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FRIDAY Vol. XXXVII No. 10171 August 5, 2016 Dhul-Qa’da 2, 1437 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

In brief Thunder, rain likely

REGION | Aviation Dubai airport reopens runway aft er jet crash Dubai International Airport as dust hits reopened a runway yesterday after authorities cleared the wreckage of an Emirates Boeing 777 that crashed and burned the previous day, the airport’s chief executive said. Paul Griff iths told a press conference that visibility work continued to restore normal traff ic volumes at the airport, the usty conditions aff ected visibil- at home unless it was necessary to go world’s busiest hub for international ity in Qatar yesterday evening out. travel. One of the airport’s two Dwhile thundershowers, strong Dust consists of particles that are runways had already re-opened. HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, president of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and QOC Secretary General HE Dr winds and low visibility due to dust carried by air and could be carried into Re-opening the second brings the Thani bin Abdulrahman al-Kuwari with Qatari shooter Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah at the ceremony marking the off icial entry of the have been forecast for the southern the lungs. These particles irritate the airport closer to normal operations. Qatari mission to the Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. parts of the country today afternoon. lungs and cause allergies and exacer- Page 3 The Met department said wind speed bate asthma. may go up to 33 knots in the southern The health ministry has advised res- areas during rain and thunder. idents to follow these tips: Avoid expo- ARAB WORLD | Construction Visibility, meanwhile, may drop to sure to dust especially if you recently Qatar vows to carry out 3km or less in some places, according had an eye or nose surgery; ensure all all projects in Gaza to the weather report. doors and windows are closed prop- Qatari fl ag hoisted in The detailed forecast for inshore ar- erly to prevent dust from entering the The Qatari Committee for eas says hazy to misty conditions are building. If needed, use damp towels to Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip expected in some places at fi rst, fol- seal off any openings in windows and Chairman ambassador Mohamed lowed by a hot day. There is a chance of underneath the doors; avoid open areas Ismail al-Emadi has stressed Qatar’s localised rain in the southern parts of during the peak of the sandstorm and commitment to the implementation Rio’s Olympic Village the country by the afternoon. low visibility; wash your face, nose and of all projects in the Strip by the Off shore areas are likely to see slight- mouth frequently to prevent dust from Palestinian local construction QNA ly dusty conditions with some clouds. entering your lungs. companies and through recruiting Rio de Janeiro Today, the maximum temperature is The advisory also recommended local manpower and local suppliers. expected to be 40C in Doha, Dukhan, wearing a protective mask or the use of “We will not use foreign companies Mesaieed, Wakrah and Al Khor. a dampened towel to cover the mouth in the implementation of our he Qatari fl ag was hoisted in the The Met department has also issued and nose. Frequently change the mask projects in Gaza and we will rely on Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro a list of safety precautions, prepared or towel and avoid rubbing the eyes to local suppliers,” he said. Page 4 Twhere the Olympic Games will in co-ordination with the Ministry of prevent eye infections. be hosted this month. Public Health, in view of the prevail- Drivers have been advised to ensure HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al- ing dusty conditions since yesterday that all windows are closed while driv- AMERICA | Campaign Thani, president of the Qatar Olympic evening. ing in dusty weather and only run the Trump allies urge him Committee (QOC) and head of the Qa- There were reports of visibility drop- air conditioning system when needed. tari mission to the Games, attended the ping in some areas due to dust yester- Those working in the open areas have to get back on message ceremony, which marks the offi cial en- day evening and the Met department been urged to minimise exposure to dust. Supporters of Republican Donald try of the Qatari mission to the village. has urged people to be cautious. Individuals vulnerable to severe al- Trump urged him to get back on QOC Secretary General HE Dr Thani The highest temperature recorded lergies have been asked to start their message yesterday after a week bin Abdulrahman al-Kuwari attended in the country yesterday was 46C in prescribed antihistamine during of dropping opinion poll numbers the ceremony as well along with Mo- Batna, Karanah and Turayna, fol- sandstorms even before any symptom and a war of words with ranking hamed Issa al-Fadala, head of the ad- lowed by 45C in Sheehaniyah and other occurs. Republicans over his US presidential ministrative delegation of the Qatari places. In the capital, the mercury level The advisory also urged residents to campaign. Trump pledged to focus Olympic mission, and a number of kept a comparative low of 40C in the clean all dust from the house especially more on Democratic candidate federation presidents, executives and The Qatari flag is hoisted at the Olympic Village. Doha airport area. bedrooms and bed sheets, after the Hillary Clinton, who emerged Qatari athletes. Meanwhile, in view of the dusty con- sandstorm. “Those who may develop from last week’s Democratic The ceremony started with the entry Qatar takes part in the Olympics leyball and beach volleyball. ditions, the Ministry of Public Health watery eyes, cough, asthma or wheez- National Convention with a lead of the Qatari delegation in front of the with its biggest ever delegation since its The Qataris were in an upbeat mood yesterday issued a cautionary note urg- ing may report to the nearest health in the polls and who has been fl agpole, where the Qatari national an- participation in the Los Angeles Games yesterday after a visit by HE Sheikh ing people, especially elderly and those center and report to the Emergency consistently attacking Trump as them was played, followed by Brazilian in 1984. The delegation comprises 38 Joaan who encouraged them to give with asthma or respiratory diseases to Department if you have diffi culty in temperamentally unfit for the traditional performances. The village athletes representing 10 federations. their best at the Games. The opening avoid direct exposure to dust and stay breathing.” presidency. Page 6 mayor also gave a welcoming speech for The Qatari participation in the games ceremony will be held at the Mara- the Qatari delegation as al-Fadala took kicks off tomorrow with the qualifi ers cana, one of the biggest stadiums in the the stage. of swimming, table tennis, boxing, vol- world. Page 20 TURKEY | Crackdown Court issues arrest warrant for Gulen A Turkish court yesterday issued an arrest warrant in absentia for Raids on Syria displaced kill two kids US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen on charges of plotting the July 15 failed coup attempt, Anadolu Agency AFP Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for In early May, at least 28 civilians reported. The ruling came from an Beirut Human Rights. were killed in a strike on a camp for Istanbul court after public prosecutor “Many of these raids aff ected both displaced people in the northwestern Can Tuncay requested the arrest sites, killing two children and injur- province of Idlib. warrant for Gulen for the first time wo children were killed and doz- ing 30 others”, he said, adding that “10 Moscow and Damascus denied any since the coup attempt. The court ens more wounded yesterday in tents were burned”. involvement. ruled that Gulen’s group targeted Tair strikes on Syrian camps for The displaced fl ed to nearby fi elds, Russia launched a campaign of air Turkey’s security units and aimed to the displaced probably carried out by said Abdel Rahman. strikes in September that it says are change the constitutional order of Russian warplanes, a monitor said. Rebel groups in Aleppo province are targeting IS and other militant groups the state by infiltrating the Turkish “The probable Russian warplanes mainly concentrated in the area west in Syria. army on July 15 across the country, conducted eight raids in an area where of the regional capital, regularly tar- A US-led coalition has also been particularly in Istanbul and Ankara. two IDP camps” are located in Atareb, geted by air raids of the Syrian regime carrying out air strikes against IS in Page 10 west of Aleppo city, said Rami Abdel and its Russian ally. Syria since September 2014. Page 4 Dusty conditions aff ected visibility in many parts of the country yesterday. UN special envoy plans to suspend Yemen peace talks

AFP rebels and their allies in Kuwait since delegates a peace plan a few days ago, cupied in September 2014 including franchise, descended into chaos after tary vehicle at a militant checkpoint in Kuwait City April 21, without a breakthrough. and thanked the government for its the capital Sanaa and hand over heavy the 2012 ouster of longtime president Shabwa province, the offi cial said. The “We plan to hold the fi nal session (of positive response while adding that the weapons, said Ould Cheikh Ahmed. Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose forces are United States has carried out numerous the talks) on Saturday,” the Maurita- rebels had some reservations. The government delegation which fi ghting alongside the Houthi rebels. drone strikes in Yemen. he UN special envoy to Yemen nian diplomat said in an interview on The envoy said all diffi cult issues left Kuwait this week returned to the Security deteriorated further af- It has vowed no let-up in its war said yesterday he plans to sus- state-run Kuwait TV. were discussed and some achievements emirate late Thursday to attend the fi - ter the Houthis swept into Sanaa and against militants, who have exploited Tpend peace talks between the “We are working on issuing a com- were made during the negotiations. nal session, its spokesman Mohamed pushed south, forcing President Hadi’s the power vacuum created by a confl ict country’s warring parties at the week- munique that will emphasise on the “We wanted to have a sustainable al-Emrani said. government to fl ee into exile in March between the government and Houthi end but that negotiations will resume main points we have achieved.” and lasting peace agreement,” said The rebels had insisted that fi rst a last year. rebels to expand their presence in south later. The talks would resume later, he said, Ould Cheikh Ahmed who on Wednes- national unity government must be Meanwhile, a drone strike killed two and southeast Yemen. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been without providing a specifi c date or the day briefed the UN Security Council formed and a new consensus president suspected Al Qaeda members in south- A Saudi-led coalition which is mili- mediating the talks between President location but he added that they could about the talks. appointed to oversee the transition. ern Yemen yesterday, a security offi cial tarily backing the Yemeni government Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s govern- return to Kuwait. The peace plan calls for the rebels Yemen, home to what the United said. has also turned its sights on the mili- ment and the Iran-backed Houthi Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he off ered to withdraw from territories they oc- States sees as Al Qaeda’s deadliest The strike targeted the pair in a mili- tants. Page 3 Gulf Times 2 Friday, August 5, 2016 QATAR

Minister meets Palestinian envoy Awqaf Ministry endorses Ezdan village mosque

he Ministry of Awqaf (En- dowments) and Islamic TAff airs has offi cially en- dorsed Ezdan Village 37 mosque in the Al-Wukair area as a place to perform Friday prayers. Meant to meet the ever in- creasing population in the area, the mosque can hold more than 300 worshippers. It has also a separate prayer hall dedicated for women. Last Friday, the mosque host- ed its fi rst Friday prayer. A large number of people attended the prayer where the sermon was delivered by preacher Sheikh Ehab Ibrahim from the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Aff airs. Ezdan Holding Group owns 25 housing villages in the Al Wak- rah and Al-Wukair areas, with HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi met the ambassador of more than 19,500 housing units, Palestine to Qatar Munir Ghannam in Doha yesterday. They discussed bilateral relations and accommodating more than co-operation between Qatar and Palestine and ways of developing them, as well as matters of 70,000 people. Every village common concern. has a mosque to serve the com- pound’s residents. The newly opened mosque in Ezdan Village 37

In brief Construction of new Philippine Emir sends National Day greetings school building ‘is on track’ HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, HH the Deputy By Joey Aguilar at the Al Messilah Area to the the administration offi ces, Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Staff Reporter new complex at Abu Hamour, classrooms for nursery, kinder al-Thani and HE the Prime which can accommodate more and preparatory students, a clin- Minister and Interior Minister than 4,000 students. ic, and a 150-capacity canteen Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin onstruction of the new It is learnt that PSD offi cials while the fi rst and second fl oor Khalifa al-Thani have sent cables Philippine School of are pushing for this plan to avoid will house classrooms for other of congratulations to Governor- CDoha (PSD) building on any disruption or delay of class- levels. General of Jamaica Patrick Allen a 14,374sqm lot at Abu Hamour es for the 2017 – 2018 academic The third fl oor will house the on his country’s National Day. is nearly 50% complete and a year since the school is set to chemistry, biology, physics, and The Emir, the Deputy Emir and turnover early next year is being celebrate its 25th anniversary in general science laboratories and the Prime Minister have also planned, it is learnt. October. a multi-purpose gymnasium, sent cables of congratulations to “Based on the timetable we Engineer Josel S Leanda, designed to host cultural events, President of Burkina Faso Roch are on track and the progress is chairman of Task Force PSD performances, and shows, ac- Marc Christian Kabore on his very impressive,” said PSD prin- building and a member of the cording to Leanda. country’s National Day. cipal Alexander Acosta, who school’s board of trustees, told “Computer laboratories are made a site visit last Saturday Gulf Times that they are now do- located one each on fi rst and Chief of Staff along with Philippine ambas- ing the structural and electrical second fl oors, and libraries on sador Wilfredo Santos, Consul works on the second fl oor. the ground, fi rst and second meets Chinese General Roussel Reyes, and other He said construction of a 25m fl oors,” he said. ambassador embassy and school offi cials. swimming pool and a separate He added that they are now Acosta expressed confi dence pool for children on the base- constructing the division of HE the Chief of Staff of the Qatari that the QR123mn project, which ment are almost done but only classrooms on the second fl oor. Armed Forces Major General, started in November 2015, will needs some fi nishing touches The building is designed to Ghanem bin Shaheen al-Ghanem, be fi nished by January 2017 if no such as tiling and installation of have 136 class rooms: 24 for pre- met the Chinese ambassador to major concerns or problems will some equipment. Philippine embassy and PSD off icials led by ambassador Wilfredo Santos (centre) and principal Alexander elementary and 112 for primary, Qatar Li Chen in Doha yesterday. crop up. “Parallel works are going on Acosta conducted a site visit last Saturday at the new PSD building at Abu Hamour. secondary and intermediate, Talks during the meeting dealt Ahead of the expected dead- now on the second floor such and several other facilities. Every with in aspects of co-operation line of mid-2017, he noted that as electrical and ducting. We Leanda noted. 192-capacity parking facil- 26 more cars, including seven classroom will be equipped with between Qatar and China and they will be able to transfer are finished with the base- The basement, where the ity besides a ground parking buses. ‘interactive blackboards’ (smart means of enhancing them in gradually from the old building ment, ground, and first floor,” pools are located, will have a area which can accommodate The ground fl oor will house boards). various fields. Qatar Charity brings succour to displaced people in Myanmar

atar Charity (QC) has of Relief Management at QC, projects in Myanmar at a cost projects included distribution of supplied a new batch of said: “The eff orts the Qataris more than QR11.5mn from which food parcels to the people in the Qfood aid to the displaced exert and the eff orts of the good 198,564 people have benefi ted. camps of displaced people in My- people living in the camps of doers living in Qatar are greatly The projects undertaken includ- anmar in co-operation with IHH. Myanmar, benefi ting more than appreciated. They present the ed the reconstruction works for A total of 93,722 people have 5,500 people. true giving nature of the Qa- the aff ected people and the work benefi ted from the healthcare QC has been off ering aid to tari society. QC understands its has been done in co-operation services and distribution of in- these distressed people since the religious and moral obligation with UNHCR. The projects also kind items that cost around end of 2013. towards the needy people of the off er healthcare services, and QR1.25mn. These projects tar- The aid distributed last month world. It is entirely committed distribution of in-kind items in geted the governorates, villages was in co-operation with noted to help the refugees living in dif- co-operation with Mercy Ma- and camps in Rakhine, which humanitarian relief foundation fi cult circumstances. They help laysia. has been deeply aff ected by the IHH. The food baskets contained QC do its job and fulfi l its com- Other projects included Iftar riots of 2012. This project was rice, beans, cooking oil, pepper mitments”. for the needy during Ramadan in implemented due to the bad and canned fi sh. Since December 2013, QC co-operation with Osman Con- conditions of the Muslims in Mohamed al-Ka’bi, Director has implemented a number of sulting UK. In addition, some Myanmar. Qatar Charity personnel handing out relief items to displaced people in Myanmar.

Displaced people are provided with essential food supplies by Qatar Charity. Gulf Times Friday, August 5, 2016 3 REGION/ARAB WORLD Coalition admits Hope floats! to ‘shortcomings’ in Yemen strikes

AFP “apparent war crime” the raid which it said Saudi Arabia reacted angrily to a decision Riyadh killed at least 65 civilians in July last year. in June to blacklist the coalition after a UN The investigative team is calling on fami- report found the coalition responsible for lies of victims to apply for compensation by 60 % of the 785 deaths of children in Yemen he Saudi-led coalition fi ghting in contacting Yemen’s Saudi-backed govern- last year. Yemen yesterday acknowledged ment, Mansur said. Late last month, the Saudi ambassador to T“shortcomings” in two out of eight The team also held the coalition respon- the United Nations, Abdullah al-Mouallimi, cases it has investigated of UN-con- sible for air strikes on Haydan hospital run outlined a series of measures the coalition is demned air strikes on civilian targets in the by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the taking to avoid civilian casualties in Yemen, country. northern rebel stronghold of Saada. in a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-moon. A 14-member investigative team — made The rebels were using the hospital as a The coalition is in “direct dialogue” with up of coalition states Bahrain, Kuwait, Qa- hideout, which is “a breach of international humanitarian organisations, including tar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emir- humanitarian law”, said Mansur. MSF, to guarantee protection of medical fa- ates, as well as Yemen — probed claims However, the coalition should have cilities, the letter said. of attacks on a residential area, hospitals, warned MSF offi cials before targeting the Mouallimi also provided Ban with details markets, a wedding and World Food Pro- building, he said. of steps taken to designate targets and en- gramme aid trucks. No deaths had been reported in these sure they have “identifi able military” aims. “We found shortcomings in two cases strikes. On Tuesday, Ban reported to the UN Se- while the rest were in line with interna- The team cleared the coalition of wrong- curity Council on his controversial decision tional humanitarian law,” the team’s Bah- doing in the remaining six cases, including to temporarily remove the coalition from raini spokesman, Mansur al-Mansur, told a raids last year on a delivery by WFP trucks the UN list of shame, a move that sparked briefi ng in Riyadh. that had not coordinated with the coalition. an outcry from human rights groups. They found that the coalition, which The trucks were also not marked to show “I still have very strong concerns about launched an air war on Shia Houthi rebels that they belonged to an international aid the protection of Yemeni children,” Ban in Yemen in March 2015, guilty of “mistak- organisation, according to Mansur. said. enly” hitting a residential compound in the The 16-month-old war in Yemen has Ban said he had received information on Israeli youths, of Arab and Jewish descent, sail on a handmade raft across the Sea of Galilee in northern Red Sea port city of Mokha after it had re- killed some 6,400 people and exacerbated the steps taken by the coalition but that Israel as part of a 3-day summer camp organized by the Israeli Kibbutz Organization, for Arabs and Jews, ceived “imprecise intelligence information”. a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished these fell short and “the content of the (UN) aimed to bridge the gap between the diff erent societies in Israel. Human Rights Watch condemned as an country, the United Nations says. report (on children’s deaths) stands”. Tehran executes 20 ‘terrorists’ in a single day

AFP ings and robberies, allegedly Prosecutor General Mohamed acted against security, and killed Amnesty does not include se- The European Union and the Foreign Minister Mohamed Tehran committed by the group. Javad Montazeri said the convicts, Sunni religious leaders in some cretive China in its fi gures, but the French government both criti- Javad Zarif and the EU’s top dip- It said the extremists were some of whom had come from Kurdish regions,” Montazeri said. number of executions in Iran ex- cised this week’s executions. lomat Federica Mogherini have responsible for the deaths of 21 abroad, followed “takfi ri” ide- Iran regularly hangs large- ceeded both neighbouring Pakistan “The EU reiterates its strong already held preliminary discus- ran said yesterday it had people in three western provinc- ologies, a term Shia-majority Iran scale drug traffi ckers. Murder, and regional rival Saudi Arabia. opposition to the use of the death sions on the issue, Mohamed Ja- hanged 20 “terrorist” prison- es during that time. uses to describe Sunni militants. rape, armed robbery and adultery Over two days in 2009, Iran penalty in all circumstances. It vad Larijani, secretary general of Iers, in one of the Islamic re- “102 members and follow- In 2009, the group allegedly are also capital off ences in Iran. hanged 44 convicted drug traf- also recalls its concern with the Iran’s High Council for Human public’s biggest mass executions ers of the...terrorist group were assassinated two Sunni reli- In addition, those charged fi ckers in one of the country’s high number of executions in Rights, said on Wednesday. in recent years. identifi ed...some of whom were gious leaders, Mamusta Borhan with “spreading corruption on biggest mass executions. Iran,” an EU spokesman said in a “We are ready to talk...but the The men, who were hanged on killed in armed clashes with po- Aali and Mamusta Mohammad Earth” and “waging war against In 2013, the Islamic republic statement. Westerners should not put them- Tuesday, were accused of carry- lice forces and some were arrest- Sheikh al-Islam — a provincial God” can be put to death under hanged 16 Sunnis in the eastern “The death penalty is a cruel selves forward as role models,” ing out a string of attacks against ed. Some of those arrested were representative of Iran’s powerful Shariah, in force in Iran since the province of Zahedan, eight of and inhumane punishment, Larijani was quoted as saying by civilians and religious leaders in sentenced to death while some Assembly of Experts. 1979 revolution. whom were members of a Sunni which fails to act as a deterrent the ISNA news agency. Iran’s western Kurdish region, received prison terms,” it added. Those hanged on Tuesday did According to human rights militant group named Jundallah, and represents an unacceptable “We are not happy to be ex- state media reported. One of the fi rst plots linked to not deserve mercy, IRIB state tele- group Amnesty International, which waged a deadly insurgency denial of human dignity and in- ecuting many people, but we have Iran’s intelligence ministry the group involved giving choco- vision quoted Montazeri as saying. Iran was one of the world’s top on civilians and offi cials in south- tegrity,” the spokesman added. a relentless war against narcotics. earlier issued a statement detail- lates laced with poison to police “These people had commit- executioners in 2015 when it put eastern Iran for almost a decade. The incident comes as the EU Poppy cultivation has increased ing 24 armed attacks between offi cers and judiciary personnel, ted murder...killed women and 977 people to death, mostly on The group’s leader Abdulmalek has reportedly proposed talks by 40 times thanks to Nato gener- 2009 and 2011, including bomb- although no one was killed. children, caused destruction and drug traffi cking charges. Rigi was hanged in June 2010. with Iran on human rights. als in Afghanistan,” he added.

Remembering ... Single runway operational at Dubai airport

Reuters Dubai

ubai International Airport, the world’s busi- est for international travel, was operating Dyesterday with only one of its two runways open as authorities cleared the wreckage of an Emirates Boeing 777 that crashed and burned the previous day. “Due to reduced capacity we are having to priori- tise arriving and departing fl ights to make the best use of available runway to clear the backlog,” the fa- cility’s operator, Dubai Airports, said in a statement. The Dubai Airport said in a statement that 237 inbound and departing fl ights were cancelled in the wake of the incident and another 44 fl ights coming into the country were diverted to nearby airports. About 19,000 passengers were aff ected by the disruptions, it said. Emirates, which is based at Dubai International, said it expected disuptions to its fl ights to continue for the next 36 hours. It did not elaborate. All 300 passengers and crew were safely evacu- ated from the Emirates plane after the crash, which occurred when the crew apparently attempted un- successfully to abort a landing. One fi refi ghter was killed on the ground. Flights at Dubai International were completely suspended for over fi ve hours on Wednesday, au- Iraqis light candles at the site of an explosion that killed more than 300 people in Baghdad’s Karrada district as they marked one month since the bombing. The suicide bombing, claimed thorities said — a blow to Dubai’s economy, which by the Islamic State group, hit the Karrada Dakhil street a little before 1am on July 3. depends heavily on infl ows of tourists from around the world and the emirate’s role as a waystation for travel between Asia and Europe. The UAE Civil Aviation Authority said yesterday that an investigation into the incident would in- clude the countries involved in the manufacture of the plane and its engines — the United States and Iraq travel ban for politicians suspected in corruption case Britain — along with the relevant companies Boe- ing, Rolls Royce and Emirates Airline. Passenger traffi c through Dubai International DPA has rocked the country. ruption and blackmail to fi nalize arms mon incumbent and former offi cials backed by a US-led air coalition, is Airport expanded 7% from a year earlier to 34.65mn Baghdad The ban is a “legal precautious deals worth billions of dollars. for testimonies in the case, inde- bracing for launching a long-await- passengers in the fi rst fi ve months of this year. procedure,” judicial spokesman Ab- Earlier yesterday, al-Obeidi ap- pendent Iraqi website Alsumaria ed off ensive to dislodge the Islamic After Dubai International Airport closed its del-Sattar Bairaqdar said. peared before the Commission of News reported, citing Bairaqdar. State extremist militia from Mosul, airspace for about an hour because of unauthor- n Iraqi investigation com- The decision comes three days af- Integrity, an independent entity “The defence minister confi rmed the country’s seccond-largest city. ised drone activity, the local Khaleej Times quoted mission yesterday issued a ter Defence Minister Khaled al-Obei- in charge of investigating corrup- in his briefi ng that those offi cials In recent months, Iraq has seen a Michael Rudolph, head of aviation regulations and Atravel ban for the parliament di accused head of parliament Salim tion, and presented a briefi ng on his have important testimonies to give,” series of street protests demanding safety at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, as say- speaker and six politicians allegedly al-Jabouri and six others, including claims. Bairaqdar added without elaborating. massive reforms and fi ght against ing earlier this year that for every minute the airport involved in a corruption case that lawmakers, of involvement in cor- The commission decided to sum- The case has erupted as Iraq, corruption. stayed shut, the Dubai economy lost about $1mn. Gulf Times 4 Friday, August 5, 2016 ARAB WORLD Protesting corruption US air raids lift morale of Libya anti-IS forces

By Hamza Turkie, AFP campaign to retake Sirte in May. Sirte, Libya Since then, more than 300 pro-gov- ernment forces have been killed and 1,500 wounded, according to medical rouched behind a cement wall sources. to avoid sniper fi re, Libyan pro- In June, pro-government forces en- Cgovernment fi ghters say US air tered the city but their progress has been strikes on the Islamic State in its Sirte slow as IS hit back with sniper fi re, sui- bastion have boosted morale. cide attacks and car bombings. Fighters allied to the UN-backed “We asked for US support to limit Government of National Accord (GNA) our losses,” after suff ering “very, very have waged a fi erce weeks-long battle to heavy” casualties, a spokesman for the retake the coastal city of Sirte from the GNA forces, General Mohamed Ghassri, militants. told AFP. “The US intervention is very good. “We have had more than 100 ampu- The air strikes are very good and have tations, numerous clinical deaths and targeted sensitive Daesh (IS) positions,” gravely wounded,” Ghassri said. Mohamed al-Ahjal told AFP yesterday On a beach west of Sirte, three pro- as he took cover in the courtyard of an GNA forces manned an observation abandoned house. point not far from an IS position. “We hope they will intensify the air One was standing near a makeshift strikes in the coming days for us to make tent built with a carpet strung over a progress on the battlefi eld,” said Ahjal, wooden stick, while inside two other wearing a cowboy hat and a military fi ghters sheltered from the scorching jacket over a black sleeveless shirt. heat. Ahjal and nine other fi ghters from One of them peered through binocu- A demonstrator wearing a mask holds a placard reading “Officials, out”, during a protest of activists of the “February 20” movement, over the sale of the pro-government “Hawks of Mis- lars and the other, gripping a machine state-owned land at low prices in Rabat. Activists and opposition members in Morocco have demanded an investigation into allegations that officials, rata” unit lay low in the courtyard of the gun, stared ahead, his gaze locked on an including royal advisers and ministers, were able to buy state land for derisory sums. house, less than 250m from the nearest IS position. IS position. On the western outskirts of Sirte, pro- They were waiting for the return of GNA forces have set up a fi eld hospital comrades from the frontlines to take for the wounded, who are then trans- over and jump back into the fray. ferred to the city of Misrata, where they “Our morale has been lifted, espe- have their command centre. cially after the last raids carried out by The fi eld hospital has set up a special our American friends,” said Khaled al- Facebook page to post pictures of pro- Ghosh, another fi ghter. GNA casualties, as well as advice for “They were excellent hits. Victory will fi ghters to wear fl ak jackets and helmets. be close if there are more such hits,” he It also appeals for blood donations, Syrians refugees get added. telling fellow Libyans: “Your blood can The United States opened a new front save a life.” in its campaign against IS on Monday by Further west in the capital Tripoli, launching air strikes on militants holed road signs have been erected urging do- up in the centre of Sirte, at the request of nations of money to help the campaign the UN-backed government. against “terrorism”. The loss of Sirte would be a major “The US raids are intensifying the food aid in Jordan blow to the jihadist group, which has (anti-IS) campaign, but on the ground faced a series of setbacks in Syria and the fi ghters are the ones who will achieve AFP Heavy airstrikes target rebel-held Aleppo area enough water to survive,” the state- Iraq, where a US-led coalition and local victory,” said a member of Sirte city Amman ment added. forces are battling IS. council, now based in Misrata. A series of airstrikes by the Syrian Heavy fighting was meanwhile rag- The UN aid agency heads warned US warplanes carried out seven “The bodies of IS militants are litter- regime and its Russian allies hit the ing along most battle fronts of Aleppo, that health care was “urgently” need- strikes against IS positions in Sirte on ing the streets of Sirte,” he said. “We are N agencies yesterday an- besieged rebel side of Aleppo yester- especially in the south-western parts of ed, particularly for pregnant women, Monday and Tuesday. impatient to go back to Sirte and clean nounced the fi rst delivery day amid fierce ground fighting in the the city, amid initial information about children and other vulnerable groups Libya pro-GNA forces launched the up our city.” Usince June of desperately- contested northern city, a monitor rebels’ advances against regime forces, such as the elderly and the sick needed food and hygiene supplies to group and activists said. according to the Observatory’s net- trapped along the border. tens of thousands of Syrians trapped The Syrian Observatory for Human work of activists inside war-torn Syria. “We look forward to further eff orts Tunisia PM-designate starts talks on new govt on the border with Jordan. Rights reported that the bombardment Activist Ammar Jello, who is based to reach people at the berm with hu- The announcement came in a joint targeted the opposition-controlled near Syria’s border with Turkey, said manitarian assistance in time to save unisia’s prime minister-designate “Consultations will continue in the statement by the heads of the World neighbourhoods of Al Qalasa, Bustan that at least 12 air raids by unidentified their lives,” they said, thanking the Youssef Chahed yesterday began coming days,” he said. Food Programme, the United Nations al-Qasr and the Electricity Company planes targeted a refugee camp near Jordanian government for its co-op- Ttalks aimed at creating a unity Chahed is to meet representatives of High Commissioner for Refugees, the in eastern Aleppo. The Britain-based the town of Atareb in western Aleppo, eration. government to tackle major economic his own party, Nidaa Tounes, which was children’s agency Unicef and the In- watchdog did not report casualties. killing at least two people. Jordan declared the border area a and security challenges. founded by President Beji Caid Essebsi. ternational Organization for Migra- “military zone” after the June attack, The 40-year-old former local aff airs Chahed said on Wednesday that his tion. blocking access to Syrian refugees minister was nominated on Wednesday government’s priorities would to fi ght Jordan closed its border with Syr- gees stranded at the border. ing these women, men and children and sparking fears over their fate. and given 30 days to form a cabinet. terrorism, corruption and unemploy- ia in June after a suicide bombing The heads of the four UN agencies has grown more dire by the day,” they Several international aid and rights Yesterday, he met offi cials from three ment. He pledged to include more wom- claimed by the Islamic State militants announced the “successful comple- said. groups have since urged Jordan to re- minor parties, said a source close to him. en in his cabinet than in previous gov- killed seven soldiers. tion of a relief operation to provide “Sheltering in makeshift tents in voke its decision and keep its borders Chahed is to meet offi cials from the ernments. The attack took place near a make- more than 75,000 people with food harsh desert conditions with temper- open to refugees fl eeing Syria’s fi ve- Islamist Ennahda party that dominates His nomination came days after the shift desert camp and aid groups have and humanitarian items”. atures of up to 50 degrees Celsius and year war. parliament and from the Nobel Peace government of Habib Essid lost a vote since been unable to deliver supplies “Unable either to cross the bor- sudden sand storms, they are with- Jordan already hosts hundreds of Prize-winning UGTT union, said the of confi dence in parliament after just 18 to tens of thousands of Syrian refu- der or turn back, the situation fac- out suffi cient food and have barely thousands of Syrian refugees. source, who did not wish to be named. months in offi ce. Egypt air strike kills IS head of Sinai: army

