The Life News Singapore. June 16, 2019

Bilateral meeting of MexicoHonduras on Migration flow.

TL Bureau, Mexico City

SINGAPORE Vol. 01 Issue 04 June 16, 2019

A bilateral meeting was held in Mexico City between the Under Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Maximiliano Reyes Zúñiga, and the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Honduras, Ambassador Nelly Jerez Caballero, in order to address topics on the bilateral and regional agenda on migration and development, under the principle of shared responsibility.

Undersecretary Jerez reiterated the commitment in the implementation of the Integral Development Plan (PDI), for which the Honduran government will hold an event in the near future with

diplomatic representations and international organizations accredited in the country, to present the priorities and actions that it will promote as part of the Plan and the vision for the future.

For his part, Undersecretary Reyes explained the measures that will be implemented through the commission established by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for the attention of migratory flows in the southern and northern borders of Mexico, manifesting the unrestricted commitment of Mexico to the full respect for the human rights of migrants, as well as working to achieve greater development in the region and safe, orderly and regular migration.

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Conflict calmly down by putting bill on Hold, Hong Kong

TL Bureau, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam declared on Saturday that an argumentative proposition to enable removals to territory China has been inconclusively put on hold — not pulled back — but rather said there was no course of events for recovery and it was probably not going to be passed at any point in the near future.

Refering to what she called "captivated suppositions" and the need to counteract any more wounds in ongoing conflicts during enormous scale showings that shook the city, Lam said that that additional the week when she had rehashed inward consultations time was fundamental, turning pledged to proceed in spite of in the course of the most around course from prior in developing restriction. "After recent two days, I presently

report that the legislature has chosen to suspend the administrative revision work out, restart our correspondence with all divisions of society, accomplish more clarification work and tune in to various

perspectives on society," she said at a question and answer session. The turnaround came after mass challenges and road conflicts in the Asian money related center point over the previous week.

She included that she has no designs to venture down.

China's administration said on Saturday it bolstered the choice of Hong Kong's pioneer to suspend a disagreeable bill that would enable removals to China and which started seven days of dissents. Chinese outside service representative Geng Shuang considered the choice an endeavor to "listen all the more broadly to the perspectives on the network and reestablish quiet to the network at the earliest opportunity". The professional majority rule government camp has asked Chief Executive Carrie Lam to withdraw the removal charge, demanding that she ought to leave.

Iran Dismisses Pompeos Baseless Secretary-General of Arab League to Visit Sudan Accusations again Iranian.

Secretary-General of the Arab TL Bureau, Cairo

TL Bureau, Tehran

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for ensuring the Foreign Ministry of Iranian security of the Strait of Hormuz, Spokesman Seyyed Abbas and we showed this by rushing Mousavi has rejected US to save the sailors of the inciSecretary of State Mike dent-hit vessels in the shortest Pompeo"s anti-Iran accusations, time possible," Mousavi said saying the suspicious nature of Friday. "Pinning the blame on the recent attacks on two oil Iran for the suspicious and tankers in the Sea of Oman is not regrettable incident for the oil funny or ridiculous but alarming. tankers seems to be the easiest

and most simplistic thing Mr Pompeo and other US statesmen could do," he noted.

"While the Japanese prime minister is meeting with Iran"s top leader to discuss ways to ease regional tensions, which clandestine hands have been at work to undermine such efforts and who benefits from that?" the spokesman asked.

Secretary-General of Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit will visit Sudan tomorrow, during which he will meet with the President of the Transitional Military Council, General Abdul Fattah Barhan, and a number of representatives of political forces and movements in Sudan.

The Spokesman for the

League, Ambassador Mahmoud Afifi said in a statement that the visit comes within the framework of Aboul Gheit's interest in following up developments in the situation in the Republic of Sudan and in keeping with the Arab League's keenness to achieve full security and stability in the various member states of the Arab League.

OCLC :1101190095

2

T

here is no mankind around the globe. Everybody is attempting to deliver retribution in vain. As The Abha International Airport assault was a ballistic rocket assault done by the Yemen-put together Houthi rebels which happened with respect to 12 June 2019 at 12.21 AM (BST). The assault focused on the entry lobby of Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

The entire world responded on this assault on humankind and every single significant nation including UAE, United States, UK, India, Australia, Jordan, Germany, France, South Korea, Malaysia, China, Kuwait, Mauritania and numerous others yet additionally world associations like the UN, OIC and Arab associations and so forth likewise denounced the assault. Houthi powers in Yemen assaulted a Saudi non military personnel air terminal on June 12, 2019, infringing upon the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said today. Leaders who request purposeful or unpredictable assaults on non military personnel items are in charge of war violations. Houthi-adjusted media detailed that a "winged journey rocket" struck Abha Regional Airport in southern Saudi Arabia at 2:21 a.m.

The Saudi-drove alliance reported in the official Saudi Press Agency on June 12 that an unidentified weapon had struck the Abha airplane terminal entries lobby and harmed 26 individuals. Eight were taken to the emergency clinic with "medium" wounds and 18 others were treated at the scene. The Saudi Press Agency explanation likewise conveyed photographs appearing at the airplane terminal.

"The Houthis ought to quickly stop all assaults on non military personnel framework in Saudi Arabia," said Michael Page, delegate Middle East executive at Human Rights Watch.

"Unlawful Saudi-drove alliance airstrikes in Yemen never legitimize Houthi assaults on Saudi regular folks." Houthiadjusted media expressed that the Houthis propelled a voyage rocket at the airplane terminal control tower, recommending the assault was conscious. A Houthi representative included that the Abha airplane terminal strike pursued other ongoing strikes on close-by King Khalid Airbase and Jizan air terminal.

Saudi sources have not affirmed these assaults. Abha Regional Airport is a regular citizen airplane terminal 110 kilometers from the Saudi outskirts with Yemen and 15 kilometers west of King Khalid Air Base, one of Saudi Arabia's biggest military air bases. Air terminal specialists declared on Twitter at 1:06 p.m. that airplane terminal tasks had continued as would be expected.

The assault on the Abha air terminal is the most recent unpredictable Houthi assault on Saudi Arabia since the start of

EDITORIAL

Assault on Saudi Airport Apparent War Crime by Houthis Strike on Civilian Infrastructure

the war between the Saudi-drove alliance and the Houthis in Yemen.

Houthi powers have over and over propelled rockets and rockets toward populated regions in Saudi Arabia. The greater part of these assaults included ballistic rockets that were captured by Saudi air guards. Past assaults brought about passings and wounds from falling garbage, including the demise of an Egyptian man and wounds to two other men in Riyadh on March 25, 2018, the demise of a Saudi man in Saudi Arabia's southern Jizan Province on April 28, 2018, and the passing of a Saudi man and wounds to 11 others in Jizan Province on August 8, 2018.

Houthi specialists have more than once shown that they believe non military personnel air terminals to be legitimate targets and have reported air terminal assaults to the media. Houthi-adjusted media recently announced that Houthi powers assaulted Abu Dhabi International Airport in July 2018 and Dubai International Airport in August and September 2018 utilizing rambles, yet United Arab Emirates experts denied these cases.

On June 9, a Houthi representative tweeted that alliance airplane terminals would be focused in light of the proceeded with alliance conclusion of Sanaa's global air terminal. Following the June 12 assault, a Houthi representative

cautioned "regular people and organizations" in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to avoid all airplane terminals, notwithstanding military areas.

In November 2017, the alliance hindered all Yemeni land, air, and ocean ports in light of a Houthi ballistic rocket assault

on Riyadh's worldwide air terminal. The alliance facilitated a few limitations in late 2017 however has kept on hindering guide and business imports from coming to Houthi-controlled ports. It has kept Sanaa International Airport, Yemen's fundamental air terminal, shut since August 2016, compounding the nation's helpful disaster. Since March 2015, the alliance has directed scores of aimless and unbalanced airstrikes, slaughtering a huge number of regular citizens and hitting non military personnel protests infringing upon the laws of war. Houthi powers have utilized restricted people killing landmines, enlisted kids, and terminated cannons aimlessly into urban communities, for example, Taizz and Aden, executing and injuring regular folks.

Under the laws of war, assaults against regular folks or assaults that can't recognize regular citizens and military targets are precluded. People who carry out genuine infringement of the laws of war with criminal goal – that is, purposefully or carelessly – might be indicted for atrocities. People may likewise be held criminally at risk for helping with, encouraging, supporting, or abetting an atrocity.

"The passings and enduring of Yemeni regular folks on account of the Saudi and UAE-drove alliance give positively no reason to Houthi powers to submit unlawful assaults on Saudi regular people," Page said.

