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WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10582 September 20, 2017 Dhul-Hijja 29, 1438 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Emir renews call for dialogue, Our Say seeks global meet to solve crises

O Says destabilising a sovereign state by unjustified blockade is terrorism O Urges Palestinians to complete national reconciliation By Faisal Abdulhameed O Stresses need to address the root cause of terrorism al-Mudahka O Calls for eff orts to end conflicts in Yemen, Syria, Libya Editor-in-Chief O Demands action to end violence against Rohingyas

Agencies ceeded that to violate human rights United Nations conventions through arbitrary meas- Pride and ures that have caused social, econom- ic and religious harm to thousands is Highness the Emir Sheikh of citizens and residents of the GCC wisdom Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani countries, due to the violation of the Hyesterday renewed a call for basic human rights to work, education, As expected, the speech given by His dialogue based on mutual respect for freedom of movement and the right to Highness the Emir summarised it all: sovereignty to end the Gulf crisis and dispose of private property.” Qatar has been and always will be called for an international convention He said the blockading countries open to dialogue that respects state on settling disputes between states by went beyond this and pursued their sovereignty. Actually, respecting and peaceful means. own citizens and residents by impos- embracing state sovereignty has been Addressing the 72nd Session of the ing penalties of imprisonment and the right and apt remedy that all free UN General Assembly in New York, His fi nes on them for the mere expression nations have agreed as the only means Highness the Emir said the countries of their sympathy with Qatar, even if to resolve the Gulf crisis peacefully. that are blockading Qatar are infl icting that was on social media, in a precedent Addressing the UN General Assembly, damage on the “war on terror”. never seen before in the world – in vio- His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim “The countries who imposed the lation of human rights conventions and bin Hamad al-Thani called for an blockade on the State of Qatar interfere agreements that guarantee the right of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani addressing the UN General Assembly in New York yesterday. international mechanism for resolving in the internal aff airs of many coun- everyone to freedom of opinion and ex- crises among countries. The countries tries, and accuse all those who oppose pression of ideas. maintaining regional and international terrorist organisations and their ex- The Emir has urged the Palestinians that have blockaded Qatar have been them domestically and abroad with “There are countries that permit peace and security is a priority for the tremist ideology in order to maintain to complete national reconciliation. cunningly avoiding talks, thinking that terrorism. By doing so they are in- themselves not only to attack a neigh- country’s foreign policy. security for humanity and stability for He also stressed the need to reach a they can deceive the international fl icting damage on the war on terror,” bouring country to dictate its foreign “Qatar’s principles and objectives the world.” political solution to the Syrian crisis in community. Sheikh Tamim said in his speech to the and media policy, but also believe that are based on the United Nations’ char- It is important to address the social, a way that meets the aspirations of the The Emir’s speech exposed the real annual gathering of world leaders. their possession of funds qualifi es them ter and the rules of international legal- political and cultural root causes of ter- Syrian people and maintains the sover- face of the blockaders and their “We have refused to yield to dicta- to put pressure on and blackmail other ity, which call for constructive co-op- rorism and extremism in order to stop eignty of Syria. hidden agendas behind the fabricated tions by pressure and siege.” countries to participate in their aggres- eration among States, mutual respect terrorism, he said. Qatar will provide aid to alleviate the claims they have vainly tried to sell to He said the perpetrators of the QNA sion, while they are supposed to be held and non-interference in internal af- The Emir affi rmed that the fi ght suff erings of the Syrian brothers within the international community where hacking have committed an assault accountable internationally for what fairs, good neighbourliness, as well as against terrorism and extremism was the framework of the UN, he said. law is the main governor. against a sovereign State. The crime they have done.” promoting peaceful co-existence and and will continue to be Qatar’s highest On Libya, the Emir said concerted ef- The speech also touched upon was deliberately committed for politi- His Highness the Emir expressed his pursuing peaceful means to settle dis- priority through its active contribu- forts are to be taken to support the Gov- the chameleon-like nature of cal aims, and was followed by a list of pride in the Qatari people, along with putes. tions to regional and international ef- ernment of National Accord in its bid to the blockaders and the diff erent political dictations which contravene the multinational and multicultural “We emphasise again that the State forts. restore stability in that country. discourses they have so far provided sovereignty, and caused worldwide as- residents of Qatar. He appreciated the of Qatar will spare no eff ort in work- “We renew our condemnation of all He extended support to the Iraqi to justify their blatant siege on Qatar. tonishment. resilience of the Qatari people in con- ing to strengthen the role and eff orts forms of terrorism and extremism and government’s endeavours to achieve The blockaders’ discourse varies “The State of Qatar is ready to put its fronting the siege, who rejected the dic- of the United Nations to achieve what reject tackling this phenomenon with stability and unity. from time to time depending on the potential to serve a joint eff ort around tations with resolve and pride, insisted the international community seeks double standards or by linking to with The importance of maintaining addressee. The foxy nature of the cyber security and electronic piracy.” on the independence of Qatar’s sover- with regard to peace and security, and any particular religion, race, civiliza- Yemen’s unity, security and stability blockaders is also being revealed Sheikh Tamim said the countries who eign decision, strengthened its unity to promote human rights and advance tion, culture or society. and ending the suff erings of the people on a daily basis by their off icial and imposed the unjust blockade on Qatar and solidarity, and maintained their development. “The international community must through a political solution to the in- non-off icial media. Huge amounts have intervened in the internal aff airs refi ned manners and their progress “Qatar will continue its mediation give high priority to the resumption of fi ghting and the war was also stressed. of money are being paid to those of the State and ripped apart families despite the fi erceness of the campaign eff orts to fi nd just solutions in confl ict peace talks on the basis of ending the The Emir renewed his call for con- media outlets to raise the pitch of to force them to change their politi- against them and their country. zones and will remain, as it has always Israeli occupation of Arab territories ducting a constructive dialogue be- the ongoing hate-speech against the cal affi liation to destabilise a sovereign The Emir thanked the brotherly and been known, a safe haven for the op- and reaching a just and comprehen- tween the GCC countries and Iran on people of Qatar. country. “Isn’t this one of the defi ni- friendly countries that recognise the pressed. sive and fi nal settlement based on in- the basis of common interests, the Expressing his pride in the Qatari tions of terrorism?” he wondered. importance of respecting the sover- “Terrorism and extremism, which ternational law and the establishment principles of good neighbourliness, re- people, along with the multinational “This illegal blockade was not con- eignty of states and the provisions of are among the most serious challenges of an independent Palestinian state on spect for the sovereignty of states and and multicultural residents of the fi ned to the economic aspect and the international law. facing the world, require a joint con- the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its non-interference in their internal af- country, the Emir said the whole breach of WTO Agreement, but it ex- On Qatar’s global role, the Emir said frontation and concerted action against capital. fairs. Pages 22, 23, 24 world has witnessed the degree of disrespect and cynicism of the blockaders and their violation of the basic human rights, and how they did not spare even animals. The whole world will also witness the failure of the attempts of the blockaders to Gulf crisis will be place Qatar under guardianship. Rightly diagnosing the causes of terrorism, the Emir said this scourge can be solved only by uprooting its resolved quickly, social, political, and economic roots. Describing extremism as among the most serious challenges facing the world, the Emir said Qatar has says Trump spared no eff orts so far in solving this problem, adding Qatar is funding the education of some seven million people Reuters Besides the Gulf crisis, “we’re around the world. “All of us know it New York talking, also, trade and many other that terrorism has no religion, race or things,” Trump said. “And we’ve had homeland. Addressing the roots of it is a tremendous relationship for the last the only means to end this worldwide S President Donald Trump said short period of time, especially since scourge. Absolute and totalitarian yesterday he thought the dis- our meeting in Saudi Arabia, which monarchies and states spread all over Upute between Qatar and some I think was an epic and very impor- the world, especially in our region, are of its Arab neighbours would be re- tant – really a very historic meeting. His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani meeting with US President Donald Trump yesterday in New York City, some of those terrorist roots.” solved quickly. And now we want to make the most on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Before the whole world, the Emir “We are right now in a situation of it by getting things settled. But we condemned all forms of terrorism where we’re trying to solve a problem also want to continue trade and many and extremism and reiterated in the Middle East. And I think we’ll other things. So we look forward a lot to talk about – trade, military Emir meets Italian prime minister Qatar’s commitment to the fight get it solved, I have a very strong feel- to our meetings and our individual co-operation, security co-opera- against terrorism, through active ing that it will be solved pretty quickly,” meetings, and – for many years to tion.” His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim Libya. Meanwhile, HE the Foreign contributions in regional and Trump said in New York as he met His come.” The Emir said the US president’s bin Hamad al-Thani met yesterday Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin international eff orts. Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin The Emir said the relationship be- intervention would help solve the cri- with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Abdulrahman al-Thani met with Though faced with a serious Hamad al-Thani. tween the United States of America sis. “We’ve always said that we’re very Gentiloni on the sidelines of the 72nd his Romanian counterpart Teodor challenge like an unjustified siege, The Emir met Trump on the side- and Qatar “is a very strong relation- open for dialogue, and we’ll always be session of the UN General Assembly Melescanu on the sidelines of the the Emir showed Qatar’s concern lines of the 72nd session of the UN ship, a historic relationship”. “And open for dialogue.” in New York. UN for the oppressed and the occupied General Assembly. since we met in Riyadh, which was, The Gulf crisis erupted after Saudi The meeting reviewed bilateral General Assembly session . like the Rohingya minority in His Highness the Emir said relation- as you said, a very, very important Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, ties between the two countries The meeting reviewed bilateral Myanmar and the Palestinians. He ship with the US is very strong. meeting, and we signed those agree- Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qa- and means of developing them, in relations between the two countries also unequivocally demanded an Welcoming Sheikh Tamim, the US ments – we were the first country to tar, accusing it of supporting extrem- addition to exchanging views on and means of boosting them, in end to the suff erings of the people leader said it was his great honour to respond to this agreement, and we ism . Qatar has vehemently denied the different political developments addition to the developments of in Syria, Yemen and Libya, while be with the Emir of Qatar. “And we’ve signed this MoU of counter-terror- the charges as baseless and the ac- internationally as well as the latest the Gulf crisis, eff orts of the Kuwaiti aff irming Qatar’s support for the Iraqi been friends a long time; people don’t ism. cusers have not been able to produce developments in the Middle East mediation and developments on the government’s fight against terrorism. realise that. We know each other for a “So we really appreciate this re- any evidence to support their allega- region, particularly the situation in regional front. [email protected] long time.” lationship, Mr. President. We have tions. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 QATAR

Emir holds talks with HRW official Emir meets Aspen Institute president Official Qatar strongly condemns explosion in Iraq Qatar voiced its strong condemnation and denunciation of the explosion that occurred in a restaurant at the Salahuddin Governorate in northern Iraq, leaving a number of people dead and wounded. In a statement issued yesterday, the Foreign Ministry reiterated Qatar’s firm stance in rejection of violence and terrorism whatever the motives and reasons were. The statement expressed Qatar’s condolences to the families of the His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met with Walter Isaacson, president and victims as well as the government His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met with Kenneth Roth, executive director CEO of the Aspen Institute, in New York City yesterday. During the meeting, they exchanged views and people of Iraq and its wishes of Human Rights Watch, New York City yesterday. The meeting discussed a number of issues of on a number of issues of common concern. The meeting was attended by members of the off icial of speedy recovery to the injured. common concern. delegation accompanying His Highness the Emir. Minister of Awqaf inaugurates new programmes Qatar, Kuwait stop HE the Minister of Awqaf and Ministry seeks private sector Islamic Aff airs Dr Ghaith bin Mubarak al-Kuwari inaugurated renewing visas for yesterday two new programmes in the framework of the ministry’s eff orts to develop administrative role in transport projects N Korea workers work, and enhance the quality of its services to employees. Abdulrahman Abdullah al-Marri, eveloping a strategy to Reuters with all UN sanctions and that director, information systems undertake transport Doha/ Kuwait it had stopped issuing visas to department, said that the Dprojects under a new pri- North Korean nationals fol- department is launching the new vate sector participation (PSP) lowing the previous round of services to provide administrative model was the theme of a work- orth Korean workers sanctions in 2015. services to employees and shop the Ministry of Transport will start leaving Qatar “There have never been promote the administrative work and Communications held with Nand Kuwait after the workers from North Korea in the ministry. multiple public and private two countries said they would working on any World Cup The first programme provides stakeholders. stop renewing visas, cutting off construction sites,” Qatar’s a self-evaluation of the service The aim was to leverage a source of foreign income for Government Communica- provided to staff and facilitates capital and effi ciencies associ- Pyongyang after UN Security tions Offi ce said in a state- its delivery, while the second ated with the private sector in Council sanctions and pressure ment, adding some companies programme help off icials create delivering excellent transport from the United States. had employed North Koreans and distribute tasks to divisions, infrastructure projects. US President Donald Trump prior to 2015. units and staff , and follow-up of The workshop, which mulled urged United Nations member “Approximately 1,000 re- the completion of the tasks with over a project on “Private Sec- states yesterday to turn up the main, but this number will de- high speed and quality. tor Participation Strategy for pressure on North Korea to give cline rapidly as their employ- Qatar’s Transport Sector”, was up its nuclear weapons, using ment contracts expire. Visas attended by representatives his maiden speech to the world to North Korean nationals will Advisory Council from the ministry, Qatar Cham- The workshop in progress. body to address what he has not be renewed,” it said. ber, relevant government enti- said is the top global challenge. A source familiar with the to attend Rabat ties, mobility and transporta- standards, policies and pro- receive such participation. project is to identify potential Several thousand North Ko- matter told Reuters the major- conference tion industry, several private grammes that help encourage It also aims to drive private PSP projects, produce a policy rean workers reside in the Gulf ity of North Koreans working sector companies and fi nancial larger private sector participation sector’s investment into mobility framework and strategy to ad- region, mainly working on in Qatar were expected to leave A delegation from the Advisory institutions. in national projects. and transport projects by creat- dress challenges and capitalise construction sites. in the fi rst six months of 2018 Council will participate in the 11th The workshop sought to un- The project aims to increase ing a chain of potential projects on opportunities. Kuwait hosts the only North as they come to the end of conference of the Council of the derstand preferences and views private sector participation in where the private sector could The project that was reviewed Korean diplomatic mission in their employment contracts. Association of Senates, Shoora of all these entities for the best Qatar’s transport sector, attract step into and contribute. at the workshop also includes the region and this week took A North Korean source said and Equivalent Councils in Africa execution and outcome of the more of its investments, devel- The aforementioned PSP studying a ‘pilot’ project for steps to expel the ambassador on Monday Kuwait had given and the Arab World which begins project. op a PSP Strategy and Frame- Framework is going to cover all implementation under the PSP and downgrade ties. ambassador So Chang Sik today in the Moroccan capital of It also refl ects the consider- work for the transport sector at modes of transport including Framework. The ministry is set Qatar, which is hosting the one month to leave the coun- Rabat. able attention the Qatari lead- a national level, and understand rail, marine, bus, taxi and avia- to fi nalise that strategy before 2022 World Cup, said yester- try, which hosts around 3,000 The two-day conference will ership pays to the regulation, transport sector’s readiness to tion. The aim of this consultancy the end of this year. day it was in full compliance North Koreans. discuss a number of issues of interest to the Arab and African sides and ways of enhancing dialogue and partnerships between them and supporting African-Arab co-operation to International Hunting and Falcon achieve common interests and contribute at the same time to strength international Exhibition opens at Katara today co-operation in various parliamentary fields.

atara – The Cultural Orange Kiosk, Khan Farouk, Le awareness of all matters related Village is all set to in- Vesuvio, L’wzaar, and Sweetio. to purchasing and using hunt- Chief of Staff meets Kaugurate the fi rst edi- Visitors will also enjoy dis- ing weapons and observing military attaches tion of Katara International counts up to 15% at all restau- safety guidelines and all the Hunting and Falcon Exhibition rants at Katara throughout the services off ered by the ministry Chief of Staff of Qatari Armed ‘S’hail 2017’, today with many exhibition. The exhibition will in this regard. Forces Major General (Pilot) Nadia Ahmed al-Shaibi addressing the new nominees. local, Arab and international feature special restaurants spe- The Ministry of Municipality Ghanim bin Shaheen al-Ghanim participants. cialised in traditional BBQ. The and Environment will partici- met yesterday with military There are 54 participants visitors will receive substan- pate in the exhibition through attache at the Kuwait embassy from Qatar, 15 from Kuwait, fi ve tial discounts from Qatar Air- two offi ces: one for issuing fal- Colonel Nasser Abdulaziz from Spain, four from Paki- ways in addition to many other con passports and health card al-Samhan, on the occasion of Diplomatic Institute holds stan, three from Germany, and generous off ers. and the other for displaying ending his mission in the country. one each from the US, the UK, In an aim to display a hunt- houbara bustards in addition to The Chief of Staff also met France, South Africa, Azerbai- ing ambiance, Katara has tried other; ministry exhibits. with military attache of Turkey jan and Lebanon. Participants to turn S’hail exhibition into The exhibition will wit- Mehmet Aksoy, on the occasion session for new nominees include suppliers of hunting a scale model for hunting and ness numerous international of assuming his duties in the vehicles, tools, equipment and falconry environment. It has hunting-related brands that country. falcon-related entities. prepared traditional sessions will cover various sectors, such The meetings were attended by a he Foreign Ministry’s She urged the new nominees to jectives of the foundation pro- Katara will present a wide that are reminiscent of those as; camping gear, hunting arms number of high ranking off icers in Diplomatic Institute held be punctual, stressing its signif- gramme and the qualifi cation array of services at the exhibi- held in the desert in addition to and tools, and safaris which the armed forces. Tan introductory session icance as it refl ects seriousness programmes of the ministry tion, including free water dis- a variety of unique events and will be off ered at signifi cant for 32 new nominees for the dip- and attention, which are basics staff that help them learn about tribution and Arabic coff ee, activities. discounts. lomatic corps as part of the sec- of diplomatic work. the leading experiments in dip- valet parking services and lim- The audience will have op- Finally, S’hail 2017 will fea- Youth Hostel to ond foundation programme for “Whoever joins the diplo- lomatic work. ousine and Karwa offi ce. portunities to experience a ture cultural stands from sev- mark Day of Peace this year. matic work must continue self- The Diplomatic Institute’s as- Helpers will be present to aid simulated shooting and air- eral countries including; Mo- Speaking at the event, Dip- learning so as to cope with de- sistant director also presented a visitors in carrying their shop- gun event organised by Qatar rocco, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Qatar Youth Hostel will celebrate lomatic Institute Assistant Di- velopments in the political and briefi ng about the training pro- ping items. Restaurant kiosks Shooting and Archery Associa- Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. These tomorrow International Day of rector Nadia Ahmed al-Shaibi diplomatic work,” she added. gramme, including the enrol- will be scattered across the ex- tion and Al-Rami Sports Club. countries will showcase their Peace at its headquarters in Al highlighted the importance of She made a brief presenta- ment requirements, objectives hibition, including; Poff ertjes, The Ministry of Interior will cultural heritage in hunting Luqta. The theme, ‘wake up to a following up on the political and tion about the specialties and and duration, and its importance Chapati & Karak, Chaclate, be one of the distinguished and falconry with many exhib- better world’, introduces the youth economic developments at the departments of the Diplomatic for new Foreign Ministry staff Karak Mganes, Flat White, Al- participants at S’hail exhi- its such as hunting costumes to the real and comprehensive local and international levels. Institute and explained the ob- members. Enna, Sukkar Basha, Megial, bition with an offi ce to raise and tools. meaning of peace and the ways to implement it to participate and spread the peace culture. The most prominent activity the Youth Hostel will organise in this FM secretary-general meets envoys of Ethiopia, Vietnam celebration is a panel discussion QC’s project benefi ts with more than a 100 youth of diff erent nationalities. The panel will include chairman of the 1,100 Syrian students board/president of Qatar Red Crescent Society Dr Mohammed atar Charity (QC) yester- the students received regular bin Ghanim al-Maadheed, day said that 1,100 Syr- education in eight subjects be- member of the Qatar Committee Qian students have ben- ing mathematics, science, Arabic for Alliance of Civilisations efi ted from its education project language, history and geography, Minister Plenipotentiary Abdullah in the Beqaa region of Lebanon. physics and chemistry, Islamic Ahmad al-Sada and chairman of Launched in 2016, the project is religion with a focus on the Eng- Doha International Center for one of the successful educational lish language. While students at Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) and initiatives carried out by QC for the primary level received the president of Qatar’s Community the Syrian families in refugee Syrian curriculum combined with College Ibrahim Saleh al-Naimi. countries to ensure an opportu- the Lebanese curriculum. Celebrating International Day nity for school achievement. The project provided psycho- of Peace annually, Youth Hostel The idea of the project came logical support to the students confirms its eagerness to due to the presence of 56,000 through entertainment and organise quality programmes Syrian students in the region, sports programmes, in addition Ministry of Foreign Aff airs Secretary-General Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi yesterday met separately with ambassador of Ethiopia that meet the needs, desires and who do not have the opportunity to providing guaranteed income Mesganu Arga Moach and ambassador of Vietnam Nguyen Hoang on the occasion of the end of their tenure in Qatar. The secretary-general ambitions of the youth, and helps to enrol in school. to nearly 50 Syrian teachers who thanked the ambassadors for their eff orts in supporting and strengthening bilateral relations and wished them success in their new tasks. build their capabilities, skills and Throughout the academic year, taught the students. talent. Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 3 QATAR QU, Sidra to collaborate in education

QICCA board member Dr Sheikh Thani bin Ali al-Thani and director of the Centre of Continuing Education Dr Rajab Abdullah al-Ismail and research exchange documents as vice president of Qatar University for Strategy and Development Dr Darwish al-Emadi looks on. atar University (QU) yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) Qwith Sidra Medical and Research Center Arbitration Centre signs (Sidra) to establish collaboration in the fi eld of edu- cation, clinical training, and research. The MoU was signed by QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham and Sidra CEO Peter Morris in the pres- ence of QU vice president for Medical and Health pact with Qatar University Sciences and dean of the College of Medicine (CMED) Dr Egon Toft, dean of QU College of Phar- macy (CPH) Dr Mohamed Diab, and offi cials from QNA and director of the Centre of Sheikh Thani said that train- ing that the role of the Centre is both the institutions as well as QU faculty and staff . Doha Continuing Education Dr Ra- ing programmes stemmed to contribute to organising the The terms of the MoU include collaboration jab Abdullah al-Ismail, in the from the role of Qatar Interna- content of the training package between QU and Sidra on medical and health re- presence of vice president of tional Centre for Conciliation to be presented to the partici- search through the establishment of joint research Peter Morris and Dr Hassan al-Derham at the MoU atar International Cen- Qatar University for Strategy and Arbitration in spreading pants. projects in line with Qatar’s national priorities signing ceremony. tre for Conciliation and and Development Dr Darwish the culture of conciliation and Dr al-Ismail said that the and the National Research Strategy, and through QArbitration (QICCA) al-Emadi. arbitration in disputes, set- Centre supports the develop- the cross-funding of joint research and graduate within this week and this time with Sidra Medical has signed an agreement with The programmes include a tling them outside the courts ment and meeting the needs student projects. They also include cross appoint- and Research Center, one of the world-class re- the Centre of Continuing Edu- series of development courses and strengthening the modern of the community and the ad- ments whereby Sidra health practitioners will co- search centres. This MoU will provide the members cation at Qatar University for of interest to the business sec- concepts of using alternative vancement of scientifi c and supervise QU students and deliver specifi c courses of QU Health with opportunities to work together training programmes in arbi- tor, including the basics of means to solve commercial, technical capabilities, noting and lectures at QU, and QU clinical staff will carry with Sidra’s researchers. Health care and wellness tration and dispute resolution commercial arbitration, ways fi nancial and investment dis- that the idea of continuing edu- out patient-care responsibilities at Sidra and gain are one of QU’s health priorities, and through this in the fi elds of law, investment, of establishing companies and putes between companies. cation aims to bridge the gap access to facilities relevant to their teaching and re- MoU, both institutions will organise joint confer- banking and international commercial agencies, and a He noted that the agreement between the academic side and search interests at Sidra. ences and workshops.” trade. programme of commercial ar- comes in the course of the Cen- the reality of the work and the Both institutions will also collaborate on the de- Morris pointed out that Sidra is built on a foun- The training programmes bitration skills, as well as other tre’s eff orts to spread the cul- reality of the labour market and sign and implementation of continuing profession- dation of three pillars – patient care, biomedical launched yesterday aim to subjects related to the arts ture of arbitration. society on the other hand. al development activities in the fi eld of pharmacy, research and medical education. “Our partner- provide participants with pro- and procedures of commer- The Centre has recently He added that Qatar is wit- health sciences and medical education. ship with QU is an exemplary showcase of our col- fessional knowledge and to cial arbitration before arbitral signed a number of training nessing major construction Other areas of collaboration include the provision laboration across all three pillars. This is the start improve their legal skills that bodies and centres, arbitra- agreements with leading aca- projects, and that there are of scholarships and student sponsorship to QU stu- of a strong relationship that will help establishing preserve the rights of commer- tion programmes in real estate, demic institutions dealing with contracts of high value among dents in health related programmes, and the organi- collaborative pathways that will change lives. Not cial companies when contract- engineering, sports, marine, training and skills upgrading. diff erent parties, which calls for sation of joint conferences, seminars, workshops, only that of the young professionals coming out of ing with others. intellectual property, energy He added that the new pro- attention to the preparation of and health-awareness and outreach activities. QU, but also how our joint eff orts will impact on The agreement was signed contracts and investments dis- grammes include, for the fi rst qualifi ed arbitrators, and cadres Commenting on the agreement, Dr al-Derham the health care needs of the women and children of by QICCA board member Dr putes. time, 12 training programmes to meet the needs of the labour said: “It is a great pleasure to sign the second MoU Qatar.” Sheikh Thani bin Ali al-Thani At a press conference Dr and professional courses, not- market. Gulf Times 4 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 QATAR

Jo Malone matches recall

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC), in collaboration with Retail International Co, has announced the recall of Jo Malone matches, which due to insuff icient strength may break when struck. The MEC said the recall campaign comes within the framework of its ongoing eff orts to protect consumers and ensure that product suppliers follow up on product defects and repairs. The MEC said that it will co-ordinate with the dealer and communicate with customers to ensure that the procedures are implemented. The MEC has urged all customers to report any violations to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department through the following channels: Call centre: 16001, e-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @MEC_Qatar, Instagram: MEC_ Qatar, MEC mobile app for Android and IOS: MEC_Qatar

From left: Foreign Aff airs Chief of Protocol Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, Ecuadorian ambassador Kabalan Abisaab, and HE Sheikh Hassan bin Khalid al-Thani, His Highness the Emir’s Secretary for the Royal Family Aff airs, at the event. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil ‘Qatar-Ecuador ties remain strong’

By Joey Aguilar cargo fl ights to Ecuador, and some Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, and other “Ecuador is always close to Qatar, Staff Reporter Qatari businessmen have invested dignitaries. According to Abisaab, and our country, our doors and our in our country, which mean that our the total trade volume between the hearts are open for all Qatari peo- trade relationship is growing,” he Ecuador and Qatar reached $8.3mn ple,” the envoy stressed. “The fu- ilateral ties between Ecua- pointed out. in 2015 and was forecast to surge ture will be better for us.” dor and Qatar have remained The envoy was speaking on the between 60% and 70% in 2016. Abisaab thanked His Highness B“very good and strong” in sidelines of a dinner he hosted on Several groups from Qatar also vis- the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad various fi elds of co-operation, par- Monday to honour dignitaries from ited Ecuador in the past two years, al-Thani and His Highness the Fa- ticularly in trade, outgoing Ecuador various walks of life for their sup- including a major Qatari company ther Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa ambassador Kabalan Abisaab has port to the Ecuadorian embassy in that is investing in the oil sector, he al-Thani for “all their support and said. Doha. added. co-operation.” The envoy told Gulf Times that The event was graced by HE Asked of any high-level meetings “I am leaving Qatar but my heart the two countries signed more than Sheikh Hassan bin Khalid al-Thani, in the near future, he said Ecuado- is going to stay here, the Qatari peo- 15 agreements on trade and invest- His Highness the Emir’s Secretary rian authorities are “always open ple are very hospitable,” he said. “I ments, mostly in the oil and tourism for the Royal Family Aff airs, along and very pleased” to receive Qatari adore this country and I asked God sector. with Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign counterparts, and are also keen to to bless the Qatari people and to “Now Qatar Airways has two Aff airs’ Chief of Protocol Ibrahim visit Qatar as well. protect this country.”

