The Life News Singapore. July 16, 2019

World Cup victory by England was planned to perfection over the last four years, first time in 44 years of history TL Bureau, Lords/London

SINGAPORE Vol. 01 Issue 06 July 16, 2019

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“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them,” wrote William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night, but some, England’s cricket team in particular, plan it. A laughing stock at the last World Cup four years ago they have, through a pragmatic policy of selection and approach, targeted white ball cricket for big change - change that has been radical enough to win England the Men’s World Cup for the first time in 44 years. And what incredible scenes there were when their first title was decided by a Super Over, or more precisely by the amount of boundaries scored after both teams had scored 15 runs off their extra six balls following a tie in the match proper. Such drama can only bolster cricket’s appeal. When Jonny Bairstow was asked whether he’d rather win the Ashes than the World Cup he said the Cup, something unthinkable before Andrew Strauss had effected his white ball revolution after the nadir experienced by England in that last World Cup.

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Dozens of Houthi terrorist militia killed, including field leader in Al-Dhale Yemeni Ministry of Defense, at least 13 Houthi militants, includDozens of Houthi terrorist militia ing the field leader known as have been killed and others Abu Shareef Hezam Abdullah wounded in clashes with the Motahar, were killed and more Yemeni army and raids by injured during the clashes. The Yemeni support coalition fighter clashes erupted after the Houthi planes in provinces of Al-Dhale militia tried to sneak into Yemeni and Baida southern and central army’s positions in the fronts of of Yemen. According to a Ghalq and Shakhb. The Yemeni Yemeni military source, accord- army troops thwarted the miliing to the website of tia’s attempt and forced them to (September 26 Net) of the flee towards the neighboring

TL Bureau, Aden

province of Ibb In Baida province the fighters of coalition of support for legitimacy in Yemen launched a several air strikes on a group of militias in the front of Na'te east of Baida province in the central of Yemen.The raids targeted militia groups in the areas of El Bark and Bawwas, resulting in deaths and injuries among the militia and the destruction of their vehicles

Iran Not Engaged in Talks with US at Any Level: Spokesman TL Bureau, Tehran Seyyed Abbas Mousavi has rejected a "fabricated" report that the US has sent a message to Russians for talks with Iran at the level of foreign ministers.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi has rejected a "fabricated" report that the US has sent a message to Russians for talks with Iran at the level of foreign with the US officials at any level," ministers.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is he said on Sunday, in response not engaged in any negotiations to a question asked by reporters.

E3 statement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action France, Germany, and the UK have reaffirmed their commitment to the JCPoA. TL Bureau, London In a joint statement France, Germany, and the United Kingdom said: We, the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, sharing common security interests, in particular upholding the non-proliferation regime, recall our continuing commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) that was agreed upon four years ago with Iran, on 14 July 2015.

Since 2003, our three countries, later joined by the United States, Russia and China, have been engaged in a long-standing and determined policy vis à vis Iran with the clear objective that this country, a party to the Non-Proliferation

Treaty, respects its obligations in good faith and never develops or acquires a nuclear weapon.

Together, we have stated unambiguously on 8 May 2018 our regret and concern after the decision of the United States to withdraw from the

JCPoA and to re-impose sanctions on Iran, while this country had implemented its commitments under the agreement - as consistently confirmed by the IAEA until last month.

Since May 2018, our three countries have made their best efforts to work

with all the remaining parties to the deal to ensure that the Iranian people could continue to benefit from the legitimate economic advantages provided by the JCPoA. Today, we are concerned by the risk that the JCPoA further unravels under the strain of sanctions imposed by the United States and following Iran’s decision to no longer implement several of the central provisions of the agreement. We are extremely concerned by Iran’s decision to stockpile and enrich uranium in excess of authorised limits.

Moreover, our three countries are deeply troubled by the attacks we have witnessed in the Persian Gulf and beyond, and by the deterioration of the security in the region. We believe the time has come to act

responsibly and seek a path to stop the escalation of tensions and resume dialogue. The risks are such that it is necessary for all stakeholders to pause and consider the possible consequences of their actions.

Our countries have recently taken several diplomatic initiatives to contribute to de-escalation and dialogue, for which signs of goodwill are urgently needed, from all sides.

While we continue to support the JCPoA, its continuation is contingent on Iran’s full compliance, and we strongly urge Iran to reverse its recent decisions in this regard. We will continue to explore the avenues of dialogue foreseen under the agreement to address Iran’s compliance, including through the Joint Commission of the JCPoA.

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2 Iran is home to one of the world's most established consistent real civic establishments, with recorded and urban settlements going back to 7000 BC. The south-western and western piece of the Iranian Plateau took part in the customary Ancient Near East with Elam, from the Early Bronze Age, and later with different people groups, for example, the Kassites, Mannaeans, and Gutians. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel considers the Persians the "principal Historical People".

The Medes bound together Iran as a country and domain in 625 BC. The Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC), established by Cyrus the Great, was the main genuine worldwide superpower state and it ruled from the Balkans to North Africa and Central Asia, spreading over three mainlands, from their seat of influence in Persis (Persepolis).

It was the biggest domain yet observed and the main world empire.

The Achaemenid Empire was the main human progress in all of history to associate over 40% of the worldwide populace, representing roughly 49.4 million of the world's 112.4 million individuals in around 480 BC. They were prevailing by the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian Empires, who progressively administered Iran for just about 1,000 years and made Iran by and by as a main power on the planet. Persia's most despised opponent was the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine Empire. As far as the United Nations is concerned, everyone knows about it and one of the super power and greatest nations in the world. And has significant role in world economy.

Sanctions against Iran on nuclear ..

The main approvals against Iran were those forced by the United States in November 1979 after a gathering of radical understudies held onto the American Embassy in Tehran and abducted the general population inside. The UN Security Council passed various goals forcing sanctions on Iran, following the report by the

EDITORIAL

Nuclear Deal Iran or the United States…

International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors in regards to Iran's rebelliousness with its shields understanding and the Board's finding that Iran's atomic exercises brought up issues inside the competency of the Security Council. Assents were first forced when Iran dismissed the Security Council's interest that Iran suspend all improvement related and reprocessing exercises. Approvals will be lifted when Iran satisfies those needs and satisfies the necessities of the IAEA Board of Governors. Most UN approvals were lifted 16 January 2016, after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. This problem arises from June 2019 as President Donald Trump announced new sanctions against Iran in part to retaliate after the downing of a US drone last month, with the punitive measures set to target Iran's Supreme Leader, military officials and its top diplomat, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and many others.

In recent statement on July 7, by

Iran’s President described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) beneficial for all nations, the region and the world, stressing that the best way for the United States is to fix its mistake, saying, "If the US is so afraid of

the word fire, then it must not start the flames". Speaking in a cabinet session on Wednesday, Dr Hassan Rouhani added, "The Americans started the fire in the region a year ago, but they are saying that playing with fire is dangerous, while they are after sparking fire".

On the other side from the response given to China and Iran’s business, Senior administration officials now agree that China defied U.S. sanctions when it imported more than a million barrels of crude oil from Iran last month. But they are grappling with whether — and how — to hit back, according to three U.S. officials. And in a latest updates on Iran’s sanctions, Mr Kim Darroch, Former UK ambassador to the United States used different "set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism". States that Trump seemed to be discarding the Iran nuclear deal for "personality reasons," as the deal had been agreed to by former President Barack Obama.

So now what next, we are all waiting to be streamlined between the United States and Iran as it only disturbing the local population of the United States and Iran but also disturbing lot of other friendly nations of either of the countries like India, China and many others.

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3 United States seriously concerned by Iranian-backed Houthis’ sentencing of 30 political prisoners to death in Yemen TL Bureau, Washington D.C. The United States is seriously concerned by the Iranian-backed Houthis’ July 9 unjust sentencing of 30 political prisoners to death in Sana’a, Morgan Ortagus, the US Department of State Spokesperson, said in a statement today.

Among those sentenced were academics and political figures detained on unfounded, politically motivated charges, she added.

Some of those sentenced have also allegedly been physically abused while in detention, the spokesperson stated. "We urge the Iranianbacked Houthis to retract these sentences, treat detainees humanely, and cease arbitrary detentions," she said

WORLD

Administrative border with the occupied Crimea must be completed by December 20 – Volodymyr Zelenskyy TL Bureau, Kyiv During a working trip to the Kherson region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Chonhar checkpoint on the temporary administrative border with the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. This is the first visit of the Head of State to the administrative border with the occupied Crimea since 2014.

