New Delhi 28 June 2018 (Yahoo/AP)
Nikki Haley, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, said Thursday her country is urging Pakistan more strongly not to give safe haven to terrorists.
She said Pakistan has been cooperating with the United States, but Washington cannot accept any government protecting terrorists.
"We are communicating this message to Pakistan more strongly than in the past and we hope to see changes," Haley told members of the Observer Research Foundation, an Indian think tank.
Pakistan's cooperation is seen as key to the success of President Donald Trump's Afghanistan policy.
Pakistan is under pressure from Washington and the Afghan government to stop offering safe haven to militants blamed for attacks in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies. Pakistan also insists its influence over the Taliban has been exaggerated.
India has also blamed a Pakistan-based group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, for attacks on Mumbai in November 2008 that killed 166 people. The U.S. has designated the group a terrorist organization.
Haley said China was an important country and the United States, like India, sought a productive relationship with it.
"But, unlike India, China does not share our commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental freedoms. This makes China's expansion of loans and investments in countries in the region a matter of concern for many of us," she said.
Haley said a failure by China to respect the rights of its people and the rule of law would limit its ability to grow and prosper over the long term, and this would limit the United States' relationship with China.
Earlier in the day, Haley undertook an interfaith journey in New Delhi, visiting a Hindu temple, a Sikh shrine, a mosque and a church in old parts of the capital.
Haley, who was born in South Carolina to Sikh immigrants from the northern Indian state of Punjab, rolled breads at the Sikh shrine, a religious way of paying obeisance to Sikh gurus.
After visiting the Jama Masjid, one of India's largest mosques, she interacted with a child sitting outside.
She is on her first visit to India since becoming the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 2017. She met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday.
Haley visited India in 2014 when she was governor of South Carolina.
Doha 28 June 2018
Qatar Petroleum took part in 27th World Gas Conference (WGC 2018)Among Qatari delegation included held in Washington D.C. between June 25-29. Headed by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum (QP), Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa AlThani, CEO, Qatargas and a number of top officials from both the companies participated from Qatar.
Al-Kaabi had earlier participated in a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing the global gas industry, during which he stressed that Qatar Petroleum was moving forward with its plans to increase Qatar’s LNG output from 77 million to 100 million tons per year.
Qatar Petroleum also participated along with Qatargas in the exhibition organized on the sidelines of the World Gas Conference. Qatar Petroleum’s pavilion showcased developments, activities, and projects, as well as recent advances in Qatar’s gas industry. It also featured the comprehensive activities of Qatargas, which was one of the event’s “Global Sponsors”.
The importance of Qatar’s participation in this international event stems from the fact that it is the world's largest LNG producer, and that it has the third largest gas reserves in the world. It is also the global capital of gas-to-liquids (GTL) products and home to the world’s largest single non-associated gas field.
Held with the theme “Fuelling the Future,” WGC 2018 brought together the influential leaders, major players, policymakers and thousands of industry professionals for an in-depth discussion of the latest developments as well as the future prospects of the global gas industry.
The event is held every three years with the mission “to advocate gas as an integral part of a sustainable global energy system and to promote the political, technical and economic progress of the gas industry.”
Doha 25 June 2018
It proved to be an unforgettable experience for eight 2022 FIFA World Cup construction workers, as they were given the chance to attend the World Cup in Russia as ambassadors of the Generation Amazing programme.
The workers – from India, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – were selected based on their outstanding contributions to the programme, as well as their journey from participants to coaches over two years with Generation Amazing in Qatar. They have now become an inspiration to others after their five-day trip to Russia.
Generation Amazing is the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s (SC) flagship corporate social responsibility programme. Established during Qatar’s bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, it has been changing lives through the power of football since 2010, and forms a key part of the SC’s legacy commitment.
“We have enjoyed this experience a lot,” he said. “We have made new friends from different countries and it was amazing to attend our first World Cup match. We are blessed to have had this opportunity and I would like to thank Generation Amazing for this unique chance.”
Together with his colleagues, Singh flew the flag for Generation Amazing at the opening ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
He continued: “Qatar has given us this opportunity, and we know that Generation Amazing is a platform to change the lives of thousands of people. We are bringing about social change by organising workshops and activities in our communities in Doha, and using football to help develop people's life skills.”