AFP soldiers have been claimed by The operation destroyed de- Cairo “The Sinai Province”, the Egyp- pots where weapons, ammuni- tian branch of IS. tion and explosives were stashed, The army spokesman did not it said. n Egyptian air strike killed specify when the operation was The Sinai Peninsula borders the head of the Islamic carried out. Israel and the Palestinian Gaza AState group in the Sinai But the statement posted on Strip. Peninsula along with top aides his website said military forces El-Arish is the provincial capi- and dozens of other militants, “were able to kill the leader An- tal of North Sinai where the mili- the army said yesterday. sar Beit al-Maqdis, the terrorist tants are active. Abu Doaa al-Ansari was called Abu Doaa al-Ansari and Despite the a massive military among more than 45 militants a number of his top aides in ad- campaign to uproot IS from Si- killed in the operation carried dition to more than 45 terrorist nai, the militants have kept up out by the air force and the anti- elements”. the attacks with roadside bombs terrorism squad, said a statement Ansar Beit al-Maqdis was the and ambushes in the eastern pe- posted on the army spokesman’s previous name of the militants ninsula. Mohamed Ismail al-Emadi during a meeting with the various Palestinian private sector, trade unions, professional associations, institutions Facebook page. before they swore allegiance to Most of the group’s attacks representatives. Since Egypt’s military over- the Islamic State group in No- have targeted security forces but threw Islamist president Mo- vember 2014. they have also attacked Egyptian hamed Mursi in 2013, militants The statement said dozens of Christians and tourists. have stepped up attacks on the others were “targeted with pre- The group claimed respon- army and police with near daily cise hits” in the joint operation sibility for bombing a Russian attacks in North Sinai. against strongholds of the group airliner carrying holidaymakers Qatar committed to carrying Most of the attacks that have south and southwest of the Sinai from an Egyptian resort last year, killed hundreds of policemen and city of El-Arish. killing all 224 people on board. out all projects in Gaza Strip

Lebanese army arrests IS suspects QNA construction companies and these projects various needs Qatar’s support for the Pales- Gaza through recruiting local man- through the purchase of local tinian people, stressing that Reuters Local media said one suspect Lebanon has been repeat- power and local suppliers. products and to provide jobs for Qatar is the largest and most Beirut died of his wounds. edly jolted by security incidents During a meeting with the large numbers of Gaza work- important donor and supportive Four men, two Syrians and two linked to the confl ict in neigh- he Qatari Committee for various Palestinian private sec- ers in related constructions and of the Palestinian private sector. Lebanese, were charged with at- bouring Syria, including Sunni Reconstruction of the tor, trade unions, professional reconstruction operating seg- He pointed out that the State he Lebanese army ar- tacks against the army, involve- Islamist attacks. TGaza Strip Chairman associations, institutions repre- ments.” of Qatar was one of the fi rst rested several members ment in terrorist activities and in The army has regularly shelled ambassador Mohamed Ismail sentatives, al-Emadi said: “We For his part, Ali al-Hayek, countries that worked to com- Tof Islamic State in a raid executions and killings, the state- positions held by Islamists, in- al-Emadi has stressed Qatar’s will not we use foreign compa- president of the Palestinian pensate the private sector for that erupted into a fi refi ght in the run National News Agency said. cluding what it says are Islamic commitment to the imple- nies in the implementation of Businessmen Association and the damage of its establish- north of the country yesterday, a It did not elaborate on the State fi ghters, in the north near mentation of all projects in the our projects in Gaza and we will vice president of the General ments through many projects security source said. charges. the Syrian border. Strip by the Palestinian local rely on local suppliers to provide Federation of Industries, lauded and programmes. Gulf Times Friday, August 5, 2016 5 AFRICA Boko Haram, IS leadership rift surfaces in video

DPA On Wednesday, Arabic-lan- lamic State emerged and carved a ning a photograph of him. caliphate to West Africa. Islamic State – for wanting him The group’s goal is to enforce Lagos guage online newspaper al-Na- foothold in Iraq and Syria in 2014. In the interview, he admits Boko Haram was previously al- to be led by an “infi del”. a strict interpretation of Islamic baa – which is apparently linked Islamic State’s usual propa- military defeats against Boko lied with Al Qaeda, of which Is- SITE analysts believe this ap- law. to Islamic State – wrote that ganda outlets, such as Amaaq Haram. lamic State was once an off shoot, parent forced change in leader- Since 2009, at least 14,000 oko Haram’s long-time Boko Haram’s new News Agency, did not report the “They have usurped some ar- but split from that international ship exposes an ideological rift people have died at the hands leader Abubakar Shekau “sheikh” was Abu Musab change in Boko Haram leader- eas from us. We are working to terrorist network in 2014. within Boko Haram. of the Sunni fundamentalists in Bhas rejected a move by Is- al-Barnawi, according to secu- ship. retrieve them,” he is quoted as Shekau responded to his ap- Boko Haram poses a steady Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and lamic State (IS) to replace him rity think tank SITE Intelligence In its latest edition, al-Nabaa saying in Arabic. parent dismissal yesterday with threat to communities in the Niger. as the head of Nigeria’s Islam- Group. has an interview with al-Barna- In March 2015, Boko Haram a video message in Hausa and northeast of Nigeria and has also According to the United Na- ist militant group in a purported Al-Nabaa is an online weekly, wi, referring to him as the ap- pledged allegiance to Islamic Arabic in which he criticises “the launched off ensives in neigh- tions, an estimated 2.7mn peo- video that exposes a rift between and according to its masthead is pointed “wali” or ruler of West State, which then announced the authorities” bouring Chad, Niger and Cam- ple in the region have fl ed their the two terrorist outfi ts. seven years old – that’s before Is- Africa province but without run- expansion of its self-declared - in an apparent reference to eroon. homes due to Boko Haram. Major polls setback for ANC Reuters was not so sure about Johannes- Pretoria burg or Nelson Mandela Bay. Some ANC backers said votes expected from black townships rban South Africans dealt would eat into DA’s lead in Nel- the ANC its biggest po- son Mandela Bay. Ulitical blow since the end “I’m still hoping the ANC will of apartheid yesterday, knock- win,” said Yvonne Mehlo, 38, as ing the ruling party off its perch she lay out fruit and vegetables at in three cities as voters vented a roadside hawking stand in Port anger at corruption, high unem- Elizabeth. ployment and poor public serv- DA leader Maimane said his ices. party would “put the best coali- The African National Congress tion on the table” when asked (ANC) – which ended white- if he would be open to sharing minority rule when it won power power in some areas. in the fi rst democratic national “We’ve shown some incred- election in 1994 – held a big lead ible growth in these elections and in the overall count in nationwide we’re quite excited about that,” municipal elections. said Maimane, whose party has But it was trailing the opposi- promised to help create jobs and tion Democratic Alliance (DA) in improve social services. Port Elizabeth, which it has pre- “There is no metro that is a viously held virtually unopposed given at this point,” said ANC for the last two decades. secretary general Gwede Man- The ANC was also unlikely to tashe. make it to a 50% outright ma- He said that votes in the party’s jority in the capital Pretoria and Above: ANC and South strongholds in Nelson Mandela economic-hub Johannesburg. African Communist Party (SACP) Bay had not yet been counted. A signifi cant loss of support supporters dance and sing in The Economic Freedom Fight- for the ruling party in these areas celebration on Wednesday ers (EFF), which is led by fi re- could mark a watershed in South at Wembezi township near brand Julius Malema, Zuma’s African society and politics as Estcourt, some 215km west of one-time protégé and former the country shifts from what has Durban. ANC youth leader is participat- eff ectively been a one-party sys- ing in only its second election tem in the era immediately post- Left: A woman wearing ANC and was running a distant third apartheid. regalia casts her vote during the in the votes counted. It could reshape the political local government elections on It is, however, winning some landscape ahead of the 2019 na- Wednesday in Hillbrow, central support from voters frustrat- tional election, and may also em- Johannesburg. ed about inequality in country bolden President Jacob Zuma’s where black people make up rivals within the ANC to chal- about 80% of the 54mn popula- lenge him. tion, yet most of the economy in The municipal vote comes terms of ownership of land and as Africa’s most-industrialised companies remains in the hands country teeters on the edge of a of white people, who account for recession after a string of cor- about 8% of the population. ruption scandals surrounding The rand currency and gov- Zuma. ernment bonds fi rmed yesterday, The ANC lost Zuma’s home- boosted by the smooth running town of Nkandla in Kwa-Zulu of the elections. Natal province, a personal blow “Foreign investors will prob- to Zuma, where the Inkatha Free- ably welcome the fact that re- dom Party retained its hold on duced support for the ruling the region. ANC has helped the centrist DA Many ANC supporters are rather than the leftist EFF,” said switching allegiances to the DA, John Ashbourne, Africa analyst bolstering its attempts to attract at Capital Economics, in a note. black voters and shake off its im- Many South Africans who age of a party that chiefl y serves queued up to vote across the the interests of the minority country said they were worried white community. about Zuma’s performance and With about two-thirds of the the state of the economy, where vote counted, the ANC led in the one in four in the labour force is national count with 54% at 1630 unemployed. GMT, against 27% for the DA and Zuma survived an impeach- 7% for the radical left-wing Eco- ment vote in April after the nomic Freedom Fighters. Constitutional Court said he Final results are expected to- A South African National Defence Force vehicle is stationed outside a voting station in the volatile village Media personnel and Independent Electoral Commission off icers are breached the law by ignoring an day. of Vuwani, in the northern province of Limpopo. seen at the Independent Electoral Commission centre in Pretoria. order to repay some of the $16mn The DA, which last year elect- in state funds that were spent on ed its fi rst black leader Mmusi in Johannesburg, said he expect- an era of coalition politics.” The ANC had 42.9% of the sus 38%, with 85% of votes in. competence and corruption, the renovating his private home in Maimane, was ahead in Johan- ed the DA to be the biggest single The DA is expected to main- votes in Tshwane municipality The DA had 69% of the vote working classes are economi- Nkandla. nesburg and in Nelson Mandela party in Nelson Mandela Bay but tain its control of Cape Town, the against the DA’s 42.7% after half in Cape Town against the ANC’s cally frustrated by the lack of In December, he rattled inves- Bay, the area named after the to fall short of a majority. only big city currently not run by of the votes had been counted. 22%, with 77% of the votes in. jobs – good paying or not,” said tors after changing his fi nance anti-apartheid hero who led the “In the case of Tshwane and the ANC, where it had a large lead In Johannesburg, the op- Opponents say defeat in a re- Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, DaMi- minister twice in a week, sending ANC to power and which in- Johannesburg the ANC will be over the ruling party. position party’s lead had been gion named after the ANC’s lib- na Advisors chief Africa frontier the rand plummeting. cludes the city of Port Elizabeth. the biggest party – but very sig- By late afternoon, the ANC trimmed to 42.09% to 42.02% eration hero would be an embar- markets analyst and global man- Zuma has said he would repay Daryl Glaser, lecturer in po- nifi cantly, it will fall below 50%, had a slim lead in Tshwane mu- for the ANC, with 40% of the rassment for the ruling party. aging director. some of the funds spent on his litical studies department at the so we are looking at a major set- nicipality, home to the capital votes tallied, while in Nelson “While the middle classes The ANC said it expected to home and rejected criticism of University of the Witwatersrand back,” Glaser said. “We are into Pretoria. Mandela Bay it led with 56% ver- are upset about government in- retain Tshwane municipality but his conduct.

East Africa leaders meeting on Lake Chad ‘forgotten’ as all eyes on Nigeria regional force in South Sudan By Kieran Guilbert, Reuters Boko Haram violence, are trou- geria meet, the United Nations emergency threshold, some ar- Dakar bling, said Pascal Nshimirimana, has said. eas north of the lake surpass it, at Chad programme manager for Chadian troops have ventured 18%, the IMC said. AFP Juba was rocked by heavy – a plan approved by the US and the International Medical Corps onto Lake Chad, a Boko Haram Chad in April extended the Addis Ababa fi ghting in July between the African Union but rejected by he world must not forget (IMC). stronghold, and say they are tak- state of emergency in the region, government forces of Kiir and Kiir. about the impact of the “There is a lot of focus on the ing back ground from the Islam- which has disrupted fi shing, those loyal to former rebel chief “The peace agreement has TBoko Haram insurgency Nigerian side of the border, but ist group, undermining their sev- farming and cattle breeding and ast African leaders will Riek Machar, the latest upsurge collapsed. They have to fi nd a on West Africa’s Lake Chad re- the Chadian side is being forgot- en-year campaign to carve out a hit cross-border trade, markets gather in Ethiopia today in two and half years of war. way forward to restore calm in gion where 100,000 people are ten,” Nshimirimana said. Nigerian caliphate. and livelihoods, international Eto discuss a regional in- Goi Jooyul Yol, a spokesman South Sudan,” Jooyul added. uprooted, as fears of famine rise The region is the world’s most Yet there are still areas around and local aid agencies say. tervention force to back up UN for Machar, told AFP in Addis Neither Kiir nor Machar is in northeast Nigeria, aid agencies neglected humanitarian crisis, the lake which are hard to reach More than 15,000 people have troops in South Sudan, an ini- Ababa “the only hope is a pro- expected to attend the event. said yesterday. the UN aid chief said earlier this and assist, the United Nations’ been killed and at least 2.7mn tiative vehemently opposed by tection force. There is no secu- Nearly 300 people have died Nearly 250,000 children in year. World Food Programme (WFP) displaced by Boko Haram mili- President Salva Kiir. rity for the moment in Juba”. in the violence so far, while Nigeria’s northeast Borno state, “Even before the Boko Haram said. tants across the four Lake Chad Regional bloc IGAD has raised The mooted force for South 60,000 have fl ed the country. where food is in short supply, crisis, the lake region and west- “Insecurity, long distances, countries. the possibility of deploying an Sudan would be modelled on On Wednesday, Kiir gave an suff er from life-threatening ern part of Chad had been vic- and a lack of infrastructure, with Despite being driven back, the “intervention brigade” with a the Force Intervention Brigade interview to Kenya’s KTN TV in malnourishment and many are timised by fl oods and drought,” conditions made worse during Islamist militants still stage raids more aggressive mandate with- of 3,000 troops deployed within which he once again dismissed dying, the United Nations and Nshimirimana said to the Thom- the current rainy season, create and suicide bombings across the in the current UN mission. the UN’s mission in the Demo- the idea of the force. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, son Reuters Foundation by additional hurdles to the provi- region. The 12,000-strong UN cratic Republic of the Congo, “I don’t see the reason why Doctors Without Borders) said phone. sion of aid,” said Abdou Dieng, “The eff ects of prolonged food peacekeeping mission in South which was decisive in neutralis- there should be a foreign inter- last month. There are more than 100,000 WFP’s regional director for West insecurity are palpable in all four Sudan, UNMISS, has faced ing the M23 rebellion in 2013. vention, to come and do what? Yet hunger and malnutrition people displaced by Boko Har- and Central Africa. countries bearing the brunt of criticism for failing to stem the Machar has refused to return There is no fi ghting in Juba,” he rates across the border in Chad, am across the swamplands of While the global acute mal- Boko Haram violence,” Dieng of latest bloodshed or fully protect to Juba until the deployment of said, comparing it to trespass- where poverty and desertifi ca- Lake Chad, where the borders of nutrition rate for the lake region the WFP told the Thomson Reu- civilians during the fi ghting. a neutral force of African troops ing on his property. tion have been compounded by Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Ni- stands at 13.5%, just below the ters Foundation. Gulf Times 6 Friday, August 5, 2016 AMERICA FBI arrests more than 40 alleged East Coast mobsters

AFP roots – as well as from a Philadel- mob associates, soldiers, capos “From loan-sharking and il- mobster “capos” or captains. card fraud conspiracy as well as But in real life, mafi a members New York phia organised crime family. and a boss this morning show legal gambling, to credit card A 32-page grand jury indict- health care fraud using corrupt can be notoriously diffi cult to The arrests spotlight an Italian this isn’t fi ction,” he added. and health care fraud, and even ment, which prosecutors un- doctors to issue unnecessary convict. mafi a purportedly alive and kick- At least 39 suspects were ar- fi rearms traffi cking, today’s ma- sealed yesterday, details assaults, prescriptions for an expensive Last November, a then S prosecutors unveiled ing in the 21st century, not just rested yesterday with three other fi a is fully diversifi ed,” he said. threats and arson allegedly car- cream, it stated. 80-year-old reputed mobster charges yesterday against the stuff of Hollywood lore. defendants already in custody. “As alleged, threatening to as- ried out by the mobsters. The indictment detailed the was tried in Brooklyn for an al- U46 alleged mobsters, lik- The suspects span generations, One other defendant is ex- sault, maim and kill people who To evade law enforcement, assault of one victim with glass leged role in the spectacular 1978 ened to the plot of a mafi a novel, ranging in age from 24 to 80, and pected to surrender “in the next get in the way of their criminal mobsters allegedly used coded jars, sharp objects and steel- New York airport heist immor- following dozens of arrests in co- include defendants who went few days”, while three remain at schemes remains the go-to play language to set up appointments, tipped boots, and the maiming of talised in Martin Scorsese’s hit ordinated FBI raids up and down by colourful nicknames such as large, offi cials said. in the mob’s playbook.” meeting in person at highway another with a pipe. movie Goodfellas. the East Coast. “Muscles”, “Tony the Cripple”, The defendants are charged During yesterday’s raids, three rest stops and at restaurants, the One of the defendants, named A jury in the federal trial ac- The defendants are accused “Mustache Pat”, and “Tugboat”. with racketeering conspiracy, ar- handguns, a shotgun, gambling indictment claimed. as Anthony Vazzano – also quitted him. of orchestrating a vast criminal “The indictment reads like an son, illegal fi rearms traffi cking, paraphernalia and more than Illegal gambling was a major known as “Tony the Wig” and And there is the case of Vin- enterprise that stretched from old-school mafi a novel, where and conspiracy to commit as- $30,000 in cash were impound- source of funds – one New York “Muscles” – was stabbed in the cent Asaro. Massachusetts to Florida, engag- extortion, illegal gambling, arson sault, prosecutors said. ed, prosecutors said. establishment held poker tour- neck during an altercation at a Asaro, allegedly a member of ing in extortion, arson, fraud, il- and threats to ‘whack’ someone Most face up to 20 years in The years-long investigation naments and took bets on the bar in the Bronx in January 2013, the Bonanno family, was accused legal gambling, fi rearms traffi ck- are carried out along with some prison if convicted, US offi cials by the FBI and New York po- horses – while sports gambling prosecutors said. of murder, violence and extortion ing and assault. modern-day crimes of credit said. lice’s organised crime task force businesses operated in New York, US popular culture has long that supposedly spanned 45 years They are allegedly drawn from card skimming,” said Federal Bu- “The mob remains a scourge amassed thousands of hours of Florida, New Jersey and Costa been fascinated by the Ital- from the late 1960s. the Genovese, Gambino, Luc- reau of Investigation (FBI) offi cial on this city and around the coun- testimony from a co-operating Rica, it added. ian mafi a, inspiring a clutch of However, after a few days of chese and Bonanno families – Diego Rodriguez. try,” said Manhattan US Attorney witness and an undercover FBI The crime ring allegedly sold award-winning Hollywood fi lms deliberations, he was found not New York gangs with Sicilian “But the 40-plus arrests of Preet Bharara. agent who worked for alleged fi rearms and engaged in credit and TV series. guilty on all counts.

Eastwood trumps for Republican candidate, likely to make his day Allies urge Trump to

AFP Los Angeles

ctor and director Clint get back on message Eastwood has defended ADonald Trump over ac- Reuters mind, Mr Trump has to under- cusations of racism, and revealed Washington stand that the general election that he’s leaning towards voting for president of the United States for the Republican presidential Eastwood: people should ‘get is all about staying on message.” nominee. over (Trump’s remarks)’. upporters of Republican Trump supporter Ben Carson, The 86-year-old acknowl- Donald Trump have urged the retired neurosurgeon who ran edged that the tycoon’s incendi- the thousands of delegates as Shim to get back on message unsuccessfully for the Repub- ary rhetoric has been “dumb” at the actor and director grilled the after a week of dropping opinion lican presidential nomination, times but added that people were imaginary Obama for failing to poll numbers and a war of words said Trump realised the need to “making a big hoodoo out of it” revive a fl agging economy. with ranking Republicans over focus on Clinton. and should “get over it”. But his rambling performance his US presidential campaign. “And I think you’re going to In an interview with Esquire sparked derision on social media Trump pledged to focus more see him focusing much more on magazine published on Wednes- among Democrats and neutrals on Democratic candidate Hil- the issues and on his opponent, day, Eastwood said that people alike, who said the multiple Os- lary Clinton, who emerged from and not allowing himself to be were getting “tired of political car winning director of Million- last week’s Democratic National dragged off into the bushes,” he correctness, kissing up”. Dollar Baby and star of Westerns Convention with a lead in the told MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “That’s the kiss-ass genera- like The Good, the Bad and the polls and who has been consist- Trump’s rough patch has con- tion we’re in right now. We’re Ugly had lost his marbles. ently attacking Trump as tem- tributed to a dip in support in really in a pussy generation. Eve- When the Politico news web- peramentally unfi t for the presi- some battleground states. rybody’s walking on eggshells. site asked Obama campaign dency. A WBUR/MassINC poll in We see people accusing people of spokesman Ben LaBolt to com- Since formally accepting the New Hampshire showed Clinton being racist and all kinds of stuff . ment on Eastwood’s speech, he Republican nomination two leading Trump, 47% to 32%. When I grew up, those things replied: “Referring all questions weeks ago, Trump has not been Other polls showed Trump weren’t called racist,” he added. on this to Salvador Dali.” able to keep the focus on Clinton. down 11 percentage points to Trump, who trails Democratic Eastwood acknowledged that In the past week he has gotten Clinton in Pennsylvania and six nominee Hillary Clinton in na- the “silly” stunt was one of his bogged down in a public spat percentage points in Florida, two tional polls ahead of the Novem- decisions that troubles him with the parents of an American states that are important to his ber general election, has repeat- most. soldier killed in Iraq. chances of winning the election. edly claimed that federal judge He explained that he was wait- US House of Representatives Trump told CBS 12, a Day- Gonzalo Curiel, who is handling ing backstage, listening to Neil Speaker Paul Ryan, who has en- tona Beach, Florida, TV station, a lawsuit against the now-de- Diamond’s I Am, I Said, and be- dorsed Trump but has not re- on Wednesday that “the cam- Trump arrives for a rally on funct Trump University, is biased came worried that his speech ceived a reciprocal endorsement paign is doing really well” and Wednesday at the Jacksonville Doubts raised aft er Melania Trump says she against him because his parents was just a bland, unremarkable from the New York businessman he vowed: “We’re going to focus Veterans Memorial Arena in has always followed US immigration rules were born in Mexico. endorsement of GOP nominee in his re-election bid, told WTAQ more on Hillary Clinton.” Jacksonville, Florida. He has infl amed the political Mitt Romney. radio host Jerry Bader in Green Trump campaign manager Melania Trump, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Donald establishment with a campaign Suddenly he heard Diamond Bay, Wisconsin, that Trump has Paul Manafort told CBS’s This has released a campaign ad in his Trump, said yesterday that she has always “been in full compliance” with promising to build a wall along sing “And no one heard at all/ “had a pretty strange run since Morning that the campaign is own re-election race promising US immigration laws after questions were raised about whether she had the border with Mexico, brand- Not even the chair”. the convention”. comfortable where it stands now to “stand up” to Trump if Trump worked as a model during the 1990s without the proper work permits. ing Mexicans criminals and in- “And I’m thinking, that’s “You would think we ought to and said the news media have is elected. “Let me set the record straight: I have at all times been in full compliance sulting women and Muslims. Obama. He doesn’t go to work. be focusing on Hillary Clinton, built a false narrative in which “People ask me, ‘What do you with the immigration laws of this country. Period,” she said in a state- Plain-spoken Eastwood He doesn’t go down to Congress on all of her defi ciencies. She is Democrats are controlling the think about Trump?’ Honestly, ment on Twitter, calling reports to the contrary “inaccurate” and “simply stopped short of endorsing and make a deal. What the hell’s such a weak candidate that one race to the November 8 election. I don’t care for him much. And untrue”. Trump but said when asked who he doing sitting in the White would think we’d be on off ence “The framework of this elec- I certainly don’t trust Hillary,” Melania Trump has said she came to the US legally and Donald Trump he’d vote for between the reality House?” Eastwood told Esquire. against Hillary Clinton, and it is tion favours Donald Trump. If we Coff man said in the ad. has been highly critical of illegal immigration, but nude photos of the TV star and Clinton: “I’d have to “If I were in that job, I’d get down distressing that that’s not what run the campaign that we plan on US Representative Charlie would-be first lady that were published in the New York Post earlier this go for Trump.” there and make a deal.” we’re talking about these days,” running, we think we’re going to Dent, a Pennsylvania Republican, week raised questions about the Trumps’ narrative. No stranger to controversy, the So he decided to turn his he said. win. We don’t plan on winning told MSNBC that he could not The photos date to 1995 but Trump had claimed she only arrived in the Dirty Harry star made a bizarre speech into a diatribe, berating Michael Caputo, a former in August, we plan on winning in endorse Trump because of “all US in 1996, according to Politico. cameo at the 2012 Republican the head-of-state. Trump adviser who still supports November,” he said. these unforced errors”. She has also said in media interviews that she had to return to her native convention, veering into a sur- Eastwood, a former Repub- him, said Trump still has time to Concern about Trump was “It just seems that he’s, at Slovenia to renew her visa regularly. real conversation with an imagi- lican mayor of his Californian right the ship. spilling into at least one congres- times, hell-bent on losing a very However, if she had the type of visa that she had claimed to have, it nary President Barack Obama in hometown Carmel, is currently “Staying on message is abso- sional race. winnable election to a very seri- would have allowed her to work and she would not have had to renew it an empty chair. directing the movie Sully, which lutely key,” Caputo told Reuters. US Representative Mike Coff - ously fl awed candidate – Hillary regularly, the newspaper said. A raucous roar went up from stars Tom Hanks. “After 30 years of speaking his man, a Colorado Republican, Clinton,” Dent said.