The President inspected the infrastructure of the checkpoint and the conditions in which people cross the administrative border. The Head of State spoke with the citizens who were heading to the occupied Crimea and the inhabitants of the neighboring districts.

At the meeting on the implementation of the projects on the equipment of Chonhar and Yurii Husiev emphasized that Kalanchak checkpoints, newly people from the temporarily appointed Kherson RSA Head occupied territory should feel

OPCW Helps Strengthen Chemical Transfer Practices at National Borders

that Europe begins with the ity of service and attention of Kherson region. And this officials and civil servants of all should be reflected in the qual- levels.

Media Freedom Coalition launched to address attacks on journalists Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland announced the launch of the new Media Freedom Coalition.

TL Bureau, London

TL Bureau, THE HAGUE

related to the Chemical Weapons Convention – by modern, state-of-theTo improve chemical transfer practices art laboratory methods is of key imporat national borders, the Organisation tance for effective enforcement of laws for the Prohibition of Chemical and regulations on the transfer of Weapons (OPCW) held an inaugural chemicals.” A group of ten experts repcourse for analytical chemists sup- resenting countries from across five porting customs services at the continents exchanged information OPCW Laboratory in Rijswijk, regarding the adoption of good laboraNetherlands, from 8 – 12 July. Head of tory practices. They also gained skills the OPCW Laboratory, Mr Marc- in the detection and identification of Michael Blum, said in his opening chemicals under the Chemical statement: “Customs laboratories form Weapons Convention (CWC), includthe first line of defence in tackling illic- ing the recognition of chemical strucit trafficking of chemicals. The need to tures and their various properties. The identify chemicals – including those Dutch Customs Laboratory provided

information on the best practices they employ to support the National Authority in monitoring chemical transfers.Participants agreed that the course offered fresh perspectives on their efforts to implement the CWC and facilitated the adoption of new procedures and techniques for the analysis of chemicals under the Convention.

Attendees represented the following OPCW Member States: Argentina, Bulgaria, China, Costa Rica, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

2018 was the deadliest year for journalists.

Following their landmark The fact that over 100 countries Global Conference for Media were represented at the Global Freedom, Foreign Secretary Conference for Media Freedom, Jeremy Hunt and Canadian with over 1500 delegates from Foreign Minister Chrystia all regions of the world, demonFreeland have announced the strates the global resonance of launch of a new Media this issue.I am delighted that Freedom Coalition. governments are committing to The Coalition will be formed firm action and to working by governments who sign up together as an international to a Pledge that commits community to create a safer them to speak out and take environment for journalism action together when media across the globe. By shining a freedom is at risk, and to light on attacks against journalchampion the cause around ists, the new Coalition will aim the world. to change political calculations Foreign Secretary Jeremy and increase the costs to those Hunt said: who abuse media freedom.

4 India USTR Talks Held in New Delhi Karamjit Singh, Parwana Foreign Correspondent New Delhi A delegation led by Assistant United States Trade Representative (AUSTR) Christopher Wilson visited India on 11-12 July 2019 to explorepotential for enhanced bilateral trade and economic engagement with Indiaunder the new Government. The delegation held bilateral talks on 12 July 2019 with the Indian delegation led by Sanjay Chadha, A d d i t i o n a l S e c r e t a r y, Department of Commerce, which included senior officials from other Government of India Ministries.

The meeting was cordial and aimed at providing a new impetus tobilateral trade and commercial ties, in line with the mandate given by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and the US President Donald Trump during their meeting at Osaka, Japanon 28 June 2019. Both sides discussed the broad contours of bilateral trade and commercial ties and agreed to continue their discussions for achievingmutually beneficial outcomes aimed at further growing the economicrelationship and addressing mutual trade concerns.

Bahrain Condemns Terrorist Attack on Hotel in Somalia TL Bureau, Manama The Kingdom of Bahrain has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a hotel in Kismayo, in Somalia, resulting in the death and injury of a number of people.

In a statement, the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the solidarity of the Kingdom of Bahrain with the Federal Republic of Somalia, reiterating its position that rejects all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism, offering condolences to the families of the victims and wishing the injured speedy recovery

WORLD

Foreign Secretary heads to Brussels to discuss Iran Ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels the Foreign Secretary said he would be building on the leadership shown by the E3 to maintain the nuclear deal TL Bureau, London Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday 14 July to reinforce UK concerns about Iran’s reduced JCPoA compliance and stress the ongoing work needed with partners to keep the deal in place. It comes after he spoke with both the Chief Minister of Gibraltar and the Iranian Foreign Minister on Saturday to discuss the

recent detention of the Grace 1 oil tanker, and agree the importance of finding a resolution to the current situation and avoiding further escalation.

Speaking ahead of the FAC, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: The Middle East is already one of the most unstable regions in the world, but if the different parties were armed with nuclear weapons it would represent an existential threat to mankind. I

will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening.

Today I’ll be building on the leadership shown by the UK, alongside France and Germany, as we do what it takes to maintain the nuclear deal, and to work to encourage Iran back into compliance.

Referring to the detention of Grace 1 in Gibraltar, he added: As I said to the Iranians this weekend, the detention of the Grace 1 was a Gibraltar-led enforcement

of EU Syria sanctions. Action had to be taken, and this was nothing to do with the oil being Iranian.

Moreover, following recent tensions in the Gulf, the Foreign Secretary will stress the importance of international norms of freedom of navigation. Mr Hunt said: Following the brave work of our Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf we will work with partners to maintain the right of commercial ships to go about their rightful business.

IOM Outraged By Somalia Afghanistan Needs to take Action to tackle Paedophilia

Terrorist Attack TL Bureau, Geneva The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has expressed its shock and outrage at Friday’s terrorist attack that claimed the lives of at least 26 people, one of whom worked under the auspices of the UN agency.

In addition to those killed, an estimated 40 people were injured in the seige on Asasey Hotel in the port city of Kismayo, where a high-level political meeting was taking place to discuss pending regional elections.

Islamist group al-Shabab has claimed the attack, described as its worst in Kismayo since the group was forced out in

2012.

IOM director-general António Vitorino said the organization is outraged by the brutal and unprovoked attack and stands with the friends and family of Abdifatah Mohamed. “Our deepest sympathies go to them,” he said in a statement.

Abdifatah was a victim in the attack – which began on Friday evening and ended on Saturday – along with prominent local journalist Hodan Nalayeh and her husband Farid, together with local politicians, Kenyans, Tanzanians, Americans, a Briton and a Canadian.

One of Abdifatah’s IOM contractor colleagues, who was also present, was injured in the attack.

TL Bureau, Kabul

Republic of Afghanistan to take following actions: Peter Dalglish, a Canadian aid The Ministry of Foreign Affairs worker has been jailed for nine must work closely with the years for sexually abusing two INTERPOL as well as law boys in Nepal. Previously, enforcement and border control Dalglish held senior positions in police in the region to ensure Afghanistan. He was the coun- that convicted podophiles are try representative for UN not permitted to enter Habitat and run several initia- Afghanistan; tives in his spare time. His for- Ministry of Work and Social mal and informal activities gave Affairs must ensure that child him unrestricted access to chil- protection is taken into considdren in Afghanistan. They, at eration and all appropriate Sexual and Reproductive background checks are done Health Organization of before issuing work permit to Afghanistan (SRHOA), are con- internationals; cerned that Afghanistan does The Ministry of Education must not have robust systems and ensure that every child in the laws in place to prevent country is aware of sexual podophiles like Dailglish abuse and are confident in accessing and abusing vulnera- reporting it to responsible adults ble children in our country. They such as parents and children. are therefore, call on the They added in a press release Government of the Islamic issued by SRHOA.

Barry to Unleash More Deadly Floods Through Monday to Louisiana TL Bureau, Washington D.C.

hour, the National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin at 2 Barry weakened to a tropical p.m. New York time. Despite depression but is set to cause weakening, a few tornadoes are more life-threatening floods forecast Sunday across parts of through Monday as it marches southeastern Louisiana, toward northwest Louisiana and Mississippi, western Alabama, Arkansas. Another foot of rain is eastern Arkansas, and western expected for south-central Tennessee.

