. But it’s their decision,” he added.

He said Mexican officials would hold a series of meetings to evaluate the impact for Mexico. Opponents argue the policy vio-lates international law by forcing people fleeing for their lives to seek refuge in countries where they may also be in danger.

Ebrard said he had positive meetings in Washington with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

House panel intensifies ‘impeachment’ probe of TrumpAFP WASHINGTON

Democrats stepped up their impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump yesterday even as the party’s leaders remained dubious about the political value of the move 14 months before the next pres-idential election. The House Judi-ciary Committee approved new

procedures allowing members to demand more documents and testimony from the White House, declaring for the first time that its probe of the president is focused on “impeachment”.

Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said the measures will serve to enhance an “aggressive series of hearings” aimed at determining whether to rec-o m m e n d a r t i c l e s o f

impeachment against the president.

“The resolution before us represents the necessary next step in our investigation of cor-ruption, obstruction and abuse of power,” Nadler said before it was approved by the Democrat-controlled committee.

The probe is focused along four lines: allegations that Trump illegally interfered with the

Russia election meddling inves-tigation, that he took part in hush payments to alleged former mis-tresses, that he has used his office to enrich himself and that he offered pardons to government and campaign officials to protect him.

“The conduct under investi-gation poses a threat to our democracy. We have an obli-gation to respond to this threat,”

Nadler said. While a significant step closer, there are still doubts about whether Democrats will eventually vote to impeach the president, the political equivalent of formally indicting him for a crime.

Democratic Party leaders, especially House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have opposed the move as politically risky, as opinion polls show the public generally

is against going through the drama of charging the president.

It is virtually certain that the Republican-controlled Senate, which would effectively try the president on the allegations, would acquit, absent new evi-dence. More than half of the 235 Democrats in the House have endorsed an impeachment investigation.

The top court stayed a decision by a lower court that had blocked the restrictions.

14 FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019CLASSIFIEDS

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Market cap rose by 2.35 percent to reach QR578.60bn as compared to QR565.29bn at the end of previous week.

The meeting touched on ways of enhancing trade relations between both countries and investment opportunities available in Gambia.

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PAGE | 16 PAGE | 16

ECB deploys new monetary

stimulus to help economy

John Lewis warns on no-deal Brexit after historic loss

15FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019

Gambia President invites Qatari investors THE PENINSULA DOHA

The President of The Gambia Adama Barrow called on Qatari businessmen to invest in his country and benefit from the opportunities it offers in various sectors in light of the attractive investment climate it offers.

He was meeting with Qatar Chamber’s First Vice-Chairman Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari at Sheraton Hotel.

The meeting touched on ways of enhancing trade rela-tions between both countries and investment opportunities available in Gambia.

Barrow praised Qatar’s economy and its preparations to host the World Cup 2022, affirming that this interna-tional tournament would attract large-scale investment opportunities to Qatar.

Al Kuwari welcomed the visit of the President of Gambia to Qatar; expressing his hope

this meeting represented a new beginning of developing coop-eration ties between both the countries’ businesspersons especially that their trade volume is still weak, adding that to develop trade between both countries, this requires more cooperation between business sectors.

He noted that Gambia has huge potentials in many key economic sectors such as agri-culture, industry, services and natural resources such as fish-eries, silica and titanium.

He added that these sectors are very attractive for Qatari investors who are eager to invest in Africa in general and in Gambia in particular;

especially that Gambia sought to attract foreign investment thanks to investment incen-tives, new laws and easy pro-cedures of doing business and

facilitate investments.He stressed the Chamber’s

support and encourage all Qatari businessmen and com-panies to invest in Gambia.

The President of The Gambia Adama Barrow (right) during a meeting with Qatar Chamber’s First Vice-Chairman Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha yesterday.

QSE’s main index gained 208.46 points last weekTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Stock Exchange’s (QSE) benchmark index gained 208.46 points, or 2.03 percent, last week when the bourse closed yes-terday at 10,461.65 points.

Trading value during last week increased by 16.93 percent to reach QR1.32bn compared to QR1.13bn at the end of previous week.

Trading volume increased by 79.83 percent to reach 644.19 million shares, as against 358.22 million shares, while the number of transactions rose by 19.66 percent, to reach 35,839 trans-actions as compared to 29,951 transactions.

Market cap rose by 2.35 percent to reach QR578.60bn as compared to QR565.29bn at the end of previous week, reports QNA.

The Banking and Financial Services sector led trading value during last week with 45.07 percent of the total trading value. Industrials sector, which accounted for 15.31 percent. The Real Estate sector accounted for 12.67 percent, and Telecoms sector, which accounted for 8.66 percent The Banking and Financial Services sector led trading volume during last week with 36.23 percent of the total trading volume.

Real Estate sector accounted for 33.25 percent. The Indus-trials sector accounted for 17.08 percent and Telecoms sector accounted for 5.04 percent.

The Banking and Financial Services sector led trading number of transactions during last week with 28.08 percent of the total number of transactions. Industrials sector which accounted for 24.80 percent.

The Real Estate sector accounted for 18.64 percent, and Telecoms sector, which accounted for 13.01 percent.

From the 46 listed com-panies 27 ended last week higher, while 17 fell and two unchanged.

The QNB led trading value during last week with17.18 percent of the total trading value. Ezdan Holding Group accounted for 9.44 percent. The Qatar International Islamic Bank accounted for 7.47 percent.

When compared on daily basis the QSE index dropped 4.84 points, or 0.05 percent, yesterday compared to Wednes-day’s closing. The volume of shares traded decreased to 128.85 million from 156.88 million on Wednesday and the value of shares decreased to QR251.73m from QR306.51m on Wednesday.

From the 49 companies listed on QSE, shares of 48 saw trading yesterday. From these, 14 companies gained, 20 closed lower and remained 14 com-panies unchanged.

Indices of five sector ended in green zone and two sectors ended in red zone yesterday. QSE Total Return Index decreased 0.05 percent to 19,250.33 points.

Oil prices fall after Opec+ talks & ECB rate cutREUTERS LONDON

Oil prices fell yesterday after a meeting of the Opec+ alliance yielded no decision on deep-ening supply cuts but focused instead on bringing Nigerian and Iraqi output down to their agreed quotas.

Oil came under further pressure after the European Central Bank cut its deposit rate to a record low -0.5 percent from -0.4 percent and said it will restart bond purchases of €20bn a month from November to prop up euro zone growth.

Brent crude futures were down $1.49 cents at $59.32 a barrel by 1350 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate futures fell $1.27 cents to $54.48. Both were heading for a third session of losses.

Saudi Arabia’s new energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said deeper cuts would not be decided before a

meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Coun-tries planned for December.

The meeting yielded a promise to keep countries within the production quotas they committed to in a global supply cut deal, which would limit oil coming to the market as Nigeria, Iraq and Russia have, at times, produced more than their allocations.

“Everyone committed to compliance but we’ve heard that before. I assume the market will want to see proper cuts to react,” said Giovanni Stauvono (pictured), analyst at UBS.

A statement from Opec and its allies, a grouping known as OPEC+, said oil stocks in indus-trial countries remained above the five-year average. Oman’s energy minister said “the outlook is not very good for 2020.” Saudi’s Prince Abdulaziz said his country would keep cutting by more than it pledged

in the pact that has throttled supply from Opec and its partners by 1.2 million barrels per day.

