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FRIDAY Vol. XXXVII No. 10087 May 13, 2016 Sha’baan 6, 1437 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

In brief Super-fast GCC rail QATAR | Anti-corruption Attorney General takes part in London summit Qatari Attorney General HE Dr Ali bin Fetais al-Marri, in his capacity Qatar’s Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani (centre), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and as UN advocate for anti-corruption, Arab League Secretary General Dr Nabil al-Arabi (right) attend a ministerial meeting of the China-Arab Co-operation Forum in may need took part in the anti-corruption Doha yesterday. summit, which is organised by the off ice of the British prime minister. Fourteen heads of states and a number of ministers, international organisations, and government and non-government organisations six years working in the field are taking Emir: China a strategic part. The conference discusses a By Joey Aguilar that moves on a railway) they need, Abu set of issues, notably co-operation Staff Reporter Issa said they are trying to lobby the use between southern and northern of CRSC equipment. countries in fighting corruption and About the speed of the trains, he not- restoring stolen assets. partner for Arab world multi-billion dollar super-fast ed that they can go up to 350kph, mean- GCC railway network, which can ing it will take a two-hour non-stop QNA would develop eff ective mechanisms of the Qatari and Chinese foreign min- Aconnect Doha to Kuwait in two travel from Doha to Kuwait, and about REGION | Religion Doha to speed up the pace of Arab-Chinese isters concluded yesterday. hours, may take between six and eight 40 minutes from Doha to Bahrain. Saudi denies blocking co-operation, overcome obstacles, Qatar’s Foreign Minister HE Sheikh years for construction to complete, a The chairman added that this speed enhance the role of public and private Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani senior offi cial has said. is the fastest so far, a record the Chinese Iranian Haj pilgrims H the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin sectors in the Arab world and China said the meeting was part of a series “It depends when the Gulf countries has achieved. The trains can run to a Saudi Arabia yesterday denied Hamad al-Thani stressed that and encourage them to build economic of ongoing meetings between the Arab will give the go-ahead. From the time maximum of 380kph. blocking Iranian Haj pilgrims after Hthe Arab-Chinese relations are and investment partnerships based on states and China within the frame- they start and get approvals and build the “So it will be much easier than go- Tehran said its nationals will miss the deeply rooted and date back for hun- sound and solid foundations taking work of continuous development of tracks to have a complete solution, it will ing through the airport because of the annual religious duty. The kingdom dreds of years, noting that these deep into account the common interests. relations, historical friendship and co- need six to eight years,” AbuIssa chair- check-ins and other things there,” he “welcomes all pilgrims from all over historic close ties witness steady de- HH the Emir said: “We see in to- operation between the two sides. man Ashraf AR Abu Issa told reporters. added. the world and from all nationalities velopment. day’s meeting an opportunity to dis- Speaking at a joint press conference He was speaking on the sidelines of According to Abu Issa, the trains will and sectarian backgrounds, and HH the Emir said, in a speech de- cuss means to enhance co-operation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi an agreement signing between the Gulf not solely be used for passengers but does not stop any Muslim from livered on his behalf by HE the Foreign and co-ordination among us in order and the Arab League Secretary General Organisation for Industrial Consulting also for various merchandise and goods. coming”, the Ministry of Haj said in a Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdul- to meet the challenges that threaten Dr Nabil al-Arabi, the foreign min- (Goic) and China Railway Signal and Asked why they chose CRSC, he said statement. But the visits must occur rahman al-Thani before the Seventh peace, security and stability in the ister said the meeting was held in a Communication Corporation (CRSC) the company has 70% of the high speed “within the system and guidelines Session of the Ministerial Meeting of world and to reach peaceful solutions positive atmosphere, where steps that yesterday to boost the development railways worldwide with some 5,000 that organise Haj aff airs,” it said. China-Arab Co-operation Forum cur- to the regional and international is- have been made in the process of co- and construction of rail transit lines in people in their Research and Develop- rently held in Doha, that the China- sues, including the Arab-Israeli con- operation between the Chinese and the Gulf area. ment Department. Arab co-operation has achieved sus- fl ict, the phenomenon of terrorism, Arab sides were reviewed along with A provider of technologies, products Citing China’s diff erent geographical WORLD | Environment tained growth and fruitful results in extremism and issues of sustainable the exchange of perspectives on them and services in rail transportation sig- (sea, mountains, etc) and environmental Air pollution rising all political, economic, security and development.” in a spirit of openness and transpar- nalling and communication, CRSC is conditions, including deserts, he said energy fi elds thanks to both sides’ He asserted the State of Qatar’s ency, to emphasise the importance of the largest supplier of rail transportation the Asian giant is capable of building a at an ‘alarming rate’ keenness to enhance and broaden support for the initiative of building deepening the strategic relations of control system solutions in the world. suitable railway system in the Gulf. Outdoor air pollution has grown 8% prospects of ties for the good of their Silk Road Economic Belt put forward co-operation, and promote the civi- The Goic, also known as “The Organ- “Any condition or warning we tell globally in the past five years, with people. by President Xi Jinping, adding that lisation and culture of the Arab and isation,” was founded to achieve indus- them, they are ready to work on it and billions of people around the world The Emir said that the Arab world “we agree with China that the essence Chinese exchanges. trial co-operation and co-ordination can put their scientists on the job,” he now exposed to dangerous air, considers China as a strategic partner of this initiative lies in peace dialogue He noted that the meeting had between GCC member states. stressed. according to new data from more and attaches great importance to bi- and co-operation among civilisations, dealt with the achievements made Abu Issa hinted that the fi rst phase of Abu Issa said the Chinese company than 3,000 cities compiled by the lateral relations appropriate with its openness and tolerance, mutual ben- in the fi eld of co-operation and said: the project could start in Qatar but the is also ready to fi nance the project but it World Health Organisation (WHO). international rank, economic weight efi t and common prosperity.” “The ambitions are still great to real- system has to be compatible with all six will be up to each country’s preference While all regions are aff ected, fast- and effi cient political role in the inter- Concluding, HH the Emir welcomed ise more achievements in light of the GCC countries. if they wish to fi nance it by themselves. growing cities in the Middle East, national arena, adding that the forum the participants to the forum, wishing Arab states and China considerable “We need to have a very strong co- Putting up a link between the long- south-east Asia and the western is the clearest evidence of both sides’ them a pleasant stay and for the forum capacities and potentials to open new ordination between GCC countries. I distance railway system and the Doha Pacific are the most impacted with common keenness to continue sup- every success. horizons for this co-operation and in- think this part has been done already Metro through the main stations is part many showing pollution levels porting these relations. Meanwhile, the forum’s seventh vestment, as that serves our common between the Ministers of Transporta- of the masterplan, he added. at five to 10 times above WHO He expressed hope that this forum session held under the chairmanship interests.” Page 2 tion to assure that the system can move CRSC chairman Zhou Zhiliang ech- recommended levels. Page 12 from one country to another without oed the statement of Abu Issa saying interruption,” he stressed. that they will be providing advance While each GCC country has the op- technology and equipment for the rail LATIN AMERICA | Politics tion to use any rolling stock (any vehicle network in the GCC. Page 20 Rousseff suspended to New Clinical Information System from Sunday face impeachment trial Temperature in Doha may hit 46C today Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff amad Medical Corporation’s across HMC and Primary Health Care Centre and a number of PHCC Health was suspended yesterday to face Home Health Care Service Corporation (PHCC). Once the CIS Centres across the country. Temperatures are expected to shoot to strong northwesterly winds are an impeachment trial, ceding H(HHCS) will implement the implementation is complete, all pa- The CIS is a comprehensive system- up in the country today, reaching 46C expected during this period, resulting power to her vice president-turned- new Clinical Information System from tient records will be stored and ac- wide implementation that has been in Doha, according to the Qatar Met in blowing dust and a drop in visibility. enemy Michel Temer in a political Sunday. cessed electronically across the two designed in collaboration with clini- department. Strong winds are also likely A maximum temperature of 46C is earthquake ending 13 years of leftist The HHCS will replace their ex- organisations. cians. in both inshore and off shore areas today. expected in Doha and Abu Samra today, rule in Latin America’s biggest isting paper patient clinical records The roll-out follows the success- As this is such a large project, there On Wednesday, the Met department had followed by 44C in Messaied, Wakrah and nation. Temer quickly pivoted system with a new electronic Clinical ful CIS implementation in eight HMC will be a period of transition, during forecast a spell of strong winds and dusty Al Khor, and 42C in Dukhan. Ruwais, on toward a more business-friendly Information System (CIS). hospitals, Paediatric Emergency Cen- which, staff and patients will adjust to conditions in the coming days, reaching the other hand, is likely to be much less government. Page 13 This is part of a planned roll-out tres, Dialysis Centres, Bone and Joint the new system. its peak on Saturday and Sunday. Fresh warm at 33C. SC hosts workshops on workers’ welfare standards he Supreme Committee for De- WWS are a set of enforceable prin- ment of Impactt Ltd as an independ- contractors’ workshop with 26 individ- livery & Legacy recently hosted ciples and regulations, drawing on the ent External Monitor. The process also uals holding positions of responsibility Ttwo workshops to provide sta- Labour Law of Qatar and International comprises monthly contractor self- for their work force present on the oc- dium contractors and sub-contractors Labour Law, and are incorporated into audits, ad-hoc audits by the SC and in- casion. with an in-depth outline of the require- all contracts for the 2022 FIFA World spections by the Ministry of Adminis- The sub-contractors’ workshop fo- ments contained in the latest edition of Cup Qatar. trative Development, Labour and Social cused on the companies operating on the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Standards. “The vision of the Workers Welfare Aff airs (MOADLSA). the Khalifa International Stadium site. The workshops, held separately for Unit is to deliver an outstanding 2022 The contractors and sub-contractors In all, 22 companies were represented contractors and sub-contractors, were FIFA World Cup by following best prac- were invited to participate in discus- covering 75 percent of the headcount held over the past two weeks. tices in promoting workers’ welfare and sions based on simulated situations of the sub-contracted workforce on the They were organised by the Work- supporting the human and social de- during and after the presentations. stadium site. ers Welfare Unit (WWU) at the SC of- velopment of Qatar,” Mahmoud Qutub, The participants expressed maximum Following the completion of the fi ce, where the contractors and sub- Head of Workers Welfare, told the par- interest in contractual enforcement workshops, Qutub told www.sc.qa: contractors were informed about all ticipants during the workshop. issues concerning non-payment of “We are proud to provide our contrac- elements of the revised edition of the The WWU gave detailed presenta- workers recruitment and processing tors and sub-contractors with train- A workshop, organised by the Workers Welfare Unit (WWU), is being held at the SC off ice. WWS, an amended version of the origi- tions with a focus on ethical recruit- fees to recruiters, compliance with pre- ing on the revised version of the SC’s nal WW Standards of 2014. ment of workers in their home coun- recruitment medical tests of workers Workers Welfare Standards. The pur- of the Standards is a top priority. ity to protect its workers very seriously. The participants were asked to en- tries and their living and working from Gulf Approved Medical Centres pose of this training is to familiarise “We are breaking new ground by di- “We will take disciplinary action sure that all elements of the revised conditions in accommodation and on Association (GAMCA) approved insti- them with our requirements and make rectly engaging contractors and sub- when required to enforce the Stand- edition of the WWS are embedded into site. tutions and employers’ non-retention them aware of their obligations. contractors working on SC projects ards, as well as act as a partner with their contractual relationships right The contractors and sub-contractors of workers’ passports in their accom- “The Standards represent best prac- regarding the revised version of the companies to continually improve en- down the supply chain including with were also briefed about the four-stage modation. tice for the welfare of workers in the con- Standards while also demonstrating to vironments for the benefi t of our work- recruitment agencies. audit process following the appoint- A total of 14 companies attended the struction industry, and raising awareness them that the SC takes its responsibil- force,” he added. Gulf Times 2 Friday, May 13, 2016 QATAR BA to launch Doha-London direct service

or the fi rst time in Brit- passengers making stops in ish Airways’ 57-year his- Beirut and Bahrain on the way Ftory of fl ying to Qatar, to Doha. The total fl ying time the UK carrier’s customers was 13 hours and fi ve minutes. will soon be able to experience Paolo De Renzis, head of Delegates attending the Seventh Session of the Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab Co-operation Forum pose for a group photo at the Doha Sheraton Hotel yesterday. uninterrupted, direct services Middle East, Africa and Cen- between Hamad International tral Asia Sales for British Air- Airport and London Heathrow. ways, said: “Our Qatar route From October 31 this year, has grown steadily in popular- British Airways fl ights from ity over the past few years and the Qatari capital to Terminal the direct service – and the 5 at London Heathrow will no reduced fl ying time of seven longer go via Bahrain Interna- hours and 20 minutes – will tional Airport. help connect our customers Peace in Arab region key Instead, customers will be to London, mainland Europe, able to take advantage of direct the US and further afi eld more fl ights on a Boeing 777 aircraft quickly and more eff ectively.” in four cabins of travel – First, The launch of British Air- Club World (British Airways’ ways’ direct Doha to London business cabin), World Traveller fl ights are expected to further Plus and World Traveller (Brit- consolidate investment and to global security: FM ish Airways’ economy cabin). business ties between the two The new, direct Doha to nations. Hundreds of UK- QNA technology and capital; increas- London fl ights are a far cry based companies in industries Doha ing the volume of trade exchange from the BOAC services, which ranging from construction to and creating economic invest- debuted almost six decades ago healthcare are contributing to ment opportunities without los- in 1959. In the late sixties, the the rapid development being chieving peace and secu- ing sight of the cultural side, he airline’s route was serviced by seen in Qatar, which will host rity in the Arab region is said. a Bristol Britannia aircraft with the FIFA 2022 World Cup. Afundamental to realising The trade exchange volume peace and security in the whole between Arab countries and world, HE the Foreign Minister China in 2015 totalled $250bn, Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrah- the Foreign Minister said. man al-Thani has said. The interaction of peoples’ Delivering the opening speech interests confi rm the permanent QF’s National Reading at the Seventh Session of the conviction of the importance of Ministerial Meeting of China- co-operation between nations Arab Co-operation Forum which and groups to face economic Campaign hosts fun began in the Doha Sheraton Ho- challenges, he said, referring to tel yesterday, the Foreign Min- the Arab countries’ support for ister said that the international the initiative of building Silk events at Ezdan Mall community should shoulder its Road Economic Belt and the responsibility in fi nding a solu- 21st-century Maritime Silk Road tion to the question of Palestine put forward by President Xi Jin- atar Foundation (QF) is vate self-learning.” in accordance with international ping. hosting a series of “fun “We are absolutely delight- resolutions and Arab peace ini- HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Ab- Qand interactive com- ed with the overwhelming tiative. dulrahman al-Thani stressed munity-inspired” activities at response we have received so He praised China’s positions the importance of continued Ezdan Mall over two weekends far,” he added. “We look for- in support of Arab issues, in- HE the Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani attending the Seventh Session of the co-ordination and consulta- as part of its National Reading ward to rolling out the rest of cluding the Palestinian cause, Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab Co-operation Forum at the Doha Sheraton Hotel yesterday. tion imperatively required in Campaign (NRC). the campaign over the coming hoping for continued support by the context of the latest devel- This weekend’s activities months, including the launch China to Arab causes in order to deeply rooted Arab and Chinese the Arab-Chinese relations have wards achieving a constructive opments and challenges facing began yesterday and continue of the ‘Reading Truck’. The reach the desired peace in Mid- civilisations, pointing out that been enhanced to reach a stra- co-operation. the world which call for further until tomorrow, while next mobile library will be found dle East within the framework such a communication succeed- tegic partnership level aimed at The joint will of the Arab work to establish international weekend’s events will take in busy public areas over the of principles and provisions of ed in refl ecting a bright side of improving co-operation in vari- countries and China to achieve relations according to a vision place from May 19 to 21. weekend, and its location and international law, the United international relations. ous fi elds. a successful model of South- based on co-operation, solidar- In addition, QF will launch route will be trackable via the Nations Charter and the rel- The Foreign Minister said: “In He expressed satisfaction South co-operation makes this ity and co-existence among all a mobile library next month NRC website and social media evant Security Council resolu- this sense we must intensify ef- at the success that has been forum a strong platform to ac- peoples. as part of the campaign. De- channels.” tions that affi rm the rights of the forts and co-ordination in all is- achieved in the implementa- celerate sustainable develop- This stems from the fi rm signed as a community out- The Ezdan Mall events will Palestinian people to establish sues of common interest to both tion of the programme of the ment at the national level of conviction that everyone’s in- reach tool, the “Reading run from 4pm to 10pm. Activi- their independent State, with its sides, primarily development, Forum 2014 -2016, as the two both sides through an integra- terest to achieve peace, stabil- Truck” will tour the country ties include a Book Hangout, capital in Jerusalem. climate, nuclear energy, dialogue parties’ visions about its stra- tive work, which keeps pace with ity and development can only be and aim to involve, engage and where children can dress up The Foreign Minister stressed among civilisations along with tegic goals and objectives have the eff orts aimed at promoting achieved through dialogue and inspire the entire community, as their favourite storybook that the international commu- the reform and development of become clear and refl ect their the human element; capacity durable and fair solutions to the particularly young people, by characters and act out specifi c nity must redouble their eff orts the United Nations”, noting that seriousness and keenness to- building, transfer of expertise, issues of people in accordance fostering a love of reading, ac- scenes; a Book Swap, where in addressing the Syrian crisis in with the decisions of interna- cording to a statement. visitors can exchange books; order to reach a comprehensive tional legitimacy, he added. The “Reading Truck” will and Qatar’s fi rst Story Maze, solution that ends the suff ering ‘China ready to build economic belt and Silk Road’ Concluding his speech, HE the be easy to spot, “sporting a where children will be given of Syrian people without foreign Foreign Minister said that the colourful, child-friendly ap- the chance to read diff erent military interventions and in ac- Chinese President Xi Jinping has confirmed that the Arab League headquarters in January. draft Doha declaration includes pearance, capturing imagina- stories depending on the route cordance with provisions of Ge- his country would be fully prepared to exert joint The Chinese president said this round of the a range of items that showed a tions and bringing the world of chosen. neva 1 and the relevant Security eff orts with Arab states to build the new economic ministerial meeting will discuss in depth the “unifi ed visions towards our storytelling to life.”, the state- Additional activities include Council resolutions. belt and Silk Road. Sino-Arab co-operation in the building of the common interests”, adding that ment notes. It will provide bookmark making and sto- He stressed the importance of The Chinese president explained in the speech, belt and the road as well as the deepening of the implementation programme for youngsters across Qatar with rytelling sessions, as well as solving confl icts through peace- read on his behalf by Chinese Foreign Minister strategic co-operation between the two sides and China-Arab Co-operation Fo- the opportunity to buy a wide games like Scrabble and over- ful means, and not through the Wang Yi at the opening session of the 7th the comprehensive planning regarding areas and rum for 2016-2018 has an ambi- selection of books and related sized puzzles. use of force and violence which Arab-Chinese Co-operation Forum, that in 2014 projects of priority to the collective Sino-Arab co- tious plan to advance relations learning materials. The NRC community out- only led to the rise of terrorism he initiated a Sino-Arab partnership and the operation during the next two years. between the Arab countries and Fahad Saad al-Qahtani, reach programme will see a and extremism. establishment of the economic belt and Silk Road. The Chinese president said this forum assumes China. president of community de- range of innovative and in- HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Ab- He said the initiative found positive response from great importance for consolidating co-operation, It also gives a real opportunity velopment at QF, said: “These teractive activities and events dulrahman al-Thani said the Arab states, confirming that he sensed enthusiasm deepening cultural and humanitarian contacts and to build more joint strategies for weekend events are aimed at being held across the country China-Arab Co-operation Fo- from the Arab side for participation in the building enhancing building mechanisms for the execution co-operation in diff erent politi- engaging the public – men, in the months ahead, and will rum serves as a link in the com- the economic belt and the road when he visited of the outcome of Doha Declaration. cal, economic, cultural and sci- women and children of all also feature pop-up stores, the munication between the two entifi c fi elds. ages – and designed to culti- statement adds. Qatar calls unifi ed eff orts to tackle terrorism

QNA rule of law and the protection of fragile environments, and was to combating violent extrem- Qatar adopts policy to enhance global security New York human rights. assisted by policies that do not ism, it and other countries re- Reiterating Qatar’s fi rm posi- give importance to political, quested to convene a high-level Qatar aff irmed that it has international community has tion condemning terrorism in economic and social problems meeting of the General Assem- adopted the co-operation aff irmed in the 16th goal of the atar has stressed the need all its forms and manifestations, affl icting societies, stressing bly on children and young peo- policy with all to promote United Nations Sustainable to resolve the phenom- regardless of its source, location that the success in uprooting ple aff ected by violent extrem- security and peace in the world, Development Plan in 2030 Qenon of terrorism in a and perpetrators, Sheikha Alia terrorist groups depends on ad- ism. The meeting will take place support the development the vital relationship between comprehensive manner in which affi rmed that the growing threat dressing the causes that lead to on June 3 as part of internation- process, settle disputes with peace, security, justice, the all international eff orts should of terrorism witnessed by the the creation of an enabling envi- al eff orts to combat the roots of peaceful means, respect human rule of law, development, unite and take into account the region is contributed by policies ronment for the growth of these terrorism. rights, fight against terrorism wise judgment, and conflict root causes of this phenomenon. of some regimes that have an groups. In addition, because of the im- and support people’s choices. prevention. This requires This came in a statement de- interest in the existence and ex- The State of Qatar, in its state- portant role of education in pro- This came in a statement of the empowering people, through livered by HE Qatar’s Permanent pansion of these organisations, ment to the Security Council’s tecting children and youth from State of Qatar addressed by HE eff ective institutions, safe Representative to the United Na- in order to be a partner in the meeting at the ministerial level, extremism and terrorism, Qatar the Permanent Representative environment and systems that tions Sheikha Alia Ahmed bint international campaign against called for the adoption of a broad has initiated educational and of Qatar to the United Nations ensure the access to justice and Saif al-Thani during a Security terrorism, and prolong survival approach to address the roots of training programmes for Syrian ambassador Sheikha Alia resolve conflicts eff ectively, the Council’s ministerial meeting on after being rejected by their own terrorism and its causes, not- refugees, in order to ensure they Ahmed bint Saif al-Thani in statement added. “Threats to international peace people and the world due to their ing that it does not intersect and have their right to education and a plenary session to discuss The statement underlined and security caused by terrorist criminal policies and serious reduce the importance of the to rescue them from the danger the United Nations, Peace and Qatar’s eff orts to ease tensions acts”. violations of the international immediate military response to of extremism and terrorism, the Security. and resolve disputes in a In the light of the compre- and humanitarian Law and the the imminent danger posed by HE Sheikha Alia Ahmed bint Saif statement indicated. The statement added that number of countries, through hensiveness of the terrorism human rights. terrorist groups, adding that the al-Thani The State of Qatar reiter- increasing disputes, spread mediation to avoid and prevent phenomenon and the threat it The statement also empha- military response must not come ated in the statement its con- of terrorism, continuation of wars and armed conflicts which poses to international peace and sised that the Syrian regime’s at the expense of addressing the to justify their terrorist acts, and demnation of terrorism in all foreign occupation, growing constitute a threat to peace and security, the solution should be use of chemical weapons, star- causes of terrorism and its ori- the recruitment of young people. its forms and manifestations, poverty, grave violations of security in the region and the comprehensive in which all in- vation, indiscriminate bombing gins and motivations. Qatar also stressed the impor- regardless of its source, loca- human rights, and the absence world, including Darfur, Eritrea, ternational eff orts should unite of civilians and the destruc- The State of Qatar affi rmed tance of respecting religions and tion and perpetrators, and its of social justice need further Djibouti in the Arab region. and take into account the root tion of infrastructure and the on all occasions that terrorism the values of tolerance, saying commitment to regional and action and co-operation to Qatar renewed its commitment causes of this phenomenon, and fortunes of the Syrian people is should not be linked to a par- that religions do not advocate international co-operation to overcome those challenges to the provisions of the un reject any use of terrorism to nothing but terrorism. ticular religion, race or culture, terrorism, but urge tolerance, combat terrorism as well as to through activating and Charter and all the declarations achieve political or private goals, The statement indicated that the statement said, adding that co-operation and collaboration, continue strengthening part- renewing commitment to adopted by the international the statement said, emphasising the lessons learned from the any attempt to associate terror- according to the statement. nership with the United Na- principles and objectives of the community, aimed at creating at the same time that fi ghting growth of terrorism confi rmed ism with any religion, culture, The statement underlined tions agencies in this regard to United Nations. an enabling environment to terrorism should be conducted that it did not arise from a vac- civilisation, nationality or group that on the basis of Qatar’s poli- promote international peace The statement said that the achieve security and peace. under the international law, the uum, but it grew and evolved in will give a pretext for terrorists cy, which pays special attention and security. Gulf Times Friday, May 13, 2016 3 REGION/ARAB WORLD

Looking East ... 15 Yemeni troops die in militant attacks AFP Woman jailed for IS support Aden A Saudi woman has been sentenced to six years in prison for “acts of sedition” ilitants, including suicide bomb- including pledging allegiance to the Islamic ers, killed at least 15 Yemeni troops State militant group, newspapers reported Myesterday outside the southeast- yesterday. ern port city of Mukalla, the army said, in A court in Riyadh issued the sentence attacks claimed by militants. against the unnamed 27-year-old on An army offi cial spoke of three suicide Wednesday, the Saudi Gazette said. bombings and held Al Qaeda responsible, But Al Hayat daily reported that the but the rival Islamic State (IS) militant judge decided to keep her in jail for only group said one of its militants was “mar- three years after she expressed “regret” for tyred”. her “acts of sedition” and suspended the It was a rare intervention by IS in the city rest of the sentence. which was held by Al Qaeda for a year until She will however also be banned from they were driven out by government troops travelling abroad for six years, it added. last month. The woman was convicted of pledging “A knight of the knights of martyrdom, allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader brother Hamza al-Muhajir... was able to of the Islamic State group which has seized detonate his explosives-laden car at a post territory in Iraq and Syria. IS has claimed at- of the apostates of the militia of (President tacks in Saudi Arabia against Saudi security Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah is greeted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his off icial residence in Tokyo. Abd-Rabbu Mansour) Hadi,” IS said in a forces. statement posted online. She posted messages on Twitter sup- Several soldiers were also wounded in porting a deadly attack on security forces, the attacks on the eastern outskirts of the and hung posters at a mosque and on util- Hadramawt provincial capital, the military ity poles to seek the release of a suspected offi cial said. militant, Saudi Gazette said. The deadly assault came shortly before She also reportedly called for disobedi- Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher arrived ence against the kingdom’s rulers. First-time lawmakers may make in Mukalla with several ministers on a one- Saudi Arabia is part of the US-led coali- day visit aimed at reviving government in- tion bombing IS in Iraq and Syria. stitutions in the city, a local offi cial said. Saudi political and religious leaders One suicide bomber rammed a vehicle routinely denounce IS attacks - at home packed with explosives into the gate of a and abroad - as contrary to Islam. or break Iran’s reform drive base in the Khalf district, followed imme- Baghdadi, the IS leader, has called Saudi diately by a second who blew up a car in Arabia’s Sunni rulers “apostate tyrants” and the centre of the camp, the military offi cial urged Saudis to rise up against them. Reuters necessary experience, parliament in 2009, with many prominent fi gures ... can only remain united in the said. The verdict against the woman coin- Dubai could be outmanoeuvred by other in jail or under house arrest. new parliament if they can maintain Militants clashed with soldiers outside cided with an upsurge of security incidents state bodies, or become susceptible The Guardian Council, a unelect- people’s support by implementing the base immediately after the bombings, in Saudi Arabia over the past week. to outside infl uence.” ed 12-member clerical body, barred tangible economic reforms, espe- with the army saying at least 15 soldiers had Saudi police on Monday shot dead a ran’s parliament reconvenes Even within the chamber the pic- nearly all known reformist fi gures cially creating jobs,” he said. died in the bombings and gunfi ght. suspected militant in the western province later this month with dozens ture is unclear. from standing in the elections. Their The conservatives, in contrast, Bin Dagher inspected the base later in the of Taif a day after one of their colleagues Iof greenhorn lawmakers who Iran does not have rigid party af- supporters then rallied around a suff er from an abundance of parties. day, another military offi cial said. was killed in a shootout, the interior min- will hold the key to accelerating re- fi liations and some election candi- slate of little-known candidates They could not join forces during A third suicide bomber targeted the istry said. forms to boost foreign investment dates were backed by both camps, known as Hope List. campaigning and their morale re- nearby residence of the commander of On May 5, another police off icer was and trade - but whether they make while deal-making ahead of the Hope Listers united during the mains bruised after a heavy blow in Hadramawt’s second military region, Gen- shot dead and four suspected militants or break the modernisation drive is opening of parliament on May 27 campaign. Backed by Rouhani’s the election - losing all 30 seats of eral Faraj Salmeen, but he escaped un- were killed during a raid in an area be- hard to predict. could see independent MPs throw in moderate allies, former presidents the capital Tehran. harmed, the offi cial said. tween Taif and Makkah, home to Islam’s Elected in February, the 290-seat their lot with one side or the other. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mo- Either way, without a major- The commander of the province’s fi rst holiest sites. assembly replaces one dominated The contest to elect a speaker, one hamed Khatami, their candidates ity Rouhani’s government will have military region, General Abdulrahman al- by hardliners suspicious of detente of parliament’s fi rst tasks, will be an ended a decade of conservative to pick its battles. Analysts say the Haleeli, survived a suicide bombing against with the West and who curbed prag- early test. dominance of parliament by ousting president is likely to focus on push- his convoy on Wednesday that killed four of The off ensive against Al Qaeda comes matist President Hassan Rouhani’s If veteran reformist Mohamed many hardliners. ing economic reform rather than so- his guards. amid a truce and peace talks between the plans to liberalise the economy and Reza Aref can oust incumbent Ali But there is no guarantee reform- cial liberalisation. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula government and Iran-backed rebels it has raise lacklustre productivity. Larijani, a conservative with broad ists can sustain that harmony, and That could bring a fresh set of (AQAP) yesterday claimed the attack on been fi ghting with support from a Saudi- Pro-Rouhani candidates raised appeal, that could herald a more ac- some analysts doubts the newcom- problems, frustrating millions of Haleeli, SITE Intelligence monitoring led coalition since March last year. their representation and 60% of tively pro-Rouhani chamber, with ers can challenge Iran’s powerful re- young, well-educated Iranians who agency said. Militants of both Al Qaeda and IS took MPs are fi rst-timers. more power to push for his policies. ligious establishment. voted for him in 2013 hoping for Al Qaeda was driven out of Mukalla and advantage of that confl ict to expand their Yet independent tallies suggest A centrist, Rouhani is under pres- Rouhani is not free to steer eco- more political and social freedoms. nearby coastal towns last month with sup- presence in Hadramawt and other areas this will be the fi rst parliament in sure to create jobs, boost the private nomic policy, with the Guardian For all the new faces, just 12% of port from Emirati and Saudi special forces. of the south, including second city Aden more than 20 years without either sector, reduce graft and make the Council able to vet all laws, and Su- incoming lawmakers are aged 40 or The Pentagon revealed last week that a where the government has its base. a conservative or reformist major- fl agging economy more attractive preme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khame- under, according to Interior Min- “very small number” of US military per- IS has claimed several attacks on govern- ity, and the novices’ allegiances may to foreign investors - not least if he nei - who has in the past closed istry data, whereas around 60% of sonnel has also been deployed around Mu- ment and coalition targets in Aden in recent switch between Iran’s many factions. hopes to contest presidential elec- down parliamentary debates by de- Iranians are under 30. kalla in support of the operation to retake months. “On the one hand (this) is a posi- tions in June 2017. cree - given the last word on impor- And the record number of women the city. Washington regards Al Qaeda’s Yemen- tive sign of ...the possibility of fresh Both conservative and reformist tant matters of state. elected to parliament still accounts The US Navy has several ships nearby, based branch as its most dangerous and forces reaching parliament and new camps worry the new faces may lack Ahmad Salamatian, a former for just 6% of the total, while they including an amphibious assault vessel, has stepped up a longstanding drone war people gaining experience in law- the clout to push - or to block - Rou- lawmaker living in Paris, thinks the make up around 60% of university USS Boxer, and two destroyers. against AQAP in recent weeks. making,” said Jamileh Kadivar, a re- hani’s reforms and the experience to Hope List could fragment quickly students. “It does not serve our interests to have a But the militants retain a strong pres- formist former lawmaker now living stay united in the face of setbacks. if it loses momentum under such “Having 18 women out of 289 terrorist organisation in charge of a port city, ence in the southeast and still control sev- in London. Morale appears higher among re- pressures, because it is held together elected members is not signifi cant,” and so we are assisting in that,” Pentagon eral towns in the interior valley of Wadi “On the other ..., until the new formists, despite the fact that their main only by popular support. said Kadivar, one of the few Iranian spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said. Hadramawt. representatives are able to gain the parties remain banned after an uprising “The members of the Hope List women to have made it there.