Louisiana where it made landfall With the storm now firmly Saturday. ashore, some producers in the The storm is 15 miles east- Gulf of Mexico are preparing to, southeast of Shreveport, with or have begun to, re-staff their sustained winds of 40 miles per offshore crude and natural gas

platforms. Exxon Mobil Corp. said it was returning workers to its three platforms where nonessential staff were evacuated, with “minimal production impact.” BHP Group expects to return workers to its two shut assets by Monday, while Enbridge Inc. plans to return crew to an offshore natural gas platform. Their offshore and onshore facilities would have to be inspected before they can restart.

Israeli forces arrest 15 Palestinians in West Bank TL Bureau, Ramallah Israeli forces launched early Sunday a large-scale arrest campaign in various parts of the occupied West Bank, during which they arrested 15 Palestinians. A statement by the Palestinian Prisoners Society said that the Israeli army broke into various areas in the cities of Bethlehem, Hebron, Tulkarem and Jenin and arrested the people on the ground that they were wanted by authorities.

5 Singapore and China Sign MoU to Enhance Maritime Collaboration TL Bureau, Singapore

in areas such as smart port technology, maritime safety, and environmental The Maritime and Port Authority of protection. It was signed by Ms Quah Singapore (MPA) signed a Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of the MPA, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Mr Fei Weijun, President of the with the Waterborne Transport WTI, at the side of the MPF. The MPF Research Institute (WTI), an agency and China Maritime Forum (CMF) took under China’s Ministry of Transport dur- place from 11 to 12 July 2019 in ing the 2019 Maritime Silk Road Port Ningbo, China, to commemorate China International Cooperation Forum Maritime Day. (MPF) today. The MOU seeks to Ms Quah said, “In an increasingly chalenhance cooperation in information lenging and uncertain environment, it is exchange and research and develop- critical for the key maritime stakeholdment (R&D) between the two agencies, ers to strengthen connectivity and

share knowledge and best practices.

Singapore hopes to contribute to this effort by collaborating with China in the areas of digitalisation such as electronic exchange of certificates and bills of lading to enhance port and supply chain efficiencies, and ultimately, global trade flows.” Ms Quah also spoke at the CMF, where she shared Singapore’s views on how digital and physical connectivity are important to bring about a more prosperous and interconnected world. This is the first time Singapore is speaking at the CMF.

SINGAPORE

Singapore Tourism’s Roadshows TL Bureau, Singapore Singapore Tourism Friday said it has composed roadshows in eight urban areas to charm guests from India, a high ranking representative said here.

The Singapore Tourism Board Friday had dialogs with a few partners, including different visit and travel organizations here to work together with innovative activity and pull in voyagers.

"The STB has composed an eight-city roadshow, together with near 45 Singapore the travel industry partners, in Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Madurai, Kolkata, Rajkot, Guwahati, Nagpur and Jalandhar," the Board offical told journalists here. Chief (South Asia) of STB Adrian Kong disclosed to the media their promoting methodology and up and coming designs for the India advertise. "The exchange commitment roadshows are themed "Developing Connections, Achieving Together" and would display the most recent attractions in Singapore the travel industry. Our new contributions incorporate Passion visits, Jewel Changi Airport, Rainforest Lumina and some more," Kong said. Singapore got 1.44 million guests a year ago from India, he stated, including they have crossed the one-million imprint for the fourth time in succession. The roadshows would incorporate key partners from Singapore, speaking to inns, aircrafts, coordinated retreats, attractions, goal the board organizations and voyage administrators.

Singapore’s GDP Grew by 0.1 Per Cent in the Second Quarter of 2019 Singapore and TL Bureau, Singapore Based on advance estimates, the Singapore economy grew by 0.1 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the second quarter of 2019, slower than the 1.1 per cent growth in the previous quarter.

On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally-adjusted annualised basis, the economy shrank by 3.4 per cent, after posting growth of 3.8 per cent in the preceding quarter.

The manufacturing sector contracted by 3.8 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the second quarter, extending the 0.4 per cent decline in the previous quarter. The contraction was due to output declines in the electronics and precision engineering clusters, which more than offset output expansions in the rest of the manufacturing clusters. On a quarteron-quarter seasonally-adjusted annualised basis, the sector shrank by 6.0 per cent, moderating from the 6.4 per cent contraction in the preceding quarter.

The construction sector grew by 2.2 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the second quarter, extending the 2.7 per cent expansion in the previous quarter.

Growth of the sector was supported by an increase

China Sign MoU to Enhance Maritime Collaboration TL Bureau, Singapore

in public sector construction activities. On a quarteron-quarter seasonally-adjusted annualised basis, the sector contracted by 7.6 per cent, reversing the 13.3 per cent growth in the preceding quarter. The services producing industries expanded by 1.2 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the second quarter, unchanged from the previous quarter. Growth was supported primarily by the finance & insurance, “other services industries” [2] and information &

communications sectors. On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally-adjusted annualised basis, the services producing industries shrank by 1.5 per cent, following the 4.4 per cent growth recorded in the preceding quarter. MTI will release the preliminary GDP estimates for the second quarter, including performance by sectors, sources of growth, inflation, employment and productivity, in its Economic Survey of Singapore in August 2019.

Enforcement Operations Against Massage Establishments And Public Entertainment Outlets

Beach Road, Jalan Sultan and Prinsep The Police have arrested eight Street on 10 and 11 July 2019. During women and one man, aged between the enforcement operations conduct29 and 56, during a series of enforce- ed by Central Police Division, one ment operations against massage unlicensed massage establishment establishments and public entertain- was detected. Three women, aged ment outlets along Jalan Besar, between 29 and 42, and one 39-yearPetain Road, Serangoon Road, old man were arrested for suspected

TL Bureau, Singapore

drug-related offences.

One public entertainment outlet was found to have contravened public entertainment licensing conditions.

Five women, aged between 21 and 56, were arrested for offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Investigations are ongoing.

Actions will be taken against the operators for flouting the rules and regulations under the Massage Establishment Act and the Public Entertainment Act. The Police takes a serious view of anyone involved in criminal activities and will continue to take tough enforcement actions against those found breaking the law.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Waterborne Transport Research Institute (WTI), an agency under China’s Ministry of Transport during the 2019 Maritime Silk Road Port International Cooperation Forum (MPF) today. The MOU seeks to enhance cooperation in information exchange and research and development (R&D) between the two agencies, in areas such as smart port technology, maritime safety, and environmental protection. It was signed by Ms Quah Ley Hoon, Chief Executive of the MPA, and Mr Fei Weijun, President of the WTI, at the side of the MPF. The MPF and China Maritime Forum (CMF) took place from 11 to 12 July 2019 in Ningbo, China, to commemorate China Maritime Day. Ms Quah said, “In an increasingly challenging and uncertain environment, it is critical for the key maritime stakeholders to strengthen connectivity and share knowledge and best practices.

Singapore hopes to contribute to this effort by collaborating with China in the areas of digitalisation such as electronic exchange of certificates and bills of lading to enhance port and supply chain efficiencies, and ultimately, global trade flows.”

Ms Quah also spoke at the CMF, where she shared Singapore’s views on how digital and physical connectivity are important to bring about a more prosperous and interconnected world. This is the first time Singapore is speaking at the CMF.

6

MALAYSIA & NEARBY

Agriculture, telecommunication regarded as key pillars of VN-Tanzania cooperation TL Bureau, Ho Chi Minh City Majaliwa stressed the point on July 12 at his meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, who is on working visit to the African country.

He said Viet Nam’s stories have inspired Tanzanian people to gain national liberation and advance development.

Majaliwa called for Viet Nam to step up investment and share experience of rice cultivation and aquaculture with Tanzania.

Meanwhile, Deputy PM Dung affirmed Viet Nam always attaches importance to broadening cooperation with Tanzania that has maintained high and stable growth in recent time.

Dung also spoke highly of Tanzania’s positive contribution to peace, stability and connectivity in Southern Africa in particular and across the African continent in general.

The two sides agreed to foster political ties through exchange of delegations at all levels and continue mutual coordination and support at the United Nations and other international forums.