Both crude benchmarks fell sharply the previous day fol-lowing a report that US Pres-ident Donald Trump had weighed easing sanctions on Iran, a move that would poten-tially boost crude supply. “The drop is due to a combination of reports of Trump and Iran, the ECB easing, which pushed up the dollar which hurt oil,” said David Madden, an analyst at

CMC Markets.Also feeding the bearish

sentiment, the International Energy Agency, which advises industrial economies on energy policy, said surging US output would make balancing the market “daunting” in 2020.

The Paris-based agency kept its oil demand growth forecasts for this and next year at 1.1 million bpd and 1.3 million bpd, respectively.

“There is not a lot of room for any waiver on Iranian crude oil imports,” said Petromatrix analyst Olivier Jakob.

Supporting prices earlier in yesterday’s session, China and the United States made some concessions in a protracted trade war, which has weighed on oil demand forecasts.

Also giving a floor to prices, the US Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday that US crude oil stockpiles fell last week to their lowest in nearly a year.

Yahoo Japan nears deal for majority stake in Zozo IncBLOOMBERG TOKYO

Yahoo Japan Corp has agreed to pay as much as $3.7bn to take control of flamboyant entre-preneur Yusaku Maezawa’s Zozo Inc stepping up competition against Amazon and Rakuten in one of Asia’s largest online retail arenas.

Maezawa, the outspoken bil-lionaire who’s set to become the first paying passenger aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX ride around the moon, will sell some of his own shares in the online fashion mall and steped down as CEO officer yesterday to make way for director Kotaro Sawada.

The surprise deal could shake up the domestic e-com-merce landscape while bol-stering the prospects of Yahoo Japan, whose biggest shareholder is the local telecommunications arm of Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank Group Corp. Zozo, which had a market value of 675bn yen ($6.3bn) before the announcement, has already carved out a niche in fashion against aggressive rivals like Amazon.

Yahoo Japan’s shares rose as much as 5.7 percent in Tokyo, their biggest intraday jump since May 9, while Zozo surged 19 percent. Among the country’s online retailers, Rakuten fell as much as 3.2 percent while Mercari Inc. slipped 2 percent. Investors feared the deal will intensify competition, said Masayuki Otani, chief market strategist at Securities Japan Inc in Tokyo.

“It’s a plus for Yahoo Japan and would help expand their e-commerce operations,” said Mitsushige Akino, an executive officer with Ichiyoshi Asset Man-agement Co. in Tokyo. “Zozo gets the financial backup it needs for its new venture and overseas expansion.”

Trump prepared to keep & raise tariffs on Chinese goods, says MnuchinREUTERS WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump is prepared to keep or even raise tariffs on Chinese imports amid ongoing trade talks, Treasury Sec-retary Steven Mnuchin (pictured) said yesterday, after both sides granted concessions ahead of the next round of negotiations.

Still, Mnuchin said in an interview on CNBC, US officials were looking to make progress when talks resume with lower level officials this month ahead of higher-level discussions with top officials in October.

“We don’t want a trip that’s just a series of discussions. We want to make meaningful progress,” he said.

“The president is a negotiator.

And he’s prepared to keep these tariffs in place. He’s prepared to raise tariffs if we need to raise tariffs,” Mnuchin said, adding he was “cautiously optimistic” about upcoming meetings.

The Trump administration expects Beijing to buy US farm

products, he said.“It is expected that China will

be buying large amounts of our agricultural products!” Trump tweeted separately yesterday.

On Wednesday, the United States and China both made con-cessions, with Beijing dropping tariffs on some pharmaceuticals and other goods, while Wash-ington announced a short delay to scheduled tariff hikes on bil-lions of dollars worth of Chinese goods.

Asked about media reports that China was seeking to narrow the scope of negotiations to trade and not national security matters, Mnuchin declined to discuss spe-cifics. But, he added, the US was still focused on intellectual property, forced joint ventures and other matters.

16 FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019BUSINESS

John Lewis warns on no-deal Brexit after historic lossAFP LONDON

Iconic British department store chain John Lewis yesterday warned that it would face a “sig-nificant” impact from a no-deal Brexit, after posting its first-ever half-year loss.

John Lewis, whose high-end department and food stores are especially popular with Britain’s middle classes, said it suffered a pre-tax loss of £25.9m ($32m, €29m) in the six months to July.

That contrasted with profit of £800,000 in the first half of the group’s previous financial year, the owner of Waitrose super-markets added in a results statement.

This time around, John Lewis

revenues slid 1.2 percent to £5.4bn, hit by a fall in big-ticket home and electrical items as many con-sumers tightened their belts amid the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

John Lewis was hurt also by

rising IT costs and a higher wage bill. The company sounded an ominous warning over the impact of Britain’s looming departure from the European Union, due next month.

“Should the UK leave the EU without a deal, we expect the effect to be significant and it will not be possible to mitigate that impact,” said chairman Charlie Mayfield (pictured).

“In readiness, we have ensured our financial resilience and taken steps to increase our foreign currency hedging, to build stock where that is sensible, and to improve customs readiness.” Mayfield added that Brexit “con-tinues to weigh on consumer sen-timent at a crucial time for the sector as we enter the

peak-trading period” heading into Christmas.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed that Britain will quit on October 31, with or without a trade deal being struck with Brussels. This comes despite the government being forced to publish documents warning over the potential effects of no-deal.

The so-called Operation Yel-lowhammer papers pointed to “a rise in public disorder and com-munity tensions” in such a sce-nario, as well as logjams at ports threatening to impact supplies.

Aside from Brexit, Britain’s retail sector is also battling rising costs, high taxes on business property, fierce online compe-tition and stretched household budgets.

ECB deploys new monetary stimulus to help economyAP FRANKFURT

The European Central Bank yes-terday delivered a new blast of monetary stimulus to help the shaky economy in the face of uncertainties like the US-China trade conflict and Brexit.

The decision comes as central banks around the world including the US Federal Reserve lower rates to support slowing trade and growth, despite nagging questions over how much good central banks can do when rates are already ultra-low.

In a wide-ranging package of measures that will ensure out-going President Mario Draghi (pictured) leaves a mark on the ECB’s policies long after he leaves next month, the bank cut

one key interest rate further below zero. It trimmed the rate on deposits it takes from banks to minus 0.5 percent from minus 0.4 percent, a penalty that pushes banks to lend excess cash.

The ECB, which sets policy for the 19 countries that use the euro, also said it would restart its bond-buying stimulus program, which pumps newly created money into the financial system to lower borrowing costs and help the economy. It will buy €20bn ($22bn) a month in gov-ernment and corporate bonds for as long as needed.

The central bank fur-thermore extended its promise to keep rates at record lows until inflation goes back up to its goal of just under 2 percent. At last count, it was just 1 percent.

The ECB has joined the Fed and other central banks in making credit cheaper to help the economy. The Fed cut its key policy rate in July for the first time in a decade, to a range of 2 percent to 2.25 percent. Markets believe there is a near certainty the Fed will cut rates again at its next meeting September 17-18.

Draghi was able to push the stimulus package through the ECB’s 25-member governing council despite skepticism voiced by several members ahead of time. Some aspects of the package such as the rate cut and the bond purchases were smaller than some analysts expected although the open-ended timing could partly offset that.

