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SUNDAY Vol. XXXIX No. 10873 July 8, 2018 Shawwal 24, 1439 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

England and Croatia set up last 4 clash as In brief hosts Russia ousted

Agencies Moscow QATAR | Diplomacy Amir concludes ngland reached their fi rst World visit to France Cup semi-fi nal since 1990 yes- Eterday, comfortably beating Swe- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim den with goals from Harry Maguire bin Hamad al-Thani concluded and Dele Alli to set up a clash against yesterday an off icial visit to France Croatia. during which he held talks with Gareth Southgate’s young team came President Emmanuel Macron, Prime into the match as fi rm favourites and Minister Edouard Philippe and a had too much for the Swedes, although number of senior French off icials, they were indebted to another fi ne pertaining to promoting bilateral performance from goalkeeper Jordan ties in addition to regional and Pickford in a 2-0 win. international issues of common Leicester defender Maguire headed concern. During the visit a number Majlis Qatar: the flagship installation is located in the centre of Moscow’s famous Gorky Park. in the opener from a corner on 30 min- of co-operation agreements have utes – England’s eighth goal from a set- been signed. The Amir sent a cable piece at the World Cup – with Alli add- to the French president, expressing ing a second, also from a header, just appreciation for the warm reception before the hour. and hospitality during the visit, Man-of-the-match Pickford made wishing him good health and three outstanding saves to keep Swe- England coach Gareth Southgate (right) happiness, and the French people den at bay, further burnishing a repu- and forward Harry Kane celebrate further progress and prosperity. tation that has grown throughout the after their team’s win over Sweden in Qatar showcases tournament. the quarter-finals of the World Cup in QATAR | Reaction “It’s a great achievement for the Samara yesterday. team, we owed it to the fans back home Twin bombings in who believed in us,” said Alli. na’s Rakitic clinched the second shoot- Mogadishu condemned “It’s always nice to score, especially out win for the Croats, who reached Qatar has strongly condemned on occasions like this. It’s an amazing the last for the second time, following two bombings that targeted the 2022 FIFA World feeling to be going to a semi-fi nal at a 1998. headquarters of the Ministry of the World Cup.” Croatia defender Domagoj Vida had Interior and a police building in the The tournament’s leading goal scor- put them 2-1 ahead from a Luka Modric Somali capital, Mogadishu, causing er Harry Kane failed to fi nd the net for corner in the fi rst period of extra time deaths and injuries. In a statement the fi rst time in the competition, but but Russia’s Mario Fernandes headed yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign the England captain said confi dence an equaliser with fi ve minutes remain- Aff airs reiterated Qatar’s firm stance was high after posting the country’s ing, much to the delight of the partisan rejecting violence and terrorism, Cup in Moscow best run at a major tournament since crowd at the Fisht Stadium. regardless of motives and reasons. Euro ’96. Denis Cheryshev’s swerving left- Qatar also condemned the attack QNA Qatar was excited at the prospect of “We’re buzzing. We know there is footer from the edge of the box had that targeted Chamtal District in Moscow football fans switching their attention still a big game ahead, but we’re feeling opened the scoring for Russia. northern Afghanistan Balkh province, from Russia to Qatar, and the prospect really good,” he said. Sport Pages 1-4 which left a policeman killed and of the fi rst FIFA World Cup in the Arab Later, Croatia beat hosts Russia 4-3 others wounded. In a statement ootball fans in Russia attend- world. on penalties after the teams were level issued on Friday, the Ministry of ing the 2018 FIFA World Cup are “Our activations in Moscow and St at 2-2 following extra time in their WORLD CUP Foreign Aff airs aff irmed its solidarity Fgetting a taste of what is to come Petersburg are shining a light on the World Cup quarter-fi nal. with the Afghan government in all in four years’ time after Qatar unveiled kind of tournament we will host in Croatia goalie Danijel Subasic saved measures taken to maintain security a host of activations in Moscow and St 2022, one that welcomes everyone, is a penalty and Ivan Rakitic converted Yesterday’s results and stability. Petersburg. family-friendly and provides an ex- the decisive one as they ended Russia’s Quarter-finals The fl agship installation, Majlis Qa- ceptional experience for fans, players fairy-tale run. ASIA | Accident tar, was offi cially opened yesterday, and offi cials thanks to its compact na- Subasic saved Russia’s fi rst penalty England 2 Sweden 0 by Hassan al-Thawadi, Secretary- ture,” said al-Thawadi. from Fedor Smolov and, after Russia’s Russia 2 Croatia 2 Conditions ‘perfect’ for General of the Supreme Committee for “Excitement is already building in Mario Fernandes and Croatia’s Mateo Croatia win 4-3 on penalties evacuation of Thai boys Delivery & Legacy (SC), the organisa- Qatar as we get ever closer to hosting Kovacic had failed to convert, Barcelo- Conditions are “perfect” to evacuate tion responsible for delivering the in- the biggest event in our country and a young football team from a flooded frastructure required for the 2022 FIFA region’s history and we want to share Thai cave in the coming days, the World Cup. that excitement with fans in Rus- rescue mission chief said yesterday, The opening ceremony was at- sia, show them the very best of Arab although a brief downpour late in the tended by hundreds of senior Qatari hospitality, and encourage them to ‘48-team is fi ne if format right’ evening underscored the huge threat stakeholders, footballing partners and attend our tournament in four years’ posed by further monsoon rains. media representatives. time.” orld Cup 2022 organisers in al-Khater, assistant secretary-general The plight of 12 Thai boys and their The three-tier pop-up installation Majlis Qatar resembles a Bayt Qatar are open to a 48-team of the Supreme Committee for Delivery coach from the “Wild Boar” football is located in the centre of Moscow’s al-Shaar, a traditional tent com- Wevent in principle if desired and Legacy, told international media team has transfixed Thailand since famous Gorky Park. It is free to at- mon throughout the Gulf region and by the ruling football governing body representatives in Moscow yesterday. they became trapped in a cramped tend and will host the general public, which serves as the inspiration for the FIFA. “I think it’s all in the format. If the chamber several kilometres inside VIPs and media during its nine-day 60,000-seat 2022 FIFA World Cup “It’s doable, we just need to fi gure out format is done right, it could actually the Tham Luang cave complex on run. Hassan al-Thawadi speaking at the venue Al Bayt Stadium Al Khor City. how it is done. What’s the format? We be an edition that is exciting.” June 23. Page 12 During the launch, al-Thawadi said opening ceremony yesterday. To Page 24 don’t even know what that is,” Nasser Sport Page 1 Sidra Medicine opens Children’s Emergency Department

idra Medicine, a member of Qatar “We have much to be proud of in centres in the country. It will now be The new services will complement Foundation, has opened its Chil- terms of what we have achieved lead- one of several options available for chil- those already available at Sidra Medi- Sdren’s Emergency Department ing up to our opening,” said Sidra dren requiring emergency and urgent cine since opening its main hospital (CED). Medicine’s chair of the Department of care, supplementing existing health- in January. Major achievements so far This marks “another major mile- Emergency, Dr Khalid al-Ansari. “We care facilities such as Hamad Medical this year include opening the Sidra stone in the ramp-up of the institution worked tirelessly and collaboratively Corporation’s Paediatric Emergency Medicine Heart Center. In May, Sidra and fi rmly establishes Sidra Medicine to create a solid infrastructure for the Centres. Medicine treated its fi rst patient in the as a key player in Qatar’s integrated Children’s Emergency Department. In addition to the CED, Sidra Medi- Heart Center’s new cardiac catheter healthcare system”, according to a press “This included ensuring that all the cine also operates a Children’s Ur- labs, and performed its fi rst open heart statement. essential services were up and run- gent Care Clinic in the same location. surgery in July; utilising advanced 3D The CED treats serious emergencies ning to support the functioning of the Should parents with children requiring printing technology linked to diagnos- for children up to the age of 18, includ- Children’s Emergency Department and non-emergency care choose to come tic imaging to produce anatomically ing loss of consciousness, severe trou- address all emergency cases. Our team to Sidra Medicine for treatment, the accurate models of organs to help plan ble in breathing, major bone fractures, built on its extensive international Children’s Urgent Care Clinic will treat complex surgery; launching a wide seizures and convulsions and other experience with many thousands of them in order of medical urgency and Sidra Medicine: a key player in Qatar’s integrated healthcare system range of paediatric medical and sur- emergencies. Children and young peo- simulation hours and training, so that require a charge of QR550 to be paid for gical programmes, including kidney ple admitted to the CED will be treated we’re prepared for a really wide range consultation (supplementary charges of treatment and the appropriate level tients a year, the statement notes. dialysis, and becoming Qatar’s ma- free of charge. of scenarios and ready to off er the best may apply). of care required on site. The CED off ers 24-hour care and is jor centre for neonatal surgery; and The CED is located in the main Sidra care possible as one multidisciplinary Non-emergency cases include upper The CED and Urgent Care Clinic staff ed by an international team with opening the Sidra Medicine Women’s Medicine hospital building. Children team.” respiratory issues like sore throats and together have 60 rooms and are ex- the highest qualifi cations in paediatric Urgent Care and Obstetrics Triage up to 18 years requiring emergency care With the opening of the CED, Sidra coughs, rashes or low-grade fever. Sid- pected to treat about 20,000 patients emergency care, including physicians, Center for women with urgent issues can access the CED directly or by call- Medicine said it is adding capacity to ra Medicine’s qualifi ed and experienced in the first 12 months. That number nurses, emergency medical technicians related to pregnancy and the repro- ing 999. existing emergency and urgent care triage staff will determine the urgency is expected to increase to 50,000 pa- and imaging and lab professionals. ductive system. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, July 8, 2018 QATAR

Qatar, US naval forces carry out joint exercise

The Qatar Amiri Naval Forces (QANF) have carried out a joint exercise with the US Navy in the Qatari territorial waters. The exercise aims to raise the eff iciency of ship crews and standardise concepts. The programme involved joint manoeuvres and other combat exercises during which a large number of naval patrols received training in communications, besides monitoring of sea and air targets and sub-surface targets. The exercise comes within the framework of agreements between Qatar and the US in the field of military training and planning.

Armed Forces, QLC sign agreement Local produce ensures stable QRCS ties up vegetable prices