The two leaders agreed that agriculture and telecommunication will be the key pillars of the bilateral ties and pledged to

Police strongly condemn lawbreaking behaviours TL Bureau, Hong Kong

coordinate in organizing the 2nd meeting of the Viet NamTanzania Joint Committee soon. The host PM committed to

facilitating joint investment in such fields like agriculture, tourism and telecommunication and suggested both countries

NA Chairwoman meets top Chinese leader TL Bureau, Beijing National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on July 12 met with Chinese Party General Secretary, President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China within the framework of her official visit to China.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) meets with Chinese Party General Secretary, President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China on July 12, 2019 At the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping conveyed his greetings to Vietnamese Party General Secretary, State President Nguyen Phu Trong, expecting Trong to soon visit China. He spoke highly of Viet Nam’s socio-economic development achievements, especially its effective international integration process and its gloabla status. The Chinese leader also highly valued cooperation between the two nations’ legislative bodies, saying it has contributed to enhancing the bilateral relationship. He suggested the two sides join hands in effectively launching the action plan for implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on promoting connectivity within the framework of “Two corridors, one economic belt” and the Belt and Road Initiative.

The two leaders highlighted the significance and effectiveness of high-level and contacts between their senior leaders

as well as practical advancement of bilateral cooperation in such spheres like security, defense, economics, trade, investment, culture, education and tourism. Ngan expected that the Chinese President will direct Chinese ministries and agencies to coordinate with the Vietnamese side to realize the agreements and perceptions reached by the two nations’ Party and State leaders, particularly outcomes gained during mutual visits made in 2017. China is willing to enhance economic cooperation with Viet Nam, said Xi Jinping, hoping that some model projects will be launched in the upcoming time.

soon open direct air route between Ho Chi Minh City and Dar Es Salaam in a bid to boost bilateral trade.

A public procession was held in Sheung Shui yesterday. It started from the basketball court outside North District Sports Ground at 3.30pm and ended at about 5pm as announced by the organiser.

After that, a large number of people assembled unlawfully along Lung Sum Avenue, Lung Wan Street and San Wan Road. Police found that in a short period of time, a large number of equipment like helmets and goggles were distributed premeditatedly. Some protestors collected a lot of iron poles and other offensive weapons, demolished the railings nearby, and blocked the roads by water barriers, railings and some miscellaneous objects.

Meanwhile, some protestors argued with other people at scene and attempted to charge and besiege Police officers when the officers intervened. A large number of violent protestors deliberately charged Police cordon lines and attacked Police officers with different weapons and objects including iron poles and suspected irritating powder and liquid, causing injuries to the limbs and faces of a number of Police officers. Ten officers were discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.

Arts, Music, and Culture Performances onthe Second Day of Pacific Exposition 2019 TL Bureau, Auckland/Jakarta The second day of Pacific Exposition 2019 was enlivened by the Pacific Cultural Forum, Pacific Cultural Performance that took place at the Pacific Exhibition, and the Sound of the Pacific concert. The Pacific Cultural Forum aimedto explore the diversity of Pacific histories, cultures, and identities, and the cooperation of all parties in promoting and sustaining it. The forum providedan opportunity for sharing knowledge about the origins of Indonesian and Pacific culture from the perspective of academicians and experts. In particular, the forum also discussedpotential developments of the creative industry derived from the cultural diversity itself. "The Pacific Cultural Forum offers new opportunities in differentareas and exhibits thePacific cultural diversity that will enrich the world's heritage," Indonesian Ambassador forWellington explained at his opening remarks at the forum. The forum was opened by Indonesian Coordinating Minister of Human Development and Culture

Puan Maharani, and invited a number of ministers, government officials, and international organizations as moderators and speakers, including New Zealand Ethnic Community Minister Jenny Selesa, Papua New Guinea Foreign and Trade Minister SoroiMarepoEoe, Melanesian Spearhead Group Director General AmenaYauvoli, and governmental representatives and experts from Indonesia and other Pacific countries. At the Pacific Exhibition, attended by 19 Pacific countries and territories, the participants also gained the opportunity to display their respective cultural arts, dances, and music through the Pacific Cultural Performance. In this event, Indonesia was represented by Papua and West Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku.

The second day of Pacific Exposition 2019 was concludedby the Sound of the Pacific music concert featuring East Nusa Tenggara and Papuan musicians, including Ivan Nestorman and Papua Originals, and Tonga and Samoan musicians.

7

BUSINESS

Anshula Kant Appointed World Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer TL Bureau, WASHINGTON D.C.

of SBI, Kant managed $38 billion of revenues and total World Bank Group President assets of $500 billion.

David Malpass today Stewarding the organization, announced the appointment she greatly improved the capof Anshula Kant as Managing ital base and focused on the Director and Chief Financial long-term sustainability of SBI Officer of the World Bank within her mandate. She has Group. Ms. Kant, an Indian been a Managing Director national, is currently a and member of the Board Managing Director of the since September 2018.

State Bank of India (SBI), With direct responsibility for where she previously served the SBI’s Risk, Compliance, as Chief Financial Officer. and Stressed Asset Portfolio, “I am very pleased to appoint increase our effectiveness in Kant led the creation of Anshula Kant as World Bank supporting good development investment opportunities Group Managing Director and outcomes.” As Managing while empowering risk manCFO. Anshula brings more Director and Chief Financial agement throughout the than 35 years of expertise in Officer, Kant will be responsi- bank. She held several posifinance, banking, and innova- ble for financial and risk man- tions across the organization tive use of technology through agement of the World Bank and helped navigate a diverse her work as CFO of the State Group, reporting to the array of leadership chalBank of India,” said Malpass. President. Among other key lenges. Kant, a native of India, “She’s excelled at a diverse management duties, her work is a graduate in Economic array of leadership challenges will include oversight of finan- Honours from Lady Shri Ram including risk, treasury, fund- cial reporting, risk manage- College for Women and a ing, regulatory compliance ment, and working closely Post-Graduate in Economics and operations. I look forward with the World Bank CEO on from Delhi School of to welcoming her to our man- mobilization of IDA and other Economics. Kant’s start date agement team as we work to financial resources. As CFO will be announced shortly.

Comfyable presents premium quality and elegantly designed Mac Book Pro Case TL Bureau, Hong Kong Comfyable, a rapidly growing e-store that provides high-quality laptop sleeves and bags has launched their new Professional Mac Book Pro Case in Gray color. This super stylish laptop sleeve provides ultimate protection and security to the laptop. It features secure padding made of EPE foam that protects the Apple MacBook from slight shocks and bumps. It comes with soft microfiber lining and additional inner cover to prevent the MacBook from scratches or damages. The protective neoprene flap in the top interior provides extra snug protection and prevents rubbing the zipper. The soft interior fleece lining case provides a scratch-free environment for the MacBook and protects it

from everyday wear and tear.

A laptop is a significant investment and it becomes important for the users to use a laptop sleeve that protects their laptop from everyday wear and tear, and unfortunate incidents of liquid spills, dropping, shocks and bumps. Comfyable features a waterproof design, with its exterior made of durable and waterproof polyester material which eliminates the risk of spilling a drink or mild rains damaging the laptop. To complement Apple’s minimalistic and elegant style, the Comfyable designers have kept this laptop sleeve simple, chic and minimalistic. It’s a lightweight and stylish laptop sleeve, that protects the laptop and makes it easy to be carry on the go.

NOMINATE YOUR TREASURER: NOTFOR-PROFIT TREASURERS’ AWARDS TL Bureau, Sydney Nominations now open for the 2019 Commonwealth Bank Notfor-Profit Treasurers’ Awards.

• Chance to win one of three $5,000 donations to assist the community group • Nominations close 11.00am (AEST) Friday, 26 July 2019 • All nominated treasurers receive an official Certificate of Appreciation Recognising the immense contribution community treasurers make, nominations for the 2019 Commonwealth Bank Not-forProfit Treasurers’ Awards are now open.

Hundreds of thousands of community groups in Australia rely on the unsung and often unpaid labour of their treasurer. Responsible for the financial wellbeing of their organisation, not-for-profit treasurers’ often go above and beyond to make sure ends meet. Each year, the Not-for-Profit Treasurers’ Awards provide an opportunity for the community to show appreciation for these efforts.

Julienne Price, Head of Not-forProfit Sector Banking, Commonwealth Bank said: “Notfor-Profit organisations are under constant pressure to evolve and

innovate in order to respond to a range of opportunities and threats.

While innovation across the sector has very much become the norm, balancing this against financial strategic and operational considerations is often the responsibility of the treasurer – the person behind the scenes balancing the books and keeping the organisation healthy and sustainable.