The package ensures that the stimulus policies will influence

the ECB’s stance for months after Draghi leaves office. Yesterday was his next-to-last meeting before his eight-year term ends on Oct. 31; Christine Lagarde, the outgoing head of the Interna-tional Monetary Fund, is due to take his place and has endorsed Draghi’s measures in hearings on her nomination.

The euro fell on the news of the stimulus to its lowest level against the dollar since May 2017, while stock markets in Europe rose. The currency was down 0.6 percent at $1.0940.

CROSSWORD

A fierce rebel wrestler Kichha fights brutal oppression and becomes a symbol of hope for the downtrodden people. Will he win the fight in the ring or the one against powerful politicians or can he manage to fight them all single-handedly?

PAILWAAN

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

Pailwaan (2D/Kannada) 2:15, 8:00 & 11:00pm; Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 5:15 & 8:45pm; The Big Trip (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 4:30pm;Playmobil The Move (2D/Animation) 4:15pm;Love Action Drama (2D/Malayalam) 6:00 & 11:30pmSivappu Manjal Pachai (2D/Tamil) 2:00pmDream Girl (2D/Hindi) 6:00pmIT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 8:15pmPorinju Mariam Jose (2D/Malayalam) 11:15pm

Chhichhore (2D/Hindi) 11:15am, 5:30 & 11:45pm; Saaho (2D/Hindi) 10:30am & 5:45pm; Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 12:00, 6:00pm & 12:00am; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 2:15 & 8:30pm; Brothers Day (2D/Malayalam) 3:00, 9:00 & 11:30pm;Playmobil The Move (2D/Animation) 3:30pm;Just A Stranger (2D/Tagalog) 9:00pm

LANDMARK

AL KHOR

Love Action Drama (2D/Malayalam) 12:30, 3:00, 3:30, 5:45, 8:30, 9:30, 11:15, 12:30 & 03:00am ; Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 4:00 & 10:00pm; Brothers Day (2D/Malayalam) 1:00pm & 01:00am; Gang Leader (2D/Telugu) 12:30 & 7:00pm; Dreamgirl (2D/Hindi) 6:30pm;Pailwaan (2D/Kannada) 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30pm

ASIAN TOWN

ROXY

FLIK Mirqab Mall

Brothers Day (2D/Malayalam) 1:40, 8:10 & 11:30pmGang Leader (2D/Telugu) 12:30, 3:15, 6:00, 8:45 & 11:40pm; Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 11:00am, 1:00, 5:10, 8:30, 10:30 & 11:40pm; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 6:00 & 11:15pm; Love Action Drama (2D/Malayalam) 11:00am, 12:30, 1:45, 3:15, 4:30, 6:10, 7:15, 8:45, 10:00 & 11:30pm;Playmobil The Move (2D/Animation) 10:30am, 12:30, 2:20 & 4:20pm;Strange But True (2D/Thriller) 8:20 & 10:10pm;The Big Trip (2D/Animation) 12:30, 4:30, 6:30 & 8:30pm;The Goldfinch (2D/Drama) 11:00am 1:00, 2:00, 2:10, 4:00, 4:10, 5:00, 7:00, 8:00, 10:30 & 11:00pm

47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2D/Adventure) 10:20am & 10:30pm; Aladding 4:30 & 8:00pm; Angel Has Fallen (2D/Action) 11:00am, 12:10, 1:20, 2:30, 3:40, 4:50, 6:00, 8:20 & 10:40pmDora And The Lost City Of Gold (2D/Adventure) 10:35am, 12:20, 1:00pm; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 10;40am, 1:50, 5:00, 7:10, 8:10, 10:20 & 11:20pm; Lion King 7:00pm; Love Action Drama 3:55, 6:50 & 9:45pm; Official Secrets 10:10am, 2:10, 4:20, 6:30 & 8:40 Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2D/Comedy) 5:00pm, Playmobil The Move (2D/Animation) 11:00am, 12:35, 1:55pm Section 375 (Hindi) 5:50 & 11:15pm; The Angry Birds Movie 2 10:05am, 12:00noon & 2:35pm; The Goldfinch 11:20am, 3:00 & 8:25; Welad Rizk 2 (2D/Arabic) 10:50pm & 12:20am

The Big Trip (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 4:15pm; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 6:00 & 11:15pm; Love Action Drama (2D/Malayalam) 7:00 & 9:00pm; Dream Girl (2D/Hindi) 11:30pm; Pailwaan (2D/Kannada) 2:30 & 11:00pm; Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 5:30pm; The Goldfinch (2D/Drama) 8:15pm; Sivappu Manjal Pachai (2D/Tamil) 2:15pm; Section 375 (2D/Hindi) 4:45pm; Strange But True (2D/Thriller) 9:30pm;

ROYAL PLAZA

The Big Trip (2D/Animation) 2:15pm; Pailwaan (2D/Kannada) 2:00 & 11:30pm; Love Action Drama (2D/Malayalam) 3:45 & 11:30pm; Section 375 (2D/Hindi) 6:15pm; Ittymaani (2D/Malayalam) 8:45pm; Brother’s Day (2D/Malayalam) 2:30pm; IT: Chapter 2 (2D/Horror) 5:30 & 11:15pm; The Goldfinch (2D/Drama) 8:30pm; The Lion King (2D/Drama) 5:00pm; Official Secretes (2D/Drama) 7:00pm; Dream Girl (2D/Hindi) 9:00pm

MALL

SPORTFifth and final Ashes Test,

Day 2 at the Oval

Bundesliga: Fortuna

Düsseldorf vs Wolfsburg

CRICKET FOOTBALL

17FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019

The love for the sport is obviously still there. But the question is, am I capable of bringing it to a level

where I would like it to be before I play at a high level of one of the best women’s sports in the world.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters says as she announces her plan to come out of retirement after a seven-year hiatus. T

OD

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ION

Serbia win as US suffer 2nd loss in as many daysAFP DONGGUAN

Deposed champions the United States lost 94-89 to Serbia in a dead-rubber at the Basketball World Cup yesterday, a day after surrendering their 13-year unbeaten run.

A young Team USA made up of second-tier NBA stars were defeated 89-79 in the quarter-finals by France on Wednesday, bringing a pre-mature close to their World Cup defence.

More significantly, it was the reigning world and Olympic champions’ first defeat in a major competition since the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.

Yesterday’s “classification” game in Dongguan was the final that never was: the holders against the favourites.

The US were down a scarcely believable 32-7 after the first quarter and headed for a big defeat, before clawing back some of the deficit and a degree of pride.

Harrison Barnes of the Sac-ramento Kings, the only remaining member of the tri-umphant 2016 Rio Olympic roster, said: “There are no regrets from our group in terms of what we’ve given, what we’ve sacrificed.

“The commitment eve-ryone has made away from their families, their teams, their organisations.”

There was no medal up for grabs and the US have already qualified for next summer’s Tokyo Games. But there was added spice after Serbia’s coach said prior to the World Cup that if the Americans met his team, “May god help them”.

Sasha Djordjevic dismissed the comment as motivational irony but said that he could see the US were still shell-shocked from the France defeat in the first quarter.

Gregg Popovich’s team failed to score a point during one

barren five-minute period.A rout was on the cards for

Serbia, whose tournament also came to a surprise quarter-final end, at the hands of Argentina.