So let us see what exactly happen in future whether Houthi will gonna win over their supremacy or Saudi and other affected communities will gonna fix them in anyway.

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3

WORLD

Meeting of SCO leaders

Vladimir Putin attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit TL Bureau, Bishkek Participants in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Before a restricted format meeting.

Participants in the summit are discussing the current state and prospects for the further deepening of interaction within the SCO in such areas as security, counteracting extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as the development of the economy, industry and cultural cooperation. In addition, the SCO leaders are discussing ways to settle the conflicts in Afghanistan and Syria, as well as the developments around Iran’s nuclear programme.

Before a restricted format meeting, which is traditionally held behind closed doors, the leaders of the SCO member states (China, India,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) took part in a joint photo session.

Later, the meeting continued in the expanded format with participation of heads of delegations from observer countries (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia), as well as the leaders of several international organisations, including the UN

Secretary-General, Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, CSTO Acting Secretary General, and Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission Board.

In particular, the SCO Heads of State Council adopted decisions on the implementation of the SCO Anti-Drug Strategy for 2018–2023, the interregional cooperation of the SCO member states and the Regulations

of the SCO Heads of Regions Forum, as well as cooperation in digitalisation, information and communications technology, and environmental protection. The SCO leaders adopted decisions to sign memorandums of understanding between the SCO Secretariat and international organisations, such as the UN Office for the Coordination of

Mopti: Over 50,000 individuals dislodged in the midst of between public brutality TL Bureau, Sobane

Directorate for Social Development (DRDS). This The savage assault on Sunday number goes ahead top of the (09/06) in the town of Sobane just about 50,000 IDPs, of in focal Mali, which killed 35 which 58 percent are kids, townspeople – and 60 are as officially enrolled in the urban yet absent – keeps on uproot- communities of Mopti, Sévaré ing individuals to Mopti, one and Fotama, in focal Mali, of the biggest towns in focal since January 2019.

Mali. Four days after the These IDPs have all fled assault, in excess of 100 inside between common savagery to dislodged people (IDPs) from look for haven from host popSobane had just been enrolled ulaces, which are attempting by officers of Mopti's Regional to meet the IDPs' fundamen-

Switzerland and Ireland sign protocol of amendment to double taxation agreement TL Bureau, Bern In Dublin, Switzerland and Ireland signed a protocol of amendment to the agreement for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and capital (DTA).

The protocol implements the minimum standards for double taxation agreements.

Moreover, an arbitration clause will be included in the DTA.

tal needs. "One night, while I was in Bamako, my oldest child called to advise me about the landing in home of families saying that their towns had been assaulted, scoured and wore out and that they had abandoned everything to look for shelter in," Hawa clarifies.

Hawa, an educator and mother of three, has protected in her home in Mopti, in focal Mali, 172 IDPs who have fled

intercommunal clashes in March 2019. "We are needing sustenance, water, tents since individuals continue coming," she includes. The 711 IDPs officially enrolled since March 2019 on the site of Soukoura, the IDP camp kept running by the Government of Mali, in Mopti area, and the IDPs living in improvised camps, (for example, that of Hawa's family) have effectively gotten quick help.

UK and EU law enforcement boost co-operation on DNA databases Prüm framework will assist law enforcement agencies in Britain and the EU to identify criminals and crack cold cases. taken from crime scenes can now be compared automatically with Law enforcement agencies in the profiles held by other EU memUK and across the EU will be able ber states. to search for matching samples Improving the speed and effion each other’s DNA databases, ciency of data exchanges boosting their capacity to tackle between EU member states will cross-border crime and protect increase cross-border police citizens. The UK’s implementa- cooperation, particularly in comtion of Prüm will facilitate better bating terrorism, crime and illeco-operation between police gal migration. forces and law enforcement This also has the potential to agencies. Unknown DNA samples help UK and EU police forces to

TL Bureau, London

identify suspects in cold cases.

Minister for Policing and the Fire Service Nick Hurd said: Connecting to the Prüm DNA framework will help our police forces to quickly identify foreign criminals and bring them to justice. We are committed to working closely with our EU partners on security co-operation, and to providing law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to protect our citizens.

Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). A decision was also made to sign the Roadmap for Further Action of the SCOAfghanistan Contact Group.

Ratas: cooperation with our close friend Finland is increasingly important in this ever-changing world TL Bureau Stenbock House At today’s meeting Prime Minister Jüri Ratas and Antti Rinne, Prime Minister of Finland, discussed cooperation between the two countries, important projects in the Baltic Sea region, and the Finnish Presidency in the Council of the European Union, which will begin in July. “We saw once again that Estonia and Finland are very close. I am glad that we agree with Finland on all the major issues, because global challenges, such as the climate change and sustaining economic growth, can only be faced if we stand together.

Prime Minister of Bulgaria Meets with UAE Foreign Minister TL Bureau, Sofia

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov met here today with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

During the meeting, they discussed relations between the UAE and Bulgaria, ways to strengthen them, develop aspects of joint cooperation between the two countries in various fields and a number of regional and international issues of common interest.

4 Britain blames Iran for attacks on tankers in Gulf of Oman TL Bureau, London Britain blamed Iran and its Revolutionary Guard Corps on Friday for attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying no other state or non-state actor could have been responsible, Reuters reported.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned the attacks, said they had violated international norms, and called on Iran to stop all forms of destabilising activity.

"These latest attacks build on a pattern of destabilising Iranian behaviour and pose a serious danger to the region," he said in a statement

WO R L D

Movement to attract female followers

TL Bureau, The Hague

IS is not the first jihadi movement to attract female followers. Many of its predecessors — including al-Qaeda — also had their share of female supporters. Yet the meteoric rise of IS appears to have brought about a leap in the nature and extent of women’s roles within jihadi groups. Alternatively, one could suggest that the increased assimilation of women into the organisation in itself contributed to IS’s swift ascent. What is certain is that women have become indispensable to IS, both in conflict areas and in the West (including in the European Union). They play their role in the organisation’s state-building enterprise,

The Prime Minister Theresa May has today announced that the UK will eradicate its net contribution to climate change by 2050. This will amend the Climate Change Act 2008.

TL Bureau, London/Beijing The ambitious new target, is based on advice from the UK’s independent experts: the Committee on Climate Change. The UK already leads the world in tackling climate change, and Government commissioned this advice in October having recognised the need to go even further to limit its effects.

In its report, the Committee on Climate Change forecast significant benefits to public health and savings to the NHS from better air quality and less noise pollution, as well as improved biodiversity.

This legislation will mean that the UK is on track to become the first G7 country to legislate for net zero emissions, with other major economies expected to follow suit. But it is imperative that other major economies follow suit. For that reason, the UK will conduct a further assessment within 5 years to confirm that other countries are taking similarly ambitious action, multiplying the effect of the UK’s lead and ensuring that our industries do not face unfair competition.

US Confirms that Iran has Carried out Attacks on Two Oil Tankers in Gulf of Oman, US Secretary of State reports TL Bureau, UN Hq

are frequent and this is the latest in a series of attacks, includUS Secretary of State Mike ing targeting a pipeline in the Pompeo said today that "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United States is absolutely con- targeting Abha International fident that only Iran is capable Airport two days ago. of carrying out attacks similar Iran wants to lift the maxito those that took place today mum sanctions on it, but against two oil tankers in the there is no justification for tarGulf and that the US assess- geting international shipping ment of available military and lines, US Secretary of State intelligence information con- said, pointing to his prompt instructions to the Chargé firm this".

In press remarks to reporters at d'Affaires of the United States the State Department, Pompeo Mission at the United Nations said the continuing threats by to discuss the consequences Iran and its arms in the region of this incident immediately and its targeting the US inter- with members of the UN ests and US allies in the region Security Council

produce and disseminate propaganda and have seemingly been granted more proactive roles on the ‘battlefield’. The worry is that this increase in the involvement of women could pave the way for potentially major changes in the role of jihadi women in the future.

The report aims to shed light on how IS — a group that espouses a patriarchal authority par excellence — could appeal to women. In so doing, the research will explore the doctrinal dialectics put forward by IS regarding women and the role(s) they are expected to play in jihad. It will also focus on how the organisation uses Islamic jurisprudence to mould the role of women within jihad.

Switzerland to strengthen its presence in the House of Switzerland at the WEF in Davos TL Bureau, Bern

At its meeting of 14 June 2019, the Federal Council decided to institutionalise the current House of Switzerland (HoS) at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Under the aegis of Presence Switzerland, the HoS will be established in the home stadium of Hockey Club Davos to serve as a communication and networking platform for the official Swiss delegation to the WEF.