Education Ministry to expand ‘Maharati’ project for primary schools

The Department of Early Education school students. The department the performance of students from practices to enhance the language of the Ministry of Education and said that after assessment the grades 1 to 6 in language and and numeracy skills of students. Higher Education has completed a results of the students of the first numeracy skills through several This project is based on empowering plan to expand covering the primary cohort and the satisfaction rate of educational initiatives. In this school leaders by training and schools with “Maharati” My Skills the partners and schools under context, the department pointed mentoring them through training project, for the fourth year in a row. the My Skills project, 11 primary out that it is currently focusing on workshops and individual mentoring The department noted that this schools were selected within the imparting training for schools, as it sessions, empowering the co- project has made great progress second group of the project. This has an impact on the development of ordinator teacher, drawing up lesson in measuring the language and is one of the initiatives of early teachers and students’ performance. plans and other relevant project mathematics skills of the primary education administration to raise It also enables teachers to apply best objectives. Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 5 QATAR NU-Q study fi nds public trust in news media high in region The study explores patterns It off ers extensive and valuable Some questions were repli- ing of the current media environ- half trust news from other Arab In comparing this year’s fi nd- The 2017 survey, the largest of news perceptions in seven intelligence about the media that cated in the US for context and ment.” countries (66%, 52%). ings to the previous four years, annual study of its kind in the countries: Saudi Arabia, the people adopt, use, and prefer as comparison. The study indicated that Arab Americans are more likely NU-Q research has shown a rise Middle East, was conducted in UAE, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, well as their attitudes and opin- NU-Q dean and chief execu- nationals are twice as likely as than Arab nationals to believe in Internet penetration in every collaboration with Harris Poll in Tunisia and Egypt ions about the role, impact, and tive Everette E Dennis said: “At Americans to trust mass media that news is biased against the country in the region, while leg- February and March of 2017. importance of mediated com- (66% and 32%). acy media (TV, radio, and news- Findings refl ect nationally rust in the news media is munication in their lives and the While two-thirds of Arab Two-thirds of Arab nationals Findings refl ect nationally papers) remains important but representative samples of more high across the Middle lives of others across the Middle nationals trust media from may trust mass media, but fewer representative samples there experienced a decline. than 1,000 respondents in each TEast, but signifi cantly less East region. their own country, but only than half (47%) trust news they of more than 1,000 Social media platforms once country, 7,196 in total. so on social media, according to The study, released yesterday, 52% trust news from other get via social media. respondents in each dominated by Facebook with up Interviews were conducted the fi fth annual survey of media explores patterns of news use, Arab countries Two-thirds of Facebook users country, 7,196 in total to 90% penetration is now down face-to-face in most countries, use and public opinion by North- perceptions of news bias, and get news on that platform (65%). to 74%, Twitter fell from 47% to and by phone in Qatar. western University in Qatar (NU- attitudes toward free speech in a challenging time in the region Facebook use continues to de- Arab world (33% of Arab nation- 24%, while WhatsApp has 80% Because data from Egypt was Q). seven countries: Saudi Arabia, and around the world, we off er cline in Gulf countries, with a rise als think international news is penetration in 2017 and Insta- collected later in the year (in The survey is the only one of its the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, these fi ndings as impartial data in non-Gulf countries. biased against the Arab world, gram has grown from 6% to 39% June and July on 2017), it is not kind in the region and one of the Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, and for use in much-needed, consid- Two-thirds trust media from while 43% of Americans think penetration among Internet us- included in region-wide fi gures few such eff orts in the world. Egypt. ered discussion and understand- their own country, but only the same). ers. reported.

Promo extended

Qatar Airways is extending its “Global Travel Boutique” promotion for two more days, Arrive in style with global chauff eur service off ering discounted fares on flights in both Economy and Premium. Worldwide stress-free and Cadillac to take them to and from The new service is available for Payments are cashless, which Passengers can avail of up to seamless door-to-door their chosen airport. passengers at more than 85 Qatar means there is no need to carry 40% discounts on all-inclusive transfers “Our partnership with Black- Airways destinations around the cash or worry about having the fares, as well as special lane is an innovation that we world. correct local currency. companion fares and group atar Airways now off ers know our passengers will value. Blacklane is also available in Credit cards are only charged bookings until September 21. a premium global chauf- Off ering luxurious door-to-door more than 500 airports world- after customers fi nish their ride. “Passengers can choose from a Qfeur service, providing transfers will enhance their over- wide, including the majority of There is also a free change and variety of exciting new additions seamless door-to-door trans- all travel experience when they destinations served by the air- cancellation policy of up to an to our extensive global network, fers for passengers in all cabin fl y with Qatar Airways,” group line’s codeshare and interline hour before for one-way jour- including Sarajevo in Bosnia- classes. chief executive Akbar al-Baker partners. neys. Herzegovina, Chiang Mai in The new service, which is de- said. The service features all-inclu- Customers can reach Black- Thailand, Kiev in Ukraine, and signed to take the stress out of He noted that Qatar Airways sive highly-competitive rates – lane’s customer care team 24/7 Adana in Turkey, among many passengers’ travel plans, is book- is always looking at ways to im- including all taxes, tolls, fees and by phone, e-mail and social me- others,” Qatar Airways chief able for a fee online through qa- prove its fi ve-star service, both gratuities – which are confi rmed dia for any urgent needs. commercial off icer Ehab Amin tarairways.com and the Qatar on the ground and in the air. before booking online. Luxurious door-to-door said in a statement. Airways app. “We are confi dent that this Customers also receive up-to- transfers are just the latest in a Customers can visit any Qatar Airways passengers, no new seamless chauff eur service date SMS and e-mail updates and range of innovations unveiled by Qatar Airways sales off ice, matter what cabin they are fl ying will be quick, convenient and in confi rmations, which include the Qatar Airways. or any preferred travel in, can choose from a wide-range line with our company ethos to driver’s name and phone number. It also recently launched a new agency or qatarairways.com/ of high-end vehicles from top keep our customers at the heart Passengers can take advantage bespoke pre-select dining serv- globaltravelboutique to avail of New Qatar Airways’ luxury global chauff eur service features auto manufacturers including of everything we do,” al-Baker of a complimentary wait time of ice for premium passengers fl y- the promotion. access to Blacklane’s modern fleet of high-end vehicles. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and said. up to an hour for airport pickups. ing in First and Business Class. Gulf Times 6 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 QATAR Parents urged to ensure child safety

amad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Hamad Trauma Center, Hthrough its Hamad Injury Preven- tion Programme, is urging road users to take extra precautions with more traffi c on the roads after schools reopened last week. The beginning of the school year is a time when children are at increased risk of transportation-related injuries. The Hamad Injury Prevention Pro- gramme encourages all families and resi- dents to be more cautious. Knowing traffi c routes and patterns will reduce the risk of delay and the need to rush to meet school start times. HMC’s recommends always buckling up, wearing a helmet when biking, and following pedestrian road safety rules. Ensure safety seats are of the proper Samsung Gulf Electronics president Chung Lyong Lee, Techno Blue chairman Nabil A R Abu Issa and other off icials at the grand opening of the new brand specifi cation. All passengers should wear shop at Doha Festival City. a seat belt and/or an age- and size-appro- priate car safety seat or booster seat. Chil- dren, especially those under 10 years of Dr Rafael Consunji age, should be supervised as they walk or bike to school, or as they wait at the school turn their attention to safety, be it devel- bus stop. Obey traffi c rules. Slow down oping home safety plans in case of emer- Samsung opens doors to Festival City outlet and obey all traffi c laws and speed limits. gency or reviewing school bus safety tips. According to Dr Rafael Consunji, direc- “All children must be properly re- tor of the Hamad Injury Prevention Pro- strained in the rear seat. They must be in amsung along with its partner ly centred around specifi c Galaxy but also having great look and feel. through which customers can re- gramme (HIPP), the community outreach a car seat that is appropriate for their age Electronova has opened an- smart phone models. On inaugurating the outlet, Chung quest a visit by a female professional arm of HMC’s Trauma Surgery Section, and size and properly restrained, includ- Sother state-of-art brand shop Also on display at the outlet are Lyong Lee, president at Samsung to demonstrate at home the latest the safest school trips are those that are ing when travelling on a school bus (if in Qatar. the latest in the Television technol- Gulf Electronics said: “Qatar is very features available on latest Samsung well planned. available),” said Dr Consunji. The new outlet at Doha Festival ogy, Samsung Q LED televisions, important to us due to its buzzing appliance. “We caution parents to be realis- “If your child travels by bus, it is impor- City, displays the latest and the best of which delivers the highest contrast consumer electronics and smart- Nabil A R Abu Issa, chairman, tic about their child’s pedestrian skills. tant to review school bus safety tips such Samsung’s extensive product portfolio ratio and features an elegant design phone market. Our customer base Techno Blue said: “Our long term Children are impulsive and less cautious as waiting for the bus to stop before ap- including smartphones, tablets, ac- with narrow bezels. here has also been among the most partnership with Samsung has gone around traffi c. It is recommended that proaching the curb, only boarding and ex- cessories, wearables, smart TVs, home The Q Led also uses one connect, loyal. They are particularly keen to from strength to strength. We are only children older than 10 years of age iting at designated locations and remain- appliances, printers and monitors. which avoids the bundle of wires, equip themselves with the latest delighted to be part of delivering the walk or bike to school without adult su- ing seated while the bus is in motion.” Combined with the virtual reality with just an optical cable. technology innovations. Catering highest quality brand experience to pervision. If children are walking or biking Motorists are also asked to be alert for (VR) zone and 4D motion chair, the Premium line of home appliances to their growing needs, with several consumers in Qatar in the specially to school, it’s also a good idea to provide school zones that have a reduced speed outlet enables customers to experi- in the outlet showcases latest in dedicated spaces for product dem- created environment. With the third bright-coloured clothing so motorists can limit (usually 30kph), especially during ence many thrill rides and outdoor technology and design. onstrations, our new brand store will brand store in Qatar poised open be- easily see them,” said Dr Consunji. drop-off and pick-up times. Extra care is adventure activities. While maintaining minimalistic de- set a new benchmark in retail experi- fore the end of the year, I am opti- He stressed the beginning of the school also needed when backing out of a drive- Gear VR is part of Samsung’s sign approach, Samsung has brought ence.” mistic that customers in various ar- year is an opportune time for families to way or leaving a garage. growing mobile ecosystem, current- out products which not only deliv- The brand shop also off ers a eas of Qatar will have an easy access ers the best industry performance, unique service ‘Samsung for Her’ to the Samsung Brand Store.” Ooredoo, Aldar join hands

he Ooredoo Mobile “Ooredoo Mobile expatriates in Qatar, as well After registration, cus- Money service has Money is fast becoming as a secure and conven- tomers can create their own Tannounced a new the easiest and most ient alternative to carrying four-digit secured mPIN partnership with Aldar popular way to transfer cash and waiting in queues code to access their mobile Exchange. money overseas in at exchange houses, while wallet securely. This will enable reg- Qatar and we are enjoying all the service fea- Ooredoo has urged cus- istered Ooredoo Mobile thrilled to further tures as the exchange house tomers to keep their mPIN Money customers to send expand the options for counters”, the statement code safe at all times and money directly to inter- our customers with adds. never share it with anyone. national bank accounts Aldar Exchange” New customers can reg- Once registered, customers via Aldar Exchange from ister for free by visiting can begin to deposit money their mobile. This new partnership any Ooredoo shop, dialling into their Mobile Wallet via Using the Ooredoo Su- with Aldar Exchange aims *140# and entering their over 200+ Ooredoo’s self- pernet, Ooredoo Mobile to “off er access to world- QID number or through the service machines or through Money customers can class fi nancial services for free Ooredoo Money App. any Ooredoo shop. now begin using the serv- ice via the “simple, se- cure and reliable” Oore- doo Money application or USSD (*140#) service menu, the company has said in a press statement. With Ooredoo Mobile Money and Aldar, cus- tomers can send money directly from their mobile wallet (mWallet) to any bank account in selected countries, including In- dia, Bangladesh, Indone- sia, Jordan, Nepal, Paki- stan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, among others. “Customers will con- tinue to enjoy Aldar’s most competitive fee and one of the best exchange rates in Qatar while send- ing money directly from their mobile phone us- ing the Ooredoo Mobile Money service,” the state- ment noted. Talking about the part- nership, Manar Khalifa al-Muraikhi, Ooredoo’s director of PR and Cor- porate Communications, said: “Ooredoo Mobile Money is fast becom- ing the easiest and most popular way to transfer money overseas in Qatar and we are thrilled to fur- ther expand the options available for our custom- ers with Aldar Exchange.” Jumah Mubarak al- Maadhadi, CEO of Aldar Exchange, added: “Oore- doo Mobile Money is a perfect way for our customers to instantly transfer money interna- tionally and we’re proud to partner with the lead- ing telecommunications company in Qatar for this service.” Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 7 QATAR

SriLankan in online partnership Mannai launches 2017

riLankan Airlines has en- tered into a partnership Swith Booking.com to pro- vide its passengers with the con- venience of booking accommo- Acadia, Terrain drive dation online along with their fl ight tickets on the airline’s annai Automotive, the GMC Acadia and Terrain models) with the standard 2.4L website at www.srilankan.com. GMC’s dealer partner brands,” said Mannai Automo- engine. Booking.com is the world’s Min Qatar, has launched a tive senior general manager Ivor All Terrain models are dis- largest accommodation website. new campaign with two “great” D’Cunha. tinguished from the rest of the As an introductory off er, off ers on the Acadia and Terrain The 2017 GMC Acadia is a Acadia line-up with a body- members of SriLankan Airlines’ brands. crossover aimed at the heart of colour grille surround, black Frequent Flyer Programme The 2017 GMC Acadia is the mid-size segment, designed chrome trim and unique wheels. FlySmiLes who book their ac- available for QR2,222 a month to off er great versatility and re- Within are fi ve-passenger commodation on Booking.com and the 2017 GMC Terrain for fi nement, with more advanced seating, dynamic All Terrain in- through hotels.srilankan.com QR1,555 a month. safety technologies including terior accents and covered stor- will be awarded double air miles The GMC campaign gives Front Pedestrian Braking, Low age bins in the rear cargo fl oor. for a two-month period. customers an in-house fi nanc- Speed Forward Automatic Brak- The Terrain is plugged in This promotion is available ing option to pay a 10% deposit, ing, Following Distance Indica- with available phone integra- for reservations made between with the remainder being paid tor, and Lane Change Alert with tion technology through GMC’s September 18 and November 18, within three years or more. Side Blind Zone Alert, ensuring available IntelliLink system, SriLankan Airlines said in a press Both GMC Terrain and Acadia the highest safety levels. making it easy to connect to statement. include three years’ comprehen- At the heart of the Acadia All some of the features smart- SriLankan chief commercial sive insurance, three years’ serv- Terrain’s capability is an ad- phone users rely on most. offi cer Siva Ramachandran said: ice programme, and three years’ vanced AWD (all-wheel drive) The GMC range. The Mannai Group was “Our aim is to enhance the user registration package. system with Active Twin Clutch, founded in 1951, as an auto spare experience of our passengers by “These deals are some of which optimises traction for wet to ice and loose surfaces. model’s exclusive AWD system technologies that allow passen- parts distributor. introducing a one-stop travel the best around in Qatar, so every condition it encounters. It also has a specifi c All Ter- to off er enhanced hill-climb ca- gers to stay connected wherever Over the last six decades solution with the convenience of we would encourage potential It is engineered for optimal rain mode in place of the Off pability. the road or trail takes them. Mannai has grown to become booking their fl ight and their ac- buyers to come and talk to us performance in a wide range of Road mode on the drive mode The 2017 GMC Terrain has It also off ers an EPA-estimat- one of Qatar’s leading private commodation at a single go.” about these fantastic off ers for slippery conditions ranging to selector, which works with the room for fi ve, with premium ed 7.35L/100km highway (FWD sector groups. “By partnering with Booking. com on our offi cial website, Sri- Lankan Airlines aims to provide our passengers with enhanced accessibility to the world under a single URL, available at their LG’s exchange off er for selected fi ngertips on their desktops, lap- tops, pads and smart-phones, from wherever they are in the models available until Saturday world,” he added. Brian Batista, senior direc- tor of Strategic Partnerships at G’s exchange off er is cur- which allows customers to ex- clude the LG OLED 65E6V TV Booking.com, added: “We are rently under way, provid- change their old, worn-out with Picture-on-Glass technol- delighted to partner with Sri- Ling an exchange benefi t of products of any brand for pre- ogy, HRD, and infi nite contrast. Lankan Airlines to provide their up to QR7,500 on select models. mium LG models at a “great Also available are LG’s Tone customers with a broad range of The off er is available across exchange price”, runs until Bluetooth headsets that are slim accommodation – from hostels, televisions, sound bars, moni- September 23 across all Jumbo and ergonomically designed and The exchange product range. B&Bs (bed and breakfast), apart- tors, laptops, projectors, Blue- showrooms and is available on off er up to 11 hours of talk time ments, villas to fi ve-star luxury tooth headsets, air conditioners, select models until stocks last, and up to 10 hours of music play old laptops for the LG Gram that Old window or split ACs in that comes with a 65° Celsius hotels. washing machines and refriger- the statement notes. time. comes with 7th Generation Intel any condition can also be ex- Tropical compressor, Gold Fin SriLankan’s global route net- ators, according to a statement. The models available as part Students looking to upgrade Core i5, 8GB RAM and a 15.6” changed for the new energy- and a 10-year warranty on the work includes Doha. The exchange promotion, of the exchange promotion in- their laptops can exchange their Full HD IPS display. effi cient LG Smart Inverter AC compressor. iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Apple Watch Series 3 at Ooredoo next week

Ooredoo has announced that it will new capability to iPhone. off er the new-generation iPhone 8 and The iPhone 8 Plus features dual iPhone 8 Plus, and Apple Watch Series 12-megapixel cameras and introduces 3, a health and fitness companion. Portrait mode with Portrait Lighting, Customers will be able to pre-order bringing dramatic studio lighting the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and Apple eff ects to iPhone, allowing customers Watch Series 3 from September 22 to capture stunning portraits with a at www.ooredoo.qa, and all will be shallow depth of field eff ect in five available starting on September 30, the diff erent lighting styles. company has said in a press statement. Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS) is The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are a an “amazing health and fitness new generation of iPhone featuring companion” with intelligent coaching a new glass and aluminium design in features, water resistance of 50m, three finishes – space gray, silver and 70% faster dual-core processor and a a new gold – made with the “most barometric altimeter, the statement durable glass ever” in a smartphone, adds. Retina HD displays and A11 Bionic The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are The iPhone 8 Plus. chip, and designed for the “ultimate compatible with Ooredoo’s Supernet augmented experience”, the statement Category 9 LTE-Advanced Standard, data plans, one can visit www.ooredoo. said. which enables customers to access qa, while more information on the The camera gets even better and download speeds of up to 325Mbps. iPhone is available at www.apple.com/ wireless charging brings a powerful For detailed information on pricing and iphone

Traffi c diversion on Izghawa Interchange

he Public Works Authority, To facilitate the construction, the The local residents may travel Ashghal, will implement a tem- west side of Izghawa Interchange will through the local approaches as well, Tporary traffi c diversion for 42 be closed until November 1, 2017. as shown on the map, and the newly- days from tomorrow on Izghawa Inter- During the detour planned in co-or- constructed service roads along to ac- change on Al Shamal Road to complete dination with the General Directorate cess and exit Al Shamal Road. the works of the accesses and exits of of Traffi c, motorists can use the neigh- For their safety, Ashghal has re- the new junction as part of North Road bouring Al Kharaitiyat Interchange in quested motorists to abide by traffi c Corridor Enhancement project. place of Izghawa Interchange. instructions and signage. Gulf Times 8 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 QATAR

Another Guinness World Record for Qatar Panel clears more than A new world record for the longest selfie stick in the world was created in Qatar yesterday during the graduation ceremony of the 2,950 exit permit cases second batch of Sky Climbers’ talented individuals. The stick, measuring 18m, was certified By Ramesh Mathew by the Guinness World Records Staff Reporter as the world’s longest selfie stick, beating the previous record of 16m. The ceremony, he Exit Permit Grievances held at the theatre of Qatar Committee has received some National Convention Centre, T2,958 cases since the beginning was attended by graduates as of 2017, of which it has turned down Brigadier al-Muraikhi (centre) and others addressing the expatriate community well as a number of only two applications and cleared the representatives yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma dignitaries and guests. The rest. initiative for the selfie stick This was informed by offi cials of the cussion with their employers (spon- Ministry of Administrative Develop- record was led by Sky Climb- committee at a briefi ng held yester- sors or representatives of sponsors) ment, Labour and Social Aff airs and ers, which provides support day for representatives of the Indian, within the framework of the law per- the National Human Rights Commit- to talented youth in the Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan commu- taining to the same. tee (NHRC), and its meetings with country. The previous record nities in Qatar. The offi cial said whenever the com- the representatives of various com- was achieved by ITP Live on The event was held at the Offi cers’ mittee receives a complaint from an munities demonstrated the keenness April 12 in Dubai. Club of the Ministry of Interior (MoI). expatriate, its members meet both of the government to not only reach PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil The committee was constituted late parties and the outcome of the dis- out to expatriates of diff erent nation- last year and its functioning is based cussions is communicated to all con- alities but also to protect the interests on the provisions of Article 7 of Law cerned. and welfare of expatriate workers No 1 of 2017, which replaced the par- Brigadier al-Muraikhi noted that contributing to the development of tial amendments of Law No 21 of 2015 when the committee fi nds it diffi cult Qatar. regulating the entry, exit and resi- to sort out issues during meetings, “Every expatriate working here is dence of expatriates. both the parties are again summoned important to the country and we are Replying to queries from expatri- for further negotiation before reach- committed to his welfare even while ate community members, committee ing a decision that is to the satisfac- taking into account the interests of his Tamuq students to raise chairman Brigadier Salem al-Mu- tion of all concerned. employers,” the offi cial said. raikhi stressed that the panel was con- Further, the chairman said the Besides Brigadier al-Muraikhi, a stituted to safeguard and protect the constitution of the committee, which number of other offi cials also attended interests of aggrieved parties in dis- has representatives from the MoI, the briefi ng. funds for Harvey victims

tudents from Texas A&M Univer- by the hurricane. Maha al-Sulaiti, QSA sity at Qatar (Tamuq) are band- member and event chair, echoed Ba- Oman now ‘a trans-shipment hub for Qatar’ Sing together to raise funds for dar’s statement saying she was excited their fellow students in the US who to involve the study abroad students in have been aff ected by Hurricane Har- the day’s activities. “We want to show man has emerged as the re- ruption said. “Currently, food items are com- vey, which caused devastating fl oods in that Aggies are with other Aggies,” al- gional trans-shipment hub caused by ing into the country through Ruwais Houston and southeast Texas. Sulaiti noted. “We are a family who will Ofor Qatar since the start of the cri- Port. This is via a land route from Tur- The Qatari Students Association always support each other.” the Saudi-led siege, director of Arab- sis,” he key to Bushehr Port in Iran and then by (QSA) and Al Sanna student organi- Tamuq dean Dr Cesar O Malave ital Shipping Qatar Ibrahim Mohamed added. sea to Ruwais Port,” Rafi , who is a civil sations are all set to hold the ‘Texas commended the students for their Rafi has said. Besides engineer by profession, explained. Tough Together’ festival today (Sept dedication to the Aggie family and their “Oman’s Sohar and Salalah ports the ports Haqeeqat, which aims to engage 20) at Tamuq’s Engineering Building in “commitment to helping where and have replaced the port of Jebel Ali in in Oman, and interact with the large South Asian Education City. when help is needed.” Dubai as the trans-shipment hub for direct expatriate community in Qatar, is a The event will feature food sales, “Selfl ess service is one of the core Qatar,” he told Qatar Urdu Radio’s live serv- joint venture of Gulf Times and Qatar juice stalls, games, and sales of t-shirts values instilled in every student of Tex- radio show, Haqeeqat yesterday. ices have Media Corporation Urdu Radio. It is and mugs to benefi t victims of the ca- as A&M, whether at the main campus “The majority of cargo shipments also been broadcast from Sunday to Thursday on lamity. Donations will also be collected to bring normalcy to the start of the or here at our branch campus in Doha,” bound for Qatar used to move through Ibrahim Mohamed Rafi launched FM107. Individuals can log on to Qatar throughout the festival. school year have done so while dealing he said. “Though we are separated Jebel Ali before the GCC crisis started, from Ha- Urdu Radio on Facebook and ‘@Qa- Texas A&M president Michael K with personal hardship themselves,” from our Aggie family by distance, we but Qatar has swiftly established new mad Port to India, Pakistan and Ku- tarUrduRadio’ on Twitter for feedback Young said approximately 45% of the Young added. QSA vice president Najla are united in our shared spirit of giv- routes to cope with the trade dis- wait, among many other countries, he and comments about the show. university’s main campus student body Badar expressed confi dence that “Ag- ing back and helping those who are in — which is more than 31,000 students gies will help other Aggies,” stressing need,” Malave added. (known as “Aggies”) — come from one that their friends in the College Station Tamuq urges the public to come out of the counties aff ected by Hurricane at the main campus will also do their and support the students’ eff orts to Harvey. best to help us here in Qatar if needed. raise funds aimed at helping members “Many students are arriving for “It’s our duty to help our fellow Ag- of the Aggie family aff ected by Hurri- classes with literally just the clothes gies.” cane Harvey. on their backs after wading through Badar said she has gotten to know All proceeds will go to the Student waist-deep water in their hometowns,” several students from the main cam- and Employee Disaster Relief Fund, he noted. pus who are studying in Doha for the which was announced by Young on “Many faculty and staff are working semester, whose families were aff ected September 8.

Joyalukkas gets Superbrand honour again Joyalukkas has become the first retail jewellery brand to receive Superbrand honours for the eighth consecutive year. “We thank the Superbrands Council for giving us this honour once again,” said Joy Alukkas, chairman and managing director, Joyalukkas Group. “This is a privilege we attribute to the customers who keep inspiring us to work harder, off er more choices, and maintain the highest level of service to bring them the joy of jewellery shopping with every visit.” Joyalukkas has a growing presence across the UK, the US, Singapore, the UAE, Malaysia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and India with over 130 world-class jewellery showrooms. On behalf of Joyalukkas Group, Human Resources and Administration manager Justin Sunny received the award from Mike English, director, Superbrand. Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 9 REGION/ARAB WORLD Militants launch attack on Syrian govt near Hama

Reuters Beirut

ilitants launched an off ensive against gov- Mernment-held parts of An Oman Air off icial receiving the award. northwestern Syria near Hama yesterday in their biggest attack there since March, triggering heavy air strikes on rebel terri- tory, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It said air strikes hit three Oman Air strikes gold hospitals, a medical centre and premises used by a rescue serv- ice in rebel-held Idlib. A Syrian military source de- nied the report, saying only in- for social responsibility surgent convoys and positions had been hit. man Air, the national award ceremony in Sharm El port of those with special needs that we are having a positive The insurgent attack north of carrier of the Sultanate Sheikh in Egypt, acknowledged as well as people living on social impact and our work has Hama revived hostilities in the Children flash the victory gesture as a military convoy carrying Oof Oman, has won the 12 outstanding organisations low incomes in Oman. These echoed loud and clear through- northwestern region near the US-made vehicles, bulldozers and arms headed for Syrian Golden Excellence Medal for so- selected by an independent initiatives were developed to out the community.” Turkish border that has been Democratic Forces (SDF) fighting in Raqqa, passes through the cial responsibility in the 12th ses- committee in recognition of strengthen the carrier’s positive Dr Khalid Abdul Wahab relatively calm in recent months northeastern city of Qamishli yesterday. sion of the Arabic Organisation their social initiatives. infl uence and create a true sense Ahmed al-Balushi, senior man- as Russian-led diplomacy seeks for Social Responsibility (ROSR). Oman Air earned its Golden of solidarity between Oman Air ager Government Relations and to shore up ceasefi res in western This award recognises Oman Excellence Medal for its nu- and the local community. Sustainability at Oman Air, Syria. Air’s outstanding contribution merous sustainable initiatives Oman Air’s CEO Paul Gre- added: “Oman Air is proud Militants who hold sway in through its sustainable initia- in both school and university gorowitsch, commented: “To to promote positive corporate Idlib reject the diplomacy, in- tives launched as a part of its academics, scientifi c research, be honoured by the golden citizenship through its policies cluding a tripartite deal struck ongoing CSR strategy. The environmental work, and sup- medal of ROSR demonstrates and practices.” last week by Moscow, Tehran and Ankara to deploy an observer force on the edge of an Idlib “de- escalation zone”. A Syrian army source cited by state media said the attack launched on several Hamas leader reiterates call for reconciliation fronts was being repelled, and the insurgents had suff ered loss- es. “The clashes are continuing AFP and the air force and artillery are Baby incubators at a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), covered in Rafah targeting the headquarters and rubble and debris following a reported air strike by Syrian government movements of the terrorist con- forces in the village of Al-Tahh, in the northwestern Idlib province. voys in the area,” said the source. amas leader Ismail Haniya reiter- An insurgent source told Reu- gents in the northern Hama and with the river often acting as a ated his party’s readiness for Pales- ters that rebels were making southern Idlib area. dividing line. Htinian reconciliation yesterday, on advances in the northern Hama Insurgents advanced to within Syrian government forces and his return from Egypt to the Gaza Strip. countryside, in an area where a few kilometres of government- their allies have however crossed On Sunday the Islamist party, which rules President Bashar al-Assad and held Hama city earlier this year, into the SDF’s area of operations Gaza, announced it was willing to cede to a his allies have been steadily roll- before the Syrian army and its on the eastern bank of in recent series of demands by president Mahmoud ing back rebel gains over the last allies retook the territory in days. Abbas’ rival Fatah party and backed plans two years. April. The Hezbollah-run media for new elections. The Observatory said insur- Ceasefi re deals in western unit said yesterday that govern- Chief among the Egyptian-brokered gents taking part in the assault Syria — for years the main thea- ment forces and their allies cap- concessions was dissolving the so-called included Tahrir al-Sham, the tre of the war — have helped tured a village and parts of the administration committee. Turkistan Islamic Party, and the Syrian army and its allies nearby town of Khasham on the “The administrative committee in the rebels fi ghting under the banner advance against Islamic State eastern bank. Gaza Strip is no longer functioning,” Hani- Hamas chief Ismail Haniya (right) speaks to the press upon his arrival on the Palestinian of the Free Syrian Army. in the east, where government Russian Defence Ministry yeh told a news conference at the Rafah bor- side of the Rafah border crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip, yesterday. They had captured four vil- forces are battling IS in Deir Ez- spokesman Igor Konashenkov der crossing with Egypt. “We are ready now lages, it said. zor. said Syrian soldiers, with Rus- to receive the national consensus govern- On Monday Haniya spoke with Abbas for since 2005, while parliamentary ones last The ex-Nusra Front, which A US-backed militia force, sian air power, “continued to ment to enter the Gaza Strip.” the fi rst time in nearly a year, and Fatah of- occurred in 2006. cut ties with Al Qaeda and re- the Syrian Democratic Forces, expand the captured area” in re- He added that the party was ready to re- fi cials have said they expect prime minister The poll by the Palestinian Centre for branded last year, spearheads is waging a separate off ensive cent days. turn to Egypt for direct talks with Fatah over Rami Hamdallah to visit Gaza in the coming Policy and Survey Research found 67% of the Tahrir al-Sham alliance of against Islamic State in Deir “Despite the persistent re- the next steps. days. A poll yesterday found that two thirds Palestinians wanted Abbas to step down, up groups. Ezzor province, focusing on ar- sistance of ISIS (Islamic State) “We are ready to return in a few days to of Palestinians want Abbas to stand down, from 62% three months ago. A media outlet run by the Da- eas on the eastern bank of the fi ghters, Syrian troops managed Cairo to resume the dialogue,” Haniya add- with just a quarter supporting the 82-year- In the West Bank, where Abbas is based, mascus-allied Lebanese group Euphrates River. to free more than 60 square kilo- ed, stressing he was “committed to the suc- old. 60% wanted him out, while in Gaza it Hezbollah said Syrian army air The rival forces have generally metres of terrorists on the left cess” of reconciliation. Presidential elections have not been held was 80%. strikes were targeting insur- stayed out of each other’s way, bank of the Euphrates,” he said.