Doha 26 June 2018
The World Council of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has appointed Sheikh Thani bin Ali Al-Thani to the International Court of Arbitration of the ICC, one of the world's most experienced and renowned international arbitration institutions. The appointment is effective as of 1 July 2018 for the following 3 years (2018-2021).
"I am delighted and honored to serve in this role, to make an effective contribution to the quality and efficiency of services provided by the ICC Court and I look forward to working with the other members of the Court from around the globe," said Sheikh Thani bin Ali Al-Thani.
He added, "This appointment comes at a very favorable timing as Qatar has modernized recently its law on arbitration in 2017 and has encouraged the use of alternative means to resolve commercial disputes and raising trust and confidence in investment".
Founded in 1923, the International Court of Arbitration is the worlds leading arbitral institution. It administers arbitrations in accordance with the ICC Rules of Arbitration, and helps resolve difficulties in international commercial and business disputes to support trade and investment.
The ICC Court is located in Paris and has a membership that currently totals 176 individuals from 104 countries.
Doha 27 June 2018
Civil Defense Department of Ministry of Interior of State of Qatar has issued following Safety Advise
Safety Tips from Civil Defense
Safety at Home:
- When you leave your house or office, please ensure that you have switched off the cooking gas cylinder, electrical appliances and the windows and doors are securely locked.
- Keep some sources of ventilation open to protect the walls from cracking, especially during summer season.
- Do regular maintenance for main equipment and devices at home, especially in the kitchen, such as gas cylinders, electrical wires, air conditioners and other devices for avoiding fire breakout.
- Secure the storage of household items at its place in your house in order to prevent their fall down on you or the children in the house.
Fire Safety:
- 1. Misuse of a gas cylinder may endanger your life and the lives of the dearest people to you. Hence, keep it in a safe and shaded place, away from the sun and gas burners, and from the reach of the children. Without your observation and surveillance, please do not allow the children to approach the sources of danger inside or outside the house like lighters, insecticides and toxic detergents.
- When gas leak happens, immediately open all doors and windows to ventilate and reduce the concentration of leaked gas. To locate the point of leakage, never use a burning matchstick near a gas cylinder, instead, please put soap foam on the cylinder, which will produce bubbles if there is a leakage. And also avoid switching on the electric switches for lights and exhaust fan for the purpose of ventilation as they may serve as points of ignition to the highly inflammable gas.
- When a fire breaks out in the oil pan, avoid pouring water into the pan, because it ignites the fire. Cover the burning pan by placing the nearest thick lid on the pan or cover it with fire blanket.
- When a fire breaks out in the trash-bin, cover the burning trash-bin immediately with a damp cloth so as to prevent oxygen from igniting the fire.
- In the kitchen, please avoid wearing of flowing dress or nylon mixed wear as it may cause to ignite the fire.
- Keep the exhaust fan clean always.
- Ensure the availability of a working fire extinguisher and a fire blanket in the kitchen for using in case of a minor fire breakout.
- Avoid the storing of inflammable materials inside the kitchen in order to refrain from its quick reaction with fire.
Safety of Commercial Establishments:
- Ensure the availability of necessary safety equipment and devices in commercial and industrial establishments and be keen to conduct fire evacuation drills in the establishments at a regular basis.
- Make sure that there are no obstructions in the corridors and emergency exits impeding the passage of workers and endangering their lives when a fire breaks out.
- Please comply with proper storage rules and maintenance of equipment, devices and operating units regularly. Also, keep on removal of trashes frequently and do the periodical maintenance for the establishment on time.
- Arrange necessary natural or mechanical ventilation for the emergency exits.
Vehicle safety:
- Ensure the safety of your vehicle before the ride and refrain from the factors that may lead to the fire breakout, especially during the summer season. In addition to this, please keep a valid fire extinguisher in the vehicle at the reach of your hand.
- Do not overload the vehicle more than its capacity. Stop frequently if you drive the vehicle for long distance.
- Be cautious of decreasing the coolant in the radiator and your alertness on maintaining the coolant at a good level in the vehicle will minimize the possibility of fire breakout in the vehicle. Along with this, please do the necessary repair for the vehicle by an expert mechanic.
- Please switch off the engine of your vehicle and refrain from smoking and using mobile phone while fueling the vehicle.
General Safety Tips:
- Always keep with you your address including building no., street no. and zone no., as this will help the emergency service to reach you quickly when needed.
- When a fire breaks out, keep away from the source of heat and fire and evacuate the place immediately and call the emergency number "999".