Welcoming Democratic Change in Moldova TL Bureau, Washington DC The United States welcomes the Democratic Party’s announcement that it is withdrawing from government in favor of Prime Minister Maia Sandu and the coalition formed by the democraticallyelected parliament.

We are encouraged that both the new coalition and the former government have committed to a peaceful transfer of power reflecting the will of the people of Moldova. We call for restraint during this time of transition.

The United States will continue to monitor developments in Moldova closely and remains committed to working with all Moldovans as they build a more prosperous and democratic future.

EU Affairs discussed several themes of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU TL Bureau, Helsinki

includes the name of the organisations and topics to be disOn Friday 14 June, the Ministerial cussed. During the Presidency Committee on European Union Finland will act in a way that is Affairs discussed several issues that open and transparent, and will are among the priorities of also make serious efforts to proFinland’s Presidency of the Council mote transparency in the EU in of the EU, starting in July. These various respects. include transparency, openness Finland will also focus on and the rule of law. strengthening respect for the The Ministerial Committee rule of law and common valdecided that during Finland’s ues of the Union. The rule of Presidency information on min- law is one of the corneristers’ meetings with lobbying stones of the activities of the organisations concerning EU EU, and it is closely linked to affairs will be published on the democracy and the realisaPresidency website (EU2019.FI). tion of fundamental and The information to be published human rights.

Finland in the meeting of the energy and environment ministers at the G20 Summit in Japan on 15 & 16 June TL Bureau, Helsinki After Japan’s invitation Finland to participating in the meeting of energy and environment ministers, which is part of the programme of Japan’s presidency of the G 20 Summit. The Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth is in Karuizawa on 15 & 16 June 2019. Finland is one of the socalled outreach countries invited to the meeting. The themes of the meeting are the global energy transition, climate and

sustainable growth, prevention of ocean plastic pollution, and resource efficiency.

Finland’s representatives at the meetings are permanent secretaries Jari Gustafsson from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and Hannele Pokka from the Ministry of the Environment. The meeting consists of a joint session and separate meetings of the energy and environment ministers.

The objective of the energy ministers’ meeting is to emphasise the importance of the interaction between eco-

nomic growth, environmental affairs, energy security and emissions reduction. Another objective is to strengthen the role of the G20 countries in the energy transitions and to promote innovations in the energy sector. The meeting particularly welcomes Finland’s contribution in questions related to the final disposal of nuclear waste, since Finland is a global forerunner in this area.

Finland will also emphasise various means of progressing to a flexible and clean energy system.

5

SINGAPORE

SM Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s visit to London, United Kingdom TL Bureau, Singapore Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, visited London, United Kingdom.

Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, was in London, the United Kingdom (UK), from 9 to 13 June 2019.

Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung and Senior Parliamentary Secretary (SPS) for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry Dr Tan Wu Meng visited London in the same week. The visit reaffirmed the strong and multi-faceted relationship between Singapore and the UK, and kept up the momentum of our ties following the launch of the Singapore-UK Partnership for the Future (P4F) in January 2019. During the visit, several bilateral agreements

were signed in addition to the announcement of several key developments in bilateral cooperation. These were: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Digital Government Services – The Government Technology Agency of Singapore and the Government Digital Service of UK will share knowledge and best practices in the design and delivery of digital government public services, and the adoption of open standards for government information, data, and software.

MOU for Cooperation in the Enforcement of Laws Protecting Personal Data – Under the MOU, Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission and the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office will engage in various

MAS To Issue More Bicentennial $20 Commemorative Notes TL Bureau, Singapore

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced today that it will issue an additional two million pieces of the Singapore Bicentennial $20 commemorative note and folder to

meet strong public interest. All two million pieces of the initial issuance of notes were exchanged at the banks within a week of the launch. The additional issuance of $20 commemorative notes is expected to be available around October to November.

activities such as cross-sharing of experiences and joint research projects on regulatory approaches.

MOU on financial cooperation – The MOU between the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the City of London Corporation covers key areas of financial cooperation such as skills, data, and green finance.

Partnership arrangement for collaboration on Green Finance – MAS and the City of London’s Green Finance Initiative will explore areas to further promote green investment opportunities.

Declaration of intent on skills collaboration – The Declaration between Singapore’s Institute of Banking and Finance and the UK’s Chartered Body Alliance covers skills collaboration for professionals in the banking,

finance, and insurance sectors.

Intellectual Property (IP) Insurance Initiative – This partnership between the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore and Antares introduces specialised and innovative IP insurance products from June 2019.

Frequent Traveller Programme (FTP) for UK passport holders – The Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority launched the FTP to UK passport holders on 13 June 2019. New Partnership under the EUREKA GlobalStars Programme –This partnership between Enterprise Singapore, the UK, and the Netherlands aims to strengthen collaboration in business and innovation between enterprises from Singapore and EUREKA’s participating countries.

Singapore Denounces Terrorist Attack on Abha Airport TL Bureau, Singapore Singapore denounced the terrorist attack by Houthi militias that targeted Abha International Airport, resulting in casualties among civilians, in addition to jeopardizing civil aviation safety.

In a statement announced here today by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country blasted attacking commercial ships, in the Gulf of Oman, too, reiterating importance of keeping maritime navigation communications lines, open, free and safe, in accordance with the international law. Singapore is deeply concerned over escalating tensions, in the Middle East, and urges all parties to keep constraint, to evade further escalation, the statement concluded

Silent Breach Establishes Security Operating Center (SOC) in Singapore

market, in particular from Hong Kong and Singapore. Notably, this Silent Breach today announced expansion coincides with Silent that it has established a Security Breach’s move to expand operaOperating Center (SOC) at their tions in the managed cybersecuriSingapore headquarters in SUN- ty services sector, including TEC Towers.

Continuous Monitoring, Pro“Silent Breach is very excited to Active Threat Detection, Intrusion offer 24/7/365 cybersecurity mon- Response, Access Management, TL Bureau, Singapore itoring to our APAC clients,” said among others.

Marc Castejon, CEO of Silent “With the high demands and The Police are appealing for inforBreach. “We believe that cyberse- costs of a rigorous in-house IT mation on the whereabouts of 14curity is a holistic commitment team, our customers need a year-old Chan Xing Hon Nidipon that requires around-the-clock cybersecurity solution which is who was last seen at Block 47 vigilance, and this new SOC will both cost efficient and incredibly Bendemeer Road on 7 June 2019 at enable us to continue to grow our responsive,” said Jin Diong, about 8.30 am. Anyone with inforactivities in the region while Managing Director APAC. “For mation is requested to call the maintaining industry-leading many, Silent Breach’s comprehenPolice Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or standards and services.” sive suite of Managed submit information online at The SOC was created to handle Cybersecurity Services is the perwww.police.gov.sg/iWitness. All information will be kept increased demand from the APAC fect fit. With our new Singaporestrictly confidential.

TL Bureau, Singapore

Appeal For Information – Chan Xing Hon Nidipon

based SOC, our clients can maintain the highest levels of security and responsiveness at a fraction of the price.” Further information about the Security Operating Center and its activities, can be found at: https://silentbreach.com/Manag ed-security-services.php.

About Silent Breach: Silent Breach is an award-winning provider of cyber security services for Fortune 500 companies. Our global team provides cutting-edge insights and expertise across the Data Center, Enterprise, SME, Retail, Government, Finance, Education, Automotive, Hospitality, Healthcare and Internet of Things (IoT) industries.

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SIA Cargo Broadens Range Of Solutions For Pharmaceutical Cargo perature-controlled pharmaceutical cargo with speed and Singapore Airlines (SIA) Cargo reliability. The launch coincidhas broadened its range of ed with the introduction of a transportation solutions for ‘quality corridor’ along the pharmaceutical cargo by Z u r i c h - S i n g a p o re - Syd n e y expanding its network of route, with strict end-to-end THRUCOOL quality corridors temperature control for the and signing a lease agreement handling and transportation of with Skycell, a leading temper- temperature-sensitive goods. ature-controlled container By complying with standards solutions provider. adopted from the IATA CEIV SIA Cargo launched THRUCOOL Pharma1 programme, the in September 2018 as a cold quality corridor addresses the chain service to transport high- industry’s need for safety, care value, time-sensitive and tem- and efficiency in the trans-

TL Bureau, Singapore

portation of pharmaceutical products.From 13 June 2019, SIA Cargo will add Amsterdam and Ho Chi Minh City to its quality corridor network. With these additions, customers will have the option of using THRUCOOL to transport pharmaceutical products from Amsterdam or Zurich to Ho Chi Minh City or Sydney via Singapore, with assurance of maximum attention to product integrity at each step of the journey.