OPINION Iran criticises Trump’s UN remarks

Iran denounced US President Donald Trump’s UN remarks as “shameless and ignorant” and said his speech yesterday showed his lack of knowledge about Tehran’s fight against terrorism, the semi-off icial Fars news agency reported. “Trump’s shameless and ignorant remarks, in which he ignored Iran’s fight against terrorism, displays his lack of knowledge and unawareness,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that the United States would forfeit the trust of the international com- munity if it abandons a nuclear accord with Tehran. “If the United States were not to adhere to the commitments and trample upon this agreement, this will mean it will carry with it the subse- quent lack of trust of countries,” Rouhani, in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, told NBC. “After such a possible sce- nario, which country would be willing to sit across a table from the United States of America and talk about international issues?”

CONFLICT Iraqi forces begin assault for IS bastion

Iraqi security forces and paramilitary units launched a dawn assault yesterday against one of the Islamic State group’s last bastions in the vast western province of Anbar bordering Syria. The Joint Operations Command, which is co-ordinating Iraqi security forces battling IS, said an off ensive had begun to retake the town of Anna and the nearby village of Al-Rayhanna. “Infantry units and armour backed by the Hashed al-Shaabi began an off ensive to liberate Anna and Al-Rayhanna from Daesh terrorists,” JOC head General Abdelamir Yarallah said in a statement, using an Arabic name for IS. A general in the area said the operation was “developing along three axes” involving the army, police and the Hashed al-Shaabi, a paramilitary force composed largely of militias. The operation was supported by Iraqi army helicopters and warplanes from the US- led coalition battling IS in Iraq and Syria, the general said.

CASUALTIES Shelling kills four children in Taiz

Rebel shelling of a residential neighbourhood of Yemen’s third-largest city Taiz killed four boys aged between seven and 15, a local off icial said yesterday. The city is largely in the hands of the Saudi-backed government but has been a key battlefield in the conflict that has gripped Yemen since March 2015 as the rebels hold much of the surrounding countryside. Monday evening’s shelling hit the residential neighbourhood of Al-Jamaliya, one of the oldest in the city, the off icial said. It followed a similar bombardment on Friday which killed three children, two of whom were playing football at the time. Gulf Times 10 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 AFRICA

DEADLY WATERS WILDLIFE JUSTICE GORY FIND DISEASE 18 dead in Nigeria boat Elephants electrocuted in SA model seeks to strip 17 bodies found in Race on to contain Nigeria accidents: authorities freak Botswana accident Grace Mugabe of immunity Congo border lake cholera outbreak

Eighteen people drowned in boat accidents in Nine elephants were electrocuted in a freak The South African model, who accuses Zimbabwe’s The bodies of 17 civilians apparently fleeing Health workers in northeast Nigeria said yesterday Nigeria last weekend, the emergency services accident in Botswana after one of them knocked first lady of battering her with an electrical plug, violence in the troubled North Kivu province of the they were striving to contain a cholera outbreak said yesterday, nearly a week after more than into an electricity pole and the high-voltage yesterday launched a legal bid to have Grace Democratic Republic of Congo have been found which is sweeping through camps for those 50 died when an overloaded craft capsized. power line fell on them, a local off icial said Mugabe stripped of her immunity. Gabriella Engels in Lake Edward. The civilians “drowned trying to uprooted by Boko Haram, amid a drive to vaccinate Twelve people lost their lives on Saturday when yesterday. The herd is believed to have broken sought to persuade the North Gauteng High Court to flee clashes between the Mai-Mai and soldiers hundreds of thousands of people against the their boat capsized during heavy rainfall on the out of the northeastern Makgadikgadi Pans allow her to proceed with eff orts to have Mugabe’s from the Congolese armed forces,” Joy Bokele, an disease. More than 2,600 people have been infected River Kaduna, in the Shiroro district of central Game Reserve and strayed into a nearby village immunity lifted. Engels claims that Mugabe beat her off icial in the Lubero region, said. The Mai-Mai have and at least 48 have died so far in Borno state, Niger state. Six farmers drowned when their of Dukwi. Village chief Kelethusitse Mosweu said with an electrical cord in a Johannesburg hotel on been engaged since Sunday in “violent clashes” heart of an insurgency by the Islamist militants and canoe turned over on the River Benue in the one of the elephants brought down the electricity August 13. South African authorities controversially against Congolese soldiers in the lakeside village of the disease outbreak, which began last month northeastern state of Taraba on Sunday. Last pole, which resulted in the transmission cables granted Mugabe diplomatic immunity. The legal Kyavinyonge, army spokesman Jules Tshikudi said. in a camp for the displaced, the health ministry Wednesday, 33 people drowned after a boat falling on the entire herd. “Off icials from the wildlife eff ort to have Mugabe’s immunity lifted was “The dingy that capsized held between 28 and 30 said. About 1.8mn people have fled their homes carrying traders from the Dosso region of the (department) came to my off ice late on Monday opposed by Zimbabwe’s embassy which argued that passengers, most of them women and children,” due to Boko Haram violence or food shortages, republic of Niger capsized on the River Niger in to notify me about the incident,” said Mosweu, it is not obliged to help Engels’ team locate Grace, a said 28-year-old Kyamakya, who said he got off the and nearly three-quarters are now in ‘cholera Kebbi state, northwest Nigeria. who did not specify when the incident occurred. necessary first step in challenging her immunity. boat because there were too many people on it. hotspots’, the United Nations said this month.

Togo opposition boycotts charter reform vote

AFP Lome

ogo’s opposition yesterday stayed away from parliament, blocking the passage of the gov- Ternment’s bill for political reform and forcing a referendum. The bill was published last week on the eve of pro- tests calling for a revision of the constitution that developed into demands for President Faure Gnass- ingbe to step down. A four-fi fths majority was needed for it to be ap- proved but the opposition no-show meant it only se- cured 62 out of 91 votes, with one abstention. Eric Dupuy, spokesman for the main opposition National Alliance for Change (ANC) party, called the National Assembly session a “sham”. As he ended proceedings, assembly president Dama Dramani said: “For want of this majority, the bill, passed with a two-thirds majority...is subject to a referendum. The people will therefore have their say.” Only 57 deputies were present for the extraordi- nary hearing, 56 of them from Gnassingbe’s Union for the Republic (UNIR) party. Six others voted by proxy. The bill involves changing the constitution to limit a president to a maximum of two fi ve-year terms and the introduction of a two-round voting system. Opposition MPs want a return to the 1992 con- stitution, which provided for term limits but was changed by Gnassingbe’s father, Gnassingbe Eyade- ma, when he was in power. They are angry the measures will not be retroac- tive and that the clause stating that “no one can serve more than two terms” has been taken out. That means the current president, who has been in power since Eyadema’s death in 2005, could con- test the next election in 2020 and the one after that Supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta-led Jubilee Alliance shout slogans during a demonstration outside the Supreme Court of Kenya in Nairobi yesterday. in 2025. Renewed protests have been called for today and tomorrow. UNIR has also planned marches on the same day. ANC leader Jean-Pierre Fabre said there will be “no let-up” as long as Gnassingbe remains in power. Unlike other West African nations, Togo has resist- ed public pressure to introduce term limits. Gnassingbe, whose family has been in power since Top Kenyan judge slams 1967, has now won three elections, the results of threats against judiciary which have been contested by the opposition.

AFP the demonstrations were “clearly the continent, he inspired fury as well as other judicial offi cers and they should call a referendum and Nairobi intended to intimidate individual among the ruling party. staff have been attacked, threat- abolish it all together,” he added. judges”. Kenyatta took to the streets re- ened and negatively profi led on so- “Before that happens, the judi- Maraga and his fellow judg- ferring to Maraga and his fellow cial media. ciary will continue to discharge its enya’s chief justice yester- es are putting the final touches judges as “crooks”, and threatened “Senior political leaders have mandate in accordance to the con- day hit out at political lead- to their highly-anticipated full to “fi x” the Supreme Court if re- also threatened the judiciary prom- stitution.” Kers and their supporters over judgement, expected to be read elected. ising to cut it to size and teach us a According to Maraga’s ruling a wave of threats against his court, out today, which will point out in He then attempted to row back lesson.” Kenya must hold a new election by which annulled last month’s presi- detail why they took the unprec- on his comments, saying he was He said the police had ignored October 31. dential election over widespread ir- edented decision to overturn the merely angry, in what was seen as calls to act on these threats. The embattled electoral com- regularities. August 8 poll. attempt to appease Maraga’s Kisii Maraga, who was speaking mission set the new poll for Octo- Scores of supporters of President Maraga in his brief ruling nearly community — an important voting on behalf of the Judicial Service ber 17, a date looking less and less Uhuru Kenyatta gathered outside three weeks ago mentioned only bloc — ahead of the new election. Commission, said such “attacks likely as the main players bicker the Supreme Court to demand he “irregularities and illegalities” in However local media has report- are degrading, demeaning and are over how to hold a credible poll. be sworn in, before being dispersed the transmission of vote results, ed moves by ruling party lawmakers meant to intimidate, threaten and The French fi rm providing tech- with teargas, while isolated pro- when he annulled Kenyatta’s vic- to curb the powers of the Supreme cow the institution and cow the nology for identifying voters and tests blocked roads elsewhere in the tory over his rival Raila Odinga. Court. judges”. transmitting results said Monday country. While the chief justice became Maraga said: “Individual judges “If leaders are tired of having a its system would not be ready in A man holds up a sign which reads ‘leave power’ Chief Justice David Maraga said an overnight hero to many across particularly of the Supreme Court strong and independent judiciary time. during opposition protest in Lome earlier this month. US teen ‘unstoppable’ in fi ght for girl power in Africa

AFP Saharan Africa are married be- Her parents began home- And next year she will begin Citing Liberian leader Ellen Paris fore the age of 18, and 12% before schooling their precocious child attending university at the ten- Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s fi rst fe- their 15th birthday, Unicef says. when she was three. der age of 16, with her sights set male president, as an inspiration, Zuriel was in Paris at the week- At nine, she got her fi rst break on Harvard or UCLA, where she Zuriel said she wants to become ith braces on her teeth end to help advocate for wealthy of sorts as a campaigner when wants to study economics and president of the United States, and sneakers on her countries to boost their aid to she sought — and obtained — an psychology. though she realises she has to Wfeet, Zuriel Oduwole developing countries to 0.7% of interview with former Ghana- Despite having a CV that wait 20 years to meet the age re- from Los Angeles may look like a GDP. France’s aid budget is cur- ian president Jerry Rawlings for screams wunderkind, Zuriel in- quirement. typical American teen. rently 0.38% of GDP. a documentary about the coun- sists she leads the normal life of In the meantime, as she shouts But over the past six years, the Addressing tens of thousands try’s 1979 revolution. a teenager. in one of the fi ve fi lms she has willowy 15-year-old has been of youths at a solidarity concert In Ghana, she was struck by “I play sports, I play football made: “I am unstoppable!” granted audiences with no fewer in Paris on Sunday, the young the sight of children trying to and basketball, I have friends I As well as winning awards, than 24 presidents and prime American tried to sensitise them earn a buck to help out their fam- hang out with. I just happen to do she also hands them out, having ministers on her crusade to pro- to the eff ects of poverty on the ilies. all of these projects on the side.” set up a foundation in 2014 that mote education for girls in Af- plight of girls across Africa. “I saw a lot of children, es- While in person she seems shy, recognises African fi rst ladies rica. “Now I want you all to imagine pecially girls, out on the streets the girl who takes to the stage in for their work to promote girls’ Zuriel is following in the foot- your girl cousin...being married selling things, and I see that a lot an African-style waxprint skirt education. This year the hon- steps of Nobel Peace Prize lau- when she is 12 or 13 years old to whenever I visit other African and top is confi dent and articu- our went to Senegal’s fi rst lady, reate Malala Yousafzai, the Pa- a man who is 10 or even 20 years countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia late, while using language befi t- Marieme Faye Sall. kistani schoolgirl who survived older than she is,” she said. and Tanzania.” ting of a teenager. Senegal is among few African being shot in the head to become Zuriel Oduwole poses at the Printemps Solidaire meeting on the “But guess what? Most of At age 10, she became the In many African countries, countries where boys and girls the world’s most famous girls’ Place de la Concorde in Paris. these problems are because of youngest person to be inter- boys tend to be fi rst in line when attend primary school in equal education campaigner. poverty.” viewed by Forbes magazine and resources are scarce, she says, numbers, but Unicef notes that Born in the US to parents of “about making policies so that get married when they are 12 or Paradoxically, Zuriel, who is last month it named her one of adding: “And that’s not cool.” as the level of education in- Nigerian and Mauritian origin, girls are able to go to school until 13,” she told AFP in an interview. the eldest of four children, has Africa’s 100 most infl uential Zuriel’s ambition knows no creases girls’ enrolment rates Zuriel talks to African leaders at least the age of 18 so they don’t Around 39% of girls in sub- never attended school herself. women. bounds. decrease. Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 11 AMERICAS

ACCOUNTABLE VIOLENCE PARIS ACCORD SURVIVAL MONEY MATTERS Navy leaders scolded after Clashes after vigil for slain Trump adviser says US 6 emerge from 8-month British Columbia ponders deadly maritime accidents Georgia Tech student still leaving climate pact Mars experiment dome curbs on political donations

A senior US senator yesterday admonished the Violent clashes erupted overnight between President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser Six people have emerged from an isolated British Columbia’s new government on Monday Navy’s top leaders following a series of deadly police and protesters after a memorial vigil for a said at a United Nations meeting on Monday that dome in Hawaii where they spent the past introduced legislation to ban corporate and maritime accidents that have turned a spotlight Georgia Tech student killed by campus off icers, the United States stood by its plans to abandon the eight months on a mock Mars mission, living union donations to political parties in the coastal on strains in the force’s Pacific fleet. Senator and the school’s president yesterday blamed Paris climate pact unless there is a renegotiation in close quarters, eating dried foods and Canadian province, which critics have called the John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed the unrest on “outside agitators.” The clashes at more favourable to Washington, a step for which trying to get along. The experiment, run by the “Wild West” of campaign finance. The ban by the Services Committee, said the Navy must correct the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta the international community has little appetite. University of Hawaii, was the fifth of its kind left-leaning New Democratic Party also limits its course after the incidents, including one broke out when several dozen of the almost “We made the president’s position unambiguous, aimed at helping scientists iron out the fights individual campaign donations to C$1,200 ($976.24) last month in which the USS John S McCain — 500 people who had attended the vigil for slain to where the president stands, where the and inter-personal conflicts that are certain and bars out-of-province contributions, the British named for his World War II admiral grandfather student Scout Schultz faced off with off icers at administration stands on Paris,” Gary Cohn, to arise among astronauts embarking on any Columbia government said. Political fundraising has — collided with a tanker. “We must also call you the campus police headquarters, the school said. director of the White House National Economic long mission to deep space. The four men been a thorny campaign issue in British Columbia, to task and demand answers. As leaders of our University President G P ‘Bud’ Peterson said in Council, told reporters after an informal breakfast and two women emerged from their dome on which the New York Times in January called the Navy, you must do better,” McCain told Navy a letter yesterday to student, faculty and staff meeting that also included ministers from a dozen Sunday, eager for a taste of fresh fruit, home- “Wild West of Canadian political cash” because of Secretary Richard Spencer and Chief of Naval that people at the vigil had been joined by others countries and the European Union on the sidelines cooked dinners and the feeling of fresh air on “unabashedly cozy relationships between private Operations Admiral John Richardson. bent on inciting violence. of the annual UN gathering of world leaders. their faces. interests and government off icials”. Repeal of Obamacare must move quickly: McConnell

Reuters McConnell stopped short of Washington promising to bring the legisla- tion to the Senate fl oor. But he said Republican law- he US Senate’s top Repub- makers would continue to dis- lican yesterday urged quick cuss it. Taction on a bill to repeal He has been meeting with Obamacare but stopped short of lawmakers to assess whether the promising to bring it to the Senate bill has the votes to pass. Demonstrators protest outside the St Louis city jail on Monday night. fl oor for a vote, as the clock ticks The proposal is the latest salvo down on the latest attempt to kill in a long-running Republican the 2010 healthcare law. war on Obamacare, and Graham Mitch McConnell, the Sen- and Cassidy say they are close ate’s Republican leader, called to securing the votes needed for the legislation drafted by sena- passage. St Louis black offi cers stuck tors Lindsey Graham and Bill If approved, it would re- Cassidy “an intriguing idea and place the 2010 Aff ordable one that has a great deal of sup- Care Act, known informally as port.” Obamacare, which Republicans Lawmakers should act be- have long seen as government overreach into the healthcare between public, fellow cops cause “our opportunity to do so may well pass us by if we don’t business. act soon,” McConnell said on the Several Republicans — Reuters He declined to be interviewed by the But doing so has consequences. hanging upside down on its staff , a US Senate fl oor. the same ones whose votes St Louis reporter who witnessed the encounter. After she appeared in the video with sign of distress. The bill has revived a fi ght that blocked repeal of Obamacare Peaceful daytime protests in St Louis Redditt Hudson, co-founder of the Na- “My community is in distress, and that’s many in Washington thought in July — are still undecided on turned into three nights of vandalism and tional Coalition of Law Enforcement why I walk amongst those brothers and sis- was over when an Obamacare the latest bill and time is run- uring a peaceful protest moments unrest that resulted in at least 123 arrests. Offi cers for Justice, verbal abuse poured ters trying to get justice,” Monroe said. repeal-and-replace bill fl opped ning out. before St Louis would erupt into With rain falling, Monday night’s dem- in, largely on social media and from re- While all police offi cers still encounter in the Senate in July, humiliating A special parliamentary pro- Dthree nights of racially charged ri- onstrations remained peaceful. tired offi cers because, she said, no officer an internal code of silence that prevents McConnell and President Donald cedure that would allow the bill ots, fi ve people confronted a black police The disturbances were provoked by the would dare confront her on the job. them from speaking out more forcefully Trump. to move forward with only 51 offi cer alone in his SUV. acquittal last Friday of white former offi cer “I was called everything. You name it,” against abusers, this is especially true for The latest measure has less votes will expire at the end of the “How do you sleep at night?” Lisa Jason Stockley, 36, who was charged with Taylor said, citing the most off ensive of black cops, Monroe said. than two weeks before proce- month. Vega, who is Hispanic, asked the offi cer fi rst-degree murder in the 2011 shoot- racial and misogynistic slurs. “Nobody wants to be known as a trou- dural rules in the Senate make After that, it would need 60 through an open window. ing death of African-American Anthony Taylor said she was unbowed by the blemaker,” he said. it much more diffi cult for the votes, like most Senate legisla- Next to Vega, two black men and two Lamar Smith, 24, following a police chase. attacks from the law enforcement fam- Taylor, the president of the largely Republicans to do away with tion. black women nodded. Prosecutors accused Stockley of plant- ily, but rejection from her fellow African- black police association, expressed con- Obamacare. Republicans have a 52-vote Such questions are typical of what Af- ing a gun in Smith’s car, but Judge Timo- Americans cuts deep. fi dence that police culture could change The bill proposes replac- Senate majority. rican-American police offi cers face every thy Wilson found the offi cer not guilty in “Things like that, they hurt me,” she with steps such as hiring more offi cers of ing Obamacare with a sys- The Senate Finance Commit- time a white colleague kills a black man in a non-jury trial. said. “But just imagine if law enforce- colour. tem that would give states tee said it will hold a hearing on the United States. St Louis Detective Sergeant Heather ment didn’t have minorities.” In a city that is 44% white and 49% money in block grants to run the bill next week. Black cops are sometimes accused by Taylor took a stand against Stockley, The St Louis Metropolitan Police De- black, according to US Census data, only their own healthcare programs If the Senate can pass the bill, their fellow African-Americans of be- publicly declaring in a video message partment did not respond to requests by 29% of St Louis police are black, Taylor and let them opt out of some “the hope would be that the traying their race by joining the police, posted on YouTube and a police associa- Reuters for comment. said. Obamacare rules. House would take it up and pass while at the same time they face pressure tion website three days before the verdict Demonstrator Bill Monroe said Taylor’s In the meantime, she faces resistance Critics say it would bring deep it and the president sign it,” said from their colleagues to stand by another that he should be convicted. video came too late to be eff ective and within and outside the force. cuts to the Medicaid programme John Cornyn, the No 2 Senate offi cer. “Someone needed to say it,” said Tay- expressed little confi dence that reform- Taylor grew up in what she called the for the poor and higher insurance Republican. A number of police departments across lor, 44, president of the Ethical Society of ers like her can improve the system from ghetto of St Louis and said her fellow premiums for older people. Senate Democratic Leader the United States have been accused of Police, an association formed by black of- within. African-Americans were shortsighted in “Graham-Cassidy would be Chuck Schumer said Republicans excessive force and racially discrimina- fi cers in 1972 to combat racism within the Monroe, 71, is a black former St Louis their criticism of black cops. devastating for individuals with were “grossly irresponsible” to tory conduct in recent years, fueling a St Louis police department and improve police detective with gray dreadlocks who “I wish that people who felt that way pre-existing conditions,” the consider legislation before even public debate and the Black Lives Matter community relations. is writing a screenplay about his experi- would walk in our shoes,” Taylor said. Center for American Progress, a getting a full assessment of its movement. She sees her role as calling out fellow offi c- ences on the force in the 1960s and 1970s. “Walk in our shoes and you would see liberal think tank in Washington, impacts from the non-partisan The black cop calmly responded that ers for unjustifi ed killings, which she hopes He marched with a T-shirt reading how diffi cult it is to be a minority or a said in a statement. Congressional Budget Offi ce. he slept well and that he had bills to pay. police of all races will eventually embrace. “Anthony Lamar Smith” and a US fl ag double minority in this police culture.” Trump threatens to ‘totally destroy’ North Korea

Reuters General Assembly, was his lat- comments of some of his own In a thunderous 41-minute would not only trade with such United Nations est expression of concern about cabinet members who have stat- speech, Trump also took aim a regime but would arm, supply Pyongyang’s repeated launching ed a preference for a diplomatic at Iran’s nuclear ambitions and and fi nancially support a country of ballistic missiles over Japan solution. regional infl uence, Venezuela’s that imperils the world with nu- resident Donald Trump and underground nuclear tests. Reaction around the United collapsing democracy and the clear confl ict.” yesterday escalated his His advisers say he is con- States was mixed. threat of Islamist extremists and The UN Security Council Pthreats against North Ko- cerned about North Korea’s ad- Mitt Romney, the 2012 Re- criticized the Cuban govern- has unanimously imposed nine rea over its nuclear challenge, vances in missile technology publican presidential nominee, ment. rounds of sanctions on North threatening to “totally destroy” and the few means available for tweeted that Trump, a fellow “Major portions of the world Korea since 2006 and Guterres the country of 26mn people and a peaceful response without Chi- Republican, “gave a strong and are in confl ict and some in fact appealed for that 15-member mocking its leader, Kim Jong Un, na’s help. needed challenge” to UN mem- are going to hell,” he said. body to maintain its unity. as a ‘rocket man’. “It was the wrong speech, at bers to confront global chal- His speech recalled the fi ery Turning to Iran, Trump In a hard-edged speech to the the wrong time, to the wrong lenges. nationalist language of his Janu- called the 2015 nuclear deal United Nations General Assem- audience,” Swedish Foreign Min- But Democrat Ed Markey of ary 20 inaugural address when negotiated by his predecessor, bly, Trump off ered a grim por- ister Margot Wallstrom told the the US Senate Foreign Relations he pledged to end what he called Barack Obama, an embarrass- trait of a world in peril, adopted BBC. Committee denounced Trump’s an “American carnage” of rusted ment and hinted that he may a more confrontational approach North Korea’s mission to the remarks in a CNN interview, say- factories and crime. not recertify the agreement to solving global challenges from President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd United Nations General United Nations did not imme- ing the president had yet to ex- His strongest words were di- when it comes up for a mid- Iran to Venezuela, and gave an Assembly at UN headquarters in New York. diately respond to a request for haust his other options in encour- rected at North Korea. October deadline. unabashed defense of US sover- comment. aging Pyongyang to negotiate. He urged the United Nations “I don’t think you’ve heard the eignty. As loud, startled murmurs minutes earlier UN Secretary- A junior North Korean diplo- “He engages in escalatory lan- member states to work together last of it,” he said. “The United States has great fi lled the hall, Trump described General Antonio Guterres ap- mat sat in the delegation’s front- guage that only induces further to isolate the Kim government He called Iran an “economi- strength and patience, but if it is Kim in an acid tone, saying, pealed for statesmanship, saying: row seat for Trump’s speech, the paranoia in Kim,” Markey said. until it ceases its “hostile” be- cally depleted rogue state” that forced to defend itself or its allies, “Rocket man is on a suicide mis- “We must not sleepwalk our way North Korean UN mission said. “The least we should be able haviour. exports violence. we will have no choice but to to- sion for himself and his regime.” into war.” Trump’s saber-rattling rheto- to say is that we tried, we really In what may have been a veiled There was no immediate com- tally destroy North Korea,” Trump His remarks rattled the leaders Trump’s most direct military ric, with the bare-knuckled style tried, to avoid a nuclear show- prod at China, the North’s major ment from either Iran’s UN del- told the 193-member world body, gathered in the green-marbled threat to attack North Korea, he used to win election last No- down between our two coun- trading partner, Trump said: “It egation or its foreign ministry in sticking closely to a script. UN General Assembly hall, where in his debut appearance at the vember, was in contrast to the tries.” is an outrage that some nations Tehran. Gulf Times 12 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA Abe to pledge something for all generations in snap poll

Reuters proved ratings and disarray in next September, putting him on use some of the revenue to cre- powering women, work-life bal- when asked about the reports. have a shot at retaining their Tokyo the opposition, ruling party and track to become Japan’s longest- ate a “social security system for ance, welfare for all generations,” Abe has told reporters he will two-thirds majority in the lower government sources have said. serving premier. “That is his all generations”, which would in- said Jeff rey Kingston, director of make a decision on the snap house, political analysts said. The prime minister, whose biggest goal,” said veteran inde- vest in education while decreas- Asian studies at Temple Univer- election after he returns from However, some analysts be- ledges to spend on educa- ratings have recovered from pendent political analyst Minoru ing the proportion of sales tax sity Japan. “He’s got a strategy the United States on September lieve Abe’s electoral base could tion and child care, stay below 30% in July, is betting Morita. revenue used to pay down gov- that is going to win.” 22. The opposition Democrats be undermined by voter dis- Ptough on North Korea and his ruling bloc can at a mini- Abe’s support rose 6.5 points ernment debt, the sources said. Using less tax revenue to pay are struggling not only with sin- taste over suspected cronyism revise the pacifi st constitution mum retain a simple majority to 50.3% in a September 16-17 Japan’s social welfare system down debt, however, would gle-digit support but also a suc- scandals and concerns about a are likely to be pillars of Japanese in the chamber and at best keep survey by the Sankei newspa- is weighted toward spending on make it more diffi cult to achieve cession of defections. And while political vacuum forming amid Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s the two-thirds super-majority per and the Fuji News Network, the elderly, with people aged 65 the government’s target of re- the nascent “Japan First” party, heightened tensions over North campaign in a snap election next needed to achieve his long-held while backing for the LDP was and over accounting for a whop- turning to a primary budget sur- which boasts ties to popular Korea’s nuclear and missile pro- month, government sources said goal of revising the constitution at 38% compared to 6.4% for ping 27.7% of the population ac- plus in fi scal 2020, which could Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, grammes. yesterday. to clarify the military’s role. the main opposition Democratic cording to the latest government in turn raise concerns about less could attract votes, it has yet to “I don’t dismiss the possibili- Abe is considering calling the A solid victory would boost Party. data. rigid fi scal discipline. draft a platform, pick candidates ty of the voters giving Abe a nas- lower house poll when the leg- Abe’s chances of a third term as Abe wants to go ahead with “You can promise anything “We have to maintain fi scal or formally register as a party. ty surprise,” said Gerry Curtis, islature convenes on September ruling Liberal Democratic Party a planned rise in the nation’s you want — make a nod toward discipline, regardless,” Finance That means the LDP and its professor emeritus at Columbia 28 to take advantage of his im- (LDP) leader in a party election sales tax to 10% from 8% and a more equitable society, em- Minister Taro Aso told reporters junior partner, the Komeito, University in New York. US, S Korea troops stage mock battle near border