“These awards have been and continue to be an excellent way community groups around Australia can publicly thank and recognise the effort treasurers make to their community groups as well as to the wider community.”

The annual Not-for-Profit Treasurer Awards are held in conjunction with ‘Our Community’, Australia's Centre of Excellence for the nation's 600,000 not-for-profits and schools. This is the fifth year Commonwealth Bank and Our Community have partnered to host these awards. Denis Moriarty, Group Managing Director of Our Community said: “In community groups and Not-for-Profits, a treasurer is very much the backbone of the organisation. Nowhere is it more important to ensure each dollar is being utilised and making an impact.

IMF Executive Board Completes Fourth Review Under Argentina’s Stand-By Arrangement, Approves US$5.4 Billion Disbursement TL Bureau, Washington D.C. The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed today the fourth review of Argentina’s economic performance under the 36-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) that was approved on June 20, 2018. The completion of the review allows the authorities to draw SDR 3.9 billion (about US$5.4 billion), bringing total disbursements since June 2018 to SDR 31.91371 (about US$44.1 billion).

Following the Executive Board discussion of Argentina’s economic plan, Mr. David Lipton, the IMF’s Acting Managing Director and Chair, stated: “The Argentine authorities continue to show a strong commitment to their economic policy program, meeting all the applicable targets under the Fund-supported program. While it has taken time, these policy efforts are starting to bear fruit. Financial markets have stabilized, the fiscal and external positions are improving, and the economy is beginning a gradual recovery from last year’s recession. The Fund is strongly sup-

portive of these important policy efforts.

“Although inflation is still high, it is now on a downward path that is expected to continue in the coming months. The BCRA’s prudent management of monetary policy remains an essential anchor for both the exchange rate and the disinflation process.

“The Argentine government has consistently demonstrated its commitment to fiscal discipline and has well-exceeded its fiscal targets for March and June. The authorities have asked the IMF to support raising the end-September primary balance target as a signal of their priority of ensuring that Argentina’s debtto-GDP ratio is placed decisively on a downward path.

“The government was able to meet its fiscal targets while also protecting social programs and using fiscal tools to shield the most vulnerable from the effects of the recession.The authorities have also requested the IMF to support an expansion of the social spending floor to incorporate assistance programs targeted at adults without children and lowincome working mothers. These

commendable efforts will both expand coverage of the social safety net and help improve gender equity.

“The authorities’ efforts to increase rollover rates on public debt and to lengthen the maturity of new debt issuance should help mitigate financing risks in the period ahead.

Ongoing efforts to improve the functioning of local sovereign debt markets will help improve market liquidity and lower financing costs.

“Steadfast implementation of the policies underlying the IMF-supported program will be critical for continued progress. As macroeconomic stability becomes more entrenched, policy efforts will need to focus more on reinvigorating plans for structural reforms. The recent MERCOSUREU trade agreement is an important step in that direction. Further efforts are needed to redesign the tax system; increase competition in domestic product markets; and deepen efforts to strengthen governance and confront corruption. Such reforms have significant potential to raise Argentina’s growth potential, create jobs, reduce poverty, and improve the standard of living for all Argentineans.”

8

FEATURE

Climate Action is central to Sustainable Development Goals TL Bureau, Geneva A new report has been published on the progress towards meeting the targets of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, which commit countries to mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change.

Failure to meet the target on climate action jeopardizes progress in other areas.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that while a “wealth of action” had been taken by governments across the world “the most vulnerable people and countries continue to suffer the most.” The report tracks progress across 17 goals in the UN’s 193 Member States and largely takes a global view, however while many trends regarding the SDGs are common to all regions, there are significant regional differences.

Launching the report at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, at the start of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the UN Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) chief, Liu Zhenmin, said that the clock for taking decisive action on climate change is ticking. He stressed the importance of strengthening international cooperation and multilateral action.

WMO co-hosted an HLPF side event on understanding progress and implementation of the SDG 13 on Climate Action on 11 July, providing an update on the current progress and activities. The side event brought together the climate, science, disaster risk reduction and statistical communities and representatives of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Federated States of Micronesia to focus efforts on advancing climate action. Paul Egerton, WMO Representative to the UN, briefed on the state of climate science, based on the recent WMO State of the Climate report and key climate indicators. Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary, UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), gave a keynote presentation.

SDG13 Climate Action Described by Mr Guterres last year as an “existential threat” to humanity, the outlook for meeting targets to reduce climate change is grim. With rising Progress towards SDG13 Climate Actiongreenhouse gas emissions, climate change is occurring at rates much faster than anticipated and “its effects are clearly felt world-wide,” according to the SDG report. The target, and remember this was agreed by world leaders, is to keep the rate of global warming to below 2°C and, if possible to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The average global temperature is already 1°C above preindustrial levels but if not enough is done then warming will continue at an unsustainable pace

and could well exceed 3°C by the end of the century. While there are positive steps in terms of individual countries developing climate plans and the increase in the amount of money being found to finance those activities, Mr Guterres said that “far more ambitious plans and accelerated action is needed” on climate mitigation and adaptation.

Mr Guterres has invited world leaders to the Climate Action Summit from 21 to 23 September to deliver concrete, realistic plans to enhance their nationally determined contributions by 2020, in line with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent over the next decade, and to net zero emissions by 2050.WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas is a member of the Steering Committee for the Climate Action Summit. He is co-chair of the Climate Science Advisory Group which will submit detailed reports to inform world leaders about the state of the climate as well as science-driven solutions for transformative action and raising ambition in key sectors.

Other highlights of the SDG report relevant to WMO’s mandate include: SDG 2 Zero Hunger: Despite earlier extended progress, the number of people suffering from hunger has been on the rise since 2014. In the wake of conflicts, climateinduced shocks and economic slowdowns worldwide, intensified efforts are needed to implement and scale up interventions to improve access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food for all.

Specifically, attention needs to be given to increasing the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, implementing resilient agricultural practices, and ensuring the proper functioning of markets.

SDG 6 Clean Sanitation and Water: Two billion people live in countries experiencing high water stress, and about 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity at least one month a year. By 2030, an estimated 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity.

Water resources must be carefully managed to ensure sustainability and equitable sharing among users. A global framework for such an approach is known as integrated water resources management (IWRM), and it covers policies, institutions, management instruments and financing. Of the 172 countries that reported on their implementation of IWRM in 2018, 80 per cent had mediumlow levels of implementation or higher SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy The share of renewable energy in total final energy consumption reached 17.5 per cent in 2016, up from 16.6 per cent in 2010. In absolute terms,

renewable energy consumption grew by 18 per cent over that period. The share of modern renewable energy increased at a faster pace, from 8.6 per cent in 2010 to 10.2 per cent in 2016. This category excludes traditional biomass use—that is, the inefficient use of solid biomass, such as the burning of wood, charcoal or other organic matter.

Most growth in renewable energy has been concentrated in the electricity sector.This is mainly due to the rapid expansion of wind and solar power, prompted by sustained policy support and cost reductions. However, electricity makes up only 20 per cent of final energy use.

The remaining 80 per cent is concentrated in the heat and transport sectors, where modern renewables penetrated only 9 per cent and 3.3 per cent of the global market, respectively, in 2016. Meeting the ambitious SDG target will require increased policy attention to the deployment of modern SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

The world is becoming increasingly urbanized.

Since 2007, more than half the world’s population has been living in cities, and that share is projected to rise to 60 per cent by 2030.

SDG 14 Life Below Water Life depends on oceans. They make up the planet’s largest ecosystem— covering more than two thirds of the Earth’s surface— and provide billions of people with food and livelihoods. Oceans produce about half the oxygen we breathe, and act as a climate regulator, absorbing atmospheric heat and more than one quarter of man-made CO2. Observations of ocean pH over the past 30 years have shown a decrease in surface pH of 0.1 units. This is equivalent to a 26 per cent increase in acidity from preindustrial times. At the current rate of CO2 emissions, an increase in acidity of 100 to 150 per cent by the end of this century is predicted. (Courtesy by World Meteorological Organisation)

9

LIFE AND REAL ESTATE

TRAVEL + LEISURE AGAIN NAMES VIKING “WORLD’S BEST” IN 2019 AWARDS TL Bureau, Los Angeles

reinvent ocean cruising, we knew travelers wanted something different and were interested in our desFor the fourth consecutive year, Travel + Leisure tination-focused approach. We are pleased with readers have voted Viking® to the top of its cate- the positive response from the travel industry and gories in the 2019 World’s Best Awards, which our guests.Thank you once again to the readers of were announced today by the publication. Viking Travel + Leisure for this prestigious award.” was named the #1 Ocean Cruise Line for ships Today’s announcement from Travel + Leisure adds carrying 600-2,199 guests and one of the World’s to an impressive list of recent accolades for Viking.