Looking ahead, SIA Cargo will continue to collaborate with

industry partners to expand its quality corridor network across key trade lanes, with several more locations planned for inclusion in the network in the coming months. As a further demonstration of its commitment to quality pharmaceutical transportation, SIA Cargo signed a three-year agreement with SkyCell for the leasing of specialised temperature-controlled containers, effective 1 May 2019. The Swiss-made containers are designed to maintain pharmaceutical prod-

ucts between two to eight degrees Celsius or 15 to 25 degrees Celsius, even under extreme ambient temperatures. Cutting-edge patented insulation helps to reflect radiation and minimise heat conduction, while cooling technology that stores five times more energy than traditional methods ensures that each container is kept at a steady temperature. The containers are all equipped with IoT sensors which connect to a data cloud for quality monitoring.

6

MALAYSIA & NEARBY

Through its UN Security Council Presidency, Indonesia Once Again Carved its Legacy for International Peace TL Bureau, Jakarta A whole month has passed since Indonesia commenced its role as President of the UN Security Council (UNSC). Throughout the month, Indonesia has marked many deliverables that contribute to international peace. Such responsibility is in-line with the mandate of the 1945 Constitution to participate in a world order based on freedom, lasting peace and social justice.

The essence of Indonesia's intellectual leadership during its Presidency is best captured through its main-theme, “Investing in Peace". Through a number of signature events that Indonesia held and chaired throughout May 2019, Indonesia has made clear its perspective that peace is multidimentional in nature and must be worked on comprehensively.

For Indonesia, the concept of peace goes beyond the absence of war. Economic development, community engagement, the protection of human rights and democracy should also be part of the picture. “Peace is not some-

thing we can take for granted.

Peace is something we have to strive for, build, cultivate and nurture." stressed Minister Retno Marsudi at the opening of the Photo Exhibition themed “Investing in Peace" at the UN Headquarters in New York, early May, that also marked the commencement of the Indonesian Presidency. In line with that spirit, Minister Marsudi has presided over the UN Security Council

Thailand elected to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the term 2020-2022 TL Bureau, Bangkok Thailand has been elected as a member of the ECOSOC for the term 2020-2022 at UN Headquarters in New York on 14 June 2019. Thailand is among the four countries from the Asia-Pacific group elected to the ECOSOC this time. The three other countries elected for the same term are China, Bangladesh, and South Korea. Thailand received 186 votes, ranking the first among other candidates in the Asia-Pacific group. H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs also attended the current ECOSOC elections. Thailand has not served in the ECOSOC for 12 years, the last session being during 2005-2007. Our candidature to the ECOSOC, therefore, reflects the strong commitment of the Royal Thai Government to drive forward the Sustainable Development Agenda both domestically and internationally.

ECOSOC is one of the six

principal organs of the United Nations (UN) which performs as the UN’s key platform for policy review and recommendations on economic, social, and environmental issues to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Having been elected as one of 54 ECOSOC members provides a great opportunity for Thailand to work with other countries to promote an inclusive ECOSOC to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that leaves no one behind.

Through ECOSOC, Thailand can participate in the formulation of development policy and can also share its best practices on sustainable development, particularly the achievement of SDGs through the implementation of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) and the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), as well as the maximization of the contributions of the UN Development System (UNDS).

Open Debate entitled Investing in Peace: Improving Safety and Performance of UN Peacekeeping on 7 May 2019. The Meeting was attended by the UN SecretaryGeneral, Antonio Guterres, and 60 UN member States, and produced a Presidential Statement, the first outcome document of the UNSC that addresses the aspect of training and capacity building of UN Peacekeeping Operations.

Minister Marsudi also chaired another Open Debate, namely, on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflicts, on 23 May 2019.

The Meeting reflects Indonesia's strong commitment in promoting human rights and international humanitarian law at the global level. The 2019 Meeting also commemorated the 20 anniversary of the Protection of Civilians agenda at the UN Security Council, and the 70th anniversary

of the Geneva Convention on international humanitarian law.

Equally important, during its Presidency, Indonesia has showcased its genuine commitment to support the plight of the Palestinian people. Indonesia strives to ensure that the Palestinian issue remains a focus of the UN Security Council, and advances humanitarian and legal perspective in the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Police are investigating a Police open fire case in Yuen Long TL Bureau, Hong Kong

attempted to intercept the private car, the car suddenly rushed forAt about 1.10am, officers of ward and attempted to ram into a Traffic New Territories North con- male police officer. The police offiducted a traffic enforcement cer gave verbal warnings to the operation at a public transport male driver inside the car but in interchange inside a shopping vain, and subsequently fired two centre on Long Yat Road, where a shots at the driver. However, the private car was spotted breaching car did not stop and fled towards traffic regulations by allowing a San Tin direction. After investigafemale passenger to alight at dou- tion, the 18-year-old female pasble yellow line. When officers senger was arrested in suspected

connection with the case. Officers later located a private car on Yuen Long Highway near Yuen Long Tung Shing Lei Road in suspected connection with the case. The male driver is wanted by Police.

During the investigation, the 28year-old female car owner was arrested for being wanted for two traffic related offenses. The two arrestees are being detained for further enquiries.

The 4th Joint Cooperation Council (JCC) Meeting on Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) and China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park (CMQIP) TL Bureau, Kuala Lumpur

YB Dr. Ong Kian Ming, Deputy Minister of International Trade The 4th Joint Cooperation and Industry Malaysia and YAB Council (JCC) Meeting on the Dato’ Sri Haji Wan Rosdy bin Malaysia-China Kuantan Wan Ismail, Chief Minister of the Industrial Park (MCKIP) and the Pahang State Government, repChina-Malaysia Qinzhou resenting Malaysia. While H.E. Li Industrial Park (CMQIP) was held Chenggang, Assistant Minister of successfully in Kuala Lumpur, Commerce and H.E. Fei Zhirong, Malaysia on Friday, 14 June Vice Governor of Guangxi 2019.

Zhuang Autonomous Region rep(Note: Collectively, the two parks resented the People’s Republic of are referred to as “Twin Parks”) China The meeting was co-chaired by The JCC meeting continues to

serve as the primary platform to monitor the joint- development of the Twin Parks — a flagship project under the ambit of bilateral economic, investment and trade cooperation between Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China.

The 4th JCC meeting acknowledged the progress made by the Twin Parks and deliberated on the constructive proposals to enhance their joint-development.

7

BUSINESS

IMF Extended Credit Facility Arrangement and Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility for Côte d’Ivoire and Approves US$133.9 Million Disbursement TL Bureau, Washington D.C. The country’s economic outlook remains strong, with growth projected at about 7½ percent in 2019. The budget deficit is projected to converge to the WAEMU regional norm of 3 percent of GDP in 2019.

The program aims to foster inclusive growth and poverty reduction, support fiscal discipline, enhance domestic rev-

enue mobilization, ensure debt sustainability, and achieve a sustainable balance of payments position.

On June 14, 2019, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the fifth reviews under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) [1] arrangement and the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) [2] for Côte d’Ivoire. Completion

of the reviews enables the immediate disbursement of SDR 96.786 million (about US$133.9 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangements to SDR 553.6 million (about US$765.8 million).

The three-year ECF/EFF arrangements with a total access of SDR 650.4 million (about US$889.7 million or 100 percent of Côte d’Ivoire’s quota) were approved by the IMF

Executive Board on December 12, 2016. Following the Executive Board discussion, Mr. Furusawa, Acting Chair and Deputy Managing Director, made the following statement: “Côte d’Ivoire is implementing a program of macroeconomic policies and structural reforms to sustain strong growth, ensure macroeconomic stability, reduce poverty and promote inclusiveness. The performance

under this IMF-supported program has been commendable, with all performance criteria and all but one indicative target met at end-December 2018.

Five out of six structural benchmarks were also met. The medium-term growth outlook is expected to remain robust, predicated on sound policies to lock in macroeconomic stability and improve the business environment.

US industrial production rose Belarus to Improve Quality and Efficiency of in May, but factories struggle Critical Utility Services, with World Bank Support TL Bureau, Washington D.C.

down 1.5% since the end of 2018, an indication of the potenU.S. industrial production tial damage from the import improved in May, but manufac- taxes the Trump administration turers showed weakness despite has placed on China. During the first quarter of this year, motor eking out a slight gain.

The Federal Reserve says indus- vehicle production plunged trial output, which includes fac- 14.9%. Furniture output fell tories, utilities and mines, rose 5.8%. Clothing production has 0.4% in May, after tumbling 0.4% dropped 22.6%.