Uniformed co-operation Libya requests removal of tanker from UN blacklist

Reuters 4 Libyan soldiers killed in fresh IS attack has set up its own National Oil United Nations Corp in parallel to the Tripoli- Islamic State group militants, 50km west of the Abu Grein cross- based NOC. including two suicide bombers, roads and marks a new advance A UN-backed unity govern- ibya’s mission to the UN killed four Libyan soldiers and into territory held by forces loyal ment, designed to replace the has asked the Security wounded 24 in their latest foray to the unity government in Tripoli. rival administrations, arrived in LCouncil to remove from a into territory controlled by the “Two suicide bombers, one in a Tripoli earlier this year and is at- UN blacklist an Indian-fl agged UN-backed government, the army vehicle and one on a motorbike, tempting to assert authority over tanker that was recently pre- said yesterday. blew themselves up at the check- the whole country. vented from shipping oil for the Wednesday evening’s attack point where troops had gathered Western powers fear any at- rival eastern Libyan government, on a highway checkpoint in the and clashes then broke out tempt by the eastern NOC to ex- Libya’s UN envoy said yesterday. desert interior comes after the between our forces and IS fight- port crude independently would The tanker Distya Ameya was militants thrust west along the ers,” a spokesman for the anti-IS undermine the Tripoli govern- blacklisted last month after the Mediterranean coast from their operations command told AFP. ment and further fracture the rival eastern government’s paral- stronghold of Sirte last week, Libya’s LANA news agency country along regional lines. lel oil company attempted to use overrunning a major crossroads. said the ensuing fighting lasted The eastern NOC claims le- it to ship a cargo of 650,000 bar- The checkpoint at Saddada lies six hours. gitimacy from the government rels of crude. and parliament based in eastern The UN measure requires Libya, which received interna- states to ban the ship from enter- Dabbashi said the request was One council diplomat told Re- tional recognition after armed ing any port around the world. made “because of the co-opera- uters on condition of anonymity opponents took control of Tripoli Libyan ambassador Ibrahim tion of the fl ag state and the ex- that no council member has so in 2014 and installed rival insti- Dabbashi told Reuters his mis- planation given on the involve- far objected. tutions there. sion had submitted an offi cial ment of the ship in the illegal Two competing governments, There will be ministerial talks request, though he did not know export.” one in Tripoli and one in the east, on providing support for Libya’s when the delisting might take ef- He said the tanker’s operators backed by armed factions, have new unity government in Vienna A Jordanian Royal Palace handout photo of King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands walking fect. It will be up to the 15-nation had no intention of getting involved struggled for control of the North next week. The meeting will fo- alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II upon his arrival in Amman yesterday. council’s Libya sanctions com- in an improper transaction and had African Opec state since 2014. cus on international eff orts to mittee to make a decision. lacked proper information. The eastern administration bring stability to Libya. Gulf Times 4 Friday, May 13, 2016 ARAB WORLD 17 soliders die in Iraq ambush

Reuters it has resorted increasingly to guerrilla- Baghdad style attacks in civilian areas under the nominal Iraqi government control. The toll from Wednesday’s three sui- slamic State insurgents killed at least cide bombings in Baghdad made it the 17 Iraqi soldiers with suicide truck deadliest day in Baghdad so far this year. Ibombs yesterday in a major attack Police sources said yesterday’s bomb- on government forces that recaptured ers approached a police station in Abu the western city of Ramadi in December, Ghraib from two directions before deto- military offi cials said. nating their explosives. The militant group also killed two po- Baghdad Operations Command, one licemen and wounded eight others in two of the security organs charged with pro- suicide bombings in Abu Ghraib outside tecting the capital, said a third assailant Baghdad, a day after killing at least 80 was killed on approach to the police sta- people in bombings at an outdoor market tion. and two checkpoints inside the capital. Amaq news agency, which supports The attacks near Ramadi dealt one of Islamic State, said two militants had the heaviest blows to the army since it clashed with police at the Al Zeidan sta- drove Islamic State out of the western tion before setting off their explosives- city fi ve months ago. fi lled vests. An army colonel told Reuters that Sunni militant violence against se- militants killed at least 17 soldiers with curity forces and Shia civilians has per- suicide truck bombs in Jarayshi, 10km sisted since Baghdad became the target north of Ramadi. They also surrounded of almost daily bombings a decade ago Israeli Arabs wave Palestinian flags as they march during a demonstration, to mark the right of return for refugees who fled their homes during the 1948 Arab- an army regiment, seized a bridge and following the US-led invasion in 2003 Israeli War, at a village near Rahat in southern Israel. cut a key supply route linking Ramadi to that toppled Saddam Hussain. the Thirthar district further north, army A recent surge in bombings has sources said. heightened criticism of Prime Minister An offi cer said the attack appeared Haider al-Abadi as he grapples with a designed to delay an expected army of- political crisis over his attempts to over- Thousands march for return of Palestinians fensive into a nearby region that would haul his cabinet to weed out corruption have completely severed militant supply and mismanagement. routes to Fallujah, the Islamic State-held Lawmakers balking at ceding vested AFP were seen carrying Palestinian fl ags sary of Israel’s founding. Israelis hail mally marked on May 15. city on the western approaches to Bagh- interests targeted by Abadi have failed Jerusalem and others holding up signs demand- independence day as what they call Marchers carried the slogan “On dad that Iraqi forces have ringed for more to convene parliament since protesters ing the right to return for refugees at the reformation of the Jewish state. the anniversary of your independ- than six months. loyal to powerful Shia cleric Moqtada the rally in the Negev desert. For Palestinians, however, the ence, remember our nakba.” Another offi cer said reinforcements al-Sadr, a vocal advocate of dismantling housands of Arab Israeli pro- Organisers said it was the fi rst time events of 1948 are seen as a “nakba” - For the Palestinians, the right to had arrived to the area to help clear the Iraq’s quota-based governing system, testers marched yesterday in such a demonstration has been held catastrophe in Arabic - as more than return to homes they fl ed or were militants out of houses where they had breached the heavily-fortifi ed Green Tfavour of a right of return of in the Negev. 760,000 Palestinians, estimated to- forced out of is a prerequisite for any taken up positions. Zone district two weeks ago and took millions of Palestinians, the same day Israeli Jews, in contrast, celebrated day to number about 5.5mn with their peace agreement with Israel, but it is As Islamic State has been pushed out over the assembly complex for several Israel celebrated its independence. in public parties in two very diff erent descendants, fl ed or were driven from a demand the Jewish state has reject- of key towns and cities it seized in 2014, hours. The Israelis of Palestinian origin sets of reactions to the 68th anniver- their homes. The Nakba will be for- ed out of hand.

Artist Ai Weiwei says Gaza key part of regional refugee crisis

By Adel Zaanoun, AFP Gaza City

hinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei said yesterday he felt compelled to visit Gaza to understand its part in the global refugee crisis for a docu- Cmentary he is fi lming. While Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans have formed the bulk of the thousands of people fl eeing to Europe, hundreds of Palestinians have also made the treach- erous journey. And Ai said he could not ignore the decades-old reality of Palestinian refu- gees due to their “long history”. “It is a big population and has such a complexity of political conditions and aff ects a huge society,” he told AFP. “If we are doing a documentary fi lm we have to search (for) what happened in this refugee situation in the global sense and Gaza is a very, very important location we have to fi lm in.” The Gaza Strip is home to more than 1.7mn people, over 1.25mn of whom are refugees, according to the UN. Most come from families who left their homes during the war that led to the creation of Israel in 1948, and Ai joked that he arrived “late” to the story. While the global fi lm world has been fo- cused on the Cannes Film Festival this week, the dissident documentary maker, who was jailed for 81 days over his support for democ- racy and human rights in China, entered Gaza. He travelled to a number of parts of the coastal strip, including Jabalia camp in north- ern Gaza where he met refugees and displaced people whose homes were destroyed during the 2014 war between Israel and Palestinian militants. Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement which runs the Gaza Strip, have fought three wars since 2008, while Israeli authorities have maintained a blockade on the enclave. Ai also visited the Rafah border crossing with neighbouring Egypt which Egyptian authorities opened temporarily for two days from Wednesday morning, where he inter- viewed a number of refugees crossing from Gaza. He shared a series of photos from Gaza on Instagram, ranging from armed men to a starving tiger in a Gazan zoo. In another photo, he poses with a number of young Palestinian women by the port in Gaza City. Mona Karaaz, a medical student at Al Aqsa University in Gaza, was among them and said she was considering leaving for good. “I want to travel to Germany or any Euro- Chinese artist Ai Weiwei takes pictures with university students in Gaza City during a visit to the Gaza pean country to fi nd a job there. In Europe Strip for his upcoming documentary on the refugee crisis in the Middle East. maybe I can become a scientist,” she said. Gaza has been run by Hamas since it took United Nation’s body for Pales- discusses refugee issues across his entry and exit visas from Pal- the territory by force in 2007 from the rival tinian refugees, UNRWA, said the globe. estinian and Israeli authorities, Fatah movement, which dominates the West competing UN remits meant He said he had faced a number which are nearly impossible for Bank-based Palestinian Authority. they often “fall through the of obstacles on his global tour, in many Gazans to obtain. Years of talks aimed at reconciliation be- cracks” and do not get the help which he conducted hundreds And he called for Israelis and tween the parties have failed. they need. of interviews with refugees in Palestinians to understand each “We lost hope in the (Palestinian) Author- Dozens of Palestinians from Greece, Lebanon, Jordan, Mac- other better. “We are living in the ity and Hamas and all the factions,” Karaaz Gaza drowned when their boat to edonia and elsewhere. 21st century. We have to accept all said, adding that she hoped Ai “can take our Europe sank in late 2014. “To shoot (video) in refugee humans are equal. We are not dif- message to the world”. “Amid the massive refugee situations is not easy,” he said. ferent from each other,” he said. More than 6,000 Palestinians last year ar- fl ows today, the Palestine refu- “All the refugees are oppressed “We have to coexist. We have rived in Greece, a major migrant gateway to gees are the invisible refugee cri- by political powers. We had to understand and to be inclusive Europe, according to the International Or- sis,” Gunness said. problems but we always over- to other people - diff erent types ganization for Migration. Ai’s fi lm, which he said is ex- came those problems,” he said. of people - because humanity is But Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the pected to be shown next year, Ai also shared online photos of the only thing we have.” Gulf Times Friday, May 13, 2016 5 AFRICA Kabila pressured to hold Museveni sworn election after court ruling AFP elections in good faith, as they Kinshasa are the only source of popular legitimacy”. In power since 2001, when emocratic Republic of he took over on his father’s as- the Congo’s President sassination, Kabila was elected in for fi fth term DJoseph Kabila came un- president in 2006 and 2011 but der fresh pressure yesterday is constitutionally barred from AFP to hold elections on schedule standing for a third term. Kampala following a controversial court The court was responding to ruling enabling him to stay in a request for clarifi cation by the offi ce when his mandate ends ruling party over Kabila’s fate resident Yoweri Museveni late in 2016. should the polls fail to be held of Uganda embarked on a The nine-member Consti- on schedule, as is widely ex- Pfourth decade in power tutional Court on Wednesday pected. yesterday when he was sworn ruled that Kabila could remain Kabila’s supporters want the into offi ce for a fth fi consecutive in a caretaker capacity beyond election delayed for two to four term. the expiry of his term in De- years due to logistical and fi - Museveni, 71, won February’s cember. nancial diffi culties. Kabila: The Constitutional election though the result has Yesterday the main Congo- But the opposition suspects Court ruled on Wednesday that been challenged by opposition lese opposition party slammed Kabila is simply planning to he could remain in a caretaker leaders, one of whom has been the decision as “a sham”, while amend the constitution to ex- capacity beyond the expiry of held under house arrest for most former colonial power France tend his rule. his term in December. of the weeks since. urged the head of state to pre- Nadal denounced the “de- “I, Yoweri Kaguta Musev- pare elections “in good faith”. terioration of the political and ners of the African Champions eni swear in the name of the “The ruling handed down security situation” in the vast League. Almighty God that I shall faith- by the Constitutional Court is mineral-rich central African Human rights groups have fully exercise the functions of a sham, it modifi es the con- nation. said the allegations against him the President of the Republic of stitution,” Bruno Tshibala, Just as the controversial rul- are politically motivated and Uganda,” Museveni said to cheers spokesman for the Union for ing was released, thousands one of France’s top lawyers, Eric from the large bussed-in crowd Democracy and Social Progress of people protested in the sec- Dupond-Moretti, told AFP this gathered at a parade ground- (UDPS), told AFP. ond city, Lubumbashi, over the week that he was joining Ka- cum-airstrip on a Kampala hill- “If the presidential election is criminal trial of leading opposi- tumbi’s legal team. side. not held before the deadline, Mr tion fi gure Moise Katumbi, who Katumbi was an ally of Kabila He added he would, “uphold, Kabila must leave on December is accused of using foreign mer- for a decade but quit the ruling preserve, protect and defend the Museveni gives a thumbs-up during his swearing-in ceremony as the newly re-elected president in 19,” he said. “We will not allow cenaries as private guards. party in November when the constitution, and observe the Kampala. Mr Kabila to rule indefi nitely.” Katumbi, 51, is the former president split several provinc- laws of Uganda, and I shall pro- In Paris, France’s foreign governor of Katanga province es, including Katanga. mote the welfare of the people of Bashir is wanted by the Inter- dismissed the ICC as a “bunch of ponent, Kizza Besigye, was again ministry spokesman Romain and the owner of the prestig- Formerly the size of Spain, Uganda, so help me God”. national Criminal Court (ICC) useless people” as Bashir nodded arrested on Wednesday after Nadal said that “the prior- ious Tout-Puissant Mazembe it now has been carved up into Wearing his trademark khaki in The Hague for genocide, war in agreement. holding his own swearing-in cer- ity must be to actively prepare football club, three-time win- four separate entities. bush hat with chin strap and crimes and crimes against hu- The Ugandan president emony to protest what he says a dark business suit, Musev- manity in Darfur, but Uganda thanked Russia for its willing- was a fraudulent election. eni spoke into a clutch of micro- – like many other African states ness to sell weaponry, “without After his swearing-in Musev- phones with canary yellow muff s – ignored its legal obligation to conditions and arrogance like eni stayed on the podium behind the colour of his ruling National arrest the Sudanese leader. other countries” and promised a bulletproof glass and held up the Resistance Movement (NRM) Kenyatta’s own crimes against war on corruption. various instruments of power in- Guinea-Bissau president party. humanity case was dropped by “When you see me in a tie do cluding the presidential seal and More than a dozen heads of the ICC in late 2014. you forget I was once a guerilla?” a Uganda fl ag. state, including Kenya’s Uhuru Although African leaders ini- he asked. Then the military march- Kenyatta and Sudan’s Omar al- tially welcomed the ICC, they Leaders of Chad, Ethiopia, ing bands played, a 21-gun sa- sacks entire government Bashir, attended the swearing-in turned against the court when it Somalia, South Africa, South lute was fi red, soldiers in dress ceremony, the fi fth since Mu- began trying to hold them to ac- Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe uniforms trooped by and jets seveni took power in 1986 at the count. were also present. whizzed overhead as the crowd AFP appeared to have been averted head of a rebel army. During his speech Museveni Museveni’s main political op- watched. Bissau with the nomination in Sep- tember of party veteran Carlos Correia as premier. uinea-Bissau’s Presi- But it fl ared up again in De- dent Jose Mario Vaz cember after Correira’s policy Gsacked his entire gov- statement failed to win approval Boko Haram claims Maiduguri suicide attack ernment yesterday, demanding in parliament following the ab- that the ruling party choose a stention of 15 rebel MPs. new cabinet to lead the country They were immediately ex- AFP were injured and taken for treat- out of its political crisis. cluded from the party but it Maiduguri ment. The move came as the west cost Correira his parliamentary Mohammed Kanar, regional African country struggles to Vaz: has said that elections majority. co-ordinator for the National resolve a nine-month political were ‘not an adequate means Since then, the dispute has oko Haram has claimed a Emergency Management Agency, crisis within the ruling African of resolving the problems with rankled, interrupting the work suicide bomb attack that and an accident and emergency Party for the Independence of discipline, cohesion and of both the government and Bkilled two police offi cers in spokesman for the Borno State Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) internal unity in the political parliament, despite several at- northeast Nigeria, just days be- Specialist Hospital, also con- that has disrupted the func- parties’. tempts at mediation, including fore a regional security summit fi rmed just two deaths. tioning of both the government from overseas. on eff orts to eradicate the Islam- Between 19 and 24 people were and parliament, raising con- parliament and is able to govern Tensions at the top have ists. injured in the blast, they added. cerns overseas. in stable conditions,” he added, raised concern within the inter- The group, using the name Locals and street vendors Ministries have been placed suggesting that he wanted to national community, which had Islamic State West Africa Prov- earlier told AFP the explosion under security forces’ control, see a tie-up between PAIGC and hailed the progressive return ince (ISWAP), said in a statement initially appeared to come from The scene of a suicide bomb attack yesterday in Maiduguri. Two according to witnesses and se- its traditional allies. to constitutional order since posted on social media that the a passing motorised rickshaw, police off icers were killed when a suicide bomber tried to attack curity sources, while the PAIGC Analysts said that the head of Vaz was elected in May 2014 in bomber “was able to detonate his which went up in fl ames and was government off ices in the northeast Nigerian city, the military said. was meeting to decide how to state, who is relatively isolated this former Portuguese colony, explosive vest in the area of Mai- gutted in the blast. respond. within a ruling party dominat- which has a history of chronic duguri”. Boko Haram suicide bomb- British and US government of- and infrastructure in the insur- The crisis erupted in August ed by his former premier, was instability and repeated mili- It claimed “at least 15 apos- ers have previously used public fi cials. gency, which has claimed at least when Vaz fi red prime minister looking to assert his infl uence tary coups. tates (non-believers)” were killed transport to travel to multiple The meeting is expected to 20,000 lives and made more than Domingos Simoes Pereira, who by enlarging the parliamentary The chronic volatility has in the attack, which happened targets in the northeast and wid- focus on boosting regional and 2.6mn homeless since 2009. heads the PAIGC, putting the majority. fanned poverty in this country about 12pm at the Borno State er north. international cooperation in de- It has also used suicide bomb- president on a collision course Vaz said that he had faced of 1.6mn, which has few re- Secretariat in the city. The Islamist group was found- feating the Islamic State group ers to infl ict maximum civilian with the party he himself be- three options for tackling the sources other than cashew nuts But Nigerian Army spokesman ed in Maiduguri in 2002 and the affi liate, which has also attacked casualties in attacks on “soft” longs to. crisis: a major overhaul of the and fi sh and has attracted the Sani Usman said only two died city has been repeatedly attacked Cameroon, Chad and Niger. targets such as mosques, crowd- In a message to the nation government, the formation of a attention of South American and said the attacker blew up as since the insurgency turned vio- Buhari’s offi ce said on Tues- ed market places and bus sta- carried on national radio and new government or early elec- drug cartels who have turned it security personnel stopped him lent in 2009. day “the successful conclusion tions. television, Vaz said the ball was tions, as PAIGC’s Pereira had into a cocaine-traffi cking hub. from trying to get into the gov- But a relative calm has re- of ongoing military operations On Wednesday, the Nigerian in the ruling party’s court. demanded. During a visit to the country ernment offi ces. turned there in recent months against Boko Haram” was “at the military said troops and civilian “It is up to the party which But Vaz said elections were in March, representatives of the “Unfortunately in the process as a military counter-insurgency top of its agenda”. vigilantes prevented a suicide won a majority in the legislative “not an adequate means of re- UN Security Council under- of stopping him, he detonated makes apparent gains against The last successful attack in bomb attack at a mosque in Mai- elections to propose a govern- solving the problems with dis- lined the need for its institu- the improvised explosive de- rebel strongholds across the Maiduguri was a double suicide duguri’s Sulaimanti suburb. ment capable of deserving the cipline, cohesion and internal tions to be allowed to function vice on his body, instantly kill- northeast. bombing by two women at a Five civilians were injured dur- trust of the parliamentary ma- unity in the political parties”. normally. ing himself, a police offi cer and Nigeria’s President Muham- mosque in Molai, on the outskirts ing the attempt and bomb dis- jority,” he said. Both camps say the two men Guinea-Bissau has suff ered critically injuring another offi cer. madu Buhari is this weekend of the city, in March in which 22 posal specialists were called in to “The best solution would had disagreed over how to run multiple military coups since Sadly, the injured offi cer died hosting leaders of neighbouring people were killed and 35 injured. make safe the device the bomber be the formation of a govern- the country, especially on how independence in 1974 and the later,” Usman said in an e-mailed countries, plus French President Boko Haram has previously was carrying, army spokesman ment which refl ects the major- to tackle corruption. army continues to play a heavy statement, adding that 18 people Francois Hollande, and senior targeted government buildings Usman said in a statement. ity sentiment of the people in Last year the crisis initially role in politics.

UN: 32mn facing hunger in Somalia protests drought-hit southern Africa Kenyan camp plan Reuters shelter from confl icts raging AFP all canned drinks in the country season – and countries which Mogadishu across the region. Johannesburg because of a water shortage (see depend on hydro-power could Kenya says militants have sidebar). face blackouts, he said. also used it as a base to launch “There are already an esti- “Zimbabwe is one the most omalia protested yes- attacks. bout 32mn people in mated 32mn food-insecure peo- hard hit,” said Eddie Rowe, the terday against Kenyan But Somalia’s ministry of southern Africa face ple in the southern Africa region, country director for WFP. “The Splans to close a refugee foreign aff airs said any move Ahunger after a crippling largely as a result of drought country is coming out of a very camp packed with hundreds of to close it would only hurt the drought worsened by the El Nino which led to poor harvests last poor agricultural season with thousands of Somali citizens, refugees and possibly drive weather phenomenon devastated year,” the UN’s World Food Pro- 40% of normal corn production. saying that the move would more people into militancy. crops across the region, the UN’s gramme (WFP) said in its latest It’s already a fragile rural econo- A picture taken on Wednesday in Windhoek shows the logo at the increase the threat of militancy “Expelling vulnerable So- food agency said yesterday. report. my.” entrance of the Coca Cola Namibia Bottling Company (Pty) Limited. in the region. mali refugees at a time Soma- Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mo- “There have been a lot of dis- Kenya had announced a lia is making internationally zambique have all issued drought ruptions in the season as a result Drought forces Coca-Cola to halt canned drinks in Namibia day earlier it was drawing up recognised progress towards alerts in recent months, as thou- of El Nino coming on the back of a timetable to shut Dadaab stability and institution build- sands of cattle die, reservoirs are a poor harvest from the previ- Coca-Cola will stop production of all canned drinks ucts locally – substituting them with imported canned camp, shrugging off pleas to ing, will only increase the risk depleted and harvests continue ous season,” WFP regional food in Namibia and has warned consumers of possible beverages from South Africa,” Frik Oosthuizen, head reconsider the move by the of insecurity in the region,” the to fail. security analyst Andrew Odero shortages, the company said yesterday, as a regional of Coca-Cola in Namibia, said in a statement. “This United Nations and rights ministry said. South Africa describes the told a news conference in Johan- drought worsens across southern Africa. decision has been taken as a direct result of the water groups. “This decision will nega- drought as its worst in more than nesburg. Businesses in Windhoek have been ordered by city crisis that is facing the Central region of Namibia and The vast settlement on the tively aff ect the majority of So- 100 years, while in neighbouring Dam levels were also “much authorities to cut water consumption by 30%. we are making every eff ort to continue to supply our Kenyan side of the Somali bor- mali refugees ... and will make Namibia Coca-Cola announced lower” than at the same time last “We will cease the manufacturing of all canned prod- customers.” der houses about 350,000 So- the threat of terrorism worse, that it will stop production of year – the beginning of the dry malis and other refugees taking not better,” it added. Gulf Times 6 Friday, May 13, 2016 AMERICA Judge hands win Trump, Ryan call on to Republicans in Obamacare case