Texas professors seek court LA offi cers sue city for racial discrimination

Reuters ily attorneys as mentally chal- fers, overtime and promotions tests, some violent, across the help to ban guns in classes Los Angeles lenged. because of their race, and that country over the excessive use In a lawsuit fi led in Los An- they have faced retaliation after of force by police. geles County Superior Court they fi led complaints over racial Since then the debate over Reuters tion fi led by professors Jennifer US gun incidents on a college wo Los Angeles police of- on Wednesday, the offi cers ac- discrimination with state regu- policing and racism has intensi- Austin Lynn Glass, Lisa Moore and Mia campus. fi cers who shot dead an cused supervisors of denying lators in 2015, the newspaper fi ed in the United States where a Carter. On August 1 1966, student Tunarmed black man in their requests to return to the said. string of fatal shootings of black Texas Attorney General Ken Charles Whitman killed 16 peo- 2014 are suing the city for al- fi eld based on their race and the A spokesman for the Los An- men and women by offi cers, as hree University of Texas Paxton, a Republican and a de- ple in a rampage, fi ring from a leged racial discrimination and race of Ezell Ford, the paper re- geles city attorney’s offi ce told well as other racially motivated professors plan to ask a fendant in the suit, fi led papers perch atop the clock tower at the retaliation after not being al- ported. the Times that they were re- killings, have fuelled anger and TUS judge to give them the this week to halt the injunction, University of Texas at Austin, the lowed to return to the fi eld, the Villegas is Latino and viewing the lawsuit but could given rise to the Black Lives option of barring students from calling the professors’ case a state’s fl agship public university. Los Angeles Times reported. Wampler is said to be Cauca- not comment further. Matter protest movement. bringing guns into their class- “frivolous lawsuit”. University of Texas professors Offi cers Sharlton Wampler sian in the suit, but department City offi cials were not imme- In July, high-profi le police room after the state gave some “There is no legal justifi cation lobbied unsuccessfully to pre- and Antonio Villegas killed Ezell records have him listed him as diately available for comment. shootings of two black men in students that right under a law to deny licenced, law-abiding vent the campus carry law, ar- Ford, 25, during a confrontation. Asian American, the Los Angeles Ford’s death came two days Minnesota and Louisiana were then went into eff ect this week. citizens on campus the same guing the combination of youth, They have not yet been Times reported. after police shot dead another followed by an African-Ameri- The professors said academic measure of personal protection fi rearms and college life could charged, according to the Times. The lawsuit also says that the unarmed black teenager in Fer- can former US soldier killing fi ve freedom could be chilled under they are entitled to elsewhere in make for a deadly situation. Ford was described by fam- offi cers have been denied trans- guson, Missouri, triggering pro- offi cers in Dallas in retaliation. the so-called campus carry law Texas,” Paxton said. Republican lawmakers said backed by the state’s Republican Lawyers for the professors said campus carry could help prevent political leaders that allows con- they expect a decision before Au- a mass shooting. Facebook vice-president says News Feed to show fewer ‘clickbait’ headlines cealed handgun licence holders gust 24. The law allows private colleges 21 and over to bring handguns The professors argue that they to opt out, and most of the state’s Facebook’s News Feed will show fewer In an eff ort to eliminate clickbait from for publishers to post less clickbait,” Mosseri into classrooms and other uni- discus controversial and emo- best-known private universities “clickbait” headlines over the next few weeks, the site, Facebook created a system that said. “We tried to be very concrete about versity facilities. tionally laden subjects such as have done so, saying the measure the company announced yesterday as it identifies and classifies such headlines. what we defined as clickbait.” “The forced presence of hand- reproductive rights, and it would runs counter to protecting stu- seeks to establish itself as the prime web It can then determine which pages or web The 1.7bn-person site has worked to better guns will inevitably dampen be inevitable for them to alter dent safety. destination for news and social updates. domains post large amounts of clickbait and communicate how it shows news and posts classroom debate, discussion, their classroom presentations Eight states now have provi- The company receives thousands of rank them lower in News Feed. to users in recent months, after a May news and intellectual exploration by because of potential gun vio- sions allowing the carrying of complaints a day about clickbait, headlines Facebook routinely updates its algorithm report alleged liberal political bias in a the undiff erentiated intimida- lence, according to court fi lings. concealed weapons on public that intentionally withhold information or for News Feed, the place most people see Facebook feature called Trending Topics. tion unavoidably imposed by the The law took eff ect on August post-secondary campuses, ac- mislead users to get people to click on them, postings on the site, to show users what they The system looks for commonly used close presence of hidden, loaded 1 as the University of Texas held cording to the National Confer- Adam Mosseri, vice-president of product are most interested in and encourage them phrases in clickbait headlines, similar to how guns,” according to the lawsuit a memorial to mark the 50th an- ence of State Legislatures, which management for News Feed, said in an to spend even more time on the site. filters for e-mail spam work, Facebook said in seeking a preliminary injunc- niversary of one of the deadliest tracks state laws. interview. “What we hope is this will create incentives a blog post. Gulf Times Friday, August 5, 2016 7 ASEAN Indonesian Thaksin says charter cleric loses appeal over a ‘folly’ ahead of vote militant camp Thaksin says constitution to perpetuate junta’s power; Former PM says impossible AFP to govern under draft Jakarta charter; Thousands gather to urge Thais to vote in Sunday’s referendum; Biggest test of jailed cleric regarded as public opinion since 2014 the spiritual leader of military coup Amilitant Islam in Indo- nesia has lost an appeal against Reuters his conviction for funding an Bangkok extremist training camp, an offi cial said yesterday. Abu Bakar Bashir was ormer Thai prime min- thought to be a key fi gure ister Thaksin Shinawatra in regional terror network Fyesterday criticised a mil- Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for itary-backed draft constitution the 2002 Bali bombings that as a “folly” that would perpetu- killed more than 200 people, ate the power of the ruling junta mostly foreign tourists. and make it impossible for future The elderly, bespectacled elected governments to rule. preacher was sentenced to 15 This file photo taken on June The country will decide in a Former Thai prime minister Thailand Election Commission’s chairman Supachai Somcharoen holds a ballot during an event to pro- years in jail in 2011 for help- 16, 2011 shows Indonesian referendum on Sunday whether Thaksin Shinawatra. mote voting at the August 7 referendum on a new constitution, in Bangkok yesterday. ing fund a paramilitary group cleric Abu Bakar Bashir to accept the constitution in the training in the staunchly Is- gesturing to supporters in the biggest test of public opinion opinion on the referendum. tion because they say provisions sure politicians put the people’s deeply revered monarch to justify lamic province of Aceh, which gallery after he was convicted since the generals seized power The ruling military council has are designed to ensure military interests fi rst. its interventions in politics. allegedly planned to kill the by the court in Jakarta on in 2014. said the charter will pave the way supervision of politics. However, Reuters interviews The junta has promised a gen- then president as well as terrorism charges. A vote in favour of the charter for a general election in 2017, en- The constitution would put so with senior military offi cers belie eral election in 2017 if the consti- Westerners. could give the military a perma- sure clean politics and end more much power in the hands of bod- those claims and show that the tution is approved. The 77-year-old was jailed datta pledged to fi nd new evi- nent role in overseeing economic than a decade of political turmoil ies tasked with acting as counter- military’s ambition is to make fu- A ‘no’ vote could usher in more after authorities in the world’s dence and continue fi ghting development and politics. since Thaksin, his allies and their balances to governments that it ture coups unnecessary by weak- uncertainty. most populous Muslim-ma- the conviction. As about 3,000 students, rural supporters challenged the would make Thailand ungovern- ening political parties. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan- jority country broke up the The Supreme Court handed civil servants and military ca- royalist and military establish- able, Thaksin said. Under the proposed charter, ocha, who is also junta leader, camp. down the ruling last week. dets gathered in Bangkok to urge ment. “I predict that, even if the new which would replace one torn up has said he would come up with He launched a challenge The court holds hearings people to vote, Thaksin said in a Thaksin, a former telecom- government receives perfect following the 2014 coup, a junta- another charter if this one is re- against his conviction in Janu- behind closed doors and typi- statement emailed to Reuters the munications tycoon who won the endorsement from the present appointed Senate with seats re- jected. ary, with hundreds of chanting cally takes some time to an- charter was a “nightmare of con- loyalty of legions of poor voters regime, it will fi nd it impossible served for military commanders Crowds gathered at central supporters staging a rally as nounce decisions. tradiction and confusion”. with populist policies, was top- to manage the Thai economy or would check the powers of elect- Bangkok’s Royal Plaza yesterday he made a rare appearance in Bashir was also previously “The drafters created a con- pled in a 2006 coup. administer the country under ed lawmakers. as cars bearing banners urging court at the start of the appeal. handed a jail sentence over the stitution for the ‘continu- He lives in self-exile to avoid a those proposed conditions,” he The vote comes against the people to vote set off around the The cleric’s legal team had Bali bombings but that convic- ity’ of the absolute power of the graft conviction he says was po- said. back-drop of concern about the capital. argued that funds he collected tion was quashed on appeal. present coup makers to contin- litically motivated. The junta, known as the Na- health of King Bhumibol Adulya- The government has banned were intended to help people Indonesia was hit by sev- ue even after the new constitu- Thailand’s two biggest politi- tional Council for Peace and Or- dej, 88. provocative criticism of the char- in the Palestinian territories, eral Islamic militant attacks tion is proclaimed,” he said in cal parties, one of which is loyal der, has said it wants to return The military has for decades ter and detained dozens of activ- but ended up getting sent to between 2000 and 2009 but a response to a question about his to Thaksin, oppose the constitu- Thailand to democracy but to en- invoked its duty as defender of the ists. the Aceh group without his crackdown weakened the most knowledge. dangerous networks. However the Supreme But the Islamic State (IS) Court said yesterday it had re- group has proved a potent new jected the appeal “because of a rallying cry for the country’s lack of new evidence”. radicals, with hundreds trav- “That means he will stay in elling to the Middle East to Disease kills over 30 children in Myanmar prison,” said court spokesman join the jihadists. Suhadi, who like many Indo- A deadly gun and bomb at- nesians goes by one name. tack in Jakarta in January was AFP more than 30 deaths, and said Bashir’s lawyer Mahendra- claimed by IS. Yangon tests were being carried out. “We assume at an initial stage it’s a measles outbreak n undiagnosed disease or strong influenza. But we can has killed more than 30 definitely say only when we get Achildren in a remote part the result from laboratory,” the Indonesian court of Myanmar, offi cials said yes- official said, requesting ano- terday, with health authorities nymity. struggling to treat victims. The outbreak highlights how mulls gay sex ban The illness, with measles-like vulnerable Myanmar’s more re- symptoms, has hit the far corner mote populations are in a coun- of Myanmar’s northern Sagaing try where healthcare was never AFP dicial review fi led by Islamic region, a remote and mountain- prioritised under decades of Jakarta activist group the Family Love ous area which borders eastern brutal and inept junta rule. Alliance that seeks to alter the India and is populated by people It is one of the many crippling criminal code to ban homo- from the Naga tribes. legacies that the newly installed ndonesia’s Constitutional sexual sex. Adults and children have both civilian government of Aung San Court is considering mak- “We see the moral degrada- been struck since the outbreak Suu Kyi is trying to tackle. Iing gay sex a crime, with tion that is happening,” Rita fi rst emerged in June, a local MP Although budgets slightly in- Islamic activists pushing for Hendrawaty Soebagio, chair- said, but the illness appears to be creased in the last few years of the change insisting yesterday woman of the alliance, said. particularly deadly to children outright army rule – which end- the homosexual community “This is purely because of under the age of fi ve. ed with last November’s elec- was causing “moral degrada- our love for our nation, we “Altogether 23 children were tions – Myanmar is still one of tion” in the Muslim-majority must do something while we have been killed in Lahal town- the lowest spenders on health- nation. have a chance.” ship and 13 killed in Nan Yon care as a share of GDP. The move comes after the Her group argues that the township since June because of This photograph taken on December 24, 2014 shows a Naga ethnic woman bathing her child in Lahal According to the latest World gay community in Indonesia infl uence of the gay communi- this unknown disease,” Law Yon, township in the remote Sagaing region located in northern Myanmar. An undiagnosed disease has killed Bank figures health spending began coming under sustained ty has been spreading, partic- a regional MP from Naga self- more than 30 children in a remote part of Myanmar, off icials said yesterday. increased from 0.2% to just attack earlier this year, with ularly since the United States administrative region told AFP. over 1% of GDP from 2009 to ministers and religious lead- legalised same-sex marriage “Rashes came out on their bod- Blood also comes out while come down with the disease, he A health ministry offi cial in 2013 despite being one of the ers denouncing homosexuality nationwide last year, which ies, they have a fever and diffi culty coughing,” he said. said, adding that central author- the capital Naypyidaw con- world’s fastest growing econo- and LGBT websites blocked. activists believe triggered the breathing because of coughing. Some 200 people so far have ities have been slow to react. fi rmed the outbreak, including mies. The court is hearing a ju- backlash.

Malaysian rape case to be Beached whale reviewed Myanmar military relaxes stance

A Malaysian minister said the case on rebels barred from peace talks of a rape suspect who avoided prison after marrying his 14-year- old victim will be reviewed, after Reuters But the army has relaxed that agreed to solve their diffi culty to it sparked fury among rights Yangon demand after the groups have comply with our demand.” groups. shown “they really wanted peace”, Khin Zaw Oo and two mem- Ahmad Syukri Yusuf, 22, was Khin Zaw Oo, a member of the bers of the peace panel will meet charged with statutory rape of the hree ethnic armed groups Myanmar Peace Commission, told the groups “very soon” to dis- girl late last year and faced up to excluded from Myan- Reuters in an interview. cuss conditions for their partici- 30 years in jail and whipping for Tmar’s peace process will “Previously, we made the ex- pation in a nation-wide peace the off ence. no longer be required to surren- act demand that they lay down conference planned for the end But he later married the teenager der, prior to joining the talks, a their arms if they wanted to get of August. under Islamic law, and a court Myanmar military negotiator involved in the peace process - The decision to meet the in Malaysia’s eastern state of said yesterday, a softening of the they have found that diffi cult to groups and potentially invite Sarawak ruled last week there was armed forces’ tone towards the accept,” said the retired lieuten- them to join nationwide cease- no need to proceed with the case. insurgents. ant general, who is due to meet fi re negotiations is a departure “We have just been informed by Fighting on the eastern border the armed groups soon. in the stance of the armed forces, the prosecution that a review of with China last year pitted the Instead, he added, the army which have so far fl atly refused the case will be filed to the High military against the predomi- now wants the rebels to issue a to recognize them as legitimate Court,” Women, Family and Com- nantly ethnic Chinese Myanmar statement “showing their politi- parties in talks. munity Development Minister National Democratic Alliance cal willingness to abandon their The army and government Rohani Abdul Karim told reporters Army (MNDAA), and its allies, weapons”. leader Aung San Suu Kyi share in Kuala Lumpur. the Ta’ang National Liberation Khin Zaw Oo declined to say the same goal of ending the “A rape is rape, it has to be pun- Army (TNLA) and the Arakan exactly what this would entail, armed confl ict before the next ished accordingly. It doesn’t mean Army (AA). however. elections in 2020, Khin Zaw Oo by getting married, the rape case Until now, the military has “It does not mean surrender, said. goes away,” she added. “We don’t demanded that the three groups they just have to show their de- “We are working towards de- Indonesian veterinarians (right) examine a dead sperm whale after it was beached in Banda Aceh want people to treat this kind of disarm before being allowed to sire and willingness,” he said. mocracy,” he added. “That’s why yesterday. The whale was found dead yesterday and its beaching is believed to be caused by strong matter lightly.” join peace negotiations that in- “Because we want all of them to we want to see all armed groups currents during its migration, according to an off icial from Indonesia’s Natural Resources Women’s rights groups have clude other Myanmar ethnic be included. That’s why we re- enter politics together, with no Conservation Agency (BKSDA). criticised the court’s decision. armed organisations. laxed that previous condition. We armed confl ict.” Gulf Times 8 Friday, August 5, 2016 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA In U-turn, Australia boosts climate science research

AFP minister – has long been seen as “It’s critical to our long-term ment’s commitment to fi ghting Hunt, who was environment mosphere division and 70 in the they hoped it was the “start of Sydney a supporter of action on climate planning ... so climate science global warming has been un- minister for a decade before land and water section. more positive leadership from change but his government over- will be a bedrock function for re- der international scrutiny since moving to the science portfolio The cuts were slammed by en- the Turnbull government on the saw bitterly opposed cuts to na- search of the CSIRO,” Hunt told former prime minister Tony after last month’s national elec- vironmental campaigners, while critical threat of climate change”. ustralia made an abrupt tional science body CSIRO earlier national broadcaster ABC. Abbott said evidence blaming tions, said 15 new jobs would be almost 3,000 international sci- “The decision to cut climate climate change U-turn this year. “It’s a new government and mankind for climate change was created and A$37mn ($28mn) entists signed an open letter in science jobs at CSIRO during Ayesterday, with the issue But following the govern- we’re laying out a direction that “absolute crap” when he was op- injected into climate research at February calling the move alarm- such a critical time for Austral- set to again become a key focus ment’s narrow re-election last climate science matters – and position leader. CSIRO over the next decade. ing and a refl ection of the lack of ia’s climate was preposterous, so of the national science agency month, new Science Minister that’s both the science relating With its use of coal-fi red pow- CSIRO chief executive Larry insight about Australia’s impor- this partial U-turn is a welcome months after it saw hundreds of Greg Hunt stressed both he and to the long-term trend, the long- er and relatively small population Marshall announced earlier this tance to global and regional cli- move,” Greenpeace Australia’s jobs cut. Turnbull had “clear and strong term infl uences, where the im- of 24mn, Australia is considered year that 275 roles would be cut mate research. senior climate and energy cam- Prime Minister Malcolm views” about the importance of pacts are, as well as mitigation.” one of the world’s worst per cap- from the national science body, Greenpeace welcomed Hunt’s paigner Nikola Casule said in a Turnbull – a former environment climate science. The conservative govern- ita greenhouse gas polluters. including 75 in the oceans and at- announcement, adding that statement.

Firebrand senators China rights lawyer sent to give Turnbull to jail, ‘thanks Xi’: court headache AFP national security, the judge said. of campaign group Amnesty In- AFP Tianjin, China Zhou pleaded guilty and said ternational said in a statement, Sydney he would “never appeal”, adding adding the defendants’ “fates that the ruling would “stand the were sealed before they stepped prominent Chinese hu- test of history” for its fairness, into the courtroom”. he party of a divisive man rights lawyer was footage of the trial from state Zhou’s trial was held under right-winger who once Aconvicted of subversion broadcaster CCTV showed. air-tight security, with scores of Tclaimed Asians were in and sentenced to seven years in The court said he thanked late police and plainclothes person- danger of swamping Australia prison yesterday, the court said paramount Chinese leader Deng nel – identifi able by small gold has won four seats in the na- – adding that he thanked Presi- Xiaoping for reforms that made star pins – stationed for blocks tion’s upper house, setting it up dent Xi Jinping for his leader- his “development” possible. around the court, clustered eve- as a political kingmaker, offi cial ship. “The second person I would ry few yards. results showed yesterday. The proceedings against Zhou like to extend my gratitude to is Traffi c was cut off and jour- The conservative government Shifeng, director of the now-de- Chairman Xi Jinping,” it cited nalists diverted from the site be- was narrowly returned to power funct Beijing Fengrui law fi rm, him as saying. “His national fore being closely trailed – even last month, but faces a tough was the third such trial this week strategy to implement the rule into toilets at a nearby shopping term ahead working with anti- as Communist authorities crack of law has made China stronger.” mall. immigration fi rebrand Pauline down on dissent. The declarations attributed Men and women in the street Hanson’s One Nation party and Fengrui defended victims to him were in marked contrast pretended to wait for buses or other crossbenchers – inde- of sexual abuse, members of to his previous career, which eat lunch, before fi lming outsid- pendents or lawmakers from mi- banned religious groups and dis- included numerous politically ers on camcorders and phones. nor parties. sident scholars, among others. sensitive cases. Authorities insist the Tianjin Counting from the July 2 polls It was at the centre of the In 2008, he sued one of the trials are open, with the court has now been completed for the “709 crackdown” – named for country’s largest dairy produc- saying that more than 40 peo- upper house Senate with Han- its central date in July 2015 – ers on behalf of a victim of the ple including politicians, legal Plain-clothed police off icers stop journalists yesterday from taking pictures and video footage in front son’s party securing four seats which saw more than 200 ac- notorious contaminated milk scholars, and “civilian repre- of the Number 2 Intermediate People’s Court in Tianjin. A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer was and the crossbench blown out to tivists and lawyers detained for powder scandal, in which six sentatives from all walks of life”, convicted of subversion and sentenced to seven years in prison, state media reported. 11 from eight before the polls. involvement in cases considered children died and some 300,000 as well as mainland and overseas It is a headache for Prime by the ruling party. were sickened. media outlets, were present at In a social media post, the no benefi t to either me or them.” by the standards of Chinese dis- Minister Malcolm Turnbull who Zhou was convicted of “sub- Under Zhou’s leadership, Fen- Zhou’s proceedings. Tianjin court said Zhou had AFP was not given access to sident prosecutions – for crimes called the election to get rid of verting state power” and jailed grui defended artist Ai Weiwei, But family members of those twice stated in writing that he the court yesterday, and only that included waving banners hostile lawmakers from smaller for seven years, the Second In- Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti detained, particularly their did not want his relatives to at- court-appointed defence law- and shouting slogans. parties but must now work with termediate People’s Court in the – sentenced to life in prison for wives, complain of being con- tend his trial. yers were present. Hu, a prominent dissident even more of them, needing their northern city of Tianjin said in a separatism – and rights activist stantly watched and forcibly be- It included a photo of what it Zhou’s trial followed those of and writer who previously spent votes to push through legisla- statement posted on its offi cial Cao Shunli. ing kept away from the court or said was a letter he had hand- activists Zhai Yanmin and Hu 16 years in prison for trying to tion. social media account. Zhou was the third 709 de- seeking further information. written, signed and fi nger- Shigen, who were both found organise memorials for victims Hanson’s wish list includes a Since 2011, Zhou had “at- tainee to be tried in Tianjin this In a video posted privately on- printed, reading: “Given that my guilty of subverting state power of the 1989 Tiananmen Square royal commission into Islam and tacked the socialist system” on- week. line, Wang Qiaoling, the wife of family members are all farmers by the same court. killings, was on Wednesday giv- zero-net migration, while she line and verbally, and used Fen- The spate of hearings was Li Heping, another detained 709 who are not very well-educated, Zhai was on Tuesday handed a en seven and a half years, with is against foreign ownership of grui as a platform to challenge a “political charade” with no lawyer, said she and others had having them come to the court three-year suspended sentence the court stating he had sought Australian agricultural land. the government, endangering chance of fair trial, Roseann Rife been confi ned to their homes. to attend my hearing would be of – considered relatively lenient to foment “colour revolution”. One of her senators, Malcolm Roberts, reiterated yesterday his doubts about man-made climate change. Her party’s rising infl u- ence comes as voters opted for China joins alliance change, disillusioned with the Japan’s defence minister ruling conservatives and Labor opposition. against terrorism Other senators set to wield signifi cant power include cen- trist independent Nick Xeno- ducks questions on WWII Reuters Tajikistan armed forces, Ma- phon, whose new party NXT has Beijing jor General E A Cobidrzoda, won three seats. took part in the talks, the news Xenophon, a passionate anti- Reuters agency said. gambling campaigner, is in fa- Tokyo hina is to set up an anti- The meeting comes after vour of protecting local indus- terrorism alliance with China’s defence minister this tries and jobs. CPakistan, Afghanistan, week thanked Afghanistan’s Pro-gun, free-speech defend- apan’s new defence minis- and Tajikistan, state media said Shaheem for support in fi ght- er David Leyonhjelm regains his ter, known for her revision- yesterday, as it seeks to boost ing the East Turkestan Islamic seat for the Liberal Democrats Jist views of Japan’s war-time co-ordination with neighbours Movement (ETIM) an Islamist and supports lower taxes, less actions, declined to say yes- to tackle what it says is a grow- group that China says wants to regulation and smaller govern- terday whether Japan liberated ing domestic militant threat. set up a separate state in Xin- ment, and is rejoined by Family or invaded Asian countries be- Fang Fenghui, a member of jiang. First’s Bob Day, whose party is fore World War II or if Japanese the powerful Central Military China did not elaborate on against same-sex marriage. troops massacred civilians in Commission which controls the help it got. Leyonhjelm is no stranger to China. China’s armed forces, hosted a China has long been con- controversy, and has said Aus- Tomomi Inada, a 57-year old meeting with his counterparts cerned that instability in Af- tralia is a “nation of victims” be- ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday in Urumqi, ghanistan will spill over into cause of its tough fi rearm laws, (LDP) lawmaker and close ally of capital of the western Xinjiang violence-prone Xinjiang, and once quipped that police Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, took region, where offi cials say they home to the Muslim Uighur earned being labelled “all cops up her post yesterday, a day after are battling Islamist militants. people, where hundreds of are bastards” by football fans. being appointed. The four countries recog- people have died in recent Joining them in Canberra is “Whether you would describe nised the serious threat of years in unrest Beijing blames newcomer Derryn Hinch, an Japan’s actions as an invasion terrorism and extremism to on extremists. independent known as the “hu- depends on one’s point of view. regional stability, the offi cial The United States and the man headline”, a long-time jour- I don’t think it is appropriate for Xinhua news agency said, and United Nations have listed nalist and broadcaster who has me to comment,” Inada said at they agreed to set up a “four- ETIM as a terrorist group, campaigned on justice for the a briefi ng at her ministry when country mechanism” for intel- though some experts have victims of criminals and is call- asked repeatedly to clarify her ligence sharing and training. questioned its cohesiveness ing for a national public register views on war-time history. “All parties reaffi rmed they and say China’s policies in of convicted sex off enders. Her failure to condemn Ja- will cooperate to respond to Xinjiang have contributed to Returning to the Senate is pan’s actions up to and dur- these forces, and safeguard all unrest. no-nonsense, straight-talking ing World War II could anger member countries’ peace and China denies that its poli- former soldier Jacqui Lambie. neighbours, including China stability,” Xinhua said. cies stoke tension in Xinjiang Making up the rest of the 76- and South Korea, which have Afghan army chief of gen- or motivate Uighurs to join seat Senate is the ruling Liberal- repeatedly called on Japan to eral staff , General Qadam Shah Islamic State (IS) militants, National coalition with 30 seats, apologise. Inada reviewing the guard of honour yesterday at the ministry of defence in Tokyo. Shaheem, Pakistani army chief though it acknowledges some the main opposition Labor party China says Japanese troops General Raheel Sharif, and the have gone to Syria and Iraq to with 26, and the Greens with killed 300,000 people in the city and has also been a regular visi- try, Gen Nakatani, stayed away full-page announcement in the Chief of General Staff of the join the group. nine. of Nanjing in 1937 while a post- tor to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine during his term. Washington Post that the wom- war Allied tribunal put the death for war dead that neighbours, Inada, who was a lawyer be- en had worked as licensed pros- toll at about half that number. including China and South Ko- fore becoming a lawmaker in titutes. New Zealand city wants to force all cats to be microchipped Some conservative Japanese rea, see as a symbol of Japan’s 2005, is known for a revisionist When asked at the brief- politicians and academics deny past militarism. view of World War II that plays ing if her view on the issue had Cat owners will be forced to microchip their pets decision, saying the council was planning to set up that a massacre took place, or Visits to the shrine by po- down or denies atrocities by changed, Inada declined to after councillors in New Zealand’s capital voted for “kill zones” for unidentified cats on reserve land. they put the toll much lower. litical leaders infuriate China Japanese troops and paints its comment. the measure to protect the city’s birdlife, local media Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown said the “It’s important for the facts to South Korea. aggression as an act of liberation Inada, who was previously reported yesterday. organisation’s claims were exaggerated and that 83% be looked at objectively,” Inada When asked on Wednesday against colonial powers. LDP policy chief, was one of Wellington is to become the first city in the country of cat owners supported the idea of their pets being said. if she would visit it again ahead She has also questioned three lawmakers reportedly de- to make it compulsory for owners to have a microchipped. She has called for a revamp of of the August 15 anniversary of whether Japan forced women nied entry into South Korea in microchip the size of a grain of rice injected under The council earlier rejected plans to introduce a Japan’s war-renouncing consti- Japan’s surrender in 1945, Inada from Korea and other countries 2011 because they planned to their cat’s skin, serving as a permanent method of curfew on the city’s 20,000 to 30,000 cats. tution to ease the constraints on declined to comment. into military brothels. visit islands that both countries identification. If the law is passed, cat owners will have 18 months the military operating overseas Her predecessor at the minis- In 2007, she supported a claim. Cat organisation Feline Rights was against the to microchip their pets. Gulf Times Friday, August 5, 2016 9 BRITAIN Teen held after US woman killed in London stabbings More armed police are on the streets now