The 70-year-old Popovich chewed his lip and brooded.

But the US fought back in the second quarter and reduced the gap to just four points at half-time.

Going into the fourth quarter, Serbia -- led once more by the Sacramento Kings’ Bogdan Bogdanovic -- were only three points ahead.

But the US comeback fell narrowly short and they have another classification match on Saturday to decide who fin-

ishes seventh and eighth.Bogdanovic, who has been

one of the players of the tour-nament in China, led all scoring with 28 points. Barnes had 22 points and said that the Amer-icans would give it their all in their tournament closer, when they will face the loser of the Czech Republic versus Poland.

“On Saturday we have that opportunity to go out once again, play a game, represent our country,” he said.

“For some of us -- poten-tially all of us -- it could be our last time we wear a USA jersey, or the beginning of many. “We will just savour that opportunity.”

Vladimir Lucic of Serbia (right) goes up with the ball as Myles Turner of the US (left) and his team-mate Joe Harris defend during their classification game, yesterday.

REUTERS BEIJING

Australian point guard Patty Mills’ performances at the Basketball World Cup have helped propel his team into a hot favourite for the title after the United States were knocked out by France, according to NBA great Paul Pierce.

The Boomers advanced to their first World Cup semi-final with an 82-70 victory over the Czech Republic with Mills scoring 24 points while adding six assists and four rebounds.

“Australia is certainly playing really well,” Pierce told ESPN.

“Patty Mills is the perfect player for these types of games.

“He’s a three point-shooter and been playing for a number of years,” Pierce said.

“They should be favourite.” The Boomers play Spain, who

beat them in the play-off for the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, in the last four.

Argentina, who beat 2015 runners-up Serbia, will meet France, who ended the United States’ 13-year and 58-game unbeaten run in tournament play, in Dongguan.

The loss by the Americans,

who had won the last two tour-naments, was greeted with some surprise, although not entirely unexpected in the United States.

Many of the top NBA players, like LeBron James, James Harden and Steph Curry, were in a wider squad of players nominated for consideration for the World Cup and next year’s Olympics in Tokyo, but chose to miss the current tournament in China.

The absence of the game’s top players had affected the team, who struggled offensively and were a little too small to match up against other sides’ big men, according to ESPN’S Brian Windhorst.

“To win, America needs more of its best,” Windhorst wrote.

“It had been 13 years since Team USA didn’t win a gold

medal, and the importance and the honour has slipped,” he said.

“America’s top players have to consider their plans for next summer.”

The advent of more interna-tional players in the NBA and the raising of standards in other leagues was also a factor and indicated the US could not be expected to just turn up and win a global tournament, according to The Ringer’s Dan Devine.

“It’s worth remembering that the last three Olympic teams fea-turing those All-Star names still had to sweat against international opponents with lesser NBA-caliber talent, but much more cohesive rosters,”

Devine wrote on the website, which was founded by sports writer Bill Simmons.

Despite the loss likely to leave a “bitter taste in the mouths of American basketball fans”, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Shapiro wrote there was no need to panic ahead of the Olympics.

“Just one All-NBA player (Kemba Walker) joined the 2019 FIBA squad,” Shapiro wrote.

“This version of Team USA will bear no resemblance to the squad that will play in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”

Mills can lead Australia to title win, says Pierce

Australia is certainly playing really well. Patty Mills is the perfect player for these types of games: NBA great Paul Pierce.

Australia’s Patty Mills (centre) passes the ball next to Tomas Satoransky (right) of the Czech Republic during their Basketball World Cup quarter-final game in Shanghai on Wednesday.

Clijsters sets sights on 2020 comebackAFP BRUSSELS

Four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters plans to come out of retirement after a seven-year hiatus, returning to the WTA Tour in 2020, the 36-year-old Belgian said yesterday.

The decision marks Clijsters’ second return to the sport after first retiring in 2007.

“I don’t really feel like I want to prove something,” Clijsters said on the WTA Insider Podcast. “I think for me it’s the challenge.

“The love for the sport is obviously still there. But the question is, am I capable of bringing it to a level where I would like it to be before I play at a high level of one of the best women’s sports in the world.

“I want to challenge myself and I want to be strong again. This is my marathon.”

Two years after winning her first major at the 2005 US Open, an injury-plagued Clijsters decided to quit the game at the age of 23 to start a family, returning two years later to claim her second US Open as an unranked player in only her

third tournament back. Clijsters defended her title at Flushing Meadows the following year and then won the Australia Open in 2011 en route to topping the world rankings for the first time since 2006.

With 41 titles to her name, Clijsters hung up her racket after the 2012 US Open and later worked as a tennis commentator.

Clijsters said she has been considering a return to the tour for the past two years.

“I feel like I’ve had more energy these last six months or so than I’ve had in the last two years because I’m taking care of myself better,” Clijsters added.

“Even if I don’t make it, this whole process has been so worth it for me to get back into a good routine.”

In this file photo taken on March 21, 2012, Kim Clijsters of Belgium returns the ball to Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia during their match at Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Murray prolongs Asian swing with wildcard at Shanghai MastersREUTERS SHANGHAI

Former world number one Andy Murray will return to the Shanghai Masters for the first time since 2016 after the Briton was awarded a wildcard for the tournament, organisers said yesterday.

Murray, a three-times winner in Shanghai, is looking to play himself back into form in singles after undergoing career-saving hip resurfacing surgery earlier this year.

The 32-year-old recorded his first two singles victories since the injury at the Rafa Nadal Open Challenger tour-nament in Mallorca before losing in the third round.

“I’m really looking forward to be

going back to Shanghai, a tour-nament I have had success at in the past - the last time I was there was in 2016,” Murray said in a statement.

Murray became the youngest champion in Shanghai in 2010 at the age of 23, beating Swiss Roger Federer in the shortest final of the tournament.

Murray, who has slipped to 415 in the world rankings, has already confirmed his entry for two other tournaments in China during the ATP Tour’s Asian swing -- in Zhuhai and Beijing.

The Shanghai Masters will be

held at Qizhong Stadium from

October 5 to 13.

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Rain washes out last-16 matches in Zhengzhou

ZHENGZHOU REUTERS

Rain forced the cancellation of all the scheduled last-16 matches at the inaugural Zhengzhou Open yesterday.

Despite the organisers’ best efforts to dry the court for play to resume, all matches were post-poned to today with the quarter-finals also scheduled for later in the day.

Top seed Karolina Pliskova, whose match against Slovenia’s Polona Hercog was suspended late on Wednesday, will kick off today’s matches with the score at 6-3 2-5 in her favour while third seed Kiki Bertens faces Aus-tralia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.

Jelena Ostapenko plays fourth seed Aryna Sabalenka while second seed Elina Svitolina plays Yulia Putintseva. American Alison Riske, who knocked out Angelique Kerber in the first round, takes on home favourite Zheng Saisai.

18 FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019SPORT

Buttler strikes back against Aussies after England’s collapse on first dayAFP LONDON

Jos Buttler saved England’s blushes yesterday, counter-attacking against Australia to lift his side to 271-8 after they collapsed on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test.

World Cup winners England, desperate to level the series at 2-2, have struggled to find con-sistency all series and con-tributed to their own downfall at the Oval, slipping from 170-3 to 226-8.