Reuters Pocheon, South Korea

he screech of incoming fi re followed by an explosion Tresounds across forested hillsides near the border between North and South Korea. Battalion Commander Rob Kimmel of the US 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, scanned the village at the base of a moun- tain for the tell-tale smoke. “That’s enemy fi re trying to at- tack ROK forces located there,” says Kimmel — referring to South Korea by its offi cial name, the Re- public of Korea. This is a drill. It is just one of several that major world powers are engaged in on, over and near the Korean may arise,” said Kimmel. “It’s a Russia-North Korea border. The peninsula, amid heightened ten- big milestone type of exercise... Xinhua report did not link the sion in the wake of North Korea’s we’ll do two to three of these exercises to the ongoing tensions increasingly frequent missile while we’re here.” over North Korea, which are ex- tests and its sixth nuclear test North Korea has repeatedly pected to dominate the United this month. demanded that the United States Nations General Assembly in The US soldiers are conducting and South Korea call off joint ex- New York later on Tuesday. a joint exercise with their South ercises, which Pyongyang view as China and Russia have repeat- Korean allies, and the mission for US soldiers participate in a South Korea-US combined arms collective training exercise at the US army’s Rodriguez shooting range in provocative. edly called for a peaceful solution the day is to recapture a village in Pocheon, about 70 km northeast of Seoul. A day earlier, US and South and talks to resolve a brewing cri- enemy hands. There is an occa- Korean warplanes ran bombing sis over North Korea. sional crack of gunfi re from sol- About 700 troops are engaged States are technically still at war dia to observe one for the fi rst iness “to fi ght tonight” against drills over the peninsula. At the Asked whether the drill near diers in combat gear, hiding in the in the four-day drill, called War- with North Korea after the 1950- time in two years, said Kim Hy- North Korea if needed. Based in same, China’s offi cial Xinhua the border would make the North buildings, and prowling round rior Strike 8, near the Demilita- 53 Korean confl ict ended with a on-sok, public aff airs specialist Fort Hood, Texas, Kimmel’s team news agency reported that Chi- Korean side fearful of the allies corners of the village, which has rized Zone (DMZ) — the world’s truce, not a peace treaty. of the US 2nd Infantry Division. is on a nine-month deployment na and Russia began naval drills military capabilities, Kimmel re- been specially created for mili- most heavily defended frontier. Such drills are held regularly, The US military has described in South Korea. “We are continu- off the Russian far eastern port plied: “I’m not sure, but I would tary training. South Korea and the United but the military has invited me- the exercises as training for read- ing to train for situations that of Vladivostok, not far from the hope they are.” NZ fuel crisis hits more UN investigators demand ‘full, fl ights, petrol stations unfettered’ access to Myanmar Reuters tional election with infrastruc- airline said in a statement it Wellington ture shortages a hotly con- was restricting its ticket sales, tested issues. New Zealand’s which it called an “unusual AFP military, which cancelled an step”, and that it would not Geneva ew Zealand’s jet fuel exercise with Singapore to save accept any last-minute cargo, shortage yesterday fuel, was trucking fuel supplies except for important medical Nforced 39 fl ights to be around the country in an at- equipment. N human rights inves- cancelled, 13 of them interna- tempt to ease the shortage and New Zealand’s largest fuel tigators yesterday said tional, with concerns the fuel government offi cials have been supplier Z Energy said yester- Uthey needed “full and un- crisis may spread after fuel asked to avoid non-essential day that petrol for some high- fettered” access to Myanmar to stations in the country’s larg- air travel. end cars was not available at 13 investigate a grave and ongoing est city Auckland halted high- Air New Zealand said yester- of its fuel stations in Auckland, crisis, but the government re- octane petrol sales. day it was beginning to refuel according to a spokesman. newed its rejection of the probe. The fuel shortage, caused by long-haul aircraft at the inter- “While air travel will contin- “It is important for us to see a damaged pipeline to Auck- national airport in the capital ue to be aff ected until the pipe- with our own eyes the sites of land Airport, has caused wide- Wellington. Flights to and from line is fully operational, the these alleged violations”, the spread disruption to air travel Auckland have stopped at air- fuel industry has advised gov- head of UN-backed fact-fi nding since the weekend and comes ports in Australia and Pacifi c ernment that impacts on petrol mission, Marzuki Darusman, only days before Saturday’s na- islands like Fiji to refuel. The and diesel supply for motorists told the Human Rights Council, are minimal,” said Judith Col- asking for “full and unfettered lins, New Zealand’s Minister of access to the country.” Energy and Resources. “There is a grave humanitar- The government has come ian crisis underway that requires under criticism for what has urgent attention”, he added. been deemed an infrastructure The council set up the mission failure as it faces a tight contest in March to investigate possible with the newly invigorated La- violations across Myanmar, with a bour Party. The damaged pipe- particular focus on alleged crimes line is owned by New Zealand committed against Rohingya Refi ning and the company has Muslims in Rakhine state. Myan- told local media that initial in- mar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Rohingya Muslim refugees carry an elderly woman along a road near Balukhali refugee camp near the vestigations showed a digger Kyi has repeatedly denounced the Bangladeshi district of Ukhia yesterday. had scraped the pipe. UN probe as unhelpful and vowed “The fact that one digger can that her government would not helpful course of action in solving cause our international travel co-operate with it. the already-intricated Rakhine UN chief urges Myanmar to halt military campaign to be ground to a halt shows Suu Kyi delivered a nation- issue”, he told the council. how vulnerable that infra- ally televised address on the He added that the probe “had UN Secretary-General Antonio Annan that has advocated structure was and the National Rohingya crisis, appealing for urgently despatched a team to Guterres yesterday urged citizenship for the Rohingyas. government ignored that,” La- outside observers to visit My- Bangladesh”, where more than Myanmar to halt its military “But let me be clear,” Guterres bour leader Jacinda Ardern said anmar and see the situation for 400,000 Rohingya have fl ed campaign against Rohingya said. “The authorities in on Monday. themselves, in a speech aimed at army operations in recent weeks. Muslims, just hours after Myanmar must end the New Zealand’s air traffi c con- appeasing an international com- The UN investigator, an Indone- Aung San Suu Kyi failed military operations, and allow trol provider Airways said on its munity horrifi ed by the army-led sian national and veteran of past to quell an international unhindered humanitarian website it was implementing violence in Rakhine. UN investigations including a outcry in a much-anticipated access.” fuel conservation measures, But hours after that speech, ground-breaking report on slave address. Addressing the More than 420,000 which involve organising air- Myanmar’s UN ambassador Htin labour in North Korea, warned opening of the UN General Rohingya have been forced plane landing and take-off s in Lynn re-asserted his govern- that Myanmar had the “danger Assembly, Guterres said to flee violence in Myanmar’s such a way as to minimise the ment’s “position of disassociat- signs” of a crisis that could wors- he “took note” of Suu Kyi’s northern Rakhine state in amount of time they spend in ing herself from the resolution” en. He noted reports that some in pledge to abide by the what the United Nations the air to save fuel. It expects that set up the fact-fi nding mis- majority Buddhist Myanmar had recommendations of a report has described as “ethnic up to 10 days of disruptions to sion. “We continue to believe that spread propaganda that “com- by former UN chief Kofi cleansing.” passengers. instituting such a mission is not a pared the Rohingya to pests”. Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 13 BRITAIN

DECISION ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CRIME CRIME Giant ‘fatberg’ to be Woman ‘sent flying by Grandmum wins £30,000 Axe gang steal bags Three arrested after recycled into biofuel lorry’ dies in the street payout after hotel fall worth thousands policeman assaulted

A giant, 250-metre “fatberg” of oil, fat and A woman has died after being struck by a lorry A grandmother badly injured when she fell down A smash-and-grab scooter gang escaped with A police off icer is in hospital after being seriously other solid waste blocking a main sewer under and thrown through the air near Moorfields stairs on holiday has won £30,000 compensation handbags worth tens of thousands of pounds in a injured in a “shocking” attack in Doncaster. South London is to be recycled into biofuel, said the Eye Hospital. A lorry driver, 44, was yesterday after a judge rejected claims that she was drunk. raid lasting just two minutes. The gang used axes Yorkshire Police said they were called to reports water company working to remove it. The being questioned on suspicion of driving under Carole Peters, 60, broke her right arm and and a crowbar to break windows at the House of of a vehicle crash on Cleveland Street at about congealed mass under a street in east London’s the influence of drugs following the crash at suff ered head injuries on the last night of her Fraser store in Victoria in the early hours of the 07.30BST. The off icer, 45, was assaulted when Whitechapel district will produce some 10,000 12.20pm on Monday. A GP rushed from a nearby trip to the Greek island of Santorini in June 2011. morning last week. They escaped with 33 Mulberry three people fled the area, running towards litres of biodiesel, enough to power 350 double- surgery and tried to save the woman’s life but She sued because the stairs to the hotel pool bags from a display. Police off icers driving past Cherry Tree Road. The force said his injuries are decker buses for one day, Thames Water said. she was pronounced dead at the scene in City did not have proper handrails, but was accused later came across the aftermath of the raid shortly not believed to be life-threatening. Two men Engineers have removed about one-third of Road. Witness Jade Martin, 26, said: “She was sent of being “staggering drunk”. She told the court: after it had happened, with shattered glass strewn and a woman have been arrested on suspicion the 130-tonne blob and expect to complete flying and lay dead in the middle of the road. It was “I don’t have to have a drink to enjoy myself, across the pavement. Two axes and a crowbar of robbery and assault. A spokesperson said: their “sewer war” against it early next month, the a massive lorry.. A doctor came running out first I’m not a party animal.” Judge James Howlett, were found at the scene. Detective constable “Off icers attended (after receiving reports of company said. It said tankers full of oil and fat, and the ambulances came so quickly they must sitting at Central London county court, said that Joanna Bellett, from Westminster CID, said police the crash) and pursued the individuals on foot recovered from the mass with high-powered jets, have been close by. They worked on her for about the witnesses lacked credibility and accepted were examining CCTV. She said the suspects to an address near Cherry Tree Road, where an will be sent to a biofuel processing plant. five minutes and then put a cover over her.” Peters had not been drinking. wore motorcycle helmets and gloves. incident occurred in the garden of a property.”

Cable appeals Johnson for help to stop EU exit ‘may quit if

Reuters London PM opts for alling himself a “proud saboteur” of the Brexit Cprocess, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable yesterday ap- pealed to opponents in all parties to put aside diff erences and fi ght a divorce from the European Union. soft Brexit’ The fourth-largest party with 12 representatives in the 650-seat Guardian News and Media in early drafts of the speech. 10 source said: “The premier has parliament, the Liberal Democrats London He was concerned the prime said consistently that she values are hoping to become the lightning minister was preparing to send a the contribution of people from rod for any rise in anti-Brexit sen- public signal that she would like across the Cabinet, and clearly this timent as Prime Minister Theresa oris Johnson could resign to see a close long-term relation- is a signifi cant moment in terms of May’s government edges closer to if Theresa May signals ship with the rest of the EU along our progress, and in terms of our leaving the EU in March 2019. Bshe will pursue a “Swiss- the lines of Norway, or Switzer- relationship with Europe.” Cable, an economist who was style” Brexit, even though he is land – with more leeway over May’s spokesman also under- business minister in the 2010 to publicly denying he will walk freedom of movement. lined the fact that PM plans to 2015 Conservative-Liberal Dem- away from the Cabinet. Johnson and others fear that use Friday’s speech to discuss not ocrat coalition government, has The foreign secretary told re- would limit the UK’s ability to do just transitional arrangements, redoubled his party’s criticism of porters in New York he would not deals with other countries; and but Britain’s ongoing partnership the decision to leave the EU since resign and denied the Cabinet was require the UK to mirror EU reg- with the rest of the EU. becoming party leader in July. split over Brexit policy, insisting: ulations too closely. Saturday’s “She will talk about the future “I want our party to lead the “We are a nest of singing birds.” controversial Daily Telegraph relationship going forward, as fi ght against Brexit,” Cable said But it is understood that John- article was aimed at sending a well as the progress on the talks in his address to the party’s au- son considers it could be a re- signal he could not support such so far,” he said. tumn conference. He called for signing matter if May veers to- a relationship. Asked if she was confi dent of a new referendum, describing wards the kind of “soft Brexit” One source close to Johnson getting consensus on her Brexit Brexit as a looming disaster. advocated by Philip Hammond, said the Telegraph’s claims that strategy at tomorrow’s meet- “In the real world, we have yet to the chancellor, when she makes a a resignation could be immi- ing, May said: “Yes, the Cabi- experience the full impact of leav- key speech in Florence on Friday. nent were nonsense and “totally net is absolutely clear about the ing Europe. But we’ve had a taste The Telegraph yesterday report- made-up”. However, his article destination we are aiming for in of what is to come in the fall of the ed the foreign secretary could even was widely regarded as a warn- relation to our European nego- value of the pound,” Cable said. quit the Cabinet before the week- ing shot to the prime minister as tiations. Sterling fell by as much as 20% end if May signals that she will she prepares to deliver her major “We want to make sure we against the dollar in the months sign up the UK to paying for access Brexit speech on Friday. get the best possible deal for the after the June 2016 EU referen- to the single market permanently Johnson was piqued that a United Kingdom as we leave the dum. It has recovered around in an arrangement similar to stay- meeting of other senior ministers European Union. What we want half those losses, in part thanks ing in the European Economic involved in Brexit was held last to do is to ensure not just a good to increasing expectations of an Area (EEA). week when he was inspecting deal on trade, but also on our fu- interest rate hike to ease infl a- This option similar to the ar- hurricane damage in the Carib- ture security and relationship on tion, but the pound is still 9% rangements adopted by Switzer- bean. law enforcement and criminal down on pre-Brexit levels. land is known by its critics as the May is also in New York, at- justice.” “Foreign exchange dealers are “EEA-lite”, but would be a way tending the UN general assembly. Asked what she wanted John- not point-scoring politicians, of preserving the benefi ts of the Asked whether she still backed son to do, in the light of reports they make cool, hard, unsenti- single market. the foreign secretary, she told he may resign, May said: “What mental judgements. Quite simply, Friends of Johnson told the Sky: “Boris Johnson has been I want the government to do is that Brexit Britain will be poorer newspaper he “could not live here at the United Nations do- what the government is doing. and weaker than if we had decided with” the version of Brexit under ing important work yesterday in Boris and all others are very clear to stay in Europe,” Cable said. consideration, which prompted a meeting on Burma.” about the destination we have He also said the govern- the publication of his personal “I will be seeing Boris at vari- as a country and that is getting ment was relying too heavily on blueprint for Brexit in the Tel- ous stages during our time here, that deep and special relation- its relationship with the US to egraph at the weekend. but of course we have got very ship with the EU when we leave, help it adjust to life after Brexit, The foreign secretary – who busy programmes.” but with a partnership that still criticising US President Donald appears to have the backing of May will convene a special leaves us as the UK free to make Trump as “volatile, and danger- other pro-Leave ministers, in- meeting of her cabinet tomor- trade deals around the world and ous and an apologist for religious Liberal Democrats leaders Vince Cable and deputy leader, Jo Swinson, arrive to attend the party’s annual cluding Michael Gove – was un- row, to consult colleagues about free to take control of our laws, and racial hatred.” conference in Bournemouth, southern England, yesterday. happy about some of the wording her speech on Friday. A Number our borders and our money.”

Military training with Tube attack suspect’s Myanmar suspended family shocked at arrest AFP educational courses provided to London the Burmese military until there is an acceptable resolution to the Guardian News and Media Britain. I said: ‘Are you mad? There in-law in Egypt had been devas- current situation. London are no random arrests in London.’ tated by her son’s arrest. “She is he government yester- “We call on the Burmese armed She said no, he was accused of the dying with every single piece of day said it had suspended forces to take immediate steps to latest London bombing. news she watches on TV with im- Tits educational training stop the genocide in Rakhine and elatives of one of the two “Yahyah has been in Britain for ages of Yahyah. Her heart is break- courses for the Myanmar mili- ensure the protection of all civil- men being questioned three years, working and studying. ing when she sees his pictures on tary due to the genocide in Ra- ians, to allow full access for hu- Rabout last week’s attempt- If he was planning something bad, TV. “The story is on social media khine state. manitarian aid and to facilitate the ed bombing of a London Under- why he would bother to study?” too and some people are saying London said it had “deep con- civilian government’s implemen- ground train have spoken of their Farroukh said her brother-in- nasty thing about Yahyah though cern” about human rights viola- tation of the Rakhine Advisory shock and disbelief at his arrest. law had visited the Netherlands they do not know him in person. tions and would not be resuming Commission’s recommendations Fatin Farroukh, the sister-in- earlier this year following the These people are so cruel. They the military courses unless there in full.” law of the suspect Yahyah Far- death of his father in Egypt. “Dur- have no mercy at all.” was an “acceptable resolution” to The year-long commission, led roukh, said he was a well-adjusted, ing the week he was with us, I did Police have been given until the ongoing Rohingya crisis. by former United Nations chief hard-working young man with not notice anything weird in his Thursday to continue question- “The action the military are Kofi Annan, tasked with healing hopes of going to university in the behaviour or see him busy with ing Farroukh and until Saturday to taking against the Rohingya peo- divisions between the Rohingya UK and becoming a journalist. anything. He did not contact any continue questioning the second ple needs to stop,” Prime Minister and local Buddhists, urged imme- Speaking from her home near person the whole week. suspect, an 18-year-old who was Theresa May told the UK’s Sky diate action to heal the divide. Breda in the Netherlands, Far- “He said that he was happy and detained in Dover as he was about News in New York. Britain’s junior foreign minister roukh said: “Yahyah’s sister con- had no problem whatsoever with to board a ferry to France. “There will be no further de- Mark Field has said the UK armed tacted me on WhatsApp early anybody. He had good relations Like Yahyah Farroukh, this man fence engagement or training of forces provided vocational cours- Monday – she was in shock – to with his British friends as well as had been in the care of foster par- the Burmese military by the min- es, focused on language training, say that she heard that Yahyah was with the owner of the restaurant ents Pauline and Ronald Jones istry of defence until there’s a res- governance, accountability, eth- arrested. “We have many relatives where he was working. at their home in Sunbury-on- olution of this issue.” ics, human rights and internation- in Syria who are named Yahyah; “He also said that he had good Thames in Surrey. In London, a government al law to the Myanmar military. we thought it was one of them relations with his English teach- Following his arrest, the gov- spokesman said in a statement: “Exposing them to how modern who was arrested in Damascus. We er and he was almost done with ernment downgraded its public “In light of the ongoing violence militaries operate in a democracy never thought of Yahyah in Lon- studying the language and then he terrorist threat assessment, from in Burma’s Rakhine state, the is more eff ective than isolating don – he was the last person that can apply to university. There was critical – meaning an attack was growing humanitarian crisis it them,” he told parliament on Sep- we would think would be arrested. nothing that can make you suspect feared to be imminent – to severe, has caused, and our deep concern tember 5. “I asked her: ‘Which Yahyah?’ that Yahyah would do such an aw- signalling an attack remained about the genocide taking place, Britain did not provide combat She said my brother Yahyah in ful act.” Farroukh said her mother- likely. Theresa May : deeply concerned we have decided to suspend the training, Field said. Gulf Times 14 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 BRITAIN/IRELAND Ryanair off ers pilots £12,000 bonus to tackle ightsfl fi asco

Guardian News and Media gised this week after saying that tions from the Irish pilots’ union airline is scrambling to appease tional days I am implementing gian, which said it had hired 140 10 days off during the period, London up to 50 fl ights a day would be that it is making European regu- pilots and fi rst offi cers by off er- the following bonus scheme. All pilots from the Irish airline since including a block of fi ve days in cancelled until October 31, af- lations a scapegoat, rather than ing tax-free bonuses not to take current pilots ... who remain op- the start of the year. a row. fecting about 400,000 passen- acknowledging its own failure time off . erating Ryanair aircraft between Ryanair does not disclose Ryanair says the problem will yanair has off ered pilots gers. to allocate enough pilots for its “To avoid further cancella- September and October 31, 2018, salaries, but captains and fi rst last six weeks. This conveniently a one-off bonus of up to Ryanair is now facing fury schedule. tions, we are requesting be- will receive a once-off £12,000 offi cers were off ered basic wages brings it to the winter schedule’s R£12,000 to forfeit holi- from customers who fear they Ryanair could face further dis- tween one and two blocks of gross bonus for captains and of €62,500 and €21,000 respec- reduced crewing needs. days, according to a memo seen will be left out of pocket and has ruption from industrial action fi ve days from every pilot who £6,000 for fi rst offi cers in No- tively in 2015, according to a re- Ryanair said it would also in- by the Guardian, as it battles to also been warned by the Civil amid reports that pilots were has already been assigned their vember 2018.” port in the Irish Times. crease the overnight payments prevent further fl ight cancella- Aviation Authority that it could meeting in Dublin and across month off ,” Ryanair’s chief op- Pilots will not receive the one- Pilots and fi rst offi cers will get that pilots get for working away tions caused by a “mess-up” in face penalties for refusing to re- Europe to discuss the possibility erations offi cer, Michael Hickey, off bonus until November next the bonus provided they have from their base airport, while its rota system. route passengers with rival air- of going on strike. told pilots. year, an inducement to stay with fl own more than 800 hours for staff would also be entitled to The Irish airline’s chief execu- lines. Internal e-mails seen by the “In recognition of the impact the company amid reports that Ryanair in the year to October normal rates for working days tive, Michael O’Leary, apolo- It is also fending off allega- Guardian show that the no-frills on you of the need to fl y addi- many are defecting to Norwe- 31, 2018, and complete at least off . Public inquiry William visits charity needed into £200bn debt crisis, say MPs

Guardian News and Media parts that a proper investigation London goes beyond the remit of any sin- gle committee.” According to the Money Ad- he chairs of two powerful vice Service, there are now 8.3mn parliamentary committees people in the UK with problem Thave urged the govern- debts while the government’s ment to set up an independent offi cial economic forecaster, the public inquiry into the £200bn of Offi ce for Budget Responsibil- credit amassed by households, as ity, has predicted that unsecured Britain’s debt crisis raises alarm consumer debt – which includes among senior MPs. loans, credit cards, overdrafts The call by Rachel Reeves, the and car fi nancing – will soar as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, talks with visitors at a cafe during his visit to the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, at St Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch, east London, yesterday. Labour chair of the business se- a proportion of national income The Spitafields Crypt Trust (SCT) is a charity and social enterprise which aims to provide a holistic recovery service to people dealing with drug and alcohol addictions, lect committee, and Frank Field, over the next four years back and often homelessness. the Labour head of the work and above its previous peak in 2007. pensions select committee, comes Reeves, Labour MP for Lewi- as the Conservative-led Treasury sham in London, said she was select committee plans to hold shocked at the sharp rise in bor- meetings around the country to rowing to fi nance new car pur- examine the impact of debt on in- chases and soaring credit card dividuals and households. debts. “Debt is a huge emotional bur- “It is the government’s re- den for people,” said Nicky Mor- sponsibility to understand the gan, the Conservative MP who extent of the issue and who is the chairs the Treasury select com- worst aff ected,” she said. Andrew Grenfell police mull mittee. She added that “unstable Bailey, the chief executive of the personal fi nances” often emerged Financial Conduct Authority, on as problems raised by her constit- Monday called on the govern- uents in Loughborough. ment to help craft a sustainable The £200bn of debt amassed solution to enable vulnerable on credit cards, personal loans borrowers to obtain fi nance. and car deals is now at the same Reeves and Field said they manslaughter charges levels it reached before the 2008 were concerned that there were fi nancial crisis and there are fears large gaps in the remits of the Reuters Police have formally iden- and deal with whatever off ences However, Bonner said this gating allegations of thefts from that rises in interest rates could regulators given responsibility London tifi ed 60 of the victims, but come to light during that inves- should not be taken as an indi- some of the less damaged fl ats in put more households under pres- for monitoring Britain’s debts. painstaking forensic work to tigation,” he said. cation that police had already the lower levels of the building. sure. Mark Carney, the governor Neither the Bank of England, fi nd human remains, some of found evidence to support any There had been one confi rmed of the Bank of England, warned which monitors the banking sec- he criminal investigation them tiny fragments, among Police were also such charges. theft of a considerable amount on Monday that interest rates tor, the FCA nor the OBR has an into the Grenfell Tower tonnes of debris inside the investigating allegations The building, which was of money from one of the fl ats were likely to rise in response to overarching responsibility to Tfi re that killed about 80 charred ruin is ongoing. of theft s from some of completed in 1974, was owned and three further allegations of rising infl ation and skills short- report to government about the people in London in June could Commander Stuart Cundy, the less damaged fl ats by the borough of Kensington theft, they said. ages brought on by Brexit that will UK’s debt position. result in manslaughter charges, who has overall control of police in the lower levels of the and Chelsea, one of London’s The thefts had come to light increase pressure on wages. Reeves said the fi nancial serv- but any prosecutions could be operations at Grenfell Tower, building richest, and managed by an or- when former residents had been Field said people in his Birken- ices industry needed to be more months away due to the com- told reporters yesterday it was ganisation that ran social hous- let into their apartments to pick head constituency on the Wirral transparent about the level of in- plexity of the forensic work, po- likely the fi nal death toll would “The kind of stuff that I would ing on the borough’s behalf. up treasured possessions and were being pushed into destitu- debtedness and sub-prime lend- lice said. be a little below 80. envisage we may come across Bonner said police had so far say goodbye to their homes. tion by the actions of loan sharks ing. The 24-storey social housing Detective chief inspector would involve off ences perhaps identifi ed 336 companies or or- Cundy said police had been and fi nance companies that Field said regulators need to block, home to a poor, multi- Matt Bonner, in charge of the of fraud, misconduct off ences, ganisations that were involved shocked. “All of us here, work- heaped extra pain on low income be more explicit about the extent ethnic community, was de- criminal side of the police in- health and safety breaches, in the construction, refurbish- ing down on Grenfell Tower households with sky-high inter- of the damage to households and stroyed on June 14 by a fi re that vestigation, said a forensic ex- breaches of fi re safety regula- ment and management of the or working on it anywhere, est charges. the economy from a shock that started in a fourth-fl oor fl at in amination of the tower would tions and of course off ences of tower and offi cers had recovered are just so disappointed that He said: “We need a commis- could be caused by an increase in the middle of the night and rap- continue into 2018 and would be manslaughter whether that be as many as 31mn documents something like that can happen sion to assess the current situa- unemployment or increased in- idly engulfed the whole build- followed by lengthy laboratory on a corporate or an individual from all of those. on the back of such a huge trag- tion. There are so many moving terest rates. ing. analysis. “I will seek to identify level,” he added. Police were now also investi- edy,” he said. ‘Suspicious object’ shuts Storage depot blaze Liverpool council M1 motorway for hours chief suspended Guardian News and Media pacts on the city council at the London current time, to proceed,” the Guardian News and Media plastic bag leaking a yellow liq- Thousands of motorists were spokesman said. London uid. stuck in stationary traffic as “It is important for the city A special tool to cut through the police investigated. Diver- he chief executive of Liver- council, the panel and the chief motorway barriers was eventu- sions were put in place in Mil- pool city council has been executive that the investigator is he M1 was closed in both ally brought in to allow trapped ton Keynes and Northampton- Tsuspended on full pay fi ve able to make an objective assess- directions for nine hours motorists to U-turn and travel shire. months after he was arrested as ment and therefore we are not Tafter a suspicious object back down the motorway. Highways England tweeted part of a fraud investigation. able to make any further com- was found under a motorway The bomb scare came two days that the “closures remain due Ged Fitzgerald was arrested in ment at this stage.” bridge during morning rush hour after the UK terror threat level to ongoing police-led incident- May by police investigating al- The council said it could not yesterday. was reduced from critical to se- trapped traffi c being released by leged fi nancial irregularities at say who was carrying out the A bomb disposal squad used vere on Sunday following the being turned round – this will Lancashire county council when independent investigation or a robot to investigate the object, Parsons Green attack last week. take time”. he was in charge there. when it began. Lancashire po- which was found to have no ex- Nine hours after the object was Traffi c on the northbound side He was held on suspicion of lice launched an investigation plosive element. spotted, chief inspector Mark of the motorway was cleared conspiracy to pervert the course in 2013 into allegations of fraud Traffi c was stationary for most Lewis, of the Thames Valley through Newport Pagnell servic- of justice and witness intimi- over a £5mn contract with One of the day between junctions 14 roads policing unit, said the M1 es, while southbound traffi c was dation but not on suspicion of Connect, a joint venture between and 15, with travellers playing had reopened northbound but turned around. fraud. He is due to answer bail Lancashire county council and football, rugby and frisbee on the would remain closed southbound A Highways England spokes- later this year. BT to run some services. deserted motorway. at junction 15. man said the incident was likely Fitzgerald stepped aside from The deal was agreed by the “Investigation by the EOD (ex- “There is no evidence to sug- to take several hours to re- his Liverpool role after his arrest, then Conservative-led admin- plosive ordnance disposal) can gest that this is a terrorist-relat- solve, with 3km to 4km of traffi c and was formally suspended at istration, whose leader, Geoff confi rm there is no explosive el- ed incident. The object does not trapped at a standstill and long a disciplinary panel meeting on Driver, was also arrested on May ement to the object found,” said contain an improvised explosive delays elsewhere. Monday. 22. It was later cancelled by a La- Thames Valley police in a state- device and therefore there has The package was found at A council spokesman said Fit- bour-controlled administration. ment, almost seven hours after been no controlled explosion,” about 7.30am. A journalist from zgerald would continue to receive In January Lancashire’s police it was reported. Investigators are Lewis said. BBC Look East fi lmed the arrival More than 100 firefighters spent the night tackling his full £200,000-a-year salary and crime and commissioner, continuing a chemical analysis of “However, the object contains of the bomb disposal unit. a huge blaze which tore through a storage depot while an independent investiga- Clive Grunshaw, said the inves- the object to determine its make- a highly corrosive material which Former England cricketer in Tottenham. One person was injured in the fire at tion was carried out. tigation had cost £2mn to date up. has leaked across lanes one and James Taylor, who was stuck in the St George’s industrial estate in White Hart Lane, “We must stress this is a neu- and 22 police offi cers were work- BBC footage showed the two, therefore the clear-up proc- the tailback, posted a video of a which broke out just before 8pm on Monday. The tral act to allow an independent ing on it. Fitzgerald and Driver bomb disposal robot approach- ess will take a signifi cant amount man skateboarding along the de- cause of the fire is not yet known. investigation into issues, includ- are due to answer police bail on ing what appeared to be a black of time.” serted motorway. ing potential reputational im- November 22. Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 15 EUROPE Merkel shrugs off hecklers as surveys

Merkel receives flowers from a refugee after she gave a speech at an point to fourth term election rally in Schwerin, northern Germany. Reuters ment for the fi rst time. “People who whistle and group in Germany’s parliament Forsa for RTL television and In fresh positive news from the the election, rather than whether Wismar, Germany An opinion poll published yes- heckle contribute little,” Merkel in more than 50 years. Stern magazine, showed support economy, the Mannheim-based she will stay in power. terday by the Frankfurter Allge- told a CDU rally in the northeast- The AfD has capitalised on for Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc fell ZEW research institute said the The latest polls put support meine Zeitung (FAZ) daily put the ern port town of Wismar, not far discontent over the infl ux of 1mn one percentage point in the last mood among German investors for the far-left party Die Linke at erman Chancellor Angela AfD on 10%, up two points since from where she grew up. migrants into Germany in 2015 week to 36%, its lowest since improved more than expected in 9-10%, and the environmentalist Merkel is on track to win the end of August, while Mer- Merkel was unperturbed when and 2016, but the other parties all April, while the SPD was un- September as worries about the Greens on 8%. Ga fourth term in Sunday’s kel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) a man shouted “Traitor to the refuse to work with the AfD and changed on 23%. stronger euro faded. This means that only an- national election despite a dip in and their Bavarian CSU (Chris- fatherland” during her speech, no one wants to sit next to them SPD leader Martin Schulz has The ZEW survey suggested other grand coalition of Mer- support for her conservatives, a tian Socialists) allies slipped two while several dozen supporters in parliament. been campaigning against in- markets expect Germany to con- kel’s conservatives with the SPD poll showed yesterday, and she points to 36.5%. of the far-right National Demo- Merkel contrasted yesterday’s equality, but his message has tinue its solid performance in or a three-way alliance of the shrugged off calls to quit from However, the CDU/CSU re- cratic Party gathered outside, hecklers with the contribution of failed to gain traction at a time the coming months, buoyed by conservatives, FDP and Greens far-right hecklers. main far ahead of the centre-left carrying posters reading “Merkel 30mn Germans who are involved when unemployment is at its record-high employment, rising would have a stable majority. Merkel has been repeatedly Social Democrats (SPD), which must go!” in voluntary associations, in- lowest in decades. real wages and ultra-low bor- The Allensbach poll showed booed during the election cam- were also down two points on Hundreds of AfD party mem- cluding those who help support The Allensbach poll showed rowing costs supporting a con- 23% of voters would prefer a coa- paign, particularly in Germany’s 22%, according to the poll con- bers and anti-Islam activists ral- refugees. that 21% think the CDU has done sumer-led upswing. lition of conservatives with the formerly Communist east, where ducted by Allensbach for the lied together in the eastern city But she added that the recent the best job to address the issues With Merkel’s conservatives FDP, while 14% want a continu- support is strongest for the anti- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, of Dresden on Monday, count- wave of migrants “should not and that interest voters, compared to commanding a solid poll lead, the ation of the current grand coali- immigration Alternative for Ger- while the business-friendly Free ing down the days to a vote set to will not be repeated”. 15% for the SPD and 14% for the main question in Germany now tion and 10% favour an alliance many (AfD), set to enter parlia- Democrats edged up to 11%. make the AfD the fi rst far-right Another poll, conducted by AfD. is who she will govern with after of SPD, Linke and Greens.