Agencies London

ritish police were holding a 19-year-old man on suspicion of Bmurder yesterday after a central London stabbing spree that killed a US woman but appeared unrelated to ter- rorism. Cities across Europe have been on edge after a string of attacks in recent weeks and the overnight rampage that killed the woman, thought to be in her 60s, and injured fi ve others, had trig- gered fresh terror fears. But authorities said there was no sign the Norwegian man of Somali origin was radicalised or had terror motives, with the evidence so far pointing to the attack being sparked by mental health problems. “We believe this was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random,” senior police offi cer Mark Rowley told reporters. “We have found no evidence of radi- calisation or anything that would sug- gest the man in our custody was moti- vated by terrorism.” Armed police off icers patrol at the scene of the knife attack in Russell Square in London. The investigation “increasingly points to this tragic incident as having Police had announced hours before AFP that they had been informed of the He told the Standard: “I could see in his 60s and a woman stopped a taxi anywhere in London as quick as pos- been triggered by mental health issues”, the stabbings that the fi rst of an addi- arrest. four police offi cers restraining him, and helped her.” sible. he added. tional 600 armed offi cers were trained “He is recorded as having been out- holding him face-down on the fl oor. An onlooker told how one of the oth- Met assistant commissioner Mark The attack took place late Wednes- and ready to hit the streets. side Norway since 2002, that is to say, “He wasn’t struggling I think he er victims was screaming with blood Rowley announced in the early hours day in Russell Square, a plush garden British police offi cers are not rou- a long time ago given that he is only 19,” knew it was over. One police offi cer was pouring out of her as she lay on the of this morning that Londoners would square in the city centre close to attrac- tinely armed but the decision to boost she said. about to get his handcuff s on him and ground. notice the increased police presence tions including the British Museum. the number of armed offi cers in London Since August 2014, the terror threat was speaking into his ear. The man said blood was running today onwards. Police responded quickly to reports from 2,200 was taken after last year’s level in Britain has been classed as “Others were searching the street for down her back, while another woman He said: “As a precautionary meas- of multiple stabbings and immobilised Paris attacks that killed 130. “severe” — the second highest level, something he threw.” was suff ering from stab wounds to the ure tomorrow Londoners will wake up the suspect with an electric stun gun Xavery Richert, 22, a French tourist meaning an attack is considered “high- The suspect had been screaming mo- arm. and in the morning they will notice an within six minutes. staying in a youth hostel on the Rus- ly likely”. ments earlier, one onlooker said. London stepped up its anti-terror- increased police presence on the streets However, he had already injured two sell Square said he saw a man chasing a Wednesday’s stabbings came two A hotel worker, said a guest had wit- ism security yesterday morning with including armed offi cers.” women and three men. screaming woman down the road. days after a mentally ill Somali-born nessed the moment the knifeman went new heavily armed police patrolling “This is there to provide reassurance Paramedics battled to save the US “I thought it was a bag snatching... man was jailed for life for a knife attack on the rampage. streets and near Tube stations, hours and safety and we ask the public to re- woman but pronounced her dead at the she was not hurt,” he told AFP. at a London Underground station. “The police came to the hotel and a after a fatal attack in Russell Square. main calm, vigilant and alert.” scene. “I came out for a cigarette, I went Paranoid schizophrenic Muhaydin guest was telling them what he saw,” An elite unit of 600 extra offi cers has The bloody attack comes days after Among those injured were US, Brit- back, there were fi refi ghters, police, Mire, 30, tried to behead a commuter in he said. “He said there was a madman been deployed to counter the threat of Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan- ish, Australian and Israeli nationals. and then I saw the body under a sheet. December in an Islamic State-inspired running around with a knife just lung- a terrorist attack in the capital, bring- Howe claimed a terrorist attack in Lon- Three of the fi ve have been dis- You could only see the feet sticking attack. ing at people randomly and stabbing ing the total number of armed offi cers don was a question of “when, not if”. charged from hospital and the other out.” The Russell Square suspect was them. People didn’t realise what was to 2,800. Speaking of the terrorist atrocities two are not in a life-threatening condi- Russell Square resident Constantine seized by four police offi cers and re- happening until they saw the knife, The Met’s new elite force are wearing Europe has seen recently, he said: “I tion. Somerville added: “It’s such a safe area strained face-down on the ground then everyone ran. grey Kevlar body armour and carrying feel and understand that fear, and as With other European cities on edge and very quiet especially at night — minutes after the rampage, a witness Meanwhile, Spanish tourist Laura fi rearms including submachine guns, the police offi cer in charge of prevent- following recent attacks, including why would somebody commit an attack said. Gomez said she saw one of the victims, handguns, automatic assault rifl es and ing such an attack I know you want me those in Paris, Nice and Brussels, Lon- in such a quiet area?” The offi cers handcuff ed a man in a blonde woman in her 20s or 30s, sniper rifl es. to reassure you.” don Mayor Sadiq Khan appealed for Police were interviewing the suspect, Bedford Place, just yards from where running northwards up Southampton They are masked to hide their iden- “I am afraid I cannot do that entirely. calm and vigilance. his family and other witnesses and au- six people had been attacked, after he Row. tities, a key factor in hostage situations Our threat level has been at ‘Severe’ for “We all have a vital role to play as thorities were conducting a full intelli- had been tasered. She said: “We saw a woman with her and kidnap attempts. two years. It remains there. eyes and ears for our police and security gence review. A night porter at the Grange Claren- hand holding her side. She was running Speedboats and BMW F800GS mo- “It means an attack is highly likely – services and in helping to ensure Lon- Ida Dahl Nilssen, spokeswoman for don Hotel watched as the suspect was and shouting ‘I need a hospital. I need a torbikes are also part of the new force, you could say it is a case of when, not don is protected,” he said. the Norwegian criminal police, told subdued. hospital.’ A man who looked like he was allowing offi cers to race to an incident if.” Stormy nuclear debate Rivals face off in Britain’s Labour leadership race

AFP gations of intimidation, mainly and by last month there were Cardiff , United Kingdom levelled against Corbyn’s sup- 515,000. porters. “Some people don’t get this Corbyn is backed by Mo- yet. They think a movement is ritain’s embattled Labour mentum, a mass movement something instead of parlia- leader Jeremy Corbyn of Labour members, who have mentary politics. Bwill debate head-to-head turned out in their droves at It’s not. It’s what makes a with the man seeking to unseat rallies around the country in Labour government possible,” him in a bitter contest that has recent days, hailing the Labour Corbyn said last month. exposed deep divisions in the leader as a genuine alternative But Smith said he was wor- main opposition party. to mainstream politicians. ried the party might now split. The veteran socialist takes on But Smith, 46, has strong Owen Jones, a left-wing Hinkley Point A and B nuclear power stations are seen near Bridgwater in Britain. Expansion plans for the complex are the subject of Owen Smith, a former mem- support among Labour MPs, commentator who pushed for great controversy. ber of his top team, in the fi rst who argue that Corbyn — a vet- Corbyn’s election last year, of several face-to-face debates eran anti-war and anti-nuclear warned Labour needed a radical between them ahead of a postal campaigner who has never held change of strategy to win back vote by members that will see high offi ce — cannot beat prime lost voters and reach new ones. the winner crowned on Sep- minister Theresa May’s gov- “As things stand, all the evi- tember 24. erning centre-right Conserva- dence suggests that Labour — Labour has been plunged into tives at the next election. and the left as a whole — is on Ukip Frontrunner Woolfe excluded for being late disarray since Britain’s June The latest opinion polls make the cusp of a total disaster,” 23 vote to leave the European uncomfortable reading, with he wrote in a blog posting this Union, with lawmakers dis- one by ICM putting the Con- week. Evening Standard of the party to lapse for 15 months. ed” by the decision and branded the NEC satisfi ed at Corbyn’s leadership servatives 16 points ahead, Corbyn yesterday promised London However, offi cials said that this had no “not fi t for purpose”. demanding he step down in the while a YouGov survey found to build a “more caring” Brit- bearing on their decision to exclude him from He said: “Over the course of this leader- political turmoil that followed. 29% of Labour voters would ain. the race. ship election, the NEC has proven it is not fi t Corbyn, 67, has refused to prefer May to Corbyn as prime Corbyn unveiled a blueprint kip leadership hopeful Steven Woolfe, A Ukip spokesman said: “By a clear major- for purpose and it confi rmed many members’ quit, pointing out that he was minister. to transform the country, in- the previous frontrunner in the race ity of NEC members, Steven Woolfe MEP’s fears that it is neither eff ective nor profes- elected only last September on Labour, which emerged in cluding an economic revolution Uto succeed Nigel Farage, has been ex- application was considered to be ineligible as sional in the way it governs the party. the back of strong grassroots the early 20th century from the which he claimed would mean cluded from the contest, the party said. a result of a late submission and as such he did “The NEC panel have even accepted that and trade union support — trade union movement, moved “no one is left behind”. The North West MEP and Ukip’s migration not meet the eligibility criteria.His member- they were wrong to raise questions of my prompting his critics to back to the centre under former But hours before his keynote spokesman had been the bookies’ favourite to ship of the party was not in question.” membership of the party, as I have been a full the relatively unknown Smith prime minister Tony Blair, who speech, his top ally John Mc- take the top job but was disqualifi ed after he Woolfe was tipped to win the leadership, member since 2011.” as an alternative. won three successive elec- Donnell launched a stinging at- was 17 minutes late submitting his nomina- and had the backing of infl uential Ukip donor “They did not identify my payments in the The battle for control of the tions. tack on Smith, who warned La- tion papers. Arron Banks, who is close to Farage, but he Ukip records until I showed them my own party has exposed long-stand- But since losing to the Con- bour was “teetering on the edge Supporters claimed he had been the victim missed the deadline to submit his nomination bank statements. ing fault lines in Labour over servatives in 2010, and again of a precipice” and could split. of a coup led by Ukip’s only MP, Douglas Car- application on Sunday, blaming technical dif- After providing evidence of the payments whether to position itself to last year, the party has strug- Shadow chancellor Mr Mc- swell, and Neil Hamilton, group leader in the fi culties. and donations I have made to the party, they the left or centre-left of British gled with its identity. Donnell told the BBC: “We Welsh Assembly. It also emerged that he failed to declare a were satisfi ed this was not an issue.” politics, and led to fears that it Many saw the Brexit vote shouldn’t be going into a lead- The ruling national executive committee drink-driving conviction when he stood for a “They have failed to accept that there were could even split. as a wake-up call, after mil- ership election which is basi- voted to block his candidacy by a “clear ma- police and crime commissioner post in 2012. serious issues with the application system Both men are promising to lions of disenchanted voters in cally saying, ‘Vote for me or jority”, a spokesman said. The MEP said he “forgot about the convic- despite providing evidence that attempts of strengthen workers’ rights, Labour’s traditional northern otherwise some of my support- MEPs Bill Etheridge, Diane James and tion” when he stood in the Greater Manches- submission were made before the deadline.” tackle inequality and low wages English heartlands defi ed their ers will split the party’ — people Jonathan Arnott, along with Ukip’s deputy ter PCC election in 2012, in a possible breach The NEC deny this is the fault of the Ukip and invest in infrastructure, al- MPs to vote to leave the EU. don’t want to be blackmailed in chair in Lambeth Elizabeth Jones, Councillor of electoral law. system. though Smith has said he is also Corbyn’s supporters point to that way. That’s not right.” Lisa Duff y, and Phillip Broughton will all be He has also denied allegations that he al- “Furthermore, highly confi dential infor- reaching out to centrist voters. the surge in membership in the He piled pressure on Labour on the ballot paper. lowed his membership to lapse in 2014, which mation about me held in party documents But it has become a bitter past year as proof that he is en- MPs, who overwhelmingly There were also questions over whether raised issues about his eligibility under con- has been leaked to the press and the NEC has fi ght, and local party meetings ergising Labour. backed a motion of no-confi - Woolfe would be eligible to stand follow- troversial new party rules. not sought to investigate this gross breach of have been banned during the In February 2015 there were dence in Corbyn, to respect the ing allegations he allowed his membership Woolfe said he was “extremely disappoint- privacy.” leadership contest due to alle- just under 200,000 members result of the leadership contest. Gulf Times 10 Friday, August 5, 2016 EUROPE Steinmeier sees ‘no basis’ for talks with Turkey

Reuters its government is angered by dogan and other Turkish offi cials. ter, while insisting on the right But he warned against prema- Stralsund, Germany German media reports suggest- Chancellor Angela Merkel met to question whether its response turely halting discussions with ing that it was orchestrated by with Erdogan during a Nato sum- had been appropriate. Ankara, as top Austrian offi cials Turkish President Recep Tayyip mit in Warsaw shortly before the “We must be allowed to ask if have demanded. urkey and Germany’s re- Erdogan. abortive coup to try to repair the mass arrests of tens of thousands That would eliminate any lev- lationship – essential to “We are talking with each relationship, but she later said of lawyers, judges, journalists, erage Europeans have regarding Tcurbing mass migration other like emissaries from two the diff erences would not “just soldiers, closure of broadcast the many thousands of people to Europe – has grown so bad the diff erent planets,” Steinmeier disappear”. stations and shutdowns of news- who had been arrested in Turkey, two countries have virtually “no said, speaking in the northern Since that vote, Turkey has paper – were carried out under he said. basis” for talks, German Foreign German city of Stralsund. “There denied German parliamentar- the rule of law,” he said. “We are He also said Turkey and the EU Minister Frank-Walter Steinmei- is essentially no basis for under- ians access to the Incirlik airbase, trying to end the current situa- would continue to implement an er said yesterday. standing ... no basis for discus- where 250 German soldiers are tion, which is unsatisfactory but agreement limiting the fl ow of Germany has serious concern sions.” taking part in Nato operations also dangerous, in which we are migrants to Europe. about mass arrests carried out by Relations between Germany against Islamic State (IS) mili- only communicating via mega- Thus far, he said, Turkish For- Turkish offi cials after a thwarted and Turkey have been tense for tants. phones, or microphones and eign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu coup last month, Steinmeier months following a June 2 vote by Steinmeier said he had last cameras.” had made a single comment said. the German parliament to brand spoken with his Turkish coun- Steinmeier reiterated that re- threatening to back out of the At the same time, Turkey feels the 1915 massacre of Armenians terpart last Friday and assured instatement of the death penalty agreement, but neither Erdogan Steinmeier: We are talking with each other like emissaries from two Germany has not taken the July by Ottoman forces as genocide, him that Germany did view the in Turkey would prevent its entry or Turkey’s prime minister had diff erent planets. 15 coup attempt seriously, and a move sharply criticised by Er- attempted coup as a serious mat- into the European Union. made similar remarks. Erdogan vows to hit fi rms with

A teenager helps to hold up a huge picture of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk at a rally yesterday in Gundogdu Square in Gulen ties Izmir, protesting against the July 15 military coup attempt. Reuters issued an arrest warrant for the the detentions so far as just the kerage had his licence revoked Kaeser told reporters yesterday credit ratings had also made in- “It’s disturbing that his state- Istanbul cleric for “giving the instruc- tip of the iceberg. over a report to investors analys- that he had summoned the head vestment more expensive. ments are similar to those of the tions” for the coup attempt, the Gulen, who has lived in self- ing the coup plot, while Turkish of the group’s Turkish operations Germany is the biggest foreign far right ... cCriticism is surely latest of several warrants is- imposed exile in Pennsylvania Airlines, arguably the country’s to a supervisory board meeting a investor in Turkey with invest- a democratic right but there has urkish President Recep sued against him in recent years since 1999, has denied plotting most recognised brand, has fi red day earlier to get a fi rst-hand ac- ments totalling more than €12bn to be a diff erence between criti- Tayyip Erdogan has vowed on charges including running a against the state and has con- 211 staff over alleged Hizmet count of events inside the coun- ($13.3bn) since 1980, according cising Turkey and being against Tto choke off businesses criminal network. demned the coup attempt, in links. try. to the German foreign ministry. Turkey,” EU minister Omer Celik linked to the US-based cleric he The 75-year-old cleric denies which rogue soldiers comman- The chairman and several ex- The German industrial group The coup and its aftermath told reporters. blames for an attempted coup, the allegations. deered warplanes, helicopters ecutives from Boydak Holding, a employs 3,000 people in Turkey. have strained Turkey’s relations A senior EU offi cial involved describing his schools, fi rms and More than 60,000 people in and tanks, bombing parliament prominent family-run conglom- “It’s a question of keeping a with the United States, which has in accession talks with Turkey charities as “nests of terrorism” the military, judiciary, civil serv- and seizing bridges in a bid to erate with interests from fur- cool head and keeping an eye said it will not extradite Gulen said Kern’s comments were “too and promising no mercy in root- ice and education have been de- seize power. niture to energy, have also been on how things develop, because unless Turkey provides evidence early” and part of “the domes- ing them out. tained, suspended or placed un- More than 230 people were detained, as has the chief of Tur- things are developing which are of his wrongdoing, and Europe, tic debate” in Austria, where the Business is the arena in which der investigation for alleged links killed, excluding soldiers who key’s biggest petrochemicals fi rm not really desirable in a modern some of whose politicians have far-right Freedom Party attracts the network of Fethullah Gulen to his “Hizmet” (Service) move- were involved in the coup at- Petkim. democracy,” he told a conference raised concern that Erdogan is around a third of votes in opinion is still the strongest, Erdogan ment since the July 15 coup. tempt. The coup fallout risks aff ecting call to discuss the company’s using events to further tighten polls. said in a speech from his palace “They have nothing to do with Many of the dead were civil- some multinational fi rms oper- earnings. his grip on power. But he did not entirely dismiss broadcast live. a religious community, they are ians. ating in Turkey, including delay- Prime Minister Binali Yildirim Meanwhile, Turkey’s EU aff airs them. Those who “fi nanced the a fully-fl edged terrorist organi- Before the failed coup, the ing investment decisions. said Turkey would introduce a minister has criticised comments “The EU should not, obviously, shooters” would be treated like sation ... this cancer is diff er- Turkish authorities had already German energy group EWE, package of reforms to encourage by Austrian Chancellor Chris- pursue the road of ending the ac- the coup plotters themselves, he ent, this virus has spread eve- seized Islamic lender Bank Asya, which employs around 700 peo- investment including removing tian Kern suggesting that talks on cession talks with Turkey, but we said. rywhere,” the Turkish president taken over or closed several me- ple in Turkey, said around a doz- some taxes, as the government Turkey joining the European Un- will have to if Turkey keeps slid- Erdogan accuses Gulen of har- told the heads of chambers of dia companies and detained en managers had left its subsidi- looks to shore up confi dence. ion should be broken off , saying ing into semi-authoritarianism,” nessing an extensive network of commerce and bourses attending businessmen on allegations of ary in recent days. But investors remain cautious. the EU’s founding values remain the offi cial said. schools, charities and business- his speech. funding the cleric’s movement. A spokesman declined to give “Investment plans are be- a reference for Ankara. European Commission Presi- es, built up in Turkey and abroad “The business world is where Although the bulk of the purg- a reason but said the company, ing put on ice. Given the cur- Kern said on Wednesday that dent Jean-Claude Juncker said over decades, to infi ltrate state they are the strongest. We will es in the wake of the putsch have while not questioning its engage- rent emergency legislation new he would start a discussion in remarks published yesterday institutions and build a “paral- cut off all business links, all rev- been in the security forces, judi- ment with Turkey, was monitor- investment is not advisable,” among European heads of gov- that it would be counterproduc- lel structure” that aimed to take enues of Gulen-linked business. ciary and public sector, private ing the political and economic said Anton Boerner, head of Ger- ernment to quit talks on Turkish tive to freeze accession talks, but over the country. We are not going to show anyone fi rms have also been aff ected. situation very carefully. many’s BGA trade association, accession because of its demo- said Turkey is currently unfi t to Yesterday an Istanbul court any mercy,” he said, describing The head of research at a bro- Siemens chief executive Joe adding concern about Turkey’s cratic and economic defi cits. become an EU member.

Lawmaker who faked CV defi es calls to quit Marseille waterpark’s plan for

DPA man city of Essen, despite re- Kutschaty said the party has Kutschaty said federal parlia- Berlin ceiving an ultimatum for her now been forced to delay un- mentary SPD would now con- ‘burqini day’ sparks outrage party to do so. til the end of the year plans to sider what further steps to take. “I appeal to Petra Hinz to nominate a replacement for Hinz has also been the sub- German lawmaker, who show a sense of morality and Hinz, who has been a member of ject of unfl attering article in the AFP mayor of the northern suburb, France’s prized secular society. admitted to falsifying give up her parliamentary man- the Bundestag for 11 years. weekly Der Spiegel. Marseille Les Pennes Mirabeau, where the Senator Stephane Ravier of Aher curriculum vitae, date. I think this is long over- Last week, Hinz told Bun- The article alleged she had waterpark is located – saying Le Pen’s National Front said the has again defi ed calls from her due,” said Essen SPD party chief destag offi cials that she was headed up a very unhappy offi ce that he would seek a ban. planned burqini day showed Social Democrat (SPD) party to Thomas Kutschaty after reading sick. with a rapid staff turnover and lans for a waterpark in “I am shocked and angry. I that despite assurances from the give up her parliamentary seat out Hinz’s e-mail at a press con- Up until yesterday Hinz had employees making a series of Marseille to set aside a day see this event as a provocation Muslim community following with the standoff turning into a ference. disappeared out of the public complaints, including that they Pjust for Muslim women that we don’t need in the cur- the attacks, “a certain number of public relations disaster for the “It’s crucial that we ensure domain, despite the SPD setting were required to seek permis- wearing burqinis – full-body rent climate,” he told the daily Muslims voluntarily set them- SPD. the credibility of our party,” said a deadline of Wednesday night sion for toilet breaks. swimsuits, also spelt burkini – Aujourd’hui in the wake of two ji- selves apart from ... our society”. Petra Hinz said last month Kutschaty, adding that Hinz was for her to resign from her elec- The Hinz aff air comes at a bad sparked outrage in secular France hadist attacks that rocked France Last month’s attacks – the that she would stand down from doing many Social Democrats torate. time for the SPD. yesterday. last month. Bastille Day truck massacre that the Bundestag after admitting an injustice. Kutschaty said he believed Once a model for social The “Pool Day” tentatively set Valerie Boyer of the right- left 84 dead in the Riviera town of that substantial parts of her CV “It’s important for the Essen she has been hospitalised for the democratic parties around the for September 10 at the southern wing Republicans party said Nice, followed by the grisly knife – including completing high SPD to send a very clear signal last week. world, the SPD has struggled to city’s Speedwater Park smacks of “there is nothing anodyne about murder of a priest near northern school and a law degree – had that such behaviour will not Popular German tabloid Bild regain political traction after it “dyed-in-the-wool communal- ... the battle of the veil”, which Rouen less than a fortnight later been invented. be tolerated,” said Kutschaty, reported that she was in psychi- lost power to Chancellor Angela ism”, said Florian Philippot, a top she called “the visible expression – led to an outpouring of inter- The CV covered a period of who is also justice minister in atric care. Merkel’s conservative Christian adviser to far-right leader Ma- of fundamentalists’ wish to mark faith solidarity. about 30 years. the state of North Rhine-West- The Essen SPD chief admit- Democrats in 2005. rine Le Pen. their territory”. Last Sunday, Muslims attend- But in an e-mail to SPD offi - phalia. ted that the party had exhausted Founded in 1875, the SPD’s The event is the brainchild of She said it was a way for “Is- ed Catholic mass in churches cials yesterday, the 54-year-old The German media reported its options to convince Hinze opinion poll ratings have re- Smile 13, a women’s association lamism to wear a uniform and around France, responding to a Hinz agreed to resign from her this week that about 10 mem- to stand aside as she had been mained stuck below 25% since catering to Arabs in the port city, exert real social control”. call by the French Muslim council party posts but did not hand in bers are planning to quit the elected to parliament by voters. it agreed to become the junior whose population of nearly 2mn Islamic dress is a hot-button to show “solidarity and compas- her Bundestag mandate for her left-leaning SPD as a result of “We are the limit of what we member of Merkel’s ruling coa- includes around 220,000 Mus- issue in France, where the full- sion” over the priest’s murder. electorate in the western Ger- the Hinz aff air. can do,” he said. lition after the 2013 election. lims, mainly of Algerian origin. face veil is banned in public Reverend Jean Rouet at Notre But Speedwater Park said places. Dame church in southwestern the event has not yet been con- The appearance of high-fash- Bordeaux welcomed the “occa- Tajikistan hands prison terms to 170 people for involvement in attempted coup fi rmed, although Smile 13 has ion burqinis and hijab head- sion to show (Muslims) that we begun accepting reservations scarves by designers targeting do not confuse Islam with Islam- Tajikistan has meted out jail terms to 170 murder and membership of a criminal group, state since 1992 and Tajikistan’s president online. the Muslim market prompted ism, Muslim with jihadist”. people convicted of complicity in an armed he said. since 1994, keeps a tight lid on dissent. The waterpark said in a state- French Family Minister Laurence Socialist politician Stephane attempt by a deputy defence minister to General Abdukhalim Nazarzoda, the He will be able to run for an unlimited ment that it “understands” why Rossignol in March to liken Mus- Mari worried that the burqini topple President Imomali Rakhmon last rebellious deputy defence minister, was killed number of terms after a series of the plan “is of particular interest lim women who wear the head- day would draw intensive media September, the chief Tajik prosecutor said with 15 other plotters after a 12-day special constitutional amendments were backed in a to the media during an emotion- scarf to “negroes who supported coverage. yesterday. operation by security forces following the referendum in May. ally diffi cult period”, while noting slavery”. If it goes ahead, it would “once “We gathered incontrovertible evidence attempted coup, which risked stoking fresh The authorities closed the Islamic Revival that as a private company it had a The following month Prime again favour the party (that pro- proving their guilt,” Prosecutor General Yusuf tension in the unstable former Soviet state Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) after they right to hold a private event. Minister Manuel Valls said the motes) the values of hatred and Rakhmon told a news conference. that lived through a fierce civil war in 1992-97. suppressed the rebellion, accusing it of Criticism of the plan also veil was being used as a political exclusion”, he said in a refer- The group’s members were jailed for between Rakhmon, a 63-year-old former head of a backing the renegade general and leading came from the political left, with symbol for the “enslavement of ence to the xenophobic National one and 30 years for crimes including Soviet cotton farm, who has been head of IRPT leader Muhiddin Kabiri to flee abroad. Senator Michel Amiel – who is women” and that it challenged Front. Gulf Times Friday, August 5, 2016 11 INDIA April 1 tough Best wishes target for GST: Jaitley