egetable prices at the Abu Hamour Central Market Vhave been stable of late due to the availability of good- quality local products in reason- with UNDP for able quantities. Compared to the same pe- riod last year, prices have even dropped for some varieties thanks to the eff orts of Qatari farms in prolonging the produc- tion season of various vegetables. Nepal project According to a report by local Arabic daily Arrayah on recent atar Red Crescent Socie- by Rashid Saad al-Mohannadi, ed by the ward chairs concerned vegetable prices at the mar- ty (QRCS) and the United director-general of Relief and at the Gorkha Municipality. ket, a box of tomatoes weighing QNations Development International Development “UNDP is pleased to sign above 5kg cost QR20-25, a box Programme (UNDP) in Nepal at QRCS, and Renaud Meyer, this agreement with Qatar Red of around 5kg of cucumber was have signed an agreement to re- UNDP country director in Nepal, Crescent. We want to see this priced at QR18-20, while a 4kg habilitate and rebuild commu- at the UN House in the presence as the beginning of a new part- box of caulifl ower was available nity infrastructure and facilities of Qatar’s ambassador to Nepal nership to mobilise the gener- at QR20. in Gorkha. Yusuf bin Mohamed al-Hail. osity of Qatar in helping Nepal Also, a box of around 5kg of egg- The Community Water, Sani- Upon signing the agreement, build resilient communities and The Armed Forces Medical Services has signed a co-operation agreement with the Qatar plants, a midsize sack of red on- tation and Hygiene Improvement al-Mohannadi said: “We are achieve progress on its broader Leadership Centre (QLC), in the field of training and development of senior off icers and medical ions and a similar sack of potatoes Project aims at enhancing the pleased to be part of this six- development objectives.” said personnel. Under the agreement, which is the first of its kind between the two sides, a number of were all available for QR10 each. access of approximately 10,000 month collaborative project with Meyer. “We hope we can reach senior medical personnel of the Qatar Armed Forces will attend the Centre’s courses. The training In addition, the prices of sweet earthquake-aff ected people to UNDP and the Gorkha Munici- other needy communities in the programme aims to develop advanced leadership skills for the management team of the Qatar melons and watermelons were improved community infra- pality and look forward to help future with similar interven- Armed Forces Medical Services Command. The agreement was signed by Brig Gen Nasser al-Kaabi, becoming “more and more rea- structure and services. earthquake-aff ected communi- tions.” Acting Medical Services Director, and Dr Ali Jassim al-Kubaisi, Acting Executive Director, Qatar sonable” due to the good supply The total budget of the project ties to improve their health and “We would like to thank Qa- Leadership Centre. of Iranian melons. Also some va- is Nepalese rupee 36.8mn (over disaster resilience.” tar Red Crescent and UNDP for rieties of these items are produced $335,300), of which QRCS The project includes con- their support to the community locally as well, it is reported. will contribute Nepalese ru- struction of two irrigation infrastructure projects, which Many customers have stressed pee 16.5mn ($150,000), UNDP schemes, a drinking water sys- will be implemented with full the positive developments re- Nepalese rupee 3.3mn ($30,000) tem, a school building, a health participation, leadership and garding prices and acknowl- and the Gorkha Municipality and post and over 200 toilets, as well ownership of local communi- edged the eff orts of the govern- communities Nepalese rupee as putting in place a hospital ties. The Gorkha Municipality ment in supporting local farms 17mn (over $155,300), according waste management system. The and local people are contributing Canada expanding its and encouraging them to pro- to a press statement. project is complementary to the almost half of the total budget,” duce more vegetables and extend The agreement was signed planned interventions of the lo- added Rajan Raj Panta, mayor, the production season. Such ef- in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu cal government and co-ordinat- Gorkha Municipality. forts ultimately benefi t consum- ers, they point out. biometrics programme Customers have also ex- pressed their preference for lo- cally produced vegetables over anada will expand its On July 31, nationals from strengthen Canada’s immi- imported ones as they are con- biometrics programme countries in Europe, Africa gration programmes through sidered fresher and more rea- Cto all foreign nationals and the Middle East, including effective screening (biomet- sonably priced. applying for a visitor visa, a Qatar and other GCC States, ric collection, verification, study or work permit (exclud- will be required to provide bio- and information-sharing with ing US nationals), and to all metrics if they are applying for partner countries). It will also Qatari eff orts in those applying for permanent a visitor visa, a work or study enable Canada to facilitate ap- residence this year, it was an- permit, a temporary resident plication processing and travel Darfur praised nounced. permit, or permanent resi- – while maintaining public In a press statement, the Ca- dence. confidence in our immigration The Doha Document for Peace nadian embassy in Doha said system. in Darfur (DDPD) has enabled that accurately establishing Expanding biometrics The expansion of Canada’s Darfur to achieve sustainable identity is an important part of will strengthen Canada’s biometrics programme, which development in the country immigration decisions and helps immigration programmes includes the implementation of through its projects and keep Canadians safe. through effective new requirements for immigra- infrastructure, Governor of West For more than 20 years, bio- screening (biometric tion applicants, an expanded bi- Darfur State Hussein Yassin metrics (fi ngerprints and a pho- collection, verification, ometrics collection service net- Hamad has said. Speaking to tograph) have played a role in and information-sharing work and automated fi ngerprint the Sudanese radio yesterday, supporting immigration screen- with partner countries) verifi cation at ports of entry, will he praised the Qatari eff orts ing and decision-making in be rolled out over two years (2018 in this regard, especially the Off icials after signing the agreement. Canada. Expanding biometrics will –2019). establishment of model villages. Envoy hopeful of pact with Qatar soon on hiring Kyrgyz nationals

By Joey Aguilar in April to fi nalise the draft hopes a direct fl ight to and from good investment opportunities Staff Reporter agreement, which regulates the Bishkek will commence soon. and touristic sights. procedure for the employment “Qatar Airways is studying The embassy is also working of Kyrgyz citizens, their recruit- the feasibility of establishing a in strengthening its cultural co- yrgyzstan ambassador in ment, dispatch, and arrival, as direct fl ight between Doha and operation with Qatar by host- Doha Nuran S Niyazaliev well as their work in Qatar. Bishkek, and if it happens, more ing Qatar cultural days in Kyr- Khas expressed optimism “We are expecting more peo- Kyrgyz specialists and profes- gyzstan. It is also planning to that an agreement with Qatar on ple from Kyrgyz and Kyrgyz sionals will be enrolled in Qatar,” organise a Kyrgyz cultural day the employment of Kyrgyz citi- Republic has many profession- the envoy said. in the country by the end of this zens will be signed in the coming als and qualifi ed workers,” he He also expressed confi dence year. weeks. stressed. “We are ready to help that such development will also “We will hold a ‘Silk Road “I hope this forthcoming week Qatar and provide various serv- contribute to deepening trade Festival’ in October at Katara we can sign it with the approval ices.” and investment co-operation, as – the Cultural Village this year, of both sides,” the envoy told The envoy added that about well as cultural and touristic re- and we will host a big event in Gulf Times on the sidelines of a 500 Kyrgyz expatriates in Doha lations, between the two coun- Kyrgyz in September, we call it seminar on Qatar’s Labour Law are serving in diff erent sectors of tries. the World Nomad Games,” the recently at the embassy. Qatar’s economy, making their “We are further developing envoy said. This unique inter- The event, organised in part- own contribution to its develop- our economic and trade relations national sports competition, nership with Al Sulaiti Law Firm, ment and prosperity. and working on a number of top- which features ethnic sports, aims to raise legal awareness and Niyazaliev also lauded the Qa- ics,” he added. “We enjoy excel- will be held from September 2 promote greater understanding tar government for making nec- lent relations and we introduced to 8. of the labour law in the country. essary steps to provide expatri- visa free entry for Qataris, they “We invite Qatar to partici- Niyazaliev said a delegation ates with “decent, suitable and can visit Kyrgyzstan anytime.” pate in these games since we from Qatar’s Ministry of Admin- friendly working environment.” Niyazaliev encouraged Qatari have many similarities with Qa- Kyrgyzstan ambassador Nuran S Niyazaliev (right) and Al Sulaiti Law Firm’s International Section head istrative Development, Labour Citing the excellent relations businessmen and travellers to tari people like Kyrgyz citizens,” and senior legal adviser Mathieu R Faupin at a recent seminar on Qatar’s Labour Law at the Kyrgyzstan and Social Aff airs visited Bishkek between the two countries, he visit Kyrgyzstan, which off ers he added. embassy in Doha. PICTURE: Jayan Orma Gulf Times Sunday, July 8, 2018 3 QATAR Malaria ‘drug could make cancer therapy more eff ective’ esearchers at Weill Cor- under glutaminolysis inhibi- LifeFlight is considered an invaluable part of HMC’s ambulance service. nell Medicine - Qatar tion’, has now been published in R(WCM-Q) have discov- Cancer Letters journal. ered that an existing malaria This research could have sig- drug could improve the eff ec- nifi cant clinical implications, as tiveness of a new class of can- chloroquine is an existing drug cer therapies, called glutami- therapy that has been approved HMC’s air ambulance nase inhibitors, if used in by the Food & Drug Administra- combination. tion in the US for many years, The research, led by WCM- potentially off ering doctors and Q’s Dr Anna Halama and Dr researchers a relatively simple Karsten Suhre, analysed the way to improve treatment out- service re-accredited metabolic processes of cancer comes for cancer patients who cells to show that the quinine- receive glutaminase inhibitors based malaria drug chloroquine in their treatment, WCM-Q has amad Medical Corpo- ship at the ambulance service, than 10 years ago. “In the early could boost the eff ectiveness of said in a statement. ration (HMC) has an- I would like to congratulate years of operation, our Life- glutaminase inhibiting drugs, Dr Halama said, “The com- Hnounced that its air everyone who contributes, on Flight service was operational which are currently being devel- bined approach used in this ambulance service, LifeFlight, a daily basis, to the provision only during the daylight hours, oped by global pharmaceutical study is uniquely relevant for has been re-accredited by the of high-quality care through but in 2011 we expanded the companies. future therapeutic strategies European Aeromedical Insti- our LifeFlight service. To be re- hours of operation to 24 hours Glutaminase inhibitors tar- in cancer treatment and can be tute (EURAMI) for both adult accredited by EURAMI, after a day,” said Ali Darwish, assist- get a chemical process called Dr Anna Halama and Dr Karsten Suhre. easily generalised to other drugs. and paediatric critical care. initially receiving accreditation ant executive director of the glutaminolysis, in which the The next important step is to test The LifeFlight service pro- in 2015, is a wonderful inde- ambulance service. amino acid glutamine is bro- molecules that are present in the was suppressed with drugs, the effi cacy of chloroquine in vides emergency response pendent endorsement of the “In September 2013, we ken down, releasing energy cells, using a technique called and that this allowed the can- combination with glutaminoly- medical care to patients in the quality of service we deliver,” introduced three new heli- that cancer cells use to grow. metabolomics. Using sophisti- cer cells to survive,” Dr Halama sis inhibitors in a clinical trial.” country when speed is of the said Morris. copters to our LifeFlight fl eet. Glutaminase inhibitors seek to cated computational methods added. The study was fully supported highest priority, or when inci- “The operation of the Life- Each of these Agusta West- disrupt this process, thereby we then identify the molecules Dr Suhre, professor of physi- by a Qatar National Research dents occur in the more remote Flight service relies on our land 139 helicopters is fl own depriving cancer cells of their that the cancer cells are using ology and biophysics and direc- Fund (QNRF) grant. areas of Qatar. strong partnership with the by highly trained pilots from energy source and slowing or to escape the drug’s actions, tor of the bioinformatics core at Dr Khaled Machaca, associ- Launched in 2007, the Life- Qatar Emiri Air Force, whose the Qatar Amiri Air Force. stopping their growth. However, and conceive ways to block that WCM-Q, said: “The beauty of ate dean for research at WCM- Flight service has become an skilled pilots work hand-in- They can carry two patients, certain cancer cells can acti- escape route.” metabolomics profi ling is that it Q, added: “This type of research invaluable part of the ambu- hand with our medical teams to two medical crew, and two vate alternative ways to gener- “In this fi rst application of lets us see how the cell’s metab- identifi es novel therapeutic in- lance service’s overall response ensure this life-saving service pilots, and are equipped with ate energy and thereby escape our new approach to glutami- olism behaves in diff erent situa- terventions, in this case applied mechanisms and currently runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a the latest advanced life sup- the drug’s action. This is where nase inhibitors, our research tions and with a very high level to cancer, that could be powerful responds to more than 2,000 year,” added Morris. port medical equipment,’’ a new research approach called focused on two specifi c energy of detail. So with this method we in terms of disease interventions. emergencies a year, HMC said EURAMI is considered a said al-Darwish. ‘rational metabolic engineering’ pathways that cancer cells use: can get very useful insights into The funding provided by QNRF in a statement. world leader in aeromedical ac- The ambulance service has comes in. lipid catabolism, which is the the eff ects a drug has on the me- for this type of research goes a Brendon Morris, executive creditation and only recognises also been accredited three Dr Halama, research associate breakdown of fats, and au- tabolism of tumour cells, helping long way towards both improv- director of HMC’s ambulance air ambulance services with times by the Joint Commission in physiology and biophysics, tophagy, in which cells derive us understand how the disease ing our basic knowledge base and service, described the signifi - the “very highest medical pro- International for quality and explained: “We expose cancer energy by degrading parts of works and to identify targets for generating potential therapeutic cance of the re-accreditation, tocols and aviation records”, safety as well as by the Interna- cells grown in the laboratory to their own structure. We found potential new treatments.” tools for Qatar and the world.” which is the result of a success- the statement notes. tional Academy of Emergency diff erent doses of an anti-can- that both these energy path- The paper, titled ‘Accelerated The paper can be found at ful partnership with the Qatar HMC’s LifeFlight service has Dispatch for the high standard cer drug and then measure the ways were accelerated when lipid catabolism and autophagy https://doi.org/10.1016/j.can- Amiri Air Force. undergone enormous growth of operations at its Medical changes in almost all of the small the glutaminolysis pathway are cancer survival mechanisms let.2018.05.017 “On behalf of all the leader- since fi rst launching more Communication Centre. Texas A&M students visit Total’s research facility

