Gujranwala (Pakistan), 16 Oct. 2020 (Tribune Express)

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) began its countrywide protest campaign against the incumbent government by holding a maiden power show in Gujranwala on Friday, which the opposition termed a “decisive referendum against the incompetent” rulers.

The PDM, comprising around a dozen opposition parties on a joint platform to get rid of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was formed last month and had planned six big rallies across the country until December to force the government to call fresh elections.

Top leaders of all major parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PDM president and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman, were present at the gathering held at Jinnah Stadium.

Fazl was the last to reach the venue. Prior to him, Maryam reached the stadium followed by Bilawal. Deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif also joined the rally via a video link from London, as the leaders continued their speeches.

Thousands of policemen were deployed at the venue for security reasons. The venue was decorated with flags and banners of all opposition parties, where tens of thousands of the opposition supporters were shouting “Go Imran go. Your time is up!”

Landi Kotal (Pakistan), 16 Oct. 2020 (Express Tribune)

Two container truck carrying Nato supplies to Afghanistan were set on fire by unidentified miscreants on Bara Road near Jalandher village in Khyber district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.

A security official told The Express Tribune that the attackers fired gunshots at the trucks, forcing the drivers to abandon the vehicles and escape.

Later, they set the trucks on fire. The drivers remained unhurt. One of the drivers requesting anonymity said the trucks were transporting four armored vehicles for Nato forces.

Police officials said security forces had launched a search operation in the area.

Doha, 16 Oct. 2020 (Qatar Tribune)

Ashraf Siddiqui

The Afghan negotiating teams are close to finalising a roadmap and the rule of procedures for discussion, a top Afghan Taliban official has said.

“It is a matter of merely two clauses. We hopefully will remove hurdles in reaching a final agenda of bilateral discussions,” Dr Mohammad Naeem, Spokesperson for Afghan Taliban, told Qatar Tribune in an exclusive interview.

“It is important and beneficial for all of us to reach an agreement at the earliest for the peace and security in Afghanistan and its development,” he added.

Talking on developments since the signing of US-Taliban agreement in Doha in February this year, he said: “There are some positive developments towards achieving peace and security in Afghanistan since the signing of the agreement eight months ago.”

“To us, the US-Taliban agreement is of historical importance. The first achievement was that US-NATO forces have vacated some of their bases in Afghanistan. Second achievement was the release of our 5,000 prisoners, the third was the start of the internationally supported intra-Afghan discussions in Doha and the fourth one was reduction in attacks in general from our side,” he noted.

About the ongoing intra-Afghan discussions, he said, “Regular meetings are in progress, negotiating parties have agreed on most of the points of the roadmap. There are just one or two clauses left in finalising the rules of procedure and hopefully we will soon reach a decision.”

Replying to a question on the chances of reaching a final agreement on intra-Afghan discussions by the time the US withdraws some of its forces by April 2021, he said, “As far as they are concerned, their objective is to reach a final agreement with the other party as soon as possible.”

When asked about the talks taking a longer time in reaching a final agreement, Dr Naeem said it is just the beginning phase of the intra-Afghan discussions.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during his recent lecture at Doha Institute had stressed on an immediate complete ceasefire from all sides in Afghanistan.

Responding to Ghani’s remark, the Taliban spokesperson said, “The ceasefire is one of the points of agenda of intra-Afghan discussions. Once formal talks take place, it will be discussed.”

When asked to comment on Ghani’s remarks that the Afghan constitution is regarded as the world’s best Islamic constitution, he said, “We consider constitution is very important for any country and this is also one of the points of agenda in intra-Afghan dialogue.”

On the roles of women in Afghanistan, he said women constitute an important segment of Afghan society and their role has always been very admirable in the Afghan history.

“We take pride in the roles played by women, especially during foreign aggressions,” he added.

He recited a Pashtu verse from poetry of Afghan legend poetess Mala Lai ‘if you return home without sacrificing your life from battlefield, my dear you will spend your remaining life in disgrace’. He said Mala Lai’s poetry inspired the Afghan fighters and they defeated the British army in 1888. “Women, being an important segment of Afghan society, have to play their role to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the country,” he said.

Washington (USA), 14 Oct. 2020 (The Wall Street Journal)

Barron Trump, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump’s 14-year-old son, tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this month and has since recovered, the first lady said Wednesday.

In a rare personal essay posted on the White House website Wednesday titled “My personal experience with Covid-19,” Mrs. Trump said she immediately had her son tested when she and the president tested positive for Covid-19 on Oct. 1.