IANS quired for GST are also expected Alongside, the cabinet has to New Delhi to be ready, followed by testing.” constitute a GST Council, which He said 60,000 offi cers will be is expected to have nearly the trained and outreach programme same set up as the Empowered he government said yes- launched for trade and industry. Committee of State Finance terday April 1 next year With half the states required to Ministers, but chaired by the Un- Twill be the target date for ratify what technically will be the ion Finance Minister. the roll-out of a pan-India Goods Constitution (One Hundred and The GST rules have to be notifi ed. and Services Tax (GST) regime Twenty-Second Amendment) On the IT and infrastructure though Finance Minister Arun Act, 2014, the Revenue Secretary front, the government has tar- Jaitley termed it as a diffi cult task said at least 16 of them need to geted that the systems for the in- to achieve, given the future steps give assent. direct tax administration — both involved. The Bharatiya Janata Party and at the central and state levels — The states have also been its allies are in power in 13 states. be set up by November this year, asked to ratify the GST bill within Finance Minister Jaitley said while also involving all stake- 30 days of the President’s assent once the GST rolls out, doing holders, including the banks and Sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik’s sand sculpture at Puri beach wishes luck to the Indian contingent at the Rio Olympics. to the landmark legislation. business in India will be easier accounting authorities. “The GST roll-out deadline of and help a large body of traders An IT network is also to be April 1, 2017, is certainly stiff . But and citizens. erected for which a non-profi t, it’s still better to have a deadline,” “There was a public anxiety, non-government company has the Finance Minister told report- almost an exasperation, over the been set up called Goods and ers at a briefi ng here, a day after delay,” he said. “That’s now over.” Services Tax Network that will the Rajya Sabha passed the rel- One of the most signifi cant formulate the front-end and evant Constitution amendment aspects is that the GST bill was back-end modules — the dead- line is 2016-end. King ‘assisting’ workers bill unanimously. passed with unanimity. “But we will try to be reason- The Revenue Secretary ex- “Testing of and integration of ably quick and hope to meet the plained the next steps forward, GST front-end and back-end be- target.” covering the legal framework, fore the stakeholders will be done Jaitley’s remarks came after the IT and logistical framework between January and March next and the training and outreach year,” Adhia said. “Some 60,000 stranded in Saudi Arabia Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia made a presentation be- required for offi ces, as also trade offi cers will also be trained by fore the media here, explaining and industry. December 2016.” IANS Sushma Swaraj said V K Singh has inter- Some 7,700 Indian workers employed the roadmap to implement the On the legal side, once the The Revenue Secretary broadly New Delhi acted with important Saudi authorities, in- with a company in Saudi Arabia are facing GST, while also spelling out the states ratify the Constitution listed the challenges as the cal- cluding Saudi Minister of Labour and Social a fi nancial crisis after it shut down and laid target date for its launch. amendment bill, the central gov- culation of revenue base for the Development Mufrej al-Haqbani. off workers. He said that by the Winter ernment has to pass an integrat- Centre and the states, the actual xternal Aff airs Minister Sushma Regarding the dues of workers, the min- V K Singh is in Riyadh to sort out the Session of Parliament the gov- ed law as also a central GST law, GST rates structure, preparation Swaraj said yesterday the King Salman ister said: “Every worker will fi le their claim problem, including arranging to bring back ernment hoped to get all the req- and the states have to pass their of the list of exemptions, forg- Eof Saudi Arabia has given instructions with the labour offi ce, and the claims will be those workers who want to return. uisite bills connected with the own legislations as well. ing a consensus, and cross-em- to help the thousands of Indian workers settled even after they come back.” In the Lok Sabha, just as some Congress GST roll-out passed, adding: “By The government has targeted powering the Centre and states stuck in the Gulf kingdom, including giving She also said the Saudi administration members including Jyotiraditya Scindia and December 2016, all the back-end the Winter Session of Parliament in decision-making and dispute them free passage back home. was arranging for providing food and other K C Venugopal wanted to speak on the issue, and front-end IT systems re- for the same. resolution. The Saudi king has instructed his offi cials assistance to the camps where Indians were Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked, “Do you to resolve the crisis faced by Indians, the lodged. want to compliment the minister? Some- minister said in identical suo moto state- “Besides, they off ered to arrange for med- time you must appreciate the good work.” ments on the Saudi situation in both houses ical care, food, and sanitation in the camps Scindia said: “I want to compliment Ex- of parliament. where Indians are,” she said. ternal Aff airs Minister that she came up “The Saudi King has instructed his offi cials The minister thanked the Saudi king for with her statements on the issue without Nitin Patel likely to be next Gujarat CM to solve the problem in two days. (Minister of the assistance. She said: “I want to thank members raising these. State for External Aff airs) General V K Singh Saudi rulers on behalf of India and the “On similar line, I hope other NDA minis- is there. He met the Labour Minister there house. I also thank the Prime Minister. This ters will also emulate External Aff airs Min- IANS “On quota, Rupani should (on Wednesday), he said instructions have is happening because of the relations he ister and come well prepared in the house.” Ahmedabad have been giving the government been given to give the Indian workers exit visa; made during his visit to Saudi Arabia.” “I also feel like the manner External Af- version, but it was Nitin Patel in- they will send them back in their own fl ights, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad fairs Minister spoke about bilateral relations stead today,” said a senior party at their own expense,” Sushma Swaraj said. also welcomed the move. between India and Saudi Arabia, she will he BJP leadership is learnt leader who did not want to be “They have also permitted that those who are “This is a very good thing. we must thank speak on countries like Pakistan and China to have almost zeroed in named. found suitable may be given another job.” them on behalf of people of India,” he said. too,” Scindia added. Ton Nitin Patel, the senior- Another senior leader told most minister in the Anandiben IANS: “Nitin Patel is the logi- Patel cabinet, to take over as cal choice. He is the seniormost Gujarat Chief Minister from her, minister, a Patel and from Meh- though the names of other pos- Nitin Patel ... top job sana in North Gujarat, home dis- sible contenders kept on doing trict of Prime Minister Narendra the rounds yesterday in political Nitin Patel later presented Modi and Amit Shah. Choosing Gang-rape videos on sale in UP circles here . himself before the media to the seniormost minister would BJP president Amit Shah, who represent the state govern- also neutralize any factional con- fl ew in to Ahmedabad yesterday ment’s position on the 10% siderations.” By Rina Chandran, Reuters “We are aware. We are taking necessary in Uttar Pradesh, and said the incident had morning, held a marathon meeting quota for economically weaker When Modi went to Delhi in New Delhi action. But it is diffi cult, as the sales are been recorded on a mobile phone. with national secretary (organisa- sections, which was rejected by 2014, Nitin Patel had off ered to happening below the counter,” Ajay Shar- Increasingly, perpetrators are recording tion) V Satish and general secre- Gujarat High Court earlier in take charge as the chief minister ma, a deputy inspector general of police in their crimes on mobile phones to use as a tary in-charge of Gujarat aff airs the day. but Anandiben Patel had pipped the city of Agra, told the Thomson Reuters blackmailing tool and to dissuade victims Dinesh Sharma at his residence. Rupani, meanwhile, reiterated him to the post. raphic mobile phone clips of gang- Foundation. from going to the police, the Times of India State leaders, including Ni- that a meeting of the party’s leg- The party had made it clear rapes are being sold in shops in In recent weeks, several gang-rapes have said. tin Patel, who holds the health islators would meet today at the that Amit Shah, who was consid- Gthe northern Indian state of Uttar been reported in Uttar Pradesh, which ranks Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has come portfolio and is the state govern- state BJP quarters to decide on ered the most ideal candidate to Pradesh, as a spate of rapes in one of the among the most unsafe for women. under fi re over the rise in violent crimes ment spokesperson, also partici- the next chief minister. steer the party in Gujarat, would country’s most violent states has sparked Last week, a woman and her 14-year-old against women, with #LawlessUP trending pated at the high level meeting at Sources said the swearing-in continue as the party chief, but anger and calls for the chief minister to step daughter were dragged from their vehicle on Twitter this week. Shah’s residence. is likely to take place on August 7. his name still continued to be down. at gunpoint on a major highway and gang- A wave of public protests following the State BJP president Vijay It was Rupani who made the an- discussed here. The clips, which last 30 seconds to fi ve raped for hours in nearby fi elds. fatal gang-rape of a woman on a Delhi bus Rupani, whose name was also nouncement of 10% reservation Later, sources said he would minutes, are being sold in the “hundreds, Local media reported that initially the po- in December 2012 prompted the govern- doing the rounds, spent more on behalf of the government at the only chair the meeting of the perhaps thousands, every day”, the Times of lice did not respond to a call for help. ment to enact stiff er penalties, including the time at the party headquarters party headquarters in April, though legislators today in the presence India reported. The daily Indian Express reported that death sentence for repeat rape off enders and where leaders were busy in hectic both Nitin Patel and Anandiben of Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pan- They cost Rs50 to Rs150 ($0.75-$2) each. this week another woman was gang-raped the criminalisation of stalking. parleys. Patel were also present. dey. Kerala’s vehicle hailing app gets funding from Dubai

By Ashraf Padanna or in the event of a breakdown, vehicles where travellers can Thiruvananthapuram the application will help the user track the route with the naviga- to fi nd a service centre,” said tion system on it. Navin Dev, one of the promoters. The taxi owners will get a fi xed ubai-based Proma- “There is a facility to rate the percentage of the revenue gen- tas Technologies will be providers from the quality of erated from ads played on these Dsupporting Kerala-born services and the review of the us- devices. transport aggregator startup Ve- ers. “The funding by global op- hicleST. Therefore, those who con- eration partnership will help the Technology fi rm VST Travels, tinue to use the app will be able company to expand and improve incubated at the state-run star- to identify the service providers its services,” he said. tup zone in Angamaly town near by rating.” “Offi ces will be opened in the Cochin International Airport, The funding comes at a time Gulf countries and the US. A re- received a funding of $300,000 when the company was trying search and development centre from the company, part of Mus- to expand its operations after will be opened in Alappuzha.” cat-headquartered Promatas tying up with Akshaya Kendras, The fi rm, incorporated barely Group. the community resource centres six months back, has so far been The funding will help the promoted by the southern state. functioning with the mentoring young professionals to improvise The app, which is now avail- and incubation support of the and market their app that con- able in Google Play store, will Kerala State Industrial Develop- nects diff erent services, includ- soon have ioS and Windows ver- ment Corp The KSIDC offi cials ing taxis, boats, utility vehicles sions as well. said it was one of the fi rst to get and air ticketing. They have also tied up with funding in such a short span of It helps the user to hire taxis Kudumbasree Travels, the all- time. and autorickshaws, locate ambu- women services of the state’s Promatas Group chair Joshy lances, recovery vehicles, bull- network of women self-help Babu and VST Travels CEO Al- dozers and cranes. groups with more than 4mn wyn George yesterday signed a Users can even fi nd vehicle members. MoU in the presence of KSIDC Promatas Group chairman Joshy Babu hands over the cheque to VST Travels CTO P V Satheesh as CEO Alwyn George, KSIDC MD Dr M Beena service centres using the app. They will make available spe- managing director Dr M Beena and Technopark CEO Hrishikesh Nair look on. “If a change of tyre is required cially confi gured tablets on these and other top offi cials here. Gulf Times 12 Friday, August 5, 2016 INDIA Mayawati blames BJP, RSS for atrocities on Dalits

IANS As the video of the incident went viral on Ahmedabad social media, it caused outrage across the country. Mayawati became the latest political SP chief Mayawati yesterday visited leader to call on the victims after Congress the Dalits beaten up by self-styled vice president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Bcow vigilantes and blamed the BJP Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. and RSS for rising incidents of attacks on Mayawati also visited the Dalit-domi- Dalits in the country. nated Sarangpur area, where she paid fl oral The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister tributes at a statue of B R Ambedkar and visited the Civil Hospital here to express met three members of the victimised fami- solidarity with the victims of the brutal at- ly who had travelled to the city to meet her. tack on four Dalits at Una on July 11. She addressed a group of BSP support- Amid applause by her supporters, Maya- ers. wati hit out at both the Gujarat govern- She later went to the Civil Hospital to ment and the Congress, saying that both meet the four youths who are undergoing were mum over the issue till she raised the treatment. issue in Parliament. She is learnt to have handed over She said the Bahujan Samaj Party will Rs200,000 in cash to the victims as aid bear the cost of providing medical treat- from her party. ment to the four if they needed to be shift- The BSP leader blasted the Bharatiya ed to New Delhi. Janata Party and its political mentor RSS A family of seven Dalits were beaten up for the rising number of atrocities against by the vigilantes near Mota Samadhiyala Dalits in the country. village in Una in Gir Somnath district ap- Mayawati said she wanted to visit Una parently for skinning a dead cow. The vigi- earlier but the BJP conspired against her. lantes then took four of the youngsters to “They did so by seeing that (now ex- Una town and beat them publicly by tying pelled BJP leader) Daya Shankar makes an Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati meets Ashok Sarvaiya, one of four Dalit youth who were beaten up by so-called cow vigilantes in Gujarat, at the Civil them to an SUV and dragging them to a po- irresponsible statement (against me). This hospital in Ahmedabad lice station. diverted the attention and kept me busy.” AAP protests Remembered... HC ruling on LG’s primacy

IANS A division bench of Chief Jus- Power Delhi Distribution Ltd as New Delhi tice G Rohini and Justice Jayant it was made without communi- Nath said that policy direction cating to the LG. can’t be issued without commu- On the issue of appointment of n a major setback to Delhi nicating to Lt Governor, giving Special Public Prosecutor (SPP), Chief Minister Arvind Ke- primacy to the Lt Governor over the bench said though the LG was Ijriwal, the Delhi High Court Delhi’s administration of Delhi. competent to appoint them, such yesterday ruled that the Lt Gov- “On a reading of Article 239 power had to be exercised on the ernor (LG) had primacy over the and Article 239A of the Consti- aid and advice of the council of Delhi administration. tution together with the provi- ministers. LG Najeeb Jung termed the sions of the Government of NCT The court also said that the verdict as validation of the Con- of Delhi Act 1991...it becomes Delhi government’s direction to stitution, while the Aam Aadmi manifest that Delhi continues to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Party government said it will be a Union Territory,” the bench Commission to compensate con- move the Supreme Court against said. sumers in case of unscheduled West Bengal Sports and Youth Aff airs minister Arup Biswas attends a programme to celebrate the birth anniversary of legendary the decision. Article 239A gives special pro- power cuts is “illegal” as such singer Kishore Kumar in Kolkata. The BJP and the Congress hit visions with respect to Delhi as a policy directions cannot be is- out at AAP government follow- union territory. sued without communicating to ing the court ruling. In a series of setbacks for the the LG. The high court verdict came as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) gov- The court’s judgement came Kejriwal is away in Dharamsala ernment, the court said matters on nine different petitions aris- attending a 10-day Vipasaana connected with ‘services’ fall ing out of the spat between the course. outside the purview of the Delhi LG and Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Par- Delhi Deputy Chief Minis- assembly, and ruled that the ty government over the power Stalker sets schoolgirl on fi re ter Manish Sisodia held a press Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to appoint bureaucrats in the conference and said the govern- cannot initiate any action against national capital and other is- ment disagrees with the court central government employ- sues. By Anuradha Nagaraj, Reuters “The man has been booked insults and wolf-whistling to sexual favours among other acts. order and will move the Supreme ees, and termed “illegal” several The judgement came after Chennai for a similar off ence earlier and being followed, groped or raped, “But the law is failing to pro- Court. commissions of inquiry set up by about a year-long hearing over had even spent time in jail. But said a recent survey by the char- tect these young girls,” Vasuki Jung also held a presser and the Delhi government. the Centre’s two notifi cations no one anticipated this and now ity ActionAid UK. said, citing the case of a girl in said the order was not anyone’s The HC upheld the Union which is behind the bitter turf he death of a schoolgirl they are both dead.” There were 337,922 reports of Trichy stabbed inside her col- victory. “It’s just about the vali- Home Ministry notifi cation de- war between LG Najeeb Jung and three days after she was The incident comes a month crimes against women such as lege campus for refusing the ad- dation of the Constitution by the claring that the ACB could probe Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tset on fi re by a stalker after a software engineer was rape, molestation, abduction vances of a man earlier this year. court, and not about anyone’s only Delhi government offi cials. over the Delhi administration. in the southern Indian state of hacked to death in broad day- and sexual off ences in 2014, up Similarly in March, in south- victory.” Terming “illegal”, the court Delhi BJP unit chief Satish Tamil Nadu has sparked outrage light at a train station in the port 9% from the previous year, ac- ern state of Andhra Pradesh, a Jung said his offi ce would re- also quashed the commission of Upadhyay told IANS that the from activists who said the law city of Chennai. cording to the latest data from teenage girl with 90% burns view all decisions and orders inquiry set up by the Delhi gov- AAP government was not follow- was failing victims of unwanted The man arrested for her India’s National Crime Records died just hours after she com- taken by the Delhi government in ernment to look into the alleged ing the constitutional provisions advances from men. murder had been stalking her Bureau. plained to the police about be- the last one-and-half years. irregularities in the function- in Delhi and the court has made In a statement to the police for months, police said. Protests after the fatal gang ing stalked. “We want to help the elected ing of Delhi and District Cricket it clear to them that they have to before she died, the 17-year-old “Women, especially young rape of a woman on a Delhi bus “Stalking is taken for granted government without interfering in Association and the commission govern under these provisions. said the man walked into her girls, are more at risk today,” in December 2012 forced the in most cases, a sort of incon- its functioning. We will continue of inquiry to look into awarding Congress leader Sharmistha house in Villupuram on Monday, said U.Vasuki of the All India government to enact stiff er venience that women are ex- to extend constitutional support CNG Fitness Certifi cates in the Mukherjee said: “Kejriwal has set himself on fi re and hugged Democratic Women’s Associa- penalties on gender crimes, pected to put up with,” said ad- to the government” Jung said. transport department, as these wasted 18 months of his govern- her, all the while saying that he tion (AIDWA). which included criminalising vocate Sudha Ramalingam. The High Court ruled that de- were set up “without seeking the ance in a standstill mode and has would not let her live for spurn- “The fact that they have a stalking and voyeurism. “Though the new law has up cisions taken by Delhi’s council views/concurrence of the LG”. only manufactured confl ict with ing him. right to reject just as a man has The amended law spelled to a fi ve-year jail term for a re- of ministers had to be commu- It also set aside the appoint- the LG.” “She said he had stalked her a right to propose seems to be out that sexual off ences would peat off ender, not many families nicated to the LG and if the LG ment of nominee directors of “It is Kejriwal’s desire to have for over a year and she had said becoming irrelevant.” include physical contact, ad- are encouraging their girls to fi le took a diff erent view on the issue, Delhi government on Board of more power than what has been no repeatedly,” police inspec- Nearly four out of fi ve women vances involving unwelcome police complaints because of a reference to the central govern- BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd, BSES given to him by the Constitu- tor Senthil Vinayakan told the in India have faced public har- and explicit sexual overtures societal pressure and sometimes ment was required. Yamuna Power Ltd and Tata tion,” she said. Thomson Reuters Foundation. assment ranging from staring, and a demand or request for violent consequences.” 3 bodies found after Raigadh bridge washout tragedy

IANS Local fi shermen also joined Since Wednesday, various search in the muddy waters to Raigadh the search. Heavy rains contin- agencies have been searching for detect and attract the metal ve- ued to hamper the rescue opera- the two missing buses and pas- hicles. tions and Savitri river remained a sengers by deploying at least fi ve Maharashtra Chief Minister escuers yesterday recov- raging cauldron 36 hours after it helicopters, Gemini boats, expert Devendra Fadnavis, his ministers ered three bodies, includ- swept away the bridge, built dur- divers and scuba divers. and Leader of Opposition Rad- Ring that of the driver of one ing the colonial rule more than Local legislator Bharat Gogav- hakrishna Vikhe-Patil airdashed of the two state transport buses seven decades ago. ale had informed reporters on to the tragedy site and met dis- washed away in the Savitri river The body of driver S S Kamble Wednesday about the recovery trict collector Sheetal Ugale and in Raigad district after a bridge was found in the shallow Arabian of two unidentifi ed bodies from a Superintendent of Police Suvez collapse on Wednesday, offi cials Sea waters near Anjarle beach, spot near the bridge collapse. Haque to take stock of the situ- said. about 75km from the tragedy site Later the district authorities ation. Two other bodies were of near Mahad. clarifi ed they were from an unre- The Jaigad-Mumbai service women who may have been trav- He was driving the Jaigad- lated incident. was driven by Kamble with V K elling on one of the two buses or Mumbai bus service of the Ma- Besides the two missing buses, Desai as conductor. in some other private vehicle. harashtra State Road Transport attempts are on to locate fi ve to The other ill-fated MSRTC bus The three bodies were found Corp (MSRTC).The two women six private vehicles that were re- was a Rajapur-Borivali (north shortly after the search opera- whose bodies were found have portedly washed away into the Mumbai) service driven by E S tions for the missing buses and been identifi ed as Sevanti Mirgal Arabian Sea, around 18km from Munde with P B Shirke as con- about 22 passengers was resumed from Harihareshwar and Ranjana the bridge crash site. ductor. at daybreak by the Indian Coast Vaze from Kemburli, both loca- The defence authorities have Both bus services were based Guard, Indian Navy, NDRF, po- tions several kilometres down- procured large magnets weighing at Chiplun Bus Depot in Ratna- Search operations underway at the site where at least two buses with about 22 passengers were washed lice and the fi re-brigade. stream. around 300kg for the underwater giri. away in flood waters after a bridge collapse on the Mumbai-Goa Highway in Raigad. Gulf Times Friday, August 5, 2016 13 LATIN AMERICA Cuban migrants Panel calls for removal of Rousseff

AFP Brasília

Brazilian senate com- mittee voted yester- A day to recommend the full upper house remove suspended president Dilma Rousseff from office in an im- peachment trial, sending the nation’s political drama into its end game. The decision – passed by a vote of 14 to fi ve – is non- President Rousseff with former binding, but delivers Rousseff president Lula da Silva yet another setback on the eve of the Olympics opening cer- when a two-thirds majority is emony in Rio de Janeiro. required to eject Rousseff . Instead of presiding over the Impeachment committee Cuban migrants remain in the immigration off ice after they were granted five-day stay permits, in the Turbo municipality, Antioquia department, Colombia. opening of an Olympics once offi cial Antonio Anastasia said meant to showcase Brazil’s Tuesday that he fully supports growing economic power and fi nding Rousseff guilty. political stability, Rousseff now “I vote for the accusation to takes another step toward what go ahead,” he said in a report to looks increasingly like her po- the rest of the committee, call- litical downfall. ing the case against Rousseff Rousseff is accused of “undeniable”. spending money without con- Since taking over as interim gressional approval and taking president when Rousseff was out unauthorised loans from suspended to face trial in May, state banks to make the na- Temer has taken the govern- Colombia’s confl ict tional budget look better than ment sharply rightward. it really was as she campaigned With Brazil in its worst re- for re-election in 2014. cession in decades and crip- She says such maneuvers pled by corruption, Temer says were common practice under the country needs to leave be- previous administrations, and hind 13 years of leftist rule by calls the impeachment proce- Rousseff ’s Workers’ Party. dure a coup in disguise. The political mess makes a victims seek land Her allies point out that sad backdrop to the Olympics many of the lawmakers accus- that were awarded to Rio in Colombia finally looks on the road to groups in order to work and earn a living. demobilise over the coming months as “Perhaps now God wants the war to ing her are implicated in cor- 2009 when Rousseff ’s pred- peace Life as a fi ghter cannot be very good,” hoped after a peace deal is signed, Colom- end.” ruption cases far more serious ecessor and political mentor Ferney Santa said. bia will have to start to heal painful divi- The Colombian government and FARC than mere accounting she- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was AFP He is one of the many victims of the sions. rebel group will sign a peace agreement nanigans. hugely popular. Trujillo, Colombia country’s half-century confl ict who will As well as preparing to reintegrate the after the guerrillas hold a fi nal internal But opponents on the im- Now, not only is Rousseff have to learn to live alongside former fi ghters, the state is working to return dis- conference to approve the historic deal, peachment committee deliv- facing oblivion, but Lula is set fi ghters. placed people’s land to them. Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos ered a damning verdict. to go on trial for obstruction of erney Santa knows how hard it is to “Soon, when they sign the peace agree- “You can have the biggest military force said Wednesday. “The president will be re- justice charges. start over. ment, we will not have to worry about in the world, but if you don’t manage to “The signing will offi cially take place moved from offi ce for the ex- He also faces corruption al- F He was forced to fl ee his home those groups anymore,” he said. generate income for these families, their after the (tenth) FARC conference, where tremely serious crimes she legations that could sink his twice by fi ghters in Colombia’s long civil “As long as they are willing to work, we children will very easily get involved in they will receive the mandate (from their committed,” said senator Cas- hopes of returning to power in war. can work with them.” illegal activity,” said Ricardo Sabogal, di- troops) to also sign,” he said at the presi- sio Lima of the opposition the 2018 elections. That’s why he is now ready to recon- One of his neighbours, coff ee grower rector of the state Land Restitution Unit dential palace after a meeting with politi- PSDB party. Rousseff , Brazil’s fi rst wom- cile with combatants in the confl ict that Alba Santa – no relation to Ferney – fl ed (URT). cal leaders. “It was the biggest fiscal an president, is a former left- turned his life upside down, as they demo- with her family in 1990 after receiving “To make sure this confl ict never hap- The conference of the Marxist Revo- fraud in the country’s his- ist guerrilla who was jailed and bilise in a historic ceasefi re. threats from right-wing paramilitaries. pens again, you have to generate sustain- lutionary Armed Forces of Colombia tory.” tortured by the country’s mili- The farmer, now 51, and his family were “They accused us of helping the guer- able income, housing and qualifi cations,” (FARC) is set to take place before Co- Rousseff is refusing to attend tary regime in the 1970s. driven from their home in Trujillo, in the rillas.” he told AFP. lombians also vote to approve the deal today’s Olympic ceremony, She rode Lula’s coattails to Cauca Valley in western Colombia. She ignored the threats, she said, until In the Cauca Valley, the URT has so far in a popular referendum greenlighted by saying she does not want to power when term limits forced In 1998 it was fi ghters of the leftist Na- “people started to disappear” in the area. handed back 7,200 hectares of land out of the country’s constitutional court last play a “secondary role”. him to step down in 2011. tional Liberation Army (ELN) that chased They went to live with one of her cous- a total 189,000 that the courts have or- month. Her bitter political enemy But the buoyant national them out. ins in another town. dered to be returned to the displaced. The government and FARC are in the Michel Temer, who is serving mood soon defl ated as Brazil’s In 2005 it was a right-wing militia. “I hope that what we lived through at The region was ravaged by fi ghting from fi nal phase of four years of talks that it is as interim president, will over- booming economy sank into a “We had to struggle to survive,” he said. that time never happens again. the late 1980s to 2013. hoped will result in a peace deal putting to see the opening ceremony. deep recession and an explo- But he wants to help former fi ghters re- But those people deserve a second It was a strategic route for drug traffi ck- an end a half-a-century of confl ict. If she is removed from offi ce, sive corruption scandal erupt- turn to normal life as he did. chance,” Alba, 62, said of the armed ing which fuelled the confl ict. The rebels last month signed a ceasefi re he will become the full-fl edged ed at state oil giant Petrobras. At last he has an opportunity to do so. groups. Some 328,000 people were displaced in and disarmament deal with the govern- president until elections in Rousseff is not facing cor- The Colombian government has signed “We were very afraid and everything, the region, authorities say. ment, with the aim of becoming a political 2018. On August 9, the full ruption charges in the wide- a landmark disarmament deal with the but we do not seek revenge on those peo- Now the area around Trujillo is “free of party. Senate will vote on whether to ranging Petrobras scandal. biggest rebel group, the Revolution- ple.” armed groups”, lieutenant colonel William It would take “around 15 days to three proceed with the impeachment But she has been tainted by ary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). It Colombian authorities estimate that Fernando Caicedo, commander of an army weeks” between the time the fi nal agree- trial. its stain on the Workers’ Party, hopes to do the same with the ELN. nearly 7mn people have been displaced battalion patrolling the zone, told AFP. ment is agreed and the rebels approve it, A simple majority would which is accused of lining its The sides hope June’s ceasefi re and dis- during the confl ict, which started as a With the help of the URT, Alba Santa Santos said. suffi ce and the measure is ex- coff ers with some of the miss- armament deal soon will be followed by a peasant uprising in 1964. has expanded her farming activity to in- The guerillas’ conference would be their pected to pass easily. ing billions. full peace accord. The United Nations says that is the clude livestock and fi sh. last before their dissolution, the president Then a fi nal and decisive “She’s paying the bill of the If a fi nal agreement is reached, the highest number of internally displaced “Everything is much better here. said, because “the peace agreement end- session in the full Senate is PT’s mistakes,” conservative FARC’s demobilisation will go ahead. people in any country in the world. You no longer see the armed groups,” ing the confl ict means the end of the FARC scheduled for August 29, a senator Ana Amelia told AFP in “People need to get out of the armed If thousands of former FARC fi ghters she says. as an armed group”. week after the Olympics close, the build-up to the vote. Brazil rapper voices Latin Amid economic hard times, Venezuelans turn to farming housemaids’ suff ering Reuters old Luisana Galvis, a retired administrator Caracas who helps produce 30 diff erent types of vegetable on a state-owned plot in a west AFP A report by the International Labor The 2014 law in Chile spared them Caracas slum. Sao Paulo Organization in 2013 showed Latin the obligation to wear a uniform in acing a national food crisis, Ven- Critics, though, say the project is America was the region with the most public. ezuela’s pumpkin-growing socialist laughably inadequate given the scale of household employees in the world. But testimonies on the I, House- Fpresident is exhorting compatriots Venezuela’s problems, and absurd in a Brazilian housemaid-turned- Some 7.5% of employees in Latin maid page and by rights groups in to grow fruit and vegetables on balconies vast and fertile nation that was once a rapper has cast a spotlight on America worked in that sector com- other countries indicate that many and roofs and in barracks across the coun- major exporter of coff ee. Athe suff ering of Latin Amer- pared with 0.8 percent overall in the such workers in the region still suff er try. “Forty thousand hectares of productive ica’s millions of exploited domestic developed world, according to the abuse and prejudice. His government’s “Great Agro-Vene- land in this country and Nicolas’ solution workers by chronicling the abuse study. In some countries they live in a le- zuela Mission” is promoting city farming is urban agriculture!” scoff ed two-time they receive from their employers. Brazil employs more domestic help gal void. to off set shortages which have led to loot- opposition presidential candidate Hen- For seven years Joyce Fernandes than any other country in the region: In Guatemala, the Domestic Work- ings and riots as the OPEC country un- rique Capriles, who accuses the govern- was one of 6mn workers that cook, Joyce Fernandes. around six million, most of them ers’ Association says children as dergoes a major economic crisis. ment of wrecking rural output with na- clean and mind children for Brazilian women, according to the IBGE state young as eight and women as old as “We need to plant to ensure food sov- tionalisations. families. “Eat before us at the kitchen table statistics institute. 70 work in domestic service. ereignty,” president Nicolas Maduro said, “You listen to him and he’s a century Now 31, she is a qualifi ed history if possible. “In Latin America, it is not just the Some employees work up to 16 recounting how he and his wife harvested behind!” teacher, recorded rap artist, anti-rac- It is a question of maintaining or- very well-off families” that employ hours a day. pumpkins on their patio for a soup that Even some who have long grown their ism activist and all-round celebrity. der in the household.” household workers, said Laura Car- Over recent years “there has been tasted “like heaven”. own food are dubious of Maduro’s eff orts She is better known by the alias Fernandes’s tales prompted count- pentier of the French political studies a rise in pay for domestic workers in “He who learns to cultivate in his city, to help solve Venezuela’s unprecedented Preta Rara, or “Strange Black Wom- less others to post their ordeals in school SciencesPo, author of a report numerous Latin American countries,” his school, his university, his factory, in crisis by emulating their city gardens. an”. domestic work: working long hours on the subject. said Alexandre Fraga, a sociologist at his communal space... “It’s illogical to have a grand plan for Over melodic hip-hop beats she without food for snobby families. She said there is more demand for Rio de Janeiro University. cultivates another form of faith in life,” urban agriculture given how fertile the voices fi erce calls for social justice. “I think it is the voice of domestic domestic workers in Latin America But most have no formal work con- he added, urging people to grow products land is in Venezuela,” said Omar Sharam, Her face with its bright blue lip- employees who have wanted to speak because countries there have fewer tract. in schools, military bases and even jails. owner of the upmarket Casa Bistro res- stick and nose-ring has appeared in out for a long time but had no par- daycare centres for children and The mistreatment of housemaids In the fi rst data on the new push, Ma- taurant which cultivates many of its own media around the world. ticular channel to do so,” Fernandes nursing homes for the old. also raises dark historical memories duro’s government boasts that in the last ingredients on a city plot. After leaving domestic service, she told AFP. In 2013, Brazil’s left-wing govern- in a country where slavery was not three months, some 135,000 Venezuelans Oil gradually took over Venezuela’s started writing about some of her ex- “My memoir was a trigger that ment imposed rules to protect do- abolished until 1888. have produced 273 tonnes of vegetables, economy since its discovery here a centu- periences online in a Facebook page awakened other stories and opened mestic workers, guaranteeing them “This profession refl ects social fruits and herbs in urban settings. ry ago and now makes up 94% of foreign titled I, Housemaid. up a discussion,” she added. a minimum wage and limiting their inequalities. In Brazil, most domes- The production seems well short of this income. “Joyce, we hired you to cook for us, “We are making our voice heard. overtime. tic employees are female, poor and year’s goal of 3,500 tonnes, but some par- That has led to the neglect of other not for yourself. With this site I want to provoke and Uruguay and Chile have passed black,” Fraga said. ticipants are enthusiastic. sectors, including agriculture, and made Please bring your own food and shake up the model of the traditional laws limiting housemaids’ work- “That cannot continue. This can- “If all communities began to cultivate, Venezuela dependent on imports. cutlery,” she recalled her employer Brazilian family which will recognise ing hours and boosting their welfare not be a hereditary profession.” it would help to combat the high cost of Vast swathes of arable land are under- telling her. itself in most of these stories.” rights. living and food shortages,” said 69-year- used. Gulf Times 14 Friday, August 5, 2016 PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN India, Pakistan rivalry threatens to overshadow regional forum India and Pakistan engaged in a war of words yesterday during a regional meeting of ministers and security off icials; Pakistan is hosting the home ministers’ meeting of the South Asian Association of Regional Countries (Saarc), with the focus on security issues including terrorism