‘Meet the Specialised Master Alumni’ event at HEC Paris in Qatar. otal Research Centre - Qatar (TRC-Q) recently Twelcomed a cohort of 20 students from Texas A&M Uni- versity’s main campus in the US, and Texas A&M University at HEC Paris alumni Qatar, on a technical visit to its facility. The visit was aimed at ena- bling the students to have a one-on-one engagement with share experiences researchers and gain practical experience on research-related EC Paris has held a ership development analyst, trend-setting practices. activities. ‘Meet the Specialised Qatar Petroleum, Class of 2017; “The engaging session pro- The students took the oppor- HMaster Alumni’ event Mohamed al-Badr, head of the vided participants with a plat- tunity to discover Total’s “state- to provide fi rst-hand insight IT system development sec- form to connect with our HEC of-the-art” research facility and into the benefi ts of embarking tion, Qatar General Electricity Paris alumni community to laboratories located in Qatar on a learning journey with HEC & Water Corporation, Class of gain insight on their experi- Science & Technology Park, and Paris in Qatar. 2018; and Sara AlKhelaifi , head ences and learning journey met with some of Total’s key During the special event, of cyber security, Qatar Central through the Master’s Degree researchers who work on four The students during the visit. held on the HEC Paris Doha Bank, Class of 2017. and beyond. We believe it was main areas: organic geochemis- campus in Tornado Tower, The distinguished alumni a valuable discussion for par- try, acid stimulation of carbon- hanced oil recovery, multiphase ELCIR programme, (Engineering members of the HEC Paris shared the opportunities ticipants to learn more about ate reservoirs, sustainable de- fl ow and nano-sensors for Learning Community Introduc- alumni network interacted gained from participat- what the programme entails, velopment and CO2 utilisation. air quality. tion to Research), established by with attendees to share their ing in the Specialised Mas- and the benefi ts of it, in order The students were delighted “Total Research Centre - Qatar The College of Engineering at experiences of the bespoke ter’s Degree Programme and to embark upon a truly trans- to learn more about the various bases its activities in Qatar in line Texas A&M University at Qatar. Specialised Master in Strate- the challenges they faced in formational journey,” said Am- research activities in which Total with Qatar National Vision 2030. The programme’s objective is to gic Business Unit Management managing work and study. mar Baig, Specialized Master’s is engaged worldwide and gain Our research is often conducted increase diversity in engineering Degree Programme. Moreover, they explained Degree Programme adviser. an insight of some of the main in partnership with our scien- and better prepare the engineers Alumni members who at- how their learning journey The revamped Specialised issues and challenges currently tifi c and industrial partners, in- who are joining today’s global tended the event included Guil- has enhanced their leader- Master’s Degree Programme being tackled in Qatar, Total said cluding Texas A&M University and dynamic workforce. laume Jacquemart, a telecoms ship skills and transformed includes the option to follow in a statement. at Qatar, and such visits give us ELCIR engages freshman stu- professional, from SBUM Class their careers. The alumni one of three tracks: General TRC-Q and Texas A&M Uni- an opportunity to strengthen dents from the onset of their of 2014; Ibrahim Badredeen, also took attendees through Management, Marketing & versity at Qatar enjoy a long- our ties to build strong bridges engineering careers in four sets general manager, DISS, Class the wide-ranging benefi ts of Sales, and HR Management. In standing partnership, and they and interactions between the of experiences, which include of 2016; Noura BuHelaiqa, the Specialised Master’s De- addition, participants submit are currently engaged in several education sector and the energy hands-on research class, high- founder and managing direc- gree Programme, which gives a professional thesis which is joint research projects together industries,” said Yousef al-Jaber, impact global experience and tor, Qommunication, Class of participants the opportu- an in-depth piece of research on topics highly relevant for the director of TRC-Q. engagement with fi rst-class re- 2017; Abdulla al-Kharaz, lead- nity to learn global best and addressing a practical issue. region: CO2 conversion, en- The visit comes as a part of the searchers and research centres. Yousef al-Jaber Mango lovers feel bitter about ‘short supply’ of fruit

By Ramesh Mathew goes - particularly from the aging this season”, they explain. ite varieties such as Alphonso, “Chausa has reasonably good Staff Reporter Indian subcontinent - by this Retailers said the demand for Kesar, Pairi, Sindhu, Rajapuri appeal among local customers time. mangoes in the market contin- and Tottapuri. “However, sup- but the supply is irregular,” said While attributing the situ- ued to be highly encouraging. plies from that region have a city shopkeeper. here has been a dip in ation to a fall in production in “But importers have not been been at the bare minimum level While some of the importers the availability of mango the originating countries, some able to supply adequate quan- so far this season compared to are hopeful that fresh stocks Tin the local market this local importers said even the tities to meet the demand,” previous years,” he said. will arrive in the market short- summer, according to some stocks available for sale in the said an offi cial at a major Though Pakistani mangoes ly, others are not so hopeful. consumers. region have been procured with hypermarket. are arriving, the quantity is “There is not much to gain for Only a few varieties of the much diffi culty owing to the Others echoed similar views. not much and the supply is not importers as a substantially fruit have hit the retail outlets shortage in production. One of them said most local re- that regular, according to some large number of regular mango this season, they claim, point- In general, the supply of tailers relied on supplies from traders. Chausa, Sindhri and patrons have already started ing out that the market would mangoes to the entire Gulf re- India’s Konkan region, which Langra are the common varie- leaving on vacation,” felt a be usually fl ooded with man- gion “has not been that encour- is home to a number of favour- ties from Pakistan. retailer. The fruits section at a hypermarket. Gulf Times 4 Sunday, July 8, 2018 QATAR QCDC signs agreement to promote career awareness

atar Career Development “It is an initiative that aligns with Ali Kazma, chief executive offi cer, to provide a fun-fi lled and holis- Centre (QCDC), a member the overarching goals that QF strives Aura Lifestyle, the owning com- tic learning experience, support- Qof Qatar Foundation (QF), to achieve through its ongoing com- pany of KidzMondo Doha, noted: ing children’s physical and men- and KidzMondo Doha have signed munity development eff orts, and its “Our partnership with QCDC will tal growth while helping them a partnership agreement to launch a vital role in instilling a culture of ca- add value to our mini edutainment to boost their self-esteem and career awareness centre, described reer guidance among Qatar’s youth city and provide an opportunity for confi dence. as the ‘fi rst of its kind’ worldwide. and the wider public.” children to engage in exciting and The self-suffi cient city - which The edutainment city-based Abdulla Ahmed al-Mansoori, di- interactive educational activities at has its own ‘economy’ and ‘cur- centre will familiarise children and rector, QCDC, said, “Through this, KidzMondo.” rency’ - includes over 80 estab- youth with career guidance con- we will be able to engage children The recreational environment at lishments across a diverse range cepts, and off er training to guide who we previously had no contact KidzMondo Doha will off er children of business environments, and its young visitors towards ca- with, and help them to explore their an integrated learning experience allows children to dress up and reer choices that align with their optimal career paths by using an that enhances their abilities and role-play realistic tasks in a safe, interests and skills. approach that is both educational skills, and refl ects QCDC’s eff orts interactive, and educational en- Machaille al-Naimi, president, and recreational. Children will learn to build national capacities and vironment. Through its manage- community development at QF, how to write a successful CV and help young people plan their careers ment, facilities, and public serv- participated in the signing ceremo- gain insight into diff erent disci- based on the future dynamics of ices, it provides an integrated and ny and welcomed the agreement, plines, supporting them to choose Qatar’s labour market. interactive experience that un- saying, “This partnership marks a the career path that best matches KidzMondo Doha features an locks children’s imagination and Dreama plays a vital role in providing care to orphans, children of anonymous parents or milestone for QCDC, which works their qualifi cations and skills as they interactive edutainment park de- creativity and empowers them those who are deprived from natural families. to raise awareness of, and promote, engage in activities and games that veloped for, and managed solely with knowledge, essential skills, career guidance among young we have specifi cally designed to suit by, children between the ages of and life-lessons, preparing them people across Qatar. diff erent age groups.” two and 14. It has been designed for their professional careers. Dreama, Save the Children join hands

he Orphans Care port programme aimed at Since its was establish- Centre (Dreama) children aff ected by seri- ment in 2003, Dreama has Thas signed a memo- ous or chronic stress. “The been played a vital role in randum of understanding healing process begins providing care to orphans, (MoU) with the London- when a child shares his or children of anonymous based (Save the Children) her memories and feelings, parents or those who are organisation. either verbally or through deprived from natural The MoU aims to artistic expression, with a families by providing pro- strengthen the co-op- trusted and caring adult or grammes to integrate them eration between Dreama peer. The result is a child into the society and working From right: Eff rosyni Parampota, senior off icer, Career Programmes and Services at QCDC; Nabil Barakat, managing director, Aura Entertainment Services; and Save the Children to who feels less isolated and with surrogate families. Machaille al-Naimi; Ali Kazma; Abdulla Ahmed al-Mansoori; and Lama Zaro, director of Partnerships, Aura Entertainment Services, during the opening of the achieve their common more connected and safe Dreama operates un- new career awareness centre. objectives and goals, in- amidst the trusted adults der the umbrella of Qatar cluding exchange of ex- and peers in their lives. Social Work Fund. periences visit and best This, in turn, can lead to a Save the Children is an practices in the domain more confi dent and secure independent charity es- of orphans care, prepara- child, leaving each child tablished in 1919, origi- HBKU Press book tions of studies and plans more likely to learn and nally to help children suf- to improve the quality of more likely to feel hope- fering in the wake of World programmes off ered to ful for a better future,” she War I. Since then, Save the named winner of targeted categories, ex- explained. Children has grown to be change of training pro- Richard Young, partner- one of the leading organi- grammes and scientifi c ships manager at Save The sations in the world in the Purple Dragonfl y research to support and Children, said: “We are de- fi elds of children protec- develop employee’s skills lighted to be entering into a tion and defending chil- and competencies. partnership with Dreama. dren rights. Book Awards Also, the MOU stated At Save the Children, we Save the Children be- that joint committees work every day to ensure lieves every child deserves amad Bin Khalifa Uni- very best in reading excel- will be formed to develop children’s unique needs a future and works in more versity Press (HBKU lence, HBKU Press said in a mechanisms of executing are met and their voices are than 120 countries to give HPress) yesterday an- statement. this MoU to achieve com- heard, and so we welcome children a healthy start nounced that its “best-sell- “I am delighted, humbled mon objectives. this exciting opportunity in life, the opportunity to ing” children’s title, A Recipe and honoured to receive such Maryam bint Ali al- to exchange knowledge, learn, and protection from for Home, written by Ghenwa a prestigious award,” said Misnad, executive direc- experience and best prac- harm delivering through its Yehia, has been declared the Yehia. “This book is so close tor, Dreama, stated that tice with an important partnerships and its pro- winner in several categories to my heart as it was written the co-operation between child-focused organisa- grammes lasting results at the 2018 Purple Dragonfl y with my personal experiences the two will begin with a tion in Qatar. We look for millions of children, Book Awards. in mind, but with the knowl- workshop on HEART arts- forward to a very fruitful including those hardest to A Recipe for Home, pub- edge that in today’s multicul- based psychosocial sup- co-operation.” reach. (QNA) lished in November 2017 by tural world, in it is a message HBKU Press, was named almost anyone can relate to. the fi rst-place winner in “I’m am so happy about the categories of “Cul- the positive reception that tural Diversity” and “Fam- it has received from parents, ily Matters”. Also, it was children, and now, industry awarded second place in experts. I am deeply grateful the “Food Related” catego- to HBKU Press for believing in ry; and given an honourable this story and for the wonder- mention in the category ful team who worked hard to “Picture Books 6 & Older”. bring my dream to fruition.” In 2009, the Purple The book targets children Dragonfl y Book Awards aged 5-12 years though its were conceived to recog- content is relatable to both nise and honour accom- children and adults alike. plished authors in the fi eld Layan and her friends go of children’s literature, as on a mouth-watering journey well as highlighting up- where they explore diff erent and-coming, newly pub- cultures and make a delecta- lished authors and younger ble discovery about the limit- published writers. less love between family that Divided into 56 distinct knows no borders. Here, one subject categories ranging will fi nd the answer that eve- from books on the environ- ry multi-cultural child asks: ment and cooking to sports “where is my home?”. and family issues, the Purple “We had a very tight Dragonfl y Book Awards are competition this year geared towards stories that and our judges defi nitely appeal to children of all ages. had their work cut out for Books that are awarded them,” said Linda F Radke, the Purple Dragonfl y Book president of Story Mon- Award are original, in- sters, the organiser of the novative and creative in awards. “I want to extend both content and design, my sincerest congratula- and provide children the tions to all of our winners.”

The cover of A Recipe for Home.