- Keep always fire extinguisher, fire blanket and first aid kit, etc. at your reach and educate everyone who works or lives with you its proper usage. In addition to this, please connect with early warning and automatic fire extinguisher systems of the buildings, such as smoke, fire and gas detectors.
- Do not overload the electricity by using multiple devices on a single electrical transformer and avoid the use of bad electrical tools, whether in electrical connections or transformers.
Doha 27 June 2018
Qatar Petroleum President & CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said Qatar Petroleum has lived up to its international reputation as a reliable and trustworthy energy producer at all times and under all circumstances.
Speaking at the 27th World Gas Conference held yesterday in the American Capital Washington D.C., Al-Kaabi said Qatar Petroleum is moving forward with its plans to increase Qatar’s LNG output by 30% - from 77 million to 100 million tons per year. He said “this will be a major milestone towards securing future LNG supplies to meet rising global demand.”
Al-Kaabi said the contracts for the production expansion project would be awarded by the end of next year, while the 100 mtpa production target would be met by the end of 2023.
Al-Kaabi made the remarks during a high profile session entitled “The Biggest Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Global Gas Industry”, and with the participation of Bob Dudley, BP Group Chief Executive, Patrick Pouyanné, Total Chairman & CEO, Ryan Lance, ConocoPhillips CEO, and Jens Økland, Statoil’s Executive VP for Marketing, Midstream and Processing.
In addressing the challenges facing the LNG industry, Qatar Petroleum’s President & CEO said “Human beings need energy. Gas should be seen as a destination fuel not just as a transition fuel.”
Al-Kaabi stressed the need for serious action by some consuming countries for the establishment of receiving LNG terminals. He also highlighted the importance of additional effort to tackle infrastructure issues within consuming countries to enhance easier access to this environmentally friendly fuel.
“LNG is a capital intensive industry that requires the ability to make investment decisions,” Al-Kaabi said in his keynote address. “It requires long-term financial commitment by consumer countries to secure long-term offtake agreements and supplies,” he added.
Al-Kaabi also tackled the opportunities that lie ahead in the LNG industry by placing emphasis on the rising demand for LNG as the cleanest of hydrocarbon fuels. He said there is room for growth in which everyone can have a place.
Qatar Petroleum’s President & CEO later responded to questions from the session’s moderator Ms. Maria van der Hoeven, the Former Minister of Economic Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, on a number of issues related to the global gas industry.
He highlighted Qatar Petroleum’s commitment to meet future global demand for clean energy as a reliable and trustworthy energy producer.
Doha 27 June 2018
The past two decades have seen numerous achievements for Qatar in the field of sports on international level. The country has produced some of the world’s finest athletes and successfully hosted many global sports events.
In July 2018, the world will witness another historic moment for the Gulf nation, when seven Qataris, aged between 34-52, will aim for one of the hardest challenges any athlete can take.
Brought together by their love for adventure and extreme sports, they will make an attempt to swim across the English Channel from the coast of England to the coast of France, on relay basis.
A tough test known as the Everest of Openwater swimming, but the members of “Team Qatar Channel Swim” are not new to overcoming what seem to be impossible missions. Each one of them has achieved huge success in the field of extreme and endurance sports, and now it is time for a new challenge.
Their success in becoming the first Qataris to swim across “The English Channel’ or ‘La Manche’ as the French say, will inspire their nation, and it will not only promote sports and healthy lifestyle in the country. It will also give an important message, age or career success are not an obstacle if you want to take on sports.
“Team Qatar Channel Swim” members are all successful in their professional careers in medical, business, oil and gas, and legal fields.
The Challenge
A team of seven inspirational athletes will be aiming to make history by becoming the first ever Qataris to swim across the English Channel, one of the toughest physical challenges in the world.
Date
Between the 20th and 27th of July 2018.
Location and Route
The attempt will start at or near Shakespeare's Cliff or Samphire Hoe (between Folkestone and Dover), and the aim is to finish at or near Cap Gris Nez (between Boulogne and Calais).
Distance & Duration
The team is expected to take around 18-20 hours to cover a distance of more than 34 Kms on relay basis.
The Team
Dr. Mohammed Al Kuwari
Dr. Faleh Mohamed Ali
Dr. Jamal Rashid Al Khanji
Dr. Khalid Al Jalham
Prof. Nasser Al Mohannadi
Fahad Al Buenain
Talal Al Emadi
Channel Swimming ... History, Facts & Figures
- The English Channel, known as “La Manche” in French, is a body of water between England and France linking the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Its length is around 560 km and it is considered to be the world’s busiest waterway.