But Buttler, who did not look comfortable early on, dipped into his white-ball playbook, smashing paceman Josh Hazlewood for successive sixes as Jack Leach dug in at the other end.

Buttler ended the day 64 not out, while Leach was unbeaten on 10 but England

will need to add runs today on what looks like a good pitch for batting.

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh claimed four wickets on his return to the side. Pat Cummins and Hazlewood were again impressive for the tourists.

Australia are seeking their first Ashes series win in England for 18 years.

Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and put the home side in under grey skies. Joe Root then enjoyed astonishing good fortune as England reached 170-3.

The England skipper was dropped three times but failed to make the most of his let offs,

comprehensively bowled for 57 by Cummins shortly after tea.

Root has reached fifty 61 times in Tests but has gone on to reach three figures on just 16 occasions.

By contrast, Australia’s former captain Steve Smith, who has dominated the Ashes with his bat, has reached fifty 52 times and made 26 hundreds -- a far better conversion rate.

Root was dropped on 24 by Peter Siddle on the boundary. Then wicketkeeper Paine failed to cling on to a one-handed chance in front of David Warner at first slip. Both drops were off Cummins.

Shortly after lunch, with the ground now bathed in sunshine,

the England skipper had yet another reprieve when a diving Smith failed to hold on to a sharp chance at second slip off Siddle.

Root drove Hazlewood square of the wicket to bring up 7,000 Test runs in his 158th innings -- only three England players have reached the mark faster. But he eventually ran out of lives.

Jonny Bairstow followed shortly afterwards, lbw to Mitchell Marsh for 22.

Bairstow’s dismissal brought all-rounder Sam Curran to the wicket and he hooked Cummins for six.

Curran had a let-off when he was given out lbw to Cummins

only for a replay to show the Australian had overstepped but he was out shortly afterwards, caught by Smith at second slip off a reckless drive.

Earlier, opener Rory Burns (47) and Ben Stokes (20) were guilty of throwing their wickets away with misjudged shots as England’s top order struggled again.

Australia won at Old Trafford last week to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, meaning they will retain the Ashes urn regardless of the result at the Oval.

But Paine said his side were “very hungry” to complete the job and win their first Test series in England since 2001.

Wahab to take indefinite break from Test cricketREUTERS LAHORE

Pakistan bowler Wahab Riaz has decided to take an indefinite break from red-ball cricket to focus on the limited-overs game.

The left-arm quick, who has played 27 Tests for Pakistan since his red-ball debut against England in August 2010, has taken 83 wickets in the longest version of the game and said he could return to the format in the future.

Wahab’s last Test for Pakistan was against Australia in October 2018.

“After reviewing my past couple of years’ performances in red-ball cricket and the upcoming limited overs cricket, I have decided to take time off from first-class cricket,” the 34-year-old said in a statement yesterday.

“During this period, I will like to focus on 50-over and 20-over cricket, and continue to access my fitness for the longer version of the game. At a stage I feel I cannot only return but also perform with the red-ball, I would make myself available.

“The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) had been trying to con-vince me to pursue my career with red-ball, but today I met them to convey my decision. I am grateful for their understanding and support.”

The PCB had been trying to convince me to pursue my career with red-ball, but today I met them to convey my decision. I am grateful for their understanding and support: Wahab Riaz

India recall Sharma for SA TestsREUTERS NEW DELHI

India axed struggling opener KL

Rahul and handed Rohit Sharma

a chance to revive his stop-start

Test career after selecting the

limited-overs stalwart for next

month’s three-match series

against South Africa.

Rahul has gone 12 Test innings

without a 50-plus score and

struggled in the recent tour of

West Indies where India won both

the matches to top the World Test

Championship table.

Former captain Sourav

Ganguly was among those who felt

Shamra, who smashed a record

five hundreds at the 50-overs

World Cup in England and finished

as the tournament’s top scorer,

should partner Mayank Agarwal

at the top of the order.

“We want to give Rohit

Sharma an opportunity to open

the innings in Tests,” chief selector

MSK Prasad said after naming the

15-member squad.

Prithvi Shaw would have been

Agarwal’s automatic partner but

the 19-year-old is currently serving

a doping ban.

The only player in the world

with three double hundreds in

one-day internationals, Sharma

averages nearly 40 in Tests batting

in the middle order.

The 32-year-old has struggled

to replicate his limited-overs heroics

in the 27 Tests he has played so far

and must reinvent himself as an

opener in the long form as well.

Punjab top order batsman Shubman

Gill got his maiden Test call-up, while

the selectors opted for two wick-

etkeepers in Rishabh Pant and

Wriddhiman Saha.

Spin all-rounder Ravindra

Jadeja, who was preferred ahead

of Ravichandran Ashwin in both

the Tests in West Indies, has been

retained in the squad along with

the off-spinner with left-armer

Kuldeep Yadav as the third slow

bowling option.

Virat Kohli and his team face

South Africa in the first Test at

Visakhapatnam from October 2.

Pune and Ranchi host the other

two matches.

Virat Kohli (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Ro-

hit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya

Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant

(wicketkeeper), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-

keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra

Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami,

Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Shubman

Gill

INDIAN SQUAD

The only player

in the world with

three double

hundreds in one-day

internationals, Rohit

Sharma averages

nearly 40 in Tests

batting in the

middle order.

Most titles: New Zealand - three (1987, 2011, 2015)

Most points by a team in a match: 145, New Zealand 145 Japan

17 (1995)

Biggest winning margin: 142, Australia 142 Namibia 0 (2003)

Most tries in a match: 22, Australia 142 Namibia 0 (2003)

Most individual points in a match: 45, Simon Culhane (New

Zealand 145 Japan 17, 1995)

Most overall points: 277, Jonny Wilkinson (England - 199, 2003,

2007, 2011)

Most points in one tournament: 126, Grant Fox (New Zealand

1987)

Most overall tries: 15, Jonah Lomu (New Zealand 1995, 1999),

Bryan Habana (South Africa 2007, 2011, 2015)

Most tries in a match: 6, Marc Ellis (New Zealand v Japan 1995)

Most tries in one tournament: 8, Bryan Habana (South Africa

2007), Jonah Lomu (New Zealand 1999), Julian Savea (New

Zealand 2015)

Most overall penalties: 58, Jonny Wilkinson (England)

Most penalites in a match: 8, Matt Burke (Australia v South Af-

rica 1999), Gavin Hastings (Scotland v Tonga 1995), Thierry Lac-

roix (France v Ireland 1995), Gonzalo Quesada (Argentina v Sa-

moa 1999)

Most penalties in one tournament: 31, Gonzalo Quesada (Ar-

gentina 1999)

Most overall conversions: 58, Dan Carter (New Zealand)

RUGBY WORLD CUP RECORDS Struggling Pumas hope to cause an upsetREUTERS BUENOS AIRES

Argentina go to the World Cup on the back of nine consec-utive test defeats which have dropped them down to 11th in the world rankings, not the best of omens for a team in the toughest pool that includes England and France.

Yet the Pumas are opti-mistic that their steady progress since joining Sanzaar seven years ago and playing the three southern hemi-sphere giants -- New Zealand, Australia and South Africa -- on a regular basis can help them to cause an upset and secure a place in a fourth suc-cessive quarter-final.