Russia unveils Kalashnikov monument Trial of Paris police Catalan

Reuters car attackers delayed mayors Moscow

AFP tion by police over violence di- stay silent ussia has unveiled a statue Paris rected against offi cers by anti- of Mikhail Kalashnikov, government protesters. Rinventor of the AK-47 The attackers struck after in vote assault rifl e that became, by he trial of nine men over they had broken away from some estimates, the most lethal a dramatic attack on a counter-demonstration modern weapon ever made and TParis police, whose car against police brutality. probe the best known Russian brand was torched while they were Philippy, who was nick- abroad. still inside, was delayed after named “Kung Fu cop” for his Perched atop a pedestal in a getting off to a chaotic start technical prowess in defend- Reuters tiny square on Moscow’s busy yesterday. ing himself against the blows Barcelona Garden Ring thoroughfare, the Hearings will resume today he received, is a civil plaintiff in statue of Kalashnikov, who died – in a bigger courtroom – after the case, along with his female in 2013, has him dressed in a defence lawyers twice inter- colleague, Allison Barthelemy, he fi rst of hundreds of bomber jacket and clutching an rupted with legal complaints and the Alliance police union. Catalan mayors sum- AK-47 in both hands. and as the defendants’ sup- Six of the defendants are Tmoned to answer ques- “I created a weapon for the porters protested outside the charged with “aggravated tions on why they have backed defence of my fatherland,” runs packed court. violence against police offi c- a banned October 1 referendum a Kalashnikov quote hewn on Dozens of radical leftist pro- ers” and face up to 10 years in on independence from Spain ap- the pedestal. testers gathered outside greet- prison. peared before the state prosecu- At the unveiling ceremony, a ed the trial’s postponement Three have been in custody tor yesterday amid cheers and Kremlin guard of honour stood with shouts of “everyone hates since the assault, while fi ve are chants from supporters. to attention as Russia’s national the legal system”. under house arrest. The fi rst three mayors to de- anthem played. The slogan recalled chants Some have admitted their clare exercised their right to re- “This weapon is Russia’s de- of “everyone hates the police” involvement. main silent, the Association of fence. It’s one of Russia’s sym- Honour guards march during the unveiling ceremony of a statue of Kalashnikov in downtown Moscow. during protests against alleged The man who is accused of Municipalities for Independence bols. Alas, for life to continue, police brutality. throwing the fl are into the po- (AMI) said. for lovely children to grow up, concern said on its website. cheap and sturdy rifl e has been been numerous modifi cations Videos of the May 2016 inci- lice car, a Swiss resident, is on Years of separatist feeling in for beautiful women in Russia, Kalashnikovs are in service in used by gangsters, drug traffi ck- since then. dent show black-clad youths, the run. the industrial northeastern re- there must be a weapon,” the 50 foreign armies, it said. ers, militants and rebels of all The Kalashnikov rifl e is “a most with their faces covered, The day of the attack saw gion will come to a head in less monument’s sculptor, Salavat Military experts say the AK- stripes. true cultural brand of Rus- surrounding the car in traffi c in police rallies across France de- than two weeks as the fi ercely Shcherbakov, told reporters. 47 has killed more people than The off spring of a large peas- sia”, Russian Culture Minister central Paris. crying violence suff ered dur- pro-independence regional gov- The AK-47, the small-arms all other types of modern weap- ant family, Mikhail Kalashnikov Vladimir Medinsky said at the One can be seen kicking in ing a wave of protests last year ernment calls a referendum on mainstay of Russia’s armed ons taken together. started working on a new au- ceremony. the window on the driver’s against labour reforms initi- splitting from Spain. forces for more than 60 years, Kalashnikov, who died aged tomatic fi rearm for the Soviet The unveiling of the monu- side, and another hurling a ated by the deeply unpopular Madrid has declared the refer- is also featured on the national 94, had repeatedly said that Red Army after he was wounded ment was timed to coincide fl are into the vehicle, eventu- government of then-president endum illegal and the Constitu- emblems of a number of Afri- pride in his invention was mixed during World War II. with Armsmakers’ Day marked ally causing it to burst into Francois Hollande. tional Court has suspended the can nations and on that of East with the pain of seeing the He won a state competition in Russia yesterday. fl ames. Offi cers said their resources vote that was approved by the Timor. weapon used by criminals and to select a new weapon, beating Underscoring the impor- After the driver, Kevin were dangerously stretched regional government earlier this Every fi fth fi rearm in the child soldiers. the Soviet Union’s best design- tance of the military industrial Philippy, got out of the car, as- as they oversaw stepped-up month. world is a Kalashnikov and more As well as being embraced by ers of weapons, and it brought complex for Russia’s economy, sailants struck him with metal security measures to counter So far, 745 of 948 municipal than 70mn of the assault rifl es armies, anti-Western revolu- him the Stalin Prize. President Vladimir Putin sent bars. attacks by religious extremists leaders have said they will pro- have been produced over the tionary movements and leftist His fi rst assault rifl e was pro- best wishes to the workers of the The incident took place on while also policing increasingly vide venues for the referendum. past 60 years, the Kalashnikov leaders worldwide, the relatively duced in 1947 and there have sector. the sidelines of a demonstra- restive protests. “Voting is not a crime,” said Marc Solsona, mayor of the town of Mollerussa, one of nearly 750 mayors facing charges of civil disobedience, abuse of offi ce and misuse of public funds, as he left ‘The man who saved the world’ WWI sub found off Belgium the state prosecutor’s offi ce in Barcelona. “I’m just the mayor and I have from World War III dies at 77 AFP to serve my people. I am com- Brussels mitted to the people being able to vote on October 1 in accord- AFP nental ballistic missiles. light after the fall of the Soviet ance with the law passed by the Moscow The offi cer – who had only Union in 1991 and over the years ivers have found a well Catalan parliament and what a few minutes to make a deci- he became the subject of nu- preserved wreck of a happens to me is not important,” sion and was not sure about the merous media reports in Russia DGerman submarine sunk he said. tanislav Petrov, a So- incoming data – dismissed the and abroad. during World War I in the North Solsona smiled, kissed and viet military offi cer who warning as a false alarm. A modest, self-eff acing man, Sea which may have the bodies gripped hands with dozens of Sis widely credited with Had he told his command- Petrov never thought of himself of its crew still on board, Bel- clapping supporters gathered helping prevent a nuclear war ers of an imminent US nuclear as a hero, said his son. gian offi cials said yesterday. outside the state prosecutor’s with the United States, has died strike, the Soviet leadership “My father could not have A diver who has explored the offi ce as he entered to chants of aged 77, his son told AFP yes- – locked in an arms race with cared less. He was always sur- wreck, lying in 30m of water “You are not alone”. terday. Washington – might have or- prised that people were making off the port of Ostend, said the “We consider ourselves privi- Petrov, whose extraordinary dered a retaliatory strike. a hero out of him,” he said. good condition of the subma- leged to have a mayor who rep- story was told in a documentary Instead the 44-year-old “He simply did his job well,” rine suggested the remains of resents the townspeople above titled The Man Who Saved the lieutenant colonel reported a Petrov’s son said, adding that its 23 crew could still be inside. any other interests – political World, received several inter- system malfunction and an in- his father received some hun- It is the 11th German sub- or fi nancial,” said 63-year-old national awards, was honoured vestigation that followed after- dred letters from Europeans marine from the 1914-18 war to pensioner Angel Tena, who had at the United Nations and met wards proved he was right. thanking him for averting the be found in Belgian waters and travelled to Barcelona to support Hollywood superstars such as Petrov came home only sev- outbreak of a nuclear war. the best-preserved example to The wreck of a World War I submarine, possibly still containing the the mayor. Robert De Niro and Matt Da- eral days later but did not tell The Man Who Saved the date, Thomas Termote, a diver bodies of 23 crew members, found off the Belgian coast, is seen in Separately, police continued mon. his family about what had hap- World, a documentary fi lm di- and expert in marine archaeol- this handout picture provided by KB Vlaanderen. their search for ballot boxes, Yet Petrov lived in a small pened. rected by Danish fi lmmaker ogy who found the wreck this voting papers and campaign town outside Moscow and died “He came home knackered Peter Anthony and narrated by summer, told AFP. tact, everything is still closed has not been discovered be- leafl ets, raiding the offi ces of in relative obscurity on May 19, but did not tell us anything,” his US actor Kevin Costner, was re- “We thought that all the big – that’s what he (Termote) saw fore and moreover the 23 crew Spain’s biggest private delivery his death making headlines in son Dmitry said. leased in 2014. wrecks had already been dis- during his fi rst visit this sum- members are still inside,” De- company Unipost in the Catalan Russia and abroad only months Several months later Petrov Footage of the elderly Petrov covered so this was a total sur- mer,” Jan Mees, head of the caluwe said. city of Terrassa, Spanish media later when a German friend received an award “for services is combined with re-enact- prise,” Termote told AFP. Flanders Marine Institute told The German embassy in Bel- reported. wrote a blog post about his to the Fatherland” but the inci- ments of what happened at that Its exact location is being AFP. gium had been informed, Belga Neither the police nor the in- death. dent at the control centre was secret control centre in 1983. kept secret to deter treasure- The submarine would have news agency reported. terior ministry could confi rm the In September 1983, Petrov kept secret for many years. “I categorically refused to hunters. had 22 crew and a commander During WWI, the German raid, but footage showed doz- was an offi cer on duty at a se- In 1984, he left the mili- be guilty of starting World War He said that the wreck – a on board, West Flanders pro- navy used the Belgian port of ens of people gathered outside cret command centre south of tary and settled in the town of III,” Petrov said in the fi lm. UB-II type torpedo armed boat vincial governor Carl Decaluwe Zeebrugge as a base for its sub- the company’s offi ces chanting Moscow when an alarm went Fryazino some 20km northeast “I felt like I was being led to – was 27m long with the rear told De Standaard newspaper. marines, known as U-boats, to “Out with the occupying forces”, off signalling that the United of Moscow. an execution,” he said of those end partly detached. “All the hatches are still attack shipping in the North handing out voting papers and States had launched interconti- Petrov’s story only came to dramatic moments. “The submarine is very in- closed. This suggests the wreck Sea. laying carnations on police cars. Gulf Times 16 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 INDIA

TRIAL JUDICIARY EVENT STRATEGY POLITICS High court to hear Dileep Two accused in Malegaon Naidu, Manmohan to AAP to launch campaign Yogi completes six bail appeal on Sept 26 2008 blast case get bail speak at ISB summit against high petrol prices months in off ice

The Kerala High Court yesterday said it would A court yesterday granted bail to Sudhakar Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and former The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) yesterday said it Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hear actor Dileep’s fifth bail application in Chaturvedi and Suhakar Dwivedi, accused in prime minister Manmohan Singh will be among will launch a nationwide campaign against the yesterday completed six months in off ice and the Malayalam actress abduction case on the September 2008 Malegaon blast case, on a galaxy of top leaders from various walks of high petrol prices. Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai claimed that rule of law had returned to the September 26. The actor has been in jail grounds of parity. Chaturvedi and Dwivedi, life at the 15th edition of the Indian School of said at a press conference that the party will state under his government and that criminals since July over his alleged involvement in the alias Dayanand Pandey, had sought bail after Business (ISB) Leadership Summit. With the theme hold an emergency meeting of all MLAs and were running scared. Addressing a press conspiracy behind the case. The trial court and the Supreme Court granted bail to Lt Col Prasad “Transforming Tomorrow: The Future Unravelled”, district heads today in Delhi to plan the strategy conference in Lucknow, Adityanath said that the high court had earlier rejected four bail S Purohit, one of the main accused in the case, the summit will be held from September 22 to 24 of the campaign. He said that when the Modi more than 430 police encounters have taken pleas by Dileep. He was arrested soon after the last month. Earlier, another accused in the case, at ISB’s Mohali and Hyderabad campuses. Naidu government came to power the price of crude place in the past six months in which many second round of interrogation on July 10. Since Sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur, was released and Singh will be speaking at the Mohali campus. oil in the international market was $105.5 per criminals have been killed. He said that 1,106 then he has been languishing in the Aluva sub- on bail by the Bombay High Court on health Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, Maharashtra barrel and the price of petrol was Rs71 per litre criminals have also been arrested. The monk- jail. The high court on September 25 will also and other grounds after nearly nine years in Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former in Delhi. Now the international price has more turned-chief minister also said that it was the hear the anticipatory bail pleas of his actress- custody. A powerful bomb exploded near the Indian Space Research Organisation chairman than halved, but the price of petrol in Delhi has first time in 15 years that Uttar Pradesh had a wife Kavya Madhavan and close friend and crowded Nooraji Mosque in Malegaon, around K Radhakrishnan, Minister of State for Civil increased, Rai said. He added that the central government which was bereft of casteism and actor-director Nadirshah in the same case. The 300km north of Mumbai in Nashik district, on the Aviation Jayant Sinha, Manipal CEO Ajay Bakshi, government claimed the high price was due to dynastic politics. “We have ushered in a new abduction took place on February 17 when the evening of September 29, 2008, killing six and and Bollywood director-actor Karan Johar will be state taxes, and because petrol and diesel were style of politics which is development oriented actress was on her way from Thrissur to Kochi. injuring 100 others. among the key speakers. not under the ambit of GST, “but it’s not true.” and focused on youngsters,” he said. Court to hear petition of disqualifi ed MLAs today

IANS cratic” action of Speaker P Dha- fell “into the control of persons Chennai napal in disqualifying 18 legisla- outside their party” besides Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar and Mumtaz Eijaz Shaikh being taken to the court of Thane Judicial Magistrate R T Ingle, who remanded them in eight tors of AIADMK. The DMK party aligning with the DMK, and that days police custody. also demanded the resignation of they had “voluntarily given up olitical developments in Dhanapal and the chief minister. their membership” of the party. Tamil Nadu following the DMK working president M K In a 22-page order disquali- Pdisqualifi cation of 18 ruling Stalin told reports after the meet- fying them, the speaker quoted party legislators gathered mo- ing that they were confi dent that judgments of the Supreme Court mentum yesterday with the arriv- the high court would give “good and other courts to justify his ac- al of Governor C Vidyasagar Rao decisions” on their demand for tion under the anti-defection law Police probe role of Dawood in Chennai and the Madras High an immediate fl oor test in the as- and rules made under that law in Court deciding to hear a petition sembly. the Tamil Nadu Assembly. against the speaker’s action. He virtually ruled out the res- He gave his ruling on a petition Rao, who met federal Home ignation of opposition MLAs by AIADMK chief government in brother’s extortion racket Minister Rajnath Singh in New when a reporter asked him about whip S Rajendiran against the 18 Delhi in the morning, reached it. “Thanks for your wishes. The MLAs allied with Dinakaran that here in the evening. He is ex- high court’s ruling will answer all their action of giving a memoran- IANS other associate Israr Al-Jamil four fl ats and Rs30 lakh as ran- and make the occupants forcibly pected to take stock of the situa- your questions,” he said. Similar dum to the governor that the chief Thane, Maharashtra Sayyad were arrested by a crack som from a builder. The names evacuate prime properties. tion with Chief Minister K Palan- was his reply when asked whether minister lacks their confi dence team of Thane police Anti- of some other builders and poli- The complainant in the iswami before possibly calling a the DMK would stake claim to amounted to voluntarily giving up Extortion Cell led by former ticians have also emerged in the present case – a realtor, who session of the assembly for a trial form the government if the AI- their membership of the party on olice yesterday said they encounter specialist Pradeep investigations,” Singh told re- had suff ered huge debts after of strength, which has been the ADMK government fell. whose symbol they were elected. were probing the involve- Sharma. porters. demonetisation, decided to ap- demand of opposition parties led Addressing a meeting in “It is crystal clear that their act Pment of mafi a don Da- The three were arrested for The police are now examining proach the police after he could by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Tiruchirapalli, sidelined AIADMK is unilateral and would amount to wood Ibrahim in an extortion allegedly running an extortion whether the dreaded Maharash- not comply with the exorbitant and the now-disqualifi ed All In- leader T T V Dinakaran vowed to voluntarily giving of the member- racket after the arrest of his racket since 2013. Three others tra Control of Organised Crime extortion demands. dia Anna Dravida Munnetra Ka- send the “corrupt” Palaniswami ship of the political party to which brother Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar a have been detained for ques- Act (MCOCA) can be applied to Singh said that Kaskar and his zhagam MLAs. government home but ruled out they belong,” Dhanapal said in his day earlier. tioning. Kaskar and Ibrahim. men had demanded four fl ats Meanwhile, in the high court aligning with the DMK if elec- order recalling various actions of Kaskar was taken into custody Kaskar was yesterday pro- The police action on Kaskar is worth Rs50mn each in a posh Justice M Duraiswami agreed to tions were held. the rebel group since giving a let- from his home in south Mum- duced before Thane Judicial expected to nip in the bud certain locality of Thane and cash of hear the petition of the disquali- “We are confi dent of winning ter to the governor on August 22. bai late on Monday night in a Magistrate R T Ingle, who re- organised crime activities that Rs3mn from the complainant. fi ed legislators today. the elections after sending this He rejected their defence that high security operation involv- manded him in eight days police have surfaced again after a lull. Kaskar, who was deported The court will also hear today a government home. We will re- they have not voluntarily given ing multiple police agencies. custody. The police chief said Kaskar from the United Arab Emirates petition fi led earlier by one of the store the rule of MGR and Jayala- up their party membership and According to the police, Kaskar Now, the police are probing has threatened and made extor- in 2003, had been handling his disqualifi ed MLAs P Vetrivel. He lithaa,” he said. that merely meeting the governor was watching the Kaun Banega the direct or indirect involve- tion calls to several builders in fugitive brother’s lucrative re- had approached the court appre- “MGR started AIADMK against would not amount to giving up of Crorepati TV show and eating ment of Ibrahim, believed to be Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mum- alty businesses in Mumbai. hending disqualifi cation. the DMK which is our main en- membership or defection from biryani when they picked him hiding in Pakistan, in the ex- bai. He was implicated in a mur- The DMK held a meeting of emy. How can we join hands with the party. According to them, up from the home of his late sis- tortion racket and will decide The extortion calls were made der case and also the illegal con- its MLAs at the party headquar- the DMK,” he said. their act was completely cov- ter Haseena Parker in Nagpada whether to make him an accused in the name of Ibrahim, and oc- structions in the Sara-Sahara ters and decided to take legal and Meanwhile, the speaker has ered by the judgment of Supreme south Mumbai. in the case, Police Commission- casionally hired gunmen were shopping centre in south Mum- democratic actions to bring down justifi ed his action saying the dis- Court in Balachandra L Jarkiholi Kaskar and a close relative, er Parambir Singh said. brought from outside Mahar- bai but was later acquitted in the AIADMK government. The qualifi ed MLAs had “distanced” and others vs B S Yeddyurappa Mumtaz Eijaz Shaikh and an- “Iqbal Kaskar had demanded ashtra, mainly Bihar, to threaten both cases around a decade ago. party condemned the “undemo- themselves from their party and and others (2011) case. Rahul says he’s ready, but is India ready for him? Mr Modi is the prime minis- tics, creating space of terrorism his being a Gandhi is no fault of to accept the challenge of hav- desperate bid to hang on to the ter of India. He is my prime in Kashmir by joining hands with his. But the sense of entitlement ing Rahul Gandhi as their prime party even from behind bars. In “minister as much as yours. the People’s Democratic Party that is seen to be part of a dy- minister? the normal course nobody would It is his privilege if he decides to (PDP) and ruining the economy Delhi Diary nasty is what Indians have come shed a tear for Sasikala who, as criticise or ridicule me, my fam- through demonetisation and an to loathe. Modi’s AIADMK head of the so-called ‘Mannar- ily or my party while addressing “ill-thought-out” goods and By A K B Krishnan It would have been nice had gudi Mafi a’ that had had a vice public gatherings outside India. services tax (GST). His audience Rahul stopped at that. But he strategy may grip on everything that Jayala- He may be used to such culture, must have been quite well-versed Gulf Times Correspondent seemed to sense that the audi- lithaa did for nearly two dec- but I am not. I shall not criticise in this litany of charges as every ence enjoyed what he was saying boomerang ades, was one of the most hated or ridicule my prime minister or Congressman worth his salt has and so wanted to explain further. persons in one of India’s rich- his party on foreign soil.” been repeating these ad nau- the point here – he will have to go Singh government went down And then he slipped and fell on The death of Jayalalithaa, est states. If anything, Sasikala More than 65% of Indians are seam. back to the same audience and the bottomless pit of corruption his face! ‘Amma-turned-eternal-gener- should never be allowed to come below the age of 35. And close “Hatred, anger and violence say ‘normalcy has been restored’ and the Congress lost nearly eve- “Most parties have that prob- al-secretary’ of All India Anna anywhere near the power struc- to 50% of those are reasonably and the politics of polarisation in India. rything it had worked for over the lem (of dynasties). So don’t give Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ture in the state. educated. So they would under- has raised its ugly head in India Be that as it may, Rahul was past six decades. Strangely, Rahul us the stick. Akhilesh Yadav (of (AIADMK) last December, had But then the way the EPS-OPS stand perspective logic. As for today…liberal journalists being not all bluster and bully at UCB. Gandhi was seen and heard de- Uttar Pradesh) is a dynast. Sta- predictably opened the proverbi- duo went about getting what the senior citizens, condescen- shot, people being lynched be- He was very frank in admitting fending the government at every lin (of Tamil Nadu’s DMK) is a al can of worms within that party they wanted has also left a bitter sion is easily discerned and never cause they are Dalits, Muslims, that his oratorical skills were not turn. We are all blessed with wis- dynast…Even Abhishek Bach- even as it plunged Tamil Nadu taste in mouths of not just the approved. killed on suspicion of eating a patch on Modi’s. “He (Modi) is a dom in hindsight but those who chan is a dynast.” Seriously? Not into a period of political and ad- people of Tamil Nadu but of the So, if the Congress Party vice- beef…this damages India very very good communicator. Prob- aspire to lead nations must be content with that Gandhi went ministrative uncertainty. whole nation. The expulsion by president and its chosen one for badly,” Gandhi told his audience. ably much better than me. He endowed with the ability to look to say: “By the way, last I recall, The party has gone through Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal the prime minister’s chair, Ra- Yes, all this is true. But jour- understands how to give a mes- into the future, in a manner of Ambani’s kids were running their many emotional and structural of 18 ‘rebel’ AIADMK legislators hul Gandhi, during the course nalists have been shot and killed sage to three or four diff erent speaking. business and that was also going highs and lows since then and is just two days before the ma- of his interaction with students earlier too. Minorities of vari- groups in a crowd. So his mes- Rahul’s interaction with on in Infosys.” Now you know now faced with the most defi ning dras High Court was to decide and professors of the Univer- ous hues had suff ered under the saging ability is very subtle and academia was going reasonably why there are so many videos and and existential question in its 45- on their petition seeking a fl oor sity of California at Berkeley Congress rule as well. Lynching very eff ective,” Gandhi told the well. His prepared speech, which cameos about “Rahul Baba” and year life. The post-Jayalalithaa test smacked of gross injustice last week had told the Indian had taken place in several states university audience. he delivered before fi elding ques- “Papu”. Surely the vice-president era has seen the incarceration and sheer desperation. It is quite moderator something along the before. These are home truths Going further he also admit- tions from the moderator and the and soon-to-be-president of In- of the self-appointed heir to her likely that the expulsion would lines mentioned in the opening and there is no escaping from ted that the vision of the Con- audience, dwelt mainly on India’s dian’s grand old party must know throne, Sasikala, on charges of not pass legal scrutiny. paragraph here, the majority of them. But painting such an in- gress-led United Progressive achievements in various fi elds the diff erence between public life corruption and a tug-of-war for The role of Governor Vidyasa- Indians would have applauded glorious picture of his country Alliance (UPA) government had and its cultural diversity and the and private enterprise. Unless, of power between three diff erent gar Rao, and by extension that of him. I say ‘majority’ because abroad does not sit well on the a “sell-by-date” of 10 years but attendant dividends. Then, as course, he thinks that public life factions. Naturally, the moun- the Narendra Modi government, there will always be two opinions top leader of the main opposi- it had already stopped working if he had gone a little too far, he in the Congress Party is a private tains of money that the party had in providing a long rope to EPS- on anything political in India, so tion party. If eventually Gandhi by 2010, the year after the alli- began listing the negatives. Eve- enterprise! And Infosys? How do amassed through Jayalalithaa OPS also goes against the grain the saff ron brigade would have becomes prime minister – ac- ance returned to power. Reports rything came unstuck when he you want to interpret that one? were at the centre of the tussle. of democratic norms. Modi, who looked for, and found, something cording to economist and senior reaching here don’t say if anyone was asked about dynastic politics Rahul was asked if he was Now, two of the factions, re- swears by equitability and de- else to beat Gandhi with. Bharatiya Janata Party politician in the audience asked why, and if in India and how he, as a member ready to accept the challenges of spectively led by incumbent mocracy for 1.25bn Indians at As it was, Gandhi never trou- Subramanian Swamy there are it had stopped working, did he do of the Gandhi dynasty, viewed the high offi ce he is aspiring to Chief Minister Edapadi Palan- every opportunity he gets, seems bled much of India with any such apparently constitutional provi- anything in the next four years to it. “Don’t get after me because occupy. “Yes, I am ready,” he said. iswami (EPS)and Ottakara Pan- to have conveniently put aside lofty magnanimity. He accused sions that will prevent him from revive that vision. Those were the that’s how the entire country is But the more important ques- eerselvam (OPS) have come to- such higher ideals for the time Modi of promoting divisive poli- getting that post but that’s beside four years when the Manmohan running,” said Rahul. Naturally, tion could be: Are Indians ready gether to put an end to Sasikala’s being. Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 17 INDIA