Best River Cruise Lines. Since the launch of Earlier this year, the company’s first five 930-guest Viking’s ocean cruises in 2015, the company has sister ships, Viking Star®, Viking Sea®, Viking been named a #1 Ocean Cruise Line every single Sky®, Viking Sun® and Viking Orion® dominated year. Viking has also been voted a World’s Best the Cruise Critic® 9th Annual Cruisers’ Choice River Cruise Line every year since the award’s Awards, receiving 11 First Place honors. All six of inception in 2010.

Viking’s ships have been awarded a top rating of Travel + Leisure is the largest travel magazine five stars by Cruise Critic – and Viking also received brand in the U.S., and since 1995 its readers have five awards in the luxury ocean and river categories been asked to cast their votes for the World’s Best of Cruise Critic’s 2018 Editors’ Picks Awards. Viking in cruising with considerations in the following was again named the #1 River Cruise Line by cruise features: cabins/facilities, food, service itin- Condé Nast Traveler in the publication’s 2018 eraries/destinations, excursions/activities and Readers’ Choice Awards – and has also been honvalue. Viking will also be featured in the maga- ored as “Best Cruise Line for Luxury Ocean zine’s World’s Best issue, which will be on news- Cruises” and “Best Luxury River Cruise Company” stands in July; the full results of the awards can be in Luxury Travel Advisor magazine’s 2018 “Awards found at www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best. “It of Excellence” for a second consecutive year. is an unprecedented honor for a four-year-old The Viking Difference ocean cruise line to be voted the world’s #1 ocean Designed for discerning travelers with interests in cruise line four years in a row,” said Torstein history, art, music and cuisine, Chairman Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “When we set out to Hagen often says Viking offers guests “the thinking

cuisine and always-available American classics, Viking’s guests can truly dine in their destination. A focus on cultural enrichment brings immersive experiences on shore, on board, and even at home, through premier partnerships such as National Geographic, PBS’ MASTERPIECE, Downton Abbey: The Exhibition and the upcoming new film Downton Abbey from Focus Features and Carnival Films, only in theaters this September.

And only The Viking Way® of exploration provides guests with itineraries that feature Local Life, Working World and Privileged Access experiences. Local Life excursions shine a light on everyday activities and include experiences such as Viking Chef-hosted trips to local farmers markets, tea at home with local residents and visits with local schoolchildren. Working World excursions feature behind-the-scenes “making of” experiences, illuminating destinations through their most famous exports, such as factory and farm visits. person’s cruise” as an alternative to mainstream Privileged Access excursions include experiences cruises. Ships are small to get guests closer to such as a behind-the-scenes tours at Highclere their destination, with more time in port and more Castle, the “real Downton Abbey;” visiting St. overnights. On board, guests find serene Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum “behind closed Scandinavian spaces, where every room is both doors;” a private cooking class in a Tuscan castle; beautiful and functional, quiet and filled with light. an intimate organ concert in the Berlin Cathedral; With the most al fresco dining opportunities and an exclusive dinner in the Churchill War whether on the rivers or at sea, featuring regional Rooms in London.

Understanding the Chinese South Korea provides 5,000 metric tons of rice to outbound tourism and MICE WFP's Uganda refugee support operations market at PATAcademy-HCD TL Bureau, BANGKOK Travel and tourism industry professionals now have a better understanding of the Chinese outbound tourism and MICE market after attending the twoday PATAcademyHCDworkshop organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) from July 1-2, 2019.

The interactive programme, under the theme ‘Chinese Outbound Tourism Market’, was led by Professor Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Founder and Director – COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, China; Jason Lin, Chief of Talent – Talent Basket, Xiamen (China) and San Francisco (USA), and Julien Delerue, General Manager – 1000meetings, China. The workshop enabled participants to understand the different market segments of the Chinese outbound market, including current and future trends, spending patterns and purchasing behav-

iours, enabling them to adapt their products and services as well as their marketing strategies to attract a bigger and more profitable portion of this market.

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy said, “When it comes to the business of travel and tourism, organisations across the world are focused on China, looking to capture a share of the enormous outbound travel segment.

The aim of the workshop was to deliver a deeper understanding of the Chinese market and provide our participants the practical tools and skills to increase their share of this highly lucrative segment.”

Attending the workshop were 20 participants from 10 destinations, representing such organisations as Ikarus Tours GmbH, India Tourism Beijing, India Tourism United House, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation, Myanmar Tourism Federation, Papua New Guinea Tourism

Promotion Authority, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Sabah Tourism Board, Sampan Travel Stargazer Company Limited, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Tourism Fiji, and VIE Hotel Bangkok. On the first day of the workshop, Dr. Arlt focused on two main topics: product adaptation for different market segments and common requirements for Chinese travellers. He stated that the Chinese outbound tourism market is splitting into three types of travellers of equal importance: package tour groups (low price, low interest, concentrating on main sights); customised group tours (high price, special interest, flexible in time and area), and FITs (middle to high price, younger, searching for themselves). Dr. Arlt added that for each type of traveller segment, products and services must be adapted accordingly to their different needs in cooperation with the various stakeholders in the destination.

TL Bureau, NAKIVALE The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed an important contribution of 5,000 metric tons of rice from the Government of the Republic of Korea to WFP’s refugee support operations in Uganda, which will help feed more than 200,000 refugees.

“The Republic of Korea believes food relief is the first step in enabling refugees to restart their lives and embark on a journey toward selfreliance,” said the Korean ambassador to Uganda Ha Byung-Kyoo, at Nakivale refugee settlement in Isingiro district, where the Korean rice was delivered. He added that the Korean government and its people are deeply concerned about the suffering of women and children arriving in difficult humanitarian conditions.The donation supports Uganda’s efforts to assist refugees who have fled conflict and hunger in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other conflict areas in the region, and will assist the refugees to cope with the initial pressures of

displacement, while enabling them to rebuild their lives, and peacefully coexist with their Ugandan neighbours. “This is an extremely welcome and generous gift,” said WFP’s Country Director Mr El-Khidir Daloum. “It is also a significant one, coming from a country that has itself experienced war and displacement, and has since made remarkable efforts to rise from the ruins,” he added. WFP will use the Korean donation to provide food assistance to 213,000 refugees as part of their monthly food basket. The rice will help to diversify diets and improve nutrition among the most vulnerable refugees. The rice will replace maize in the July and August food assistance cycles in Kyaka II, Kyangwali, Nakivale, Oruchinga and Rwamwanja. WFP is 100 percent voluntarily-funded organization, so every donation counts towards WFP being able to provide refugees with regular food assistance in support of Uganda’s refugee policy. This is the second rice donation WFP in Uganda has received from the Republic of Korea, having received 5,000 metric tons last year.

10

SPORTS

BMW i Andretti Motorsport finishes third and fourth in New York – Podium for António Félix da Costa.

The BMW i Andretti Motorsport team enjoyed a successful New York City E-Prix on Saturday. António Félix da Costa (POR), in the #28 BMW iFE.18, finished third in the twelfth race of this season’s ABB FIA Formula E Championship. He was followed over the finish line of the ‘Brooklyn Circuit’ (USA) by team-mate Alexander Sims (GBR) in fourth place.

TL Bureau, New York.

The BMW i Andretti Motorsport team enjoyed a successful New York City E-Prix on Saturday.

António Félix da Costa (POR), in the #28 BMW iFE.18, finished third in the twelfth race of this season’s ABB FIA Formula E Championship. He was followed over the finish line of the ‘Brooklyn Circuit’ (USA) by team-mate Alexander Sims (GBR) in fourth place. Victory went to Sébastien Buemi (SUI, Nissan). This was the fourth podium for Félix da Costa, who started from eighth on the grid, having previously won in Ad Diriyah (KSA) and finished second and third in Mexico City (MEX) and Sanya (CHN). Sims came home fourth for the second time this season. Félix da Costa currently lies fifth with 97 points in the Drivers’ Championship. Sims is 15th with 36 points to his name.