Production at the nation's utiliin April, AP reported.

Manufacturing output increased ties rose 2.1%. Production at just 0.2% last month, not enough mines, a sector that also covers to overcome declines in prior oil and gas drilling, advanced a months. Factory production is modest 0.1%

Young Australians lack confidence in STEM skills TL Bureau, Sydney More than half (51%) of Australia’s Generation Z1 don’t think they are capable of a career in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths (STEM), with young females less confident about a career in STEM (48%) compared to their male peers (54%), according to the Westpac STEM Careers and Perceptions Report2.

The report was launched to coincide with Westpac’s partnership with Vogue Australia to present Vogue Codes, a series of events designed to inspire and empower women to pursue careers in the traditionally male-dominated tech industry.

The research highlights a lack of STEM confidence among many Australians, revealing 64% of Gen Z workers feel they don’t have the skills required for their future career, with an astounding three in four Australian workers believing they need to upskill in STEM to future proof

their job1.

Anastasia Cammaroto, Chief Information Officer for Westpac Consumer Division, is passionate about demystifying STEM and arming the next generation with the confidence to consider a career in STEM. “I think there is a narrow perception that a career in STEM is always highly technical, but in actual fact STEM skills open up a broad range of career opportunities, including working with technology, finance, food, fashion and travel. We know STEM skills are rapidly becoming more important in the future of the workforce, but I see a disconnect with the desire to embrace these skills, especially among young women,” she said.

This year is the fourth year Westpac has partnered with Vogue Australia to present Vogue Codes to showcase a wide range of inspirational women influencing fields across STEM both in Australia and globally.

TL Bureau, Washington D.C. Belarusians will gain access to more efficient water, sanitation, and solid waste disposal services, thanks to 90 million in financing for the Belarus Utility Efficiency and Quality Improvement Project, approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors. The project will support Belarus’ national “Clean Water” program, which is expected to

Ghana’s Economic Growth Expected to Be Stronger in 2019, But Diversifying Economy is Crucial TL Bureau, ACCRA Ghana’s annual economic growth continued on a strong path at 6.3 percent in 2018, although at a slower pace than the 8.1 percent in 2017. This trend was led largely by a strong growth in mining, petroleum, agriculture and sustained expansion in forestry and logging, according to a World Bank report released today. Non-oil GDP reached a strong 6.5 percent growth in 2018.

The 4th edition of the Ghana Economic Update, which focuses on Financial Sector Development and Financial Inclusion, notes that universal financial access is an attainable target in Ghana with the use of innovative technology and approaches; and the Government must continue to lead the implementation of its financial inclusion strategy over the medium term.

also receive investment from the European Investment Bank.

“Belarus has invested heavily to ensure people have access to adequate utility services.

But, infrastructure is aging, while some utility companies are less efficient than others,” said Alex Kremer, World Bank Country Manager for Belarus. “With this project, we seek not only to upgrade infrastructure but also to help utility companies pro-

vide better services at a lower cost.”

Around 550,000 Belarusians from across the country will enjoy better quality drinking water, and a cleaner environment, thanks to the modernization of water and wastewater treatment facilities, which will be carried out as part of the project.

Consequently, there will be less iron in the water supply and less pollution going into rivers.

Discover new food and unbelievable deals at Yummy Food Expo 2019 TL Bureau, Singapore The much-awaited 5th edition of Yummy Food Expo is back at Singapore Expo Hall 5 from 27 to 30 June!

Visitors can look forward to more than 1,000 food & beverage products from over 150 exhibitors, and super deals from our all-time favourite homegrown brands such as Bee Cheng Hiang, Hock Hua and many more.

Also, do not miss exclusive new food launches direct from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan!

Foodies will get to savour new delicacies such as tantalising Mala Delights, Red Beetroot Coffee, Lobster Nasi Lemak, Salted Egg Waffle, Durian Whisky, Omija Seaweed and many more.

The event will also be packed with stage activities featuring diverse programmes ranging from health talks, lucky draws to cooking demonstrations all under one roof.

Food Recommendation by Edmund Chen Actor Edmund Chen will be sharing his food recommendations at

Yummy Food Expo 2019. Find out about his secret recipes and more at this engaging session on Thursday, 27 June at 2pm.

Daily Baking Demo by SSA Culinary Institute In these demonstrations, Star Chef Priscill will be sharing her recipes of Upside-Down Chocolate Cake, Olive Oil Cake with Honey Syrup, etc with tips to transform a baking rookie into a baking pro!

Daily 168 Lucky Number Draw by SPH Stand to win attractive prizes including $168 cash when you cut out coupons in Lianhe Wanbao and Shin Min Daily News.

Spend & Win Lucky Draw Stand a chance to win over $38,888 worth of Singapore Food Shows cash vouchers and prizes.

The more you spend at Yummy Food Expo 2019, the more you win, it is that simple! Also, look out for our exclusive show promo deals in event brochure and advertisements in The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao and Shin Min Daily News from 22 June onwards.

8

FEATURE

SUFFERING AND HARDSHIP AS STEPPING-STONES TO PARADISE TL Bureau, The Hague How the so-called Islamic State sought out women as an integral part of its state project New research by Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre reveals the terrorist organisation’s efforts to attract women to their cause. Women became indispensable to the socalled Islamic State (IS), both in conflict areas and in the West. They played their role in the organisation’s state-building enterprise and were granted more proactive roles on the battlefields. This increase in the involvement of women could pave the way for potentially different roles of jihadi women in the future.

Europol’s report, the first in a new series, Europol

Specialist Reporting, aims to shed light on how IS – a group that supports a patriarchal authority – attempted to appeal to and recruit women.

IS’s ambition of building a functional state required the active and voluntary participation of women.

Women were granted roles as doctors, teachers, ‘moral policers’ and – more controversially – combatants. Nevertheless, IS stressed that their main role remained that of stayat-home wives and mothers. Women also featured noticeably more in IS propaganda than in the material of earlier jihadi organisations. IS clearly recognised the importance of women and their role in producing and disseminating propaganda.

Five key findings from Europol’s report The incentives put across by IS to recruit women are in many ways gender-neutral. Its propaganda focuses on ideas and concepts that speak to the emotions of both men and women in equal measure, namely the revival of the Islamic caliphate and the defence of the umma.1 IS propaganda presents female jihadis to be as ideologically motivated as their male counterparts. Women are portrayed as seeking martyrdom and divine compensation, with their sense of empowerment lying in contributing to the building of an Islamic state. To quote one IS female propagandist: ‘Let these crusaders take heed, for just as the [caliphate] is filled with men who love death more than the crusaders love life, likewise are the women of the Islamic State’.

IS online content was forthright in stressing the hazards of life in the caliphate; however, IS portrayed the suffering and adversity as part of God’s plan and as a stepping-stone to paradise.

IS states that offensive jihad is not obligatory for women, and that a woman’s honour lies in being a producer of jihadis, rather than a warrior herself; nevertheless, the organisation encouraged women to carry out attacks against the enemy. As of late 2017, IS explicitly called on women to become actively engaged in battles and legitimised combative jihad for women.

Examples of women who either carried out terrorist attacks or were arrested preventively prove that women are willing to use violence if the ideology allows them to do so. For now, it is not yet their role, but this balance may easily shift depending on the organisation’s strategic needs and developments.

UN cooperation with League of Arab States ‘pivotal’, UN chief tells Security Council TL Bureau, UN Hq “Our two organizations share a common mission: to prevent conflict, resolve disputes and act in a spirit of solidarity and unity”, he told the meeting on cooperation between the Council and the League (LAS). “We work together to expand economic opportunity, advance respect for all human rights and build political inclusion”, he added.

Responding to rising tensions in the Gulf, Mr. Guterres noted “with deep concern” the latest attack on oil tankers in the busy Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. “I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels”, he stressed. “Facts must be established, and responsibilities clarified”.

Dozens of crew members were rescued from two oil tankers hit by explosions, following on from attacks against four tankers which were hit off the coast of the United Arab Emirates a month ago.

“If there is something the world cannot afford, it is a major confrontation in the Gulf region”, the Secretary-General spelled out.

New social contract Mr. Guterres explained that people around the world today expect “a new social contract for education, jobs, opportunities for young people, equality for women, respect for human rights and a fair share in national wealth”.

Within the challenges facing the Arab region, lie opportunities “to build on the words and intentions of the charters of our two organizations” to bring “real change”, the UN chief said.