Gulf Times 6 Sunday, July 8, 2018 QATAR Qatar and China celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations By Ayman Adly Staff Reporter

he 30th anniversary of the establishment of dip- lomatic relations between Qatar and China rep- Tresents a new phase in which further initiatives will be launched to enhance co-operation between the two countries, China’s ambassador to Qatar Li Chen has stressed. The envoy, who hosted a dinner reception in Doha re- cently to mark the occasion, said that China is keen and ready to work with Qatar to continue the progress of co- operation and friendship. He expressed hope that a new chapter on relations be- tween the two countries is being written to record the The ambassador with Qatar Central Bank governor HE Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud al-Thani, various achievements. Ministry of Foreign Aff airs (MoFA) secretary-general HE Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi, Li Chen addressing the gathering. The reception was attended by the Governor of Qa- MoFA chief of protocol Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro and others. PICTURES: Jayaram tar Central Bank HE Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud al-Thani, Ministry of Foreign Aff airs (MoFA) secretary-general HE Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi, MoFA chief of proto- col Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, heads of diplomatic missions, and other dignitaries and guests. Addressing the guests, the ambassador said that rela- tions between the two countries have matured and be- come stronger over three decades of diplomatic ties. This off ers promising opportunities and the scope for a brighter and broader future. “China is now working on enhancing openness and support for joint work for the Belt and Road initiative, while Qatar is working towards Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims for diversifi cation of the national econ- omy and self-dependence,” the envoy said. “This has made China and Qatar more qualifi ed at this particular time to strengthen their co-operation and work together to attain mutual interests,” he noted. Besides co-operation in the fi elds such as energy, trade and infrastructure, Qatar and China have also sought ex- pansion in diff erent areas of co-operation in recent years like communication, fi nance and investment, industry, security and military and the fi ght against terrorism. This has further raised co-operation between the two countries to higher levels. The ambassador said that at the international level the two countries have co-operated and co-ordinated eff orts to work towards peace and stability in the region and the world. They have also worked together on defending the com- mon interests of developing countries and on building a human society marked by peace and friendship. Further, the ambassador stressed the deep and friendly relations between the Qatari and the Chinese people as the two countries have lately agreed on exempting the citizens of both countries from visa requirements, which will be implemented soon, giving Qatari and Chinese citi- zens more freedom of movement. Qatar Airways operates direct fl ights between Doha and seven cities in China, making travel easier between the two countries. In addition, the number of Chinese tourists amounted to nearly 45,000 for 2017, a 26% increase compared with the previous year. All the fi gures indicate positive and progressively ad- vancing relations between the two countries. For instance, trade volume between the two countries amounted to $10.3bn in 2017, growing by 200 times com- pared with the corresponding fi gure 30 years ago. In addition, many Chinese companies are entering the Qatari market on major projects, and similarly Qatari fi rms are entering the Chinese market. The Chinese ambassador thanked all those who have contributed to such developments and achievements in bilateral relations, expressing confi dence that more will come soon.

Newly-hatched turtles being released. Awareness drive for turtle protection

he Environmental Protection, Natural Reserves and Wildlife Department at the Ministry of Municipal- Tity and Environment (MME) conducted on Thurs- day an awareness event as part of the project to protect endangered turtles. A considerable number of people took part in the event at Fuwairit beach, held during the turtle nesting season, and brochures were distributed among them. The participants were briefed on the various stages of the project. In addition, fi eld visits were conducted to follow the process of releasing the newly hatched turtles into the sea.

Gulf Times 8 Sunday, July 8, 2018 REGION/ARAB WORLD Thousands head home in south Syria after deal

AFP Deraa

housands of displaced Syr- ians were heading home Tyesterday after rebels and the government reached a cease- fi re deal in the south following more than two weeks of deadly bombardment. Under the agreement an- nounced Friday after talks be- tween rebels and regime ally Mos- cow, opposition fi ghters will hand over territory in the southern province of Deraa near the Jorda- nian border. Deraa is seen as the cradle of the uprising that sparked Syria’s sev- en-year war, and the government retaking full control of it would be a symbolic victory for President Bashar al-Assad. A Russia-backed regime off en- sive in Deraa has displaced more than 320,000 people since June 19, the United Nations says, including tens of thousands who fl ed south to the sealed border with Jordan. Calm reigned over the region yesterday as the two sides fi nal- ised the ceasefi re deal, according Syrians ride a vehicle carrying their personal belongings as they return to their homes in towns and villages situated on the eastern outskirts of to the Syrian Observatory for Hu- Deraa, yesterday. man Rights, a Britain-based mon- itoring group. Friday’s accord follows a string “People have started to return of similar deals with rebels for to their homes since yesterday” other areas of Syria, which have from the Jordanian border, Ob- seen the regime retake more than servatory chief Rami Abdel Rah- 60% of the country, according to man said. the Observatory. He said “over 28,000 displaced It caps a series of government people” had returned to 13 villages victories nationwide since Rus- and other locations. sia intervened in 2015 on Assad’s More than 150 civilians have side, including for the former been killed in the regime bombing rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta campaign on Deraa since June 19, outside Damascus earlier this the Observatory says, and trust in year. the government does not run high. Under the accord, rebels are “A large number of (displaced) expected to hand over their heavy have returned to the interior of weapons, while those who reject Syria in the last 24 hours”, a Jorda- the agreement will be bused with nian military source said, adding their families to opposition-held that several thousand remain at areas in the north of the country, the border. state media has said. Osama al-Homsi, 26, said An Islamic State group affi liate, he was hesitant to return to his which holds a small pocket in the hometown of Jeeza in southeast- southwest of Deraa, is excluded Civilians pass by a Syrian forces’ tank in Deraa, yesterday. ern Daraa after the deal. from the deal. “Of course I support the agree- Government forces will also gled metal wires sprouting from and the opportunity to rebuild “The government will have to ment to stop the fi ghting and take over “all observation posts the concrete structure. his government’s infl uence in fi gure out how to advance without bloodshed,” said the young man, along the Syrian-Jordanian bor- The agreement is expected to be southern Syria,” the analyst at the agitating the Israelis and trigger- who sought shelter from the bom- der”, state media said on Friday, implemented in three stages, rebel Washington-based Center for a ing destructive Israeli military ac- bardment in a fi eld to the south of hours after the regime regained spokesman Hussein Abazeed said, New American Security said. tion,” he added. Daraa city. control of the vital Nassib border fi rst for eastern Daraa, the provin- Deraa lies in a wider south- The ICG said in a recent report “But what is frightening is that crossing with Jordan. cial capital and then the west of ern region that Assad aims to re- that Israel had supported fi ght- it comes with no UN guarantees... Yesterday, an AFP correspond- the province. take, including the neighbouring ers in southern Syria since 2013 The Russian and the Syrian regime ent saw Syrian army forces and “Assad got what he wanted province of Quneitra to the west, or 2014, apparently to “secure a off er no safety,” he said. Russian military police deployed from the deal,” analyst Nick Heras which borders the Israeli-occu- buff er zone on its border”. More Only when it is clear the cease- at the crossing after more than said. pied Golan Heights. than 350,000 people have been fi re has really been implemented three years under opposition con- He obtained “control over the But “taking Quneitra will be killed and millions displaced since and “if we are guaranteed that no trol. Syrian-Jordanian border areas in complicated”, said Sam Heller, Syria’s war started in 2011 with a one will pursue us, will we want to One of the arches of the key Deraa, the gradual disarmament an analyst at International Crisis brutal crackdown on anti-govern- return,” Homsi said. frontier post was damaged, man- of the rebels’ heavier weapons, Group (ICG). ment protests.

Hundreds of refugees return from Lebanon Hundreds of Syrians, who took refuge in neighbouring Lebanon from war in their homeland, were repatriated yesterday, Syria’s off icial news agency SANA reported. The returnees, mostly women and chil- dren, arrived at Syria’s al-Zamrani crossing from the town of Arsal in north-eastern Lebanon, SANA said. They were later transported in buses to government-controlled villages in the region of Qalamoun in the countryside of the Syrian capital Damascus, the agency Syrians prepare to leave their refugee added, without giving specific figures. camp in the city of Arsal in Lebanon’s Lebanon’s off icial news agency LNA put Bekaa valley on the eastern border. the number of the group at 400 people and said their return was “voluntary.” country in 2011. Last month, Lebanese Yesterday’s returnees are the latest batch authorities said they had frozen the of Syrians going back to their country as renewal of residency permits for UN the war winds down there. refugee agency staff amid a row about the Last month, nearly 400 Syrians returned repatriation of Syrians. to Al-Qalamoun from Arsal, where infor- Caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister mal camps host more than 60,000 Syrian Jubran Bassil ordered the freeze, after refugees. accusing the UN High Commissioner for Lebanon is home to some 1mn Syrians Refugees (UNHCR) of discouraging Syr- who fled the war which erupted in their ians from returning to their homeland.

Eight executed over IS attacks

AFP took place, but the Tasnim news agency Tehran said the sentences were carried out yester- day. IS claimed responsibility for the dual at- ran has executed eight people convicted tack on Iran’s parliament and the shrine of over two deadly attacks claimed by the revolutionary leader Ayatollah R Khomeini IIslamic State group in Tehran last year, that killed 17 people and wounded dozens. the judiciary’s news agency said yesterday. The assault was the fi rst and only The Iranian men were convicted of col- claimed by the Islamic State group in Te- laborating directly with the IS militants hran. Iran was targeted for supporting Iraqi who carried out the attacks on June 7, 2017, and Syrian authorities in their fi ght against Mizan Online reported. IS and other militant groups. “They supported them fi nancially and Five assailants died, either in suicide procured arms, while being informed of the bombings or killed by Iranian security forc- aims and the intentions of the group,” the es. Legal proceedings continue for others agency said. allegedly involved in the attacks, Mizan It did not specify when the executions Online said. Gulf Times Sunday, July 8, 2018 9 ARAB WORLD

Two killed in new attack South Sudan rebel leader on Libyan water plant set to be reinstated as VP Reuters Benghazi AFP has killed tens of thousands Kampala and forced millions from their homes since December 2013. uspected militants killed The war began when Kiir ac- two workers and kidnapped outh Sudan’s warring cused Machar, his former depu- Stwo others at a water plant leaders agreed to a power- ty, of planning a coup. in southeastern Libya early yes- Ssharing deal in Uganda A similar power-sharing deal, terday, the second attack target- yesterday that will see the rebel that returned Machar to the vice ing water facilities in two days, leader return to his position as presidency, was signed in 2015 offi cials said. vice president, Sudan’s foreign but fell apart a year later in a “An armed attack was carried minister said. deadly battle that saw Machar out by terrorist groups on the “It has been agreed that there fl ee into exile. Tazirbu site causing havoc, loot- will be four vice presidents: the On June 27, Kiir and Machar ing, killing and terrorising families, current two vice presidents, signed a ceasefi re agreement children and the workers who en- plus Riek Machar (who) will as- which was further consolidat- sure the supply of water to cities,” sume the position of fi rst vice ed on Friday in the Sudanese said a statement from the Great president, and then the fourth capital, Khartoum, when the Man-made River Project, a pipe position will be allocated to a warring parties struck a deal to network supplying ground water woman from the opposition,” withdraw troops from urban ar- from the Libyan Sahara. An engi- Al-Dierdiry Ahmed said, fol- eas. neer and a guard were shot dead lowing the meeting in Kampala Ahmed said the new proposal and two guards were kidnapped in aimed at ending more than four was “accepted by the govern- the raid, which the statement said years of civil war in South Su- ment” and that Machar’s op- bore the hallmarks of an attack by dan. position had accepted the deal Islamic State militants. The foreign minister said “in principle” but would “con- The assailants also stole cars South Sudan’s president Salva sider it and come up with the and supplies from the site, the Kiir and rebel leader Riek Ma- fi nal position” following further statement added. On Friday, char had agreed to the proposal, negotiations, to begin in Khar- members of an unidentifi ed armed but that further details would toum today. group kidnapped three Filipinos be discussed at negotiations to Yesterday’s day-long meeting and one Korean employed as tech- be held in Khartoum and Kenya was hosted by Uganda’s Presi- nicians at the Al-Hassouna plant, in the coming days. dent Yoweri Museveni and was part of the same water network The latest agreement is part attended by Sudanese President connecting desert wells to towns of renewed regional diplomatic Omar al-Bashir as well as repre- President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir shakes hands with arch-rival South Sudan’s opposition leader Riek Machar during peace talks at and cities in northern Libya. eff orts to end a confl ict that sentatives of the opposition. Uganda’s statehouse in Entebbe where they were received by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni (centre). First new steps for Syrian Palestinian fi ghter laid girl who used tin cans for legs to rest in Gaza City