While fans in New York witnessed

many incidents – one of which resulted in the appearance of the BMW i8 Coupé Safety Car – and some thrilling battles in hot condi-

tions, the two BMW i Andretti Motorsport drivers were able to steer clear of trouble. They were ultimately rewarded for their flaw-

Fiji's women celebrate Pacific Games rugby sevens gold.

TL Bureau, Dublin/Samoa

Australia 14-5 in a tense, but pulsating gold medal match. Fiji's men then Fiji have achieved a golden double at added to their Olympic Games and the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa, win- HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series ning the men's and women's rugby sev- titles with the Pacific Games title after a ens. One of the most anticipated events hard-fought 7-5 victory over hosts at the Games, the fans who packed into Samoa. In the men's bronze medal the Marist St. Joseph's Stadium were match, Tonga beat Cook Islands 19-10, treated to highly-competitive rugby sev- while in the women's bronze medal ens over two scintillating days of com- match Papua New Guinea beat Samoa petition. Fiji's women blazed the way 28-12. With 12 teams vying for the with an impressive victory over Rio medals, once again, the Pacific Games 2016 Olympic Games champions has demonstrated the sheer passion

and depth of competition within the Oceania region and with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games a little over a year away, excitement continues to grow ahead of rugby sevens’ showcase event. World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont tweeted: "Congratulations to Fiji's men and women on winning gold at the 2019 Pacific Games rugby sevens. Always a highlight of the Games, the tournament was hugely competitive and builds excitement on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games."

less drivers with a strong team result. The final race of the Formula E season will take place on Sunday.

Mission accomplished for Morgan as he hails ‘superhuman’ Stokes TL Bureau,The Lords England were led by a man born in Dublin but this team had so much more than the luck of the Irish. It was a multicultural team built in the image of the nation.

Led by Morgan, raised on the east coast of Ireland, inspired by Cantabrian Ben Stokes and turning to Bridgetown’s Jofra Archer in the Super Over, it was the diversity of this team that helped England to a first ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup victory. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid told Morgan that they even had Allah on their side as a country united around these men who have come from all parts to play a fearless, ambitious brand of cricket. And for Morgan, that diversity was never more evident than under the biggest pressure of a Super Over in the final of a World Cup. He said: “I spoke to Adil, he said Allah was definitely with us. I said we had the rub of the green.

“It actually epitomises our team.

Quite diverse backgrounds and cultures and guys grow up in different countries and to actually find humour in the situation we were in at times was pretty cool.”

Afanasiev in first Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe race at Zandvoort TL Bureau, Sant’Agata Bolognese/Zandvoort Bonaldi Motorsport pairing Danny Kroes and Sergei Afanasiev delivered a near-perfect performance to claim their first Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe race win of the season in the opening encounter at Zandvoort.

The #3 Huracán Evo led away from pole position with home favourite Kroes staving off an attack from the #44 Imperiale Racing car of joint championship leader Kikko Galbiati round the outside of Tarzan for the first time. Second-row starters Karol Basz (Imperiale Racing) and Niels Lagrange (Leipert Motorsport) held station in third and fourth, while Jack Bartholomew (Bonaldi Motorsport) leapfrogged the #66 Micanek Motorsport of Josef Zaruba for fifth. Kroes quickly opened up a lead of nearly two-and-a-half seconds ahead of the mandatory pit-stop window as Galbiati had to defend heavily from team-mate Basz in the first stint. Basz was all over the back of Galbiati at Hugenholtzbocht and even tapped the back of the #44 as the pair exited the corner.

11

Mercedes-Benz

TECH/AUTO

Just in time for the summer holidays:

continues as number one in the premium ZF researches to counteract motion sickness segment despite ongoing model changes

ZF is working together with neuro-technologists from Germany’s Saarland region to investigate how to detect motion sickness at an early stage TL Bureau, Friedrichshafen

TL Bureau, Stuttgart.

After the first six months of the year, Mercedes-Benz continues to be the leader among the premium car brands in a highly competitive environment worldwide, despite ongoing model changes. From January to June, 1,134,729 cars were handed over to customers by Mercedes-Benz (-4.6%). Unit sales decreased in the first half of the year primarily due to ongoing model changes for SUVs, the brand’s segment with the largest volume. In the second quarter, Mercedes-Benz sold a total of 573,856 cars (-3.5%). Sales momentum in those three months came primarily from the new compact-car models, including the new A-Class Saloon worldwide, and the new B-Class and new CLA Coupé in Europe. In June, the Stuttgart-based company with the three-pointed star sold 196,230 vehicles (3.7%). Mercedes-Benz maintained its market leadership in the premium segment in the first half of the year in markets including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Greece, South Korea, Japan, Australia and Canada.

“After a challenging first half of the year, Mercedes-Benz continues to be at the top of the premium segment. We are particularly pleased with the great popularity of the new compact models. In the third quarter, we anticipate sales momentum from the new SUVs with the star,” stated Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales. “In July, two real customer favourites will be in our showrooms: the new GLC and the GLC Coupé. The GLC, which has been the highest-volume model in our SUV portfolio for several years, comes with the latest intelligent driver assistance systems just like the GLC Coupé and is equipped with MBUX as standard.”

Summer not only brings the hottest time of year but also the start of the vacation season. For families with young children, this often means long road trips. However, these car journeys can be synonymous with dizziness, headaches, and nausea.

Children are especially prone to motion sickness. ZF is working together with neuro-technologists from Germany’s Saarland region to investigate how to detect motion sickness at an early stage. This may aid in developing smart driving features to detect symptoms early.

Thereby, ZF focuses on the comfort of occupants as a decisive factor for next generation mobility.

Just in time for the summer holidays: ZF researches to counteract motion sickness On long car journeys, few people are immune from motion sickness when seated in the back or in the front passenger seat. About a third of passengers suffer a sense of dizziness and motion sickness which makes any attempt to enjoy the ride, or to work while on the road, difficult or near to impossible.

At the start of the summer holiday season, this becomes painfully obvious to families with small children.

To help solve this problem, ZF is looking beyond a purely vehiclebased approach: “We are among the very first companies in this sector to place the occupants and their individual driving experience center stage”, states Florian Dauth, responsible for activities in the field of Human Centered Vehicle Motion Control in ZF’s Advanced Technology Development. “Our goal is to identify individual instances of motion sickness and to devise measures that relate to the prevailing condition of the passenger.” The scientific basis for this concept is derived from test candidate studies that were conducted jointly by the

Systems Neuroscience & Neurotechnology Unit (SNNU) at the Saarland University and htw saar. In these studies, the physiological reactions of test candidates were examined in a variety of driving situations.

“Our pioneering research incorporates the fields of neuro-technology, psycho-physiology, artificial intelligence and driving dynamics”, said Prof. Dr. Dr. Daniel J. Strauss, Director of the SNNU. “The respective skill sets of the partners complement one another perfectly in the context of this collaborative project.

The scientific results obtained to date have been very well received by the international specialist community.”

Bentley appoints Paul Williams as Director of Motorsport Bentley Motors is today announcing the appointment of Paul Williams as Director of Motorsport, replacing Brian Gush who will bring a 20-year Bentley career to a close on 1st August TL Bureau, Cheshire

oversaw the design and development of the all-new 6.0-litre W12 engine that Member of the Board for powers the Bentayga, Continental GT new Flying Spur, along with the Engineering, Werner Tietz, and second generation of Bentley’s 4.0comments: litre V8 engine that also powers the “Paul has been an outstanding mem- Continental GT3. His successor in that ber of our engineering team for more role will be announced in due course, than 10 years, and as our powertrain with Williams retaining his current expert he is well placed to take on responsibilities until a replacement is Bentley Motorsport – where his V8 appointed. Williams comments: engine faces its toughest tests. He has “Running Bentley’s motorsport divia passion for racing and he will take sion will be a hugely exciting new our motorsport team from strength to chapter in my career. I’ve been a dedstrength. On behalf of Bentley Motors icated follower of our race team since I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the its return to the track in 2013, and loyal and dedicated service of Brian have been watching with pride as our Gush for the last two decades, and second-generation Continental GT3 wish him a happy and relaxing retire- has racked up the victories so far this ment.” year. Succeeding Brian Gush is no Williams joined Bentley in 2008, and small task, and my first job is to mainjoins Bentley Motorsport from his cur- tain the winning momentum that he rent role as Director of Powertrain. and the team have generated this During his time in the role, Williams year. I can’t wait to get started.”

duction and developing it to both meet the latest emissions standard and deliver more than 1,000 Nm of torque.