The Secretary-General spoke about the UN’s commitment to a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the devastating toll on civilians in Syria after eight years of conflict; the impact of armed clashes in Libya; Sudan’s struggle to transition back to civilian rule; and the need to rebuild and overcome the trau-

find a lasting political solution in crisistorn Yemen.

Our two organizations share a common mission: to prevent conflict, resolve disputes and act in a spirit of solidarity and unity – UN chief In Somalia, he urged the international community to “remain united to support political progress and the development of security institutions”, calling the Arab League “a key partner, both as an organization and through its individual members, for political support and economic development”. On these efforts and more, “we continue to invest in building our engagement with regional and subregional organizations, including through regular consultations and collaboration”, he maintained. Mr. Guterres enumerated UN activities underway with the Arab League, which included biennial General Cooperation meetings, sectoral meetings, capacity building exercises and staff exchanges. He announced that a new UN Liaison Office to LAS in Cairo would become operational this month and lauded Egypt for its support and hospitality. “I fully expect this Liaison Office, the first funded by the UN regular budget, will improve the effectiveness of cooperation between our two organizations”, he said. ma and impact of Da’esh, or ISIL, terrorist “I intend to continue this fruitful engagefighters in Iraq. ment and deepen our collaboration to He also highlighted that Lebanon, “a advance the vision set out in the UN country significantly affected by regional Charter, in the interest of the peoples we developments and the generous hosting collectively serve”, the UN chief concludof large numbers of refugees”, needs ed, offering his “full and active support” strengthening, in addition to underscor- moving forward. ing that negotiations must be resumed to

9

LIFE AND REAL ESTATE

$2.7b deals to move student Explore the culture of remote islands on accommodation sector from Australia s doorstep alternative to mainstream TL Bureau, Balmain

TL Bureau, Sydney

were tapping into strong student numbers and a slowdown in the Increased investor preference for residential market, leading to a student accommodation is set to greater supply of beds. “The curbe tested with the upcoming rent low yields in the traditional sales of Urbanest’s $2 billion commercial real estate sectors, portfolio and Atira’s $700 million along with the residential market portfolio. moving firmly into a period of This is one of the findings from correction, has increasingly led CBRE’s new Viewpoint, Student institutional investors to look at Accommodation: Lessons to allocating capital elsewhere,” Ms Learn, which highlights how the Tiong said. CBRE’s 2019 Investor strong growth of international Intentions Survey revealed that student numbers in Australia has investor preference for student led to a supply boom in the pur- accommodation had grown 2.5 pose-built student accommoda- times, compared to the previous tion (PBSA) sector in recent year. Ms Tiong commented that years, with more commercial the successful sale of Urbanest PBSA operators establishing their and Atira’s combined $2.7 billion presence in major university portfolios was expected to garcities. ner considerable interest from CBRE Research Manager Joyce domestic and international instiTiong said institutional investors tutional investors, potentially

shifting investment in the student accommodation from alternative to mainstream.

An established world-class education system and global rankings have made Australia a preferred study destination for international students and numbers have grown rapidly in the past five years, with record growth of 12% in H1 2018, above the long-term annual average of 4% – leading to a supply boom in the PBSA sector. “Taking into consideration the circa 17,000 beds currently under construction or with development approval, we expect the number of beds, both on and off campus, to grow from circa 65,000 to over 80,000 beds in the next five years – an increase of approximately 25%,” Ms Tiong said

INDIAN MEGASTAR SHAH RUKH KHAN CONFIRMED AS HONORARY GUEST OF THE 10TH INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL TL Bureau, Melbourne

Indian films is Indian actor and superstar Shah Rukh Khan. "King Celebrating its tenth anniversary Khan", as he’s admirably referred this year, the Indian Film Festival of to globally, will be attending the Melbourne (IFFM) is taking place IFFM Awards on 8 August and offifrom 8-17 August. Over the last cially opening the Festival on 9 decade the Festival has grown August along with other special from a grassroots event to the Festival guests, and Festival largest Indian Film Festival in the Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange.

Southern hemisphere, winning a Shah Rukh Khan has appeared in number of awards and working more than 80 Bollywood films, and closely with the Victorian govern- earned numerous accolades, ment, who have strongly support- including 14 Filmfare Awards ed its growth. The 2019 Festival (more than any other actor). For theme is ‘courage’, a central tenet his contributions to film, the that reflects the growing inclusivity Government of India honoured and diversity of the Indian film him with the Padma Shri, and the industry. The very special guest of Government of France awarded this year’s annual celebration of him both the Ordre des Arts et des

Lettres and the Légion d'honneur.

Khan has a significant following in Asia and the Indian diaspora worldwide. In terms of audience size and income, he has been described as one of the most successful film stars in the world.

Speaking on being appointed as the chief guest for the festival, Shah Rukh Khan, said, “I’m honoured and delighted to accept the invitation from the Victorian government and the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne to open their festival as their chief guest. An industry of our magnitude and diversity deserves to be celebrated with great passion and fervour, which is what the festival embodies.

Australia’s newest expedition ship, Coral Adventurer, will take modern-day explorers on a rare, cultural immersion voyage this October to remote destinations in Papua New Guinea, West Papua and the Maluku Islands just north of Australia.

A new, all-inclusive, 24night ‘Customs and Craftsmen Expedition’ package has been released by Cruise Express for the inaugural itinerary, with solo travellers able to join the special voyage without a single supplement if booked

by August 31, subject to availability.

Purpose-made for expedition cruising from Australia, the 120-passenger, state-ofthe-art Coral Adventurer was launched in April this year for Coral Expeditions and offers a wrap-around Promenade Deck, an open guest lounge on the bridge, restaurant, lounge, deck bar, gym and hi-tech tenders and Zodiacs to take guests ashore.

Coral Expeditions’ first-ever art and culture expedition begins in Darwin on October 7, 2019, where Cruise Express has included a night’s stay before guests board Coral Adventurer for a 22-night journey to Cairns via rarely visited destinations in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Visiting

far-flung islands and villages, the unique itinerary aims to help guests interact with local craftsmen and artists, with villagers also performing colourful dances for passengers. New Guinea tribal art expert, Richard Aldridge, will also join the cruise as an art guide and lecturer.

The itinerary includes visits to 18 pristine destinations in Papua New Guinea, West Papua and the Maluku Islands – places unfamiliar to most Australians but rich in exotic culture and abundant coral reefs. Adventures ashore include a high tea at the Sultan’s Palace in Ternate overlooking the islands of the Molucca Sea and a traditional dinner under the stars at Fort Belgica in Banda while guests can also help search for giant whale sharks a Cenderawasih Bay in West Papua.

The voyage ends in Cairns with Cruise Express including a night’s stay before the flight home. aIncluding flights from and back to Sydney and beverages with lunch and dinner onboard, the 24-night package is available from $20,269 per person, twin-share. Fares from other Australian cities are also available. Solo travellers can join the voyage without paying a single supplement for the cruise – subject to availability – with solo fares from $20,540.

The post-election property market bounce continued last weekend highlighted by the sale of an entry-level one-bedroom apartment in North Sydney that sold for $709,000 under the hammer.

TL Bureau, Sydney

22/7-17 Berry Street, North Sydney attracted 17 registered Angus Raine, Executive bidders to the onsite auction, Chairman, Raine & Horne, said, which drove the price above “Many of the offices I have spo- expectation according to selling ken to or visited over the last two agent, Todd Houghton, from weeks are reporting their phones Raine & Horne North Sydney. started ringing again on the The property had a price guide of Monday morning after the elec- $650,000-$700,000. tion. This underlines once again “Only two bidders requested that consumers don’t like uncer- amendments to the contract tainty.” before the auction, so we were The one-bedroom apartment at expecting perhaps 3-4 bidders,”

Mr Houghton said. “We had 17 bidders all with chequebooks in hand.”

“To more than triple this number of bidders was amazing, and it’s mostly attributable to the removal of the threats to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount following the retention of the Federal Government on May 18.”

A first-time rentvestor secured the entry-level, north-facing, 50

square metre apartment, with investors representing around 30% of all enquiries. “Before the election, there were no investors in the Lower North Shore market,” commented Mr Houghton.

“There’s pent up demand for properties in North Sydney, Waverton, McMahons Point and Kirribilli as people were waiting to see how the election panned out, while an interest rate cut whether it’s June, or later in win-

ter, will keep the market’s newfound confidence rolling along.”

Mr Houghton added the new Sydney Metro station at North Sydney and the move by Channel 9 to anchor the new commercial tower at 1 Denison Street were attracting the attention of savvy investors. “The new tower at 1 Denison and the high-rise tower at 100 Mount Street will bring an additional 6,000 workers to the North Sydney CBD.