Reuters QNA Istanbul Gaza

ight-year-old Maya Mer- Palestinian protester was hi, who was born with no killed and at least 396 Elegs, had to shuffl e around Aothers were injured as Is- a camp in northern Syria on raeli artillery targeted protesters makeshift limbs fashioned from who gathered along Gaza-Israel old tubing and tin cans. border on the 15th consecutive Now she is taking her fi rst Friday of the ‘Great March of Re- tentative steps in Istanbul on turn’ non-violent protests. prosthetic legs, after images of According to medical sources, her struggling in the tent en- a Palestinian citizen, Mohamed campment in Idlib appeared Jamal Abu Halima, was killed in on social media and she was the artillery bombing which tar- brought to Turkey. geted a crowd of protesters at the Her father Mohamed Merhi, Gaza border east of Gaza City. who suff ers from the same con- His funeral was held yesterday in genital disorder as his daugh- Gaza City. ter, had fl ed fi ghting in the city Sources said that around 119 of Aleppo with his wife and cases, including 57 live bullet Mourners are seen during the funeral of 22-year-old Mohamed six children and took refuge in wounds cases, were admitted to Abu Halima in Gaza City, yesterday. rebel-controlled Idlib. the hospital for medical treat- “We faced many challenges, ment, whereas 277 cases were took place in Gaza on March 30, right of return of the Palestinian especially moving from the Maya Meri, 8, walks with her new artificial legs at a prosthetic centre in Istanbul, Turkey. treated at the scene. with the participation of a large people to their land, in accord- place we lived in tents...The sit- Thirteen children and three crowd through peaceful protests ance with international resolu- uation in general was diffi cult,” from tubes and old tins of tuna. “He did everything to make this The Syrian confl ict has dis- females were among the cases in fi ve return camps east of the tions and UN resolutions on the he said. “She was unable to walk Doctors hope Maya will be able child walk and God helped them,” placed more than 11mn people, that were admitted into hospital. fi ve governorates of the Gaza return of Palestinian refugees, so we had to create something to fully walk with her new pros- Turkish prosthetic specialist Me- around half within Syria and A number of medical person- Strip, and which continues on a including Resolution 194 which for her to protect her from the thetic legs in three months, and hmet Zeki Culcu said. “Normally half as refugees abroad — in- nel and journalists were also in- daily basis with greater momen- called for return and compensa- ground,” he said, referring to they say that her father’s deter- nobody would believe she could cluding more than 3.5mn in jured in the Israeli attack. tum on Fridays. The march calls tion, as well as lifting the block- the improvised legs he designed mination made their work easier. walk with these makeshift limbs.” neighbouring Turkey. The ‘Great March of Return’ for the implementation of the ade on Gaza. Highway traces winning government strategy

AFP strip of the route in Deraa that tween military bases,” said Ol- “Every military operation has Beirut leads to the coveted Nasib cross- iver. an economic dimension,” said ing with Jordan. According to a senior member Bassam Abou Abdallah, who All along, the off ensives have of the loyalist National Defence heads the Damascus Centre for rom second city Aleppo all traced the M5. Forces militia, the route was key Strategic Studies. the way down to the border “It’s quite telling — you can go to securing the capital this year. Deraa is no exception. Fwith Jordan, Syria’s long- back and look at the timeline of “There are military routes other Beyond the propaganda win est highway cuts through fertile fi ghting and see there’s a coher- than the offi cial (M5) interna- of recapturing Deraa, the “cra- fi elds of green, buzzing indus- ent military approach to retaking tional road, whether dirt roads dle” of Syria’s uprising seven trial zones and four major cities. the M5,” said Emile Hokayem, or airways, but the M5 is still the years ago, Assad wants con- With government forces now fellow at the International Insti- main lifeline for supplies to and trol of the M5’s fi nal stop: the holding a vast majority of the tute for Strategic Studies. from Damascus,” he said, declin- Nassib border point, shuttered M5’s 450 kilometres, analysts “The main wealth, the in- ing to be named. since 2015. say the highway traces two years dustrial, infrastructural and ur- About 30 kilometres of the M5 “Opening the Nassib crossing of a winning military strategy by ban areas, are located along this cut through Eastern Ghouta and would mean the activation of the President Bashar al-Assad and line,” he said. “The regime all Damascus’s southern suburbs, international road for economic his allies. along wanted to keep control of a sensitive stretch that just four interests,” said Abou Abdallah. The “international road”, as all these nodes.” months ago was rebel-held. That will be crucial for a re- it’s known to Syrians, begins in Before confl ict erupted in “The army’s recent operation gime making a signifi cant come- the country’s industrial heart 2011, the M5 was the main trade in Eastern Ghouta allowed the back but still strapped for cash, Aleppo, which Assad’s forces re- route tying Syria’s commercial route to be reopened with both Joe Macaron of the Washington- captured in late 2016. hub Aleppo near the Turkish sides secure from snipers, shells, based Arab Center said. Last year, under an accord be- border to the bustling southern mortars and other attacks,” the “This will give them some re- tween Iran, Turkey and Russia, crossing with Jordan. militiaman said. One last section lief in the short term. Their base international monitors began A steady stream of cargo lies fi rmly in rebel hands. needs to have more income, they deploying along the M5 stretch trucks and private cars would “Deraa, in a way, is the last are very resource-stretched,” that runs through Idlib province, barrel down the road, passing unsecured part of this road,” said said Macaron. isolating it from surrounding abundant agricultural lands Oliver. Government troops could rebel territory. and clusters of factories out- Two weeks ago, Syrian and eventually turn to the segment Regime forces, also in 2017, side Damascus, and sometimes Russian warplanes began bat- of the M5 that runs through spread through swathes of Hama turning off west for Lebanon tering opposition territory in Idlib, currently “neutralised” by further south. or east to Iraq. Rebels began Deraa province, which grazes Turkey and Russia but not under Assad’s forces have this year cutting access to parts of the File photo taken on June 6, 2018 in the central Syrian province of Homs shows government cars and the southern border with Jor- full regime control. already ousted rebels from Da- M5 around third city Homs military vehicles driving along the main highway between Homs and Hama. dan. Under mounting military “For now, they have the upper mascus and a string of towns in and Damascus as early as 2011, pressure, rebels have agreed to hand and control two-thirds of Homs province that lie directly and started fully capturing key changing 2015 military inter- Seizing the parts around “Instead of relying on air hand over more than 30 towns, the country — they can survive on the highway. stretches the following year. vention in the Syrian conflict, Aleppo and further south near power or side roads which still many of them near the M5, and and get more benefi ts, and at a Regime forces are now wag- The regime’s plan to retake said Nawar Oliver of the Tur- Hama literally paved the way for aren’t safe, you can use a main regime troops have seized others later stage can try to continue ing a fi erce campaign for the last it came with Russia’s game- key-based Omran Centre. further military gains. road to transport material be- by force. their march,” Macaron said. Gulf Times 10 Sunday, July 8, 2018 AFRICA 10 burnt to death in DRC ethnic clashes

AFP after clashes involving three eth- The villages are located about Goma, DR Congo nic groups, the Banyamulenge, 200km west of Uvra, the second Bafuliro and Banyindu, the offi - largest town in South Kivu prov- cial in charge of the Tanganyika ince. en people were burnt to sector John Mwimiwa said. In North Kivu, the Ugandan death in ethnic attacks in The Banyamulenge, or Congo- navy fi red on Congolese fi sher- TDemocratic Republic of lese Tutsis, are regarded as for- men overnight and seven people Somali security force personnel walk among debris at the site of a car bomb explosion near the building of the Interior Ministry in Mogadishu Congo’s volatile east and seven eigners by the other two ethnic were missing, the navy and local yesterday. fi shermen were missing yester- groups and often clash with them. fi shermen said. day in Lake Edward, where ten- Each has their own militia. “We were eight in all on four sions have spiked with the Ugan- “Several villages were attacked dugout canoes when the Ugan- dan navy. yesterday by the Ngumino militia dan patrol boats approached us A Congolese soldier was also and the Forebu (Popular Forces of on the night of Friday to Sat- killed and a civilian injured in Burundi) rebel group active in the urday,” said Sikuli Mukosa, a 14 killed in Mogadishu attack separate clashes with Uganda’s Uvira and Fizi districts,” Mwimi- 40-year-old fi sherman. Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) wa said. “They asked us for our iden- rebel group in the eastern region “We deplore the deaths of 10 tity papers and then fi red at our Agencies curity checkpoint outside. pelled grenades and machine Al Shebaab, which controls large of Beni, army spokesman Cap- persons in fi res. All those killed boats. I played dead. My seven Mogadishu Three civilians were killed guns were in a stand-off with areas in central and south Somalia, tain Mak Hazukay said. were displaced people and were comrades died,” Mukosa said. and 18 others were wounded, police outside the building. regularly launches attacks on gov- The latest violence in the res- burnt in their huts.” “It’s a massacre. The Ugandan Bashane said. The ministry is Explosions were also heard ernment buildings and upmarket tive provinces of North and The UN’s Offi ce for the Co-or- navy passed by to kill all the fi sher- ourteen people were killed close to the parliament building. from inside the building as mili- hotels in Mogadishu. South Kivu underscores the fra- dination of Humanitarian Aff airs men on the lake,” said Jean Tsongo, when militants bombed The majority of the victims tants stormed in, police said. In a separate incident yes- gility of a region which has been (OCHA) said 76,000 people had the head of the Congolese navy Fand stormed a govern- were civil servants, Information The Al Qaeda-linked Al She- terday, a roadside bomb killed a wracked by ethnic and rebel vio- been displaced in the region this on the DRC side of Lake Edward, ment ministry in the centre of Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle baab militant group claimed re- former district commissioner in lence since the mid-1990s. year due to violence between the which it shares with Uganda. the Somali capital Mogadishu told state-run Radio Mogad- sponsibility for the bombings. the Lower Shabelle region and It is the theatre of a slew of three groups. “Since Thursday, the Ugan- yesterday. ishu. The group said on its Andalus wounded three others, accord- players ranging from local mili- Lieutenant-Colonel Antoine dans have deployed greater forc- Twin suicide bombs targeted At least two security offi cers radio station that its fi ghters ing to police. tias to rebel groups from neigh- Bagenyi, the army commander of es than mine on the lake,” he said. the Interior and Security Min- were killed, while fi ve militants stormed the ministry. Al Shebaab also claimed re- bouring Uganda, Burundi and the area, confi rmed the clashes The Congolese navy is tasked istry’s compound, police offi cer died in the attack, most shot by Security forces sealed off the sponsibility for that attack. Rwanda fi ghting over the region’s but did not give details. with preventing militia fi ghters Ahmed Bashane said. security forces, security offi cial area, blocking all roads leading Somalia has been gripped by rich mineral resources. Claude Misare, the head of a and local rebels and others from One suicide car bomber Mohamed Hassan said. to the scene. One witness said violence and lawlessness since The ten charred bodies were local NGO, said the dead includ- neighbouring countries from op- rammed into the entrance of the Between four and fi ve attack- he saw paramedics treating the the toppling of dictator Mohamed found yesterday in South Kivu ed four children and two women. erating in the area. building, while another hit a se- ers armed with rocket-pro- wounded. Siad Barre in the early 1990s. Gulf Times Sunday, July 8, 2018 11 AMERICAS