Reuters achievement, because the Washington judge stayed the ruling pend- Republicans to unite ing appeal. As part of the expected ap- DPA US judge has handed a peal, the administration is Washington victory to congressional likely to press its argument that ARepublicans who chal- the House does not have legal lenged the implementation of standing to sue. epublican presidential a provision of President Barack The case focuses on a candidate Donald Trump Obama’s signature healthcare cost-sharing provision of Rand Speaker of the House law involving reimbursements Obamacare that requires in- Paul Ryan said yesterday follow- from the government to private surers to reduce deductibles ing a closely watched meeting health insurers. and co-pays. that it is necessary to unite in US District Judge Rosemary Insurers are supposed to be order to defeat Democrats in the Collyer, based in Washington, reimbursed for these costs by November general election. ruled that the Obama admin- the federal government. Amid a rift in the Republican istration cannot spend funds The Obama administration party over its presumptive presi- that Congress did not appro- has interpreted the provision dential nominee, Trump headed priate in reimbursing insur- as a type of federal spending to Washington for a series of ance companies for reductions that does not have to be explic- meetings designed to woo the they are required to make un- itly authorised by Congress, party leaders he has been quick to der the law to customers’ out- but the House Republicans attack on the campaign trail. Trump: had a ‘great conversation’ with Ryan. of-pocket medical payments. who fi led the challenge disa- In a joint statement, the two Collyer said the administra- greed. called the meeting “a very posi- US Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (right) addresses his weekly tion has spent “billions of dol- “BIG win for the Constitu- tive step toward unifi cation”. briefing after meeting Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Ryan lars” on such reimbursements tion,” House Speaker Paul Ryan “The US cannot aff ord another and Trump said they had taken a ‘very positive step’ towards bridging since January 2014. wrote on Twitter in response to four years of the Obama White party divisions sparked by the billionaire’s White House bid. White House spokesman the ruling. House, which is what Hillary Josh Earnest said the Republi- The House Republicans ar- Clinton represents,” Trump and Preibus, who has called on the Romney assails Republican candidate for refusing to release tax returns can-led House of Representa- gued that the administration’s Ryan said. “That is why it’s criti- party members to unify, wrote on tives, which brought the case, action violated the US Consti- cal that Republicans unite around Twitter that the meeting “was a Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump’s ultimately would lose. tution because it is the legisla- our shared principles, advance a very positive step toward party refusal to release his tax returns until after the Novem- “This suit represents the tive branch, not the executive conservative agenda, and do all unity”. ber election should disqualify him as a presidential fi rst time in our nation’s his- branch, that authorises gov- we can to win this fall.” Ahead of yesterday’s meeting, candidate, the party’s 2012 standardbearer Mitt Rom- tory that Congress has been ernment spending. Trump and Ryan had a “great Ryan had said it would not be ney warned on Wednesday. permitted to sue the executive Collyer ruled that the cost- conversation” and were “honest wise to “pretend we’re unifi ed as “It is disqualifying for a modern-day presidential branch over a disagreement sharing provisions cannot be about our few diff erences” while a party” without addressing the nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters, about how to interpret a stat- funded through the same per- recognising “important areas of underlying issues. especially one who has not been subject to public ute,” Earnest told a briefi ng. manent appropriation that common ground”, the statement Trump’s caustic style and de- scrutiny in either military or public service,” Romney “It’s unfortunate that Re- covers tax credits made avail- said. viation from traditional party or- wrote in a Facebook post. publicans have resorted to a able under the healthcare law. Ryan later described the thodoxy on issues such as trade Romney, himself a multi-millionaire, said the only taxpayer-funded lawsuit to re- The judge rejected the meeting as “encouraging”, but and taxes has splintered the Re- logical explanation for Trump’s failure to show his back fi ght a political fi ght that they Obama administration’s con- stressed that it was only the start publicans, and it remains unclear taxes was that they contain “a bombshell of unusual Romney: only logical explanation for Trump’s keep losing,” Earnest added. tention that the appropriation of an eff ort to unify the party af- whether he will be able to unify size”. failure to show his back taxes was that they “They’ve been losing this fi ght should be viewed as perma- ter a long, bitter primary cam- the party. “Mr Trump, tear down that tax wall,” Romney said. contain ‘a bombshell of unusual size’. for six years, and they’ll lose it nent because the alternative paign. Trump has indicated little Trump is a billionaire New York real estate mogul again.” interpretation would lead to Ryan, the top Republican in willingness to back down from whose financial dealings have been under intense routine audit and I would release my tax returns when Conservatives have mount- “absurd economic, fi scal and Congress, sought to downplay his fi ery campaign rhetoric. scrutiny for years. audit is complete, not after election!” he wrote. ed a series of legal challenges to healthcare policy results”. stark policy diff erences between Ryan, who was the party’s He said in an interview with the Associated Press Failure to reduce his tax returns would mark a clear the law, known as Obamacare, The US Supreme Court in himself and Trump on issues vice-presidential candidate published on Wednesday that despite pressure to break with political tradition. since it was passed by Con- June 2015, in a ruling authored such as healthcare reform for the alongside Mitt Romney four release his returns, he likely will not do so before the Every major presidential and vice-presidential nomi- gress over unifi ed Republican by Bush-appointed Chief Jus- elderly and taxes, instead point- years ago, has sought to convey November election due to an ongoing financial audit. nee since 1976 has released his or her returns, accord- opposition. tice John Roberts, rejected a ing to shared core principles an image as an aff able policy- “There’s nothing to learn from them,” Trump said in ing to fact-checking website PolitiFact. Collyer was appointed to the conservative challenge that within the Republican Party. focused politician. the interview, adding that he did not believe they were Romney’s father George Romney famously released 12 bench by Republican former could have gutted Obamacare, “This is a process, we just be- Romney has also been outspo- of interest to voters. years of tax returns prior to the 1968 election, when he president George W Bush. upholding nationwide tax sub- gan this process,” said Ryan, who ken against Trump and went af- Later on Wednesday, with pressure snowballing, ran for president. The ruling will not have sidies crucial to the law. last week said he could not yet ter him on Wednesday for refus- Trump tweeted that he did not refuse to release his Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic presidential an immediate eff ect on the Roberts also wrote a ma- endorse the candidate and again ing to release his tax returns (see returns before the election. nominee, has released her tax returns dating back to 2010 law, considered Obama’s jor 2012 ruling preserving stopped short of doing so despite sidebar). “In interview I told @AP that my taxes are under 1977. signature domestic policy Obamacare. stressing the need for party unity. Ryan has expressed reserva- Ryan pointed to Trump’s suc- tions about many of Trump’s cess in bringing new voters to the positions, but must also worry ing all 435 members of the House will eventually decide the House ist and protectionist leanings party and said Republicans must about Republicans maintaining and one-third of the Senate. district maps into the next dec- could sap the enthusiasm of the work to add more voters without control of Congress. Less obviously, many states ade. Republican base while spurring losing existing supporters. The elections, now in less than will hold elections for the gov- Some Republicans fear that minority turnout for Democrats US House blocks Republican chairman Reince six months, will see voters elect- ernors and state legislators who Trump’s nationalistic, nativ- in key states. Google-hosted Trial begins in case of man’s death in police custody apps, Yahoo!Mail AFP Nero is among six offi cers be- The fact that Gray was not And in any case it was up to No one has yet been convicted Baltimore ing tried separately in this At- wearing a belt seemingly helps the driver of the van, not Nero, in Gray’s death. Reuters The FBI sent an advisory to lantic port city. He is accused of the defence argument that the to decide whether to put a belt on The city of Baltimore agreed Washington private industry in June 2015 second-degree assault, reckless death was an accident. But it Gray, the lawyer said. in September to pay $6.4mn in about a number of remote ac- Baltimore police offi cer endangerment and misconduct could also help the argument that Nero, who has not been jailed, a settlement with Gray’s family, cess tools capable of stealing went on trial yesterday in in offi ce. Baltimore police treat suspects chose to be tried by a judge rather part of a string of seven-fi gure he US House of Repre- personally identifi able infor- Athe case of Freddie Gray, Gray, 25, had been picked up roughly when transporting them. than by a jury. payouts by cities to avoid wrong- sentatives’ information mation, including a Trojan an African American who died on April 19, 2015 after fl eeing at “Police procedure do not al- The judge is black, as are two- ful death lawsuits brought by the Ttechnology team has fi le named BLT found on the last year while in custody, spark- the sight of police and suff ered a low what these offi cers did,” said thirds of the people of Baltimore. estates of those killed against au- blocked lawmakers from ac- Google appspot.com domain. ing riots and looting in this gritty snapped spine while being trans- Michael Schatzow, chief deputy The trial is expected to last two thorities potentially liable for the cessing software applications Ted Henderson, a former city. ported unrestrained in the back state’s attorney. weeks. death. hosted on a Google cloud serv- House employee, said two The death of Gray became part of a Baltimore police van. Defence attorney Marc Zayon Prosecutors and defence at- Gray’s death reignited already ice to prevent possible hacking Google-hosted apps that he of a wider debate in the US over In yesterday’s trial, attention described Nero as a conscien- torneys are under a gag order searing discontent over police campaigns, two congressional created specifi cally for use by alleged police brutality. focused quickly on why offi cers tious police offi cer and said Gray barring them from speaking with tactics following a series of high- sources said on Wednesday. congressional staff ers to dis- The current trial, involving did not put a seat belt on Gray, as was not restrained because he the press about the case. profi le cases of unarmed black The move came after cuss politics and share alerts Offi cer Edward Nero, is the sec- per regulations for transporting was moving around so much. The police offi cers involved in men killed by police. Yahoo!Mail was also black- on votes are now eff ectively ond related to Gray’s death. detainees. Gray was “passively and ac- the case – three white and three It sparked days of mass pro- listed by House authorities due banned on their work network. Another trial last year ended Since he was not restrained, tively resisting arrest, banging in African Americans, including a tests, riots and looting in Balti- to fears of ransomware infi ltra- The disabling of appspot. in a hung jury and a mistrial was Gray bounced around in the back the wagon, kicking the wagon”, woman – claim that Gray’s death more, just a short drive from the tion. com occurred after the House declared. of the van, hitting the walls. Zayon said. was an accident. nation’s capital of Washington. The two restrictions, which Information Security Offi ce have hampered some internal sent an advisory e-mail to law- communications in the lower makers and staff ers on April 30 chamber, have both been im- warning of increased phishing Arizona grandfather jailed for leaving plemented within the past two attacks on the House network five-year-old in desert with firearm weeks and are still in place. from third party, Web-based Trayvon Martin gun briefl y on sale The episodes are not be- mail applications including An Arizona man was sentenced to six months in jail for felony child lieved to be related, the sources Yahoo!Mail and Gmail. abuse for leaving his five-year-old granddaughter in the desert with said. “The attacks are focused on a loaded and cocked handgun with the instruction to “shoot any AFP Devices connected to the putting ‘ransomware’ on users’ bad guys”, prosecutors said on Wednesday. Washington House’s Internet via Wi-Fi computers,” the e-mail, seen Paul Armand Rater, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of felony child or ethernet cables have been by Reuters, states. abuse under a plea agreement stemming from the November, 2015, barred from accessing appspot. It added that the primary incident, said county Attorney Bill Montgomery. he gun used to kill Trayvon com, the domain where Google focus of the attackers appeared “There still has been no satisfactory explanation for why that Martin, an unarmed black hosts custom-built apps, after to be Yahoo!Mail, which was happened,” Montgomery said at a news conference. Tteenager, in a 2012 case the FBI notifi ed Congress of a being blocked on the network Authorities said that the girl was reported missing by family that triggered protests across the potential security vulnerabil- “until further notice”. members four hours after Rater took her for a ride in his new United States has been pulled ity, the sources said. Two individuals fell vic- pickup truck. from an online auction due to “We began blocking apps- tim to ransomware by clicking The girl was found holding a .45-caliber pistol during a search of the start yesterday. pot.com on May 3 in response on infected Word document area by her mother and an off -duty firefighter, court records stated. Former neighbourhood to indicators that appspot.com e-mail attachments, sources She told sheriff ’s detectives that she had been told to “shoot any watchman George Zimmerman, was potentially still hosting a familiar with the hacking re- bad guys”, and added: “I don’t know why papa left me.” who shot dead the 17-year-old, This June 28, 2013 picture shows Sanford police off icer Timothy remote access Trojan named vealed. Rater was located at a store and he admitted to leaving the girl had listed the gun on GunBro- Smith holding up the gun that was used to kill Trayvon Martin, while BLT that has been there since The infected fi les were able under a tree with his gun after his vehicle apparently had broken ker.com as “the fi rearm that was testifying during Zimmerman’s murder trial in Seminole circuit court, June 2015,” one of the sources, to be recovered without paying down and he left to seek help. used to defend my life and end Sanford, Florida. a House staff er with direct any ransom, the sources said. He then proceeded to go into an establishment where he had the brutal attack from Trayvon knowledge of the situation, Ransomware attacks, which drinks and a cheeseburger, court records showed. Martin”. longer listed as available for auc- He was acquitted of second- told Reuters. involve accessing a computer In addition to the jail time, Rater was also sentenced to 10 years’ He advertised the sale as “your tion. degree murder the following A Google spokesman said or network’s fi les and encrypt- probation at his Monday sentencing hearing in Maricopa County opportunity to own a piece of GunBroker.com did not re- year, setting off protests nation- the company was investigating ing them until a ransom is paid Superior Court in Phoenix. American history”. spond to requests for comment. wide over Florida’s “stand your reports of the restriction and by the victim, have grown Rater’s attorney, Robert Ditsworth, could not immediately be The Kel-Tec PF-9 nine-mil- Zimmerman, a neighbour- ground” gun laws. would work with the House to more severe and common in reached for comment on Wednesday. limeter pistol had a starting price hood watch volunteer, shot and The case prompted a national resolve any issues. recent years. Rater was arrested last November on two counts of felony child of $5,000 and bidding was due to killed Martin as he walked down debate about race relations. The Federal Bureau of In- Yahoo is working closely abuse and one count of felony child endangerment for abandoning have begun at 11am (1500 GMT). the street in a gated community The 32-year-old Zimmerman vestigation (FBI) has so far not with the House to resolve the the child. But by midday, the link was in Sanford, Florida in February has since had several run-ins responded to a request for a matter, a company spokesper- He reached the plea deal in March. down and the weapon was no 2012. with the law. comment. son said. Gulf Times Friday, May 13, 2016 7 ASEAN Truckload Rare rhino born in Indonesia

AFP Andalas — was transferred Jakarta from the United States to the Sumatran sanctuary last No- vember in the hope he would Sumatran rhino gave fi nd a mate. birth to a female calf at In March, environmentalists Aa sanctuary in Indonesia made physical contact with a yesterday, taking the critically Sumatran rhino on the Indo- endangered species a step fur- nesian part of Borneo island for ther away from extinction. the fi rst time in 40 years, but it The baby was born at 5.40am died a month later. on western Sumatra island, Covered in woolly hair rang- and within hours was walking ing from reddish brown to around and feeding from its black in colour, Sumatran rhi- mother, authorities said. nos are the only Asian rhinoc- It was the second baby born eroses with two horns. to rhino Ratu. Her previous While Javan rhinos are con- birth four years ago marked the sidered the world’s rarest, Su- fi rst time a Sumatran rhino had matran rhinos are under in- been born in an Asian breed- creasing threat. An elephant is transported on a highway in Bangkok, Thailand.. ing facility for more than 140 They are targeted by poach- years. ers as their horns and other The new calf and Ratu, body parts fetch high prices on whose name means “Queen” in the black market for use in tra- Indonesian, were both in good ditional Chinese medicine. health although the mother In addition, their rainfor- looked “exhausted”, the gov- est habitat on Sumatra island ernment said. is being destroyed due to the “We are very thankful for rapid expansion of palm oil and this birth, as Sumatran rhinos pulp and paper plantations. are rare animals,” environment Managers of a zoo in the In- ministry spokesman Novrizal donesian city of Bandung were Paedophile hunters Tahar told AFP. accused of negligence Thurs- Ratu was observed stretch- day after the death of an en- ing in her maternity pen in dangered Sumatran elephant. recent days, a signal her long- The 37-year-old elephant, anticipated delivery was near- named Yani, died of heart and ing. lung complications Wednes- The birth took around two day after an illness was left hours. Just two hours after be- untreated for eight days, said monitor suspects ing born, the calf — which has the head of West Java’s Nature not yet been named — began Conservancy Agency, Sylvana walking and feeding, according Ratina. a statement from the forestry The zoo does not have a vet- ministry. erinarian on staff , she said. The birth “demonstrates “It’s a shame that they didn’t the government of Indonesia’s report to us when she fell sick,” commitment, in cooperation Sylvana said. “Otherwise, we from the shadows with the Indonesian Rhino could have found a way to treat Foundation, towards rhino her,” she said. Cambodia wants to shed the negative Most European and North American conservation eff orts in Indo- The zoo had been given 30 image around its tourism industry embassies in Bangkok, for example, have nesia”, it added. days to improve its facilities police offi cers stationed in them dedicated Sumatran rhinos are ex- and care for the animals or the AFP to anti-paedophile work. tremely rare, with just 100 be- government would confi scate Phnom Penh But as another foreign Bangkok investi- lieved to exist in the world. The them, she said. gator, who asked not to be named because birth is a major boon for the Bandung Mayor Ridwan they work with Thai police, commented, species, which last year was Kamil and other Indonesians sing tip-off s, stakeouts and stealth, there has been much less cooperation declared extinct in Malaysia. called for a boycott of the zoo. civilian investigators are playing a from Asian countries whose nationals visit Ratu, a wild rhino who wan- There are about only 2,400- Ucrucial role in helping Cambodian Cambodia in greater numbers than West- dered out of the rainforest and 2,800 Sumatran elephants police track down foreign paedophiles, as erners. into the Sumatran Rhino Sanc- in the wild, including 500 in they battle to spread the message that the “There’s been decent cooperation over tuary in Way Kambas National Aceh, according to the WWF impoverished nation will no longer be a recent years with some embassies,” the in- Park a decade ago, had become conservation group. The pop- playground for abusers. vestigator said. “But I can’t say they same pregnant after meeting with ulation has dropped an esti- Down a dark side-street off Siem Reap’s for the Japanese, Chinese and South Ko- Andalas, a male rhino at the mated 80% in the last 75 years, boisterous red light district, a Cambodian reans. And they have a much bigger foot- park. according to conservation man sits in the driving seat of an auto- print in the region.” Ratu’s fi rst baby, Andatu, group IUCN. rickshaw, a cigarette hanging from his lips, Voluntourism and orphanages are an- was born at the sanctuary in Poaching and the destruc- his eyes fi xed on a bar across the road. A Cambodian civilian investigator watches tourists in Siem Reap. other risk area, as they give paedophiles 2012. tion of their habitat for planta- But he is not touting for passengers. He a seemingly innocuous route to their vic- Births of Sumatran rhinos in tions and farmland have been is an undercover informant on a stakeout, enviable reputation as a sex tourism people. But investigators know they can- tims instead of approaching them on the captivity are rare. Yesterday’s blamed for the dwindling pop- a concealed notepad and camera the only hotspot, including for paedophiles drawn not rest on their laurels. street. birth was only the fi fth of a ulation. giveaway of his trade. to a country where children can still be “While the situation in Cambodia is A former director of APLE was himself Sumatran rhino in a breeding The Bandung zoo is not the His target for the night is a Western bought and all too often, police also have getting better each year, the fi ght is not jailed earlier this year for abusing 11 chil- facility. only park in Indonesia that has man who has raised suspicions because of a price. nearly over,” Khoem Vando, APLE’s deputy dren under his care at a Phnom Penh or- Despite being the small- been accused of neglect. his behaviour with children, triggering an Cambodia’s grim reputation as a child director of fi eld operations, told AFP. phanage he ran after leaving the charity in est of the fi ve remaining rhino A spate of animal deaths at a around-the-clock surveillance operation. sex hub caught global attention when Brit- “Foreign paedophiles are still targeting 2005. species, Sumatran rhinos have zoo in Indonesia’s second larg- “When there is a suspect, we send our ish glam rocker and serial paedophile Gary Cambodia, but their modus operandi has He insists he was set up by APLE inves- very long pregnancies that last est city Surabaya two years ago agents down to look at the area, keep an Glitter was eventually deported in 2002 changed,” he said. tigators, a charge the charity denies and about 16 months. triggered public anger and ac- eye out for movement and suspicious ac- after years living in the region in impunity. Technology is creating new headaches the court rejected. Harapan — the brother of cusations of corruption. tivity,” Meas, a 38-year-old investigator Enforcement has signifi cantly improved for those trying to stop the abuse as sex Some blogs in Cambodia, mostly writ- who runs a network of civilian informants since then, but there are still wide gaps in tourists can better prepare their journey in ten by foreign expats, have accused APLE in the central Cambodian city, told AFP. the safety net and civilians supplement advance. of overzealously targeting foreign men Southeast Asia has long been a glo- the policing. One Thailand-based investigator told who may be innocent and simply trying to bal epicentre for child sex abuse by both Meas, who asked AFP to use a pseudo- AFP that encrypted chat rooms have long help poor locals. Western and regional tourists. nym, is an investigator with Action Pour allowed abusers to share images and advice. But Meas rejects this. Walking through A landmark study released yesterday Les Enfants (APLE), a charity which spe- But now websites such as AirBnB, which a Siem Reap park that is a known hotspot, by a coalition of nearly 70 child protec- cialises in catching paedophiles and caring allow people to privately rent accom- he says legal cases are only brought after tion agencies looking at child sex abuse by for their victims. modation, and video messenger apps like lengthy investigations and once compel- tourists around the world says that while The year after Glitter was deported, Skype are making it possible to locate both ling evidence has been compiled. some successes have been made in South- there were just eight paedophile arrests victims and privacy before abusers even On a bench in the distance a Caucasian east Asia, it remains an “enduring phe- according to government data, but no re- arrive land in a country. man is playing a ukelele to two Cambodian nomenon that has plagued the region for cent detailed fi gures have been released. “Yes that’s happening,” said Meas, children. several decades”. Last year, APLE’s own investigation led “Technology helps them. We have to in- “It’s diffi cult,” he said. “He could be a Cambodia has transformed itself from a to 22 arrests and the charity says perpe- crease our expertise in this fi eld.” completely innocent and a good person. war ravaged nation into one of Asia’s fast- trators and accomplices tend to be evenly Over the years Western embassies have But that’s the kind of interaction we must est growing economies and an increas- split between locals and foreigners. ramped up cooperation with authorities look out for and follow up.” ingly popular tourist destination. Meas said he has personally overseen in Southeast Asia in a bid to stop their na- And with that he calls an agent on his But it remains poor and has an un- investigations that have busted around 60 tionals from abusing children. phone. Ratu with her calf.

Man held with ‘tiger claws’ Police in central Vietnam arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of Fishermen testify in traffi cking case smuggling 680 suspected tiger claws from Laos into Vietnam, a police off icial said yesterday. Reuters clean fi sh on shore in Thailand, but then found working seven days a week, some days from 11pm rest - this simply is not possible,” he said after the Suspect Cao Xuan Vo and the claws Bangkok themselves stuck on a boat docked in Mahachai, a until 8pm the following day. second day of court. were seized at his home in Nghe seafood-processing city southwest of Bangkok. They were out at sea for more than a year, Papop The case was fi led on Tuesday at the court, An province on Tuesday following “The broker said, ‘wait at this boat, don’t go said. Their plight was discovered in January when which accepted the case and immediately heard a five-month investigation. “Seeing abour brokers duped Cambodian men with anywhere, more workers are coming’. They waited Thai authorities called ships to port, and among victim testimony, said Preeda Tongchumnum, those claws, they likely belong to promises of work in Thailand, trapping on the boat for one month,” said Papop Siamhan, the boats that came in were the two on which the another lawyer on the case, who also works with tigers,” said Nghe An environmental Lthem on fi shing boats and forcing them to a lawyer and project coordinator for the Human Cambodian men said they had been enslaved. the Solidarity Center, a US-based worker rights police chief Tran Huu Hong, adding work more than 20 hours a day, lawyers said as a Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) After they were released, they each received organisation. that he suspected the claws to court heard evidence against three defendants ac- rights group. 25,000 baht ($700) from their employer, though Thailand has come under fi re after a series of have originated from around 34 cused of human traffi cking. Nine of the men eventually fl ed and turned they were each due about 150,000 baht ($4,250) in reports in recent years uncovered widespread hu- individual tigers. While police The case in Thailand’s southern Ranong prov- themselves in to police so they could be deported wages, Papop said. man traffi cking and slavery in its seafood industry. said Vo confessed to smuggling ince against the owner of a fi shing dock and two home, only to be returned to the broker, Papop Defence attorney Supachai Singkalawanich The government has recently amended its laws the claws for around $15,000, boat captains comes as the Southeast Asian coun- told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. called the victims’ tale “impossible”. in an eff ort to combat human traffi cking and slav- Hong said charges were pending try steps up eff orts to crack down on slavery in its Their broker told them if they wanted to return “They’ve concocted this story. All 15 peo- ery, as well as illegal, unreported and unregulated laboratory tests to confirm that the multibillion-dollar seafood industry. home to pay 30,000 baht ($850) in order to cover ple say they are victims and were gone for 13 fi shing. body parts came from tigers. A defence attorney representing the dock own- the costs of their documents and travel to Thai- months, working every day, with no days off , Last March, Thailand’s parliament voted over- According to Thanh Nien er said allegations against his client were false. land, Papop said. working 22 hours a day, sleeping just two hours a whelmingly to introduce harsher punishments for newspaper, Vo told authorities that The legal team representing the alleged victims They stayed on the boat, and then were split day,” Supachai said by telephone from Ranong on human traffi ckers, including life imprisonment the claws were to be used to make said the men - 15 in all - were hired at a recruitment up onto two boats which sailed for about a month Wednesday. and the death penalty in cases where their victims jewellery. agency in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to away from Thailand, and then they began fi shing, “Working everyday - 22 hours a day without had died. Gulf Times 8 Friday, May 13, 2016 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA China media rebuff s Brit ‘barbarians’ AFP continuous Eastern civilisa- of Chinese ways, noting “an ar- Beijing tion, we believe they will make rogance which makes them feel progress” when it comes to man- they needn’t bother to learn”. ners, it added in the Chinese- “Every country’s customs are he British media is rid- language piece, which was not diff erent, OK - not all people dled with “barbarians” published in English. must cater to you,” wrote a com- Twho would benefi t from a London and Beijing have both menter on the Twitter-like Sina lesson in manners from China’s proclaimed a new “golden era” Weibo. ancient civilisation, a state-run of relations between the former Others were ashamed. “We’re newspaper said yesterday after imperial power - whose forces already embarrassed by talk Queen Elizabeth II called some repeatedly invaded China in about what our average people Chinese offi cials “very rude”. the 19th century - and the ris- get up to abroad,” said one. “Be- In a rare diplomatic gaff e, the ing Asian giant, now the world’s ing embarrassed by our offi cials British monarch was caught on second-largest economy. abroad is even worse.” camera at a Buckingham Palace Xi’s trip in October saw a The British monarch never ex- garden party making unguarded clutch of contracts announced, presses overtly political views in A Queensland Ambulance Service handout of ambulance staff tending to more than 40 tourists in the town of 1770. comments about a state visit last which Cameron said were worth public and is known for her dis- year by President Xi Jinping that almost $58bn. cretion, never granting an inter- drummed up billions in Chinese At the time the overseas edi- view in her 64-year reign. investment. tion of the People’s Daily, the But her comments came as The remarks made headlines Communist Party’s offi cial British Prime Minister David worldwide on Wednesday but in- mouthpiece, breathlessly por- Cameron was recorded calling itially they were largely censored traying the visit as the start of a Nigeria and Afghanistan “pos- Tourists jump for their in China, blacked out of BBC beautiful friendship. sibly the two most corrupt coun- World transmissions, according But in her recorded comments, tries in the world”, heaping scru- to the British broadcaster. the Queen commiserated with a tiny on the tete-a-tetes of British The Global Times newspaper, police commander for her “bad leadership. which is close to China’s ruling luck” in having to oversee secu- “Even among Western coun- lives from burning boat Communist Party, blamed the rity for Xi and his wife. tries, Britain is most frequently British media for blowing the Members of the Chinese del- ‘caught with its pants down’ AFP land on the Great Barrier Reef, “Of the 46 people on board, with others from Canada, New incident out of proportion and egation “were very rude to the and ‘exposing itself’,” the Global Sydney apparently when a fi re started in 19 received treatment for non- Zealand and Britain. fawning over the footage as if it ambassador”, the monarch said, Times editorial said. the engine room. life threatening injuries at hos- English traveller Gemma Sar- was “the most precious treasure”. exclaiming: “Extraordinary!” But it added that it would be The local Gladstone Observer pitals in Bundaberg and Glad- gent said she was woken by peo- “The West in modern times A columnist at Chinese web- “unthinkable” for British au- ore than 40 tourists, newspaper said the 42 passen- stone,” Queensland police said ple shouting about the fi re. has risen to the top and created site ‘Today’s Headlines’ recalled thorities to have deliberately many of them elderly gers and four crew abandoned in a statement. “All of a sudden the captain a brilliant civilisation, but their visible mutual discomfort during leaked the royal footage, as “if MChinese, were recover- ship and jumped into the water “The vessel caught fi re around goes ‘Get off the boat!’ and I’m media is full of reckless ‘gossip the three-day sojourn, describ- they had deliberately done so, ing yesterday after jumping into before swimming to life rafts 4pm (on Wednesday) and was looking at him thinking ‘How?’,” fi ends’ who bare their fangs and ing it as “thought-provoking that would have been truly crude life rafts when the catamaran late on Wednesday. subsequently abandoned around she told Seven News. “Everyone brandish their claws and are very awkwardness” and adding it and rude”. they were aboard caught fi re in They drifted for several hours 4.30pm prompting a search and literally got shoved off whether narcissistic, retaining the bad “primarily arose out of cultural The paper shrugged off the Australia. before three rescue boats ar- rescue operation. you could swim or not.” manners of ‘barbarians’,” it said and political diff erences”. Queen’s comments themselves The Spirit of 1770 got into rived and ferried them ashore, “Investigations into the inci- Lady Musgrave Island, a coral in an editorial. On Chinese social media, as “not a big deal”, stating: “Chi- trouble 10 nautical miles off the where pictures showed them dent are continuing.” cay, is a popular tourist destina- “As they experience constant posters decried Britain’s lack of nese diplomats surely also scoff coastal town of 1770 following a huddled under blankets as they The Observer said many of the tion some 500km north of Bris- exposure to the 5,000 years of awareness and understanding at British bureaucrats in private.” day-trip to Lady Musgrave Is- were treated by paramedics. tourists were elderly Chinese, bane and is only reachable by boat.