- British captain Matthew Webb made the first observed and unassisted swim across the channel from England to France in August 1875.
- Over the past 143 years, only 1484 individual swimmers and 757 relay teams succeeded in crossing the hazardous waterway.
- Founded in 1927, The Channel Swimming Association (CSA) is the organization responsible for observing and authenticating Cross-Channel Swims.
- With over 600 tankers and 200 ferries passing through the channel every day, the swimmers must depend on experienced and CSA certified pilots to escort them during the attempt using vessels also registered with the Association.
- The Team will be escorted on the Channel by the vessel Rowena captained by Pete Reed.
- Water temperature in the English Channel during the swim season, between July and September, ranges from 14 to 18 degrees Celsius.
- Other hazards facing the swimmers include strong tides, cold wind, waves, oil slicks, jelly fish, fog and possible rain or lightning. In short, the channel swim is the Everest of open water swimming.
26 June 2018 (Queen's Young Leaders Web Site)
Haroon Yasin, Hassan Mujtaba Zaidi and Mahnoor Syed from Pakistan are among recipients of 2018 Queen’s Young Leaders Award selected from 53 countries of the Commonwealth who are rewarded and supported for their achievements, as part of The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme.
A unique new initiative which recognises that young people have the ability to make a huge impact on their communities, the Programme aims to create new and exciting opportunities for young people, enabling them to reach their full potential, step up as leaders and go on to improve the lives of many others in the Commonwealth.
The life changing Programme has been established by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust (the Trust) and run in partnership with Comic Relief and the Royal Commonwealth Society in honour of The Queen’s 60-year
contribution to the Commonwealth.
The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognises and celebrates exceptional people aged 18-29 from across the Commonwealth, who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives. Winners of this prestigious Award will receive a unique package of training, mentoring and networking, including a one-week residential programme in the UK. With this support, Award winners will be expected to continue and develop the amazing work they are already doing in their communities.
Haroon is dedicated to giving children from underprivileged backgrounds the chance of a good education. He is the founder of Orenda, which teaches children in Pakistan the national curriculum through an engaging digital education model. Its mission is to build a dynamic education model to help young children develop. Originally set up as a safe place for children living in slums, Orenda has since expanded to various regions across the country.
Haroon and his team are now teaching around 1,300 children primarily in rural areas of Pakistan, through a specially developed cartoon series, Taleemabad, which is available on mobile phones and cheap computers. Haroon is also encouraging communities and local governments to make improvements to children’s education in their areas. In recognition of the impact of Orenda’s work so far, one local government has invited the organisation to replicate and scale-up its educational model across its district.
Hassan uses art to help educate marginalised young people in Pakistan. He is the founder of Discovering New Artists (DNA), which provides free art education, and primary and secondary education, to students unable to afford school fees. DNA raises money to fund school projects through its initiative, Art for Change, a national child art competition which aims to forge links between young people in privileged and underprivileged communities. Students who can afford to, pay a registration fee to participate in the competition.
Their fees are then used to enable a child from a marginalised background to enter for free. Further proceeds from the competition are used to fund other educational projects run by DNA. To date, 11,500 students have participated in the competition and over 5,000 students have benefitted from donations of art materials. Through DNA, Hassan also supports the construction of libraries in under-resourced schools, and funds various college and university student internship and volunteer.
Mahnoor supports underprivileged people in her community. Her start-up Spread the Word began by partnering with seven schools to provide extra-curricular workshops to students on issues such as bullying, child abuse, mental and physical health. It now has 300 volunteers from all over Pakistan.
Mahnoor has also collected money and books to secure the creation of two libraries in Lahore, and has raised funds to sponsor the education of 24 children from disadvantaged backgrounds who attend one of her partner schools. In addition, she has partnered with an organisation called Khwajasira Support to fundraise for the vocational training of 50 transgender people. At the same time, she has worked with the Barkat Foundation to arrange health camps run by doctors in 15 deprived areas.
In 2014 a search was launched to find exceptional young people to receive the first ever Queen’s Young Leaders Awards. Hundreds of applications flooded in from incredible young people all dedicated to making lasting change in their community and beyond. The Programme is now in its fourth and final year and has formed a unique community of 240 influential change-makers, who represent 53 Commonwealth countries.