Judge orders list of children separated from migrant parents

AFP Los Angeles

California judge on Friday gave the US government until yes- Aterday night to submit a list of children under fi ve separated from their families at the border, a government of- fi cial said. US President Donald Trump’s admin- istration had asked the court to extend a deadline to reunite some detained chil- dren with their migrant parents, arguing it needed more time to perform neces- sary checks and confi rm identities. Judge Dana Sabraw had issued an in- junction on June 26 requiring the gov- ernment to reunite detained migrant children under the age of fi ve within 14 days and those over that age within 30 days. More than 2,300 children, around 100 of them under the age of fi ve, were separated from their families as a con- sequence of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy that saw their parents prosecuted for illegally cross- ing the border, even if they did so to seek asylum. Several hundred have already been reunited with their parents, but the gov- ernment has struggled to keep up, and it admitted Thursday to using DNA tests to determine parentage. In total, about 11,800 migrant chil- dren are currently detained by US au- thorities after having crossed the border Firefighters battle a fast-moving wildfire that destroyed homes, driven by strong wind and high temperatures forcing thousands of residents to evacuate in Goleta, California. illegally, but 80% of them are teenagers who arrived alone, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar has said. “The judge made it very clear he wasn’t going to allow the Trump admin- istration to drag its feet on reunifying these children with their parents,” Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the Ameri- Fast-spreading California can Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said of the Friday ruling. The ACLU brought the case that led to Sabraw’s injunction on behalf of mi- grant parents. But according to a government offi - cial, the judge did not formally rule out blaze prompts evacuation extending the period, and another hear- ing will be held tomorrow. Reuters before charring dried vegetation in the Winds are likely to pick up again as was announced on Friday, when the California’s Napa and Yolo Counties In a fi ling submitted Thursday, the US Los Angeles foothills south of the Los Padres Na- temperatures rise in the afternoon, remains of an unidentifi ed person and is 48% contained, the California Department of Justice said HHS was us- tional Forest. Eliason said. So far, fi refi ghters have were found in a home burned to the Fire authority said yesterday. ing DNA swab testing to determine par- Some 350 fi refi ghters were taking set up containment lines around just ground by the Klamathon fi re, which Some 3,660 fi refi ghters faced with entage. anta Barbara County offi cials advantage of a period of light winds 5% of the blaze, he said. broke out on Thursday near Califor- inaccessible terrain, high temperatures But it said that even though the de- declared a local emergency yes- early yesterday to contain as much Besides the evacuations, offi cials nia’s border with Oregon. and low humidity, were battling the partment “is moving expeditiously to Sterday morning as a fast-moving as possible of the blaze, which has said the fi re left 2,000 people with- This year’s fi res had burned more fi re, which has destroyed 10 structures, undertake these DNA tests, that process wildfi re driven by strong winds and burned through 50 to 80 acres and out power, adding that the emergency than 2.9mn acres through Friday, damaged two and threatened 110, it said. takes meaningful time, even when it is high temperatures tore through homes damaged or destroyed 20 buildings, declaration will help the county get compared with an annual average of In Colorado, a fi re crew of 1,444, expedited.” and forced 3,200 residents to evacu- fi re offi cials said. additional fi refi ghting resources. about 2.4mn over the last 10 years, ac- aided by local rains and higher humid- The government did not request a ate. “It was a small fi re but it had a pow- Dozens of fi res have broken out cording to the National Interagency ity on Friday, continued to battle the specifi c new set of deadlines, but instead The Holiday Fire, one of more than erful punch to it,” Santa County Fire across the western United States, Fire Center. Spring Creek fi re north of the Arizona sought to “prepare a proposal for an al- three dozen in western US states, spokesman Mike Eliason said by tel- fanned by scorching heat, winds and Among the biggest is the County border, which has consumed 105,704 ternative timeline.” broke out near the beach community ephone. “We’re going to hit it hard low humidity. Fire that has charred 88,375 acres in acres and is 35 % contained, local of- of Goleta, California, on Friday night today.” The fi rst death attributed to them sparsely populated wooded areas of fi cials said. Twitter roots out fake accounts at record rate Woman breaks the silence on Trudeau groping allegation witter has been suspending A former journalist broke her silence on Anti-gun protesters partly block major freeway more than 1mn fake and dubious Friday to stand by her allegation that Prime Taccounts per day, according to Minister Justin Trudeau groped her nearly The Washington Post, in an aggressive two decades ago, when he was not politically Reuters to Interstate 94, known as the bid to stem the flow of false informa- involved. Chicago Dan Ryan Expressway, “to march tion. “I issue this statement reluctantly, in peacefully for their cause.” The social media platform has more response to mounting media pressure to Chicago leaders have long than doubled its crackdown rate since confirm that I was the reporter who was the undreds of protesters struggled to bring down its high late last year, the Post said, when tes- subject of the Open Eyes editorial, published calling for an end to gun murder rate. timony from Twitter, Facebook and in the Creston Valley Advance in August of Hviolence in Chicago yes- Even though homicides fell 16 Google revealed startling new data 2000,” Rose Knight said in a statement to the terday partially shut down a ma- % last year, the third largest US showing many more millions of Ameri- Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC). jor freeway in the city, restrict- city still ranked No 1 in murders, cans were exposed to fake news than She was referring to the original Canadian ing traffi c as they demanded with more than the combined to- previously thought. report on the allegation, which said that lawmakers and members of the tal for New York and Los Angeles, Russia-linked fake accounts are be- Trudeau, who was 28 at the time and not community do more to stop the the two largest cities. lieved to have fi red off false tweets in an involved in politics, had apologised to the bloodshed. “This is not about just a eff ort to sway the 2016 US presidential reporter in question. Chanting slogans including march,” one of the organizers vote. In that story he was also quoted as saying “Black Lives Matter!” and “Shut of yesterday’s protest, Father In recent years Twitter, which has “I would never have been so forward” had he It Down!”, hundreds of demon- Michael Pfl eger, told a news con- some 336mn active users, has faced known she was a reporter. strators marched along two of ference this week. sharp criticism for allegedly not doing “The incident referred to in the editorial the freeway’s four lanes watched “This is not about just an enough to control the proliferation of did occur, as reported. Mr Trudeau did apolo- by lines of police. interruption of traffi c. This is bots and trolls created to spread disin- gise the next day. I did not pursue the inci- Some protesters carried cross- about the violence in the city of formation. dent at the time and will not be pursuing the es. Chicago.” The new off ensive against such ac- incident further. I have had no subsequent Illinois State Police said agree- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel counts represents something of an ideo- contact with Mr Trudeau, before or after he ment was reached with organ- supported the demonstration, logical shift in the tech company; it had became prime minister,” said Knight. Activists march onto Chicago Dan Ryan Expressway to protest violence in the izers of the protest to allow the saying on Friday that it was im- long abstained from policing potential Knight said she will not be commenting city in Chicago yesterday. demonstrators restricted access portant to raise awareness. abuses of the platform in the name of further on the issue, according to CBC. free speech. The statement came a day after avowed Del Harvey, Twitter’s vice president feminist Trudeau again defended himself for trust and safety, told the Post that against the allegation that he groped a jour- the company is changing “how we think nalist during a music festival in the western about balancing free expression versus city of Creston, British Columbia in 2000. Manafort seeks to move, postpone trial the potential for free expression to chill “I do not feel that I acted inappropriately in someone else’s speech.” any way, but I respect the fact that someone “Free expression doesn’t really mean else might have experienced that diff erently,” Reuters They said his pretrial detention pied with political media coverage, ington trial wraps up. “Mr Mana- much if people don’t feel safe,” Harvey said Trudeau. Washington made it hard to prepare his defence. much of it negative towards Mana- fort’s current detention has made told the paper. Trudeau was asked whether he intended Special Counsel Robert Mueller fort and Trump. meetings with his attorneys to pre- Well-known Twitter fan Donald to open an investigation into the issue, given has indicted Manafort on charges They argued that Roanoke, which pare his defense far more infrequent Trump meanwhile questioned whether his party’s zero tolerance policy on sexual S President Donald Trump’s including bank and tax fraud. Trump carried, would draw a less and enormously time-consuming,” the San Francisco-based company — assault. He did not respond to that question former campaign manager Friday’s fi lings are Manafort’s biased jury pool. “Nowhere in the his lawyers wrote. which has not said whether the ongoing directly, but repeated several times that he UPaul Manafort on Friday latest attempt to stall the legal country is the bias against Mr Mana- Also on Friday, prosecutors said eff ort could cause a rare decline in its does not believe he acted inappropriately. asked for his July trial to be moved process, after a judge overseeing the fort more apparent than here in the they would introduce evidence at user base in the second quarter — would Trudeau also stressed that “it’s not just further away from Washington DC, Alexandria case last month rejected Washington, DC metropolitan area,” trial showing that a senior bank ex- also target major legitimate news sourc- one side that matters” in such cases and that saying potential jurors in the capital an eff ort to have the indictment Manafort’s lawyers wrote. “It is not ecutive helped Manafort get $16mn es in its drive to root out false informa- society should reflect on this issue. had consumed too much negative dismissed. Manafort’s lawyers said a stretch to expect that voters who in loans in return for eff orts to get tion. “Often a man experiences an interaction press coverage about him and were on Friday the trial should be moved supported secretary Clinton would be him positions on the campaign and “Twitter is getting rid of fake ac- as being benign or not inappropriate and a biased against Trump. from Alexandria, which is a short predisposed against Mr Manafort.” in the administration. counts at a record pace,” the US presi- woman, particularly in a professional context, Manafort’s trial in a federal court drive from Washington, to Roanoke, Manafort was jailed last month The bank, identifi ed as “Lender dent tweeted. can experience it diff erently. We have to in Alexandria, Virginia, is due to Virginia about 386km away. by the judge overseeing the Wash- D” in Friday’s fi ling, is the Federal “Will that include the Failing New respect that,” he said. start on July 25, but in court fi lings They cited voting data showing ington, DC case after Mueller sub- Savings Bank, a Chicago-based York Times and propaganda machine When he came to power, Trudeau formed on Friday his lawyers also asked for Hillary Clinton took two-thirds of mitted witness tampering charges. lender, according to prior fi lings in for Amazon, the Washington Post, who a cabinet with an equal division between postponement until another trial the 2016 presidential vote in Alex- Manafort’s lawyers urged the the case. Federal’s chief executive is constantly quote anonymous sources men and women. due to start in September in Wash- andria, which was part of an “in- judge in the Virginia case to post- Steven Calk, who had an advisory that, in my opinion, don’t exist — They ington, DC runs its course. side-the-Beltway” area preoccu- pone the trial until after the Wash- role in the Trump campaign. will both be out of business in 7 years!” Gulf Times 12 Sunday, July 8, 2018 ASIA Conditions ‘perfect’ for Letters of hope from evacuation of Thai boys the cave Rescuers racing against time with monsoon rains expected to undo days of AFP “It doesn’t matter how long I round-the-clock drainage of Mae Sai wait as long as he is safe.” the deluged cave She may have some way to go. It is still unclear how the AFP Scrawled deep inside a boys will be rescued from the Mae Sai mountain in northern range of dangerous options Thailand, heartwarming on the table, as the country fragments of communication holds its breath hoping for onditions are “perfect” to from trapped youngsters good news. evacuate a young football have reached families Teams are drilling multiple Cteam from a fl ooded Thai keeping vigil for two shafts through hundreds of cave in the coming days before excruciating weeks at metres of mountainside to try fresh rains and a possible rise in the entrance to the cave to reach them while industrial carbon dioxide further imperil complex. pumps are working round the group, the rescue mission Players from the “Wild Boar” the clock in an attempt to chief said yesterday. football team wrote short clear water from the tunnels The plight of 12 Thai boys notes in the gloom, reassuring and hopefully allow them to and their coach from the “Wild parents and relatives, making escape on foot. Boar” football team has trans- aff ectionate jokes and But the prospect of fresh fi xed Thailand since they be- expressing hopes of being monsoon rains and more came trapped in a cramped reunited in the near future. flooding threatens to unpick chamber of the Tham Luang “Love to Mum, Dad and my the progress. cave complex on June 23. little brother,” reads one note Attempts to install a phone Rescuers have conceded that from 15-year-old Phiphat line to allow the trapped boys evacuating the boys is a race Photi - who is better known to speak to their families against time with monsoon as “Nick” - given to a diver on have so far failed. rains expected to undo days of Friday along with the other Divers had taken in a letter round-the-clock drainage of the letters and released the next from relatives sending moral deluged cave. morning on the Thai Navy support to the boys and More than 100 exploratory Seal Facebook page. thanking 25-year-old coach holes have been bored - some “If I get out, please can Ekkapol Chantawong for shallow, but the longest 400m you bring me some grilled looking after them. deep - into the mountainside chicken and vegetables?” “From all the parents, please in an attempt to open a sec- “I love you, Dad, Mum and take care of all the children. ond evacuation route and avoid Thai Navy soldiers in the flooded Tham Luang cave during rescue operations for the 12 boys and their football team coach trapped in the cave my sister. You don’t need to Don’t blame yourself,” their forcing the boys into a danger- at Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province. be worried about me. I love letter to him read. ous dive through submerged everyone!” wrote Pheerapat, “We are not mad at you at tunnels. “When we’re in a confi ned In the early hours of yester- into a sudden evacuation. Ekkapol’s message is the fi rst nicknamed “Night”, who all. We understand and are “Now and in the next three space if the oxygen drops to day morning he said the boys The risks were underlined by from the coach, whose role in turned 16 underground. rooting for you. Thanks for or four days, the conditions are 12% the human body starts to were not yet ready to dive out the death on Friday of a former the team’s predicament has split The letters provoked a surge helping and taking care of the perfect (for evacuation) in terms slow down and people can fall of the cave, a complex and Thai Navy SEAL diver, who ran Thai social media. of emotion from families, kids.” In a touching reply, the of the water, the weather and the unconscious,” Narongsak said. dangerous task through twist- out of oxygen while returning Many have lauded him after re- who first endured nine long coach apologised to the boys’ boys’ health,” Narongsak Osot- “There’s also carbon dioxide. ing and jagged submerged from the chamber where the boys ports he gave his share of food to days before their children parents and thanked them for tanakorn the chief of the rescue If the oxygen levels are down and passageways. are trapped. the kids before they were located were found dishevelled their support. operation told reporters. the carbon dioxide levels are up, But his comments 12 hours Saman Gunan had been trying and helped them get through and emaciated but alive “To all the parents, all the “We have to make a clear then you can get too much carbon later suggest the thinking has to establish the air line when he nine days in the darkness. on Monday - and now face kids are still fine. I promise to decision on what we can do.” dioxide in your blood.” changed, with water levels in- passed out and perished. Others have criticised him for an agonising wait for a take the very best care of the Rescuers have fed a kilome- Heavy rains could make the side the cave currently managed “We lost one man, but we still agreeing to take the young boys dangerous evacuation. kids,” his note reads, sending tres-long air pipe into the cave water rise to the shelf where the to their lowest point by constant have faith to carry out our work,” into the cave during the monsoon “I am so happy to see his his love to his own family to restore oxygen levels in the children are sitting, reducing drainage. Navy Seal commander Apakorn season. letter, his handwriting. I’m and adding how much he is chamber where the team are the area to “less than 10sq m,” The boys are being trained in Yookongkaew said, adding that The group became trapped almost crying,” Night’s mother looking forward to eating his sheltering, accompanied by he added, citing estimates from the basics of diving in case the rescuers have “a limited time” to deep inside the cave after fl ood Supaluk Sompiengjai said. aunt’s home cooking. medics and expert divers. cave divers and experts. fl oodwaters force authorities extract the boys. waters gushed in.