Japan travel firm cancels ‘sexist’ in-flight lectures Asylum-seeker A Japanese travel agency has cancelled Turnbull named in Panama a service off ering in-flight lectures from “beautiful” female university students camp ‘open’ after a barrage of online criticism ac- cusing the firm of sexism. HIS travel firm dropped the in-flight after top PNG Papers, denies wrongdoing package on Wednesday, its intended launch day, with a message saying sorry after its website was overrun court ruling Reuters “The company of which Nev- with a deluge of complaints from Sydney ille Wran and I were directors was angry netizens. an Australian listed company and “The company off ers a sincere AFP had it made any profi ts - which it apology that the campaign caused Port Moresby ustralian Prime Minister did not, regrettably - it certainly unpleasant feelings to many people,” Malcolm Turnbull yester- would have paid tax in Australia.” said a statement titled “Apology” on Aday denied any wrongdoing The details are included in doc- its website. sylum-seekers held at an Australian camp after being been named in the Pan- uments obtained by the Interna- Japan is no stranger to allegations in Papua New Guinea can now freely come ama Papers as a former director of tional Consortium of Investigative of sexism in the workplace. Eff orts to Aand go from the centre, their lawyer and a British Virgin Islands company Journalists known as the Panama boost female workforce participation media said yesterday, following a Supreme Court set up to exploit a Siberian gold Papers but are not part of the pub- have floundered, with a lack of child- ruling that their detention was unconstitutional. prospect. licly searchable database. care facilities, poor career support and Australia’s policy of sending asylum-seekers Turnbull and former New South Tax havens and transparency deeply entrenched sexism blamed for who try to enter the country by boat to off shore Wales Premier Neville Wran joined have been thrust into the spot- keeping women at home. camps was thrown into disarray last month the board of Australian-listed Star light as governments worldwide HIS’ proposal to titillate - and edu- when PNG’s highest court ruled against the de- Mining NL in 1993. The com- launch probes into possible fi nan- cate - male clients is not the first time tention of 850 men on Manus Island. pany hoped to develop a A$20bn cial wrongdoing after the details of a Japanese company has off ered up The lawyer acting for the asylum-seekers in ($14.67bn) Siberian gold mine hundreds of thousands of clients’ women for innocent company. the Supreme Court case, Ben Lomai, told AFP called Sukhoi Log, according to the tax aff airs were leaked from Mos- Men can pay to snuggle with a the detainees have been able to leave and return Australian Financial Review, which sack Fonseca. beautiful woman at “cuddle cafes”, to the facility since Wednesday. fi rst reported the story. Turnbull, a former investment shell out for an innocent walk in the PNG’s Deputy Chief Migration Offi cer Esther Both Turnbull and Wran were banker and technology entrepre- park or spend an evening at “snack Gaegaming told the Australian Broadcasting subsequently appointed directors Turnbull … never made a profit. neur, is campaigning ahead of a bars” where female companions are Corporation yesterday that “no asylum seeker or of Star Technology Services, a sub- general election on July 2, with his hired to chat, sing or light her date’s refugee is in detention”. sidiary of Star Mining in the Brit- the Panama-based law fi rm at the impropriety whatsoever. There is ruling Liberal-National coalition cigarette. “We are continuing to work towards fully im- ish Virgin Islands which had been centre of the global scandal. nothing new there,” Turnbull told in a virtual tie with the main op- HIS’ service off ered travellers a plementing the orders of the Supreme Court.” incorporated by Mossack Fonseca, “There is no suggestion of any reporters. position. chance to sit next to a “beautiful After the April 26 ruling that holding asylum- girl” from Tokyo University, Japan’s seekers on Manus was “contrary to their consti- equivalent of Harvard or Oxford, and tutional right of personal liberty”, PNG’s prime receive a “fun lecture” about their area minister ordered the facility to close. of study. In early May, more than 750 asylum-seekers According to the HIS website no at the camp launched legal action in Canberra’s China, Taiwan add tourists to their squabbles premium had to be paid for the chance High Court to be moved to Australia. to sit next to a companion, instead Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton the campaign appeared to be aimed said there were ongoing discussions between the Reuters visit Taiwan - 4.2mn last year - “This kind of political interfer- who asked to be identifi ed only as at driving reservation traff ic to the two nations over the Manus camp. Beijing/Taipei have become the focus of discord. ence would only result in hurt feel- Chen. agency. “PNG’s a sovereign nation. They have respon- The number fell 10% on month ings for people on either side of the An agent in Guangdong prov- The campaign’s site posted photos sibility for their Regional Processing Centre... so to 363,878 in March, according to Taiwan Strait,” said Tung Chen- ince, who gave her family name of young women advertising what that’s the basis on which we will work with the hina and Taiwan have add- Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau. yuan, spokesman for Taiwan’s in- as Kuang, said Chinese were “still they could do for customers. PNG authorities,” Dutton said, stressing that the ed tourism to their bones of That is still up on a year ago, coming government. fascinated with Taiwan”, but gov- An ad for one of the women, appar- men would not be brought to Australia. Ccontention since the pro- but those who service the visitors, The travel industry is nervous. ernment had cut the numbers al- ently an urban engineering student, In October, another Australia camp, on the is- independence opposition swept to including the bus companies that “Everyone is waiting to see how lowed to visit. promised to entertain a traveller with a land of Nauru, threw open the doors and allowed power in January elections, trading shuttle tour groups around, say China will react to the inaugura- A Beijing source with knowledge lecture on the development history of inmates freedom of movement. accusations about who is to blame they are feeling the pinch. tion speech,” said Golden Kou, a of China’s policy on Taiwan tour- the flight’s destination. Lomai said the detainees could now move for a decline in Chinese visitors to “Chinese tourists took about vice president of EVA Airways, ism said there had been technical HIS’ Twitter account was bom- freely during the day around Manus - but not the self-ruled island. 4,000 tour buses a month this time Taiwan’s second-largest carrier. problems in some provinces, in- barded with complaints the campaign depart the island - as long as they sign in and out China has made no secret of its around last year, but now it’s only Two tour agents said they had cluding Henan, which ran out of was “sexist”, accusing the company of of the facility. “If they go out overnight, they will dislike for incoming President Tsai 2,800,” said Lu Shiao-ya, chief of been told to restrict the numbers application forms for Taiwan tour- treating the women like “hostesses”, a have to advise where they’re going and where Ing-wen, who takes offi ce on May the National Joint Association of they send to Taiwan since the elec- ist permits. reference to females who work in bars. they’re staying,” Lomai added. 20, and for her Democratic Pro- Tourist Buses. tion. The Taiwan Aff airs Offi ce did “The campaign was not necessarily Refugee advocates called for more freedoms gressive Party (DPP), which has tra- “China is using its tourists as a “The National Tourism Admin- not respond to a request for com- ‘unpleasant’ but simply sexist,” read with activist group GetUp saying it still made ditionally favoured independence. bargaining chip against Taiwan’s istration told us in February and ment, and the relevant offi ce at the one tweet. “The apology is nothing but Manus a “prison island”. Since the polls, Taiwan has ac- new government,” he added. March to cut the number of tour- China National Tourism Adminis- unpleasant,” it added. Lomai said his fi rm is due back at the Supreme cused China of eff ectively kidnap- If Tsai’s inauguration speech ists we send to Taiwan,” an agent in tration declined to comment. The students who appeared in Court on Monday with an application for the ping its citizens from Kenya on next week upsets Beijing, which the coastal city of Xiamen, which Chinese state media blames Tai- the ads belong to a university club enforcement of the men’s constitutional rights, suspicion of involvement in fraud, still claims the island as its territory lies across the strait from Taiwan, wan. This week, the ruling Com- intended to change the stereotypical which could lead to compensation claims. and reacted angrily to China cast- after the defeated Nationalists fl ed told Reuters. munist Party’s offi cial People’s image of its female scholars as “nerds Australia’s hardline policy has been criticised ing doubt on its observer status at there at the end of the civil war in “From Xiamen the number of Daily said Taiwan’s fi ddling with always studying and not having fun”, by the UN, but Canberra says it prevents deaths the World Health Organization. 1949, many fear China could really tourists has fallen sharply, down the quota system was causing the the group’s website said. at sea and secures the nation’s borders. Now the Chinese tourists who turn the screws on tourist numbers. more than 50%,” said the agent, fall in numbers. Gulf Times Friday, May 13, 2016 9 BRITAIN

CRIME PEOPLE OFFBEAT TRAGEDY LEGAL Flight delayed after woman Piper and Fox Car drops into sinkhole Daily Mail agony Iraqis’ claims against ‘punched pilot in face’ divorce finalised on London road aunt found dead UK soldiers dismissed

A flight was delayed after a woman allegedly Billie Piper and actor, singer-songwriter and The owner of a car swallowed up by a sinkhole Daily Mail advice columnist Sally Brampton who Claims by more than 600 Iraqi civilians alleging punched an easyJet pilot in the face at guitarist Laurence Fox ended their eight- said he is “thankful” his family were not hurt in had spoken out publicly about her long-running that they were unlawfully detained and Manchester airport. Police were called to the year marriage yesterday in a divorce hearing the incident. The blue seven-seater Vauxhall battle with depression has died after apparently physically mistreated by British soldiers have airport around 2.20pm on Wednesday after a lasting less than a minute. The actress, Zafira fell into the large crater which opened up walking into the sea. The journalist, who wrote a been dismissed by the supreme court in London. disturbance on a flight due to leave for Paphos 33, filed for divorce from Fox, 37, citing his in Greenwich, south London, in the early hours of memoir about depression titled Shoot The Damn In a unanimous decision, the courts’ justices in Cyprus. A 25-year-old woman was asked to “unreasonable behaviour”. The pair, who yesterday morning. Ghazi Hassan told the Press Dog, was seen going into the sea near her home ruled that the applications for compensation leave the flight due to her behaviour. While being married on New Year’s Eve 2007, shocked fans Association: “In life you have good days and bad in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, friends said. following the invasion of Iraq had been brought escorted from the aircraft by flight attendants in March when they announced the split on days. This morning wasn’t a good day. “But I’m Described as “smart, tough and stylish”, Brampton, too late and that an Iraqi law imposing time the woman allegedly assaulted the captain of Fox’s Facebook page. The post said: “Laurence thankful me or my family wasn’t in the car.” He 60, was the launch editor of British Elle magazine limits had not been suspended. In a substantial the plane. Greater Manchester police said the Fox and Billie Piper have separated. No third added: “I’ve told the insurance. They are coming at the age of just 30 and wrote an advice column number of the cases, the court found, actions woman was arrested on suspicion of assault, parties are involved.” They formally ended to pick it up and repair it.” Residents in the leafy for the Daily Mail. Current British Elle editor-in-chief were begun more than three years after the and off icers also discovered that she was wanted their marriage yesterday when they were street said they heard a “sound like thunder” at Lorraine Candy paid tribute, describing her as a claimant became aware of the injury and the for drugs off ences. The woman is now being granted a decree nisi at London Central family around 4am when a large hole opened up in the “boss” who nurtured new talent with the same person who caused it. They were therefore time- questioned in police custody. court. ground outside. enthusiasm as she nurtured her family and friends. barred under Article 232 of the Iraqi civil code.

Cameron leads Ex-mayor global pledge to fi ght graft willing to take

DPA London on PM in Vote rime Minister David Cam- eron led offi cials from doz- Pens of nations in pledging yesterday to “substantially reduce graft and bribery in all its forms” following an anti-corruption summit. Leave debate “Corruption is at the heart of so many of the world’s problems,” Guardian News and Media Asked about the Vote Leave “I am happy to debate any- they said in a joint declaration. London statements, Johnson initially body within reason,” he said. “I “We must overcome it if our ef- claimed he had not read them will do whatever. I think the most forts to end poverty, promote as he arrived at a steel factory important thing is that this sub- prosperity and defeat terrorism oris Johnson has declared in Christchurch, Dorset. But ject of personalities and debates and extremism are to succeed.” he is prepared to take on pressed further after a speech, doesn’t start to dominate the “We commit to expose corrup- Bthe prime minister in an EU he dismissed the row as “mi- next few weeks.” tion wherever it is found, to pursue referendum debate but refused to crocosmographica” and urged The Guardian can also reveal and punish those who perpetrate, back the offi cial ‘out’ campaign’s people to stop obsessing over the that Cameron and the Chancel- facilitate or who are complicit in attack on ITV’s event featuring debates. lor, George Osborne, are refus- it, (and) support the communities David Cameron and Nigel Farage. “I would much rather talk about ing to appear in the BBC’s head- who have suff ered from it,” they Johnson is a leading member the issues that matter to the peo- line pre-election programme at said. of the Vote Leave group, which ple of the country and the great Wembley Arena to avoid turning Cameron promised Britain released two furious statements choice that we face in a few weeks’ the referendum into a “blue on would take the lead by launching on Wednesday night implying it time,” he said. “The more we bang blue” battle. an international anti-corruption would seek retribution against on about who is going to be talking The row came after ITV and centre, sharing information on ITV and launch legal action for to whom in the debate, the more Sky News unveiled their plans company ownership and forcing not being invited to the debate, people’s eyes will frankly glaze for the run-up to the referendum. foreign property buyers to reveal as well as suggesting that Cam- over. Sky will host shows with Cam- the original source of their funds. eron would not be in No 10 much “We need to focus on choice, eron and Gove – but on separate “I believe that corruption is the longer. and the choice is between free- days. cancer at the heart of so many The former London mayor dom and I think an endlessly more Cameron is prepared to take problems we face in the world,” would not join the attacks, merely bureaucratic regime; it’s between part in programmes but, as in the he said, highlighting problems saying he would be happy to de- democracy and bureaucracy, and 2015 election campaign, is reluc- including poverty, terrorism and bate with anyone. He also dis- it’s between the future and the tant to do anything head to head. money laundering. tanced himself from the sugges- past.” A senior Conservative source “First of all, what we’re doing tion that Cameron would soon be However, Vote Leave plans to said: “This argument is not about is to expose corruption, where the leaving Downing Street, saying continue to fi ght ITV’s decision to a Tory civil war, it is about the absolute key is transparency,” he it was complete nonsense to say let Farage be the voice of the ‘out’ position you take on Europe, and told delegates from 40 nations, in- the referendum would lead to a campaigners in the programme, the public deserve to hear that.” cluding 11 heads of state. change of government. which will see the two politicians He said Cameron did not want US Secretary of State John Kerry One of the Vote Leave state- interviewed separately in front of the arguments to be seen through said the summit could be “the be- ments questioned the impartial- a studio audience. an internal party lens. ginning of something diff erent.” ity of ITV and Robert Peston, its ITV invited the Ukip leader to Farage, who is linked to Grass- “I’ve been shocked by the de- political editor. Peston dismissed take part because it believed the roots Out, a rival leave campaign gree to which I fi nd corruption this as untrue and a “mad slur” prime minister would not agree that did not receive the offi cial pandemic in the world today,” against him. Vote Leave also sug- to appear in the same programme designation, said he was “deeply Kerry said, adding that it “de- gested ITV would regret its be- as Johnson and Gove. Johnson had disappointed” by the reaction of stroys nation states.” haviour as the current incumbents also initially suggested he did not Vote Leave. “We have to say no safe har- of No 10 would not be around for want debate against other senior A senior source linked to Vote bour anywhere, and get the global much longer. Tories before appearing to shift Leave sent out a statement on community to come together,” he Yesterday morning, the cam- his position. Wednesday night that said: “ITV said. paign group had slightly tempered Yesterday, Johnson said he was has lied to us in private while se- About a dozen protesters from its tone, but a spokesman contin- happy to debate Cameron or any- cretly stitching up a deal with anti-poverty group ONE gathered ued to threaten legal action against one else head to head, having al- Cameron to stop Boris Johnson or close to the summit, shouting slo- ITV for putting up the Ukip leader ready said it would be “wet” and Michael Gove debating the issues gans and holding a large placard as Cameron’s opponent instead of “wimpy” to refuse to take on any- properly.” He said Peston had reading “It’s a scandal, 170 billion Former mayor of London and Vote Leave campaigner Boris Johnson wears protective equipment as one of its leading fi gures like John- one, but he would not apply those campaigned for Britain to join the dollars stolen. Stop tax havens.” he visits Reid Steel during a campaign stop in Christchurch yesterday. son or Michael Gove. terms to the prime minister. euro. Govt unveils BBC reform, Supermarket chain axes plans for site worst fears unfounded London Evening Standard where there are no other small London shops. They are killing high streets. The worst thing is the delivery Reuters “The BBC is one of the coun- swamps commercial rivals, for trucks on small streets around London try’s greatest institutions. It is example in providing free and esidents were celebrating London. They don’t mind if they our overriding aim to ensure extensive online news and infor- yesterday after Sainsbury’s get a parking ticket and just plonk that the BBC continues to thrive mation, meaning many commer- Rabandoned plans to open a them in congested zones. They he government stepped in a media landscape that has cial groups struggle to charge for supermarket in their north Lon- are polluting behemoths which no back from cutting the size changed beyond recognition their content. don neighbourhood. one loves and are unwanted.” Tand scope of the BBC yes- since the last charter review 10 Others have said its news Actress Janet Suzman was However, the campaign was terday after the publicly-funded years ago,” Culture Secretary coverage is politically biased, among those who protested criticised by Theo Blackwell, broadcaster and some of its big- John Whittingdale told parlia- although critics disagree as to against a Sainsbury’s Local open- cabinet member for fi nance on gest stars had accused ministers ment. whether it is biased to the right ing on the site of a former toy shop Labour-run Camden council, of threatening the independence or to the left. in Haverstock Hill, next to Belsize who said protesters “are making of the 94-year-old institution. “It is our overriding aim to “There has been a big debate Park Tube station. it seem like the area is too posh for Unveiling its once-in-a-dec- ensure the BBC continues about the future of the BBC,” Campaigners twice staged average family shops used by nor- ade review, the government said to thrive in a media BBC director-general Tony Hall demonstrations, saying the pro- mal people”. a new governing body would be landscape that has changed said. “Searching questions have posed store would harm local Campaign leader Jessica created to oversee the BBC, and beyond recognition since been asked about its role and its traders and cause problems with Learmond-Criqui welcomed the the salaries of its best-paid em- the last charter review 10 place in the UK. That’s right and its deliveries, and more than 740 decision by Sainsbury’s which ployees would be made public to years ago” healthy, and I welcome that de- people signed a petition against it. came after it failed to reach a improve transparency and ad- bate.” The group also successfully cam- deal with site owner Sasha Trad- dress concerns that Britain’s big- The BBC’s extensive services, Whittingdale said the BBC paigned to stop a Tesco opening ers, which has permission for six gest player in TV, radio and on- estimated to reach 97% of Brit- Trust, its governing body, would at the site last year and want other storeys of fl ats and ground-fl oor line news stifl es rivals. ons each week, are funded by be replaced with a new unitary chains to stay away. retail unit. But the government avoided a guaranteed income of £3.7bn board which would still allow the Dame Janet said: “I am not She said: “If our response to more extreme measures such as from a licence fee imposed on all corporation to appoint a majority naturally a shops campaigner but Sainsbury’s had any part to play in allowing ministers to tell the BBC TV-watching homes. of members to ensure independ- I was irritated by the greed. I think their decision I would like to thank what to air during prime-time TV It is fi ercely resistant to any ence. that the big guys — and by that them for listening to us. periods such as Saturday nights, change that it says would make it External regulation will be I mean the big corporations and “I would urge the developers to or forcing it to hand over some less popular with the public who handed to Ofcom, the commu- conglomerates — should stay away look for a tenant which the com- of its income, derived from a levy pay for it. nications watchdog which over- from our villages. munity sorely lacks, such as a paid by nearly every household, to Critics, however, say it is sees commercial broadcasters, “These supermarkets belong hardware store. It’s a conservation other commercial broadcasters. a bloated organisation that he said. Whittingdale: once-in-a-decade review. in car parks outside small towns, area and we should be guardians.” Gulf Times 10 Friday, May 13, 2016 EUROPE Nato missile shield in Romania goes live AFP system as a security threat right was not aimed at Russia and in Deveselu, Romania on its doorstep, despite the US fact was not capable of intercept- and Nato insisting it is not aimed ing Russian missiles. at undermining Moscow’s de- “The site in Romania as well as US anti-missile defence fences. the one in Poland are not directed system in Romania aimed “According to our experts’ against Russia. The interceptors Stoltenberg delivering a speech during the inauguration ceremony of Aat protecting North At- opinion, we are convinced that are too few and located too far the Aegis Ashore Romania facility at the Deveselu military base. lantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) the deployment of the missile south or too close to Russia to be members from threats by “rogue” defence system is truly a threat able to intercept Russian inter- offi cial Andrei Kelin said of the essentially on US technology – nations became operational yes- to Russia’s security,” Kremlin continental ballistic missiles,” he deployment, Russia’s Interfax involves the progressive deploy- terday, triggering Russian fury spokesman Dmitry Peskov told said. news agency reported. ment of missile interceptors and despite US insistence it does not reporters in Moscow. The Deveselu site will host a Kelin warned that it would powerful radar in eastern Europe target Moscow. Relations between Nato and battery of SM-2 missile inter- “only worsen” the already-tense and Turkey. Located in Deveselu in south- Moscow have sharply deterio- ceptors and will offi cially be in- relations between Russia and The Deveselu site is part of the ern Romania, the missile inter- rated since Russia annexed Cri- tegrated into the Nato missile Nato. second phase of the project, after ceptor station will help defend mea from Ukraine in March 2014, shield at the bloc’s summit in And Russia’s ambassador to the deployment of radar in Tur- Nato members against the threat sparking fears among other east- Warsaw in July. Nato, Alexander Grushko, said key and four Aegis warships with of short- and medium-range ern European countries that they Work on the site began in Oc- he was not “convinced by Nato anti-missile defence capacity in ballistic missiles, particularly too could be the targets of Rus- tober 2013 and is thought to have The command centre for the newly-opened ballistic missile defence declarations that the American the Spanish port of Rota. from the Middle East, offi cials sian aggression. cost $800mn (€700mn). site at Deveselu air base, Romania. anti-missile system is not aimed The third phase involves Po- said. Stoltenberg said the missile The Western military alliance at Russia”. land. “Today the United States and installation “represents a signifi - insists the role of the missile activation of the missile system But Russia meanwhile is bol- Cited by Interfax, he also con- Work on a site in Redzikowo in Romania make history in deliver- cant increase in the capability to shield is a “purely defensive” re- as a gesture of his country’s com- stering its forces to counter what demned “anti-missile defence the north of the country is to be ing this system to the Nato alli- defend European allies against sponse to external threats, nota- mitment to Article Five by which defence offi cials said was the systems deployed in the region, completed at the end of 2018. ance,” said US commander in Eu- proliferation of ballistic missiles” bly from so-called “rogue states”, all 28 Nato members pledge a Nato build-up close to its bor- always ready for combat” and Situated some 250km (150 rope and Africa Mark Ferguson at as it becomes part of a broader having referred in the past to Iran one-for-all, all-for-one re- ders. “military infrastructures moving miles) from the Russian enclave an inauguration ceremony with Nato missile shield with an in- and North Korea. sponse to any military threat if a “It is a step towards the mili- closer to Russia’s borders”. of Kaliningrad, it will host 24 Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg. stallation in Poland as well. The US ambassador to Nato, member invokes the treaty clause tary and political containment of Launched in 2010, Nato’s an- land-based SM-3 missiles as well But Russia sees the missile But he stressed that the system Douglas Lute, has described the in the face of an attack. Russia,” senior foreign ministry ti-missile shield system – based as anti-aircraft systems. French government shrugs Italian coastguard off no-confi dence motion rescues

Reuters handing the government a wide- CGT, said it was time to “move Prime Minister Manuel Valls nearly 900 Paris ly expected reprieve. up a gear”, declaring yesterday’s said there was no question of It came after the government protest a warm-up ahead of withdrawing the labour reforms, this week said it would deny the demonstrations and walkouts which the government says are Reuters rench President Francois National Assembly a vote on next week. key to driving down an unem- Rome Hollande faced yesterday a proposals to make it simpler to “It’s just the beginning,” he ployment rate stuck stubbornly Fwave of labour strikes and lay off staff in hard times and al- said. above 10%. festering street demonstrations low employers to apply in-house The CGT said it was calling for A rebellion over the bill high- taly’s coastguard rescued even as his government survived rules on pay and conditions, in- rolling strikes of more than two lighted the deep rifts within the nearly 900 mostly Syr- a vote of no-confi dence over stead of national ones. days each week. ruling party. Iian migrants from two boats plans to deregulate the labour With the government emerg- The offi cial reason for the Opponents said the govern- off western Sicily yesterday, a market without a parliamentary ing unscathed from the no-con- strike call is a stand-off with ment’s recourse to pushing the coastguard spokesman said, vote. fi dence vote, the bill now passes management over conditions, bill through by decree demon- amid signs that refugees from Thousands of demonstra- to the upper house of parliament but the timetable dovetails with strated its impotence. the Middle East are increasingly tors took to the streets in cities where the opposition Les Re- the broader protests against “You no longer have power, shunning the Greek route into across France yesterday, includ- publicains party has a majority, government policy. you only have the appearance Europe. ing Nantes where protesters ran- setting the stage for the legisla- Opinion polls show three in of power,” said Christian Jacob, More than 1mn migrants, sacked the main train station. tion to be sent back and forth. four French people oppose Hol- head of the conservative bloc in many from Syria, have entered In Paris, police used teargas Raising the stakes for Hol- lande’s drive to make France’s the lower house. “Francois Hol- Europe via Turkey and Greece in to disperse hooded and masked lande, who is pondering wheth- rigid labour market more fl ex- lande’s record of achievement is the past year but the number has stone-throwers at the tail-end er to run for re-election next ible. damning. France lags on all indi- fallen sharply since March when A protester holds a banner reading ‘Error 49.3, democracy not of an afternoon street march. year, the powerful CGT union The interior ministry said cators. It is the poor performing Ankara agreed with the Euro- found’ (in reference to the constitution’s controversial Article 49.3, The no-confi dence motion announced fresh strikes from that 55,000 demonstrators – student of Europe.” pean Union to take back refugees allowing the government to bypass parliament) during a tabled by opposition conserva- next week, and truck drivers are fewer than in earlier protests Valls fi red back: “I’m looking, landing on the Greek islands. demonstration against the government’s proposed labour reform tives fell 42 votes short of the poised to do the same. – marched through city streets but I don’t see on these benches The UN refugee agency UN- in Nantes yesterday. 288 required for a majority, Philippe Martinez, head of the and that 75 arrests were made. anyone else with a majority.” HCR said the boats involved in yesterday’s operations, which were also carrying Iraqis, repre- sented the largest such attempt- ed migration from Syria and Iraq to Italy for at least a year. Turkish, European leaders stand ground over migrants The Italian coastguard spokesman said 515 people had been plucked from one boat and Reuters “Either we will improve our key must change anti-terrorism a further 380 people had been Ankara/Berlin relations with the EU, or we will statutes that could lead to a rescued in another operation. set a new path for ourselves. We crackdown on journalists. “If Most of those taken to safety prefer to build the new Turkey Turkey fulfi ls its commitments, were Syrian, but it was impos- urkish President Recep with our EU friends, but now we then I would be in favour of us sible to give precise numbers Tayyip Erdogan ratcheted will wait for the decision of our fulfi lling our commitments and Erdogan: Either we will improve on nationalities until they were Tup the pressure on Europe EU friends.” pressing ahead with visa liber- our relations with the EU, or we brought to shore in the coming over a landmark migrants deal But a combative Junck- alisation.” will set a new path for ourselves. hours, he added. yesterday, accusing the bloc of er showed no signs of giving Turkey’s record on press free- UNHCR spokeswoman Car- setting new hurdles for visa-free ground. dom is a growing concern in Eu- end of July, speeding up the dis- lotta Sami said the Syrians and travel and threatening Ankara “We put great value in the rope. bursement of funds promised Iraqis had set sail from Egypt may go its own way if they failed conditions being met. Other- Prosecutors have opened along with visa liberalisation. rather than Libya, the launch- to agree. wise this deal, the agreement more than 1,800 cases against Turkey has complained the EU pad for most migrants heading In Berlin, European Com- between the EU and Turkey, people for insulting Erdogan is too slow spending the money. to Italy. mission President Jean-Claude won’t happen. If Mr Erdogan since he became president in Ankara’s minister for EU af- The UNHCR says more mi- Juncker also dug in his heels, decides to deny Turks the right 2014, including journalists, car- fairs said Turkey believed it had grants looking to reach Europe saying that the agreement would Juncker: We put great value in the conditions being met. to free travel to Europe, then he toonists and teenagers. fulfi lled all the criteria, adding arrived in Italy in April than in collapse unless Ankara fulfi lled must explain this to the Turkish A German satirist is facing that it was unacceptable if the Greece – 9,149 against 3,650 – its commitments, including meets 72 criteria, including nar- “We had fi nished the issue of people. It will not be my prob- prosecution after mocking him deal was postponed unfairly. the fi rst time that had happened making agreed changes to its rowing its legal defi nition of ter- visa free travel with EU, we had lem, it will be his problem.” on German TV. “We want the process to con- since May 2015. anti-terror law. rorism. inked the deal, then they came Other European politicians Still, European Commission tinue but it would be unaccept- As of May 10, 31,250 migrants The stand-off has cast doubts The EU and rights groups up with these 72 criteria and in- also piled pressure on Ankara, spokesman Margaritis Schinas able for Turkey if it is postponed had reached Italy by boat this on the future of the agreement, have accused Turkey of using its cluded the counter-terror laws with German Foreign Minister said that the deal was not “dead”, in an unfair fashion,” Volkan year, a 14% decline from the designed to give Turks visa-free broad anti-terrorism laws to sti- in it,” Erdogan said. Frank-Walter Steinmeier saying and that Brussels was working Bozkir told a news conference same period last year, according travel to Europe in return for fl e dissent while Ankara says it Telling Turkey to soften its that it was up to Turkey to fulfi l towards granting Turkey visa- in Strasbourg broadcast live on to the interior ministry. stemming the fl ow of illegal mi- needs the laws to battle Kurdish counter-terrorism laws was the criteria if it wants visa-free free travel. Turkish television. The vast majority came from grants. militants at home and Islamic tantamount to asking it to give travel. Brussels said yesterday that Ankara has repeatedly said African countries, led by Ni- Brussels is desperate for it State (IS) in neighbouring Iraq up its struggle against terrorism, “The ball is in Turkey’s court,” it would assign €1bn in aid for that without visa liberalisation, geria, Gambia, Somalia and the to succeed, but insists Turkey and Syria. he said in a speech. Steinmeier said, adding Tur- refugees living in Turkey by the there will be no migrant deal. African Coast.