10

SPORTS

Cup quarter-finals confirmed for HSBC France Women's Sevens TL Bureau, Biarritz Defending champions New Zealand, Australia and USA recorded three wins from three on day one of the HSBC France Women's Sevens in Biarritz on Saturday.

Australia, who have reached and lost every final in series history played in France, will face Spain in the opening Cup quarter-final at 11:00 local time (GMT+2) on Sunday after they overcame Kitakyushu champions Canada 27-14 in the Pool B decider. That pits Canada into a Cup quarter-final with hosts France, after Les Bleues were beaten 19-7 by USA in the battle for top spot in Pool C, while the Women's Sevens Eagles will meet Russia in the day's second quarter-final.

LIGHTNING (64) DEFEAT MAGPIES (41) TL Bureau, Fitzroy

first centre pass of the match to notch her 100th national Sunshine Coast Lightning league appearance, just two have kept the Collingwood weeks after her direct oppoMagpies to their lowest-ever nent Laura Langman played score with a dominant 64 to her 200th match.

41 win to kick off the While both teams began the Suncorp Super Netball game playing some very league Indigenous Round. clean netball, it was the The two teams last met in Lightning who took an early Round 1 where the Magpies lead half-way through the claimed a convincing 57-43 first quarter. This was in win over the Lightning and it huge thanks to the smarts of was clear the Lightning were goal defender Karla out for revenge from the get- Pretorius who took three key go. Magpies centre Kim first quarter intercepts, and Ravaillion fittingly took the the great finishing skills of

goal shooter Peace Proscovia who shot at 11 from 13 (85%) in the first.

The Magpies made a comeback late in the quarter, but it wasn’t enough to claim the first bonus point, leaving them trailing the Lightning 15 to 13 at the first break.

Magpies’ wing defence Ash Brazill continued to bring her creativity and flair to the game, taking several intercepts throughout the first half and helping her team bring the scores to level in early in the second quarter.

England at the top of the table and players on their way up TL Bureau, London

West Indies in the ICC Women’s Championship has virtually England’s 3-0 victory over the assured them of a place in the ICC West Indies in the ICC Women’s Women’s World Cup 2021 in New Championship has virtually Zealand even as a number of their assured them of a place in the ICC players have moved up in the MRF Women’s World Cup 2021 in New Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Zealand even as a number of their Rankings. England, who won the players have moved up in the MRF World Cup at home in 2017, are Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player now on 24 points and two points Rankings. ahead of Australia on the points ICC Women’s World Cup winners table after 18 matches each. India virtually assure themselves of a and South Africa are both on 16 place in the next edition in New points from 15 matches, with the Zealand Beaumont, Knight, Nation former ahead on net run-rate. and Fletcher among those to Pakistan are fifth with 15 from 15 move up in latest ODI rankings and New Zealand sixth with 14 England’s 3-0 victory over the from 15 in the eight-team champi-

onship that provides direct qualification berths to them as hosts and four other teams in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021.

The West Indies (11 from 15) and Sri Lanka (two from 15) follow in the table. The ODI rankings table sees Tammy Beaumont move up two places to sixth position among batters after scoring 139 runs in the series while Amy Jones’s series-topping 189 runs, including two half-centuries, has helped her move up six places to 26th. Heather Knight has moved up four places to seventh in the batting list and up two places to 10th among all-rounders.

Boban leaves FIFA post to join AC Milan West Ham sign attacking TL Bureau, Berlin

tasks such as the reformed Club World Cup, the bidding process for Zvonimir Boban is to leave his posi- the 2026 World Cup and the introtion with FIFA to rejoin former club duction of the video assistant referAC Milan as chief football officer, ees. "I feel really honoured and privthe global governing body said ileged to have worked on such Friday, according to dpa. The 50- important projects to take FIFA back year-old Croatian Boban has acted to its rightful place, far away from as FIFA's deputy secretary general past scandals and a tarnished for football since 2016, working on image," Boban said. "Looking back, I

feel a real sense of accomplishment about my contribution to these big changes over the last three years."

Boban played for Milan 1991-2001, winning the Champions League in 1994, in addition to four Serie A titles. However, Milan have struggled in recent years by regularly falling short of the Champions League places.

MATCH RESULTS: FEVER (53) DEFEAT THUNDERBIRDS (52) TL Bureau, Fitzroy The West Coast Fever’s 2019 season is alive and kicking, after coming back from 10-goals down to beat the Adelaide Thunderbirds 53 to 52 in an Indigenous Round thriller at RAC Arena. It’s been a frustrating month of netball for the West Coast

Fever who have drawn three of their last four matches. But this emotional victory might be exactly what they need to get their season back on track. The Fever were wasteful early, committing several turnovers in the opening five minutes. And the Thunderbirds punished them, jumping out to a 10-goal lead and con-

trolling the flow of the game. It was a clinical first quarter for the Thunderbirds, transitioning from defence to attack in a flash thanks to some huge plays from Layla Guscoth in defence, some slick passing from Chelsea Pitman and some deadly accurate shooting from Sasha Glasgow.

midifielder Fornals from Villarreal TL Bureau, London

the best leagues in the world," West Ham United have signed said West Ham director of footattacking midfielder Pablo Fornals ball Mario Husillos, who worked from Villarreal on a five-year con- with Fornals at Malaga.

West Ham didn't disclose the tract, the Premier League transfer fee, but did say it was the club said Friday, dpa reported.

Fornals scored seven goals in 63 second-highest ever paid by the appearances over the past two club. seasons at Villarreal. The 23-year- The BBC reported it to be 24 milold began his career at Malaga, lion pounds (30 million dollars). making his La Liga debut in 2015. Fornals will join the Hammers "He is a player we have monitored after playing for Spain at the 21-European closely for some time, having Under Championship, which runs June seen him make excellent progress as a young midfielder in one of 16-30.

TECH/AUTO

11

Audi receives most "Good" IIHS ratings of any manufacturer for ease of using LATCH hardware on child restraint systems Ten 2019 Audi models received “Good+” to “Acceptable” ratings across model line up TL Bureau, HERNDON, Va Ten 2019 Audi models have been positively rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for their ease of using lower anchors and tethers for children (LATCH) hardware – a system of attachment hardware for child restraints that can help make correct installation easier.

IIHS has been rating vehicles on LATCH ease of use since 2015 with ratings spanning “Good+,” “Good,” “Acceptable,” “Marginal” and “Poor.” This year, the 2019 Audi Q7 was one of only 21 models across eight brands awarded the highest “Good+” rating, and Audi had the most models of any brand rated “Good.”

“The safety of our customers is always a top priority, so we are delighted that such an array of 2019 Audi models have been recognized for their ease of use for child restraint hardware,” said Filip Brabec, vice president, Product Management, Audi of

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) measures ease of use of lower anchors and tethers for children (LATCH) hardware on child restraint systems America. “The breadth of models rated speaks to the brand’s commitment to safety and delivering cutting edge technical innovations to our customers.”

The following Audi models were rated positively: 2019 Audi Q7: Received a “Good+” rating, which is for vehicles that meet the criteria for a “Good” rating and provide additional LATCH-equipped seating

positions. In the three-row Audi Q7, this means the vehicle must have one additional good or acceptable LATCH position in all rear seating positions.

2019 A4, A4 allroad, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6, e-tron, Audi Q5 and Q8: Received a “Good” rating, which includes criteria such as lower anchors being no more than ¾ inch deep within the seat, lower anchors that are easy to

Number 82 BMW M8 GTE to start the Le Mans 24-hour race from fifth place.

Augusto Farfus manages to improve lap time to

3:49.108 minutes during night qualifying.

This means that the #82 BMW M8 GTE will start from fifth place in the LM GTE Pro class.

The #81 car will start the race from position 16.

TL Bureau, Le Mans

qualifying session.

On Wednesday and BMW Team MTEK’s second Thursday, BMW Team MTEK car, #82, finished 16th. The continued preparations for BMW M8 GTE was damaged the 24-hour race in Le Mans when Nick Catsburg (NED) (FRA). After three qualifying went off eleven minutes into sessions at the grand finale the third session. He was of the FIA World Endurance unable to continue qualifyChampionship ‘Super ing, meaning that the time of Season’, the no. 82 BMW M8 3:51.353 minutes from the GTE secured fifth place on previous sessions was the grid in the highly compet- recorded as final. Pole posiitive LM GTE Pro class with tion went to the #95 Aston a time of 3:49.108 minutes. Martin. Catsburg, Martin Augusto Farfus (BRA) Tomczyk (GER) and Philipp recorded a decisive time Eng (AUT) will share driving improvement in the lap time duties during the race in the at the start of the final night #81 car. Farfus, António Félix

da Costa (POR), and Jesse Krohn (FIN) will be competing in the #82 BMW M8 GTE. Tradition dictates that no driving takes place on the Friday in Le Mans. The highlight of the day is the Drivers’ Parade during the afternoon, which is once again set to delight racing fans from all around the world in the heart of the town. The Saturday in Le Mans then gets going with the warm-up from 09:00 to 09:45, before the field comes together at 15:00 for the 87th edition of the classic endurance race.

maneuver around (with a clearance angle greater than 54 degrees), and that the force required to attach a standardized tool representing a child seat connector to the lower anchor is less than 40 pounds.