Coach Mario Ledesma has said from the day of the World Cup draw that he will put

everything Argentina have into their opening Pool C match on September 21 against France, a team they have beaten 10 times in their 16 meetings this century.

“Our objective is to pass

the first phase. From there other objectives will appear,” Ledesma told the Argentine daily Clarin.

He made his final squad choices, with some surprises, on the basis of the final

warmup on August 17 in Pre-toria against South Africa, a 24-18 loss with a markedly better performance than the 46-13 defeat in Salta the pre-vious week with which the Springboks sealed the Rugby Championship title.

Argentina had gone into the Rugby Championship on a wave of euphoria after vir-tually the same squad reached the Super Rugby final with the Jaguares, holding the belief they could achieve a first ever win over New Zealand in their first match at home on July 20.

They were close, going down 20-16, and also lost nar-rowly to Australia away, but the thumping loss to South Africa underlined the diffi-culties of carrying Super Rugby form onto the interna-tional stage, added to the

exhaustion of a season that began in February.

Winger Juan Imhoff, who had a brilliant 2015 World Cup but had committed his club future to Racing 92 when the Jaguares were created in 2016, was overlooked altogether.

In fact, Ledesma said it had turned out to be harder than expected to draft those European-based players with World Cup experience into his Rugby Championship side and discarded Isa and Cordero, who had shone in the Pumas team that reached the 2015 semi-finals in England.

Defeat by the French will make the clash with England on October 5 even more important, with the Pumas having suffered four suc-cessive defeats against Eddie Jones’s side.

Argentina head coach Mario Ledesma (left) during a training session in this file photo.

England 1st inningsR. Burns c Marsh b Hazlewood ...................47

J. Denley c Smith b Cummins ...................... 14

J. Root b Cummins ........................................ 57

B. Stokes c Lyon b Marsh .............................20

J. Bairstow lbw b Marsh ...............................22

J. Buttler not out ...........................................64

S. Curran c Smith b Marsh .............................15

C. Woakes lbw b Marsh .................................. 2

J. Archer c Paine b Hazlewood ...................... 9

J. Leach not out ............................................. 10

Extras (nb2, b3, lb6) .................................... 11

Total (8 wkts, 82 overs) ....................... 271To bat: S. Broad

Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Denley), 2-103 (Burns),

3-130 (Stokes), 4-170 (Root), 5-176 (Bairstow),

6-199 (Curran), 7-205 (Woakes), 8-226 (Archer)

Bowling: Cummins 22.5-5-73-2, Hazlewood 21-

7-76-2, Siddle 17-1-61-0 (1nb), Marsh 16.1-4-35-4,

Lyon 4-0-12-0, Labuschagne 1-0-5-0

Australia: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus

Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade,

Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (capt, wkt), Pat Cum-

mins, Peter Siddle, J’ Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon

Toss: Australia

Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA), Kumar Dhar-

masena (SRI)

TV umpire: Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SRI)

Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)

SCOREBOARD

England’s Jos Buttler prepares for a reverse sweep on the opening day of fifth and final Ashes Test, yesterday.

World Cup winners England,

desperate to level the series at 2-2,

have struggled to find consistency

all series and contributed to their

own downfall at the Oval, slipping

from 170-3 to 226-8.

Buttler dips into his white-ball

playbook, smashing paceman Josh

Hazlewood for successive sixes to

lift his side to 271-8.

Australia are seeking their first

Ashes series win in England for 18

years.

AP ROME

Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Aaron Ramsey, Alexis Sanchez, Chris Smalling.

The names read like a team sheet from a recent Manchester United-Arsenal match-up.

Only now, those same players will be meeting in Italy’s Serie A.

Lukaku and Sanchez left United for Inter Milan, Ramsey went from Arsenal to Juventus, while Mkhitaryan and Smalling were each loaned to Roma from Arsenal and United, respectively.

And they weren’t alone in the southern migration: Of the 79 foreigners who joined Serie A in the recently concluded transfer window, 10 came from the Premier League - more than any other league.

“I was not fitting so well in English football, so I think a change was good,” said Mkhitaryan, the deadline-day signing who accepted a reduced salary with Roma.

“I’ve heard from many, many players that the Italian league is great, the football is great,” Mkhitaryan added.

While the likes of Lukaku, Mkhitaryan and Sanchez each fell out of favor with their clubs in England, they are each still in their primes. So this influx is nothing like when David Beckham was loaned twice to AC Milan toward the end of his career, or when Ashley Cole showed up at Roma at the age of 33 with his abilities waning.

Very few English players make the move to Serie A but the ones that do - such as former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who spent 2016-17

on loan with Torino - tend to have harbored an affinity for the more tactical and defense-ori-ented Italian league.

Sanchez, a Chile international, began his European career in Italy with Udinese before moving on to Barcelona, Arsenal and United.

For years, the Premier League has been a destination for top Serie A players and coaches but now coaches are coming back, too.

Maurizio Sarri (at Juventus) and Antonio Conte (Inter) both returned to the Italian league this season after coaching Chelsea, while Carlo Ancelotti, another former Chelsea coach, is in his second season at Napoli.

The other players who recently moved from the England to Serie A were Danilo (Manchester City to Juventus), Bobby Duncan and Rachid Ghezzal (Liverpool and Leicester, respectively, to Fiorentina), Bobby Adekaye (Liverpool to Lazio), and Ken Sema (Watford to Udinese).

While Lukaku has already scored two goals in two matches for Inter, Mkhitaryan and Smalling are expected to make their debuts with Roma against Sassuolo on Sunday. Even before playing a single match for his new club, Smalling alluded to an extended stay.

19FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019 SPORT

Premier League - Round 5 REUTERS LONDON

Facts and statistics on six key matches of round five of the upcoming

Premier League matches.

TOMORROWLIVERPOOL VS NEWCASTLE UNITED

��Liverpool have not lost to Newcastle at Anfield in their last 23

Premier League meetings.��Juergen Klopp’s side are seeking their fifth victory of the season

and a club record-extending 14th straight top flight win.��Liverpool have scored at least twice in their last 13 league games.��Newcastle have won three and drawn one of their last five away

league games.��Steve Bruce’s side have netted three goals this season, with only

basement side Watford managing fewer (2).

MANCHESTER UNITED VS LEICESTER CITY��Leicester have two wins from 26 Premier League meetings with

United (D7 L17).��Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United have lost three of their last five

league home games.��Daniel James can become only the second United player to score

in his first three league games at Old Trafford after Solskjaer in 1996.��Leicester are unbeaten in their last five league games.��Jamie Vardy has more league goals (12) than any other Leciester

player since Brendan Rodgers took charge in March.

Sheffield United vs Southampton��The last two Premier League games between the teams finished

3-3 and 0-0 in the 1993-94 season.��United beat Southampton 1-0 in the League Cup in 2014, their

last competitive meeting.��United have five points from four league games. Only in 1993-94

did have they had a better start with six points.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR VS CRYSTAL PALACE��Only one of Palace’s three wins from 20 Premier League meetings

with Spurs have come away from home.��Tottenham have won their last eight league games against Palace,

with six of them finishing 1-0.��Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side have lost two of their last four

home league games.��Tottenham’s Giovani Lo Celso is out until October with a hip injury,

joining fellow new signings Tanguy Ndombele and Ryan Sessegnon

on the sidelines.��Jordan Ayew has scored in his last two league appearances for

Palace.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea��Wolves are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League home

matches.