Narmada activists vow not to give up fi ght against evictions

Reuters The project will provide power the resettlement and rehabilita- dollar Narmada Valley develop- on agricultural land – and dis- rehabilitation programme,” said Less than a fi fth have been re- Mumbai and water to millions in Gu- tion of people is not complete” ment project to provide water rupted the lives of tens of thou- Ravi Chellam, executive director settled. jarat, Maharashtra and Madhya said Madhuresh Kumar, an NBA and power through a series of sands more. of Greenpeace India. In February, the Supreme Pradesh states. campaigner. dams, reservoirs and canals. Thousands have still not been The project also has an “im- Court asked Madhya Pradesh ctivists have vowed to Ahead of the inauguration “In the past, the inaugura- The project has been mired compensated, it said. measurable cost” in terms of the to complete resettlement sites keep fi ghting for the tens ceremony, protesters led by so- tion of a project meant people in controversy since it was con- Nearly 200 villages and tracts destruction of forests, biodiver- by July 31, and pay Rs6mn Aof thousands of people cial activist Medha Patkar of the were forgotten and left to fend ceived in the 1960s, with pro- of agricultural land are being sity and ecosystems, he said. ($94,000) to each of the 681 displaced by India’s biggest dam Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) for themselves. But where peo- tracted battles over water shar- submerged by a planned increase About 65mn people were dis- families who did not receive any to be resettled and compensated. movement, stood in waist-deep ple have continued to fi ght, there ing, evictions and compensation. in the height of the dam. placed in India by dams, high- compensation. Prime Minister Narendra Narmada water, demanding help have been victories, so we will Construction began in 1987. The dam “signals ruin not ways, mines, power plants and But the resettlement sites are Modi on Sunday dedicated the for the some 40,000 families continue to fi ght,” he told the The NBA has said the dam dis- development for tens of thou- airports between 1950 and 2005, unfi nished and inadequate, say controversial Sardar Sarovar uprooted by the project. Thomson Reuters Foundation. placed 320,000 people – many sands of unsuspecting, hapless according to Geneva-based In- campaigners who were roughed Dam on the Narmada river to the “The dam may be complete, The Sardar Sarovar dam is the of them poor tribal families and and poor farmers and Adivasis ternal Displacement Monitoring up by police during a protest last people of India. but the project is not complete, centrepiece of the multi-billion farmers who were not resettled in the absence of a just and fair Centre. month in Madhya Pradesh. Mobile app A force to reckon with aims to help end child marriages

Reuters reluctant to prosecute off end- Patna ers. While boys also marry be- fore the legal age of 21, girls mobile phone app is are disproportionately af- the latest tool for cam- fected. A paigners seeking to Early marriage makes it end child marriage in Bihar, more likely that girls will where nearly two-thirds of drop out of school, and cam- girls in some of its rural areas paigners say it also increases are married before the legal risks of sexual violence, do- age of 18. mestic abuse and death in The app, Bandhan Tod, was childbirth. developed by Gender Alliance Legal efforts have failed – a collective of more than to break the stranglehold of A commando of Mumbai’s anti-terror outfit Force One slithers across two buildings during a demonstration in India’s financial capital yesterday. 270 charities in Bihar fo- tradition and culture that cused on gender rights – and continues to support child launched this week by Deputy marriage, charity ActionAid Chief Minister Sushil Kumar India said in a report this Modi. year. It is backed by the United When the SOS on Bandhan Nations Population Fund. Tod is activated, the nearest India ranks among countries small NGO will attempt to re- with the highest rates of child solve the issue. marriage in the world, ac- If the family resists, then the counting for a third of the glo- police will be notifi ed, said Ti- Chakma refugees to get bal total of more than 700mn wary. women, according to Unicef, A similar app in West Bengal the United Nations children’s state to report child marriage agency. and traffi cking of women and Bandhan Tod – meaning children has helped prevent “break the binds” – includes several such instances, ac- classes on child marriage cording to Child in Need Insti- citizenship, not land and dowries, and their ill ef- tute, which launched the app fects. in 2015. Agencies people in these states are pro- Afghans, Bangladeshis and Ro- them sort of citizenship,” said many have crossed into India. It also has an SOS button Other eff orts include a cash New Delhi tected. hingyas from Myanmar. Walter Fernandes, a senior fel- Analysts say granting citizen- that notifi es the team when incentive, where the state “We are trying to tell the Su- They are all considered for- low at the North Eastern Social ship to the Chakma and Hajong activated. transfers a sum of money to preme Court that giving Chak- eigners by law, with limits on Research Centre in Guwahati in is in line with Prime Minister “The app is a big part of our the girl’s bank account if she hakma and Hajong refu- mas and Hajongs the same rights their movement within and Assam. Narendra Modi government’s efforts to end child marriage remains in school and unwed gees who fl ed to India is not acceptable to us,” junior outside the country, and barred “But giving tens of thousands plan to favour non-Muslim im- in the state,” said Prashanti at age 18. Cfrom Bangladesh more home minister Kiren Rijiju told from government schools and rights in the small northeastern migrants. Tiwary, head of Gender Alli- Suppliers of wedding than fi ve decades ago are set to reporters on Monday. jobs, as well as welfare benefi ts. states can be a problem. Jobs are The government’s Citizenship ance. tents in Rajasthan state have get limited citizenship in India, The chief minister of Aru- The Chittagong Hill Tracts re- not plentiful, land is scarce, and (Amendment) Bill, 2016 pro- “Education is good, but stopped dozens of child but offi cials say they cannot be nachal Pradesh, where most of gion in the southeast of Bangla- it can shift the balance of power posed to make illegal migrants when a young girl wants help marriages by alerting offi- given land or tribal rights as that the refugees live, has said such desh has been the site of violent in small constituencies,” he said. who are Hindus, Sikhs, Bud- because she is being forced cials. may trigger confl ict. a move would change the demo- ethnic confl ict for decades, dis- The decision to grant citizen- dhists and Christians eligible for to marry before the legal age, “It will take a change in The federal home ministry last graphics of the state which has a placing tens of thousands of in- ship to the Chakma and Hajong citizenship. the app can be her way out,” mindset and behaviour to end week said it would comply with a predominantly tribal population digenous people from what was comes as India is under fi re for Earlier this year, the govern- she told the Thomson Reuters child marriage,” said Tiwary, 2015 Supreme Court order to grant with special rights including then East Pakistan. its plan to deport some 40,000 ment began issuing Tibetan ref- Foundation. who is lobbying the govern- citizenship to some 54,000 Chak- over land. The Chakma and Hajong Rohingya Muslims who face per- ugees Indian passports. Despite a law banning ment to raise the marriage age ma and Hajong, who are Bud- India is not a signatory to the settled in India’s Arunachal secution in Myanmar. They can get limited citizen- girls from marrying before for women to 21, so they have dhists and Hindus, respectively. 1951 Refugee Convention, which Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, Mizo- On Monday, the home min- ship rights, and cannot own they turn 18, the practice is the same opportunities as But following protests from spells out refugee rights and state ram, Meghalaya and West Bengal istry told the Supreme Court land. deeply rooted in tradition men. the northeastern states where responsibilities to protect them. states. its hardline stance was justified The Chakma and Hajong refu- and widely accepted in In- “But technology provides a most of them had settled, a sen- Nor does it have a domes- “The Chakma and Hajong by the security threat posed by gees – who are half as numerous dian society. practical and accessible way to ior offi cial said the Indian gov- tic law to protect the more than have been hanging around for the immigrants, hundreds of as Tibetan refugees in India – It is rarely reported as a help prevent it on the ground,” ernment would appeal the order 200,000 refugees it hosts, in- decades without any rights, so thousands of whom have fled want full rights, a representative crime and offi cials are often she said. so that the rights of indigenous cluding Tibetans, Sri Lankans, there is defi nitely a need to give to Bangladesh, from where said. Ivanka, Sushma discuss Journalists slam govt women empowerment ‘control’ over press IANS Raza said: “Our society is a rag- New Delhi tag collective of various fac- IANS agreed upon by President Trump About its focus on women, tions. How did the birth of such New York and Prime Minister Naren- she said: “Women represent tre- a work (Constitution) come dra Modi during his visit to the mendous promise for economic everal journalists and about ? I always wonder... If White House in June and Trump growth and prosperity - but both activists yesterday at- these pillars of democracy (ju- S President Donald announced his daughter would developing and developed coun- Stacked the government diciary, legislature, executive, Trump’s daughter Ivanka lead the US delegation. tries also face tremendous barri- for breeding an “environment media) are going to crumble Uand External Aff airs Min- “Women First, Prosperity for ers to building businesses.” of fear” among the press. one after another then the cost ister Sushma Swaraj discussed All” is the theme of the GES to More than 1,000 emerging en- At an event titled ‘Safe- of erecting them again would here women empowerment and be held in November, an appro- trepreneurs, investors and sup- guarding the Constitution: prove to be much costlier. So, I the upcoming Global Entrepre- priate topic for Ivanka, who is an porters from around the world Are the Pillars of Democracy say that we need to oppose the neurship Summit in Hyderabad. entrepreneur in her own right are expected at the GES. Crumbling’, panellists decried forces which work towards di- Ivanka Trump, who has the having started her own line of Ivanka was behind the crea- “muzzling” of press freedom viding us, now.” offi cial title of Adviser to the jewellery, handbags, shoes and tion of the World Bank fund for and the murder of journalist Annie Raja, general secre- President, tweeted afterwards: other fashion accessories, be- women entrepreneurs, which Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru. tary of National Federation of “I have long respected India’s sides working in her father’s real has a target of making $1bn for “....(Prime Minister Naren- Indian Women, said that peo- accomplished and charismatic estate business. women entrepreneurs. dra) Modi has not done even ple were getting disenchanted Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, US State Department spokes- She has also advocated equal a single press conference in with Modi – which was not the and it was an honour to meet her person for South Asian media, pay for women and improving three years of his government. case until six months ago. today. Helaena White, called the GES work conditions for women. He likes to have one-way com- “He gave us all kinds of “We had a great discussion on “a further sign of our broad and Meanwhile, Swaraj yesterday munication only, as through rhyming slogans, Make in In- women entrepreneurship, the enduring partnership”. reaffi rmed India’s commitment his radio address ‘Mann’ ki dia, Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, upcoming GES2017 and work- “The event will highlight In- to the Palestinian cause and soli- Baat’,” the New Indian Express’ but not even once he men- force development in the US dia’s enabling environment for darity with the Palestinian peo- Consulting Editor Gurbir tioned the Women Reserva- and India,” she tweeted after the innovation and entrepreneurship, ple. Singh said. tion bill. They are using wom- Monday meeting. including actions by the govern- “India’s support for the Pales- He termed the attempted en as a weapon now to execute External Aff airs Ministry ment to increase the ease of doing tinian people and the Palestinian ban on NDTV news channel their propaganda, as a child- spokesman Raveesh Kumar said business, eliminating unneces- cause is historical, going back to one instance of muscle-fl ex- bearing machine to counter they also discussed social issues. sary regulations and supporting a period before our own inde- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj meets Ivanka Trump in ing by the government. the ‘increasing’ Muslims,” she Holding the GES in India was startups,” White said. pendence,” Swaraj said. New York. Poet and scientist Gauhar said. Gulf Times 18 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 LATIN AMERICA

FALLOUT ENTERTAINMENT DECISION INDUSTRIAL ACTION CO-OPERATION Ride-hailing firm’s permit Mexico govt plans Panama allows extradition Airline suspends ticket Colombia thanks UN for revoked after murder Mayan theme park of ‘tainted’ ex-governor sales amid strike threat help in achieving peace

The central Mexican state of Puebla said it had Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has Panama has agreed to extradite a former state Colombia’s flagship airline Avianca said it would Colombia’s president yesterday thanked the revoked the operating licence of ride-hailing firm announced plans for an $840mn Mayan theme governor from Mexico’s ruling Institutional suspend the sale of tickets to local destinations United Nations for its help in achieving peace Cabify after one of its drivers was arrested on park on the Caribbean coast to rival the major Revolutionary Party (PRI) who is wanted in after more than half of its Colombian pilots with the country’s largest rebel group and in the suspicion of murdering a female passenger. The theme parks in the US. The park, dubbed his homeland on corruption charges, the two voted last week to hold an indefinite strike over process “exchanging bullets for voting slips.” body of Mara Fernanda Castilla, 19, was found near Amikoo — or “friend” in the Mayan language — countries said. Roberto Borge, who from 2010 to wages and benefits. The airline said it would Colombia’s Revolutionary Armed Forces of a motel in the city of Puebla on Friday, sparking will have rides and characters based on Mayan 2016 was governor of the state of Quintana Roo, stop ticket sales for today until September 22 to Colombia (Farc) rebel group off icially entered weekend protests about violence against women mythology and be built in two phases in the home to the tourist resort Cancun, was detained in maintain service quality and mitigate operational the world of politics in early September after in various parts of Mexico. Diodoro Carrasco, so-called Riviera Maya, a stretch of pristine Panama City airport in June with the aid of Interpol problems the work stoppage could cause. “We more than half a century of armed conflict with Puebla’s interior minister, told a news conference beaches on Mexico’s southeastern coast. as he was preparing to board a flight to Paris. have suspended the sale of tickets to and from the government. President Juan Manuel Santos the state had withdrawn the licence of the Madrid- “We’re going to compete with other (parks) in Mexican prosecutors accuse Borge of using funds destinations in Colombia for September 20, 21 said the former guerrilla group had become “a based Cabify due to “irregularities in its security the US, and I’m sure ours will be better,” Pena obtained illegally, embezzlement and abuse of and 22. This measure is intended to mitigate political movement to defend their ideas and protocols.” Prosecutors said they believe the driver, Nieto said at a ceremony. Pena Nieto said the public off ice. The Mexican foreign ministry said in potential damages in the operation,” Avianca said proposals in democratic form,” in his speech to identified only as Ricardo N, killed Castilla at the park would bolster Mexico’s place as a “high- a statement Panama’s foreign ministry had notified in a statement. The strike is expected to begin at the UN General Assembly. “This is what a peace motel after she had hailed a car with the service. quality tourism destination.” Borge that the extradition was going ahead. some point between today and September 27. process is about,” Santos added. Macri banks Strong quake rocks Mexico on popular governor to fi ght Fernandez

Reuters gentines for her generous social Buenos Aires spending, her critics say her growth-at-all-costs policies stoked infl ation and distorted rgentine President Mau- the economy through heavy cur- ricio Macri’s main de- rency controls during her 2007- Afender against a come- 2015 administrations. back by his populist predecessor Investors in Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez in October’s $550bn economy are therefore legislative elections is someone focused on how many votes whose name is not even on the Fernandez and her list of con- ballot. gressional candidates get versus Buenos Aires governor Maria Macri’s coalition. Eugenia Vidal has been handed “This election is about elec- the role of ensuring Macri’s “Let’s toral power and Cristina’s abil- Change” coalition wins more ity to make a comeback. It is not votes than Fernandez, who is run- about legislative power,” said Ju- Police off icers cordon off an area after a building collapsed during a quake in Mexico City yesterday. A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico yesterday sending ning for a senate seat in Argen- lio Burdman, head of local poll- people fleeing into the street. The quake hit only hours after many people participated in earthquake drills around the nation on the anniversary of the devastating tina’s most populous province. ing fi rm Observatorio Electoral, quake that killed thousands in Mexico City in 1985. The quake hit 8km southeast of Atencingo in the central state of Puebla at a depth of 51km, the US Geological A poll published yesterday referring to the mid-term vote. Survey said. Luis Felipe Puente, the head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, said on his Twitter account that there were no immediate reports of damages. shows Vidal, 44, is more popu- “Vidal is like Captain America. lar than Macri and holds the key She was created as a super- to keeping Fernandez at bay in soldier for Macri to win his war Buenos Aires. against Cristina,” he added. Home to about 40 % of Ar- Vidal, a former welfare admin- gentine voters, the province is istrator known for her common the gateway to the presidency. touch with working families, has Billions of dollars in potential in- become a political juggernaut vestment and the future of Latin just when Macri needs her to America’s No 3 economy hang in defl ect fallout out from his un- the balance. popular subsidy cuts and other Venezuela govt rejects Investors eyeing Argentina’s fi scal tightening measures. vast oil and mineral wealth want Some 38.2 % of respondents Macri’s coalition to block any in the Observatorio Electoral chance of his political nemesis poll said they plan to vote for the Fernandez returning to the pres- list headed by Macri ally Esteban idency in 2019. Bullrich, a little-known former They hope that will turn education minister. ‘racist’ Trump threats the page on the free-spending After making a series of gaff es populist governments that have early in the campaign, he has Agencies from President Trump or who- the situation in Venezuela Assembly Temer noted that his continuously,” Temer said. ruled Argentina on-and-off for been accompanied by Vidal at United Nations, US ever in the world. We are people “completely unacceptable” and country has taken in thousands “We stand by and support the seven decades since the days of most rallies. Fernandez’s list of peace — peaceful people — called for help so the country’s of Venezuelans. “The human Venezuelan people with whom Juan and Evita Peron. trailed with 35.8% in the opinion and we want relations of mutual people can “regain their free- rights situation in Venezuela we are linked by brotherly con- Macri, a scion of a wealthy poll. enezuela yesterday ac- respect,” Arreaza told reporters dom, recover their country and has regrettably deteriorated nections,” he said. business family, has a posi- The diff erence was within the cused Donald Trump of at the United Nations. restore their democracy.” tive image with 44.2% of those survey’s 3.2 point margin of er- Vracism and seeking a new He called Trump’s fi rst “The US has taken important Maduro blamed for detained activist’s death polled in Buenos Aires province, ror. So with 7.1% of voters still Cold War after the US president speech at the United Nations steps to hold the regime account- with Fernandez trailing at 35.1%, undecided as of Friday, it is still told the United Nations he was “sad for the world,” saying he able. We are prepared to take fur- Venezuela’s opposition has protests and having money according to the Observatorio anybody’s race. ready to act to “restore their de- “talked as a general of the army, ther action if the government of blamed President Nicolas planted on him, his party Electoral survey. Vidal is meanwhile walking mocracy.” to invade other countries.” Venezuela persists on its path to Maduro’s government for said. Two days before his Vidal, however, comfortably the province, ringing doorbells “This racist and supremacist Venezuela has been rocked impose authoritarian rule on the the death of a sick activist death on Sunday, Garcia was bests them both with 49.8%. and taking to the airwaves as a theory which he’s exposing, by months of economic chaos Venezuelan people,” Trump said. in detention, saying he was granted house arrest but was Argentina’s electoral list sys- bulwark against Fernandez. this return to the Cold War, for and deadly protests as President Meanwhile Brazil President framed and then denied never transported home, tem guarantees that Fernandez In what has become a typical a moment we didn’t know if we Nicolas Maduro consolidates Michel Temer yesterday warned medical help. Carlos Garcia, the Justice First party added will win one of the three Buenos event aimed at weakening Fern- were listening to president Rea- control, including through a that there were “no alternatives a local legislator in western in a statement, saying the Aires province senate seats up andez among her core support- gan in 1982 or President Trump new Constituent Assembly that to democracy” in Venezuela as he Apure state, suff ered a accusations were invented for grabs on October 22. ers, Vidal and Macri visited the in 2017,” Foreign Minister Jorge wrests power from the opposi- voiced solidarity with the people stroke in August after being and he was never allowed Even though Fernandez is suburb of Berazategui on Mon- Arreaza said. tion-dominated legislature. of the crisis-consumed nation. arrested in late 2016 during adequate medical help. loved by millions of poor Ar- day to meet with textile workers. “We do not accept threats In his speech, Trump called Addressing the UN General Scandal-plagued Lula Travel chaos New Peru Cabinet heads Brazil election poll to boost investments Reuters maker and former fi nance Lima minister in the 2006-2011 AFP while much of his government He also faces fi ve more cor- term of former president Alan Brasilia likewise faces graft probes. ruption trials, any one of which Garcia. General elections are due in could result in him being im- eru’s prime minister said Forecasts for an economic October 2018 and Temer, who prisoned or barred from seeking the country’s new Cabi- recovery in Peru hinge on the razil’s scandal-plagued took over last year after Dilma election. Pnet will focus on reviving government increasing public former leftist president Luiz Rousseff was removed in an im- However, the poll found Lula public investments as it seeks investments that fell 10.4% BInacio Lula da Silva and a peachment trial, is not expected would easily win a fi rst election to mend fences with the oppo- year-on-year in the fi rst half tough-talking rightwing con- to seek a new term. round against all comers, with sition party that forced Presi- of 2017. gressman lead voter intentions With voters in an angry, an- around 32% of the vote, com- dent Pedro Pablo Kuczynski to “Now’s the time. We can’t ahead of next year’s presidential ti-establishment mood, the pared to just under 20% for his form a new government. fall behind in this process” of elections, a poll said yesterday. poll commissioned by the Na- nearest rival, the rightwing fi re- Congress ousted the former increasing public investments, Underlining the turmoil in tional Transport Confederation brand Jair Bolsonaro. Cabinet last week following Araoz said. Brazilian politics, the poll also showed high rejection rates for Ecologist Marina Silva, who a dispute over education re- President Kuczynski, a cen- confi rmed plummeting support all probable candidates. got 21% in the fi rst round of the forms, fuelling fears that po- tre-right politician and former for the current centre-right gov- Lula was hugely popular dur- 2014 elections, would now get litical fi ghting might hurt eco- Wall Street banker, vowed to ernment, with 75.6% saying it is ing his 2003-2010 two-term 11% to 12% in scenarios with nomic growth that has already work to modernise Peru and doing a bad job. presidency but his reputation Lula and Bolsonoro. slowed sharply this year due to strengthen the economy of the Only 3.4% think the govern- has been damaged by steep eco- In a runoff second round, Lula fl oods and a graft scandal. world’s second-biggest copper ment is doing a good job, down nomic decline under his hand- would also win, the poll found, Mercedes Araoz, Peru’s new producer. from 10.3% in February. picked successor Rousseff and a hitting more than 40% of the prime minister, said on local But his fi rst year in offi ce More than 84% of those polled mammoth corruption scandal. vote in most scenarios, com- broadcaster RPP that she was has been marked by slowing disapprove of President Michel Investigators have revealed pared to between 15% and 29% optimistic about rebuilding a economic growth and clash- Temer’s performance, while just that swathes of political parties for potential runners-up. working relationship with the es with Congress, where the 10.1% approve, the poll from the and politicians — allegedly in- Bolsonaro, a former para- opposition. right-wing populist party of MDA research institute said. cluding Temer, Lula and many trooper who revels in making A blackout at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, A key test will be eff orts to his former rival Keiko Fujimori Temer is presiding over un- others at the top — took bribes provocative comments runs a Panama – a major hub for Latin America – caused more rapidly rebuild parts of Peru hit has a majority. popular austerity reforms that from big Brazilian companies for strong second in most scenarios than 200 flights to be cancelled and many others delayed, by fl ooding, Araoz said. Fujimori welcomed the new he says will help accelerate Bra- years in exchange for contracts. for fi rst and second rounds. airport off icials said. A malfunction in a circuit panel Congress will likely vote on Cabinet on Twitter after it was zil’s timid exit from its worst re- Lula has been sentenced to Without Lula in the race, Bol- distributing power internally to the facility was to blame, whether to give Araoz’ Cabinet sworn in on Sunday and said cession in history. more than nine years in prison sonaro would win a run-off round according to the airport authority, which set up a “crisis a vote of confi dence in the fi rst Kuczynski’s government still He is also hobbled by several after being convicted of bribe tak- against several more establish- room” to handle the disruption. week of October, she added. has four years to “mend its criminal charges of corruption, ing, but he remains free on appeal. ment candidates, the poll found. Araoz is a ruling party law- ways and make progress.” Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 19 PAKISTAN

4 killed in factory PM Abbasi arrives at UN blast

DPA Islamabad to tackle thorny issues t least four people, in- cluding two bomb dis- Internews casual meetings with Trump. But after the speech, US of- policies are not unifocal.” Aposal experts, were killed Islamabad The US president’s fi rst cas- fi cials said at several briefi ngs Ambassador Chaudhry said yesterday in an explosion at ual meeting yesterday was with that they wanted to hold an ex- that Washington took the initi- a cement factory in southern Bangladesh Prime Minister tensive dialogue with Pakistan ative for arranging the Abbasi- Pakistan, police said. akistani Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when he walked on the Afghan issue because Pence talks. “They initiated it A large store of explosive ma- Shahid Khaqan Abbasi up to her after addressing a UN they desired to work with Is- because they want to re-engage terial, used to break down large Pwill highlight the Kash- Management, Security and De- lamabad in defeating the mili- with Pakistan,” he said. “If you stones for use in the cement- mir and Rohingya issues in his velopment event and greeted tants who were a threat to the want to defi ne the UNGA as making process, was apparently address to the 72nd United Na- her warmly. entire region. a bilateral event, you will be ignited accidentally at the Ro- tions General Assembly and Later in the week, President Washington also tried to send wrong.” hri Cement Factory in southern is likely to use his interactions Trump is also scheduled to two delegations to Islamabad The foreign secretary said the Pakistan’s Sindh province. with American offi cials to halt meet Afghan President Ashraf but Pakistan asked it to re- United States sought to engage A member of the paramilitary a rapid deterioration in US- Ghani. But diplomatic sources schedule the meetings. Pakistan in their eff orts to sta- rangers and a factory worker Pakistan relations. in Washington say that PM Ab- Briefi ng the Pakistani media bilise Afghanistan because “the were also killed in the blast, po- The prime minister, who basi’s meeting with the US vice on the prime minister’s engage- Afghan dispute cannot be re- lice spokesman Mir Bilal Ahmed reached New York yesterday af- president also conforms to the ments in New York, three senior solved without Pakistan”. said. ternoon, is scheduled to meet a Trump administration’s new Pakistani offi cials Foreign Sec- All three rejected the sugges- Four people including a fac- dozen world leaders during his strategy. retary Tehmina Janjua, Perma- tion that Pakistan had allowed tory manager were injured and four-day stay, but all eyes are The administration usually nent Representative to the UN militants to maintain safe ha- taken to hospital. focused on his September 21 brings forward the vice presi- Maleeha Lodhi and Ambassador vens in the country and outlined The explosives had been found meeting with US Vice President dent for detailed, strategic dia- Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry tried to Islamabad’s views on this issue. by paramilitary forces during a Mike Pence. logues and the Abbasi-Pence downplay the impact of US-Pa- “Our policies are made in Pa- sweep of the premises, as part of The US administration sent meeting refl ects Washington’s Abbasi plans to attend the US nounced his new strategy for kistan relations on his engage- kistan. They were never made in heightened security ahead of the not a very subtle message desire for holding serious talks President’s reception for the South Asia in his August 21 ments at the UNGA. Washington and never will be,” holy month of Muharram. while scheduling President with Pakistan on the Afghan world leaders this week, which speech, he blamed Pakistan for “The prime minister is not said Ambassador Lodhi when They called on a bomb dispos- Donald Trump’s engage- issue. could lead to a brief encounter continuing to shelter Taliban here for US-Pakistan rela- asked if the Abbasi-Pence meet- al team, which was attempting to ments with world leaders: However, unlike former prime with Trump. militants – a charge Pakistan tions, this is a global meeting,” ing could change Islamabad’s make the explosives safe when Pakistan was kept out of even minister Nawaz Sharif last year, When President Trump an- vehemently denies. said Ambassador Lodhi. “Our views on Afghanistan. the blast occurred. Gwadar to be Chinese visas for Pakistanis grow by 19.6%