Reuters Islamabad

ndia called yesterday for iso- lation of countries deemed Ito be supporting terrorism, while Pakistan decried “brutal force” against civilians resist- ing occupation as the nucle- ar-armed neighbours’ rivalry spilled over into a regional con- ference. Traditionally tense relations between Pakistan and India have been strained further in re- cent weeks by a flare-up in pro- tests against Indian rule in its part of the disputed border re- gion of Kashmir, in which about 50 people have been killed. Indian Interior Minister Ra- jnath Singh arrived in the Pa- kistani capital Islamabad on Wednesday for a meeting with counterparts from the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc). Singh had already ruled out bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines, and in his speech In this handout photograph released by the Pakistan Press Information Department (PID) yesterday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif poses for a group photograph with delegates including India’s Home to the forum castigated any sup- Minister Rajnath Singh after the inauguration of the Saarc Minister’s conference in Islamabad. port for militants. “One country’s terrorist can- its neighbour of sheltering mili- Nisar Ali Khan, in his remarks, meeting could be a forum for cussions which might not be rule in part but claim in full. blamed on Pakistan. not be a martyr or freedom fi ght- tants fi ghting against Indian rule “drew the attention of Saarc “a lot of soul-searching on all possible in the glare of media While Pakistan says Kashmir Their rivalry has hampered er for anyone,” he said.“Those in its part of divided Kashmir. member-states to the use of sides”. publicity, heart-to-heart dis- is at their heart of their decades eff orts to transform the eight- who provide support, encour- Pakistan denies supporting brutal force against unarmed “Maybe that will provide us cussions,” Khan told the open- of rivalry, India says its main is- member Saarc into a useful fo- agement, sanctuary, safe haven militants but say it off ers po- civilians engaged in a struggle with the opportunity for our ing session. sue is militancy. rum for co-operation in South or any assistance to terrorism or litical support to the “freedom against foreign occupation”, a leadership to sit together in- India and Pakistan have Efforts to get talks going Asia, which accounts for a fi fth terrorists must be isolated.” struggle” of the people of the barely-veiled reference to Kash- formally and work out solu- fought three wars since their in- have stuttered for decades, of the world’s population but Singh did not mention Paki- Muslim-majority region. mir. tions to the problem that have dependence, including two over at times derailed by militants less than a tenth of its economic stan by name but India accuses Pakistani Interior Minister Khan said he hoped the Saarc been afflicting this region. Dis- Kashmir, which both countries attack in India that it has output.

Hostages taken as Pak copter crashes Militants ambush foreign Pakistan, UAE, Israel to in Afghanistan take part in US air show A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, tourists in Afghanistan Internews ground and electronic threat their embassy in Kabul said, Islamabad environment. In 2016, the US with local authorities saying all Air Force is holding four Red six people on board were taken AFP Flag exercises in Nevada. hostage by the Taliban. Herat akistani aircraft will fl y The fi rst ran from January to The insurgents have not so far alongside US, UAE and February, the second from Feb- commented on the incident PIsraeli fi ghter jets during ruary to March and the third in in Azra district in the restive aliban militants attacked a a military exercise in Nevada July, while the fi nal exercise will province of Logar. group of 12 American and later this month, the US media be conducted on Aug 15-26. “An Mi-17 transport helicopter TEuropean tourists escort- reported yesterday. Besides USAF, Pakistan, belonging to the Punjab ed by an Afghan army convoy in The Aviationist magazine UAE and Israeli air forces government was scheduled to western Herat province yester- reported that six Pakistani are also participating in the fly to Russia for repair. We think day, leaving at least seven people AFF16C/D Block 52+ combat August exercise. The Israeli the same chopper crash-landed wounded as the insurgents step jets had already arrived in the media reported that Israel is in Logar,” Pakistani embassy up nationwide attacks. United States to take part in sending both fi ghter jets and spokesman Akhtar Munir said. The tourists – eight British, the Green Flag and Red Flag cargo planes for the exercises. “We don’t know anything about three Americans and one Ger- exercises at Nellis Air Force “For the second and fourth the fate of those on-board or why man national – were ambushed Base, Nevada. Red Flag, we will be including it crash-landed.” The local district by Taliban gunmen in the res- The US Air Force describes foreign players which include governor Hamidullah Hamid tive district of Chesht-e-Sharif, Red Flag as its “premier air- the United Kingdom, Australia, said six people on board had while en route from the neigh- to-air combat training exer- Turkey, Italy, Pakistan, United been taken hostage by Taliban bouring provinces of Bamiyan cise,” in which participants Arab Emirates, and Spain,” Col insurgents. “They have been taken and Ghor. simulate dogfi ghts to improve Jeff rey Weed, a Combat Train- to an unknown location,” he said. It is unclear why they were their aviation skills. ing Squadron commander in The helicopter caught fire after travelling overland at a time when Green Flag prepares pi- the US Air Force, announced it crashed, said Logar governor’s Western embassies typically warn lots to fi ght in a combined air, after the 2015 Red Flag exercise. spokesman Salim Saleh. their citizens against all travel in Afghanistan, citing threats of kidnapping and attacks. “The foreign tourists – three Americans, six Britons, two Two foreign tourist, (centre), wounded during a Taliban militant attack, is treated at a hospital in the Scots and one German – were western Herat province, yesterday. Pak-Turk schools move court travelling with an Afghan army convoy when they were am- reported the tourists came to insurgency-hit districts. conflict escalates. bushed by the Taliban in Chesht- Afghanistan with Hinterland The United States has warned American journalist David Internews in Pak-Turk schools. study in the 28 branches of the e-Sharif,” said Jilani Farhad, the Travel, an England-based ad- its citizens in Afghanistan of a Gilkey and his Afghan translator Islamabad A director of the board which school, he said, adding that ad- spokesman for Herat’s governor. venture travel company which “very high” kidnapping risk af- were killed in June while travel- runs the Pak-Turk schools in verse action against the school He said the insurgents had off ers tours passing through ter an American citizen narrowly ling with an Afghan army unit Pakistan said that the Turkish may put the future of these been repelled and the foreign- central and north Afghanistan as escaped abduction in the heart that came under fi re in southern he Pak-Turk school government has introduced students at risk. ers were being escorted to Herat well as volatile lapis mines in the of Kabul. Helmand province. network in Pakistan ap- Al-Maarif educational net- When IHC Justice Farooq city, adding that at least six for- country. yesterday’s attack follows a Aid workers in particular have Tproached the Islamabad work, which will take over the asked if there was a notifica- eigners and their Afghan driver The company was not imme- Taliban truck bombing on Mon- increasingly been casualties of a High Court (IHC) yesterday in Pak-Turk schools network in tion or adverse order issued were left wounded. diately reachable for comment. day at a hotel for foreigners in surge in militant violence in re- order to avoid adverse action Pakistan. by the Pakistani government The attack comes as Taliban Its latest 21-day tour passing Kabul, which triggered a seven- cent years. against their 28 branches in 10 Though he admitted that the against the schools, Rehman militants intensify their an- through “glorious, stark moun- hour gun and grenade assault Judith D’Souza, a 40-year- cities across Pakistan. administration of these schools said there was a strong possi- nual summer off ensive after a tain passes” in Bamiyan and that highlighted growing inse- old Indian charity worker, was This comes after Turkish is inspired by Gulen’s ideology, bility of the government tak- brief lull during the holy fasting Herat started on July 26, accord- curity in the city. rescued in late July, more than President Recep Tayyip Er- Khan denied that the Turkish ing such a step. month of Ramadan, which end- ing to its website. The guests and staff of the a month after she was taken at dogan called on the Pakistani scholar had any stake in the He requested the court to ed in early July. James Willcox, founder of an- Northgate hotel escaped un- gunpoint near her residence in government to close down the school network. stop the government from tak- Highways in Afghanistan other England-based adventure harmed, but one policeman was the heart of Kabul. Pak-Turk schools as the Turk- In the courtroom yesterday, ing any unlawful step which passing through insurgency- travel operator Untamed Borders, killed after the suicide truck D’Souza’s abduction came ish government believes the counsel for the schools Hafi z S would compromise the future prone areas have become ex- said his agency stopped using the bomber paved the way for two after Katherine Jane Wilson, a school chain is part of a net- Rehman argued that the board of students of the school or to ceedingly dangerous, with the Bamiyan-Herat road in 2009 be- other armed insurgents to enter well-known Australian NGO work owned by Fetullah Gulen, of directors of the schools, con- maintain status quo. Taliban and other armed groups cause “it was just not safe”. the heavily guarded facility near worker, was kidnapped on April a political rival of Erdogan. sisting of four Turkish and four Justice Farooq denied this frequently kidnapping or killing Bamiyan, famous for empty Kabul airport. 28 in the city of Jalalabad, close Turkey has declared Gulen’s Pakistanis, had no connection request. travellers. hillside niches that once shel- The attack was a grim re- to the border with Pakistan. organisation a terrorist entity with Gulen or his movement. “Since I have asked the dep- But that has not stopped some tered giant Buddha statues that minder of growing insecurity in In 2007, the Taliban seized 23 after the coup attempt in July He said the schools had been uty attorney general to seek in- tourists, including foreigners, were blown up by the Taliban, is Afghanistan since most foreign South Korean aid workers from a 15. registered with the relevant structions from the ministries from travelling to Afghanistan, at the centre of Afghan eff orts to troops withdrew in 2014. church group travelling through Turkish Foreign Minister departments in a lawful man- of foreign aff airs and interior, endowed with stunning land- boost tourism revenue. The rising violence has re- southern Afghanistan. Mevlut Cavusoglu told a ner and that children had been you should wait for their re- scapes and archaeological sites, A vast, ancient landscape sulted in large Afghan civilian The militants killed two men press conference on Tues- enrolled after obtaining neces- sponse, as nothing is black and many of them in volatile areas of russet-hued cliffs, Bamiy- casualties. before releasing the rest, report- day in Islamabad that they sary approvals from concerned white in this case,” he said. prone to the Taliban insurgency. an is a rare oasis of tranquil- Foreigners are also increas- edly in return for ransom pay- are working to protect the departments. The hearing was adjourned The Guardian newspaper lity but it is wedged between ingly being targeted as the ments. future of students enrolled More than 10,000 children till today. Gulf Times Friday, August 5, 2016 15 PHILIPPINES Philippine gaming ‘oligarch’ resigns after Duterte attack The president is facing questions but also driven drug users and small- over the violence unleashed on the time dealers into frantic mass surren- streets ders to district offi cials. Police say a staggering 565,806 have AFP turned themselves in. Manila Many of those who presented them- selves with pledges to straighten out their lives wore rubber wristbands he head of prominent Philippine bearing Duterte’s name — materials online gaming fi rm Philweb Corp used during his election campaign. Tresigned yesterday, a day after Before the bodies started piling up, president Rodrigo Duterte threatened Manila police also launched a cam- to “destroy” him and accused him of paign, codenamed Oplan Rody — the being an oligarch. incoming president’s nickname — to Speaking to members of an elec- rid the streets of drunks and shirtless tion watchdog on Wednesday, Duterte men, who were made to do 40 pushups called Ongpin an oligarch, saying the to avoid jail time. company’s chief got rich thanks to his A children’s night curfew was also close connections with four previous imposed in some districts, with viola- presidents, including the late dictator tors and their parents made to undergo Ferdinand Marcos. Jennilyn Olayres grieving beside the coff in of her partner Michael Siaron after he was found dead in the streets of Manila with a crude cardboard poster left behind by counselling. Duterte, who has launched a contro- the motorcycle-riding gunmen killers saying “drug pusher”, a claim she refutes. Right: Inmates inside the Quezon City Jail in Manila. Images of hellish conditions at an versial crackdown on crime that has left overcrowded Philippines jail triggered hundreds dead, called on the country’s the people who take the wealth of our lieve me, I will destroy their clutch- slain by suspected vigilantes. of Michelangelo’s 15th century Pieta calls yesterday from lawmakers and legislature to amend the constitution, nation but don’t spend anything but es in our nation,” Duterte said. The country’s top broadcaster, ABS- marble sculpture. rights groups for swift reforms to the in part to curb individual infl uence of their saliva and connections”. The bodies are piling up as president CBN, reported that 603 people had “And there you are, dead and por- penal system which is under strain from wealthy residents over the government. Philweb won a government license to Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war brings ter- been killed since Duterte’s May elec- trayed in a broadsheet like Mother an anti-drugs crackdown. “My order to the (assembly): Destroy launch internet cafés exclusively dedi- ror to Filipino slums. tion, with 211 murdered by unidentifi ed Mary cradling the dead cadaver of Jesus AFP photographs of the Quezon City the oligarchs that are embedded in gov- cated to hosting casino games in 2003. Hundreds of people have died since gunmen. Christ,” the president said, describing Jail, where thousands of inmates are ernment now. Those are the ones. Duterte has previously vowed to fi ght Duterte won a landslide election in Police raids of suspected drug deal- the tableau as “drama”. forced to sleep on stairs or on cracked I’ll give you an example, publicly, in corruption but his main focus has been May, promising to rid society of drugs ers’ hideouts have led to near-nightly For an alleged drug dealer, Siaron did cement fl oors in unimaginable squalor, front of the nation: Ongpin, Roberto.” a war on crime that has seen the killing and crime in six months by killing tens deaths. not have a lifestyle like Mexican or Co- highlighted the crisis which is worsen- “These are the guys, who, while sit- of hundreds of suspected drug dealers of thousands of criminals. Most of the dead suspects — often lombian cartel kingpins. ing under president Rodrigo Duterte’s ting inside their planes or their man- since he was elected on May 9. In one viral image summing up the found face-down in pools of blood — The rented hovel that was home to war on crime. sions everywhere, are raking in money Ongpin has stepped down to focus human cost, a young woman howls in had pistols lying next to them in the him and his girlfriend, made of scraps “It’s an image straight out of Dante’s like taxi metres.” on real estate projects developed by Al- pain as she cradles her partner’s blood- act of resisting arrest, according to au- of plywood and iron sheeting, was not Purgatory,” Human Rights Watch said, Ongpin announced his resignation phaland Corp, also majority-owned by soaked body under the glare of televi- thorities. much bigger than a pig pen. referring to the 13th century Italian in a disclosure carried by the stock ex- Ongpin, Philweb said yesterday. sion lights as horrifi ed bystanders look One man was attacked as he drove his It stood precariously on stilts atop a writer’s description of the realm where change, but did not give a reason for the The tycoon was once a trade minis- on from behind yellow police crime tricycle, his body left hanging from the smelly, garbage-choked open sewer. souls await judgement. move. ter under disgraced former president tape. humble vehicle as blood dripped onto “At times we slept until late on pur- “Hundreds of half-naked men “I hereby tender my resignation with Ferdinand Marcos, whose regime was “My husband was innocent. He the street. pose so we only had to worry about sprawled on the pavement in the swel- immediate eff ect as chairman and di- characterised by widespread corrup- never hurt anyone,” Jennilyn Olayres Other people have simply turned up lunch and dinner,” Olayres, a street tering heat, desperately trying to sleep rector of Philweb Corp and all of its tion, decadence and military brutality. said of her partner Michael Siaron, 30, dead in deserted streets and vacant lots vendor, told AFP at her partner’s wake. amid the cramped chaos... It’s an actual subsidiaries,” read the statement. Tycoons adds to a growing list of tar- a tricycle driver — refuting the crude at night, their faces cocooned in pack- Held in a hall at a local government snapshot of horrifi c overcrowding in Philweb shares had closed 36.88% gets that Duterte is pursuing. cardboard poster left behind by the aging tape and with cardboard signs offi ce, two more of the dead were being the Philippines’ jails.” down at P8.95 after plunging to a year- The fi rebrand former prosecutor has motorcycle-riding gunmen killers say- accusing them of being drug dealers mourned at the same time. The situation at Quezon City Jail is low of 7.12 earlier in the trading day said he will crack down on drug dealers, ing “drug pusher”. hanging on their chests. Olayres said Siaron was among the by no means isolated, the New York- Yesterday. crime bosses, corrupt generals, busi- Police fi gures showed this week that At his fi rst State of the Nation ad- more than 16mn Filipino voters who based group added, with many other In a speech at an environmental con- ness monopolies, online gambling and 402 drug suspects had been killed since dress to Congress, Duterte defended his had catapulted Duterte to offi ce. Filipino jails also failing to meet mini- ference yesterday, Duterte renewed his even Catholic priests. Duterte was sworn in at the end of June. anti-crime campaign and described the The attacks have left wives and rela- mum United Nations standards for nu- attacks on oligarchs, saying “these are “I am fi ghting a monster... Be- That figure does not include those scene at Siaron’s shooting as a parody tives crying and fainting at the carnage, trition and sanitation. More classrooms Filipinos can fi sh in Panatag: govt

Manila Times For the department of foreign tribunal that Panatag is part of Makati aff airs, however, Filipino fi sh- the country’s 200-nautical- ermen should “perhaps” avoid mile EEZ protected under Un- going to Panatag in the mean- clos. mid China’s threat to pe- time. “So basing on that, China nalise foreign fi shermen “Perhaps we can do that for argues that Scarborough is not Ain what it claims is its now for the safety of everyone,” part of the Philippines’ EEZ,” territory, Malacanang said that said Charles Jose, spokesman of Baja said in a telephone inter- Filipino fi shermen can go to Pa- the department of foreign af- view. natag (Scarborough) Shoal, but fairs. Jose reiterated foreign sec- “Technically, they are within with “caution”. retary Perfecto Yasay Jr’s earlier their right because there was no Speaking to reporters, presi- call to exercise restraint and so- pronouncement from the panel dential spokesman Ernesto Abel- briety on the issue. on the jurisdiction,” he said. la said “safeguards” are in place “On our side, let’s be calm Richard Heydarian, profes- to ensure the safety of Filipino fi rst,” he told reporters.“Let’s sor at De La Salle University’s fi shermen in the disputed West wait for clarifi cations on how political science department, Philippine Sea (South China Sea). our fi shermen can return with- noted that China has been using “They can proceed but out being subjected to harass- various quasi-legal measures to they’re also advised to proceed ment.” give a veneer of legitimacy to with caution,” Abella said. Experts were divided on the its sweeping claims across the China’s supreme court said China court’s ruling. South China Sea. on Tuesday people caught “il- China risks another suit if “China’s judicial bodies don’t legally” fi shing in Chinese wa- it enforces its supreme court enjoy any shred of bureaucratic A teacher holds classes in a corridor at the Manuel L Quezon High School in Manila, one of the public schools in need of additional classrooms. ters, including Panatag Shoal, regulation, said political analyst independence, so this is most could be fi ned and jailed for up Jay Batongbacal, director of the likely an eff ort by the [adminis- to a year. University of the Philippines’ tration of president Xi Jinping] On July 12, the Permanent Institute for Maritime Aff airs to superimpose national laws Court of Arbitration in The and Law of the Sea. on The Hague verdict based on Hague, Netherlands ruled in fa- In a conference on the South international law,” he told The Divorce bill is fi led once again in house vor of the Philippines and inval- China Sea on Wednesday, he Manila Times. idated China’s so-called nine- pointed out that the tribunal He added: “But I don’t think dash line, its basis for claiming had made it clear that tradi- these laws are absolute since in Manila Times both houses of congress will fi - Albay representative Edcel It favours the rich because you almost the entire South China tional fi shermen may continue China, policy drives law, not the Quezon City nally approve the Divorce Bill,” Lagman earlier fi led his own ver- need to have access to great law- Sea.China has refused to rec- fi shing in Panatag. other way around. the party-list group said. sion of the divorce bill. yers; set aside time to go to court ognise the ruling and has been No state is permitted to detain So likely it’s just a symbolic The Gabriela bill, House Bill Brosas cited surveys showing to have your marriages annulled. turning away Filipino fi shermen fi shermen, he stressed. Batong- gesture to express Chinese re- ivorce advocates trooped 2380, provides fi ve grounds for public support for divorce. The annulment of marriages attempting to fi sh at Panatag bacal explained that the 1982 jection of the Unclos ruling last to the house of repre- divorce: “Divorce is also not an entirely should become accessible to the Shoal. United Nations Convention on month.” Dsentatives to restart a z The petitioner has been new concept in the Philippines poor,” he said. Panatag Shoal, also known the Law of the Sea (Unclos) pro- Some lawmakers took a campaign to legislate divorce in separated de facto from his or her since this has been a remedy “The country is not ready to as Bajo de Masinloc, had been hibits any state from taking any hard-line stance: “While pur- the Philippines, the only country spouse for at least fi ve years at given for couples in irreparable tackle absolute divorce where a traditional fi shing ground for action that causes prejudice and suing peace through bilateral in the world aside from Vatican the time of the fi ling of the peti- marriages even during the Amer- people can separate simply by fi shermen from Luzon. damage to the rights of the other negotiations, we should also be City-State where the dissolu- tion and reconciliation is highly ican period,” she added. their own wishes. I would say Abella said Scarborough party in a disputed territory. ready for future skirmishes. We tion of the marriage bond is not improbable. Deputy speaker Romero Quim- we should amend our laws to aid Shoal is not off -limits to fi sher- “If [China] attempts to arrest have to strengthen our military allowed. z The petitioner has been le- bo of Marikina however said the those in marriages who are im- men, but only “artisanal” fi sh- Filipino fi shermen in our own capability and enable them to Lobby groups Divorce Advo- gally separated from his or her country was not yet ready for di- prisoned in abusive relationships ing is allowed. EEZ (exclusive economic zone), protect the welfare of our coun- cates of the Philippines and As- spouse for at least two years at vorce, and marriage annulment such as those who are physically “It’s not that we’re not allow- that will clearly be a violation of trymen,” said house deputy sociation for Divorce and Women the time of the fi ling of the peti- procedures should fi rst be made abused; those married to some- ing our fi shermen to go there. international law and they will majority leader Sherwin Tugna Empowerment expect the 17th tion and reconciliation is highly accessible to the poor and vic- one who is not a good father or We’re simply saying that there be held internationally respon- of the Citizens’ Battle Against Congress to be “kinder to the improbable. tims of physical abuse. mother,” Quimbo said. are certain kinds of fi shermen sible for that,” Batongbacal said. Corruption party-list group passage of the bill”, the Gabri- z When any of the grounds Quimbo wants Article 36 of Deputy speaker Fredenil Cas- who are allowed and who should But in an interview with Ifugao representative. ela party-list, which fi led the for legal separation has caused the Family Code amended be- tro of Capiz said marriage is a be there and can’t fi sh inside,” The Manila Times, Lauro Baja, But for Kabayan party-list divorce bill for the fi fth time on the irreparable breakdown of the cause this provision states that lifelong commitment. Abella said. former foreign undersecretary representative Harry Roque, Wednesday, said in a statement. marriage. a marriage can only be annulled “I don’t believe in divorce be- “The ones who can fi sh near for policy and Philippine per- China should be given time to Gabriela Representatives z When one or both spouses when “any party who, at the time cause I believe that we should the area, inside the area, are manent representative to the lick its wounds as a result of the Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Bro- are psychologically incapacitat- of the celebration, was psycho- always stand up for what we artisanal fi shers. Off the area, United Nations, said the tribu- July 12 ruling. sas reiterated that the divorce bill ed to comply with the essential logically incapacitated to comply swore before God and law,” Cas- commercial fi shers,” he added. nal only ruled that Panatag is a “It is unrealistic for us to as- was long overdue. marital obligations. • When the with the essential marital obliga- tro said. Abella reiterated that the traditional fi shing ground and it sume that China will allow fi sh- “It is high time that the state spouses suff er from irreconcil- tions of marriage even if such in- “If we have absolute divorce, Philippine government will did not identify which country ing now. We should let emotions give couples in abusive and ir- able diff erences that have caused capacity becomes manifest only marriage would just be a game push for a “diplomatic route” has jurisdiction over the shoal. run down before we discuss reparable marriages the option to the irreparable after its solemnisation”. that you can quit anytime and re- in resolving issues in the West The Philippines also did not with China fi shing in Panatag,” divorce. We hope that this time, breakdown of the marriage. “Article 36 is very anti-poor. duced to a past time,” he added. Philippine Sea. include in its submission to the Roque said in a text message. Gulf Times 16 Friday, August 5, 2016 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL Briton held over Holey cafe siege Dhaka has turned up the heat Gulshan neighbourhood on the ing with the attackers on the last three years. Many of them, on terror suspects morning of July 2. roof. including victims of the cafe at- The men’s families have said On Tuesday, national police tack, have been hacked to death AFP they were being held by security chief A K M Shahidul Hoque, with makeshift machetes. Dhaka forces even though there was no told reporters that the two had The suspected Islamist mili- evidence to link them to the at- fallen under suspicion as a result tants singled out non-Muslims Bangladesh wildlife off icials observe a wild elephant in a watercourse at Sarishabari in Jamalpur District tackers. of their “behaviour and actions” and foreigners, killing Italians, some 150kms north of Dhaka. British national and a Police had denied the men during the siege. Japanese, an American and an student at a Canadian were in their custody before an- Karim, 47, was a lecturer at Indian before security forces A university who were din- nouncing the arrest yesterday. Bangladesh’s private North- stormed the eatery to end the 12- ing at a Bangladeshi cafe when Speaking to AFP after news of South University in Dhaka, where hour siege. it was besieged by jihadists last the arrest, Karim’s father said his two of the fi ve attackers who Two police also died in the op- month have been arrested on son had been used as a human were gunned down at the end of eration. Rescue operation for suspicion of involvement in the shield during the siege and that the siege had studied. Yesterdy a Dhaka court re- attack. he had helped save lives during More recently, he had been manded the men in custody for Police said Hasnat Karim, a the siege. working as a director at his fa- eight days for interrogation, British citizen of Bangladesh “I have full confi dence in the ther’s engineering company. with police offi cial Masudur origin, and Tahmid Khan, a Uni- police investigation,” said Rezaul The 22-year-old Khan, who is Rahman telling reporters they fl ood-hit elephant versity of Toronto student, were Karim. a Bangladeshi citizen, was back had been arrested on Wednes- arrested late Wednesday in con- “My son was a hero. He saved in his homeland while on leave day night “from two diff erent nection with last month’s siege the life of at least eight people from university. places”. AFP been separated from its herd and “After seeing her latest con- in Dhaka when 20 hostages were during the siege. I know him. He Police earlier this week named The police assertion of arrests Dhaka stranded mostly in fl ood water,” ditions, both teams will decide murdered. is innocent.” a Canadian citizen, Tamim at diff erent sites appeared to Sayed Hossain told AFP. how we can rescue her,” he add- “We can confi rm they were ar- Karim’s London-based lawyer, Chowdhury, as the attack’s mas- run counter to relatives’ state- “It crossed the mighty Brah- ed. rested under Section 54 of CrPC Rodney Dixon, said his client had termind, off ering a reward of up ments that the men were held angladesh and India are maputra and has been living Uddin said the hundreds of (criminal procedure),” police “no links to any terrorist group” to $25,000 for information lead- at unknown locations after the mounting a major rescue mostly on paddy (rice) crop, sug- villagers who were fl ocking to spokesman A K M Shahidur Rah- and demanded his immediate re- ing to his arrest. attack. Beff ort for a wild elephant ar canes and a limited amount of see the elephant were also likely man told AFP yesterday, refer- lease. The siege was by far the dead- Rights group Amnesty Inter- struggling to survive after it was banana plants.” hampering her ability to seek ring to a law under which police “The authorities have fi nally liest in a string of attacks claimed national has criticised the deten- separated from its herd by fl oods Forestry offi cial Shahab Ud- higher ground unaff ected by the can detain someone on suspicion admitted that Mr Karim is in by Islamist groups which have tion of the men as having denied and then washed across the bor- din said thousands of villagers in fl oods. of any crime. their custody. They have had blighted Bangladesh over the last them their fundamental right to der. boats have been following the el- The wild elephants of India A court later remanded both more than suffi cient time to three years.The Islamic State or- legal representation. Yesterday three Indian forest ephant, which has so far crossed and Bangladesh have dwindled men in custody for eight days, make any inquiries,” Dixon said ganisation claimed responsibility Karim and Khan were among offi cials will travel to a fl ood-hit around 100km of fl ooded terrain in number in recent decades as deputy commissioner of Dhaka in a statement. and the gunmen were pictured 32 survivors rescued by police area in northern Bangladesh to in northern Bangladesh. their habitat is destroyed. police Aminur Rahman told “There is clearly no evidence posing with IS fl ags in images and taken into custody for ques- investigate how they can help Bangladeshi authorities have The rescue bid comes days AFP. to charge him and he should be posted on a website affi liated to tioning.Police released the oth- the stranded animal, which dispatched a team of forest rang- after Indian wildlife offi cers ap- Karim and Khan were both let go without any further de- the group. ers soon after, but the two men’s was separated from its herd in ers, police inspectors and vets pealed for help in caring for eight inside the Holey Artisan Bakery lay.” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi- families said they had not re- northeast India more than a to track the wild animal, but the rhino calves pulled from the when gunmen raided the cafe Relatives say Karim, his wife na’s government has said how- turned. month ago. fl oods were hampering rescue ef- fl oodwaters in the northeastern on the night of July 1, taking a and two children were at the cafe ever that the attack was the work Karim, a 47-year-old engi- A vet dispatched to the scene forts. state of Assam. group of mainly Western din- to celebrate the 13th birthday of of a homegrown Islamist group, neer, was at the cafe with his by Bangladesh authorities said “Our eff ort to rescue the ani- Scores of people die every year ers hostage and then killing 20 their daughter. insisting international jihadist family to celebrate his daugh- the elephant, a female that mal has been hampered by ongo- from fl ooding and landslides of them, along with two police- Reports in local media said networks have not got a foothold ter’s 13th birthday. Relatives weighs an estimated four tonnes, ing fl oods as there is no way we during the monsoon rains in In- men. both men were being inves- in Bangladesh. of Khan, 22, told the New York was “weak and tired” after its can tranquillise it in water as it dia and neighbouring Nepal and But neither have been seen in tigated for suspicious activ- Dozens of foreigners, activists Times that the student, who has solo odyssey across the Brah- might fl oat downstream. Bangladesh. public since the end of the siege ity during the siege. They said and members of minority reli- epilepsy, had been beaten and maputra river that separates the The elephant must be driven to So far this year 96 people have when commandos stormed the Khan was seen holding a fire- gious groups have been killed by denied medical attention after two countries. a higher ground in a bid to rescue died in the worst-hit Indian cafe in the capital’s upmarket arm and Hasnat Karim stroll- Islamists in Bangladesh over the being held. “For the last month it has it,” Uddin said. states of Assam and Bihar. Prachanda: Nepal’s Maoist turned PM