Speaking on behalf of the partnership, Sir John Major, Chairman of the Trust said: “We wish to identify and nurture the talent of the younger generation across the Commonwealth. We’re inspired by the belief that one talented individual can be a positive force for good within their communities.
“This programme will celebrate the achievements of these extraordinary individuals and help develop their skills, thus creating a lasting legacy – benefiting the whole of the Commonwealth – to honour the long and successful reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II.”
26 June 2018 (CNN)
The Thomson Reuters Foundation released its results Tuesday of a survey of 550 experts on women's issues. finding India to be the most dangerous nation for sexual violence against women, as well as human trafficking for domestic work, forced labor, forced marriage and sexual slavery, among other reasons.
It was also the most dangerous country in the world for cultural traditions that impact women, the survey found, citing acid attacks, female genital mutilation, child marriage and physical abuse. India was the fourth most dangerous country for women in the same survey seven years ago.
Nine of the 10 countries on the list were from Asia, the Middle East or Africa. At number 10 was the United States, the only Western country to be included. The foundation said this was directly related to the #MeToo movement.
The release of the report comes amid mounting public outrage in India, where a series of high-profile rape cases, including two unrelated attacks on girls aged 16 and eight, have forced the issue of sexual violence back onto the national agenda.
In April, thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand better protection for women, in some of the largest mass demonstrations held in the country since the rape and murder of a female college student in Delhi in 2012.
India has long grappled with the issue of sexual violence. In the months following the 2012 case, the central government moved to pass legislation increasing penalties for sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse, including extending prison sentences and introducing the death penalty.
But despite the introduction of stricter laws, around 100 sexual assaults are reported to police in the country every day, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, with nearly 39,000 alleged attacks reported in 2016, an increase of 12% from the previous year.
Washington, USA 26 June 2018 (Yahoo News/AP)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld President Donald Trump's ban on travel from several mostly Muslim countries, rejecting a challenge that it discriminated against Muslims or exceeded his authority.
The 5-4 decision Tuesday is the court's first substantive ruling on a Trump administration policy.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by his four conservative colleagues.
Roberts wrote that presidents have substantial power to regulate immigration. He also rejected the challengers' claim of anti-Muslim bias.
But he was careful not to endorse either Trump's provocative statements about immigration in general and Muslims in particular.
"We express no view on the soundness of the policy," Roberts wrote.
The travel ban has been fully in place since the court declined to block it in December. The justices allowed the policy to take full effect even as the court fight continued and lower courts had ruled it out of bounds.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissent that based on the evidence in the case "a reasonable observer would conclude that the Proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus." She said her colleagues arrived at the opposite result by "ignoring the facts, misconstruing our legal precedent, and turning a blind eye to the pain and suffering the Proclamation inflicts upon countless families and individuals, many of whom are United States citizens."
Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan also dissented.
The policy applies to travelers from five countries with overwhelmingly Muslim populations — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. It also affects two non-Muslim countries: blocking travelers from North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. A sixth majority Muslim country, Chad, was removed from the list in April after improving "its identity-management and information sharing practices," Trump said in a proclamation.
The administration had pointed to the Chad decision to show that the restrictions are premised only on national security concerns.
The challengers, though, argued that the court could just ignore all that has happened, beginning with Trump's campaign tweets to prevent the entry of Muslims into the United States. Just a week after he took office in January 2017, Trump announced his first travel ban aimed at seven countries.
That triggered chaos and protests across the U.S. as travelers were stopped from boarding international flights and detained at airports for hours. Trump tweaked the order after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco refused to reinstate the ban.
The next version, unveiled in March 2017, dropped Iraq from the list of covered countries and made it clear the 90-day ban covering Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen didn't apply to those travelers who already had visas. It also eliminated language that would give priority to religious minorities. Critics said the changes didn't erase the ban's legal problems.
The current version dates from September and it followed what the administration has called a thorough review by several federal agencies, although it has not shared the review with courts or the public.
Federal trial judges in Hawaii and Maryland had blocked the travel ban from taking effect, finding that the new version looked too much like its predecessors. Those rulings that were largely upheld by federal appeals courts in Richmond, Virginia, and San Francisco.
Roberts wrote that presidents have frequently used their power to talk to the nation "to espouse the principles of religious freedom and tolerance on which this Nation was founded."
But he added that presidents and the country have not always lived up "to those inspiring words."