Internews eration between the two peoples a 7.8% growth in the fi rst eight ner does not apply to Pakistanis According to bilateral ar- Karachi is the key point for developing months of 2017 over the same carrying out CPEC projects, he rangement, visa application is developed as the all-weather strategic part- period of last year, “which shows added. Such travellers can apply totally free for all Pakistanis, nership of co-operation between that with the promotion of Chi- for visas without an invitation who are also welcome to the midst widely circulat- China and Pakistan.” na-Pakistan Economic Corridor letter from a duly authorised Chinese Embassy in Islamabad ing complaints from the The spokesman of the Chi- (CPEC) construction, more and entity. and Consulate General in Kara- Abusiness community nese embassy in Pakistan, when more Pakistanis have been to When members from Paki- chi to apply for visas by them- ‘smart port city’ that the government of China asked about the visa complaints, China for trade negotiation and stan’s chambers of commerce selves with complete materials. has been tightening visa rules said from the Chinese side they cultural exchanges.” visit China for the Canton Fair, “Pakistani friends are warmly for Pakistanis, the embassy attach great importance to the The Chinese embassy says it they can apply for visas with welcome to express their dif- Internews in the process of updating the has emphasised that it views exchanges and co-operation be- has been processing visas for invitation letters of Economic fi culties and questions during Islamabad port master plan. Under the growing people-to-people tween the two countries in the Pakistanis on the basis of inter- and Commercial Counsellor’s the visa application process to new plan initiated by the Plan- contact as central to the grow- fi elds of trade, culture, educa- national conventions and “the Offi ce of Chinese Embassy and Chinese Embassy and Consu- ning Commission, the port ing relationship between both tion, science and technology, principal of reciprocity.” letters of guarantee of their own late General in Karachi,” the he Planning Commis- will be considered as a separate countries. amidst much else, and have been In recent years, the spokes- chambers of commerce. spokesman added. sion of Pakistan has entity from the city. “As the ancient Chinese say- committed to creating condi- man added, the Chinese side has “We also extended our open- “We promise that we will fur- Tinitiated the process to The new plan is also de- ing goes, “amity between the tions for facilitating personnel implemented a series of meas- ing hours and sometimes work ther improve our visa facilitat- launch a project for develop- signed to update the existing people holds key to sound re- exchanges. ures for facilitating visa appli- in holidays to ensure applicants, ing measures and off er service of ing Gwadar as an integrated master plan of Gwadar city, lationship between states,” the According to statistics shared cations, which he claimed have especially Pakistani students good quality and high effi ciency ‘smart port city’. and develop strategies for embassy said. by the embassy, the visa issu- “gained good eff ect.” (approximately 22,000 students to promote the exchanges and The plan aims to lever- the establishment of Gwadar “Promoting mutual under- ance volume in 2016 rose 19.6% The requirement to have an are in China now), to get visas co-operation in various fi elds age information technolo- as a preferred economic and standing, exchanges and co-op- over the previous year, and has invitation from a Chinese part- timely,” he said. between China and Pakistan.” gy-based solutions to boost lifestyle destination. economic productivity and The plan will be based on quality of life of Gwadar citi- inclusive and sustainable stra- zens, whilst minimising re- tegic development to ensure source consumption and the socio-economic uplift pollution. of the Makran coast in gen- ‘Pakistan Girl’ takes aim at With the inclusion of the eral and the Gwadar region in port in the China-Pakistan particular. Economic Corridor (CPEC) The plan will recommend project, there is an urgent need regulatory interventions and graft and domestic abuse to update the existing plan to ways and means to develop refl ect the new strategic direc- Gwadar as a special economic tion, a Planning Commission zone (SEZ) and ensure near- By Nasir Jaff ry, AFP girls across Pakistan a role mod- The author said he now plans document said. term economic growth, in- Islamabad el and embolden them to fi ght to work on an Urdu version of The current master plan of cluding trickle-down eff ects. corruption and violence. the comic with the aim of reach- Gwadar city, last updated in It would also suggest “There’s a huge shortage of fe- ing millions of readers across 2005, has two interdependent strategies to facilitate trade, akistan’s newest female male role models and superheroes the country. He is also mulling a elements: the port and the city tourism, community par- superhero has vowed to in the mainstream media here,” possible animation adaption. of Gwadar. ticipation, public-private Pbattle venal offi cials and author Hassan Siddiqui said. But reaching the masses won’t The strategic focus on si- partnerships and industrial protect battered women, as her “We wanted to create a strong be easy. multaneous development is and economic development creator tries to inspire the next female character for the girls Pakistan’s education system has primarily due to the natural, on a national and regional generation to fi ght injustice in in Pakistan and even the young been woefully underfunded for symbolic relationship that level. the society. boys in Pakistan that they can decades, exacerbating illiteracy exists between a port and the The CPEC is already in the The new “Pakistan Girl” comic look up to.” with more than half of the country’s city that surrounds it; one early stages of execution and series is based on Sarah, a nor- Women in Pakistan have eight-year-olds unable to read. cannot be developed without comprises of a comprehensive mal teenager with a pet cat who fought for their rights for dec- According to a 2016 govern- Hassan Siddiqui, creator of the “Pakistan Girl” comic series, poses the other. package of motorways and ex- discovers she has superhuman ades, in a country where so- ment study, a staggering 24mn during an interview with AFP in Islamabad. A shortage of resources, pressways, national and urban powers after waking from a coma called “honour killings” and Pakistani children are out of non-fulfi lment of concession railways, high-speed fi bre- caused by a blast in her village. other violence against women school, with a larger share of tender age when they are building Man’, sold like hot cakes and I hope agreements by the Pakistan optic connectivity and as- Donning a green cape, Paki- remains commonplace. girls staying home than boys – their own images of their future this book, which is already doing good government and the original sociated urban and social in- stan’s national colour, the pro- Netizens on social media have 12.8mn compared to 11.2mn. life,” said Adnan after browsing with sales, will follow suit,” said Ah- concessionaire the Port of frastructure, stretching from tagonist whips a man beating welcomed the comic, writing But new fan and school prin- through a bookstore copy. mad Saeed, owner of Islamabad’s big- Singapore Authority, and the Kashgar to Gwadar. a woman in a market and saves largely positive reviews online cipal Saadia Adnan hopes the Siddiqui’s latest creation fol- gest bookstore Saeed Book Bank. limited commercial activity in Under the plans for the cor- a young girl taken hostage by and calling for more superhero comic will provide a new way to lows the success of his earlier Pakistan Girl also follows in the Gwadar city have together re- ridor, it is envisaged that the a bribe-seeking police offi cer stories in the future. help educate children, while also comic series “Pakistan Man” – a footsteps of the country’s hit 2013 tarded the development of the port would be declared a ‘free’ in the series’ fi rst comic book “It’s a very brilliant step by steering them clear of gender moustachioed hero who battles comic “The Burka Avenger”, which port over the last few years. port to facilitate trans-ship- released this summer. you guys... I’m a big fan of Mar- stereotypes. one nemesis named “The Cor- chronicled the adventures of a As of 2013, the concession ment, and the city would be The creator of the English- vel and DC comics and looking “I think we should be teaching rupter” and another villain re- mild-mannered teacher who fi ghts for the port has been awarded declared a SZE in order to spur language comic says he hopes forward for this too,” wrote fan them through this kind of litera- sponsible for banning YouTube. gangsters trying to close down the to a Chinese operator who is trade and investment. the superhero will give young Syed Hassan Nasir on Facebook. ture because that’s actually the “Siddiqui’s fi rst comic, ‘Pakistan girls’ school where she works.

prepared to tolerate the diff er- ence of opinion among peers and Passengers can get train seat of choice within society. About student politics, the More rail passengers will JazzCash mobile accounts, was also being finalised. Govt plans curriculum minister said that students must now get seats of their choice JazzCash agents, debit or Earlier, PR Chief Executive be given opportunities to express reserved in trains of their credit card of any bank after Off icer Javed Anwar said since their thoughts. “Faculties in the choice from anywhere in getting their seats reserved the introduction of e-ticketing universities must play their due the country as Pakistan through the PR website or system two years ago, the role” in this regard, he added. Railways has entered into Mobile App. turnover of passengers has for Friday sermons University students, the minis- an agreement with a cellular The minister said the PR would increased. ter told the vice chancellors, must company for online tickets fee be able to attract 20 million “At present, we are selling rail also be provided the fora to hone payment. more passengers after the tickets worth Rs10 million daily. Internews concerns that university stu- collective eff orts to prevent our their leadership qualities. “In eve- “We have achieved another introduction of mobile-based With the introduction of this Islamabad dents were found affi liated with youth from accessing the ma- ry university, career counselling historic milestone today in the ticket purchase system. facility we expect to attract extremist organisations. terial based on extremist ide- mechanism must be formulated to journey to modernise Pakistan “The passengers will not some 55m more passengers.” As many as 70 vice chancel- ologies. We have to ensure that evaluate the potential of students Railways (PR) and further have to come to railways Railways Information he government of Paki- lors of national universities par- our youth use social media only for better avenues in future.” facilitate our passengers,” said reservation and booking Technology Wing Director stan is devising “a cur- ticipated in the meeting at the for educational and healthy Talking about the upcoming Minister for Railways Khwaja off ices and stand in queues to General Fahad Rahman said Triculum for Friday ser- Higher Education Commission activities,” he said. International Peace Day, falling Saad Rafique at the agreement get their seats reserved. They through digitised payment mons” which would mainly base through live video conference. “We have to formulate a na- on Thursday, the minister em- signing ceremony at a The Mall can now pay from the comfort system, rail tickets worth on educating people, Interior The minister said that this tional narrative to counter the phasised the day must be cel- hotel yesterday. of their homes,” said Rafique. Rs500m have been sold so far. Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said. was the age of information revo- extremist agenda,” he said, add- ebrated in every university “with Under the agreement He said the restructuring of He said the new e-system Presiding over a meeting on lution and that a battle of ide- ing that the youth must be made the resolve to spread the message between the PR and the railways was also under would also revamp the online implementation of the anti-ter- ologies was under way on social aware of the importance of peace of peace among our youth and JazzCash, rail passenger way while for the first time ticket fees financial reporting ror National Action Plan (NAP), media. enjoined by the Islamic injunc- apprise them of the counter- would now be able to pay a comprehensive service and reconciliation the minister expressed deep “It is our duty to undertake tions. He said students must be narrative against extremism”. for their booked e-tickets via structure for PR employees mechanism at PR. Gulf Times 20 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 PHILIPPINES Actress goes solo to push for end to drug war

Reuters Filipinos remain largely Manila supportive of the campaign as a solution to tackling rampant crime, which Duterte says ae Paner is a police- stems mostly from drug ad- man-turned-assas- diction. Msin, a widowed Zum- Human rights groups, the ba dancer, a photojournalist Catholic Church and opposi- and an orphaned child. tion lawmakers have raised They are all characters in alarm about the killings that her new one-woman show have focused largely on the ur- against a bloody war on drugs ban poor and have not spared in the Philippines. young people. Paner, better known by her More than 3,800 people stage name “Juana Change”, have been killed in police anti- said she wanted to add her drugs operations in the past voice to the condemnation of 15 months and at least 2,100 President Rodrigo Duterte’s other homicides were likely fi erce 15-month-old cam- drug related. paign which has killed thou- Police reject allegations by sands of people. human rights groups that they Senators Risa Hontiveros (left), Antonio Trillanes (third left), Francis Pangilinan (third right) and others raising a three-finger salute, as they launched the Tindig Pilipinas “I feel very strongly that are executing suspected users (Arise Philippines) movement in Manila. we have our work cut out for and dealers. us as artists to wake people Some audience members up, to wake our president who watched a recent per- up, and to tell him that we formance of Paner’s play said are against his war on drugs,” they hoped it would prompt Paner told Reuters Televi- Filipinos to ask questions sion. about the drugs war. Paner portrays four char- “The more this play is acters who are aff ected by the staged — wherever it may be Hunger Games protests drugs war, from the assassin shown, wherever more people grappling with his guilt and can watch it — the more peo- the journalist scarred by im- ple can think and have much ages of the nightly carnage, more informed opinions on to widows and orphans crying this matter,” said Pastor Kakai plan against president out for justice. Pamaran.

AFP Opposition lawmakers and another of those who made the Hunger Games salute, writing with his “V for victory” sign. Manila other members of a new anti- three-fi nger salute. in a Facebook post they were Apart from anger over the Duterte coalition performed Used by the lead character like “girl scouts”. drug war, in which police have the Hunger Games salute in Katniss Everdeen in the Hun- Hand signs are powerful po- reported killing more than 3,800 ritics of Philippine Presi- unison on Monday while an- ger Games series, the salute is litical symbols in the Philip- suspects, critics also allege Du- dent Rodrigo Duterte nouncing protests tomorrow portrayed as a symbol of resist- pines, a riotous democracy with terte is imposing a form authori- Chave adopted the three- against what they said was his ance in a dystopian future where a bloodstained history of mili- tarian rule that could lead to an- fi nger salute from the hit Hunger “path filled with violence, con- youths are forced to engage tary dictatorship. other dictatorship. Games fi lms as a sign of resist- tempt for law and hate”. “Yes, in annual fi ght-to-the-death A generation ago, activists They point to his support ance against his rule and drug we adopted the three-finger combat. used the “L” hand sign to show of the Marcos family, as well war killings. salute to signify resistance, The gesture has since been opposition to the dictatorship of as efforts by his allies in Con- The sign is in contrast to Du- same as that of the Hunger adopted by pro-democracy pro- Ferdinand Marcos, toppled in a gress to impeach the Supreme terte’s own iconic gesture, a Games trilogy,” House of Rep- testers in military junta-ruled bloodless “People Power” revo- Court chief justice and defund clenched fi st raised at or above resentatives member Gary Ale- Thailand. lution in 1986. the Commission on Human eye level that is immensely pop- jano said. Thai protesters have been ar- Supporters of Marcos, who Rights. ular with his support but which “It resonates with many rested for fl ashing the salute. was accused of massive cor- Duterte has repeatedly warned opponents have likened to Nazi young people,” said Emman A pro-Duterte blogger ruption and of killing, jailing he may impose martial law, say- leader Adolf Hitler’s hand sa- Hizon, chief of staff of opposi- known as “Thinking Pinoy” and torturing dissidents during ing military rule could solve lute. tion Senator Risa Hontiveros, ridiculed the opposition’s a 20-year rule, had countered many of the nation’s problems. Mae Paner: drug war critic

Former vice mayor convicted over rape Duterte denies compromise Former vice mayor Romeo Borja Asean lawmakers blocked Jr of Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija was sentenced to a maximum of 40 years imprisonment for two on justice over Marcos ties from visiting De Lima in jail counts of rape filed by his minor house helper, who bore a child from the abuse, Manila Times By Llanesca T Panti Duterte said. The president pushed for the burial DPA reported. In a 23-page decision, Re- Manila Times of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Manila gional Trial Court Branch 38 Judge The former leader was buried there in No- Leo Cecilio Bautista also ordered vember after the Supreme Court ruled that Borja to pay the victim P200,000 resident Rodrigo Duterte has denied there was no legal hindrance to the giving of a our lawmakers belonging for civil indemnity and moral compromising justice because of his hero’s burial to Marcos. to the Asean Parliamen- damages. He was also mandated Pclose ties with the Marcos family. Ftarians for Human Rights to provide support for the victim’s Speaking during the sixth Mandatory Con- “Marcos won and he got my father (APHR) group criticised Philip- child. The court also ordered his tinuing Legal Education Accredited National into his Cabinet. Those are things that pine authorities yesterday for immediate transfer to the new Bili- Convention of Public Attorneys, the president cannot really be…you can’t make it an blocking their visit to Senator bid prison in Muntinlupa City. The said his friendship with the Marcoses started issue (against me) because those are Leila De Lima, a staunch critic of case stemmed from a complaint in decades ago when his father, Vicente Duterte, relationships cemented many years President Rodrigo Dutere, in her 2011 of the victim who was then 17 helped Ferdinand E Marcos get elected as presi- ago, When I ran for the presidency, detention cell. years old, accusing Borja of abus- dent in 1965. the lone governor who supported me The lawmakers — Teddy Ba- ing her from October 2009 until “Marcos won and he got my father into his was Imee” guilat and Tom Villarin from April 2010 while she was serving Cabinet. Those are things that cannot really the Philippines and Malaysian his household. The victim and at be…you can’t make it an issue (against me) be- In August, the president disclosed that the members of parliament Charles De Lima: victim of government curbs? least three others have accused cause those are relationships cemented many Marcos family off ered to return part of their ill- Santiago and Tian Chua — were Borja of rape. Another complaint years ago, When I ran for the presidency, the gotten wealth, including some gold bars. denied access to De Lima, who only furthers the public percep- ian restrictions betray a deep for 20 counts of sexual assault lone governor who supported me was Imee,” This was neither confi rmed nor denied by has been detained for eight tion that the Senator is a victim fear of legitimate public scru- filed against the former vice mayor Duterte said, referring to Ilocos Norte Gov. the Marcoses. months on drug charges, ac- of political persecution by Presi- tiny,” he said. During her stint was dismissed for lack of evidence. Imee Marcos. The Palace had urged Congress to determine cording to a report by the APHR. dent Rodrigo Duterte,” Santiago, as chairwoman of the Philippine The victim, now 22, sat with some “But if you will say that I bargained away the the parameters of the negotiation with the The group had applied for who is also chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights members the Gabriela partylist ends of justice for debt of gratitude, it’s not Marcoses as the president pushed for the abo- formal permission and were not Asean rights body, said. (CHR), De Lima investigated group who gave her support.Borja that.Marcos was supported by my father, he lition of the Presidential Commission on Good given notice that they could not Santiago said the incident cases of extra-judicial killings was arrested in March and has won. So Marcos got him into the Cabinet, it’s Government (PCGG), which is mandated to go see the senator. “demonstrates the deeply con- in Davao City when Duterte was been detained here since the filing natural; that’s politics, (it’s like that) even eve- after the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth. Their vehicle was denied entry cerning state of democracy in the mayor. of rape charges in 2013. His father rywhere,” he added. The PCGG has recovered $4bn out of the at the Philippine National Police the Asean region.” In the senate last year, she initi- Romeo Borja Sr, was also charged “That’s the way it is. The Marcoses helped me suspected $10bn ill-gotten wealth of the Mar- (PNP) custodial centre. “Even in the Philippines — ated hearings on summary killings with rape but is presently under (in my presidential bid) because they know me. coses. Members of the Marcos family are facing “The authorities’ decision to previously one of the most open in the government’s war on drugs. hospital arrest in Pampanga. It’s not our fault that our families has had political more than 100 ill-gotten wealth cases before deny us access to visit Senator societies in Southeast Asia — Santiago said APHR reiterates its relations because my father was a Nacionalista,” the Supreme Court and the Sandiganbayan. De Lima at the very last minute the government’s authoritar- call for her immediate release. Trillanes ‘debunks’ secret bank accounts allegation

By Bernadette E Tamayo “I was able to belie the claim of Duterte alleged bank accounts on social media. Trillanes said he also tried to fi nd (automated teller machine).A quick each of his 12 reported off shore bank Manila Times that I have a bank account here.” Trillanes said he inquired with DBS the Hongkong Shanghai Bank Raf- check at the HSBC Singapore website accounts as alleged by the president. “‘No such accounts exist,’ the bank Bank if there were single or joint ac- fl es Branch, where he allegedly has an showed that there is no HSBC Raffl es Malacanang yesterday stood by teller told me when I showed my pass- counts, existing or closed, under the account.“But there was no such bank Branch,” he said. President Duterte’s claim that Tril- enator Antonio Trillanes yester- port and two account numbers provid- names “Antonio F Trillanes IV” or anywhere in the world,” Trillanes said. “It is clear that Duterte was lying lanes maintained secret bank accounts day claimed he was able to de- ed by Duterte, Erwin Tulfo and Mocha “Antonio F Trillanes” “So, we went to Hongkong and and he was merely making up this al- overseas. Sbunk the allegation of President Uson,” Trillanes said in a statement “Upon checking in her computer, Shanghai Banking Corp (HSBC) in legation that I have foreign bank ac- In a chance interview, Palace Rodrigo Duterte that he has two secret from Singapore. the teller again said, ‘No such accounts Raffl es City Tower which appears in counts,” Trillanes added. spokesman Ernesto Abella said Tril- bank accounts in Singapore. Tulfo, a broadcaster, and Uson, a exist.’ Some media reporters heard this Google search. On Sept 11, Trillanes submitted to lanes’ statements still needed to be Trillanes, who went to DBS Bank’s Palace communications assistant sec- when I asked this question,” Trillanes We went to the HSBC along Raffl es the Anti-Money Laundering Council validated.“It (Trillanes’ claim) has to Alexandra branch in Singapore, said: retary, had posted details of Trillanes’ said. Boulevard but they only have an ATM and the Ombudsman 12 waivers for be verifi ed,” Abella said. Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 21 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL

Nepal to sign nuclear Aid groups scramble for weapon ban treaty

IANS shelters for Rohingya Kathmandu AFP roadsides they could be arrested Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh if they refused to move. epal will sign the Treaty “The police told us to go, on the Prohibition of Nu- but how can I move again so Nclear Weapons this week angladesh police yester- soon with the kids and belong- during the 72nd session of the day evicted Rohingya ref- ings in this rain?” said Khadiza UN General Assembly, the Min- Bugees from overcrowded Begum, a widowed mother of istry of Foreign Aff airs (MoFA) roadside camps and farmland three, gesturing to the monsoon said yesterday. as aid groups scrambled to fi nd downpour. Nepali Deputy Prime Minister emergency shelter for tens of Water pumps have been in- Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is thousands living outdoors in stalled around Kutupalong, in-charge of foreign aff airs, will squalid conditions. with concrete rings stockpiled ink the treaty on behalf of Nepal, Around 421,000 Rohingya for latrines. MoFA spokesperson Bharat Raj have crossed into Bangladesh The government is building Paudyal said. since August 25, the UN says, a massive new camp nearby to The decision to sign the trea- overwhelming the ill-equipped shelter 400,000 people, but the ty shows Nepal’s commitment refugee camps along the border. UN says it will take time before towards the achievement of a Aid groups have warned of it is equipped with tents, toilets world free from the threat posed an unfolding humanitarian cri- and medical facilities. by nuclear weapons, the spokes- sis in the camps, where mobs “The work is ongoing and person said. of half-starving people rush some newly-arriving families Mahara also attended the passing food trucks in violent have moved in,” UN refugee high-level meeting on the Pre- stampedes for rations. agency spokeswoman Vivian vention of Sexual Exploitation Authorities are struggling to Tan said. and Abuse hosted by the UN cope and those left to fend for “As the infl ux of refugees Secretary-General in New York themselves have taken refuge continues, we are seeing mas- yesterday on the margins of the in roadside shanties or clearing sive humanitarian needs in 72nd session of the United Na- land on hills and farms for tents. Bangladesh across the board.” tions General Assembly (UNGA). The government has been Bangladesh has also As one of the top troops and trying to herd refugees into des- launched a birth control drive police contributing countries to ignated areas, fearful that near- in its overcrowded refugee UN peacekeeping operations, by cities could be overwhelmed camps, an offi cial said yester- Nepal has expressed commit- if they are left unchecked. day, fearing a population boom ments to the Voluntary Compact Police yesterday cleared would worsen the humanitar- against Sexual Exploitation and squatters and dismantled shan- ian crisis unfolding along its Abuse proposed by the Secre- ties around Kutupalong, one border. Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) troops attempt to clear Rohingya refugees off a road near Balukhali refugee camp near in Ukhia yesterday. tary-General. of the largest camps where the Family planning teams have Meanwhile, Nepali Prime roads are choked with refugees been deployed to off er advice “They have six, seven, eight, Bangladesh is building a large the ground were “counselling” help us,” the 25-year-old said. Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and long queues of traffi c snake and distribute condoms and nine, 10 children,” said Pintu new camp to accommodate new Rohingya arrivals about But others were not so sure. was to leave for New York yes- from aid centres. other contraceptives through- Kanti Bhattacharjee, head of hundreds of thousands of these family planning, a new concept “I thought it was a food pack,” terday to attend the UN General Amina Khatun, 70, made her out its ill-equipped camps, the government’s family plan- new arrivals fl eeing violence for many, and trying to prevent said Mohammad Mostafi z, a Assembly session, Xinhua re- home under a makeshift tent in which have been overwhelmed ning department in Cox’s Bazar across the border, but space is unwanted pregnancies. 40-year-old Rohingya man, who ported. a rubber plantation before po- by the arrival of 420,000 Ro- district where the camps are stretched very thin. Offi cials on the ground were has two wives and 14 children. The Treaty on the Prohibition lice cleared her out. She took hingya refugees since August 25. located. Whole families are sleep- distributing contraceptives to “It is our religious duty to of Nuclear Weapons, or the Nu- refuge in a nearby school but Authorities have already “We are very worried. If they ing outdoors and squatting men and women with mixed have children. Using medicines clear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the was moved on again. identifi ed 70,000 new or ex- are here for another six months in farmland, roadsides and results, he added. to prevent childbirth is a sin. I fi rst legally binding international “We’re running around pectant mothers among the to a year, another 20,000 vacant buildings, with com- Mujibur Rahman, a Rohingya don’t think my family will use agreement to comprehensively like headless chickens. They latest infl ux from Myanmar, children will be born.” petition for food, shelter and man in the Kutupalong refugee this stuff .” prohibit nuclear weapons, with are telling us to go away now. and fear without intervention Mothers with newborns, preg- other essentials intensifying camp in Ukhia, was open to the Bangladesh has been praised the goal of leading towards their Why?” she said. the population pressures could nant women and enormous fami- as the number of new arrivals condoms and birth control pills for its eff orts to handle the total elimination. It was adopted Using megaphones, police worsen in coming months as the lies with more than 10 children are climbs. he received in a handout. growing crisis, but aid groups at the United Nations conference warned refugees squatting on crisis drags on. not uncommon among the camps. Bhattacharjee said offi cials on “These will defi nitely warn the situation remains dire. on July 7.

Lanka general denied Indigenous Bangladeshis attacked over land visa to attend UN Reuters them from their fertile uplands - restore their lands in the Chit- remain resolved, activists say. lands and remedies for anyone Manikjor Chhora sought-after land in densely pop- tagong Hill Tracts, which were “There was a hope for change whose land was taken without ulated and low-lying Bangladesh. declared a protected area under when the peace accord came their consent, it said in a report. AFP “This is all staged drama,” colonial rule. into being, but it got entrapped A senior local government of- Colombo ipon Chakma’s octoge- said Ripon Chakma, executive in politics,” said Meghna Gu- fi cial who declined to be named narian parents were vis- director of Trinamul, a local “The government must hathakurta, head of think tank said both Bengalis and Paharis Riting the village of Man- non-profi t group that works for empower the Paharis Research Initiatives, Bangla- had been living in the Chit- ri Lanka’s ex-army chief Sar- ikjor Chhora in the southeast of the rights of the Pahari commu- through education and desh. tagong hills for centuries. ath Fonseka yesterday said Bangladesh for a religious cer- nity. pave the way for their “The government must em- “So, they (the Pahari people) She had been denied a visa to emony when the arson attack “These attacks are happen- political empowerment. power the Paharis through cannot claim that the land is the attend the UN general assembly took place in early June. ing to grab the land. Otherwise, The Paharis also need to education and pave the way for absolute area of their own, be- because of unresolved war crime Chakma’s parents survived, why would they burn houses in lobby for themselves” their political empowerment. cause the Bengalis living there allegations against the military. but an elderly neighbour, Gu- Longadu for a death in Dighi- The Paharis also need to lobby can say that as well,” the offi cial The war-time general, who is namala Chakma, succumbed nala?” After the partition of the In- for themselves,” she said. said. now minister of regional devel- Sarath Fonseka to the fl ames that engulfed her The Chittagong Hill Tracts dian subcontinent, the special The government has cor- He said indigenous people opment, said he was due to travel mud-walled home. region of Bangladesh, which provisions for the indigenous doned off areas of the region for were well represented on the to New York this week, but he was tions against the forces of killing at Police said settler Bengalis - shares borders with India and population were diluted. development projects includ- Land Commission. “The setting the only one in the Sri Lankan least 40,000 Tamil civilians. the majority ethnic group - set Myanmar, spans just over Following an armed confl ict, ing a hydroelectric project that up of such an institution is in delegation not issued a visa. The government at the time light to more than 200 homes 13,000sq km (5,000sq miles), the Bangladesh government fl ooded vast swathes of culti- itself a step towards upholding Fonseka said he could not ac- insisted that no civilians were and shops of the indigenous Pa- and is home to about half a mil- agreed to the Chittagong Hill vable land and displaced thou- the peace accord, so it is unfair company President Maithripala killed by its troops and faced in- hari people in the Longadu area lion Paharis from nearly a dozen Tracts peace accord in Decem- sands. to say the treaty has not been Sirisena who left Colombo on ternational censure over its dis- of Rangamati, one of three dis- indigenous groups. ber 1997 that promised a meas- Activists say the government implemented,” he added. Sunday to address the United mal human rights record. tricts that comprise the Chit- The lush region, in the coun- ure of autonomy to the Pahari did not seek the consent of the As for the arson attack in Nations General Assembly. Fonseka, who led the military, tagong Hill Tracts region, where try’s southeast, is rich in natural people, and gave them econom- Pahari people before taking Longadu, the high court last “I was not given a visa be- has maintained that he did not most of Bangladesh’s ethnic resources, particularly timber ic, social and political rights. their traditional lands. month gave the government cause of the war crimes allega- order troops to target civilians, minorities live. and bamboo. Possibilities for The government promised Nor were the displaced peo- eight weeks to explain why it tions against the military,” Fon- but has acknowledged that there The attack came after the oil exploration have also been to undertake development for ple adequately compensated or had not investigated the matter seka told reporters. “That is why may have been excesses that body of a Bengali was found identifi ed. their economic empowerment, rehabilitated. and found the perpetrators. I say they must be investigated.” should be investigated. near Dighinala road in neigh- The region has been the site while allowing them to keep Amnesty International has But the Pahari people are not He said the excesses by a The UN has estimated that at bouring Khagrachari district, of violent ethnic confl ict for their cultural practices, includ- called for the government to hopeful of a positive outcome. “few” during the fi nal stages of least 100,000 people were killed according to police. The Bengali decades, which has displaced ing communal ownership of respect the rights of the Pahari “This was a communal attack the island’s Tamil separatist war between 1972 and 2009. settlers accused the mountain- tens of thousands of indigenous land. people, including over their against Paharis,” said Yan Yan, should not tarnish the image of Tiger rebels have been accused dwelling Pahari community of people. The lands they vacated Displaced Paharis were to land and ensure the land com- queen of the Chakma indig- the Sri Lankan armed forces. of using human shields and killing the killing. were occupied by Bengali set- be rehabilitated with land and mission functions with the par- enous community. The military crushed separatist civilians in their guerrilla war for a The Paharis deny the accusa- tlers. housing, and a land commission ticipation of the community. “Until the people’s land Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 separate homeland for the minor- tion, and say the arson attacks Activists say the government was to resolve land disputes. There must be legal recogni- rights issues are addressed, following a no-holds-barred of- ity ethnic Tamil community in the were pre-planned and mask a has failed to honour an agree- But the commitments were tion of the collective rights of the houses of Paharis will keep fensive that also triggered allega- Sinhala-majority nation. more sinister motive of driving ment signed 20 years ago to not kept and disputes over land the Paharis to their traditional burning,” she said. Women struggle with privacy as Lanka’s drought drags on

Thomson Reuters Foundation when my neighbours can travel huge problems in 20 of the maintaining the household and lages near the waterhole now If Ariyapala misses the tanker, most dangerous as they con- Kiriyankale with me and when there is one country’s 25 districts. caring for children. gather there to bathe, which she must hire a vehicle to go in verge on waterholes, or venture neighbour who can look after my The government says that Dinesha’s husband left the has led to a loss of privacy. The search of water. into human habitats looking for kids,” told the Thomson Reuters over 2.2mn people were aff ected village about three months ago, women say they also must leave Dinesha said that after meet- water. or four months, Achini Foundation. at its height, mainly in rural ar- when the family’s vegetable their children at home as they ing the tanker she must load a In August, two elephants Dinesha’s life has revolved This has been her routine eas, and more than 40% of the plots withered. He now works cannot manage the long walk. wheelbarrow with eight heavy walked onto the main road near Faround water - or, more since April, when the well in her vital rice harvest is likely to be as a driver in a city about 50km “We buy water from passing bottles and push it the half kilo- the village of Adigama and met precisely, the lack of it. backyard went dry. She reckons lost this year. away and only returns home tankers for them and for house- metre (one third of a mile) back two people, one of whom died in Bathing in privacy and safety that the last signifi cant rains Despite heavy rains in some once a week. hold work,” Ariyapala said. to her house. the ensuing confrontation. is now a matter of careful plan- in Kiriyankale fell at least 14 parts of the country in July and Both Dinesha and Ariyapala The two women wait at the “This will break my back if I do “They usually don’t come ning and lucky timing for the months back, during the south- intermittent rains since then, have had their routines dramati- roadside at least two hours every this for longer,” she complained. into villages when it’s daylight. 32-year-old mother of two small western monsoon in July 2016. the country is likely to remain cally disrupted by the drought. other day to fl ag down the water “Who would have thought Now they are doing that because children. It also involves an ar- “First, when the November short of water until the next big Ariyapala says making the long tankers that pass, transporting that water would make life this they are desperate, like us,” said duous trek of 7km (5 miles) from rains failed, we thought we could rains, expected in October, ac- trip for a bath is almost no longer drinking water. tiring?” 77-year-old Adigama resident her house in the village of Ki- manage till this April, but the cording to Anura Priyadarasha- worth it. Each 5lt plastic bottle costs In villages that lie further Rajakumar Jayathilaka. riyankale, in Sri Lanka’s North monsoon failed and everything na Yapa, the country’s disaster “It serves no purpose, really. Rs100-150 ($0.65-$1), and both inland and closer to jungle ar- Even a little drizzle can be Western Province, to the nearest has gone dry,” Dinesha’s neigh- management minister. When you return home you are families spend around Rs4,000- eas, the search for water can be dangerous, he said. Deadly full waterhole. bour Sarojini Ariyapala said. In rural areas, much of the covered in a layer of dust and 5,000 ($26-$33) on water each far riskier. Here humans and snakes increasingly venture into “I have to make sure that I go The drought, described by the burden of making sure there looking bright brown,” she said. month - a sum they can ill aff ord animals fi ght over whatever re- puddles on the roads to quench there when there is daylight, United Nations as the country’s is suffi cient safe water falls on The women also complain when their income is dropping mains in rivers and ponds. their thirst, putting people when other women are around, worst in 40 years, has caused women, who are responsible for that dozens of people from vil- due to poor harvests. Herds of elephants are the walking there at risk. Gulf Times 22 Wedneday, September 20, 2017 COMMENT