Nepal, China to jointly inspect Toll from Thai tourist border point Nepal and China agreed to conduct a joint inspection of Tatopani-Zhangmu border point, which was closed since the 2015 boat sinking up at 41 earthquake, to see the possibility of reopening it, IANS reports. During a two-day trade AFP cording to the Phuket province rushed to hospital in Phuket meeting held in Kathmandu Phuket public relations department. after spending the night in that concluded on Friday, the Seventeen Chinese divers the water. two sides agreed to inspect the joined the operation yesterday Divers on Friday reported border point jointly, as they have ecovery divers have to recover bodies as confl ict- seeing “over 10 bodies” fl oat- recently reached agreement to pulled 41 bodies from ing fi gures emerged about the ing inside the hull of the reopen the border point as soon Rthe sea off the Thai holi- number of dead. boat, which is submerged as possible. day island of Phuket, offi cials Phuket Governor Norraphat 40m below the surface of the “We will conduct joint inspection said yesterday, 48 hours after Plodthong had earlier said that Andaman Sea. of the border point within two a boat capsized in rough wa- fi ve bodies were found on Sat- Thai navy Rear Admiral Cha- to three weeks,” Rabi Shankar ters killing dozens of Chinese urday, in addition to 37 bodies roenphon Khumrasee has said Sainju, joint secretary of ministry passengers. recovered on Friday. hopes are now dwindling of of industry, commerce and Many of the dead were found The triple decked Phoenix fi nding more people alive. supply (MoICS), told Xinhua. drifting in the sea, still wearing was carrying 105 passengers, “Of course we’ll continue After the closure of the Tatopani- life jackets, several kilometres mostly Chinese tourists, when searching but the chances of Zhangmu border crossing, the (miles) from where the Phoenix it sank on the way back from a survival are low. We will wait for A Thai Royal Navy boat is seen during a searching operation for missing passengers of a capsized tour- Rasuwagadhi-Kerung route went down after being hit by 5m popular snorkelling spot. the bodies to fl oat to the top on ist boat at a pier in Phuket yesterday. on the north of Kathmandu (15ft) high waves in a storm on The Phuket provincial gov- their own,” he said. has become the main inland Thursday evening. ernment has said the island’s China’s ambassador to Thai- those involved, as well as help the tourist magnet of Phuket. bal spotlight for a dramatic res- trade route between the two It is one of the worst boat morgue is full, with Chinese au- land, who travelled to Phuket, them make preparations for the It sank in rough weather a few cue mission in the north of the neighbours. disasters in the recent his- thorities requesting 40 further said Beijing had sent two search next step,” he said. kilometres off the coast of Koh country, after 12 boys and their In a June, Nepal Prime Minister tory of Thailand, a nation with refrigeration units. and rescue teams to help the The Phoenix was among He, an islet known for its coral football coach were trapped in a K P Sharma Oli said that his visit a poor health and safety track Some 48 people - passen- Thai authorities. several boats that appeared to formations. cave complex. to China was instrumental in record despite being heavily gers and crew - were rescued “We aim to fi nd the missing have ignored a warning in place Several other vessels hit trou- Last year 9.8mn Chinese enhancing bilateral cooperation dependent on tourism. on Thursday, while a Chinese as soon as possible, as well as since Wednesday against tak- ble late Thursday, but all of their tourists visited Thailand, with between the two countries in wide- The death toll rose to 41 yes- woman was plucked from the provide assistance to the in- ing passengers on day-trips to passengers were rescued. 5mn more arriving between ranging areas including cross- terday, with 15 still missing, ac- churning waters Friday and jured, and family members of the islands that dot the seas off Thailand is already in the glo- January and May this year. border railroad connectivity. Poll campaign kicks off in Cambodia AFP kinds of diffi culties to hamper workers with cash and pay rises to Phnom Penh our journey in building, pro- mollify an industry that has often tecting and developing the clashed with his government. nation,” Hun Sen said. Twenty political parties are reg- ambodian political par- With his usual populist fl our- istered to compete in the national ties yesterday kicked off ish he promised better roads and election set for July 29 for the 125 Ca three-week-long cam- schools in rural areas and to bring parliamentary seats. paign for a controversial general down electricity bills. But Hun Sen is poised to win the election later this month, which “If you love peace and development, vote after the main opposition party strongman Hun Sen is poised to please vote for CPP,” he said, adding, was dissolved by a court last year in sweep after the main opposition “When CPP wins, people win.” a sweeping crackdown of dissent. were disbanded and their senior After Hun Sen’s speech tens of Western democracies have with- members driven into self-exile. thousands of his supporters took to drawn support for the election. Hun Sen - who has ruled Cam- the capital’s streets for a colourful But Chinese backing for the poll bodia for 33 years - told a sea of march, while motor scooters and remains, highlighting unwaver- supporters dressed in matching T- cars adorned with party banners ing support from Beijing that has shirts adorned with the logo of his roared up and down the roads. relieved Hun Sen of his former ruling party, that his government In recent years Hun Sen, one of reliance on Western donors. would ensure peace, economic Supporters of Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) parade in an open truck during the world’s longest serving lead- Analysts say that China’s po- growth and raise salaries for the key the first day of campaign in Phnom Penh for the general election, yesterday. ers, has tried hard to court the litical and fi nancial support has em- garment worker sector every year. nation’s youth, launching a Face- boldened Hun Sen’s unprecedented He also boasted about the role threat of what he labels a “col- many dangerous situations... book page and displaying a lighter, crackdown on critics in politics, of his Cambodian People’s Party our revolution” led by the former despite attempts by some ill- more approachable side in public. the media and civil society - an as- (CPP) in ending the rule of the opposition. willed groups inside and out- He has also reached out to the sault spurred by major gains by the Khmer Rouge and muffl ing the “I have led the country through side of the country to create all kingdom’s 800,000 garment opposition in 2013 and 2017 polls. Gulf Times Sunday, July 8, 2018 13 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA

Grieving North Korea rejects US call mother releases photos for unilateral disarmament of slain AFP “denuclearisation of the Korean mit commitment to “denu- Tokyo peninsula”. clearise” in exchange for US And it did so in stark terms, security guarantees. “These children according to a statement relayed are complicated issues, but we he peace process between by the KCNA state news agency. made progress on almost all of the United States and “The US is fatally mistaken the central issues, some places Agencies TNorth Korea was in cri- if it went to the extent of re- a great deal of progress, other Sydney sis yesterday after Pyongyang garding that the DPRK would places there’s still more work to angrily rejected Washington’s be compelled to accept, out of be done,” Pompeo said. Pompeo “gangster-like” demand for its patience, demands refl ect- was speaking after emerging he grieving mother of rapid nuclear disarmament, de- ing its gangster-like mindset,” from more than eight hours of murdered schoolchildren spite two days of intense talks. the statement said, referring to talks over two days with North TJack and Jennifer Edwards When US Secretary of State North Korea by its offi cial ini- Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s has released images of her teen- Mike Pompeo fl ew out of tials. right-hand man Kim Yong- age son and daughter shot dead Pyongyang after negotiations Pyongyang noted that it had chol in a Pyongyang diplomatic by their father on Thursday. with North Korean leader Kim already destroyed a nuclear test compound. Olga Edwards issued the im- Jong-un’s right-hand man Kim site — a concession that Trump Last month, Kim agreed to ages late yesterday afternoon, Yong-chol he tried to appear has already publicly hailed as a “work towards complete denu- 48 hours after her husband came positive, insisting progress had victory for peace — and lament- clearisation of the Korean Pe- to the West Pennant Hills home been made. ed that Pompeo had proved un- ninsula” in return for security that she shared with the teenag- But as he arrived in Tokyo to willing to match this with US guarantees and an end to a dan- ers and fatally shot them as they brief his Japanese and South concessions. gerous stand-off with US forc- cowered in a bedroom, Sydney Korean counterparts, his North It dismissed Trump’s unilat- es. Trump hailed this as a suc- Morning Herald reported. Korean hosts issued an angry eral order to suspend joint US cessful resolution of the crisis. Escorted by two detectives statement rejecting his eff orts and South Korean war games as But the short joint statement from the Ryde Area Command, and appealing to US President a cosmetic and “highly revers- was not a detailed roadmap to Edwards returned to the Hull Donald Trump to revive the ible” concession and criticised disarmament and it fell to Pom- Road address they had been peace process. US negotiators who “never peo to follow up and put meat renting since she and Edwards Speaking privately, US offi - mentioned” the subject of on the bones of the sparse com- split up two years ago. cials suggested the North Ko- bringing the 1953 Korean War to mitment. A GoFundMe page to raise rean statement was a negotiat- a formal end with a peace treaty. “We talked about what the money for the children’s mother ing tactic. But after two days of “We thought that the US side North Koreans are continuing to has been set up through the Rus- theatrical amity in Pyongyang would come with a constructive do and how it’s the case that we sian Speakers in Australia Fa- it appeared to mark a return to proposal which accords with can get our arms around achiev- cebook group. The appeal had the North’s traditional hardline the spirit of the DPRK-US sum- ing what Chairman Kim and raised more than $3,400 of a position. mit meeting and talks,” it added. President Trump both agreed $10,000 target by 5.30pm yes- The North’s foreign min- “But this expectation and hope US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says goodbye to Kim Yong-chol (right), North Korean senior ruling to,” Pompeo said. terday. istry took exception to Pom- of ours were so naive as to be party off icial and former intelligence chief, before boarding his plane at Sunan International Airport in “No-one walked away from “The kids mum, Olga Ed- peo’s eff ort to secure concrete gullible.” Pyongyang, yesterday. that, they’re still equally com- wards, is currently in a great commitments to back Kim’s The North Korean statement mitted,” he said, just hours be- distress and will possibly be out promise, made at a summit last came in stark comparison to his plane to Tokyo, and appear and Trump last month. critically he failed to present fore the North issues their own, of work due to shock & bereave- month with US President Don- the hopeful words Pompeo had to represent a set-back to the Pompeo had characterised any new details as to how North less optimistic, view of the ne- ment for some time,” the page ald Trump, to work towards the given reporters before boarding process initiated between Kim the meeting as a success, but Korea would honour its sum- gotiations. reads. “At the moment a visa for her mum is being prepared, so she can come from overseas to help.” 5.9-magnitude Mother Amanda Bombardiere quake felt in Tokyo commented on the fundraiser, South Korea women writing: “Thinking and praying A 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit Two US destroyers for you Olga. My eldest daugh- Japan yesterday evening outside ter remembers your daughter of Tokyo, swaying buildings in the protest against ‘spycam’ from Primary school. I can not capital, but no tsunami warning imagine what you are feeling. No was issued. The quake hit at sail into Taiwan Strait words – just sending love.” 8:23pm (1123 GMT), at a depth of images at mass rally When Edwards arrived home 39 kilometres, off the east coast of from work on Thursday after- Honshu, Japan, the US Geological AFP economic history. China said it was hitting back noon, the north shore solicitor Survey said. Japan’s meteoro- Taipei with retaliatory measures on US goods but did AFP demonstration but police put was met with police, ambulanc- logical agency said no tsunami not immediately providing precise details. Seoul the estimate at about 20,000. es and a helicopter called to the warning was being issued. China sees self-ruling democratic Taiwan as Most of the protesters were home after a neighbour saw the There were no immediate wo United States warships entered the part of its territory to be reunifi ed, by force if teenagers or those in their childrens’ estranged father ar- reports of damage after the Taiwan Strait yesterday, the Taiwanese necessary but the island sees itself as a sover- ens of thousands of 20s — a demographic seen as rive at the home and heard gun- quake, a relatively rare strong Tgovernment said, at a time of heightened eign country. South Korean women the main target of the spycam shots. By the time fi rst respond- tremor to hit the capital. Resi- tensions between Washington and Beijing. The two sides split in 1949 after a civil war. Tyesterday angrily urged epidemic. “I and my friends ers arrived, there was nothing dents in part of the Chiba region The destroyers USS Mustin and USS Ben- Although the US does not have offi cial diplo- the government to crack down always look around to see if they could do for the fatally-shot outside Tokyo reported strong fold sailed into the narrow waterway separating matic relations with Taiwan, it is its most pow- on secretly-fi lmed spycam there are any suspicious holes teens. Edwards was treated for a tremors, with some saying the Taiwan and China yesterday morning and were erful ally and biggest arms supplier. pornography in one of the big- on a wall or a door whenever severe case of shock before being shaking had knocked objects expected to continue on a northeast course, China has stepped up diplomatic and mili- gest-ever female-only pro- we walk into a public toilet released into the care of friends. from shelves, but there were Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement. tary pressure on Taiwan since Beijing-sceptic tests in the country. stall,” a 22-year-old protester After killing his two children, no immediate injuries reported. “The military is monitoring the situation in President Tsai Ing-wen took offi ce two years Distributing pornography is who declined to be named their father returned to his Nor- Public broadcaster NHK said no neighbouring areas, and has the confi dence and ago as her government refuses to acknowledge illegal in South Korea. said. “What kind of country manhurst home where he turned abnormalities had been detected abilities to maintain regional stability and de- that the island is part of “one China.” “Those men who fi lm such has South Korea become?” the murder weapon on himself. at nuclear facilities in the region. fend national security,” the statement added. Beijing has staged a string of military exer- videos! Those who upload South Korea takes pride in A manhunt ensued, culmi- A spokesman for Narita airport A defence ministry offi cial said the ships cises, including a live-fi re drill in Taiwan Strait them! Those who watch them! its tech prowess, from ultra- nating in police surrounding his outside the capital said the quake were still in the strait yesterday night, sailing in in April, which it said were aimed at Taiwan’s All of them should be punished fast broadband to cutting- Harris Road address at 4.30am. had forced a brief suspension what he described as international waters. “independence forces”. It has lured away four sternly!” the protesters chanted edge smartphones. About 95% One neighbour told Fairfax of operations. “We temporarily The warships’ entry into the strait comes as of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies since Tsai came in unison at the rally held in of its 50mn people possess Media that a helicopter was hov- closed the runways but resumed Washington and Beijing are locked in a trade to power, leaving only 18 countries in the world central Seoul. Many held ban- smartphones — the highest in ering over the home. operation after confirming there war and as tensions escalate between Beijing that recognise Taipei over Beijing. ners reading “My life is not your the world. But its technologi- Another neighbour said the was no damage. The quake was and Taipei. A growing number of international airlines porn” and “We’re humans, not cal advances have also given “unhappy” man had always been fairly strong but there was no US President Donald Trump on Friday rolled and companies were also forced to change Tai- a sexual object for your sick fan- rise to an army of tech-savvy anti-social, especially after his panic at the airport,” he said. out 25% tariff s on $34bn of Chinese goods in wan’s name to “Taiwan, China” or “Chinese tasy”. Organisers said around peeping Toms in a male-dom- wife and children had left the what Beijing called the “largest trade war” in Taipei” due to pressure from Beijing. 55,000 women took part in the inated country. home in 2016. At least 49 killed, 48 missing as torrential rain pounds Japan