NORWICH CITY VS MANCHESTER CITY (1630)��Manchester City are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League

visits to Carrow Road, since losing 2-1 in Feb. 1993.��Sergio Aguero has scored six goals in City’s opening four league

matches.��Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Man City’s David Silva has

assisted 87 league goals, 27 more than anyone else.��With five league goals in four appearances, Norwich’s Teemu

Pukki is among the nominees for August’s Premier League player

of the month award.��Aguero has been involved in eight goals in his five league starts

against Norwich, scoring five times with three assists.

SUNDAYBOURNEMOUTH VS EVERTON (1300)

��Bournemouth are unbeaten in all four of their Premier League

home matches against Everton (W2 D2).��Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth have conceded three times in each

of their last two league games, 3-1 losses to Manchester City and

Leicester City.��Everton boss Marco Silva has suffered defeats against 22 of the

26 teams he has faced in the league but has yet to lose against

Bournemouth.��Everton have failed to win in their last five away league matches.

WATFORD VS ARSENAL��Quique Sanchez Flores replaced fellow Spaniard Javi Gracia as

Watford manager during the international break after the club col-

lected one point in four Premier League matches.��Arsenal have won their last three league meetings with Watford,

keeping a clean sheet on each occasion.��Arsenal have kept nine clean sheets in 42 league matches under

Emery and two of those were against Watford last season.

Messi wanted Neymarto return to BarcelonaREUTERS BARCELONA

Lionel Messi says he wanted Neymar to return to Barcelona this year as the Brazilian would have helped the club take a leap forward, adding that his former team-mate was looking forward to rejoining the La Liga champions.

Barca spent the bulk of the close season negotiating with Paris St Germain to bring Neymar back to the Camp Nou two years after he left for a world record €222m ($245m) but the Cat-alans failed to strike a deal with the Ligue 1 champions.

“The truth is I would have loved him to come back to us,” Barca captain Messi told Spanish news-paper Sport yesterday.

“ I

understand some people were against it and that’s normal con-sidering everything that happened and how he left us, but thinking about it on a sporting level, for me Neymar is one of the best players in the world.

“Obviously he would have increased our chances of getting the results that we all want. The club would have taken a leap forward, in terms of sponsors, our image, our growth, but in the end

it didn’t happen.”Barca president

Josep Maria Bar-tomeu said last week that the club did everything possible

to sign Neymar, who hit 105 goals in four seasons for

the Catalans.Barca’s all-time

top scorer also said he had no plans to

quit the Cat-alans any

t i m e

soon after it was confirmed by the club that his contract contains a clause that allows him to decide at the end of each season whether he wants to leave for free.

“I can say that I want to be at Barcelona for as long as I can and end my career here because this is my home,” he said.

United, Arsenal cast-offs find new homes in Serie A

UEFA fines Swiss LeagueAP NYON, SWITZERLAND

Switzerland’s football league has been fined by UEFA for wrongly letting Sion play in the 2017-18 Europa League.

UEFA says the Swiss Football League must pay €50,000 ($55,000) for the error in granting top-tier club Sion a license to enter European competitions.

Every team qualifying for the Champions League or Europa League needs a license from a national federation or league which monitors club finances and administration, including if wages and transfer fees are paid in full.

Licensing works with UEFA’s financial fair play rules which are overseen by investi-gators and judges on the European soccer body’s club finance panel.

Modric injury adds to Real’s injury crisisREUTERS MADRID

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric is the latest player to fall to the club’s recent injury curse after sustaining a thigh problem, which is set to rule him out of the club’s Champions League opener away to Paris St Germain next week.

The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner did not train with Real on Thursday after returning from international duty with Croatia and the club released a brief statement saying he had injured his right thigh, without stating how long he would be out.

Modric’s injury takes Madrid’s list of injured players up to eight ahead of Saturday’s game at home to Levante, while Gareth Bale is also sus-pended after getting sent off in last week’s 2-2 draw at Villarreal.

Marquee signing Eden Hazard is still yet to make his competitive debut since his €100m ($110m) move from Chelsea due to injury while James Rodriguez, Isco, Brahim Diaz, Rodrygo, Luka Jovic and Marco Asensio are also still unavailable.

United lack maturity for title tilt: Wenger

REUTERS MANCHESTER

Manchester United’s current squad lacks the maturity required to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title, although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s players have potential, former Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger (pictured) said.

United have won the league 20 times but have not lifted the trophy since Alex Ferguson’s final season in 2012-13, and Wenger suggested the club have a long way to go before attempting to reach the heights they did under his great rival.

“When you see United, they are one of the examples where there’s a potential. But they have not found a collective way,” Wenger, who is reportedly set to join FIFA in a tech-nical role, told beIN Sports.

“Maybe these players are not mature enough to carry the team play of a team like United, altogether. That’s the question mark now. You feel there is something coming out but it’s not ready.

“When you watch them play, they are not a candidate to fight for the championship. Will they emulate

what Giggs, Scholes and Beckham did over a number of years? I’m not convinced.”

Former striker Andy Cole said supporters must be patient as United, who were sixth last season, work on plugging the gap to champions Man-chester City and Liverpool.

“I believe we’re still a few years away,” Cole, who won five league titles and the 1999 Champions League, told Sky Sports.

“We’ve got to... keep bringing in better players and try and improve season by season, because the two teams at the top - Liverpool and City - they’re pulling away from eve-ryone. I was in a team at United where we were doing exactly the same thing and in the end, everyone else closed the gap.”

United face Leicester in the league tomorrow.

When you watch them play, they are not a candidate to fight for the championship. Will they emulate what Giggs, Scholes and Beckham did over a number of years? I’m not convinced: Wenger

to the Camp Nou two years after he left for a world record €222m ($245m) but the Cat-alans failed to strike a deal with the Ligue 1 champions.

“The truth is I would have loved him to come back to us,” Barca captain Messitold Spanish news-paper Sport yesterday.

“ I

it didn’t happen.”Barca president

Josep Maria Bar-tomeu said last weekthat the club dideverything possible

to sign Neymar,who hit 105 goals in four seasons for

the Catalans.Barca’s all-time

top scorer also said he had no plans to

quit the Cat-alans any

t i m e

soon after it was confirmed by theclub that his contract contains a clause that allows him to decide atthe end of each season whether he wants to leave for free.

“I can say that I want to be atBarcelona for as long as I can and end my career here because this ismy home,” he said.

Neymar

Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku celebrates

during a Serie A match in this file photo.

JAMAICAN TEAM MEN:

Yohan Blake, Tyquendo Tracey,

Rasheed Dwyer, Julian Forte,

Oshane Bailey, Andre Ewers,

Akeen Bloomfield, Demish Gaye,

Terry Thomas, Javon Francis,

Rusheen McDonald, Devaughn

Baker, Nathon Allen, Demar

Murray, Omar McLeod, Ronald

Levy, Orlando Bennett, Andrew

Riley, Kemar Mowatt, Tajay Gayle,

Jordon Scott, Fedrick Dacres,

Traves Smikle, Chad Wright,

O’Dayne Richards.