He also led the development of the W12 engine and the chassis for the firstand second-generation Continental GT, and delivered the chassis and powertrain for Her Majesty The Queen’s Bentley State Limousine.

Bentley Motors is today announcing the appointment of Paul Williams as Director of Motorsport, replacing Brian Brian Gush leaves Bentley as only its Gush who will bring a 20-year Bentley second Director of Motorsport in histo- career to a close on 1st August. ry, with W.O. Bentley himself being the Member of the Board for first. Gush joined Bentley in 1999 as Engineering, Werner Tietz, comDirector of Chassis, Powertrain and ments: Motorsport and since then has set “Paul has been an outstanding memabout transforming Bentley’s engines ber of our engineering team for more and returning the brand to its motor- than 10 years, and as our powertrain sport heritage not once, but twice. He expert he is well placed to take on led the re-engineering of Bentley’s Bentley Motorsport – where his V8 iconic 6¾-litre V8, returning it to pro- engine faces its toughest tests. He has

a passion for racing and he will take our motorsport team from strength to strength. On behalf of Bentley Motors I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the loyal and dedicated service of Brian Gush for the last two decades, and wish him a happy and relaxing retirement.”

Williams joined Bentley in 2008, and joins Bentley Motorsport from his current role as Director of Powertrain.

During his time in the role, Williams oversaw the design and development of the all-new 6.0-litre W12 engine that powers the Bentayga, Continental GT and new Flying Spur, along with the second generation of Bentley’s 4.0-litre V8 engine that also powers the Continental GT3. His successor in that role will be announced in due course, with Williams retaining his current responsibilities until a replacement is appointed. Williams comments:

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WORLD

SRI LANKA APPRECIATES SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY EXTENDED BY THE COMMONWEALTH MEMBERSHIP IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE EASTER SUNDAY TRAGEDY TL Bureau, Colombo Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Ravinatha Aryasinha at the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha on Wednesday (10 July) conveyed Sri Lanka’s appreciation for the support and solidarity extended by the Commonwealth membership and the Secretary-General in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday tragedy, and called for greater focus in countering violent extremism within the Commonwealth. Welcoming the ‘Christchurch Call Initiative’ which reaffirms the importance of addressing threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism online and commits countries and online service providers to work together to tackle them, the Foreign Secretary commended the adoption of the Commonwealth Cyber Declaration with members’ commitment to a peaceful and secure internet.

The Foreign Secretary made these observations, when representing Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, he led the Sri Lanka delegation to the 19th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting (CFAMM) held in London last week, as the member countries celebrated the 70th anniver-

European Union on the IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty TL Bureau, Brussels

sary of the Commonwealth at Marlborough House in London. The Meeting was chaired by the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt and the Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Lord Tariq Ahmed of Wimbledon, as the Chair in office.

The opening remarks were delivered by the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral Patricia Scotland QC. Welcoming the Commonwealth’s agenda on sustainable development and the adoption of the Commonwealth Blue Charter on clean ocean governance and sustainable marine industries, he said Sri Lanka as the ‘Champion’ of the Mangrove Ecosystem Livelihood Action

FM Zarif, British Counterpart Hold Phone Talks TL Bureau, Tehran In the telephone conversation, the Iranian foreign minister highlighted the illegality of the US oil sanctions, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran will keep exporting oil under any circumstances.” In a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday evening, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt emphasized Iran’s right to export its oil, and voiced concern about the escalation of tensions in the region. Hunt also expressed hope that the outcome of legal and judicial investigations in Gibraltar would result in the immediate release of Grace 1 oil tanker which was carrying Iranian oil. In the telephone conversation, the Iranian foreign minister highlighted the illegality of the US oil sanctions, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran will keep exporting oil under any circumstances.” Dr. Zarif also touched on the legal destination of Grace 1 oil tanker in east of the Mediterranean, adding, “The European Union, which has always opposed the extraterritorial imposition of US sanctions, cannot take such measure itself, and the UK government must immediately make the necessary arrangements to end the illegal confiscation of the Iranian oil tanker.” In the phone call, Foreign Minister Zarif also pointed to the case of Nazanin Zaghari and other dual nationals who have been arrested in Iran on security charges, and told his British counterpart, “The arrest and trial of these individuals have been in accordance with completely legal processes, and the UK government is expected to respect the enforcement of law and the independence of the Judiciary in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Group under the Commonwealth Blue Charter, looked forward to hosting the first Mangrove Action Group meeting in Sri Lanka later this year.

He reiterated Sri Lanka’s commitment to sustainable development through its Blue-Green Development Strategy 2016 and said Sri Lanka was dedicating a forest area in the Trincomalee District in honour of The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QCC) Initiative, where the project aims to restore the area into a natural forest cover. Foreign Secretary Aryasinha in his remarks also reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to the Commonwealth and its principles, and as a founder member of the Commonwealth,welcomed the adoption of the 70th Anniversary Affirmation by the membership.

nuclear and conventional warheads were removed from European soil and verifiThe European Union calls on all States to ably destroyed, constituting a tangible uphold the integrity of the rules-based contribution by the two nuclear weapon international system with effective multi- States with the largest arsenals to the lateralism as a key principle. This is indis- implementation of their disarmament pensable for maintaining international related obligations under the Nuclear peace and security. We areconcerned Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). that the international disarmament and We are deeply concerned over developnon-proliferation regime is under great ments with regard to the INF Treaty, strain. Bearing in mind the severe and which could end on 2 August 2019. We increasingly volatile security environ- regret the formalisation of Russia’s susment, we stress the need to preserve and pension of its obligations under the INF further advance general arms control, Treaty on 3 July 2019. We strongly urge disarmament and non-proliferation the Russian Federation to effectively processes and call for further progress address the serious concerns repeatedly on all aspects of disarmament and non- expressed about the development, flight proliferation to enhance global security. testing and deployment of its groundThe viability and effectiveness of arms based missile system 9M729 and the control, disarmament and non-prolifera- serious concerns this has raised about tion agreements require that those agree- non-compliance with the INF Treaty. In ments be fully complied with and that regard, substantial and transparent enforced. In this context, we highlight the actions must be taken immediately to importance of the Intermediate-Range ensure full and verifiable compliance with Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty which has the INF Treaty provisions. The upcoming made a significant contribution to days represent the last opportunity for European security and broader interna- dialogue and taking the necessary meastional security over the past 30 years. ures to preserve this important compoAlmost three thousand missiles with nent of European security architecture.

Unprecedented wildfires in the Arctic TL Bureau, Geneva Unusually hot and dry conditions in parts of the northern hemisphere have been conducive to fires raging from the Mediterranean to – in particular – the Arctic. Climate change, with rising temperatures and shifts in precipitation patterns, is amplifying the risk of wildfires and prolonging the season.

WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch Programme has released a short animation which highlights the risks and explains how advances in satellite technology make it possible to detect and monitor fire dangers. Improving forecasting systems is important for predictions and warnings around fire danger and related air pollution hazards. In addition to the direct threat from burning, wildfires also release harmful pollutants including particulate matter and toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and non-methane organic compounds into the atmosphere.

Particles and gases from burning biomass can be carried over long distances, affecting air quality in regions

far away.

Heatwaves fuel fires Since the start of June, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) has tracked over 100 intense and long-lived wildfires in the Arctic Circle. In June alone, these fires emitted 50 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is equivalent to Sweden’s total annual emissions. This is more than was released by Arctic fires in the same month between 2010 and 2018 combined. Although wildfires are common in the northern hemisphere between May and October, the lati-

tude and intensity of these fires, as well as the length of time that they have been burning for, has been particularly unusual, according to CAMS Senior Scientist and wildfires expert, Mark Parrington. The ongoing Arctic fires have been most severe in Alaska and Siberia, where some have been large enough to cover almost 100 000 football pitches, or the whole of Lanzarote. In Alberta, Canada, one fire is estimated to have been bigger than 300 000 pitches. In Alaska alone, CAMS has registered almost 400 wildfires this year, with new ones igniting every day.