Vehicle explodes near Istanbul base

Six soldiers and a civilian were wounded when an explosives-laden Faulty door handle sabotages Putin’s military inspection car blew up near a military base in Turkey’s biggest city Istanbul yesterday, authorities said, the latest in a spate of bombings this year. Reuters cles parked outside his residence but when he grabbed the door The incident will revive un- red-faced before while attempt- The parked car exploded in a road in Istanbul’s Sancaktepe Sochi, Russia in the southern resort of Sochi, handle, it came away in his hand. comfortable memories of the ing to promote the Russian auto neighbourhood as a bus carrying military personnel passed by, the including a Russian-made UAZ Putin let out a chuckle as kind of shoddy workmanship industry. army said in a statement. Patriot pick-up truck equipped Shevchenko hurriedly dropped which long dogged the reputa- In 2011, he climbed into a new The civilian driver was among the injured, it said. n eff ort to show off the su- with heavy machine guns. the handle into the pick-up tion of Russia’s auto industry. Lada Granta saloon car and failed The blast sent a large plume of smoke up over Sancaktepe, which periority of Russian mili- When Putin tried to open the through an open window. Manufacturers say their ve- to start the engine fi ve times. is near a military airfield on the Asian side of the city, well removed Atary equipment backfi red front passenger-side door, it The Russian leader then hicles are now much better, but Reporters at the event also said from Istanbul’s historic centre. yesterday when the door handle would not budge, according to a moved on to inspect some other for years buyers of new Russian he needed help from car-making “Our citizens are being treated at the hospital. Seven people have of a jeep fell off just as President Reuters reporter at the event. vehicles, but did not attempt to cars would routinely face lumpy executives to open the car’s boot. light injuries due to shattered glass, six of them soldiers, one Vladimir Putin was inspecting Lieutenant-General Alexander get inside any of them. paintwork, engines that would Putin has spent the last few civilian,” Sancaktepe Mayor Ismail Erdem told CNN Turk. the vehicle. Shevchenko, part of the mili- A video of the incident was not start and cheaply-built inte- days in Sochi meeting offi cials The car exploded around 5pm (1400 GMT), a time when military The Kremlin leader was being tary delegation showing off the posted on Russian news site Life riors that fell apart. involved in the Russian arms in- personnel usually leave the nearby base to go home, according to shown an array of military vehi- equipment, came to Putin’s aid, News. Putin himself has been left dustry. the broadcaster. Gulf Times Friday, May 13, 2016 11 INDIA Will take legal steps against Modi’s barb: Chandy

IANS would withdraw his remark that ala as the number one state while say that tribal children in Pera- tony also asked Modi to apolo- has been making a valiant at- world are upset over the remarks Kochi came in for widespread criticism Modi’s home state Gujarat was at voor were seen foraging for food gise for the remarks. tempt to defend Modi. of the PM,” Chandy said in a Fa- in the state. the 11th place. in a garbage dump - to make his “Somalia is known as a land Federal Minister for Chemicals cebook post earlier. Chandy ear- The comparison, he said, “has “He is the prime minister of case that the state had not been of pirates and Modi just can’t go and Fertilisers H N Ananth Ku- lier wrote to Modi urging him not he Kerala government will aff ected Kerala and the people of the country. He is not just a BJP properly governed. without apologising,” he said. mar told reporters here that Modi to bring “disrepute” to the Prime take legal action against our state in a big way.” leader to demean our state. He Ever since Modi made the re- Communist Party of Indai won’t react to controversies. Minister’s Offi ce by airing “base- TPrime Minister Narendra “Since his statement came at perhaps forgot that Kerala is a mark, the social media has been (Marxist) general secretary Si- “Chandy is trying to use this less remarks” about Kerala. Modi for comparing the state an election rally, we are looking at part of India. It has really hurt fl ooded by the “PoMoneModi” taram Yechuri, who is camping to deviate from issues. The sen- Chandy also refuted Modi’s al- with Somalia, Chief Minister the legal aspects on how we can Kerala and Keralaites.” Modi said hashtag which takes its origin from in the state, accused Modi of de- tence that should be used is legation that there was a “solar Oommen Chandy said yesterday. approach the Election Commis- on Sunday that the child death a hugely popular fi lm dialogue of faming Kerala and its people. ‘PoMoneChandy’,” said Kumar. scam” in Kerala, asking why he then Addressing a hurriedly-called sion,” the Congress leader said. ratio among tribals in Kerala was superstar Mohanlal. Loosely trans- The Bharatiya Janata Party, “Modi left Kochi last night praised the use of solar power at the press conference here, Chandy Chandy said the latest Human scarier than even in Somalia. lated, it means: “Get lost.” which has never won an assem- without withdrawing his re- Kochi International Airport while said he had hoped that Modi Development Index ranked Ker- He also cited media reports to Former chief minister A K An- bly or Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, marks. Malayalis all over the speaking in California recently. On the campaign trail ‘Chhattisgarh govt paid commission for chopper’

IANS uct and company in the tender New Delhi notifi cation itself. No attempt was made to fi nd out diff erent manufacturers. There are at least n NGO yesterday accused 10 similar helicopter manufac- the Bharatiya Janata Party turers who supply at cheaper Agovernment in Chhattis- rate than AgustaWestland. Why garh of inviting a “fraudulent” did the government favour it?” tender and paying a hefty com- Bhushan asked. mission of $1.57mn on the pur- Interestingly, companies that chase of one AgustaWestland are said to have bid for the ten- chopper in 2007. der were AgustaWestland, Sharp Prashant Bhushan and Yogen- Ocean (Hong Kong dealer of dra Yadav, leaders of the NGO AgustaWestland) and OSS (serv- Swaraj Abhiyan, demanded a ice provider of AgustaWestland Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader M K Stalin interacts with people during an election campaign ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, in Chennai yesterday. court-monitored investigation and subsidiary of Sharp Ocean), The state goes to polls on May 16. into the deal and to fi nd out who which quoted the lowest price of took kickbacks. $6.57mn. The tender was fi nally “The Central Bureau of Inves- awarded to OSS. tigation and the Enforcement “It is important to note that Directorate are toys control- the initial price quoted by OSS led by the central government. was 6.31mn. However, the tender A former Supreme Court judge was awarded to it at $6.57mn, should be appointed to investi- which also included commission gate the matter,” Yadav said. of $1.57mn (around 30% of the According to documents deal). Who all shared the pre- shown by them, the state civil mium amount which was paid New bankruptcy law aviation department prepared a to AgustaWestland? The Comp- note on the need for a VIP heli- troller and Auditor General had copter on December 19, 2006. also indicted the Chhattisgarh Within days, they said, a government in its 2011 report for meeting was held between state wasting public money by signing government offi cials and repre- this deal,” Bhushan, a senior Su- sentatives of OSS (service pro- preme Court lawyer, added. a key reform: experts vider of AgustaWestland in In- The then Congress-led United dia), where it gave a presentation Progressive Alliance government Banks are struggling under World Bank data shows, among “India’s bankruptcy laws have “game-changer.” He also made reforms and a game-changer. on the A-109 chopper model of had signed a deal with the Agus- a mountain of soured loans the longest in the world. long been among the most dys- use of the occasion to Modi as a This will take the country to- the company. taWestland company to buy 12 that has sparked concern Individuals caught hiding functional in the world,” Shilan “true reformer.” wards higher growth. Thanks The Swaraj Abhiyan leaders VVIP choppers in 2010, which from economy-watchers assets or defrauding lenders Shah, India economist at Capital “Extremely happy as bank- to all who supported the bill,” said the state government then was cancelled in January 2013. during the insolvency process Economics wrote in a note. ruptcy bill is passed by both Naidu said in another tweet. approached AgustaWestland di- The Congress yesterday Agencies can be punished with up to fi ve “If recovery rates are im- houses. History has been cre- “Shell companies can no long- rectly, which said it would take said it will move a privilege mo- New Delhi years in prison or a hefty fi ne. proved, this should ease some ated. It will build fi ne and faster er take advantage of the Double two years to deliver the chopper tion against BJP MP Subramani- At present creditors retrieve of the constraints in the banking resolution mechanism,” Naidu Taxation Avoidance Agreements and suggested the government an Swamy and Defence Minister just 25.7 cents on the dollar in sector, which has been a notable tweeted. (DTAA). Modi the real reformer,” buy it from its Hong Kong-based Manohar Parrikar “for mislead- ndia has overhauled its ar- Indian defaults, compared with weak point for the economy.” “It’s one of the big economic Naidu said in yet another tweet. dealer Sharp Ocean, which had ing parliament and the nation on chaic bankruptcy laws in a 80.4 cents in the US, in part be- India’s banks are struggling already quoted a price of $6.31mn AgustaWestland deal.” Ikey reform that will make cause the process takes so long. under a mountain of soured Sack RBI chief, says Swamy through its subsidiary OSS. “These two leaders have been it vastly easier to wind down “Today is a historical day for loans that has sparked concern Bhushan and Yadav said the lying blatantly and brazenly,” companies and help banks to economic reforms in India,” the from economy-watchers in- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) my opinion, RBI Governor price included a “premium” of senior Congress leader Jairam recover bad loans. fi nance ministry said in a state- cluding central bank governor MP Subramanian Swamy Raghuram Rajan is not apt $200,000. Ramesh said. The long-awaited bill that ment. “In India, the legal and in- Raghuram Rajan. yesterday blamed Reserve for our country,” he said. They said the government “Subramanian Swamy spoke cleared the parliament’s upper stitutional machinery for dealing Vijay Mallya, a liquor tycoon Bank of India Governor “He raised the interest rates sent a team to Hong Kong to ne- against Sonia Gandhi and other house late Wednesday replaces with debt default has not been in who left the country in March Raghuram Rajan for rising on the pretext of checking gotiate the premium but in vain Congress leaders in parliament a patchwork of outdated legis- line with global standards.” owing $1.34bn, has come to per- inflation and increasing inflation. But it has resulted after which the state fl oated a and kept referring a document lation with a single law and lays Experts lauded the move as sonify India’s problems with bad unemployment, and called in the collapse of industry “global tender” calling for sup- which according to him was an down a host of new rules. one of the most signifi cant fi - debt, with lenders scrambling to for his immediate removal. and thus unemployment has pliers who could provide ‘Agusta Italian court’s judgment. In real- The Insolvency and Bank- nancial reforms passed by Prime recover loans made to his now- Swamy told reporters increased,” Swamy said. “He 109 Power E Helicopter.’ ity, this is a document consist- ruptcy Code 2016 sets out a Minister Narendra Modi’s gov- defunct Kingfi sher Airlines. outside parliament that should be sacked and sent “The tender itself was fraud- ing of two pages of e-mails from 180-day deadline to resolve ernment, second only to a new Parliamentary Aff airs Min- Rajan should be sent back to back to Chicago. The earlier, ulent. The government men- Swamy to himself,” Ramesh bankruptcy cases -currently proposed goods and services tax, ister M Venkaiah Naidu yester- Chicago at the earliest. “In the better,” tioned the name of the prod- added. it takes 4.3 years on average, currently stuck in parliament. day called the new legislation a S Asian nations unite over Protest against sex attack SpiceJet ordered to anti-child traffi cking drive compensate fl yer AFP fundamental rights had been New Delhi violated. Reuters India’s women and child de- as domestic servants, in small In passing the judgment New Delhi velopment ministry said dele- shops and hotels or confi ned to yesterday, the Supreme Court gates from the eight South Asian brothels where they are repeat- he Supreme Court yes- said Ghosh “feels haunted countries adopted a series of edly raped. terday ordered budget with that scene when she was outh Asian nations will set measures to boost co-operation Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tairline SpiceJet to pay pulled out of the plane, like up a toll-free helpline and to end child exploitation. told delegates that curbing hu- Rs1mn ($15,000) to an activist a criminal. She continues to Sonline platform to fi ght “(These include) regional man traffi cking was a major with cerebral palsy who was have nightmares.” human traffi cking, one of the cross sharing and programming challenge for all nations, but that offl oaded from one of its fl ights Judge A K Sikri also quoted region’s biggest problems, and on ICT initiatives to trace miss- by sharing information and best four years ago. famous American disabled trace the thousands of children ing children, working towards practices, it was possible to de- The court said Jeeja Ghosh rights activist Helen Keller in a who go missing in the region an- establishing a uniform toll free velop regional solutions. endured mental and physical judgment that was scathing of nually, India’s government said helpline, developing a regional “With increasing access to suff ering after she was offl oad- airlines’ treatment of disabled late on Wednesday. strategy and common standards information technology and ed from the fl ight on her way to passengers in general. Ministers from India, Pakistan, for addressing all forms of sexual changing nature of our glo- Goa to attend a conference in “’A rare few see a closed Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhu- abuse, exploitation and traffi ck- balised economy, new threats February 2012. door, try the knob, if it doesn’t tan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and ing,” it said in a statement. for children are emerging - sex In a petition to the court, open and they fi nd a key and if Nepal came to the agreement af- There are no accurate fi gures tourism, child pornography, on- Ghosh, 46, said she was of- it doesn’t fi t, they make one!’ ter a conference on child protec- on the number of people being line threats to children among fl oaded because the pilot felt These rare persons we have to tion held under the auspices of traffi cked within South Asia, but others,” said Singh. she was not fi t to fl y on her fi nd,” he said. the South Asian Association for activists say thousands of most- “To address these challenges own, despite her pleas that she Ghosh said she hoped the Regional Co-operation (Saarc). ly women and children are traf- comprehensively, within Saarc had travelled without an escort judgment would set a precedent South Asia, with India at its fi cked within India and as well as countries, we can all benefi t in the past. and send a message to carriers. centre, is the fastest-growing from its poorer neighbours Ne- from reinforcing regional co- Although SpiceJet later “Compensation amount is and second-largest region for pal and Bangladesh. operation and strengthening Human rights activists stage a demonstration against the apologised, Ghosh approached not important, setting an ex- human traffi cking in the world, Many are sold into forced mechanisms for sharing of in- sexual assault and murder of a Dalit woman in Kerala, outside the court seeking compensa- ample is more important,” she after East Asia, according to the marriage or bonded labour formation, experience, expertise the Kerala House in New Delhi yesterday. tion, accusing the airline of told the NDTV television net- UN Offi ce for Drugs and Crime. working in middle class homes and good practices.” discrimination and saying her work. Gulf Times 12 Friday, May 13, 2016 INDIA

HEALTH JUDICIARY EDUCATION VIOLENCE DROUGHT Drug company recalls Six IS suspects sent 53-year-old prisoner Student dies as clashes Solar cycle plants to be batches of painkiller to judicial custody clears board exam break out in Assam city installed in Bundelkhand

French drug company Sanofi was recalling batches A New Delhi court yesterday remanded Age is no bar for learning, nor are the walls A student was killed and seven were injured The Uttar Pradesh state government has of its popular painkiller Combiflam in India after in judicial custody six suspected terror of a jail. Bhola Malakar was an illiterate after a clash broke out between an angry mob ordered the installation of 50 solar cycle the national drug regulator found some product operatives allegedly linked to the Islamic when he was sentenced to 10 years in jail and police in Assam’s Silchar city, off icials potable water plants in Bundelkhand to substandard, off icials said yesterday. The Central State (IS). During closed door proceedings, eight years ago. But today, the 53-year-old said yesterday. Although the police claimed tackle the acute drought and drinking water Drugs Standard Control Organisation, which tested District Judge Amar Nath sent Mohamed prisoner boasts of a Madhyamik (Class to have controlled the situation, simmering crisis in the region. “Chief Minister Akhilesh the drug in February and April, said in notices that the Mustaq Seikh to judicial custody till May 19, 10) degree. Malakar is one of the 29 tension prevailed in and around the city over Yadav has issued instructions to off icials to drug did not meet standard quality norms as it had while the other five were remanded till June prisoners to have cleared the Madhyamik the incident that took place late Wednesday install the plants,” an off icial said yesterday. failed disintegration tests. “Four batches are being 10. The court order came after the National exams in West Bengal. Malakar’s tryst evening. The incident occurred after two groups The plants are part of a pilot project in the recalled after some lots of Combiflam tablets were Investigation Agency (NIA) said the accused with books and alphabets began within of people were fighting over a disputed plot first phase, the off icial said. The orders found to have a delayed disintegration time,” a Sanofi were not required for further custodial the four walls of his cell in the Alipore of land. “Based on information that there were were issued in view of the utility of a similar spokeswoman said. “There is a pharmaceutical interrogation. The six men were presented Central Correctional Home (CCH). “Malakar clashes between two groups of people over a plant in Kurauni village of the Sarojininagar parameter that requires the breakdown of a tablet in before the court after the expiry of their perhaps is the oldest successful candidate piece of land, a police team went there to settle development block in Lucknow, where the human body to be assessed,” she said. “Though three-day police custodial remand. They were in the state. He has truly proved that age the matter. However, the irate people rounded 20,000 litres of pure drinking water was the disintegration time was delayed, doctors and arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi police cannot be a bar if you want to learn,” said up the policemen and assaulted them,” Cachar available in 24 hours. The off icial said the patients can be assured that there is no impact on the in January and February. Later, the case was Alipore Correctional Home superintendent Superintendent of Police Rajveer Singh said plant runs on solar power and it could also safety and eff icacy of the product,” she added. transferred to the NIA. D Chakraborty. yesterday. function by pedalling after sunset.

1,203 in the race for 140 Six of the 10 Kerala seats

IANS New Delhi most polluted total of 1,203 contest- ants are in the race for 140 AKerala assembly seats, for which elections will be held on May 16, the Election Com- mission (EC) said yesterday. Of cities in world these, 109 are women. According to the EC, the state has 2,61,06,422 registered vot- ers. The maximum 17 candidates are in Poonjar segment, while Payyannur, Nilambur, Kongad in India: WHO and Tarur have four each. No political party is con- High pollution puts millions testing all the seats, though of people at risk of early the Bharatiya Janata Party has death, says report fi elded the maximum number of 98 candidates, followed by the By Vidhi Doshi / Guardian News Congress and the Communist and Media Party of India (Marxist) with 87 Mumbai and 85 candidates respectively. Other parties in the fray are Bahujan Samaj Party (74 can- nvironmental campaigners didates), the Communist Party in India have called for the of India (25), the Indian Un- Egovernment to implement ion Muslim League (23), Kerala a “stringent, time-bound” plan Congress-Mani (15), Nationalist to curb air pollution in cities, as Congress Party (4) and Janata a new World Health Organisation Dal-Secular and Revolutionary report suggests that six of the 10 Socialist Party (5 each). most polluted cities in the world Millions of people in India are at risk of serious cardiac and respiratory Besides, there are 782 inde- are in India. infections and diseases because of high pollution levels. pendents and others. The report, which contains The largest assembly con- data from 795 cities in 67 coun- must take it seriously. Right now, development-focused govern- stituency electorate-wise is tries between 2008 and 2013, no one is really accountable for ment’s commitment to green Aranmula with 2,26,324 vot- shows Indian cities have some air pollution in the government. causes has been questioned. ers, and Kozhikode South with of the highest concentrations of “They need to make a system- Activists from environmental 1,48,848 voters is the smallest. particulate pollution, which can atic, comprehensive, and time- organisations such as Green- Area-wise, Konni is the largest cause fatal damage to the heart bound plan on a national and re- peace have been investigated by constituency. and lungs. gional level.” the government and have had Meanwhile, apprehending According to the WHO, air Anumita Roychowdhury of the their funds frozen; corpora- poll-related violence in Kan- pollution is currently the great- Centre of Science and Environ- tions have been given land and nur, the Congress has taken out est environmental risk to pub- ment, based in New Delhi, also resources cheaply and, earlier a group insurance policy for its lic health and causes about 3mn believes environmental policy this year, Modi himself attend- 570 booth agents, covering med- premature deaths globally every needs a thorough overhaul. ed spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi ical treatment and damage to year. “So far in India the air pollu- Shankar’s Art of Living festival, property up to Rs100,000 each. Six Indian cities - Gwalior, Al- tion action has been confi ned to which was heavily criticised for The party paid a premium of lahabad, Patna, Raipur, Ludhi- driving,” she said, referring to the causing damage to the Yamuna Rs100,000 and insured its 570 ana, and Delhi - rank among the ‘odd-even’ driving scheme im- river’s fl oodplains. booth agents with the Oriental most polluted cities in the world. plemented in Delhi that aims to Subhas Datta, an environmen- Insurance Company, Kannur The report suggests millions of reduce road traffi c by alternating tal activist, said Modi’s govern- District Congress Committee people in India are at risk of se- days on which vehicles with odd ment was not alone and that suc- President K Surendran said. rious cardiac and respiratory in- and even number plates could be cessive Indian governments had “This is to show to the world fections and diseases because of on the roads. failed to deliver on air pollution that how the CPM acts in certain high pollution levels. However, she argued that the standards. places during elections and after Indian environmental activ- report’s fi ndings looked only at “Our political leaders don’t the elections. These agents will ists condemned Prime Minister particulate pollution and ne- know about the environment or now be posted in sensitive and Narendra Modi’s government glected to mention ozone and realise the impact. They have a most sensitive polling booths in for inaction over pollution. Su- nitrogen oxide pollution, indica- callous attitude to it,” he said. this district,” said Surendran. nil Dahiya, a campaigner from tors that would implicate richer “Development should not have The EC this time has identi- Greenpeace India, said air pol- countries. “It is not a holistic to mean destruction. It should be fi ed more than 1,200 sensitive lution levels had spiked in recent picture of pollution trends,” she done in a sustainable way. Envi- booths in Kerala, most of which years. said. ronmental activists have failed are in and around the district of “The government has to give The prime minister has made too, to bring this issue to light, Kannur. up the fossil fuel-based energy some commitments to protect- and that’s why we’re facing this The commission will em- and look for cleaner forms of ing the environment, such as an- now. I have failed.” ploy micro-observers in these energy, such as renewables,” he nouncing a $30mn solar energy The Guardian contacted the booths, put up web cameras and said. plan at the Paris climate summit environment ministry for a re- in places where Internet con- “Pollution levels have in- and agreeing to meet Euro VI sponse to the latest report, but a nectivity is not there would be Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah waves to supporters during a campaign rally in creased since the last WHO re- emission standards by 2020. press offi cer said he was unable static cameras. Kuthuparamba in Kannur, Kerala, yesterday. port in 2014, and the government However the pro-business, to comment. Custody of Goa legislator Cancer on the rise among women: experts accused of rape extended IANS and the fi gure is likely to go up to New Delhi 4.5 lakh by 2025,” Rangaraju said. Imbalance in the circadian IANS All three are currently in Crime being published in a few news- clock due to sleep loss, lack of Panaji Branch custody, while the girl was papers from May 5, 2016, without ndia is witnessing a steep rise exercise, wrong eating habits, sent to a children’s home. following the provisions of laws in cancer cases and signifi - work-related stress, smoking and Monserrate was elected to the and media ethics,” a statement is- Icantly more and more women alcohol abuse are some of the key Goa court yesterday ex- assembly on a Congress ticket in sued by the CWC said. are falling prey to the emperor of reasons behind the high mortality tended by four days the 2012, but was sacked after he al- The CWC warned the media all maladies, top healthcare pro- rates among women with cancer. Apolice custody of legislator legedly started hobnobbing with against publishing details about viders say. “Our sedentary lifestyle is the Atanasio Monserrate, accused of the Bharatiya Janata Party lead- the victim’s past and making sub- According to the National Can- fi rst thing to be blamed,” adds Dr ‘buying’ a minor girl and repeat- ership. He is presently an inde- jective comments about her. cer Institute (NCI) which is part Sandeep Batra, senior consultant edly raping her. pendent legislator. “The committee has directed of the US Department of Health at BLK Super Specialty Hospital. The court also extended the Meanwhile, a child welfare that in no way this victim’s pri- and Human Services (USDHHS), Focused on professional life, custody of the girl’s mother by committee (CWC) has warned the vacy has to be compromised as every 13th new cancer patient in urban women end up in late mar- four days. media against publishing any- her safety is of paramount im- the world is an Indian and breast, riages and child bearing. Some of The woman is accused of sell- thing that will reveal the identity portance by bringing it to the cervical and oral cancers top the them opt for hormone replace- ing teenaged daughter to Monser- of the teenager. notice of media that reports are list in the country. ment therapies which further in- rate in March through an alleged The warning follows circula- published giving the details about “Out of 12.5 lakh (1.25mn) new creases the risk of cancer. pimp Rosy Ferros, who too has tion of the victim’s photos and past of the said minor girl,” the cancer patients each year in India, “Artifi cial hormonal replace- been arrested. name on WhatsApp as well as CWC said. over seven lakh are women,” says ment therapies must be avoided,” Monserrate, a former minister, publication of her whereabouts in “It would be unethical to pro- Dr Ranga Rao Rangaraju, director Dr Batra added. was arrested on May 5 on charges some newspapers in Goa. vide the news or comment about of oncology services at Max Super According to a recent study, of drugging and raping the girl “The CWC of North Goa has the said minor victim girl, with- Monserrate is escorted by police as he leaves a court which Specialty Hospital in New Delhi. India has seen a 7.5% rise in the after buying her for Rs5mn from taken a serious view as the where- out having authentic informa- extended his custody, in Panaji yesterday. “Nearly 3.5 lakh women face number of cancer patients prima- Ferros. abouts of the girl and origin are tion.” deaths owing to cancer each year rily due to poor lifestyle choices. Gulf Times Friday, May 13, 2016 13 LATIN AMERICA

ANNOUNCEMENT DECISION OUTBREAK TRAVEL CRIME Bogota to hold referendum ELN leaders being probed Zika-linked microcephaly US cruise ship sailing Uber driver arrested for on peace talks by Sept for 16,000 war crimes cases fall to 4,759: Brazil to Cuba returns raping, robbing passenger

Colombia plans to hold a referendum by late Colombia’s attorney general’s off ice is The number of confirmed and suspected Cruise ship Adonia, the first US vessel of its kind to A driver for the ride-hailing service Uber was September on the peace deal it hopes to reach investigating five top leaders from the country’s cases of microcephaly in Brazil associated visit Cuba in over 50 years, returned to the port of arrested for raping and robbing a female with Marxist Farc rebels to end Latin America’s ELN guerrilla group for nearly 16,000 war crimes with the Zika virus was down to 4,759 in the Miami after completing a seven-night cruise that passenger in Mexico City. The driver was arrested longest running civil war, the interior minister and crimes against humanity, the off ice said. week through May 7, the health ministry said, made stops in Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago after a judge ordered the driver to be jailed on said. “We will have, surely by September at the The allegations come amid heightened tensions hundreds less than more than 5,200 suspected de Cuba. The vessel operated by Carnival Cruise May 4. He is now being held in the Varonil Norte latest, a referendum scheduled on whether between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and in late March. As doctors and Brazilian health Line docked at the Miami port terminal with over prison awaiting a court ruling on whether to Colombians approve or disapprove of the the government. The two sides announced in off icials find that some suspected cases of 10 passengers ill, presumably with a stomach bring him to trial, based on evidence currently content of the peace deal,” said Interior Minister March they would begin formal peace talks to microcephaly are not the disorder, the total virus, sources said. A statement issued by the firm being gathered, off icials with the federal district’s Juan Fernando Cristo said at an event in end more than 50 years of war, but continued number of confirmed cases in Brazil stands confirmed 14 passengers had come down with attorney general’s off ice said. The alleged incident Bogota. In addition to the signing of an eventual kidnappings and attacks on oil infrastructure at 1,326. A further 3,433 cases are still being gastrointestinal illnesses but are recovering, EFE occurred on May 2 after the victim called for a ride deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of by the rebels have so far stymied the process. investigated. Brazil considers most of the cases news reported. The ship, which can carry more on Uber as she was leaving a bar in the Condesa Colombia (Farc), still to be set, the government ELN top leader Nicolas Rodriguez Bautista and of babies born with abnormally small heads than 700 passengers, set sail from Miami on May development, popular for its restaurants and needs the Constitutional Court to give the four other high-level rebels are the focus of the since the start of a Zika outbreak last year to be 2 and arrived in Havana the next morning, where nightclubs. As he was taking her to her destination, referendum a green light. investigations, the attorney general’s off ice said. related to the virus. it was welcomed by hundreds of Cubans. the driver stopped the vehicle and raped her.