Kathmandu was poor and he spent his childhood attracted to not just money and power AFP herding goats and buff alo. but also to people outside the move- The extreme poverty he witnessed ment who were rich and powerful, fi rst hand in rural Nepal spurred an in- abandoning the rank and fi le and alien- epal’s new Prime Minister terest in far-left ideology and he joined ating his base,” said Aditya Adhikari, an Pushpa Kamal Dahal spent a communist party in 1980 at the age author and expert on the Maoist move- Nyears hiding out in the jungle of 25. ment. directing a guerrilla war against the He worked as a teacher, but gradu- As local media attacked the former state, before transforming his Maoist ally became convinced that an armed guerrilla over his alleged fondness for revolutionary movement into a politi- insurgency was the only way to bring expensive imported whisky and lux- cal party. radical change to one of the world’s ury brands, support for the Maoists The charismatic 61-year-old — poorest countries. plummeted and the party won just 80 better known by his nom-de-guerre Inspired by China’s Cultural Revolu- out of 575 seats in the 2013 national Prachanda (“the fi erce one”) — re- tion, he launched the “People’s War” in polls. cruited thousands into his Maoist army 1996, recruiting thousands of young- Today, the Maoists are only the third with a rousing call to end centuries sters including children into his Maoist largest party in parliament. of feudal inequality and overthrow a army. In a bid to strengthen his hand he 240-year-old monarchy. In recent years many former guerril- joined with hardline Maoist splinter The ten-year insurgency he led las have quit the party, accusing Prach- groups to form a new political party brought the Nepali state to its knees anda and other leaders of betraying in May, withdrawing his support from as the Maoists won control of large their sacrifi ces. the coalition government shortly af- swathes of countryside. He has come under fire for his lav- terwards. After a 2006 peace agreement the ish lifestyle, notably when it emerged Experts say the party’s declining father-of-four made a triumphant en- that he had rented a sprawling es- fortunes have pushed Prachanda to try into politics, becoming prime min- tate in Kathmandu that includes a show greater willingness to compro- ister for the fi rst time after his party 15-room mansion, parking space for mise in recent years. won elections in 2008. more than a dozen vehicles, a build- “Last time, I was inexperienced in But the gloss quickly wore off and ing to house 70 guards and a table the ways of competitive democracy. he resigned just nine months later tennis room. We still had a war mindset from the after the president blocked his ef- Another scandal erupted when the insurgency years,” he told the Hin- forts to sack the army chief in a row Maoist-led government acknowledged dustan Times daily in a recent inter- over the integration of former Maoist off ering $250,000 to fund a Mount Ev- view. fighters. erest expedition by Prachanda’s son “Now, after 10 years in open politics, Prachanda was born a Brahmin — the Prakash. I have learnt the rules of competitive highest Hindu caste — but his family “He began to be seen as (someone) democracy.”

Charity urges Lanka to act over killings

AFP Lankan governments showed the need rebel leadership in a major off ensive. Colombo for credible international involvement The workers, all Sri Lankan, were to determine who carried out the kill- massacred near Trincomalee, 260km ings. north-east of Colombo, at a time French charity urged Sri Lan- ACF chief executive Veronique An- when government forces were locked ka’s government yesterday to drieux said the charity was closely in combat with separatist Tamil Tiger A hold a credible investigation monitoring Colombo’s pledge at the rebels in the area. into the killing a decade ago of 17 of its UN Human Rights Council in Septem- Andrieux said the ACF had held staff . ber to establish an internationally ac- a private remembrance event in the The head of Action Against Hunger ceptable mechanism to prosecute war capital on Wednesday and a similar (ACF) said it was time for Sri Lanka to criminals. ceremony would be held Today in Trin- act on its promises as she visited the “What we hope is that this account- comalee. island to mark the 10th anniversary of ability mechanism will be able to de- Previous Sri Lankan investigations the massacre. liver a credible legal and just solution,” into the ACF attack have been incon- Issued in Public Interest by No one has ever been prosecuted Andrieux told AFP. clusive, and the UN has said security over the execution style killings of “We are awaiting concrete steps in forces intimidated the victims’ rela- ACF staff , among them four women, the right direction. It is now time for tives whenever international attention the worst attack against humanitarian action.” was paid to the case. workers during the island’s 37-year- The killings took place during the A UN report published last year long ethnic war. decades-long separatist war that came pointed fi ngers at the Sri Lankan mili- Human Rights Watch has said mis- to an abrupt end in May 2009 after tary, which has strongly denied it had handling of the case by successive Sri government forces crushed the Tamil any hand in the killings. Gulf Times Friday, August 5, 2016 17 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH A defi nite role

he work of the Muslim woman in the fi eld of Da’wah (call to Islam) strengthens the man’s work, and expands it into areas Twhere her eff ectiveness supersedes that of the man. The woman’s role does not end at door. She can be greatly eff ective by being a good example to others, by being good-hearted, kindly spoken, and of friendly conduct. She can off er assistance, and share concerns as well as joys. She can also use all appropriate opportunities to educate, guide and call others through observing the conditions of those whom she addresses.

Examples are needed Women, who understood their role, started educating themselves and achieving their rights to education. Look at the Hadith [narration attributed to Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam] narrated by Abu Sa’eed that a women said to the Prophet “The men are keeping you busy and we do not get enough attention from you; would you specify a day for us, women? He promised them a day to meet them and educate and admonish them.” [Al-Bukhari] The fruits of this understanding and concern by the women companions of the Prophet and the attention he gave them, are shining examples and a source of pride for Muslim women. Muslim women played a great role in sacrifi ce and service for the religion of Allah. Sumayyah gave up her life when Abu Jahl, the head of disbelievers, killed her for becoming a Muslim. She was the fi rst Muslim, and woman, killed in Islam. Khadeejah the fi rst wife of the Prophet who was very rich, spent a lot of her money to support the Da’wah. Umm Salamah left her husband and saw her children persecuted when she migrated. Umm Imaarah fought in defense of the Prophet in the battle of Uhud. Tending the wounded in battles was the role Muslim Women played throughout history.

Building successful Women in Da’wah (call to Islam) Da’wah Programmes There are conditions that must be met for rom the very beginning of the Islamic this, they may not understand the importance “They (husbands) should encourage them to 4. Many Muslim women who are in need women’s Da’wah work to succeed and achieve its history, Muslim women have played of time given to projects outside the home, spread the message of this religion, perhaps of guidance, education, and direction lack expected outcome: vital roles in the propagation of the which in turn, may become a source of tension by taking them along when they go out, and the presence of men-folk who can provide First: important guidelines FDivine Message (Islam). From the sac- within the home. by instructing them on the proper ways of this service, therefore it makes sense that There are important points that should be used rifi ces of Sumayyah to the collected Ahadith 6- The level of general Islamic knowledge giving presentations about Islam,” she added. qualifi ed women in the community should do as guidelines when planning or doing Da’wah work: [narrations of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi among most women is low. A more particular reason is the absence or the job. Typically, the woman’s main job is at home. wa sallam] of ‘Aa’ishah women have been 7- Women’s Da’wah programmes, as well as confusion of priorities in the minds of the 5. The need of education with women This is clearly stated in Qur’an and Hadith. Allah instrumental in the fl ourishing and spread- overall Da’wah programmes and institutions callers to Islam. Many of them have been is greater than that with men. They get Almighty Says (what means), “And abide in your ing of this religion, the process which is called are rare and not well organised. overwhelmed and distracted by the state of pregnant, give birth, and nurse children. The houses...” [Qur’an 33:33] Of course women can “Da’wah” in Arabic. Roots of the problem: the Ummah (Muslim community), even to the children are more tied to them than they are to go out for Salaah (prayer) in the Masjid (mosque), Unfortunately, during our present times, Many obstacles and restraints have been extent of ignoring to give proper attention their fathers. Women stay at home with their participate in any other activities she may need and the Islamic revival suff ers from weaknesses the causes behind the weakness and neglect of to their homes and families. Their energies sons and daughters, and thus can bring them to do Da’wah. However, none of these activities in its properly qualifi ed personnel, which Da’wah work amongst women. Once they have having been exhausted in the work outside the up as they please. If they are not allowed to should confl ict with her essential duties at home as limits its spreading and restricts the Da’wah been recognised and analysed, viable solutions home, leaving them with nothing left for their share in the Da’wah eff orts of their husbands, wife and mother. work to an elite group of activists, with fi nite can be sought and implemented. families. This imbalance aff ects not only the a lot of the much-needed results may not be 2- There are special injunctions regarding and limited eff orts of Da’wah and Tarbiyah One major reason is that many men are families, but also the community as a whole. attained. women, such as the mixing of men and women that (education) being focused on women. not convinced about the importance of The level of women’s education and 6. Women have a great eff ect on their must be observed in any Da’wah activity and under Da’wah amongst women deserves, and women’s role and responsibilities in the awareness of their position and responsibility husbands. If they have strong Eemaan (faith) any circumstances. should get, far more attention than it does. fi eld of Da’wah. The Qur’anic verse (which plays an important role in the fi eld of Da’wah. and character, they have a very good chance at a) Proper Hijaab (Islamic woman dress) must be So far, except in a few instances, women have means) “And abide in your houses...” [33:33] helping their husbands become strong as well. observed at all times. been distanced from the fi eld of Da’wah work. has been misinterpreted by many, and so has A crucial role for the Muslim Women 7. Women have a lot of characteristics b) Woman cannot travel without a male If we consider the situation of Islamic Da’wah the concept of “Qawaamah”, or the right/ The reasons women’s participation in that stress the importance of their Da’wah companion who is her Mahram (her husband or a work and the position of women in it today, we responsibility of stewardship. In many Da’wah is important are various and diverse: role. They should also be taken into account man with whom marriage is unlawful). can easily fi nd the following problems: instances, we see men objecting to women’s 1. Women are more capable than men are in whenever any Da’wah work is planned. Some c) Woman cannot intermix freely with men who 1- Defi ciency in Da’wah capabilities among participation in Da’wah and thus preventing communicating with other women. Women are: are not directly related to her. women. them from fulfi lling their role toward their are usually more aff ected by word, deed, and O Women have the innate ability to d) Women cannot exit from their homes except 2- The ill-use of existing limited-resources fellow-Muslims and to the larger society conduct of other women, more so than by communicate strongly what they believe to be by permission of those who are in charge of them in combination with a lack of personal in general. Spreading Islam has been made men. On the other hand, women are more true in their hearts. Dr. Hamdaan also points and care for them, i.e. their husbands or fathers, initiative on the part of women. incumbent on all Muslims, men and women. capable of recognising the particularities and out that, “Women are also generally stronger etc. 3- A neglect or omission of women’s issues “It is vital that husbands encourage their problems associated with women’s education. in terms of verbal abilities and emotionality.” 3- The enemies of Islam usually exploit these in the planning of Islamic Da’wah. wives to participate in Da’wah work,” said 2. Women can better comprehend the O Women sometimes lack will-power and injunctions and use them to defame Islam as 4- Absence of adequate education and the Dr. ‘Aa’ishah Hamdaan, Director of the direction in which women’s Da’wah work a sense of direction, and therefore need the demeaning to women. Some Du’aat (callers to lack of fundamental Islamic knowledge in Islamic Education Foundation (IEF), based should be geared. They can best discern the assistance of other women to give strength Islam) get aff ected by these allegations and they the Daa’iyaat (female callers) in the fi eld of in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA). She has a order of priorities, because they are more and motivation. are thereby led to be lax and unmindful. The true Da’wah. Only a few of the wives and daughters Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialty familiar with this sphere. Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/ Du’aat guided by the Sunnah (the way/ tradition of of Du’aat (male callers) have any worthwhile in child and family issues. She teaches at a 3. Women are freer than men in emainpage/ the Prophet ) must be mindful, lest they be aff ected Islamic knowledge. private university in the Twin Cities. The communicating with other women, either by the lusts and whims of society. 5- Most women do not possess a proper main goal of the IEF is to increase the level individually for Da’wah activities, or in 4- Men have the original right in Da’wah understanding of the role of Da’wah made of awareness and provide training in giving women’s learning and other forums and places activities to take the lead as was the case in the incumbent on their husbands. Because of Da’wah amongst Muslim women and men. of meeting. age at the Prophet and the excellent generations that followed. Women’s role in Da’wah work is undeniable, provided the appropriate guidelines are adhered to. Second: Objectives of the programme: Any Da’wah programme directed towards Training in the fi eld of Da’wah women should strive to, at least, serve the following ends: 1- Strengthening Eemaan (faith): This comes n the theoretical side of this step, Areas of Da’wah for women 2. The Muslim Community: Charity, advice, fostered, and the key Muslim rite of enjoining about by increasing worship, remembrance of Allah training women to work in the fi eld and direction can be off ered to relatives, good and forbidding evil would be upheld. (Thikr), and refl ection on Allah’s names, His power of Da’wah (call to Islam) may need The educational fi elds: These are related neighbours, and the needy. 6. An important fi nancial tributary for and creation in ourselves and in the universe. There Oto consider the following aspects: to the ennoblement of the spirit and the 3. The Islamic School: Educational activities Da’wah work would be secured; i.e., women’s is great power in refl ection. And its positive impact - Educational preparation through purifi cation of the soul through faith. The and curriculums can be used for the guidance charitable spending. on one’s heart and Eemaan is almost limitless. providing a good presentation of appropriate minds and souls can thus be touched. These of girl students as well as women teachers and It is time that Muslims who profess to follow This, however, would not be possible without the materials. fi elds are to be found in mosques, schools, staff . the Sunnah rethink the issue of Da’wah among inculcation of the right understanding of certain - Psychological preparation by ensuring associations, Da’wah groups, and others. 4. The Masjid (Mosque): Women should be women and by women. We should remember issues related to our Aqeedah (Belief); the emphasis that the women callers have faith in Allah, The social fi elds: These relate to bodily allowed to go to the Masaajid (pl. of Masjid) to Khadeejah, ‘Aa’ishah, Sumayyah and many has to be on Tawheed (Monotheism). sincerity, hopefulness, pride in Islam, and psychological health as well as to social benefi t from the lessons held there. The Masjid Muslim women throughout our history, and 2- Increasing knowledge: One cannot achieve patience, and knowledge of the conditions development and interaction between people is a suitable place for some of the women what they did for Islam and learn from it. much without knowledge. Special emphasis has and environments of those they are that refl ect positively on the realisation of activities like Qur’an study groups and other We also have to realise that mere talk and to be put on the basics of Islam and on subjects addressing. spiritual education and the formation of training. emotionalism are useless. We need to do that the Daa’iyah (caller to Islam) needs in her - Social preparation by having the women Muslim character. 5. Hospitals, Prisons, and Social something about our immediate situation now. environments. Knowledge should be spread Daa’iyaat (callers to Islam) live an Islamic Both sides, spiritual and physical, are tied Welfare Institutions, Women’s Colleges or Education, preparation, and qualifi cation of about deviant thoughts, ideas, groups and sects. life in the family and society in a practical together and they should both be fulfi lled Universities: “Women-only conferences can women will be the key to our future success. Awareness must be raised concerning those who do application of Islam. They should abide by in balance. To give the upper hand to the also be incorporated into already scheduled Throughout history, the yardstick used not like to see the spreading of Islam and who are the ethics of Islam and of the Da’wah. soul would be asceticism, and to the body major conferences, thus providing them with to measure the well-being of any society gaining grounds in the hearts and minds of people. would be hedonism. Fulfi lling the physical someone to travel with,” has been the condition of its women. Let us 3- Building of the Da’wah personality: Da’wah Adequate practical training needs has often been cause for many people therefore, strive to improve the intellectual, requires sacrifi ces and, therefore, women must embracing the guidance of Islam. Preachers What we sow we reap spiritual and emotional condition of the be prepared to bear the burdens of calling to and preparation is a must of Christianity today, concentrate on this Muslim woman by allowing her to fulfi ll all the Islam. This comes through awakening them approach. It is diffi cult for the hungry, the Allah-given abilities and responsibilities made to the conditions of the Muslims and the naked, or the sick and homeless to listen to 1. Banishing ignorance, increasing incumbent on her. endeavours of the enemies of Islam. Leadership, This involves training female callers in sermons. intellectual broad-mindedness, and the As mentioned in the article, women Da’wah responsibility and individual initiative should speaking and writing to be able to bring More specifi c examples of what women creation of qualifi ed women Da’wah cadres. is very important. We have to be careful not be taught. Theoretical and practical educational Allah’s religion to the people through can take part in as Da’wah are: These results have a lasting and benefi cial to fall in what a lot of Muslims they fell into faculties must be nurtured. The Daa’iyah must speeches, lessons, lectures, and writing. 1. The Home: This is surely the most fertile infl uence, not only on women and the Muslim with the good intentions of giving Da’wah be taught the necessary social skills and the Writing and publishing must not be and most eff ective channel. Almighty Allah community, but also on the whole society at (intermingling men and women, people with importance of Da’wah through good example neglected in an age when people are easily has ordained both husbands and wives as large.2. Rectifying conduct and restitution of lack of knowledge altering the Deen and and conduct. They also must be taught the value reached by and engrossed in all sorts of nurturers for each other and the family. many erroneous practices that have come to be thinking that they have the authority since of time, its management and how to use Halaal books, booklets, newspapers, and articles. The mother shares with the father the social phenomenon in many societies. they are calling to Islam, etc.). Women who (lawful) fun activities during their times of Writings should both be eloquent and responsibilities of educating and nurturing 3. Women’s place and status in Islam would work in the fi eld of Da’wah should be away leisure. convincing, through sincere, sound and each other and their children in all physical, be highlighted and Muslim women would attain from men’s environment. Women don’t need 4- Building up immunity to sin: This includes documented arguments. Writing is the form moral, psychological, social, and external a better awareness of their rights and duties. to be part of a the board members of a masjid recognising the ills of sins, particularly those of Da’wah which is, in many ways, one of the aspects. Members of the family are gathered 4. Eff orts would be geared toward the for example to be active in Da’wah!. So it relating to women, and blocking the way to them by most appropriate and important means for together in the home for many hours and this cultivating of our young people, in order to needs to be stressed that things are done in the shunning the means leading to them and the places women. They can write at home and thus creates harmony among them as well as aff ords ensure the Ummah (Muslim community) environment of women and women alone. where they exist. make use of their spare time. They can in an opportunity for presenting good examples virtuous Muslims in the generations to come. Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/ Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/ this way reach all classes of society. and guidance. 5. A sense of belonging to Islam would be emainpage/ emainpage/ Gulf Times 18 Friday, August 5, 2016 COMMENT

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Production Editor: Amjad Khan Does Putin really want