Kabul, 12 Oct. 2020 (AlJazeera News)

The United States military in Afghanistan has said its forces launched air raids against the Taliban in order to support Afghan government forces amid heavy fighting in the southern Helmand province.

Fierce battles broke out in recent days after the Taliban attacked several security outposts on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah. Some 1,500 families are reported to have fled the continuing fighting.

The US “conducted several targeted strikes in Helmand” across the past two days to defend allied Afghan troops as they came under attack by the group’s fighters, military spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett said on Twitter on Monday.

“The Taliban need to immediately stop their offensive actions in Helmand Province and reduce their violence around the country. It is not consistent with the US-Taliban agreement and undermines the ongoing Afghan Peace Talks,” Leggett’s tweet said, quoting General Scott Miller, the commander of the US forces in Afghanistan.

The aerial attacks marked a rare military intervention by the US since it signed in February an agreement with the Taliban aimed at ending Washington’s longest war.

The document signed in Qatar’s capital, Doha, provides for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees from the armed group, and a pledge to sit down with the Kabul administration to find a peaceful settlement to decades of war.

10 Oct. 2020 (Anadolu News)

198,867 Voters of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will cast their vote today on Sunday, 11th of October 2020 in 10th Presidential General Elections. The presidential election in the TRNC is held every five years.

The age of candidacy for Deputy ship is 25 years old, and 35 for President ship. 11 Candidates are contesting, seven of them are independent.

People will also vote foe a constitutional amendment that envisages increase in the number of Supreme Court Judges.

Voters will cast their ballots by wearing face mask and gloves as part of Covid-19 measures. If none of the candidates gain absolute majority, polls are rerun seven days later between the two candidates who receive highest number of Votes. 738 Ballot boxes are arranged for casting of the vote.

09 Oct 2020 (Daily Sabah)

The tourism minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said that the government will promote “dark tourism” in Varosha (Maraş), which is now open for public access after being closed for 46 years.

Speaking to Demirören News Agency (DHA), Kutlu Evren said that Varosha was one of the prominent touristic spots on the island before its closure for settlement subsequent to a United Nations decision in 1974. He added that they are considering various tourism alternatives for the city, including dark tourism, which denotes traveling to places generally associated with negative events, such as death and misery.

“This is a historical place. We will implement dark tourism here. I think there will be significant numbers of people that want to see a place closed for 46 years,” Evren said.

He added that many business people from the tourism sector in Turkey and worldwide called him after the decision to reopen the town.

Varosha was a famous resort region in Cyprus that boasted a capacity of 10,000 beds across more than 100 hotels; however, it has been closed since 1974.

It is located just north of the "Green Line," which is the present-day border between the Turkish and Greek communities.

About $10 billion (TL 79 billion) is required for Varosha’s recovery as a tourism center, according to experts. Before 1974, there were 45 hotels and 60 apartment hotels. Some 58% of Cyprus’ tourism was in the city. There were also 3,000 enterprises, 99 entertainment centers, 143 executive offices, 21 banks, 24 theaters and cinemas, and a library in Varosha.

 

Doha, 10 Oct. 2020

Tasweer, Doha based new photography Society announced two photographic annual awards Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Project Award and Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Single Image Awards. Objectives behind these new annual awards in photography are to recognize and support photographers from Western Asia and North Africa.

The Tasweer photography festival is supported by Qatar Museums, and its Chairperson Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani.

The awards are named in honor of the late collector Sheikh Saoud Al Thani, who served as Chairman of Qatar’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage from 1997 - 2005, and created the Al-Thani Award for Photography in 2000.

Sheikh Saoud Al Thani’s remarkable achievements are the subject of the exhibition A Falcon’s Eye: Tribute to Sheikh Saoud Al Thani, currently on view at the Museum of Islamic Art.

The Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Project Award is a grant award of 30,000 QAR per awardee to support the initiation, further development or completion of a photographic project in 2021. The project award is an annual, open call award for photographers in Western Asia and North Africa. Project Award submissions will close the 24^th of November 2020.

 The jurors of the Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Project Award in 2021, are Charlotte Cotton, Khalifa Ahmad Al Obaidly, Maryam Hassan Al-Thani, Sheikha Sara Saoud Al Thani, Sheikha Shaikha Al-Thani, and Suraya Shaheen.

Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Single Image Award is an annual award open to photographers of all ages and degrees of experience, who are resident in Western Asia and North Africa. The open call closes 8^th November 2020.

The 2021 Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Single Image Award guest jurors - the photography collective Photo Art Qatar – will select the winning single images and curate a group online exhibition; nighttime, outdoor projection and screen-based experiences.

Working with the Tasweer team, Photo Art Qatar will curate a free magazine dedicated to Tasweer 2021 and the Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Awards.