Temer: From kingmaker to king Michel Temer used to be known in Brazil as a behind-the-scenes operator, but that was before he pulled the trigger on a masterful bid to topple his boss, Suspended President Dilma Rousseff , and take her job. After months of playing his cards close to his chest, the vice president was to take over as president after the Senate voted to open an impeachment trial Rousseff calls against Rousseff . But with popularity ratings as dismal as Rousseff ’s and many of his allies implicated in cor- ruption, Temer will face a tall task restoring stability in Brazil. The 75-year-old lawyer had long impeachment been a backroom wheeler-deal- er. He was perhaps best known to voters for having a 32-year- old former beauty contestant as a wife. But as Brazil’s economic boom turned to spectacular bust and vote ‘a coup’ a corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras tainted AFP A two-thirds majority vote dential elections - and who was nearly the entire political class, Brasilia will be needed at the end of one of the senators voting to im- Temer slowly emerged from the the impeachment trial to force peach Rousseff . shadows to seize the starring Rousseff , 68, from offi ce alto- The Supreme Court author- role. razilian President Dilma gether. ised a probe into his alleged bribe Rousseff and her running mate Rousseff was suspended Temer, from the centre-right taking and money laundering always made an awkward Byesterday to face im- PMDB party, was to take over as overnight. couple. As head of the PMDB, a peachment, ceding power to interim president, drawing the The multiple crises have centrist party, Temer repre- her vice president-turned-en- curtain on more than a decade wreaked havoc on the Workers’ sented the biggest force in the emy Michel Temer in a political of dominance by the Workers’ Party, whose transformative so- former leftist guerrilla’s shaky earthquake ending 13 years of Party. cial programmes have lifted tens coalition. leftist rule over Latin America’s He said his priority is to ad- of millions of people from pov- For years, the PMDB played the biggest nation. dress Brazil’s worst recession in erty since 2003, but which has role of kingmaker, content with Defi ant to the end, Brazil’s decades and end the paralysis been portrayed as increasingly pulling the strings and keeping fi rst female president denounced gripping Congress during the incapable of governing. the keys to the government a “coup” aimed at driving her battle over Rousseff . Senate President Renan Cal- pork barrel. from power, and urged her sup- “He will inherit a good part of heiros, who oversaw the pro- Temer was cautious, gradually porters to mobilise as she braces Brazilians’ dissatisfaction with ceedings, told reporters that making his disapproval of Rous- for an impeachment trial that is the kind of traditional politics he impeachment would be “trau- seff known as the momentum set to drag on for months. represents,” said Thiago Bottino, matic.” to impeach her built. “What is at stake is respect for an analyst at the Getulio Vargas And divisions were plain to In October, he published a the ballot box, the sovereign will Foundation. see outside Congress, where po- document called “A bridge of the Brazilian people and the A onetime Marxist guer- lice erected a giant metal fence to the future” in which he constitution,” she said in what rilla tortured under the coun- to keep apart small rival groups criticised “excesses” in could be her fi nal address from try’s military dictatorship in the of demonstrators during the im- government policies. And in the presidential palace, dressed 1970s, Rousseff was expected to peachment debate. December, he complained of in white and fl anked by her min- go to her offi cial residence where Riot police pepper sprayed a being treated as “a decorative isters - who will now lose their she will continue to live with her group of Rousseff supporters late vice president.” jobs as Temer brings in a busi- mother during the impeachment Wednesday and pro- and anti- But while lower-level PMDB sup- ness-friendly, reform-minded trial. She will retain her salary impeachment protesters also porters liked to refer to him as cabinet. and bodyguards. scuffl ed briefl y in Rio. “President Temer,” he insisted Rousseff then exited the build- The leader of the Workers’ Even though the impeach- he had no such ambitions, ing to shake hands and wave to Party in the senate, Humberto ment vote came in the middle except perhaps for the next the red-clad crowd gathered Costa, said his side would now of the night, residents in cen- scheduled elections in 2018. outside the modernist capital’s work to convince senators to tral Sao Paulo - Brazil’s fi nan- Finally, in March, he came out seat of power. support Rousseff in the trial and cial centre and an opposition into the open, calling on the Hours earlier, a nearly 22- turn the tide in her favour. stronghold - set off fi re crackers, PMDB to abandon the govern- hour debate in the senate closed Due to host the Olympic banged pots and yelled “Dilma ment and go into opposition. with an overwhelming 55-22 Games in Rio de Janeiro in less out!” from their windows. Temer followed that up by vote against Rousseff , as pro- than three months, Brazil is Jose Eduardo Cardozo, Rous- brazenly leaking an audio impeachment senators burst into struggling to stem economic seff ’s attorney general, delivered recording of himself practising applause and posed for selfi es disarray and handle the fall- a passionate closing statement the speech he’d give if he were and congratulatory group photos. out from a corruption scandal before the impeachment vote, to replace Rousseff . Only a simple majority of the reaching deep into the political telling senators that they were In it, he said his “great mission 81-member senate had been re- and business elite. “condemning an honest, inno- from now is the calming of the quired to suspend Rousseff for The latest target of a sprawling cent woman” whose supposed country, the unification of the six months pending judgment probe into the graft was senator crimes amounted to nothing country.” on charges that she broke budget Aecio Neves, who narrowly lost more than a long accepted ac- Suspended President Dilma Rousseff makes a statement at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia yesterday. accounting laws. to Rousseff in the 2014 presi- counting practice.

Anti-Uber protest Chile’s ‘red tide’ outbreak Freed drug lord still widening, warns govt in business: US Reuters “Treasury, in co-ordination Mexico City with DEA (Drug Enforcement Reuters grow, it is a changing phenom- Niño weather pattern is likely Administration), is committed Santiago enon,” Raul Sunico, the deputy a key factor in the red tide, as to targeting Caro Quintero un- minister for fi shing and aqua- it warms the ocean and creates he US Treasury said drug til he is brought to justice and culture, told local radio station bloom-friendly conditions. lord Rafael Caro Quintero his organisation is dismantled,” “red tide” outbreak is Cooperativa. Some fi shermen are blam- Tis continuing to traffi c il- said acting OFAC director John widening in southern “Highly toxic samples have ing the local salmon industry, legal drugs since being released E Smith. AChile’s fi shing-rich been taken in the region of Los the world’s second largest, for from a Mexican prison and it Caro Quintero, who is believed waters, the government said, Rios, which obliges us ... to exacerbating the problem, cit- named his common-law wife as to be 63, is one of the old guard deepening what is already be- close areas of the region to re- ing the dumping of dead fi sh in a key accomplice. of the countries’ drug lords. He lieved to be one of the country’s source extraction.” March by salmon farmers after Caro Quintero, convicted of was one of the leaders of the worst environmental crises in The red tide has caused a bloom killed off much of their ordering the torture and murder Guadalajara cartel, a forerunner recent years. tonnes of dead shellfi sh to wash stock. of a US anti-drugs agent in Mex- of Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman’s The red tide - an algal bloom up on southern beaches and The government estimates ico in 1985, was freed from pris- Sinaloa cartel. that turns the sea water red and paralysed the fi shing industry, some 100,000 tonnes of salm- on in August 2013 in a move that Guzman was moved to a pris- makes seafood toxic - is a com- which is the mainstay of many on were lost, leading to a jump angered the US government. He on near the US border last week- mon, naturally recurring phe- coastal settlements. Fishing in global prices for the fi sh. then went underground. end and on Monday a court said nomenon in southern Chile, accounts for about 0.5% of the The disruption of sealife The Treasury’s Offi ce of For- that he can be extradited to face but the extent of the current country’s gross domestic prod- along Chile’s coast, in turn, has eign Asset Control (OFAC) added charges in the US. outbreak is unprecedented. uct. caused birds such as albatross- his partner, Diana Espinoza Sala- Caro Quintero had served 28 The southern region of Los Fishermen have blocked ac- es and petrels to leave for other zar, to its list of drug traffi ckers, years of a 40-year sentence for the Lagos has been aff ected in re- cess to the island of Chiloe in areas with better food sources. saying she was an integral part of brutal death of DEA agent Enrique cent weeks by the largest red protest over what they consider The bloom also was a factor in Caro Quintero’s ongoing opera- Camarena and was released after tide in its history, prompting to be inadequate government the mass beaching of whales tions, according to a statement. a Mexican court ruled he should fi shermen deprived of their compensation for their losses, and sea-lions, authorities say. Espinoza Salazar met the ac- have been tried at a state level livelihoods to angrily demand leaving locals and tourists alike Sardine fi sherman in the cused drug traffi cker in prison rather than on federal charges. more support from the govern- stranded. Bio-Bio region have reported and she holds some of his assets The US is off ering a $5mn dol- ment. The government initially of- an abundance of octopuses but under her name, the statement lar reward for information lead- Now there are signs that Los fered 100,000 Chilean pesos scarce numbers of sardines. said. OFAC ordered her US as- ing to Caro Quintero’s recapture. Rios, the neighbouring region ($147) to each family aff ected cri- Elsewhere, enormous jack sets to be frozen. OFAC said that Following his release in 2013, to the north, has also been af- sis, but increased it to 300,000 mackerel have been seen while Taxis are seen blocking a street during a protest against Uber Caro Quintero “has continued to the US asked Mexico to detain fected, local offi cials warn. pesos after complaints. the usual hake have almost dis- in Santiago, Chile, yesterday. engage in drug traffi cking activi- him so that he could be extra- “The red tide zone is going to Scientists say this year’s El appeared. ties since his release.” dited to the US. Gulf Times 14 Friday, May 13, 2016 PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN Pakistan to hang fi ve hard-core terrorists

AFP claimed the attack, though the sives, as those who speak out Hunor Bozsing, three times Rubik’s Cube Islamabad military statement Thursday against alleged abuses by the Hungarian national champion, described the fi ve as “active” state warned they were under demonstrates solving a Rubik’s Cube in members of Al Qaeda. No reason increasing threat. front of Pakistani students at the National Pakistani students try to solve Rubik’s Cubes during a competition organised by the akistan’s military chief for the discrepancy was immedi- Months later, authorities re- University of Sciences and Technology in Hungarian embassy with Hungarian national champion, Hunor Bozsing, at the National yesterday approved the ately given. vealed that the main suspect in Islamabad yesterday. University of Sciences and Technology in Islamabad yesterday. Pexecution of fi ve “hard- The fi ve were also “involved” the bus attack, Saad Aziz, had core terrorists” that the army in the killing of rights activist admitted to Mehmood’s murder said were involved in the killing Sabeen Mehmood as well as sev- also. of a prominent rights activist eral other attacks, the statement Aziz was among the fi ve whose and a deadly bus attack claimed said, without off ering more de- executions were confi rmed by Islamic State. tails. Thursday. Hungary’s Rubik’s Cube champion An army statement said the Pakistan reinstated the death fi ve were charged in a military The fi ve “perpetrated” the penalty and established military court and admitted their guilt, attack on a bus in Karachi courts as part of a crackdown though it did not specify what last May, in which gunmen after its deadliest ever extremist dazzles students in Pakistan they were charged with. stormed the vehicle attack, when gunmen stormed a Military chief General Raheel and killed 45 members school in the northwest in 2014 Sharif had confi rmed the death of the minority Ismaili leaving more than 150 people AFP Dazzling on national televi- bik’s Cube...I decided to solve “It was my cousin who taught sentences, it said. community dead. Islamabad sion, he also enthralled puz- it. I mean the whole thing.” me how to solve it,” Khan told The fi ve “perpetrated” the Rights activists have criti- zled students in the capital Bozsing said he spent two AFP. “He used to make it in two attack on a bus in Karachi Mehmood was shot dead in cised a surge in hangings since Islamabad with his speedy months trying to crack the puz- minutes but I am beating him last May, in which gunmen the port city of Karachi in April the moratorium was lifted, with unor Bozsing says he solutions. zle with the help of the Internet. now. I started three months ago stormed the vehicle and killed last year minutes after hosting a Pakistan becoming the world’s got lucky eight years The 19-year-old found him- “Next, I began to be a com- and now my time is one minute, 45 members of the minority seminar on abuses in restive Ba- third most prolifi c executioner Hago: searching for an self surrounded by youngsters petitor and solved the Cube in 30 seconds.” Ismaili community, the state- lochistan province. in 2015, and complained the mil- old toy in his house in Budapest, taking selfi es after a demon- 15, 20 seconds,” he said — in- Rubik’s Cube was invented ment said. The killing sent shockwaves itary trials are neither transpar- instead he stumbled across a stration Thursday. spired by online videos of oth- in 1976 by Hungarian sculptor The Islamic State group through the country’s progres- ent nor fair. Rubik’s Cube — a twist of fate He was six when he saw his ers racing to fi nish the puzzle in and architecture professor Erno that launched him to interna- fi rst Rubik’s Cube, he told AFP. record time. Rubik. tional fame. At the time, he could only solve In Islamabad, he greeted a As of January 2009, 350 mil- Bozsing — Hungary’s three- one side. would-be future competitor: lion Cubes had been sold glo- time national Rubik’s Cube “Later, when I was 11, I was 12-year-old Ghayyur Khan, bally, making it the world’s top- champion — was in Pakistan searching for an old toy in our whose solution was met with selling puzzle game, according ‘Those named by Benazir before this week to organise the coun- house but luckily I could not applause from approving stu- to the Hungarian embassy in assassination were never probed’ try’s fi rst Cube competition. fi nd it and instead I found a Ru- dents. Islamabad. CASA 1000 power project IANS town of Rawalpindi. was appointed the JIT head. Islamabad When asked by an anti-ter- The JIT conducted another in- launched rorism court in Rawalpindi, quiry and implicated Musharraf, Pakistan to share terms whether Qureshi had examined Deputy Inspector General Saud he head of the Pakistani those named by Bhutto, the JIT Aziz and Senior Superintendent A project to build a power Joint Investigation Team chief replied in the negative. of Police Shahzad in the case on line to supply Afghanistan T(JIT) probing the Benazir It was also disclosed before account of the crime scene be- and Pakistan was of FTA with Iran soon Bhutto assassination, has said it the court that Qureshi was a ing washed to destroy evidence inaugurated in Tajikistan’s had not probed three men named member of the Punjab Police JIT and for not providing Bhutto ad- capital, Dushanbe, yesterday. by her in a letter months before which had conducted the initial equate security. Both countries suff er from Internews duty structures. “Hopefully, Both sides were interested in her killing, saying they might try probe. The JIT report also held Aziz shortages of electricity. Islamabad we will agree on some point by signing the FTA for a long time, to harm her. responsible for not conducting The CASA 1000 project the end of this year on the FTA”, but international sanctions on During cross-examination on Soon aft er Bhutto’s Bhutto’s autopsy. to transmit electricity said the offi cial. Iran were a key hurdle. How- Wednesday, former Federal In- assassination, the then However, when asked whether from Kyrgyzstan and he initial text of the It was further said that Pa- ever, recent steps promoting vestigation Agency additional Pakistan Muslim League Qureshi watched the press con- Tajikistan to Afghanistan proposed Free Trade kistan has to exclude certain bilateral trade are being taken director general Khalid Qureshi (Quaid) government ference held by former president and Pakistan was launched TAgreement (FTA) with clauses related to the World in the backdrop of lifting of said the JIT had not investigated formed a probe team Asif Ali Zardari after Bhutto’s with Afghanistan’s Chief Iran will be shared by Paki- Trade Organisation (WTO) to most sanctions on Iran after a the former director general of the assassination, in which Zardari Executive Abdullah Abdullah stan by the end of this month, avoid complications as Iran is successful nuclear deal. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), The investigation into the said he had not given permission and Pakistani Prime Minister which would formally initiate not a member of the WTO. Pa- Moreover, the Trade Devel- Lt General Hamid Gul (retd); murder was divided into two for the postmortem because he Nawaz Sharif present. The the agreement with the neigh- kistan and Iran agreed to push opment Authority of Pakistan former director general Intelli- phases. Soon after Bhutto’s as- did not want his wife’s body to 1.7-bn-dollar project funded bouring country, said an of- forward the proposed FTA (TDAP) has also planned to gence Bureau (IB), Brig Ejaz Shah sassination, the then Pakistan be “desecrated”, Qureshi said he by the World Bank and USAID fi cial in the Ministry of Com- during the recent visit of Ira- organise a single-country ex- (retd) and former Punjab chief Muslim League (Quaid) govern- had not done so. among others is expected merce. nian president to Pakistan. hibition of Pakistani products minister Pervaiz Elahi. ment formed a probe team of Qureshi also said he had never to be completed by the end The offi cial said that both The two countries have al- in Tehran by the end of July or All these people were men- which Qureshi was a member. approached Zardari in this re- of 2018. The transmission sides have agreed to initiate the ready signed a Preferential start of August. Certain busi- tioned by former prime minis- The team arrested fi ve sus- gard. line will cross six provinces FTA to promote bilateral trade. Trade Agreement (PTA) back ness delegations including ter Benazir Bhutto in a letter she pects who belonged to Tehrik-e- The court was adjourned till in Afghanistan including the “In this regard, the commerce in 2006 and trade is carried Rice Exporters Association of wrote to US lobbyist Mark Siegel Taliban Pakistan (TTP). May 16 and the prosecution was restive provinces of Kunduz, ministry will soon share the out under the framework of Pakistan have also visited Iran in 2007 months before her assas- Al Qaeda militant group took directed to submit a report on Baghlan and Nangarhar. initial text with the Iranian au- this PTA. Moreover, the two recently in a bid to promote bi- sination, Dawn online reported. responsibility for the attack, but the closing of evidence. According to a study by thorities during this month,” countries also signed a fi ve- lateral trade. Bhutto, who was in offi ce then president Pervez Musharraf Musharraf has also been ac- the Afghanistan Analysts the offi cial added. year bilateral trade roadmap Commerce ministry offi cials from 1988-90 and 1993-96, was later indicted for not pro- cused of treason and changing Network, a think tank, He said that after exchang- during the Iranian president’s said that there are still certain was killed in 2007 after lean- viding Bhutto enough protec- Pakistan’s constitution as well as Kygyzstan and Tajikistan ing the document, both coun- visit along with the commit- challenges in the way of mov- ing out of the sunroof of her tion. murder of Muslim leader Abdul have an energy surplus tries will formally start nego- ment to enhance bilateral trade ing ahead on bilateral trade, es- bulletproof vehicle as she left In 2008, the investigation was Rashid Ghazi and Balochistan generated from their tiation on the agreement and up to $5bn annually by next fi ve pecially the absence of formal a campaign rally in the garrison assigned to the FIA and Qureshi Governor Nawab Akbar Bugti. hydropower plants. will discuss tariff lines and years. banking channels. Shadowy unit seeks to exploit Afghan Taliban divisions

Plain-clothes unit set up to southern Afghanistan in the 1980s. abandon several districts and regroup infiltrate Taliban in Helmand; Helmand police chief Abdul Rah- around the provincial capital Lashkar Taliban denies agents able to man Sarjang said the 300-strong unit, Gah. penetrate insurgent movement; created and equipped by the National The unit’s reported successes have Provincial council member warns Directorate of Security (NDS), had come at a price, local offi cials said. of problems for civilians conducted several operations and was “It is a very good achievement by the proving a success. Afghan government and has created The NDS headquarters in Kabul did splits within the Taliban,” said Attaul- Reuters not respond to several requests for lah Afghan, a member of the Helmand Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan comment, although an offi cial from provincial council. the agency in Helmand confi rmed the But he said offi cials had received unit’s existence and the broad outlines dozens of complaints from residents shadowy new unit run by Af- of how it operates. in districts like Nawzad and Khanishin ghanistan’s main intelligence He declined to be identifi ed because where the unit operated. Aagency has begun operations he was not authorised to speak to the “Taliban are abusing ordinary peo- in southern Helmand province with a press. ple and even arresting some of them mission to exploit divisions within the The Taliban, who have in the past as spies of the Afghan government,” he Taliban insurgency, government of- incited Afghan police and soldiers to said. fi cials and a militant spokesman said. desert their posts and attack com- According to local sources in Hel- The aim is to weaken an increasingly rades, confi rmed the unit existed, but mand, a battle between rival groups of dangerous enemy by turning the tables they dismissed suggestions that it was Taliban in Nad Ali and Marjah districts on the Taliban, who boast of placing able to exploit their internal divisions to the west of Lashkar Gah that ended agents among government security as “propaganda”. with as many as 30 fi ghters dead on forces to carry out “insider attacks”. “It is true that this contingent ex- Sunday, was set off by the special NDS The initiative comes as fl edgling Af- ists and operates mysteriously in some unit. ghan forces are struggling to prevent parts of Helmand,” said Qari Yousuf They said members of the unit at- the Taliban overrunning large parts of Ahmadi, the Taliban’s main spokes- tacked a checkpoint manned by fi ght- Helmand and other parts of the coun- man in southern Afghanistan. ers loyal to Taliban leader Mullah try. “We have very strong intelligence Akhtar Mohamed Mansour, creating Abdul Jabbar Qahraman, President and fi nd those who want to infi ltrate Afghan policemen keep watch during a battle with the Taliban in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, in Afghanistan the impression that they were on the Ashraf Ghani’s special envoy for se- our ranks,” he added. on May 11. side of Mansour’s main rival, Mullah curity aff airs in the southern prov- The NDS unit adds another com- Mohamed Rasoul. ince, confi rmed the existence of the plication to the confl ict in Helmand, killed nine comrades and stole their in Pashto-speaking Helmand. each other. They believe that their col- The Taliban denied that the fi ght- unit, whose members do not wear a traditional Taliban stronghold and weapons, before deserting to join the One provincial offi cial said the leagues may be infi ltrated by the Af- ing was between rival factions of the uniform, but declined to provide fur- centre of the opium trade criss-crossed insurgents. unit was operating in Musa Qala and ghan intelligence agency,” he said. movement but did point to the role of ther details. by a web of tribal and factional rivalries Both Afghan and Nato offi cials Nawzad, two central districts aban- Despite a lull in recent weeks, which “bandits newly armed by Jabbar Qah- “The idea for the creation of the new in addition to the insurgency. have frequently spoken of the diffi - doned by government forces in Feb- offi cials say was due to Taliban fi ght- raman”. contingent, which dresses like local In a confl ict where deceit and dou- culties faced by the Afghan National ruary, as well as Marjah and Nad Ali, ers being busy with the annual opium “There is currently no fi ghting in Helmandis, was mine,” said the of- ble-cross are commonplace, govern- Army, a largely Dari-speaking force where government control is tenu- harvest, Helmand has seen months the area and the entire region has been fi cial, who was a commander fi ghting ment forces have often been the vic- that relies heavily on recruits from ous. of heavy fi ghting during which gov- cleansed from these newly formed for the Soviet-backed government in tim. In January, four rogue policemen northern Afghanistan, in operating “Now the Taliban do not believe ernment forces have been forced to bandits,” Ahmadi said in a statement. Gulf Times Friday, May 13, 2016 15 PHILIPPINES ‘New script’ used to cheat me: Marcos

Manila Times shortly before 5am, Tuesday. Makati As of 1.35pm, Wednesday, based on the 78.04% of regis- tered voters, the Comelec trans- enator Ferdinand Bong- parency server showed that bong Marcos Jr on Wednes- Robredo was leading by 231,728 Sday accused the Commis- votes. sion on Elections (Comelec) of She had 13,958,608 votes using a computer command or compared to Marcos’ 13,726,880. ‘new script’ to wipe out his one Huang said they sent people to million votes and to pad repre- the PPCRV headquarters in Ma- sentative Leni Robredo’s votes nila after the group’s vice chair- on Monday evening. man Johnny Cardenas invited the Francesca Huang, speaking on Marcos camp to send observers behalf of Marcos, said the new there. script altered the hash codes of Also on Wednesday, Mar- the packet data that started the cos appealed to his supporters, “rather distinctive pattern” of mostly young people, to stay vote padding-vote shaving. calm. “Did Comelec know about the The Ilocano senator made the introduction of this new script? appeal after learning that a hun- How does the new script aff ect dred supporters, mostly univer- the data and data reception of sity students, staged a rally at the the transparency server?” Huang Rizal Park (Luneta) in Manila to asked. show their indignation over the “How were the data of election alleged vote padding-vote shav- Philippine Presidential favourite Rodrigo Duterte. returns from these aff ected clus- ing scheme. tered precincts or VCMs [Vote “I urge our friends, our sup- Counting Machines] uploaded porters who are rallying their Fa- to the transparency server? Does cebook friends to come out and this mean that the data could be stage a rally to calm down. Cool uploaded to the transparency down your heads,” Marcos said. server through other means of He added that his lawyers are which we do not know about?” preparing data that will show she said. clearly the Liberal Party had or- Huang added that Marcos’ chestrated the alleged fraud to Duterte to visit Pope, camp on Wednesday sent a letter “freeze” his votes. of inquiry to Comelec chairman “What was even more puz- Andres Bautista and the com- zling was that the drop in my lead missioners, asking them to ad- began after the Comelec had said dress their concerns. there was a glitch that delayed “We are waiting for their an- the updates of the transmitted swer. Our next move will depend votes in the transparency server,” on their answer,” she said. Marcos pointed out. apologise for insult Huang added that as of 4.15pm Marcos’ presidential tandem on May 11, their tally showed senator Miriam Defensor-San- Duterte plans a pilgrimage to seek order crackdown, and boasted so many which provoked an angry response from tive vice president-elect Leni Robredo,” Marcos posting a 189,529 vote tiago came to the rescue of the forgiveness bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay the city-state’s embassy. Cayetano said. lead against Robredo based on senator. that the fi sh would grow fat from feeding Duterte also stirred diplomatic anger “Let us begin the journey toward heal- the votes from 52.38% clustered “The roller coaster ride of AFP on them. when he warned that he was prepared to ing and unifi cation,” the senator added. precincts. vice-presidential candidate Fer- Manila Duterte had already apologised to the sever ties with the United States and Aus- Cayetano expressed confi dence that The votes that contributed to dinand Marcos Jr invites com- pope in a letter and received a response tralia, two of the Philippines’ longest and Robredo will also “respect and value” the Marcos’ lead came from Pan- parison with a garrison state. In from the Vatican off ering “the assurance of most important allies. people’s full support to Duterte and “his gasinan, Ilocos Norte, Sultan such a state, the authoritarian hilippine president-elect Rod- prayers”, his aides said on the campaign trail. He was reacting to criticism from the US vision to end the disorder in the people’s Kudarat and provinces under Re- government feels free to manu- rigo Duterte is planning to visit the Duterte said publicly the pope was the and Australian ambassadors over his rape lives and introduce real change to our gion 4-B, like Mindoro. facture numbers as they are PVatican to make a personal apol- victim of a “stray bullet” resulting from comments, and told them to “shut their country”. The Parish Pastoral Coun- needed,” Santiago said in a state- ogy to the pope for using an insulting term his gutter language and frustration with mouths”. “I call on the people to rally behind our cil for Responsible Voting’s ment. against him, the politician’s spokesman government incompetence. Duterte made controversial comments newly elected leaders. It is in this crucial (PPCRV) partial and unoffi cially “I fi nd it astounding that Mar- said yesterday. Lavina said yesterday no schedule had on rape as he recounted at a campaign rally hour that our voice is needed the most. Let tally of votes initially showed cos should have led in the vice- “The mayor repeatedly said he wants to yet been set for the Vatican trip, although the 1989 riot, in which he said he personally us work together and let the process of real Marcos having a commanding presidential surveys for many visit the Vatican, win or lose, not only to it was a top priority. shot dead some of the inmate instigators. change begin,” he said. lead of close to 1mn votes over months, until the penultimate pay homage to the pope but he really needs Duterte is due to be sworn into offi ce on Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has con- Cayetano accepting defeat was wel- the camarines Sur lawmaker. month, when suddenly the ad- to explain to the pope and ask for forgive- June 30 for a term of six years. ceded to vice presidential frontrunner Ca- comed by Robredo. At about 10pm, however, Ro- ministration could jump up sur- ness,” Peter Lavina told reporters in the Despite being raised as a Catholic, Du- marines Sur representative Maria Leonor “We thank senator Alan Peter Cayetano bredo’s votes came in and she vey results to fi nally overtake southern city of Davao. terte openly said he fathered four children Leni Robredo and called on other candi- for his statement about the election re- eventually overtook Marcos him,” she added. Duterte, 71, the longtime mayor of by four women. dates to “respect the people’s will”. sults. We remain open to working with Davao, surged to a landslide election win Among his closest friends and advisers “I humbly concede my vice presidential him for the progress of our people,” she in on Monday following an incendiary cam- is Apollo Quiboloy, leader of the Davao- bid to representative Leni Robredo, who, a statement. paign in which he gleefully used foul lan- based Kingdom of Jesus Christ religious by all accounts and with 96 percent of the Cayetano was also considered as the guage to disrespect authority fi gures. group who openly calls himself “the Ap- votes already tallied, is our country’s pre- running mate of Liberal Party standard- In a rambling speech to announce his pointed Son of God”. sumptive vice rresident-elect,” Cayetano bearer Manuel Roxas 2nd’ ahead of Ro- presidential run, Duterte lashed out at Lavina has said repeatedly in recent days said in a statement yesterday. bredo after senator Grace Poe turned down Pope Francis for causing traffi c jams in that Duterte plans to adopt a more moder- “Representative Leni is not only leading such off er from the LP and went on to run Manila when he visited the mainly Catho- ate and presidential tone when he assumes the [vice presidential] race, [but] she has for the presidency. lic nation last year. offi ce, and that his gutter language and in- clearly won it,” he added. Robredo’s camp earlier cried foul over “It took us fi ve hours to get from the sults were part of a performance to attract As of 11.44am, yesterday, Robredo was claims of senator Miriam Defensor-San- hotel to the airport. I asked who was com- voters’ attention. leading her closest rival, senator Ferdi- tiago that the Aquino administration is ing. They said it was the pope. I wanted to “You have to understand the Philippine nand Marcos Jr, by 212,429 votes. rigging the polls to favor the Camarines call him: ‘Pope, go home. Don’t visit any- style of elections. The context is most of The partial and unoffi cial count repre- Sur lawmaker. more’,” said Duterte. our politicians need to communicate to our sents 95.75% of the votes. Georgina Hernandez, spokesman for Catholic leaders in the Philippines con- audience so many of our politicians sing Cayetano said with the elections now Robredo, said unsubstantiated claims of demned Duterte’s comments but, like and dance,” Lavina said on Wednesday. over, the country must now unite under poll fraud is off ensive to the hardworking many other controversial remarks, they “Some make jokes, some make funny the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. members of the Robredo campaign team. had little impact on his popularity. faces. Some dress outrageously. So it is all He was the running mate of Duterte. “We respect the opinion of Senator He used the same insult to describe in this context that all these jokes, ban- “While losing an election hurts, noth- Miriam [Santiago] but if we look at the many opponents and critics, including tering, happen during the campaign. We ing is more painful than the sight of a di- surveys of Pulse Asia and Social Weather current president Benigno Aquino. don’t expect the same attitude of our of- vided country. Thus, I call on all the other Stations way back in April, [Robredo’s] Duterte also vowed repeatedly that he fi cials thereafter.” candidates to respect the people’s will and numbers have been rising. [This rise is a would kill tens of thousands of suspected Lavina was explaining a joke Duterte rally behind presumptive president-elect fruit of the labor and sweat of her support- criminals in an unprecedented law-and- made about burning Singapore’s fl ag, Rodrigo Rody Duterte and his presump- ers and volunteers],” Hernandez added. Senator Marcos Communist chief hopes for an end to exile