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Editor-in-Chief: Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka Deputy Managing Editor: K T Chacko Emir’s address to UN

P.O.Box 2888 Doha, Qatar [email protected] General Assembly Telephone 44350478 (news), 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) QNA Fax 44350474 New York

is Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani gave the following speech Hduring the opening session GULF TIMES of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly: In the Name of God the Most Merci- ful, the Most Compassionate, Honourable Audience, Modi faces uphill It pleases me to congratulate His Excellency Mr Miroslav Lajcak on assuming the tasks of President of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly, task of creating wishing him every success. I wish also to express my apprecia- tion to His Excellency Mr Peter Thom- son for his valuable eff orts in manag- ing the aff airs of the 71st Session of 10mn jobs in India the General Assembly, and I take this opportunity to commend the eff orts of His Excellency the Secretary-General, India’s policy makers, for sure, must be debating how Mr Antonio Guterres, to strengthen to weather the shock slowdown in its world-leading the role of the United Nations. Mr President, growth rates. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, Maintaining the regional and faces another uphill task to address what is seen his international peace and security is a government’s biggest failing: Job creation. priority in the State of Qatar’s foreign India will have the world’s biggest labour force by policy, whose principles and objec- His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani addressing the opening session of the 72nd United Nations General tives are based on the United Nations’ Assembly. 2027. However fresh employment opportunities are charter and the rules of international scarce and the administration has lagged in training legality which calls for constructive My country and my people and the breach of the WTO Agree- From here, I renew the call for an workers to help them survive the threat of automation. co-operation among States, mutual are subjected to a continuing ment, but it exceeded that to violate unconditional dialogue based on Questions are now rising about Modi’s ability to fulfi l respect and non-interference in the and unjust blockade imposed the human rights conventions by the mutual respect for sovereignty and I internal aff airs, good neighbourliness, since June 5th by neighbouring arbitrary measures that have caused highly value the sincere and appreci- his 10mn-jobs-a-year campaign pledge with less than as well as promoting peaceful coexist- countries. The blockade social, economic and religious harm to ated mediation that the State of Qatar two years to go for the re-election. ence and pursuing peaceful means to involves all aspects of life, thousands of citizens and residents of has supported since the outbreak of There’s demand for the skilled. The government settle disputes. including the intervention by the GCC countries, due to the viola- the crisis, and which was initiated The issue of settling of disputes by these countries to rip off family tion of the basic human rights to work, by my brother, His Highness Sheikh estimates the country will need an extra 110mn workers peaceful means is still being addressed ties education, freedom of movement Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, across 24 sectors by 2022 compared with the 105mn as an episodic and non-binding and the right to dispose of private the Emir of the sisterly State of Ku- who will enter the workforce. proposal. to a continuing and unjust blockade property. wait. Perhaps the time has come to imposed since June 5th by neighbour- However, things did not stop at this I also thank all the countries that But the gap is wide, according to Bloomberg impose dialogue and negotiation as a ing countries. point, but the blockading countries have supported this mediation. calculations. India’s working age group of 15-59 years basis for resolving disputes through The blockade involves all aspects went beyond that to chase their own Allow me, on this occasion and from accounts for 62% of the total population, while its concluding an international conven- of life, including the intervention by citizens and residents of their territory this podium, to express my pride in my average age of population by 2020 will be 29 years tion on settling disputes between these countries to rip off family ties. by imposing penalties of imprison- Qatari people, along with the multi- States by peaceful means. Qatar is currently managing succes- ment and fi nes on them for the mere national and multicultural residents compared with 40 in the US and 46 in Europe. But here In this context, and after major sively its living, economy, develop- expression of their sympathy with in Qatar. is the catch. Only 5% of the people in India possess events such as the Second World ment plans and its outreach to the Qatar, even if that was on the social The people have withstood the formal skills against 68% in the UK, 75% in Germany, War, Rwanda and Burundi and the outside world, with the availability of media, in a precedent never seen conditions of siege, and rejected the 52% in the US and as high as 80% in Japan. Balkans in the last century, the danger sea and air routes which these coun- before in the world, in violation of dictations with resolve and pride, of the impunity of perpetrators of tries have no control over. the human rights conventions and and insisted on the independence India has a gargantuan task of skilling 400mn crimes against humanity and crimes The blockade was imposed abruptly agreements that guarantee the right of Qatar’s sovereign decision, and workers/jobseekers by 2022. of genocide has come back again to and without warning, prompting of everyone to freedom of opinion and strengthened its unity and solidarity, To be fair, India’s demographics are generally threaten humanity to become the rule the Qataris to consider it as a kind of expression of ideas. and maintained their refi ned manners rather than the exception, because the treachery. There are countries that permit and their progress despite the fi erce- considered better than China’s. An ageing population international legitimacy is subjected It seems that those who planned themselves not only to attack a neigh- ness of the campaign against them and and low birth rates are causing the prime working-age to political pressures, interests of the and implemented it had envisaged bouring country to dictate its foreign their country. population – aged 15-59 – to decline in China. From axes and dictations of force on the that their move would cause a shock- and media policy, but also believe I reiterate my thanks to the sisterly 2015-2040, this group is estimated to shrink by more ground, in a warning that the law of ing and direct impact that will bring that their possession of funds qualify and friendly countries which recog- force may supersede the force of law. the State of Qatar to its knees and them to put pressure and blackmail nise the signifi cance of respecting the than 115mn. to capitulate to a total tutelage to be other countries to participate in their sovereignty of States and the rules of India, at the The countries who imposed imposed on it. aggression, while they are supposed to international law, for their appreci- India will have same time, is seen the unjust blockade on Qatar And what is worse, the blockade be held accountable internationally for ated stances which were, and still are, as a laggard in have intervened in the internal planners found it necessary to rely on what they have done. supportive of the Qatari people during the world’s biggest aff airs of the State by putting fabricated quotes attributed to me and The countries who imposed the this crisis. productivity. Of pressure on its citizens through posted on the website of Qatar News blockade on the State of Qatar in- labour force by the potential global foodstuff s, medicine and ripping Agency after hacking it. terfere in the internal aff airs of many We must also be careful not oversupply of off consanguineous relations The mobilised and guided media of countries, and accuse all those who to make the fi ghting against 2027 to force them to change their these countries was ready to launch an oppose them domestically and abroad terrorism an umbrella for 90mn low-skilled political affi liation to destabilise all-out campaign of incitement pre- with terrorism. reprisals or shelling of civilians. workers in 2020, 27mn will be in India, according to a sovereign country pared in advance in which all values, By doing so, they are infl icting dam- The fi ght against terrorism and the McKinsey Global Institute. Output per worker morals and norms were breached, and age on the war on terror, while at the extremism was and will continue In our view, the position of the ma- the truth was infringed by a torrent same time opposing reform and sup- to be our highest priority is projected at $3,962 for India in 2017, a fraction of jor powers should not range between of lies. porting the tyrannical regimes in our Germany’s $83,385, says the International Labour two extremes: the direct occupa- Funds are still being spent unspar- region, where terrorists are initiated in Mr President, Organisation. tion to impose the will and policy on ingly on the machine of faking and their prisons. Terrorism and extremism are among India could now be forced to cut spending on other countries, or standing idly in a disseminating fabrications in the hope We were not alone to be taken by the most serious challenges facing the spectator’s position who refrain from of fooling people by distorting the surprise by the imposition of the world. more desperately needed infrastructure and training doing anything vis-a-vis wars of truth with lies. blockade, as many countries whose Countering them require us all to programmes for the workforce as lower-than-expected genocide and crimes against human- Despite the disclosure of the hack- leaders have questioned its mo- carry out a concerted action against tax collections and sluggish growth have upset the ity perpetrated by a fascist despotic ing and falsifi cation of quotes of the tives and reasons were also taken by terrorist organisations and their ex- regime, or a continuous repression by Emir of a sovereign State, the blockad- surprise. tremist ideology in order to maintain government’s budget calculations. Tax receipts stood an occupying country of people under ing countries did not back down or The blockading countries have security for humanity and stability for around $7.8bn in July – a little over half the monthly occupation. apologise for lying, but rather intensi- promised all those who asked them the world. target – blamed mostly on noncompliance with the Lately a feeling is spreading that fi ed their campaign, in the hope that about the reasons of the blockade to The governments of the world have new nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. peoples who are exposed to repression the blockade would cause a cumulative provide them with evidence of their no choice but to co-operate in the face their fate alone, as if the interna- eff ect on the economy and the society anti-Qatar absurd allegations and security confrontation with terrorism, Growth itself slowed to 5.7% in the April-June tional arena is governed by the law of of my country, after it failed to bring fabrications, which kept changing but halting the initiation of terror- quarter from 7.9% a year earlier, another GST off shoot, the jungle, and the countries under about any direct impact. according to the identity of the ad- ism and extremism could be achieved partly. Economic growth, which slipped to a three-year threat have to stand on their own The perpetrators of the hacking dressee. by addressing its social, political and through their alliances and relations, and the falsifi cation of the quotes Everyone is still waiting for evi- cultural root causes. low in the last quarter, could take a further hit if public in the absence of a system to imple- have committed an assault against a dence that did not and will not arrive, We must also be careful not to spending were to be slashed. ment the provisions of international sovereign State. because it does not exist. make the fi ghting against terrorism India needs to consistently grow above 8-9% to law, and the binding conventions and The crime was deliberately com- In contrast, these allegations con- an umbrella for reprisals or shelling of provide enough jobs for what will be the world’s charters. mitted for political aims, and was tradict a lot of evidence about Qatar’s civilians. Mr President, followed by a list of political dictations contribution to the fi ght against The fi ght against terrorism and biggest workforce, and some of the country’s best We commend opting for the theme which contravene sovereignty, and terrorism, which is recognised by the extremism was and will continue to be economic phases came when its society was most open, of this session: “Focusing on People: caused worldwide astonishment. entire international community. our highest priority. according to Raghuram Rajan, the former governor of Striving for Peace and a Decent Life This disgraceful act has once again The State of Qatar has fought This is affi rmed by the ectiveeff for All on a Sustainable Planet.” raised international queries about terrorism - the whole international participation of the State of Qatar in the Reserve Bank of India. In this context, I call upon the Gov- digital security and the unruliness in community bears witness to that - and the regional and international eff orts The jury is still out on how long the slowdown in ernment of the Republic of the Union cybercrime and electronic piracy. it is still fi ghting it and will continue through the implementation of the India’s growth will last given it’s been at least partly of Myanmar and the international It also revealed the anxiety of a lot to do that. measures included in the United Na- triggered by one-time events. Investors, mostly, seem community to assume their legal and of public and offi cial circles in the It stands in the camp of those who tions strategy adopted in 2006, and moral responsibility to take the neces- world over the absence of clear-cut are fi ghting by security forces, and the implementation of all the Security to be on Modi’s side, but time is not. sary measures to stop the violence international legislations and institu- believes that it is necessary to fi ght it Council resolutions and measures re- against Rohingya minority, provide tions to organize this dangerous and ideologically as well. lated to the fi ght against terrorism and them with protection, repatriate the vital fi eld and punish the perpetrators It goes beyond that to participate in its fi nancing and through the partici- displaced to their homeland, prevent of transcontinental crimes. draining its sources through teach- pation in the International Alliance, sectarian or ethnic discrimination It is time now to take steps in this ing seven million children around the regional organisations and bilateral To Advertise against them, and ensure that they regard, and we are ready to put our world, so that they do not fall prey to relations with the United States and have their full legitimate rights as full- potentials to serve a joint eff ort in this ignorance and radical ideas. many countries of the world. [email protected] fl edged citizens, and we in this regard connection. We have refused to yield to dicta- The State of Qatar will continue its Display urge all States to provide humanitarian The countries who imposed the un- tions by pressure and siege, and our regional and international eff orts in Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 assistance to them. just blockade on Qatar have intervened people was not satisfi ed by less than this regard and will develop them. Mr President, in the internal aff airs of the State that. While reaffi rming our condemna- Classified Every time I stand here I speak in fa- by putting pressure on its citizens At the same time we have taken tion of all forms of extremism and Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 vour of the constructive international through foodstuff s, medicine and an open attitude towards dialogue terrorism, we reject tackling this co-operation, just peace, the rights ripping off consanguineous relations without dictation, and have expressed phenomenon with double stand- Subscription of peoples under occupation, as well to force them to change their political our readiness to resolve diff erences ards according to the identity of the [email protected] as those who are subjected to crimes affi liation to destabilise a sovereign through compromises based on com- perpetrators, or by linking it with any against humanity and those who are country. mon undertakings. particular religion, race, civilization, under siege. Isn’t this one of the defi nitions of Resolving confl icts by peaceful culture or society. 2017 Gulf Times. All rights reserved This time I stand here, while my terrorism? This illegal blockade was means is actually one of the priorities country and my people are subjected not confi ned to the economic aspect of our foreign policy. To Page 23 Gulf Times Wednesday, September 20, 2017 23 COMMENT Emir calls for an independent Palestinian state

From Page 22 The State of Qatar has supported We have increased our fi nancial international mediation eff orts and contributions to the United Nations Mr President, will support them in the future to Offi ce for the Coordination of Hu- The issues of the Middle East achieve the aspirations of the Libyan manitarian Aff airs (OCHA) to enable continue to pose the greatest threat to people. the United Nations to implement UN international peace and security, due Concerning the brotherly Iraq, we programs and provide humanitarian to the vital importance of this region do support the eff orts of the Iraqi gov- relief to those in need worldwide. to the world. ernment in its endeavour to achieve Today the State of Qatar ranks third Israel still stands in the way of security, stability and unity of the on the list of major donors in 2017 to achieving a lasting, just and compre- territory and people of Iraq. the United Nations Offi ce for the Co- hensive peace and rejects the Arab We commend its achievements in its ordination of Humanitarian Aff airs. Peace initiative. fi ght against terrorism, and affi rm the We have continued to provide sup- The Israeli government continues necessary support to it by the State of port to countries facing challenges to its intransigent approach and strategy Qatar to complement these victories help them implement their develop- to create facts on the ground through by realising the Iraqi peoples aspira- ment plans. expanding settlement construction in tions to equality among its citizens the occupied territories, Judaising Je- and restore its role at the regional and The international community rusalem and restricting the perform- international levels. must give high priority to ance of religious rituals in Al-Aqsa Concerning Yemen, we affi rm the the resumption of peace Mosque, which is a serious provoca- importance of maintaining Yemen’s negotiations on the basis of tive act, and continuing its blockade of unity, security and stability, and end- ending the Israeli occupation the Gaza Strip. ing the state of infi ghting and war and of the Arab territories within The international community must adopting dialogue, political solution a specifi ed time frame and give high priority to the resumption and national reconciliation as a basis reaching a just, comprehensive of peace negotiations on the basis of for ending this crisis and implement- and fi nal settlement in ending the Israeli occupation of the ing the Security Council resolution accordance with the two-state Arab territories within a specifi ed time 2216. solution frame and reaching a just, comprehen- We call upon the international sive and fi nal settlement in accordance community to facilitate the access of It is worth mentioning here that the with the two-state solution agreed humanitarian assistance to various State of Qatar ranked fi rst in the Arab upon by the international community, Yemeni regions. world and 33rd in the world in the fi eld based on the resolutions of interna- The State of Qatar supports the of human development. tional legitimacy and the Arab Peace eff orts of the UN envoy to end this This proves the eff ectiveness of our initiative. crisis and realise the aspirations of humanitarian and development policy. This will only be achieved through His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani attending the opening session of the 72nd United Nations General the brotherly Yemeni people in unity, We look forward to achieving the the establishment of an independent Assembly. security and stability. goals of the United Nations Plan for Palestinian State on the basis of 1967 In order to achieve security and Sustainable Development, which we borders, with Jerusalem as its capital. and regional interests, this confl ict Syria, in accordance with the Geneva would aff ect the behaviour of future stability in the Gulf region, we renew have all committed to realise. I renew my appeal to the Palestinian is conducive to protect those against (1) decisions. dictatorships towards their peoples in the call that we have already launched In conclusion, we reiterate that the brothers to complete national recon- whom we are supposed to stand Qatar will spare no eff ort in provid- the absence of any deterrent. from this podium, for conducting a State of Qatar will spare no eff ort in ciliation and unify positions and word united. ing support and assistance to alleviate On the Libyan issue, Libya’s nation- constructive dialogue between the working to strengthen the role and ef- in confronting the dangers and chal- The international community relin- the humanitarian suff ering of our al consensus - which would preserve GCC countries and Iran on the basis forts of the United Nations to achieve lenges facing the Palestinian cause and quishes its legal and moral responsi- Syrian brothers and to implement Libya’s unity, sovereignty and social of common interests, the principle of what the international community the future of the Palestinian people. bilities, including the implementation our humanitarian pledges within the fabric, and restore its stability - could good neighbourliness, respect for the seeks in regard to peace and security, Mr President, of its decisions, in submission to the framework of the United Nations. be achieved by means of combining sovereignty of States and non-inter- and to promote Human rights and The international community re- logic of force. The international community has domestic and international eff orts. ference in their internal aff airs. advance development. mains unable to fi nd a solution to the What is required is to work seri- given up the task of protecting the We must all intensify eff orts and Mr President, Qatar will remain as is always the Syrian crisis despite its consequences ously to reach a political solution to civilians. support the Government of national Within the framework of the inter- case a safe haven for the oppressed, and serious repercussions on the the Syrian crisis in a way that meets Would it also hesitate to hold war accord, which has been established national eff orts to tackle the humani- and will continue its mediation eff orts region and the world. the aspirations of the Syrian people criminals accountable Their impunity with the support of United Nations, in tarian crises, the State of Qatar has to fi nd just solutions in confl ict zones. Political eff orts continue to falter for justice, dignity and freedom, and would have dire consequences on the its eff orts to restore stability, counter continued to contribute to the growing Thank you, May Allah’s Peace, due to the confl icting international maintains the unity and sovereignty of situation in Syria and the region, which terrorism and its grave consequences. humanitarian needs in the world. Mercy and Blessings be upon you.. Weather report The risk of a new economic non-order Three-day forecast TODAY High: 38 C By Mohamed A El-Erian and relative fi nancial stability. Then As a result of all of this, the tensions and raising the risk of it was shaken by a series of fi nancial balance of winners and losers has economic fragmentation. If this trend Low : 31 C London Inshore: Hazy to misty at places at first shocks that culminated in the 2008 become increasingly extreme and continues, the global economic and becomes hot daytime with chance of local rainy clouds at places by global fi nancial crisis, which triggered more diffi cult to manage, not just fi nancial confi guration will become afternoon and humid by night. ext month, when fi nance cascading economic failures that economically, but also politically increasingly unstable, amplifying ministers and central pushed the world to the edge of a and socially. With too many people geopolitical and security threats at THURSDAY bank governors from devastating multi-year depression. feeling marginalised, forgotten, and a time when better cross-border High: 38 C more than 180 countries It was the most severe economic dispossessed – and angry at the coordination is vital to address threats Low: 31 C N Sunny gather in Washington, DC, for the breakdown since the Great Depression leaders and institutions that have from non-state actors and disruptive annual meetings of the International of the 1930s. allowed this to happen – domestic regimes, such as North Korea. Over Monetary Fund and the World Bank, But the crisis did not appear out policy pressure has intensifi ed, time, the risks associated with this they will confront a global economic of nowhere to challenge a healthy causing countries to turn inward. shift toward a global economic non- FRIDAY order under increasing strain. Having economic order. On the contrary, This tendency is refl ected in recent order could have severe adverse eff ects High: 38 C failed to deliver the inclusive economic the evolution of the global order had challenges to several features of the on geopolitics and national security. Low: 30 C prosperity of which it is capable, long been outpaced by structural economic order, such as the North None of this is new. Yet, year after Sunny that order is subject to growing economic changes on the ground, with American Free-Trade Agreement, as year, top government offi cials at the doubts – and mounting challenges. multilateral governance institutions well as America’s withdrawal from IMF/World Bank annual meetings Barring a course correction, the taking too long to recognise fully the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership and the fail to address it. This year is likely to Fishermen’s forecast be no diff erent. Instead of discussing risks that today’s order will yield to a the signifi cance of fi nancial-sector United Kingdom’s renunciation of OFFSHORE DOHA world economic non-order will only developments and their impact on the European Union membership. All are concrete steps to slow and reverse the Wind: NW-NE 03-13 KT intensify. real economy, or to make adequate casting a shadow on the future of the march toward a global economic non- Waves: 1-3 Feet The current international economic room for emerging economies. global economic system. order, offi cials will probably welcome INSHORE DOHA Wind: NW-NE 05-13 KT order, spearheaded by the United For example, governance structures, America’s inward turn, already the cyclical uptick in global growth Waves: 1-2 Feet States and its allies in the wake of including voting power, correspond underway for several years, has been and urge member countries to do more World War II, is underpinned by better to the economic realities of particularly consequential, because it to remove structural impediments Around the region multilateral institutions, including yesterday than to those of today and leaves the world order without a main to faster, more durable, and more Weather Weather the IMF and the World Bank. tomorrow. And nationality, rather conductor. With no other country or inclusive growth. today Max/min tomorrow Max/min These institutions were designed than merit, still is the dominant group of countries anywhere close to While understandable, that isn’t Abu Dhabi Sunny 38/31 Sunny 41/30 to crystallise member countries’ guide for the appointment of these being in a position to carry the baton, good enough. The upcoming meetings Baghdad P Cloudy 46/27 M Sunny 46/27 Dubai Sunny obligations, and they embodied a set institutions’ leaders, with top the emergence of what the political off er a critical opportunity to start a Sunny 40/30 41/28 Kuwait City Sunny 43/27 Sunny 41/27 of best economic-policy practices that positions still reserved for European scientist Ian Bremmer has called a serious discussion of how to arrest Manama Sunny 39/31 Sunny 39/31 evolved into what became known as and US citizens. “G-Zero era” becomes a lot more the lose-lose dynamics that have Muscat Sunny 34/27 Sunny 34/27 the “Washington Consensus.” The destabilising consequences probable. been gaining traction in the global Riyadh Sunny 42/26 Sunny 42/26 That consensus was rooted in of this obstinate failure to reform China is responding to the economy. The longer it takes for the Tehran Sunny 31/19 Sunny 31/19 an economic paradigm that aimed suffi ciently multilateral governance global system’s weakening core seeds of reform to be sown, the less to promote win-win interactions have been compounded by China’s by accelerating its eff orts to build likely they will be to take root – and among countries, emphasising trade own struggle to reconcile its domestic small networks, including around the higher the probability that a lose- liberalisation, relatively unrestricted priorities with its global economic the traditional Western-dominated lose world economic non-order will cross-border capital fl ows, free- responsibilities as the world’s power structures. This has included emerge. – Project Syndicate market pricing, and domestic second-largest economy. Several the establishment of the Asian deregulation. All of this stood in stark other countries, particularly among Infrastructure Investment Bank, the zMohamed A El-Erian, Chief contrast to what developed behind the the advanced economies, have also proliferation of bilateral payments Economic Adviser at Allianz, was Iron Curtain and in China over the fi rst failed to transform their domestic agreements, and the pursuit of the Chairman of US President Barack half of the postwar period. policies to account for changes to “Belt and Road Initiative” to build Obama’s Global Development Council For several decades, the Western- economic relationships resulting infrastructure linking China with and is the author of The Only Game in led international order functioned from globalisation, liberalisation, and western Asia, Europe, and Africa. Town: Central Banks, Instability, and well, helping to deliver prosperity deregulation. These dynamics are stoking trade Avoiding the Next Collapse. Live issues

Around the world Tips for losing weight after having a baby Weather Weather today Max/min tomorrow Max/min Athens Sunny 32/19 Sunny 28/16 “Breast-feeding burns so many something quick to eat, you have Beirut M Sunny 28/26 Sunny 29/26 By Beth Whitehouse S T Storms T Storms 32/26 calories. It’ll help tremendously in satiating snacks,” she says. Bangkok 33/26 Tribune News Service Berlin P Cloudy 17/08 P Cloudy 18/08 losing weight post-pregnancy if you’re Be sure to eat meals. “You Cairo Sunny 37/23 Sunny 38/23 open to it,” Holbrook says. don’t want to rely solely on snacks,” Cape Town Sunny 24/14 P Cloudy 18/12 ore babies are typically Don’t drink your calories. Holbrook says. “Have a reasonable Colombo S T Storms 29/26 Showers 29/26 born in August than any “Liquid calories should be avoided,” meal a couple of times a day.” Load Dhaka T Storms 31/26 T Storms 32/26 Hong Kong S Showers 32/28 S T Storms 31/28 other month - and that Holbrook says. “Drink mainly water, your plate with protein and produce - Istanbul Sunny 35/23 Sunny 27/28 means lots of moms may seltzer, unsweetened ice tea.” as many vegetables as you can get on Jakarta P Cloudy 33/24 P Cloudy 33/24 M Karachi P Cloudy 36/26 Sunny 33/26 be focusing on losing added baby Prepare snacks ahead of time. the plate, she says. Keep carbs to one weight in the coming weeks. “You’re so busy with the newborn. serving. London M Cloudy 19/14 Showers 19/08 Manila T Storms 31/26 T Storms 32/26 What’s the best way to achieve As much as possible, prepare Exercise any way you can Moscow P Cloudy 18/11 P Cloudy 18/09 that goal? Leah Holbrook, a snacks ahead of time so you aren’t manage. “One of the best things New Delhi M Sunny 36/26 P Cloudy 32/25 registered dietitian and associate reaching for carbohydrates like about having a baby this time of year New York Cloudy 29/21 P Cloudy 29/19 director of the graduate nutrition pita chips, crackers, dry cereal is you have weeks and months of really Paris P Cloudy 19/09 P Cloudy 21/12 Sunny 31/18 programme at Stony Brook and baked goods,” Holbrook says. nice weather so you can get outside,” Sao Paulo 28/16 Sunny Seoul Sunny 24/13 Sunny 26/14 University, offered her top five tips to Instead have on hand plain nuts, Holbrook says. Even just taking walks Singapore S T Storms 29/26 M Cloudy 29/26 shake up the myth of “nine months plain yogurt topped with fruit with the baby is great, she says. “A lot Sydney P Cloudy 17/09 Sunny 22/11 on, nine months off”: or cinnamon, or raw carrots. of people don’t have the stamina for Tokyo Cloudy 27/21 Clear 27/21 Consider breast-feeding. “This way, when you’re grabbing more than that,” she says. Gulf Times 24 Wednesday, September 20, 2017 QATAR Emir meets British PM, top UN officials

His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met with British Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani meets UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani meets President of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak. Qatar Foundation special event celebrates Emir’s UN address

By Joseph Varghese Staff Reporter

atar Foundation for Edu- cation, Science and Com- Qmunity Development (QF) yesterday hosted a special event, ‘Come together for Qatar’, which featured a live telecast of the address of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the 72nd United Na- tions (UN) General Assembly. The audience at the QF event, comprising both citizens and expatriates, welcomed His High- ness the Emir’s observations with a thunderous applause and further expressed their solidar- ity with Qatar. The event held at the Student Centre of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, was attended by HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, vice- chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, senior leadership of QF and offi cials from diff erent The audience watching the live telecast of His Highness the Emir’s speech. member organisations. The gathering also included a huge turnout of students from HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani at the event. Supplied picture various institutions in Education City as well as members of the sisterly and friendly countries gathering stood up to express times while patriotic songs public. that recognise the signifi cance their respect for him and the were played all thorough. During his address, His High- of respecting the sovereignty of country. Abdulla al-Mana, a Qatari stu- ness the Emir spoke about the States and international law. Earlier, the atmosphere dent from one of the universities unjust siege of Qatar and renewed During his speech, His High- across the entire Education City in Education City, said: “We are the call for an unconditional dia- ness the Emir also drew attention was filled with patriotic fervour all here to show our support for logue based on a mutual respect to the plight of the Rohingyas, as people waited enthusiasti- our beloved country. His Highness for sovereignty. He also lauded the the Palestine issue, Syria as well cally for the speech to begin. the Emir has once again shown people of Qatar, both citizens and as Libya, Iraq and Yemen. The Children got their faces painted the world Qatar’s willingness for expatriates, for their unfl inching audience members lauded the in the colours of the Qatari flag, unconditional negotiations. We support for the country and with- observations and statements of while some of the event attend- hope that the call for negotiations standing the blockade. His Highness the Emir and ex- ees wore T-shirts with patriotic will be taken seriously by the siege Further, he appreciated the pressed solidarity with Qatar by themes. The traditional sword countries. The speech also high- mediation eff orts initiated by waving the national fl ag. As he dance was also performed in lights the principled stand of our Kuwait as well as the stance of concluded the speech, the entire front of the audience several wise leadership.” The audience enjoying a cultural performance at the event. PICTURES: Shaji Kayamkulam