2019 Audi A3: Received an “Acceptable” rating, which means that at least two out of the three low anchor requirements were met.

Volkswagen Group expands market share in May TL Bureau, Wolfsburg In May, there was a fall in deliveries by the Volkswagen Group compared with May 2018, but the decrease was lower than in previous months at 3.6 percent. In total, 918,900 customers throughout the world took delivery of a vehicle from a Group brand.

Growth was achieved in some key European markets (Germany +4.6 percent, France +2.7 percent, Italy +2.7 percent), and in the regions of North America (+4.3 percent) and South America (+5.8 percent). However, these rises were insufficient to compensate in full for falls in other regions, especially Asia-Pacific (-9.4 percent). Dr. Christian Dahlheim, Head of Volkswagen Group Sales, commented: “In May, our brands asserted their position in shrinking overall markets and slightly increased the global market share. Deliveries developed in different ways in the various markets.

Smart and Mobile Supply Chain Solutions Market Circling In On USD 30 billion TL Bureau Sydney Recent Research Study, the global smart and mobile supply chain solutions market is poised to reach around US$ 30 billion by 2026 and expected to grow at noteworthy CAGR around 10 % throughout the forecast period.

On the basis of component type, software and services are the two major types of smart and mobile supply chain solutions.

Software component include software such as connected transportation management systems (TMS), connected warehouse management systems (WMS), connected sourcing and procurement, connected supply chain planning (SCP), connected manufacturing execution systems (MES), and connected analytics. Whereas, consulting, management and integration are the three types of services considered under services segment. Connected TMS and connected WMS are the two software segments expected to witness significant growth in the forecast period due to factors such as increasing trend for agile warehouse management and volatile fuel prices around the world. Moreover, retail, IT and telecommunication, manufacturing, banking, financial servic-

es and insurance (BFSI), government, energy and utility, healthcare, logistics and transportation among others are the different types of end-use application segments of smart and mobile supply chain solutions market.

Globalization and rising demand for advanced SCM solutions from emerging markets in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions are some of the major factors driving the demand for smart supply chain solutions.

However, cost volatility of the supply chain entities and low availability of integration solutions are some factors hindering the growth of smart and mobile supply chain solutions.

In 2013, North America and Europe were the largest markets for smart and mobile supply chain solutions in terms of revenue. These regions have experienced significant adoption of smart supply chain solutions due to the presence of better IT infrastructure and growing organized retail industry. Retail and manufacturing are expected to remain the major enduse application segments over the forecast period. This is mainly attributed to the high demand for efficient supply chain and logistics solutions in these sectors.

12

WORLD

UN suspending handover of camps in Darfur, peacekeeping chief tells Security

Eleven Fugitive Returns From Manila

TL Bureau, UN Hq

TL Bureau, Manila

Briefing the Security Council on Friday, UN Peacekeeping chief, Jean Pierre Lacroix, said that the bloody 3 June military crackdown in the capital Khartoum, had highlighted the central role of the Darfurlinked Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which are reportedly made up largely of former Janjaweed militia, which has been accused of serious human rights abuses.

During the Darfur conflict between the Government and their militiamen allies, and rebel groups, which began in 2003, the UN estimated that around 300,000 were killed, and around 2.7 million forced

Within a nine-month span, from August 2018 to April 2019, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, the Philippines, located and apprehended 11 U.S. fugitives wanted for crimes ranging from conspiracy to commit murder, securities fraud, child abuse, and sexual assault. DSS worked with the U.S. Marshals Service and Philippine law enforcement partners to return these fugitives to face justice in the United States.

DSS is located at more than 270 diplomatic posts in more than 170 countries, and helps return more than 300 fugitives annually. This is just one example of DSS’ global investigative reach, and demonstrates the strong relationships the department has forged with U.S., international, and foreign law enforcement partners. We thank the Government of the Philippines for their longstanding support, and look forward to our future cooperation as friends, partners, and allies.

from their homes. Former president Omar al-Bashir was indicted for war crimes including genocide, nine years ago.

Mr. Lacroix said that the ruling Transitional Military Council, which led the violent break-up

of pro-democracy protests in the capital earlier this month, had decreed on 13 May, that UNAMID “hand over all ‘camps’ to the Rapid Support Forces, which is in contravention to the UN rules and pro-

ceedures.” “Give these developments, we have had no choice but to suspend the handover of UNAMID sites to the Sudanese authorities until the TMC decree is rescinded”, he told members.

IAF Continues Efforts to Bring Back Mortal Remains Karamjit Singh Parwana Foreign Correspondent New Delhi IAF mountaineers, Army Special Forces personnel and local mountaineers were dropped off at the closest possible location to the crash site and have reached the crash site. The mor-

tal remains and other material evidence have to be picked up by helicopters and brought back to Jorhat in stages. The weather continues to be marginal and is likely to affect the pace of recovery operations. The recovery team is braving the treacherous terrain and inclement weather in order to bring back the mor-

tal remains as soon as possible.

The IAF has flown around 200 sorties towards the AN-32 search and recovery operations and is sparing no efforts in recovering the remains of its personnel for which 08 helicopters have been deployed. The Next of Kins of all personnel on board had been informed of the

crash and the subsequent search operations undertaken by the IAF. Concerned family members have been apprised of the progress of the recovery operations as well and IAF officials are in regular touch with them. The IAF and all its personnel stand with the families in this hour of grief.

Responsible for Planning and Execution of Terrorist Attack on Abha Airport.

TL Bureau, New York

Nations Ambassador Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Moallemi, Thursday, to the UN The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has con- Security Council following the attack. The firmed that it and coalition to support Kingdom's representative to UN said that legitimacy in Yemen will take urgent and upon the instructions from Saudi Arabia's timely measures to deter such the terror- government, he inform the security counist attack of the Iran-backed Houthi mili- cil that, on 12 June 2019, a hostile missile tia on Abha International Airport in Asir fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militia hit province. the arrivals lounge at Abha International This came in a letter sent by the Airport, in Asir province in southwestern Permanent Representative of the Saudi Arabia, where thousands of civilian Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United passengers from different nationalities

cross daily, resulting this attack in injury of 26 civilian passengers, including three women from Yemen, Indian and Saudi nationalities, as well as two Saudi children. The Iran-backed terrorist Houthi group claimed, through its media, the full responsibility for this attack by used a rocket-type cruise. "The authorities in Saudi Arabia are working to determine the type of shell used in this terrorist attack, which confirms the possession of new and sophisticated weapons by the

terrorist militia, and the continued support of the Iranian regime for cross-border terrorism and its continued violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 2140, 2216, 2231, 2451 and 2452 ", Al-Moallemi said.

The Permanent Representative said that Saudi Arabia and the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen will take urgent and timely measures to deter such unspeakable terrorist attacks and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian installations, in addition to holding accountable those responsible for planning and carrying out this terrorist attack in accordance with humanitarian International law and norms.

UK and Argentina take on co-chair of Equal Rights Coalition UK and Argentina to take on the co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition to protect the human rights of LGBT people around the world.

TL Bureau, London The United Kingdom has taken on the role of co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), in partnership with Argentina (14 June 2019).

The Equal Rights Coalition is the first intergovernmental network

formed to promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people around the world. The ERC’s membership works with civil society and allows both governments and civil society to share their national policies and practices on this agenda. The UK

is a global leader on the promotion and protection of LGBT human rights and is committed to ensuring the success of the ERC, a grouping of 42 like-minded states working together to defend and advance the human rights of LGBT people around the world. Priorities for the UK

in their period as co-chair include a refreshed ERC Strategy to guide, shape and re-energise the work of the Coalition; delivery of an international LGBT rights conference in London in 2020 that seeks to address the key issues facing global LGBT equality; and the co-ordination

of the ERC’s work plan with the Global Equality Caucus, a new international network of parliamentarians and elected representatives due to launch later this month, and which intends to host its first global convening at the international LGBT rights conference in London in 2020