AFP people dead, by offi cial account. shortly after communist rebels freed fi ve must fi rst take steps to ensure his personal Manila The New People’s Army is believed to police hostages last month in Davao. safety. have fewer than 4,000 soldiers, down Sison said in the comments posted on “I will not dive into any situation in from a peak of 26,000 in the 1980s, ac- Facebook he had congratulated Duterte via which the Duterte government is still un- hilippine communist rebel leader cording to the military, however it retains an intermediary on his win and called for settled and there are unwieldy elements... Jose Maria Sison has expressed support among the deeply poor in the rural the resumption of peace talks, a ceasefi re, who violently oppose my homecoming,” Phopes of ending nearly three dec- Philippines. the release of political prisoners, and the he added. ades in exile under the new presidency of Incumbent president Benigno Aquino “arrest and trial of Aquino”. Lavina said the new government would Rodrigo Duterte, a potentially explosive revived peace talks soon after taking offi ce Duterte was ready to release ailing and uphold previous security guarantees for homecoming opposed by senior military in 2010 but shelved them in 2013, accus- elderly rebels on humanitarian grounds, rebel negotiators while the military said it fi gures. ing the rebels of insincerity in eff orts to as well as those whom the movement ap- would support Duterte’s peace eff orts. Sison, now 77, fl ed to Europe soon after achieve a political settlement. points as peace negotiators after vetting by “If it’s part of the peace eff orts, he (Si- peace talks failed in 1987 and has stayed The talks got bogged down after the the military, police and state prosecutors, son) is welcome to come here. But as for abroad since, while one of Asia’s longest- communists demanded the release of his spokesman Peter Lavina said Thursday. his other enemies, that would be another running insurgencies continued to claim scores of their jailed comrades whom they “Our people are suff ering from the in- matter,” military spokesman Colonel Noel thousands of lives. described as “political prisoners”, which ternal confl ict.... (Businessmen) doing Detoyato told AFP but declined to elabo- “I will return to the Philippines if Du- the Aquino government rejected. business in these areas have been suff ering rate. terte fulfi ls his promise to visit me,” the Duterte, who was Sison’s student at for long. Any move to still the guns, declare Senator Antonio Trillanes, a Duterte Netherlands-based Communist Party a Manila university in the 1960s, is the ceasefi re would be very welcome,” Lavina critic and former military rebel, warned of the Philippines (CPP) founder said in longtime mayor of the southern city of told reporters. He said Duterte planned to last week that some in the military were comments posted on his Facebook page Davao. Some of the communists’ strong- see Sison during a trip to Europe before the “strongly averse” to Duterte’s long-stand- late Wednesday. holds today are near Davao, and Duterte president-elect takes his oath of offi ce on ing ties with communists, and that the re- “The prospects (for peace talks) seem to has maintained relations with them. June 30. action “could be violent”. be bright at the moment,” Sison added. Last week, local television station ABS- Sison’s comments were a transcript of Lavina said the Trillanes warning was a Sison, a political science professor, es- CBN released footage of Duterte chatting an interview he gave to Dubai’s Khaleej personal opinion that “remains to be seen”. tablished the party in December 1968 and with Sison via Skype on his laptop. Times newspaper. The spokesman said Duterte would it launched a guerrilla campaign three “I’m a socialist,” said Duterte, who won Sison said he hoped to return home af- consider communist fi gures for his cabi- months later. Monday’s election in a landslide. ter Duterte begins his term, but the com- net, where retired military and police fi g- Jose Maria Sison (L) and Philippines house speaker Jose de Venecia The rebellion has left at least 30,000 The network said the chat took place munist leader added the new government ures would also be represented. in Amsterdam in 1997. Gulf Times 16 Friday, May 13, 2016 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL Turkish authorities recall ambassador to Bangladesh Turkey and Pakistan have resorted Erdogan said. “There was no noise He called terrorism and militancy a to diplomatic actions (from the EU) because the person who regional issue that “directly concerns was executed was a Muslim.” us as neighbours” and the two coun- AFP Relations between Bangladesh and tries would work “closely and bilater- Ankara Pakistan have never recovered from the ally” in combating the menace. 1971 war when Bangladeshi national- The joint briefi ng of the top bureau- ists, backed by India, broke away from crats of the two countries came after urkey yesterday recalled its am- what was then West Pakistan. Jaishankar on Wednesday called on bassador to Bangladesh for con- About 3mn people were killed in the prime minister Sheikh Hasina, met for- Tsultations after strongly protest- war, Bangladesh says, and thousands of eign minister AH Mahmood Ali while ing the execution in the country of a top women were raped. he exchanged views with civil society Islamist leader, the state-run Anatolia Some Bangladeshi factions includ- fi gures at a breakfast meeting earlier news agency said. ing the Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist yesterday. Motiur Rahman Nizami, leader of the party, opposed the break and some if Jaishankar said during the Indian Jamaat-e-Islami party, was hanged at its members, including Nizami, have prime minister’s June 2015 Dhaka visit, a Dhaka jail late Tuesday for the mas- been prosecuted by a Bangladeshi war the two countries signed a number of sacre of intellectuals during the 1971 crimes tribunal set up in 2010. agreements and memorandums of un- independence war with Pakistan. “The government of Bangladesh derstanding (MoUs). The two foreign Turkey’s ambassador to Dhaka, deeply regrets that despite Bangla- secretaries reviewed the progress of Devrim Ozturk, is due to arrive back in desh’s repeated overtures, the mali- those agreements. Turkey on Thursday, the news agency cious campaign by Pakistan against the “We have come out with a very good added. trials of the crimes against humanity progress report . . . we really moved The Turkish foreign ministry had and genocide in Bangladesh is continu- forward in a number of areas,” he said already strongly condemned the ex- ing,” Bangladesh said in a statement. adding that eight of 14 commitments ecution, saying it did not believe that International human rights groups reached during the summit were ful- “Nizami deserved such a punishment”. say the tribunal’s procedures fall short fi lled by now. It said that Turkey, which has abol- of international standards but Bangla- The Indian secretary said recently ished capital punishment, feared that desh rejects that and the trials are sup- the two premiers had a video confer- the use of such methods risked creat- ported by many Bangladeshis. ence when they inaugurated broad- ing “rancour and hatred between our Indian external aff airs secretary band connections from Bangladesh to Bangladeshi brothers”. Subramanyam Jaishankar yesterday India and power supply from India’s Since coming to power in 2002, Tur- ruled out alliance with the United state-run Palatana plant to Bangla- key’s ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and States to deal with militancy and ter- desh. Development Party (AKP) has sought Activists during a protest amid a strike called by the Jamaat-e-Islami in Dhaka yesterday. rorism in Bangladesh and said New He said India now looks to the pos- to boost the country’s power in the Delhi will help Dhaka curb it bilaterally. sibility of supplying more power to Muslim world well outside its Ottoman two halves of the same one until Bang- Bangladesh Shuja Alam was summoned to direct interference in the internal af- He came up with India’s stand when its neighbour with engagement of the sphere of infl uence. ladesh broke away in a 1971 war of in- and handed over a note verbale protest- fairs of a sovereign country, which is members of the civil society had a private sector while New Delhi is also Nizami, a 73-year-old former gov- dependence. ing the issuance of press release by the totally unacceptable, the note added. breakfast meeting with him in the reviewing possibilities to extend coop- ernment minister, was the fi fth and the Bangladesh has in the past few years ministry of foreign aff airs of Pakistan It refuted Pakistan’s labelling of Bangladesh capital. eration in energy sector as well in ex- most senior opposition fi gure executed been prosecuting people accused of voicing concern over court’s dismissal the proceedings of the International Jaishankar admitted that he read in porting diesel and exploring possibili- since the secular government in the over- carrying out crimes in support of Pa- of the review petition of war crimes Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh as newspapers about a tripartite Bangla- ties to export LPG. whelmingly Muslim nation set up a con- kistani forces during the war, and has convict Matiur Rahman Nizami. “controversial trials” and affi rmed that desh-India-US move to curb militancy. “We also looked at line of credit that troversial war crimes tribunal in 2010. executed fi ve of them, the most re- In the note verbale, it was stated that Pakistan should in no way make bi- Later, he said he carried to the next- India off ered to Bangladesh . . . I can say Turkey had last year also furiously cent one, Motiur Rehman Nizami, on by taking the side with those Bangla- ased, fl awed and unfounded comments door neighbour a message from his that we looked at the totality of our bi- slammed a death sentence handed to Wednesday. desh nationals who are convicted of about the independent judiciary of a government expressing its strong sup- lateral cooperation in all most every ar- Egypt’s deposed Islamist president Pakistan said Nizami’s hanging was crimes against humanity and genocide, sovereign country. port to Bangladesh’s endevours to fi ght eas,” Jaishankar said pointing out that Mohamed Mursi who was a close ally of “unfortunate” and attempts by Bang- Pakistan has once again acknowledged Meanwhile, Pakistan foreign minis- terrorism and extremism. the last two months appeared “very Ankara until he was overthrown by the ladesh to malign Pakistan were “re- its direct involvement and complicity try on Wednesday issued a media re- “I told the (Bangladesh) foreign sec- signifi cant” for the progress in bilateral military in 2013. grettable”, though it was not clear what with the crimes of mass atrocities com- lease expressing its disappointment at retary that I am here also to convey the ties. Pakistan and Bangladesh summoned Bangladeshi statement Pakistan was mitted during Bangladesh’s Liberation the execution, government of India’s strong support Bangladesh’s foreign secretary told each other’s ambassadors yesterday to referring to. War in 1971. Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip for the government of Bangladesh in the briefi ng that they had discussed all register “strong protest” in connection Bangladesh summoned the Paki- It is a matter of great regret that Pa- Erdogan strongly condemned the ex- the matter of terrorism and extrem- aspects of bilateral relations during the with a row over the execution of an Is- stani ambassador in Dhaka to register kistan continues to comment in the ecution. He Erdogan also lashed out at ism,” Jaishankar told newsmen after bi- talks. lamist leader in Bangladesh this week, its “strong protest” over statements by misguided defence of this convicted Europe for not speaking out against the lateral talks with his counterpart Sha- “As you know, we are active, dynamic both sides said in statements. Pakistan. criminal, it said. execution. hidul Haque at the state guest house and close relationship with India,” he The two Muslim countries used to be The Pakistan high commissioner to These uncalled for reactions amount “Weren’t you against executions?” Padma. said. Rajapakse’s brother First foreigners scale Everest after quake Agencies triggered avalanche at Everest base camp mates, to rebuild homes and infrastructure Kathmandu killed 18 people, including eight Nepalis destroyed by the deadly earthquake in 2015, working for Paudel. the government said yesterday. arrested in Lanka Meanwhile, only one climber summited In total, 9,000 people were killed across ritish mountaineers Kenton Cool and the peak in 2014 after an avalanche killed 16 Nepal in the 7.8 magnitude quake, which the Robert Lucas became the fi rst for- Nepali guides. China’s Wang Jing reached government said had aff ected 2.8mn of the Reuters Weerasinghe later said his client had been pro- Beigners to summit Mount Everest the top after using a helicopter to transport Himalayan nation’s 28mn population. Colombo duced in a court, freed on bail and told to appear in after a deadly earthquake ended last year’s tent equipment to higher camps following International donors, who pledged $4.1bn court again on July 20. climbing season, an expedition operator the closure of that year’s mountaineering for reconstruction last year, have been left A senior police offi cial who is involved in the case said yesterday. season. frustrated as little of that fund has been brother of former Sri Lankan president Ma- confi rmed that Basil Rajapakse had been arrested The mountaineers were accompanied by “In the last two years, I have lost 14 sher- spent because of haggling between political hinda Rajapakse was arrested yesterday by on a money-laundering charge in connection with two local guides, Dorchi Gyalzen Sherpa pas in two disasters on Everest,” Paudel told parties, leading to a delay in helping millions Athe police Financial Crimes Investigation the purchase of some land. and Pemba Bhote, and reached the top of AFP. of survivors. Division over a land deal allegedly involving money Neither Rajapakse nor his family members were the world’s highest peak at 8.15am (0230 “All of us in the climbing community Authorities said the increase in the laundering, his lawyer and police said. immediately available for comment. GMT) yesterday, said Iswari Paudel, owner -- locals and westerners -- have been so amount of aid required was due to a larger Several members of the Rajapakse family are Mahinda Rajapakse lost power in January 2015 of Himalayan Guides Nepal, which arranged sad. We really wanted to send out a positive scale of destruction than initially projected. facing police investigations for alleged fi nancial after a campaign in which he faced allegations of the expedition. message to the world this year... and today’s The Red Cross says four million people are crimes. They include Mahinda Rajapakse, who was misusing public funds and nepotism during his 10- The four-person team was the fi rst to summit is very good news,” he said. still living in poor-quality temporary shel- president for a decade until January 2015, his broth- year rule. The Rajapakses have denied wrongdoing. ascend the 8,850m high Himalayan peak Nepal issued 289 permits to mountain- ters, posing a threat to their health. ers Basil and Gotabaya, his wife Shiranthi and sons Mahinda Rajapakse, now an opposition legislator, after nine Nepalis reached the summit eers for this year’s brief spring climbing sea- “The increased requirement of funds is Namal and Yoshitha. is still popular among many ethnic majority Sinhala on Wednesday evening while fi xing ropes son, which runs from mid-April to the end due to a rise in the number of people aff ect- Rajapakse’s younger brother, Basil, a former eco- Buddhists who credit him with ending a 26-year- for foreign climbers who plan to scale the of May. ed,” prime minister K P Oli told lawmakers nomic development minister, is on bail for alleged war against ethnic Tamil separatist rebels in 2009. mountain this week. Mountaineering is a major revenue-earn- in Kathmandu. misappropriation of state funds after serving several Rajapakse is trying to rally the opposition against “After today’s successful summit, Kenton er for the impoverished Himalayan nation “The government will construct commu- months in prison and the court hearing is still taking the current government with the help of Basil. Cool has become the fi rst Briton to summit but last year’s earthquake, which killed al- nity houses and move survivors who are liv- place. Basil Rajapakse’s lawyer, Jayantha Weerasing- Sri Lanka’s current president, Maithripala Sirise- Everest 12 times,” said Paudel, who received most 9,000 people, threatened the future of ing in the open to roofed shelters,” Oli said. he, told Reuters his client had been arrested. na, faces pressure to act on allegations of corrup- the news from team members stationed at the country’s climbing and trekking indus- Reconstruction of private homes will be “He has been arrested - they say it’s regarding tion dating back to the Rajapakse era, especially base camp. try. completed in two years, he added, urging some private land. It’s a totally false allegation,” from civil society organisations who backed his Hundreds of climbers abandoned the Aid-dependent Nepal needs $7.86bn over donors to provide additional support for re- Weerasinghe said. successful bid to oust Rajapakse. mountain last year after an earthquake- fi ve years, $1.17bn more than earlier esti- building.

Floating weeds Cricketer beaten to death with stump

AFP Dhaka

teenage cricketer in Bang- ladesh was allegedly killed Aby a stump-wielding batsman after he taunted the umpire over a no-ball delivery, police said yesterday. Sixteen-year-old Babul Shik- dar was wicketkeeping during a neighbourhood match with friends in the capital Dhaka on Wednesday when the batsman was given out, local police chief Bhuiyan Mahboob Hasan said. Shikdar suggested that the Relatives of teenage cricketer Babul Shikdar. umpire might again favour the batsman, by declaring the bowl- picked up a stump and hit Shik- the batsman who fl ed the scene, er’s delivery a no-ball, allowing dar on the back of his head. He he said. him to remain at the crease, after collapsed on the fi eld and died on Cricket is the most popular the umpire made the same ruling the way to a clinic,” Hasan told sport in the South Asian nation Bangladeshi boatmen make their way through hyacinth plants in the Buriganga River in Dhaka. off the previous ball. AFP. with millions of people playing “It enraged the batsman who Police were now searching for the game at every level. Gulf Times Friday, May 13, 2016 17 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH Allah’s Knowledge is infi nite

ne of the Divine Attributes Allah, The Most Exalted, Has is Infi nite Knowledge that encompasses everything in the heavens and earth and what is in between them; in Othe worldly life and the Hereafter. Therefore, among His Divine Names is the All-Knowing. He, the Almighty says (what means): “Verily, He, only He, is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” [Qur’an 26: 220] Allah Almighty has called Himself by some other Names which refl ect this attribute, such as Al-Khabeer (the All-Aware), which entails that He knows what will be before it happens; Al-Hakeem (the Wise), which entails that He knows the details of things; Ash- Shaheed (the Witness), which entails that He knows what is unseen and what is seen, i.e., that nothing is unknown to Him; and Al- Muhsiy (the Reckoner), which entails that the fact that He knows so much does not distract Him from knowing the tiniest details, such as the light of the day and how strong the wind is, and when the leaves fall. He knows the numbers and the movements of each leaf.

His Knowledge encompasses generalities and minor details:

Some philosophers claim that Allah knows things in general terms, but He does not know minor details. This, no doubt, is a sheer lie. The Knowledge of Allah, Glory is to Him, is comprehensive and all-encompassing, and nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him on earth or in the heavens. He knows every movement on land and in the depths of the sea, and there is no leaf that falls from a tree or a seed that is planted in the ground, or a small plant that cleaves the earth, or dries out or dies, but the Knowledge of Allah encompasses it. Allah The King Hussein Bin Talal Mosque is seen as the sun sets in Amman, Jordan. Almighty says (what means): “...And He knows whatever there is in the land and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record.” [Qur’an 6: 59] Nothing of the innumerable animals, birds, insects, etc. is hidden from Allah, as stated in the verse (which means): “And no moving [living] creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah. And He knows its dwelling place and its deposit [in the uterus or grave]. All is in a Clear Book [the Preserved Tablet].” [Qur’an 11: 6] Virtues of reading There is nothing that goes down into the earth, or ascends from the earth to the heavens, but Allah encompasses it with His Infi nite Knowledge. Allah says (what means): “He knows that which goes into the earth and that which comes forth from it, and that which descends from the heaven and that which ascends to it. And He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving.” [Qur’an 34: 2] Nothing of man is hidden from Allah, the All-Knowing, whatsoever. Allah’s Knowledge of man is comprehensive, the Book of Allah encompassing his apparent and visible actions, but He also knows what is hidden in the depths of his soul, as stated in the verse (which means): “Say [O Muhammad]: ‘Whether you hide what is in your The Book of Allah is unlike any other; it is the timeless Speech of Allah, and breasts or reveal it, Allah knows it...’” [Qur’an 3: 29] And the verse (which means): “And He is Allah [to be worshipped not a created thing. It is the study guide for life, death, and what follows. Alone] in the heavens and on the earth; He Knows what you conceal and what you reveal...” [Qur’an 6: 3] All the disasters and tribulations that happen on earth, or happen o refl ect upon the verses of ‘To whom?’” He replied: “To Allah, reign as caliph regarding the leadership Allah, whether you are an Arab or not! to the individual, or to his wealth or family, etc., were known to Allah Allah is a form of worship; it His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of Makkah. The men asked: “Who do you The excuses have been eliminated and before they happened, He has written them in the Preserved Tablet as is something that will draw of the people, and to their subjects.” use to govern Makkah?” He said: “Ibn the pathway has been cleared for you He says (what means): “No disaster strikes upon the earth or among Tone close to Allah, Most High. [Muslim] The sincerity that is due to Abzaa.” They asked: “And who is Ibn to embrace the Book of Allah without yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being This refl ection is not a reckless and the Book of Allah includes its regular Abzaa?” ‘Umar replied: “A freed slave holding back or off ering excuses! Surely — indeed that, for Allah, is easy.” [Qur’an 57:22] wandering one, rather, it includes a recitation, learning the rules of Tajweed from those we freed.” They remarked: you will not hesitate to seek a teacher Allah’s Knowledge encompasses all the minor details of man’s study of the classical Tafseer (exegesis) (the recitation of the Qur’an, according “You left a freed slave in command of or a study circle for the Qur’an once life. He, the All-Knowing says (what means): “Neither you [O of the verses being pondered over. Allah, to specifi ed rules) and reciting it the People of the Valley (the noble tribes you hear the last and perhaps greatest Muhammad] do any deed nor recite any portion of the Qur’an, nor Most High, says in the Qur’an (what beautifully, learning about its Tafseer of the Quraysh)?” He replied: “Indeed benefi ts of reading and contemplating you [O mankind] do any deed [good or evil], but We are Witness means): “Then do they not refl ect upon and the reasons for its revelation, he is a reciter of the Book of Allah and over the Qur’an. thereof, when you are doing it...” [Qur’an 10: 61] the Qur’an? If it had been from [any] affi rming that it is the truth, the perfect is knowledgeable about the obligations In the Noble Qur’an, Almighty Allah reports the invaluable advice other than Allah, they would have found Speech of Allah and not part of the of the Muslims. Haven’t you heard the which Luqmaan (a wise pious man) gave to his son in regards to pure within it much contradiction.” [Qur’an: creation, honouring it and defending it, statement of your Messenger: “Verily One’s position and rank in faith in Allah, the Most Exalted. This is in the verse (which means): 4:82] abiding by the orders and prohibitions Allah raises some people by this Book Paradise is determined by “O my son! If it be [anything] equal to the weight of a grain of The Book of Allah is unlike any other; found in it, and teaching it and calling and lowers others by it?”” mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the it is the timeless Speech of Allah, and not to it. the amount of Qur’an he earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Subtle [in bringing out a created thing. It is the study guide for The People of the Qur’an memorised in this Life that grain], Well-Aware [of its place].” [Qur’an 3l: 16] life, death, and what follows. Therefore, The Qur’an will be a proof For the Knowledge of Allah, secret and open, small and great, it deserves a far more careful study than are from Best of People ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘Aas heard unseen and seen, are all the same, as in the verse (which means): anyone else’s speech. It necessitates that for or against us on the the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam “Allah knows what every female carries and what the wombs lose its reader return to the early narrations ‘Uthmaan said that the Prophet said: saying: “It will be said to the companion [prematurely] or exceed. And everything with Him is by due measure. of those who witnessed its revelation Day of Judgment “The best of you are those who learn of the Qur’an: ‘Read and elevate (through [He is] (He is the) Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Grand, and heard its explanation by the one This is due to the statement of the the Qur’an and teach it to others.” [Al- the levels of Paradise) and beautify your the Exalted. It is the same [to Him] concerning you whether one deputed by Allah to rehearse and explain Messenger sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam Bukhari] voice as you did when you were in the conceals [his] speech or one publicises it and whether one is hidden His Words to humanity, Muhammad : “And the Qur’an is a proof for you or worldly life! For verily, your position by night or conspicuous [among others] by day.” [Qur’an 13: 8-10] sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. For if one against you.” [Muslim] So, one of two in Paradise will be at the last verse you Allah, the Almighty, indeed spoke the truth when He said (what would try to ponder over the meanings things will occur with this proof, the There are ten rewards recite!’” [Abu Daawood & At-Tirmithi] means): of the verses without having done this Book of Allah. It will either be in one’s for every letter “... And nothing is hidden from your Lord [so much as] the weight study, then surely the fi lth of the time favour, a proof for us on the Day when we of an atom [or small ant] on the earth or in the heaven. Not what is that he lives in and his ignorance of the will desperately need every single good recited from the Qur’an The Qur’an leads to less than that or what is greater than that but is [written] in a Clear correct application and understanding deed, or it will be something standing As a Hadith (prophetic statement) in Paradise Record.” [Qur’an 10: 61] that the early Muslims had would against us. The very Speech of our At-Tirmithi proves: “Whoever reads cause him to understand some things Creator as a proof against us! Who could a letter from the Book of Allah, he will The Qur’an states (what means): not intended by Allah, Most High, and be saved from the terrors of that Day if have a reward, and this reward will be “Indeed the Qur’an guides to that which Allah’s Knowledge: An therefore he would go astray, thinking to Allah’s own Speech is against Him? multiplied by ten. I am not saying that is most suitable and gives good tidings excuse not to exert eff ort? be worshipping Allah. Think carefully, dear Muslim brothers ‘Alif, Laam, Meem’ (a combination of to the believers who do righteous deeds So, let every sincere Muslim who and sisters, about your position with letters frequently mentioned in the Holy that they will have a great reward.” hopes to earn Allah’s Love by reciting the Qur’an. Are you neglecting it, Qur’an) is a letter, rather I am saying [Qur’an: 17:9] Some might raise a question like: “If Allah Knows or Decrees and refl ecting over Allah’s Book hold contradicting it, and being heedless of that ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Laam’ is a letter The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi certain catastrophes or trials to happen, then why should I strive to tight to the meanings explained by its orders and prohibitions? Are you and ‘Meem’ is a letter.” [At-Tirmithi] So wa sallam said: “The Qur’an is avoid them?” Or, “If Allah destined that a given person will live as a the Prophet and those taught by the thinking deeply over it? Will it be on increase your recitation of the Qur’an an intercessor - something given disbeliever and later is to be doomed to Hell, why should He punish Companions and their immediate your side on the Day of Judgment? to gain these merits, as well as the permission to intercede, and it is him?” followers, and the early scholars of following ones. rightfully believed in. Whoever puts it in The answer to such a misconception is that Allah, the Most Islam. The Qur’an will Intercede front of him, it will lead him to Paradise; Exalted, has endowed man with ability, will and volition, and He has Dear Muslim brother and sister! The reciters of the whoever puts it behind him, it will steer shown him the two ways: that of good and that of evil through His Know that reciting and pondering over for us on the Day of him to the Hellfi re.” [At-Tabaraani] revelations to His Messengers may Allah exalt their mention. So, the Book of Allah and devoting regular Qur’an will be in the Know, dear brothers and sisters, that whoever chooses the way of good, Allah will guide him and grant him time to its study and implementation Judgment these nine benefi ts from the numerous success and the opposite is true. Allah says (what means): “And (We, has tremendous benefi ts in this life Abu Umaamah related that the company of the noble benefi ts available can only be attained i.e. Allah) have shown him the two ways - of good and evil”. [Qur’an and the next. Let us now look at just a Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and obedient angels by a sincere commitment to the Book 90:10]. few of them to attach ourselves more said: “Read the Qur’an, for indeed it will of Allah, and not simply by an empty Allah also says (what means): “Whosoever desires (through his fi rmly to the majestic Words of Allah. come on the Day of Standing (Judgment) ‘Aa’ishah related that the Prophet claim of love for it. Rather, the heart deeds) the reward of the Hereafter, We give him increase in his Each benefi t stands as enough of an as an intercessor for its companions.” sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: must be sincerely attached to the Book reward, and whosoever desires the reward of this world (through his encouragement to shun any laziness we [Muslim] “Indeed the one who recites the Qur’an of Allah and the limbs and tongue will deeds), We give him thereof (what is written for him), and he has no have and dedicate ourselves wholly to beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, follow suit in this attachment. One must portion in the Hereafter.” [Qur’an 42:20]. the Qur’an. will be in the company of the noble and know that we only mentioned a few of The above mentioned verses clarify that one has the volition and The Qur’an raises one’s obedient angels. As for the one who the numerous benefi ts of reading and not obliged to do things against his will. For example, no one can status in this life recites with diffi culty, stammering or refl ecting over the Qur’an. There are deny that man has a volition concerning material aff airs such as Reading and reflecting stumbling through its verses, then he many other benefi ts that await your livelihood: he spares no eff ort to gain more and more although he over the Qur’an fulfils an In Saheeh Muslim, which is one of the will have twice that reward.” [Al-Bukhari reading of the Qur’an and books of knows that his livelihood is predestined. two most authentic books of prophetic & Muslim] Hadith, such as the chapter of the Qur’an Another example is that concerning one’s seeking each and every Islamic duty narrations, we fi nd a wonderful story So dear brother or sister Muslim, do that will plead on your behalf in the remedy and means of safety to avoid harm. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa about how a man from the people not let the Shaytaan (Satan) give you grave, and that it is a physical healing, Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/ sallam summarised this religion with of Paradise, ‘Umar bin al-Khattaab false excuses, such as ‘I am not an Arab.’ a source of rest and relaxation for your his statement: “The religion (of Islam) radhiallah anhu understood this or ‘It is not in my language.’ This Hadith heart, among many other things. is naseehah (off ering sincere advice)!” principle. The story is that once, some is a fi rm proof against these whisperings. Article source: http://www.islamweb. Tameem bin Aws said: “We asked, men came to question him during his Dedicate yourself to the Book of net/emainpage/ Gulf Times 18 Friday, May 13, 2016 COMMENT