WOMENElaine Thompson, Shelly-Ann

Fraser-Pryce, Briana Williams,

Jonielle Smith, Natalliah Whyte,

Natasha Morrison, Schillonie

Calvert-Powell, Shashalee Forbes,

Shericka Jackson, Anastasia

Le-Roy, Stephanie-Ann McPherson,

Roneisha McGregor, Tiffany James,

Shiann Salmon, Janieve Russell,

Natoya Goule, Ashia Praught-

Leer, Danielle Williams, Janeek

Brown, Megan Tapper, Yanique

Thompson, Rushell Clayton,

Rhonda Whute, Tisanna Hickling,

Chanice Porter, Shanieka Ricketts,

Kimberly Williams, Shadae

Lawrence, Shanice Love, Danniel

Thomas-Dodd.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Al Arabi will be looking to grab valuable points when they face Umm Salal in their round-three clash of the QNB Stars League (QSL) at the Al Sadd Stadium today.

Al Arabi are on a high as they occupy the third position in the standings with four points.

The Dream Team followed up their opening-week defeat of Al Ahli with a creditable 1-1 draw against strong contenders Al Duhail.

Umm Salal, who had lost 0-1 to Al Khor in Week 2, have only one point to their credit, which they earned by holding Al Rayyan in their opener.

In today’s match, Al Arabi coach Heimir Hallgrimsson will be happy to welcome some of his star players who were unavailable during the last match due to inter-national commitments.

“Seven of our players, both Qatari and overseas recruits, were away on national duty during the fortnight-long break. We worked with other players and tried to correct our mistakes in the two games so far, coach Hallgrimsson said during a press conference ahead of the match.

“We also tried during the break to watch Umm Salal’s matches in the last two rounds. They’re a good team and I congratulate their coach (Raul) Kaneda for his work with the team.

“We respect Umm Salal very much and know that our confron-tation with them won’t be easy,” he said.

“As for our 1-1 draw with Al Duhail in the last round, we did well against Al Duhail. That result indicated the progress we’ve made and I hope we put up better per-formances,” Hallgrimsson said.

In their previous match, Al Arabi posed a huge threat to former champions and title

contenders Al Duhail as they spoiled Rui Faria’s team’s chances when Icelandic international Aron Gunnarsson scored a brilliant goal to cancel out Youssef Msakni’s opener.

“It’s too early to talk about our title chances. We’re working hard and we know that we still have areas for improvement.

“I’m happy to see Al Arabi fans at matches. I hope it won’t be any different at the Umm Salal game. We count on their continued support.

“We’re still trying to build a team for the future and we’ve a lot more work to do. We’ll fight for every point,” Hallgrimsson said.

Meanwhile, Umm Salal coach Caneda admitted that playing against Al Arabi is no easy task.

“Al Arabi are always tough opponents. We must make great efforts to win against them. We must win this game. Each match is different, but we know how to deal with Al Arabi. Both teams have good players,” Caneda said.

Today, Al Khor meet Al Ahli at Al Janoub Stadium to kick off the

week’s action as QSL action returns after a fortnight-long break due to international commitments.

Both teams are coming off vic-tories in the previous round and

will be facing each other brimming with confidence.

Al Khor beat Umm Salal 1-0 in Week 2 to maintain their unbeaten record, while Al Ahli bounced back from their defeat to Al Arabi with an impressive 3-0 win over Al Sailiya.

Al Khor are fifth in the table with four points and Al Ahli sixth with three points.

In other matches of the third round, Al Shahania meet Al Wakrah (16:55, Al Janoub Stadium) and Qatar SC will face Al Gharafa (19:05, Al Sadd Stadium) tomorrow.

The third round fixture between Al Sailiya and Al Sadd has been postponed to September 24 due to the latter’s AFC Champions League second-leg quarter-final against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr which takes place in Doha on Sep-tember 16.

Although the summer heat is gradually fading away, the air-conditioned Al Janoub Stadium and Al Sadd Stadium will once again host the matches, making it comfortable for players and spec-tators alike.

PAGE | 18 PAGE | 19

Buttler strikes back against Aussies after England’s

collapse

Manchester United lack maturity required for title tilt, says Wenger

20FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019

McLeod, Fraser-Pryce lead strong Jamaican team for Doha WorldsAGENCIES KINGSTON

Sprint stars Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and sprint hurdler Omar McLeod lead the Jamaican team for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, which begins on September 27.

Fraser-Pryce, a two-time Olympic 100m champion, has collected seven world titles in her storied career, including three at 100m and one at 200m, and will be contesting both once again in an attempt to add to her nearly unparalleled resumé.

Meanwhile, Thompson is the reigning Olympic champion in the 100m and 200m and both will arrive in Doha as the co-world leaders in the 100m at 10.73.

McLeod, the reigning world and Olympic champion, cur-rently sits fourth on the 2019 world list at 13.07.

Yohan Blake, 100m world Champion in 2011 and Com-monwealth discus champion

Fedrick Dacres are also included.

Briana Williams, has also been included despite facing a hearing into a positive doping test.

The inclusion of the world under-20 double sprint

champion in Jamaica’s 55-member squad is contingent on the outcome of her disci-plinary hearing, which is set for Sept. 23-25 in Kingston.

“We have entered Briana Williams in the 100m and the 4x100 relay, subject of course

to clearance,” Lincoln Eatmon, the second vice president of the Jamaica Athletics Adminis-trative Association (JAAA), told a news conference in Kingston.

“Jonielle Smith is the reserve for the 100m and is a part of the 4x100 relay pool,” he added.

ROUND 3 FIXTURESToday

Al Khor vs Al Ahli

At Al Janoub Stadium (16:55)

Umm Salal vs Al Arabi

At Al Sadd Stadium (19:05)

TomorrowAl Shahania vs Al Wakrah

At Al Janoub Stadium (16:55)

Qatar SC vs Al Gharafa

At Al Sadd Stadium (19:05)

On SundayAl Duhail vs Al Rayyan

At Al Janoub Stadium (19:05)

On September 24Al Sailiya vs Al Sadd

At Al Janoub Stadium (18:55)

QSL: Al Arabi eye points against Umm Salal as Round 3 begins

QSL and stars promote League Doha at schoolsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

With the third round of the QNB Stars League is set to kick off today, Qatar Stars League (QSL) officials and players visited the Umm Salal Mohammed Model Boys School and Omar bin Al Khatab Preparatory School for Boys as part of a promo-tional programme.

QSL representatives Nasser Mubarak Al Kuwari and Abdulaziz Ahmed Al Malki were part of the programme which also saw Al Duhail players Ali Jassemi and Fahd Ahmed as well as Al Rayyan’s Argentinian Gabriel Mercado and Ahmed Al Saadi.

The visits were aimed at promoting the Week 3 block-buster between Al Duhail and Al Rayyan, which will be played at the Al Janoub Stadium on Sunday. The kick-off is at 19:05.

The visits were held in co-ordination with marketing offi-cials of both clubs.

Students interacted with players during the events, which included sports and football activities, encouraging them to display their talents and make optimum use of their abilities towards building their future and serving the community.

Al Rayyan’s midfielder Ahmed Al Saadi takes a

selfie with schoolchildren during a promotional event.

Omar McLeod

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Al Arabi players take part in a

training session

Al Duhail players play with schoolchildren during the promotional event.