P.O.Box 2888 Doha, Qatar [email protected] a Trump presidency? Telephone 44350478 (news), 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) Trump has complimented complimented in return. He has also Given these connections, it would Nonetheless, given Russia’s poor Fax 44350474 expressed an interest in building be surprising if Putin did not see reputation in the US, the latest email Putin’s leadership deeper ties with the Kremlin, a Trump victory as advantageous scandals may well hurt Clinton frequently, and has been and said that he would consider for Russia. And perhaps the biggest less than they hurt Trump – whose accepting Russia’s annexation of benefi t would be the defeat of Clinton, subsequent appeal to Russia to fi nd complimented in return Crimea and lifting the sanctions whom Putin has plenty of reason to 30,000 emails missing from Clinton’s that were imposed in response – all dislike. tenure at the State Department has not By Nina L. Khrushcheva without asking Putin for anything in As Secretary of State, Clinton done him any favors. Putin probably GULF TIMES return. repeatedly took Putin to task for his recognises this. Moscow Perhaps most unsettling, Trump clampdown on Russian protesters This is not to say that the Kremlin has called into question America’s and independent Russian media, and was displeased by the hack, which, at -mail scandals have automatic defense of Nato allies such rebuked him especially harshly for least in the case of the DNC, may have plagued Hillary Clinton, the as the ex-Soviet Baltic states, whose Russia’s meddling in Ukraine. Add been carried out by Putin supporters, Shockwaves from Democratic Party nominee independence Putin has questioned. to that Putin’s “traditional” attitude not offi cial contractors. But it is likely Efor US president, throughout When Newt Gingrich, one of Trump’s toward women (another source of to have been more of a petty prank her campaign. First, there was the foreign-policy gurus, called Estonia affi nity with Trump), and it seems than a genuine eff ort to undermine revelation that Clinton, as Secretary “the suburbs of Saint Petersburg,” he reasonable that he would prefer to Clinton’s campaign. failed Turkey coup of State, had used a private server implied that Putin could have free rein deal with just about anyone other than It could have been payback for for offi cial business, resulting in with Russia’s neighbors. Clinton. The fact that the alternative is the recent Nato meeting in Warsaw, an FBI investigation that chastised Then there is Trump’s unabashedly a man who seems genuinely to admire where Russia’s aggression was at her for being “extremely careless.” pro-Russia team of advisers. His him is icing on the cake. the top of the agenda, or even for Now hackers, believed by the US to campaign manager, Paul Manafort, Or so it seems. The truth may be the handling of the doping scandal rattle US and EU be working for or on behalf of the was a key fi gure in the repackaging completely diff erent. Russia is widely that nearly kept Russia out of the Rio Russian state, are thought to be the of Viktor Yanukovych, Putin’s proxy viewed in the US as an unscrupulous, Olympic Games. It could even have source for Wikileaks’ publication in Ukraine, into a faux democrat even malevolent power. Russia’s links been retaliation against Clinton for a From the roads of Pennsylvania and corridors of of a slew of Democratic National for the 2010 presidential election. to the DNC and Clinton campaign direct insult; she did, after all, once power in Washington to the public squares of Cologne Committee e-mails revealing DNC Since Yanukovych’s ouster in 2014, hacks, regardless of one’s feelings liken Putin’s moves in Ukraine to leaders’ support for Clinton during Manafort has helped revive the about the information revealed, have Hitler’s actions prior to World War and EU offi ces in Brussels, the shockwaves from the the primaries. Russian hackers are fortunes of his client’s corrupt Party reinforced this perception, which is II – an affront not just to Putin, but July 15 failed coup have gone well beyond Turkey. also suspected of intruding upon the of Regions, positioning it as the not entirely off base. After all, Putin, also to a Russia that prides itself on The aftermath of the coup has prompted a drastic Clinton campaign’s servers. main opposition to Ukraine’s current a former KGB offi cer, has proved its role in defeating Nazism. Clinton’s opponent in the government. Likewise, Trump’s main more than willing to use digital (not But, bad blood aside, Putin may still sharpening in Turkish rhetoric towards the EU and US, Democratic primary, Senator Bernie foreign-policy adviser, Carter Page, an to mention physical) means to harass, consider Clinton the better choice. with Ankara saying it feels let down by an apparent Sanders, dismissed the brouhaha investment banker, has worked closely intimidate, and coerce his enemies She might be against him, but she lack of solidarity. about her private server early in the with Gazprom, the natural-resources and opponents. is a known quantity, with a foreign campaign. But Clinton’s opponent behemoth that is a virtual arm of Of course, Russia is not alone. The policy that Russia – an old hand at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accusing Turkey’s in November’s election, Republican Russia’s government. US has engaged in its fair share of adversarial relations – could manage. Western allies of supporting the plotters and taking nominee Donald Trump, has embraced Both Page and Manafort have made spying, exemplifi ed by the National With Trump, no one – possibly not particular off ence that Germany refused to let him the hackers’ eff ort to discredit fortunes in Russia – Manafort ran Security Agency’s surveillance even Trump – would know what to Clinton – just as he has, it seems, an investment fund that specialised programs that came to light in 2013. expect. Putin may not be a grand address a rally in Cologne via video conference. embraced the country responsible for in investing Russian oligarch money And it has not hesitated to meddle strategist, and he certainly wouldn’t Erdogan has meanwhile warned Washington it will the hacks. The question is whether in Ukraine – and no doubt dreams in other countries’ aff airs. Consider mind a buff oon in the White House; put relations at stake if it fails to extradite Fethullah Russian President Vladimir Putin is, as of even bigger possibilities if Trump the leaked 2014 phone call between but he knows an overly risky bet when suspected, actually working to derail is elected. There is even speculation Clinton’s assistant secretary of he sees one. – Project Syndicate Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based preacher who Ankara Clinton’s campaign and get Trump (though no solid evidence) that Trump state, Victoria Nuland, and the US accuses of being at the heart of the coup plot. elected. himself has business dealings with ambassador to Ukraine, Geoff rey zNina L. Khrushcheva is Professor of “You have to be blind and deaf not to understand that The two men’s international Russia, beyond his well-documented Pyatt, about how to ensure a pro- International Aff airs and Associate bromance is well known. Trump courting of Moscow politicians to let Western outcome to the popular Dean for Academic Aff airs at The New he is behind all of this,” Erdogan said. has complimented Putin’s him erect a Trump Tower near Red protests that led to Yanukovych’s fall School and a senior fellow at the World Yet to Erdogan’s fury, Washington has yet to show leadership frequently, and has been Square. from power. Policy Institute. any sign of moving against Gulen, insisting Turkey is a key partner while saying Ankara must send evidence and not just speculation. Yet the crisis has erupted at a time when the Ankara- Washington relationship is as important as ever, with the United States needing Turkish help in the battle against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria. Meanwhile, the US military has also been unsettled by the sacking and arrest of nearly half of Turkey’s “You have to generals, and believed be blind and to include fi gures who worked closely with deaf not to American forces at understand that Turkey’s southern base of Incirlik. he is behind all But Turkey is still of this” for Washington an “essential partner in the Middle East” and will do all it can to satisfy Ankara “even if they are not going to cede on Gulen”, said Jean Marcou, Turkey expert at Sciences Po in Grenoble. Relations with the European Union –which Turkey Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has sought to join since the 1963 – could prove even more fraught with top offi cials in Brussels angering Ankara by raising concerns over the magnitude of the post-coup purge. Turkey has also grumbled that it has so far not Why don’t we trust our leaders? received its promised returns under the landmark deal to stem the fl ow of migrants to Europe, raising alarm about the future of the deal. By Ngaire Woods leave the European Union – such as probably the ultimate example of from impossible. President Pedro Oxford Conservatives like Boris Johnson (now this shift. (The Huffi ngton Post even Pires of Cape Verde was awarded the Having patched up a dispute with Russia over the the country’s foreign secretary) and decided last summer to publish 2011 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in November shooting down of a Russian war plane, Nigel Farage, the right-wing populist coverage of Trump’s campaign in its African Leadership, for transforming Turkey could be tempted to head into the arms of n developed democracies today, leader of the UK Independence Party – entertainment section.) his country into “a model of political leadership is increasingly are similarly disparaged for recklessly The problem is not only that this democracy, stability, and increased Russia to counter its problems with the West. up for grabs. Voters, clearly tired jeopardising the future of the UK and can lead to the election of utterly prosperity.” Pires retired from offi ce Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu contrasted Iof the status quo, want change the EU alike. unqualifi ed leaders. It is also that, without even a house to his name; he the “unconditional support” Ankara received from at the top, leaving even major parties’ If mainstream leaders want to once elected, even qualifi ed leaders worked for the people, not to amass establishments struggling to install change voters’ minds, they should can struggle to shed the personal personal wealth. Moscow in the wake of the coup with other countries leaders of their choosing. look carefully at what leadership really elements of their decision-making, The third criterion for good and Erdogan will visit Russia for the fi rst time after the In the United Kingdom, Labour means. Here, it is worth recalling and serve the country impartially leadership – competence – is not just bilateral crisis in August. Party MPs have been stymied in their the insights of US General George C. instead. a matter of how much knowledge a eff orts to unseat Jeremy Corbyn as Marshall, who contemplated the topic The slippery slope is exposed in a leader already possesses. As Marshall Yet there remain a litany of problems – including leader. In Japan, the ruling Liberal as he worked to rebuild the US military memo – recently disclosed as part of noted, it also consists in leaders’ Syria and Ukraine – on which Moscow and Ankara can Democratic Party’s preferred in the 1940s. the UK’s Chilcot Inquiry – written by capacity to learn from their mistakes candidate for Governor of Tokyo, Marshall argued that leadership former British Prime Minister Tony and to prepare themselves and those fi nd no harmony. Hiroya Masuda, lost in a landslide is a matter not of rhetoric, but of Blair to former US President George around them for important decisions. Despite the Turkish rhetoric, “the Turkish-Western to Yuriko Koike. As for the US, the character. In particular, leaders W. Bush in the run-up to the Iraq Chilcot’s verdict on Britain’s lack of alliance will remain the axis on which Turkish foreign Republican Party wanted virtually must display three key qualities war. The note begins, “I will be with preparation for the Iraq War and its anybody except Donald Trump to win to win the trust needed to lead you, whatever.” He was talking about aftermath is damning in this regard. policy turns,” said Marcou. the nomination for the presidency; yet eff ectively: purpose, impartiality, and leading his country into war. Yet his So is the Brexiteers’ lack of any plan Trump it is. And while the Democratic competence. language suggests that his personal whatsoever for how to proceed after Party is being represented by the Purpose, in his view, meant putting bond with Bush somehow took the referendum. establishment choice, Hillary Clinton, the greater good ahead of one’s own precedence over his duty as Prime It is time to revitalise good To Advertise her competitor, Bernie Sanders, put up interests. This kind of leadership still Minister. leadership. Voters need to see a much stronger fi ght than virtually exists. A shining example is Jo Cox, the Leading with purpose, rather than candidates who show purpose, [email protected] anyone anticipated. young British MP who was murdered personality, is closely related to the impartiality, and competence. If Display The message to the establishment during the Brexit campaign, whose impartiality that Marshall thought they don’t, they will continue to vote Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 is clear: we don’t trust you anymore. leadership in advocating for the rights essential. Once in offi ce, leaders must against the establishment that they But some of the leaders voters do trust of refugees was recognised across act with fairness and candor. They believe has failed them – even if it Classified could pose a very real danger – to their party lines. must resist the temptation to use means voting for turmoil in Europe Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 supporters, their countries, and the But, in many cases, politics has offi cial power to benefi t themselves, or a reckless narcissist in the US. – world. become a matter of self-promotion their families, or their cultural identity Project Syndicate Subscription Trump – with his admiration of – and a race for ratings. In today’s group, and refuse enticements, [email protected] dictators, unabashed racism and celebrity culture, politicians must however powerful they may be, to zNgaire Woods is Dean of the sexism, ignorance regarding the be “personalities.” They campaign off er special access or protection to Blavatnik School of Government issues, and mercurial temperament like contestants on a reality TV friends, funders, and lobbyists. and Director of the Global Economic 2016 Gulf Times. All rights reserved – stands at the top of this list. Those show. Trump, with his clownish Maintaining a high standard of Governance Program at the University who led the British campaign to looks and showbiz resume, is impartiality is not easy, but it is far of Oxford. Gulf Times Friday, August 5, 2016 19 COMMENT Singapore’s Michelin-starred street food

Street food vendors started to immigrants who came in search out in the early 20th century of work in what was then a British colony, providing cheap fare that catering to immigrants who reminded settlers of home. came in search of work in After Singapore gained independence from Malaysia in 1965, what was then a British hawkers were regulated for hygiene colony, providing cheap fare reasons: many were itinerant, had no access to running water and emptied that reminded settlers of their waste directly into open drains. home “So these street food vendors were relocated to hawker centres, which By Elizabeth Law/AFP were basic sheltered areas with stalls Singapore that hawkers could sell food, had proper sanitation, and an area for people to eat,” Tay added. queue 100-people long Chan came nearly three decades ago snakes out from a tiny from the Malaysian mining town of Ipoh food stall in Singapore’s where he learnt how to make soya sauce- AChinatown, each customer braised chicken from a Cantonese chef. impatiently waiting their turn for a But like many traditional hawkers, taste of Chan Hon Meng’s prized soya he is fi nding it hard to fi nd good help sauce-braised chicken. despite brisk sales. He has always had loyal customers “It’s not that I don’t trust anyone, but in the days since he was awarded but I have diffi culty hiring people to a Michelin star, waves of new work in a stall like this,” he said. gourmands have descended on his stall Long hours and low wages mean in such numbers that he’s struggling few want to take on the work and to keep up with demand. Singapore has placed restrictions on Chan is one of two “hawkers” – using foreign labour. so-called because many started out Tang has spent decades building his as street peddlers – awarded one star reputation. by the culinary authority when it Long regarded as a favourite with launched its inaugural Singapore guide Singapore’s food lovers, it has featured in late July. in travel guides and culinary blogs. Only one restaurant, French chef Singaporean hawker Chan Hon Meng preparing food for customers at his Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle stall in Singapore. Chan is one of two But he is resigned to the fact the Joel Robuchon’s eponymous outlet, “hawkers” – so-called because many started out as street peddlers – awarded one star by Michelin, when it launched its inaugural Singapore guide in late July. next generation may not have what secured the coveted three-star rating. it takes to make hawker stalls a “I’d heard of the Michelin guide Chicken Rice & Noodle, off ers exactly whole braised birds hang on display. a bowl of minced-meat and noodles. no childhood,” Tang said. success. but I thought they only gave those what it says in the name. The stall is housed in a food centre Customers now face a wait of up to He took over running the stall in the In 2010 Tang took legal action – and out to restaurants,” Chan said while Like most hawker stalls, the focus packed with an array of vendors selling two hours for a S$5.00 serving – it was 1960s, after his father fell ill. won – against a nephew who had set chopping up chicken, which is served is on delivering signature dishes that everything from chilli crab to noodles. around 30 minutes before. “The importance lies in the noodles. up a rival outlet with a similar name, over rice or thin yellow noodles topped customers return for. Ageing wall fans provide the only Tang’s father came to Singapore Everything else, there’s a recipe you can accusing him of trying to capitalise with his now famous dark soya sauce. Chan says he now sells 180 chickens respite from Singapore’s humidity from China’s Guangdong province, follow but for the noodles, it has to be on Hill Street’s popularity without A plate costs just S$2.50 ($1.85), per day, 30 more than his pre- and the heat from the kitchens, but where their specialty “Teochew” cooked just right, which you can only putting in all the work. making it one of the cheapest Michelin star average. the queue for Chan’s chicken grows noodle dish originates. learn from practice,” he explained. He added: “My son tried to open Michelin-starred dishes in the world. “Any more than that and I cannot nonetheless. Initially he worked as a butcher’s Leslie Tay, a doctor who runs a a stall but he couldn’t stand for long “The fact I have this star shows cope, and I don’t want to give people Across town in an unassuming food assistant before selling noodles in a popular blog called “ieatishootipost”, because he has leg problems. I have that simple food like ours is worthy of food that is not up to standard,” the court is Tang Chay Seng’s stall, Hill coff ee shop at Hill Street, where his described hawker fare as the “soul feet problems too, from standing more a global award too,” said Malaysian- 51-year-old added. Street Tai Hwa Noodle. three sons helped out. food” of the nation. than 18 hours a day.” born Chan. He works 17-hour days in his Since Michelin awarded them one “Learning a skill is not easy. We Street food vendors started out The 70-year-old added: “It’s hard His place, Hong Kong Soya Sauce miniscule kitchen, where lines of his star, hundreds are turning up daily for worked very hard all the time and I had in the early 20th century catering work, but this is all I know.” Weather report IMF still misunderstands the euro crisis Three-day forecast TODAY High: 40 C By Anders Aslund The Fund and the European Union As the Baltic example shows, quicker the end of 2007, the average public Low : 34 C Washington, DC have long been oblivious to many EU fi scal adjustments can drive structural debt in the eurozone was 65% of GDP, Hazy to misty at places at first countries’ excessive fi scal burdens. changes. fi ve points above the ceiling set in becomes hot daytime with a chance of some local rain at southern areas The Fund was lenient toward Greece Instead, policymakers miss the the Maastricht treaty for countries by afternoon. n July, the International Monetary because Greece is a eurozone member; forest for the trees, as the IEO report seeking eurozone membership. This Fund’s Independent Evaluation but this favouritism was unjustifi ed shows. Any accounting of European partly refl ected the decision by France, SATURDAY Offi ce released a major report and ultimately costly. Greek public economic oversight in recent years Germany, and Italy in 2003 to violate High: 43 C Ion how the Fund handled the expenditures have fl uctuated between should ask why the Greek crisis and later “reform” the Maastricht Low: 33 C euro crisis after 2010. The IEO report 50% and 59% of GDP since 2010, erupted in the spring of 2010, almost rules, eff ectively declaring them null Sunny is critical of Fund behaviour; but, as creating a massive debt overhang and two years after the global fi nancial and void. with previous IMF self-evaluations, it hindering growth. By comparison, crisis. The answer is that when the The IMF did not object to these misses many substantive issues. Germany and the United Kingdom European Central Bank fl ooded countries’ flouting of the public SUNDAY Specifi cally, the IEO argues that have kept public expenditures at a eurozone countries with cheap debt rules. In fact, if one compares High: 41 C the Fund was captive to European reasonable 44% of GDP. liquidity, governments dispensed with the Fund’s own positions with that Low: 34 C interests – hardly surprising, given The IEO report ignores this and serious reforms and splurged instead. of its internal watchdog, they are Sunny that Europeans constitute one- focuses instead on the need to This was partly because, in the fall strikingly similar, raising doubts third of the Fund’s executive board. restructure public debt, in order to of 2008, the G20 and the Fund issued about the IEO’s independence in Moreover, the Fund was mistaken in make it sustainable. But this didn’t desperate appeals for debt-fi nanced writing its report. Fishermen’s forecast assuming that “Europe is diff erent,” necessarily apply to Greece in 2009, fi scal stimulus. Many European The IMF and the IEO both ignore OFFSHORE DOHA and that “sudden stops could not when its public debt was high – at countries heeded the call; but, rather the same central problems in the Wind: NE-E 05-15/18 KT happen within the euro area.” 127% of GDP – but not unsustainable. than stimulating economic growth, official response to the euro crisis Waves: 2-4/5 Feet In a fi nancial crisis, authorities Greek debt surged and became defi cit spending jeopardised several so far. A financial crisis should be INSHORE DOHA Wind: NW-NE 08-18/33 KT must act fast to address the problems insurmountable only under the IMF’s countries’ fi nancial stability. Before met with swift action, and budget Waves: 1-2/3 Feet that caused it and restore confi dence. fi nancing plan concluded in May 2010. it was all over, at least eight of the deficits should be slashed instantly, The United States government did At the end of 2015, Italy’s public debt then 27 EU member states required mainly through spending cuts. Rapid Around the region just that in the fall of 2008; European was 133% of GDP, and the ratio for IMF fi nancing and restructuring fiscal adjustments drive structural Weather Weather leaders, meanwhile, dithered – a point Portugal was 129%. Should Italy and programmes. reforms, which lead to faster today Max/min tomorrow Max/min the IEO neglects to mention. Portugal now be forced to restructure The obvious lesson should have economic growth. Abu Dhabi Sunny 46/33 P Cloudy 43/32 The IEO report also doesn’t assess their debt, too? been that fi scal expansion does The IMF’s acronym used to stand Baghdad Sunny 48/31 Sunny 47/30 IMF programmes’ eff ectiveness. The European economy grows not stimulate economic growth informally for “It’s Mostly Fiscal.” Dubai Sunny 44/34 P Cloudy 42/33 Kuwait City Sunny Consider Greece, where the Fund’s slowly because it is overtaxed and when there is fi nancial instability. Following its inadequate response to Sunny 48/31 49/33 Manama Sunny 42/32 Sunny 43/33 response was clearly insuffi cient. In overregulated. Rather than being But the IMF, blinkered by its the euro crisis, the Fund should admit Muscat Sunny 37/31 Sunny 37/30 2009, the Greek budget defi cit was told to restructure debt, European Keynesian orthodoxy, still refuses to that the time has come to return to its Riyadh Sunny 46/29 Sunny 45/29 15% of GDP; with an IMF programme, countries should be told to deregulate acknowledge this fact. roots. – Project Syndicate Tehran Sunny 35/24 Sunny 35/24 the defi cit fell in 2010, but only to markets for labour, products, and Many EU countries were vulnerable 11% of GDP. Meanwhile, the three services; and southern countries such because they had accumulated zAnders Aslund is a senior fellow at Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia, as Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal excessive and unnecessary public the Atlantic Council in Washington, and Lithuania – carried out budget should be told to expand secondary debts by maintaining budget defi cits and the author of Ukraine: What Went tightening of 9% of GDP in 2009. education and vocational training. during the pre-crisis boom years. By Wrong and How to Fix It. Live issues Move mouse to other side to reduce shoulder strain

By Alison Bowen you’re not creating an imbalance,” she Tribune News Service said. Keyboard placement is also important. Around the world or many of us, sitting at a “We’re reaching forward, our arms Weather Weather desk during the day means are coming forward, our necks are today Max/min tomorrow Max/min a lot of movement with a moving forward,” she said. Athens Sunny 35/24 Sunny 37/24 mouse. Humans weren’t designed to be Beirut Sunny 31/25 Sunny 30/25 F Bangkok T Storms 31/26 S T Storms 32/26 But often, this means moving your straining forward constantly, and most Berlin Rain 22/14 P Cloudy 21/12 right shoulder back – which can create people are too far from their keyboard. Cairo Sunny 38/26 Sunny 38/24 an imbalance. Ideally, a keyboard should be in a Cape Town Sunny 18/12 M Sunny 18/11 Dr Robin Boshears, who owns 100% place where arms are at sides, with Colombo S T Storms 30/26 S T Storms 30/26 Chiropractic in Addison, Texas, often your elbow at a 90-degree angle while Dhaka M Cloudy 32/26 S T Storms 32/26 S T Storms P Cloudy 32/29 sees patients with shoulder and neck pressing the keys. Hong Kong 32/29 Istanbul Sunny 31/24 Sunny 31/24 issues. She said that you might not notice Jakarta Sunny 33/24 P Cloudy 33/24 “They come in, and I say, ‘Do you strain all the time and it is “a slow, Karachi T Storms 31/27 T Storms 31/27 work at a desk all day?’” she said. progressive change.” London M Cloudy 24/13 M Sunny 25/16 She herself has had two shoulder “You’re slowly losing strength, Manila T Storms 32/26 T Storms 31/26 Moscow Sunny 27/16 Sunny 29/17 surgeries. you’re slowly losing range of motion, New Delhi S T Storms 35/28 S T Storms 33/27 “It defi nitely is an issue for me on a all because we’re not in the correct New York Sunny 28/23 S T Storms 31/22 daily basis,” she said. position and posture that we should Paris P Cloudy 24/13 M Sunny 25/13 Using one side constantly can Using your mouse every day with the same hand can create imbalance. be,” she said. Sao Paulo M Sunny 28/15 Sunny 29/17 Seoul Sunny 35/24 S T Storms 33/24 create issues with the rotator cuff , for She said these simple fi xes, Singapore S T Storms 32/26 S T Storms 32/26 example. mouse on the right side, put it on the more left-hand friendly, she said. including elevating your screen to eye Sydney Rain 14/07 P Cloudy 16/08 She suggests switching your mouse left and vice versa. Most computers “It takes a little bit to get used to, level, can benefi t your health in the Tokyo Clear 34/25 Cloudy 34/25 from side to side – so if you use your have a setting that can make a mouse but if you’re going back and forth, long run. Gulf Times 20 Friday, August 5, 2016 QATAR

Left: HE Sheikh Joaan and guests look at Qatar’s Supreme Committee scaled model. Top: HE Sheikh Joaan speaking to IOC member Nawal El Moutawakel. QOC opens Bayt Qatar in Rio HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad respect. This is exactly what stage will see regular live music al-Thani and members of we aim to spread through Bayt performances, and a large screen the Olympic family attend Qatar. We will welcome people will show live Olympic action Opening Reception of Qatar’s from around the world to share and fi lm screenings for all in the hospitality house for Rio Qatar’s unique culture, its warm family. Additional Bayt Qatar 2016 hospitality and passion for the attractions include interactive Olympic Movement.” and innovative exhibitions that QNA The reception was also at- will explore Qatar’s history, tra- Rio de Janeiro tended by members of Qatar’s ditions and development into a biggest-ever athlete delegation global sports hub. in the history of the Olympics. The QOC’s National Partners, he Qatar Olympic Com- Team Qatar will be represented Ooredoo, Qatar Airways and QIC mittee (QOC) has offi - by 38 athletes across 10 sports Group and Offi cial Suppliers, Al Tcially opened Bayt Qatar and will begin their action to- Siddiqi and Qatar Airways Holi- in Rio de Janeiro with a reception morrow (Aug 6) when Qatar’s days will also be hosting their own attended by QOC President HE fi rst-ever two-time female Ol- activities and exhibitions, helping Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Tha- ympian, Nada Arakji, competes to further showcase Qatar’s com- ni and offi cials from the world of in the swimming. mitment to using the power of sport. The Olympic hospital- HE Sheikh Joaan also com- sport to transform lives. ity house will showcase Qatar’s mented on Team Qatar at the re- Media Partner, Al Kass, will culture, heritage and passion for ception and said: “We are very be broadcasting live from Bayt sport throughout the Rio 2016 proud of every member of Team Qatar each day so that everyone Olympic Games. Qatar. We are right behind you all back in Qatar can keep up to date HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad and we know that you will make with what is happening. al-Thani welcomed key Olym- the whole of Qatar proud as well. In order to give visitors the pic fi gures to mark the offi cial Competing at an Olympic Games best possible experience, the opening of Bayt Qatar, including is a fantastic achievement in itself QOC has also signed MOUs members of the International – and we have no doubt that they with several Qatari organisa- Olympic Committee, Interna- will inspire a new generation of tions. These include: Education tional Federation Presidents and Olympic heroes.” Above All, who will organise a National Olympic Committee Guests were also able to sam- “Challenges & Reality” exhibi- Presidents. ple more of what Bayt Qatar will tion and will bring children from Guests were treated to a spec- off er including a fi ne-dining their project in Brazil to experi- tacular show, which demonstrat- experience provided by world- ence Qatari culture and a Ga- ed the power of Olympism and renowned chefs, Alex Atala and rangao night, the ICSS who will the importance of inspiring and Aysha al-Tamimi, and an inti- organise special events for their empowering youth through sport. mate performance by the Doha Save the Dream charity, and the Speaking from the Opening String Quartet. Supreme Committee who will Bayt Qatar opening reception. Reception, HE Sheikh Joaan, Casa Daros, an iconic former show the progress towards the said: “The Olympic Games pro- museum at a historical herit- Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. Bayt Qatar opened to the pub- which aims to take athletics to a project which will provide an the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. vide an occasion like no other to age site in Botafogo, provides In addition the Qatar Founda- lic at 6pm yesterday and further students of Rio’s public schools opportunity for underprivileged Following the Rio 2016 Games, bridge sport, culture, education a stunning setting to host Bayt tion, Al Shaqab, Qatar Museums, activities on off er include Ardah and provide them with education young athletes from across Rio Bayt Qatar will become a bilin- and diversity in a true celebra- Qatar and will bring the soul of Katara, Doha Film Institute, As- sword dancing, fashion shows, medical, social, and psychologi- de Janeiro to train at Qatar’s gual public school – Eleva School tion of Olympism. Qatar is a na- Qatar to the heart of Rio. At the pire, Aspetar, We Are Doha, the Arabic tea and coff ee workshops cal assistance. world-class facilities at the As- – and as a further legacy, the tion passionate about sport. We centre of the house is an outdoor Supreme Committee for Deliv- and live graffi ti sessions. All pub- The QOC, Qatar Athletics Fed- pire Academy for Sporting Ex- QOC will donate a library to El- believe in the power of sport to Souq, which will incorporate ery and Legacy and the ADLQ, lic entry fees will be donated to eration and Aspire Academy have cellence, with specialised coach- eva School. unite cultures, backgrounds and traditional activities, including have all contributed fi lms, pho- Futuro Olimpico, an NGO in Rio partnered with Futuro Olimpico ing and sports science support. Public can keep up to date on beliefs – and encourage mutual Arabic calligraphy, basket weav- tos and content to help showcase de Janeiro founded by Olympic and the Rio de Janeiro Athletics Through Shine, the QOC hopes all activities and news on the Bayt understanding, friendship and ing and henna hand painting. A the very best of Qatar. medallist Arnaldo de Oliveira, Federation to establish ‘Shine’, to leave a compelling legacy from Qatar website www.baytqatar.qa Qatar Summer Festival shopping promotions picking up steam

By Joey Aguilar like whether there are promo- Staff Reporter tions or none.” A number of shops off er ‘Buy 2 get 1’ promos, ‘20% to 50% etailers and shops at par- off ’ on many items, and reduced ticipating malls have prices for other products such Rstepped up eff orts to at- as eye glasses, sports apparel, tract more customers by off er- shoes, bags, and others. ing a wide range of promotions The Pearl-Qatar, another QSF as Qatar Summer Festival (QSF) venue, will also start hosting 2016 is now in full swing. several entertainment activities Reduced prices and special from today (August 5). off ers, among others are all part Roaming musical acts, and pa- of QSF’s shopping promotions rades will be held at dedicated lo- organised by Qatar Tourism Au- cations in Porto Arabia, as well as thority (QTA) to boost the hos- Medina Centrale, from 6.30pm to pitality and retail sectors during 9.30pm today, tomorrow, August the off -peak season. 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27. Speaking to Gulf Times, a Aqua Park is also off ering a manager of a garments shop at special ‘2 tickets for one’ promo City Center Doha said they nor- to visitors and residents in this mally launch sales promotions in year’s festival. time for the annual festival. Festival venues, particularly “We always see an increase Many apparel shops at major malls participate in QSF’s shopping promotions. PICTURES: Joey Aguilar malls, are also expecting more in sales during this period,” she visitors and families from neigh- said, noting that shopping ac- QR800,000, the festival will be Many shops and boutiques cessories shared the same views bouring GCC countries such as tivity particularly on non-food giving away four Jaguar sedans had seen an increasing number saying that a lot of families who Saudi Arabia, who frequently items usually slows down after to winners this year. The fi rst of mall-goers since the launch came from the City also spend spend a good portion of their the Eid al-Fitr holidays. raffl e draw at Hyatt Plaza Mall of QSF especially with the open- time to shop at the mall. summer in Qatar. She noted that shoppers also will take place on August 11. ing of Entertainment City at the “We actually expect more fe- Aiming to attract more local try to stretch their purchases to Dedicated stalls at participating Doha Exhibition and Conven- male customers, mostly moth- and foreign visitors to the coun- at least QR200 or more to get malls also have started to receive tion Centre, according to the ers, to shop during these ‘sale try, QTA is building sustainable raffl e coupons for the festival’s an increasing number of shoppers manager. seasons’ because they really an- and long term events such as weekly draw. who fi ll up and drop coupons in An employee of a shop sell- ticipate such promotions,” she QSF, which forms part of its an- Besides cash prizes worth designated drop boxes. ing children’s clothes and ac- explained. “Men buy things they nual tourism calendar. Shops at major malls participate in QSF’s shopping promotions.