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Editor-in-Chief : Darwish S Ahmed Production Editor: Amjad Khan Why renewables are

P.O.Box 2888 Doha, Qatar [email protected] far from suffi cient Telephone 44350478 (news), 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) Before this century is over, today uses about one-tenth of the hugely important, is insuffi cient, account for 35% of global electricity Fax 44350474 we should seek to enable all energy used by the average European. because electricity currently accounts generation in 2030. But by 2050, we must reduce energy- for only 20% of global energy But that level of coal generation the world’s people to achieve related emissions by 70% from 2010 consumption. Broader changes to the is likely to be incompatible with the the standards of living levels, with further cuts needed to global energy system are needed. below-2C target. And, because coal- achieve net zero emissions by 2060. Road transport and aviation, which and gas-fi red power stations last 50 currently enjoyed only by the Meeting those objectives will currently rely almost entirely on liquid years or more, such investments raise wealthiest 10% require both an improvement in fossil fuels, account for 30% of total the risk of either locking in emission GULF TIMES energy productivity (the amount of energy consumption. Decarbonisation levels incompatible with the climate By Ajay Mathur and Adair Turner income produced per unit of energy of these activities will require either target, or forcing major asset write- New Delhi consumed) of at least 3% per year and electrifi cation or the use of hydrogen off s. the rapid decarbonisation of energy or biofuels. This is certainly feasible, The challenge now is to fi nd an supply, with the share of zero-carbon but it will take time. economically sensible path that t the UN in New York on energy increasing by at least one Heating buildings is another area enables emerging economies to fulfi l New president, April 22, world leaders percentage point each year. where major changes are needed. their growing energy needs, while ratifi ed the global climate This implies a massive acceleration Here, the more widespread use of ensuring that the world meets its Aagreement reached in Paris of national eff orts. Over the last zero-carbon electricity, instead of climate objectives. It is technologically last December. One hundred ninety- decade, energy productivity has fossil-fuel-based energy, could have possible. But it will require action by but the same old fi ve countries, ranging from richest grown by only 0.7% annually, and the a major impact. But there are also many very diff erent actors. to poorest, have now agreed to limit share of zero-carbon energy rose by important opportunities to design and Governments have a vital role to global warming to well below 2C above only 0.1 percentage point per year. construct buildings and cities that are play, but so, too, do incumbent fossil- pre-industrial levels, with the goal Moreover, even if the INDCs were fully substantially more energy-effi cient. fuel-based energy companies and of not exceeding 1.5C. They have also implemented, these annual growth With the world’s urban population new-entrant companies deploying or crises in Brazil committed to “intended nationally rates would reach only 1.8% and 0.4 expected to increase by 2.5bn by 2050, developing new technologies. NGOs determined contributions” (INDCs) percentage points, respectively. it is vital that we grasp them. can help to identify required policies to limit or reduce greenhouse-gas Impressive progress is already being Energy use by heavy industry and hold governments and companies It could be a short honeymoon for Brazil’s interim emissions by 2030. This is a major made in one crucial area: electricity energy, however, presents challenges to account. Individual consumers are president Michel Temer, who replaces a deeply unpopular achievement, but it is far from generation. Solar power costs have that are often ignored. Metals, also important, because their behavior leader but inherits many of the same problems. suffi cient. fallen 80% since 2008. In some places, chemicals, cement, and plastics are shapes energy demand. In fact, even if all INDC targets were new supply contracts have set prices vital building blocks of the modern Despite their varied backgrounds, Brazilians are hoping their country can fi nally move on achieved, the world would still be as low as $0.06 per kilowatt hour, economy, and involve processes economic interests, and points of view, from a months-long battle over suspended president Dilma heading toward eventual warming of making solar power fully competitive that cannot be easily electrifi ed. all of these actors must engage in an Rousseff ’s impeachment, which distracted their political some 2.7-3.4C above pre-industrial with coal and natural gas. Decarbonisation may instead require informed debate that recognises all of leaders from a laundry list of woes, including the worst levels. To keep warming well below Between now and 2030, the INDCs the application of carbon capture and the complexities of the challenge ahead. 2C, emissions in 2030 must be more indicate that renewable-power storage technologies, while newly The shared objective is clear: to build recession in decades. than 30% below those envisaged in capacity will grow four times faster designed building materials could a low-carbon economy that can keep But although Temer has the backing of the business the INDCs. than fossil-fuel capacity, with 70% reduce demand for carbon-intensive global temperatures well within 2C of world, political analysts say he will likely hit many of the This will be an enormous challenge, of this new renewables investment in inputs. pre-industrial levels, while delivering same stumbling blocks as did Rousseff , who was suspended given the need for major strides in emerging and developing economies. Given these challenges, fossil prosperity for a world of 10bn people or economic development over the same That investment needs to be matched fuels will undoubtedly play a role more. – Project Syndicate by the Senate yesterday for up to 180 days pending an period. Before this century is over, we by accelerated progress in battery in transport and heavy industry for impeachment trial on charges of hiding budget shortfalls. should seek to enable all the world’s technology, or by other tools to match some time to come, even as their role zAjay Mathur, Director-General of Temer, who has spent his career in the wings of power but people – probably more than 10bn electricity demand to intermittent in electricity generation declines. the Energy and Resources Institute never at centre stage, will also face some new challenges all by then – to achieve the standards of supply. But there is no doubt that, by And, even in electricity generation, of India, is Co-Chair of the Energy living currently enjoyed only by the mid-century, the world can build a emerging economies’ INDCs imply Transitions Commission. Adair his own. wealthiest 10%. That will require a cost-eff ective zero-carbon electricity signifi cant new investments in coal Turner, Chairman of the Institute for A 75-year-old veteran of the centre-right, Temer is just huge increase in energy consumption. system. or gas capacity. Taken together, the New Economic Thinking, is Co-Chair about as unpopular as Rousseff , the leftist leader he served The average African, for example, And yet zero-carbon power, though INDCs suggest that coal could still of the Energy Transitions Commission. as vice president in an awkward, ultimately aborted alliance. While Rousseff ’s approval rating has tumbled below 10%, Temer would receive just 1-2% of the vote in presidential elections, according to a recent poll. He has a reputation in Brasilia as a deft backdoor negotiator, but is short on charisma and was all-but unknown to many voters until recently. Condemned by Rousseff as the “coup-monger in chief,” he could struggle to heal the wounds of the impeachment battle and restore faith in a political system many Brazilians see as hopelessly corrupt. “He will inherit a Brazil is in the good part of Brazilians’ middle of its dissatisfaction with the kind of traditional politics second year of he represents,” said Thiago Bottino, an analyst at the recession Getulio Vargas Foundation. “It’s not going to be easy for him to present himself as a new man with no relation to Solar power costs have fallen 80% since 2008. In some places, new supply contracts have set prices as low as $0.06 per kilowatt hour, making solar power fully the felled leadership.” competitive with coal and natural gas. Lincoln Secco, a historian at the University of Sao Paulo, said Temer would also face another problem: Rousseff . “For fi ve to six months, we’ll have the president (Rousseff ), but she won’t exercise that function. Temer will have the president’s shadow hanging over him, pressuring his Donald Trump’s media enablers government to achieve fast results,” he said. The Temer administration’s greatest hope is to revive the tanking economy, Latin America’s largest. By Kent Harrington has been undergoing a fundamental stations in the US. Over the last that as local stations reap revenue Atlanta consolidation. Major companies are decade, their acquisitions have given windfalls from election campaign The business world has been rubbing its hands at the snatching up stations across the US them far more than local infl uence. advertising, reporting on the prospect of a more market-friendly government after years and, in the process, eroding the scope The 168 stations owned or operated candidates’ claims becomes off -limits. of left-leaning policy and ballooning defi cits. onventional wisdom lays and quality of local news reporting. today by Sinclair Broadcasting, the A study by the public-interest group Brazil is in the middle of its second year of recession and is much of the blame for the The impact of this restructuring on largest of the fi ve, are a case in point; Free Press of political advertisements rise of Donald Trump on journalism and its role in the political Sinclair broadcasts in 81 local markets, during the 2012 presidential election not forecast to return to growth until 2018. angry American voters, process should not be underestimated. reaching nearly 40% of the US found that stations in the six To turn things around, Temer has proposed a “bridge to C who have allowed him to break every Even with the rise of the Internet, population. sizeable television markets examined the future” that includes spending cuts and free-market rule in the political playbook without local broadcast news remains the The accumulation of local undertook virtually no reporting on reforms. paying a price. But more responsibility main source of information for the broadcasters by a handful of media the claims made in the political ads arguably lies with the American majority of Americans. Opinion polls Corps has left its mark on journalism they aired. But getting such changes through the fragmented political broadcast journalists who amplifi ed consistently show that some 60% across the country. Because of In Denver, for example, local system will be tough. And the pain may get worse before it his schoolyard name-calling and of Americans still regard television consolidation, fewer television stations took in $6.5mn to air nearly gets better. bizarre policy views. as their primary news source. stations actually gather and report 5,000 ads paid for by the 2012 A giant country of huge inequalities, Brazil has had a All along Trump’s march to News consumers are twice as likely the news. According to the Pew presidential candidates’ political becoming the Republican Party’s to express the most trust in local Research Center on Journalism and the action committees (ostensibly transformative 13 years under Rousseff and her predecessor, presidential nominee, partisan broadcast and cable news compared Media, the number of local television independent fund-raising groups Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose social programmes helped commentators spun and re- to social media, attesting to voters’ stations originating their own news that shield their donors’ identity). lift tens of millions of people from poverty. spun his countless outrageous reliance on television journalism to programming has fallen 8% since The same Denver stations devoted Temer’s party, the PMDB, has been broadsided by the statements, sometimes with just a inform their thinking. 2005. only 10 minutes and 45 seconds in tut-tut of disapproval, while other Nothing better illustrates local Federal regulations allow media total to examining the accuracy of the corruption investigation upending Brazilian politics, which on-air pundits all too often treated his television’s role than how candidates companies to own multiple stations advertisements’ claims. The ratio – uncovered a multibillion-dollar bribery and kickbacks malignant demagoguery as worthy spend their money. Campaign in a single market, and in nearly half 162 minutes of campaign ads to every scheme centred on state oil company Petrobras. of serious analysis. When it came to spending on political advertising is of them, media companies own or minute of related news – speaks for The explosive investigation, dubbed Operation Car Wash the chores of professional journalism expected to top $5bn in 2016, nearly manage at least two. Stations share itself. – fact-checking, providing historical quadruple the total in 2008. And local staff , facilities, and even stories, Vigorous political reporting is vital (“Lava Jato”), was the main rallying cry for the movement to background, and off ering impartial television is on track to get the lion’s reducing not just the number of to democracy, because it enables oust Rousseff - although she has not been implicated herself. analysis – television news channels share; more than three-quarters of newsrooms, but also the competition voters to understand the issues and failed to fulfi l their election-year that spending – some $4bn – will be that brings diversity and depth to evaluate their choices. But this year, responsibilities. earmarked for political advertisements reporting. America’s media industry seems The reasons are not hard to discern. on local broadcast and cable television According to the Radio and more inclined to bank its profi ts To Advertise Spending on political advertising channels. Television Digital News Association, than bolster its reporting on a is skyrocketing, boosting profi ts at For media companies that own a quarter of US television stations presidential campaign that even its [email protected] broadcast and cable news networks, local stations, reaping the fi nancial that present local news receive their senior executives acknowledge has Display which have been struggling with bounty from political ads is one programming via “news sharing” become a circus. “It may not be good Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 declining viewership and lacklustre thing; investing in news operations arrangements. In other words, for the country,” Leslie Moonves, the revenues. In a highly competitive another. And in dozens of this fall’s the stations do not produce news chairman of one of America’s largest Classified market, in which legacy media battleground states, where the rival programmes themselves. A 2014 broadcast networks, said a month Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 companies are under pressure from campaigns will blanket the airwaves University of Delaware analysis ago, “but it’s damn good for CBS.” – Internet news sites and social media with political ads, broadcast news highlighted the consequences. In Project Syndicate Subscription platforms, news programmes quickly departments are increasingly four of the television markets the [email protected] realised that they could leverage ill-equipped to assess either the researchers assessed, nearly 100% zKent Harrington, a former senior Trump’s outlandish behaviour candidates or their political claims. of the stories broadcast by “news analyst, national intelligence offi cer, to attract larger audiences and The industry’s own fi gures explain sharing” stations used the same and chief of station at the CIA, also 2016 Gulf Times. All rights reserved strengthen their bottom lines. why. In 2014, fi ve companies owned videos and scripts. served as the Agency’s director of At the same time, the industry one-third of the 1,400 local television More troubling, research suggests public aff airs. Gulf Times Friday, May 13, 2016 19 COMMENT Finishing what Einstein started

Einstein’s Theory of interference. They detect the strains The Theory of General Relativity General Relativity is in space/time geometry induced by describes large-scale physical gravitational waves by measuring phenomena: humans, rocks, planets, mankind’s greatest alterations in the arm-lengths of stars, galaxies, the entire universe. intellectual achievement. the interferometers. In the case of Quantum Mechanics, on the other GW150914, the length changed by hand, is equally successful at And yet nobody has received less than one-thousandth of the size describing the universe at the smallest a Nobel Prize for developing of a proton. scales: quarks, electrons, atoms, and The challenges in detecting such molecules. its mathematical a small change were enormous, And yet these fundamental theories foundations given the various types of noise that of modern physics are incompatible, could infl uence the measurement and perhaps even contradictory. No By Marek Abramowicz and destroy its integrity. LIGO quantum-gravity theory has been Göteborg dug the tiny, short chirp out from found so far, despite laborious eff orts. the omnipresent chaos of space Several provisional quantum-gravity by comparing the measurements models of particular phenomena long time ago in a galaxy of the two interferometers. The involving black holes have been far, far away, two enormous noise at one is not correlated with proposed; but, because none has black holes – each with a the noise at the other – unlike the been tested experimentally, no one Amass roughly 30 times larger signal from a passing gravitational knows whether these models are than that of the sun – collided and wave, which would occur fi rst at correct (indeed, some lead to acute merged, sending out a short, powerful one location and then the other. The paradoxes). blast of gravitational waves. The signal from GW150914 coincided Many physicists are convinced that energy from the blast spread across with such impressive accuracy that these problems indicate a missing the universe at the speed of light, any possibility of it being a spurious ingredient in our understanding diluting its power into the immense chance event was excluded. of the fundamental principles of vastness of space. Whether such a feat should win a nature. In desperation, often mixed More than a billion years later, the Nobel Prize is beyond doubt; the only with arrogance, some are suggesting energy from the blast reached Earth question is who should receive it. completely crazy quantum- as an incredibly weak signal, lasting LIGO’s success is not only a triumph gravity concepts, including bizarre for about a tenth of a second. On of technology; it is also – and more alternatives for standard Einsteinian September 14, 2015, scientists from the importantly – the result of a century black holes – with no experimental Laser Interferometer Gravitational- of work by theorists on mathematical foundation. Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US descriptions of gravitational As a result, for many physicists detected the gravitational wave as waves – not just Einstein, but also today, the genuinely fundamental gentle chirp on their instruments – Leopold Infeld, Joshua Goldberg, problem of reconciling the two providing the fi rst confi rmation of a Richard Feynman, Felix Pirani, Ivor theories has degenerated into prediction made by Albert Einstein Robinson, Hermann Bondi, and André the solid mathematical base of the And it has been given to quantum LIGO, and to two pure theoreticians: pompous, meaningless humbug. 100 years earlier. Lichnerowicz. theory that made the success of LIGO physicists for purely mathematical Trautman and Damour. What is needed are solid LIGO, which operates under the LIGO’s discovery, specifi cally, was possible. works. But it has never been awarded There is so much more for LIGO – experimental facts to sweep away direction of the US National Science made possible by the Polish physicist Einstein’s Theory of General to a pure theorist researching and its European counterpart, called all this nonsense and perhaps even Foundation, uses two advanced Andrzej Trautman, who provided Relativity is mankind’s greatest relativity. Virgo – to discover. Measurements inspire a solution to the dilemma. interferometers. These high-tech gravitational wave theory with sharp intellectual achievement. And yet I hope that this year the Nobel of gravitational waves will not only And that is exactly what future wonders, located at opposite ends of mathematical rigor, and the French nobody has received a Nobel Prize committee will recognise the provide insights into phenomena measurements of gravitational waves the country and put into operation physicist Thibault Damour, who for developing its mathematical importance of theoretical work that until now were completely out of could provide. – Project Syndicate shortly before the successful developed practical mathematical foundations. The prize has been given and give the prize in the correct reach, such as the Big Bang, black hole measurement of the gravitational tools for using observed wave fronts to to experimental physicists who made proportions: to a single experimental horizons, and the interiors of neutron zMarek Abramowicz is Professor wave (known as GW150914), decipher information about the waves’ observational confi rmations of some physicist, for developing the stars; they could also revolutionise our of Theoretical Physics at Göteborg operate using the principle of light sources. Their work established of the theory’s important predictions. technological concepts behind understanding of the universe. University, Sweden.

Weather report Live issues Three-day forecast Bacteria the TODAY High: 38 C Low : 27 C Hazy to misty with some clouds yin and yang

SATURDAY of dandruff High: 37 C Low: 29 C AFP Sunny Paris

SUNDAY andruff is not caused by a High: 38 C fungus, as many believe, but Low: 29 C by an imbalance between M Sunny Dtwo competing bacteria that naturally colonise the human scalp, according to a study released Fishermen’s forecast yesterday. OFFSHORE DOHA Think of Propionibacterium and Wind: NW-SE 03-12 KT Staphylococcus as the yin and yang Waves: 1-3 Feet of healthy hair: when they hold each INSHORE DOHA other in check, so too is dandruff held Wind: NE-SE 05-15/20 KT Waves: 1-2 Feet at bay. But when one dominates the other, Around the region the tell-tale white fl ecks that settle Weather Weather on shoulders like snowdust begin to today Max/min tomorrow Max/min proliferate, a team of Chinese and Abu Dhabi Sunny 44/26 Sunny 42/27 Japanese researchers reported. Baghdad P Cloudy 37/21 P Cloudy 33/21 Dandruff is the most common scalp Dubai Sunny 39/28 Sunny 38/27 disorder on the planet, a tonsorial Kuwait City P Cloudy 39/27 M Sunny 40/28 Manama Sunny 33/27 Sunny 34/28 bane for about half the world’s Muscat Sunny 38/29 Sunny 39/30 population. Riyadh M Sunny 41/24 Sunny 39/25 But experts have diff ered sharply Tehran P Cloudy 30/19 P Cloudy 30/18 over the years on its causes and possible cures, though consensus has formed of late around one culprit in particular. “Micro-organisms on the scalp - especially fungi - have been predominately thought to be the main cause of the development of dandruff,” they noted in the study, published in the Nature Group’s Scientific Reports. Suspecting this might be wrong, a team anchored by Zhang Menghui of Shanghai Jiao Tong University isolated a large number of variables in the ecosystem of the human scalp to see how they interact. In 59 Chinese volunteers aged from 18 to 60 years old, they measured levels of water, several dozen bacteria, sebum - an oily secretion that proliferates in adolescence and Around the world early adulthood - and the allegedly Weather Weather villainous fungus, called Malassezia. today Max/min tomorrow Max/min Participants washed their hair 48 Athens M Sunny 22/14 Sunny 23/16 hours in advance of the tests, and Beirut Rain 21/17 Showers 22/16 dandruff samples were taken from P Cloudy 37/29 Bangkok 37/29 P Cloudy eight diff erent sections of the scalp. Berlin Sunny 23/10 Sunny 24/11 Cairo M Sunny 28/17 M Sunny 29/17 “Overall, fungi did not exhibit Cape Town M Sunny 24/16 M Sunny 26/15 an important role in the severity of Colombo T Storms 32/25 S T Storms 32/25 dandruff ,” they concluded. Dhaka T Storms 32/26 S T Storms 34/26 “The relationship between the Hong Kong P Cloudy 29/25 P Cloudy 29/25 Istanbul Showers 17/10 M Sunny 19/12 bacteria and the dandruff was Jakarta S T Storms 33/26 T Storms 33/26 signifi cantly stronger.” Karachi Sunny 34/26 Sunny 34/27 But the scientists also noticed London P Cloudy 22/12 P Cloudy 24/12 that prevalence of the pesky white P Cloudy M Sunny 36/26 Manila 36/26 particles was higher when the ratio Moscow M Sunny 22/10 P Cloudy 24/11 New Delhi M Sunny 37/25 M Sunny 39/26 of two dominant bacteria – which New York Rain 13/11 S Showers 17/12 normally cancel each other out – Paris M Sunny 24/13 P Cloudy 24/13 was altered. Sao Paulo M Sunny 28/17 S Showers 27/17 “This study suggests that Seoul S Showers 19/08 Sunny 23/10 Singapore S T Storms 33/27 T Storms 33/27 adjusting the balance of the bacteria Sydney Sunny 24/11 M Sunny 24/14 on the scalp... might be a potential Tokyo Rain 24/14 Rain 26/17 solution to lessen dandruff,” they concluded. Gulf Times 20 Friday, May 13, 2016 QATAR

Agreement to boost development of rail transit lines

An agreement was signed between the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting (Goic) and China Railway Signal and Communication Corporation (CRSC) in Doha to boost the development and construction of rail transit lines in the Gulf area. A provider of technologies, products and services in rail transportation signalling and A model of Chinese-made high-speed rolling stock was among the exhibits at the event. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil communication, CRSC is the largest supplier of rail transportation control system solutions in the world (Page 1).

MIA’s ‘Marvellous Creatures’ Workshop discusses ways to exhibition travels to Aga implement traffi c safety strategy Khan Museum in Toronto he second phase of the National Traffi c Safety ollowing its success at TStrategy (NTSS) will run Doha’s Museum of Islam- from 2018-2022 after the cur- Fic Art (MIA) in 2015, the rent operational plan ends in July internationally acclaimed exhi- 2017, the Ministry of Interior bition “Marvellous Creatures: (MoI) has said, giving details of a Animals in Islamic Art” has workshop that was held recently launched in Toronto, Canada, in Doha on the NTSS. and is on show at the Aga Khan The two-day workshop, held Museum until September 11. under the patronage of HE the The exhibition, developed Prime Minister and Minister of and produced originally in Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Qatar by the MIA under the Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, dis- patronage of HE Sheikha Al cussed the role of the public and Mayassa bint Hamad bin Kha- private sectors in the implemen- lifa al-Thani, focuses on the tation of the NTSS. real and mythical animals that The event was organised by appear in the legends, tales and the National Traffi c Safety Com- Off icials and dignitaries at the event. fables of the Islamic world. mittee. The “Marvellous Creatures” The workshop discussed 30 said at the end of the workshop, level of understanding among National Traffi c Safety Offi ce, exhibition has been expanded papers pertaining to the NTSS, pointing out that experts and stakeholders on the execution explained that the committee in Toronto and includes addi- Shaika al-Nassr, head of exhibitions at the MIA. with diff erent entities involved co-ordinators from the authori- requirements, facilitating the witnessed signifi cant progress in tional works from the Aga Khan in the implementation of the ties concerned off ered vital in- adoption of key performance in- 2015 as it established the offi ce Museum Collection, loans from tiles, ceramics, jewellery, glass the breadth of Islamic art pro- strategy making presentations formation on the most important dicators, promoting optimal use for the monitoring and evaluation international private and public and metalwork - demonstrates duction and help the world un- on the progress of action plans requirements and stages of the of the country’s potential with of NTSS. The offi ce evaluated the institutions and a contempo- the “enduring appeal of these derstand the essence of Qatar.” as well as monitoring & evalua- implementation process. “It en- periodic reports of achieve- strategy and increased the number rary installation by Lebanese characters and stories across “Whether you’re consider- tion (M&E) reports. courages us to do more and work ments, providing information to of stakeholders from 13 to 30, artist Mohamed-Said Baalbaki. diverse cultures and genera- ing ‘Aesop’s Fables’ or a Persian The operational plans (2013- to reduce road fatalities and build decision-makers and promot- while a committee was formed for Divided into the natural tions”, according to a state- epic like the ‘Shahnameh’, mar- 2017 and 2018-2022) will help a sustainable transport system.” ing the national assessment and the private sector and the number quadrants of fi re, air, earth and ment. The illustrations and vellous creatures of all kinds achieve the objectives of the Brig al-Maliki noted that a monitoring system. of safety projects was increased water, these magical creatures motifs seen in the exhibition play a powerful role in our NTSS, which “aims to reduce working group of co-ordinators He urged the participants of from 198 to 250. A working group take centre stage in artworks refl ect the diversity of Islamic collective imaginations,” says road fatalities and traffi c conges- of all stakeholders involved in the workshop to convey the rec- of fi eld co-ordinators was also set on show at the museum, span- art production. Director and CEO Henry Kim. tion and develop a sustainable the implementation of NTSS ommendations to their institu- up in order to accelerate the im- ning the 7th to 21st centuries, Shaika Nasser al-Nassr, head “This is a fascinating exhibi- transport system with an eff ec- was set up and it yielded positive tions in order to expedite the plementation of the strategy and and introduce well-known and of exhibitions at the MIA, said: tion that will engage the whole tive M&E system in accordance results in co-ordination with implementation of the relevant achieve its goals ahead of time. beloved classic fables from the “The timeless tales highlighted family.” with the timetables to achieve the National Traffi c Safety Of- operational plan based on the The results achieved by the Middle East, North Africa and in the exhibition will appeal to In conjunction with the ex- the goals of Qatar in 2022 and fi ce. These include developing a timetable and give the co-ordi- NTSS in the fi rst half (2013- the Indian subcontinent, in- people of all diff erent cultures hibition, the Aga Khan Museum 2030”, according to a statement. relationship with the fi eld staff nators suffi cient time to prepare 2015) of the current phase has cluding ‘Kalila wa Dimna’, the all over the world. We hope that will host a series of family- “The workshop aimed to involved in the implementation quarterly follow-up reports in exceeded expectations, with the ‘Shahnameh’ and ‘One Thou- this exhibition successfully in- friendly activities, including implement the National Traf- - thereby gaining access to in- co-ordination with the National mortality rate dropping to 8.2 sand and One Nights’. troduces these stories to a new two day-long camps for chil- fi c Safety Strategy goals on formation on the requirements Traffi c Safety Offi ce to provide per 100,000 people, which in- The wide variety of objects audience to create new oppor- dren, a “build-your-own crea- time,” Brig Mohamed Abdullah and constraints, reducing the information to their superiors dicates the level of the progress presented in the exhibition – tunities for dialogue and ex- ture” station and a family sto- al-Maliki, secretary of the Na- complexity of the institutional and the national committee. made by the State, the statement including manuscripts, tex- change, to educate visitors on rybook reading corner. tional Traffi c Safety Committee, terms of reference, raising the Prof Kim Jerio, director at the notes. Doha Festival City hosts special screening of Angry Birds fi lm

oha Festival City, in ing our commitment to enter- partnership with Talal tainment. We look forward to DBin Mohamed Trading welcoming Qatar residents and (TBMT) and ADabisc, has hosted visitors alike from 2017.” a special screening of The Angry Rovio Entertainment’s chief Birds Movie for guests, 10 win- commercial offi cer Alex Lam- ners of a competition launched beek said, “The Rovio team is ex- on their social media platforms tremely delighted to support this under the hashtag #DohaFes- special screening of The Angry tivalCity, the media and fans Birds Movie for our valued fans of the blockbuster video game and friends. The movie brilliant- Angry Birds ahead of the fi lm’s ly captures the magnitude of fun worldwide release. and excitement that Qatar’s An- The exclusive screening gry Birds World would bring to marked the start of a countdown its visitors upon its launch.” to the opening of Qatar’s own The Family Entertainment Angry Birds World, which will Complex is also home to the bring the “favourite birds to life” The management of Doha Festival City, ADabisc and Rovio with Snow Dunes, Juniverse and Vir- through a range of attractions, Angry Birds characters Red and Chuck. tuocity theme parks. according to a statement. The FEC is being introduced Guests were immersed in a Scheduled to open in 2017, part of a larger entertainment to Qatar by Talal Bin Mohamed 3D cinematic experience of The Angry Birds World will mark a off ering at Doha Festival City’s Trading, which has partnered Angry Birds Movie at Novo Cin- milestone for Doha as the fi rst Family Entertainment Complex with ADabisc Future Qatar and emas in The Pearl-Qatar, as they Angry Birds theme park to open (FEC). Rovio Entertainment Ltd to de- followed characters Red, Chuck in the Middle East. Featuring Trevor Hill, general man- liver all four components of the and Bomb on the “journey of a over 35 “state-of-the-art at- ager of Doha Festival City, said: complex. lifetime”. The evening also of- tractions with dedicated indoor “With over 38,000sqm of space Riad Makdessi, chief creative fered the opportunity for guests and outdoor spaces”, visitors across four world-class theme director/partner at Adabisc and to “meet and interact with the will have the opportunity to play parks, including Angry Birds client representative to TBMT, birds, while engaging in a variety and engage with the Angry Birds World, the Family Entertain- said: “The FEC is a unique con- of fun activities catered to kids characters in the new theme ment Complex at Doha Festival cept to the GCC – one that will and adults alike”, the statement park. City is sure to be one of the lead- transform the traditional world noted. Angry Birds World will form ing attractions in Doha, refl ect- of entertainment.” Children interacting with Chuck and Red.