 Tasweer is supported by Qatar Museums under the leadership of its chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Realizing Qatar’s capacity to be a pre-eminent host for internationally resonant, innovative ideas in photography, Tasweer will build upon Qatar Museums’ commitment to nurture artistic talent, develop future generations of arts and heritage professionals, and encourage the nation’s burgeoning arts economy. 

Full information about the Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Awards and the open call submission processes, visit Tasweer.Qa.

 

Doha, 08 Oct. 2020 (Qatar Tribune)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

The people of Afghanistan hope for a comprehensive ceasefire after the Intra-Afghan dialogues aimed at ending the 20-year conflict in the country, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said.
President Ashraf Ghani was speaking on Tuesday at a lecture on the ‘Prospects for Peace in Afghanistan’, moderated by Prof Sultan Barakat, director of the Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS) at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
He said the negotiations are proceeding well and called for patience to understand each other.
He said he did not want to comment on the ongoing intra-Afghan discussions in Doha because it is important to allow the team function.
“The negotiating team has full authority and mandate of the people of Afghanistan,” he said.
The Afghan conflict, he noted, is “neither a civil war nor a separatist war as there is no faction fighting for separation”. “The groups are fighting to control the centre. Since we all want to live in Afghanistan, there is a great potential for peace,” he said.
In reference to the female members of the Afghan Negotiating Team present at the lecture, President Ghani lauded the role of Afghan women in the history of the country, including those who fought against the British rule and defended their homeland.
He said Afghan women do not need someone to speak for them as they are courageous to represent themselves, adding that 99 percent of Afghan population is Muslim equipped with long history of Islamic civilisation that is a binding force in the country.
Present on the occasion were students, members of the faculty, a number of diplomats, and members of the Afghan Negotiating Team.
Afghan President, who himself is a former educationist, said: “Peace in Afghanistan cannot be the peace of one group. It must be the peace of the people because the people are sovereign.”
He said he was optimistic about achieving peace in Afghanistan, and called for courage and commitment to achieve peace.
“We have to live together. Therefore, there should be courage to declare nationwide ceasefire,” Ghani said, giving example of Loya Jirga called by the government to release 400 Taliban prisoners as a show of courage to achieve peace.

Doha (Aljazeera/Bloomberg/QNA)

Qatar is renewing efforts to make real estate more attractive to expatriate residents, foreign investors and real estate funds.

A new law will add to the limited number of locations where non-Qataris can buy real estate outright, according to a statement released recently. The country will also implement a two-tiered residency program that rewards large investors with government-provided services.

Qatar has been grappling with excess supply following a construction boom tied to the 2022 soccer World Cup, and property prices have slumped 26% since the start of 2016. Consulting firm ValuStrat estimates an oversupply of residential property reached 80,000 units at the end of the first half, with 7,250 more units expected to hit the market in 2020.

The country’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari said the new rules will benefit both domestic and international investors, and further boost the diversification of the economy.

Buyers of a property worth 3.65 million riyals ($1 million) or more will be eligible for permanent residency, with benefits including health care and education – boons typically granted only to citizens and a tiny contingent of foreigners who’ve lived in Qatar for decades.

A lower class of residency status is open to buyers of real estate worth 730,000 riyals, who can obtain renewable residency permits for themselves and their families without employer sponsorship.

The developments follow labor reforms that make it easier for foreign workers to change jobs. Al Kuwari had said those reforms seek to foster a less transient workforce of skilled professionals.

Non-Qatari individuals could own properties in nine areas while the number of areas where foreigners may use real estate has been increased to 16, a government statement said. The statement added that Qataris and non-Qatari citizens, residents and non-residents can now have the right to ownership of residential units or commercial units inside residential complexes and malls.

The nine areas covered by freehold ownership are the West Bay area (Legtaifiya), The Pearl Qatar, Al Khor Resort, Dafna (Admin District No. 60), Dafna (Admin District No. 61), Onaiza (Administrative District), Lusail, Al Kharaij, and Jabal Thuaileb.

The 16 areas where non-Qataris can use/ lease the real estate sector for a period of 99 years are: Mushaireb, Fareej Abdul Aziz, Doha Jadeeda, Al-Ghanim Al-Ateeq, Al-Riffa and Al-Hitmi Al-Ateeq, Aslata, Fereej Bin Mahmoud 22, Fereej Bin Mahmoud 23, Rawdat Al Khail, Mansoura, Fareej Bin Dirham, and Najma, Umm Ghuwailina, Al Khalaifat, Al Sadd, Al Mirqab Al Jadeed, Fareej Al Nasr and the Doha International Airport area.