Reuters of Kyoto, who was swept into Tokyo a canal as he worked to remove debris, NHK said. Four peo- ple in Ehime, Hiroshima and orty nine people have been Yamaguchi prefectures were in killed and 48 are unac- critical condition after being in- Fcounted for in western and jured in landslides, it added. central Japan as torrential rain By yesterday morning, more pounds the area, public broad- than 1.6mn people had been or- caster NHK said yesterday, with dered to evacuate their homes more than 1.6mn evacuated from for fear of fl ooding and further their homes. landslides, with 3.1mn more ad- Japan’s Meteorological Agen- vised to leave, the Fire and Dis- cy retained special weather aster Management Agency said. warnings for three prefectures Chief Cabinet Secretary in the main island of Honshu, Yoshihide Suga said about down from fi ve, and urged vigi- 48,000 police, fi refi ghters and lance against landslides, rising members of Japan’s Self-De- rivers and strong winds amid fense Forces were responding to what it called “historic” rains. appeals for help. Helicopter footage showed The weather also hit industry. people on their roofs waving for Some automakers halted pro- help in Kurashiki, and Japanese duction as the rain and fl ood- soldiers rescuing children by ing disrupted supply chains and boat from a fl ooded river in Hi- risked workers’ safety, Kyodo roshima. news agency said. In Motoyama, a town on Mitsubishi Motors Corp Shikoku island, about 600km halted operations at one plant from the capital Tokyo, 583mm because it could not get parts, of rain fell between Friday and Kyodo said. yesterday morning, the agency Evacuated Japanese residents are seen at a shelter due to heavy Mazda Motor Corp stopped said. rain in Soja City, Okayama prefecture, yesterday. production lines at two plants Although a weather front had so employees would not have to settled between western and front, it added, with already- who fell from a bridge into a river travel in hazardous conditions. eastern Japan, there was a risk saturated areas facing more rain in western Hiroshima city, and a Reuters could not reach the heavy rains would continue as today. 77-year-old man in Takashima, fi rms for comment outside busi- This picture shows officials looking at flooded houses in Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture, yesterday. warm air fl owed towards the Among the dead were a man 56km east of the ancient capital ness hours. Gulf Times 14 Sunday, July 8, 2018 BRITAIN

MPs to demand govt apology for After cabinet Brexit deal, May forced adoptions

Guardian News and Media London

he government must must persuade MPs, Brussels apologise to women who Twere pressured into hand- By Alice Ritchie, AFP ing over babies for adoption half London a century ago, MPs will demand in a three-hour debate in the Commons later this week. ritish Prime Minister Theresa has A motion tabled by a group persuaded her eurosceptic minis- of cross-party backbench MPs Bters to back a plan for closer trade calls for recognition for the “pain ties with the EU after Brexit, but some and suff ering that the practice of MPs expressed alarm — and she must forced adoption caused many still sell it to Brussels. women from the 1960s on- After marathon talks at her country wards”. retreat on Friday, May’s divided cabinet It says the government must agreed on a new “free trade area” where issue an apology for the policies Britain would accept EU rules for goods. and practices behind it. There had been talk of resignations More than half a million chil- over the plan, which could keep Britain dren were given up for adop- tied to the bloc for years after Brexit, tion at a time when unmarried even if offi cials stress parliament would mothers were often rejected by reserve the right to diverge. their families and ostracised by But leading eurosceptics such as For- society. eign Secretary Boris Johnson fell into Adoptions were generally line, after reportedly being told there handled through agencies run was no alternative that protected trade by the Church of England, the and avoided border checks in Ireland. Roman Catholic church and the Several pro-Brexit ministers yester- Salvation Army. day publicly backed May, with House of Many of the women who have Commons leader Andrea Leadsom say- gone public with their stories say ing the plan was “good” for Britain, as they were pressured to give away did some Brexit-backing MPs. their babies. Tory deputy chairman James Cleverly The churches have since apol- said the deal would give Britain “our ogised or expressed regret for sovereignty back, we are going to make their part in “causing hurt” to decisions about trade and business and women and their children. laws”, while also showing “pragmatism”. Alison McGovern, the Labour Pro-European MP Anna Soubry, who MP for Wirral South who has led has repeatedly rebelled against the gov- the demand for a government ernment on EU issues, said it delivered apology, said some women had a “business-friendly Brexit”. May now given birth in NHS hospitals or has something to off er Brussels, as time had their adoptions handled runs out to secure a deal before Britain by “moral welfare offi cers”, the leaves the EU in March. forerunner to social workers. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier “If there are any historic pa- said the plans would be assessed af- pers that shed light on this, then ter they are published in a policy paper the state needs to be open and next week, to “see if they are workable Prime Minister Theresa May speaks to members of her cabinet at the Prime Minister’s rural country residence, Chequers, west of London, on Friday. transparent,” she said. “At the and realistic”. time, it was hidden, seen as a Uniting her cabinet was a big win for the (EU’s single market) until such time eurosceptic European Research Group Before it goes to MPs, the plan must She added: “It is surely game on for dirty secret.” May, after two years of public splits that as we chose regulatory divergence?... (ERG) of Conservative MPs, refused to be agreed with Brussels, which has those who would prefer to see a full sin- A government apology would sparked exasperation among European Sounds ok to me,” he tweeted. condemn the plan outright. repeatedly warned it will not accept gle market/customs union” plan. be a way of acknowledging that leaders and businesses seeking a clear path. However, UKIP founder Nigel Farage, But he told the BBC: “If, when we get “cherry-picking” elements of its single May visited German Chancellor An- “a serious and great wrong was In a letter to members of her Con- another key referendum fi gure, said it the detailed legislation, it turns out that market. gela Merkel on Thursday and reportedly done” to the mothers. servative party, she said “collective re- was a “sell-out” and left the majority of it is a punishment Brexit, that it is keep- Britain appears to do this by suggest- showed her a draft of the proposal. “Young women were made to sponsibility is now fully restored”. the economy “trapped” by EU laws. ing us in the European Union in all but ing it maintain EU rules on goods but She has also met recently with EU feel ashamed. They were robbed Outside the party, Douglas Carswell, Taking aim at eurosceptic ministers, name, I...will not vote for it.” adopt greater fl exibility on services and president Donald Tusk and Irish Prime of their dignity and self-respect who co-founded the offi cial Brexit he said: “No resignations means that Any fi nal deal must be approved by end free moment of people. Minister Leo Varadkar, who said he was when they had done nothing campaign in the 2016 referendum, wel- the so-called Brexiteers in cabinet don’t the House of Commons, and the pro- Scotland’s nationalist First Minis- briefed on the plan. wrong, and were forced into comed the proposal. have a principle between them.” Brexit Northern Irish Democratic Un- ter Nicola Sturgeon, who strongly op- Deputy Irish prime minister Simon horrifi c separations from their He said it would allow Britain to “in- Veteran eurosceptic MP Bill Cash told ionist Party (DUP), whose support May poses Brexit, tweeted that it “reads like Coveney said yesterday it “deserves de- children,” McGovern said. “This crementally” move away from the bloc. the BBC he was “deeply disappointed”. needs for a majority, gave the plan a cherry-picking” — but also welcomed tailed consideration”, adding: “Lots of is relatively recent history, not “A deal that guarantees us access to Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the cautious welcome. its “realism”. work ahead.” something that happened cen- turies ago.” Last August, the government rejected a call for a public inquiry into forced adoptions, saying Moor fire there was insuffi cient justifi ca- Birmingham dry as tion for it. Felicity Davies, 64, who be- came pregnant aged 15 and water pipe bursts whose baby was taken for adop- tion, said her feelings of loss “persisted and caused me pain Guardian News and Media and unresolved deep anger for London many years”. She told the Observer last month: “I’d like an acknowl- omes have been fl ooded and left without water on edgement of the suff ering these one of the hottest days of the year after a large pipe women have been through … Hburst in Birmingham. Nothing can compensate for the Cars were partially submerged and stretches of road ru- loss, but an acknowledgement is ined as rescue teams rushed to help vulnerable residents in what we need.” Wheeler Street, Newtown, at about 8am yesterday. Up to 100 homes have been aff ected but there were no in- juries, West Midlands fi re and rescue said. Water levels fell at about midday after the burst water main was found. Severn Trent Water said it was working to restore supplies Police seek to all homes by yesterday afternoon. A Severn Trent spokesman said: “Given that the burst pipe is 30in (76cm) in diameter, it might take us a little time back-up for to get everyone back on, and people might come back on in stages rather than all at once, but we’ll be working hard to achieve that. Trump visit “In the meantime, we’re delivering bottled water to our vulnerable customers. We know how diffi cult it is to have A helicopter drops water on a fire on Saddleworth Moor, near Oldham yesterday. no water and we’re sorry for the inconvenience this may be London Evening Standard causing.” London

olice forces from every re- gion in the country have Pbeen asked to send offi cers Story of resurrected Welsh warrior inspires St Thomas Way to London next Friday to provide backup to the Met during Donald Trump’s visit. By Steven Morris of land between England and Wales.” many ways the wild west of medieval Cheshire and Staff ordshire, and “old Clarke said she particularly liked Despite the government plac- Guardian News and Media Cragh was hanged in 1290 for rebel- Britain. ways” of the British Isles. the starting-point in central Swansea ing the US president on a strict ling against King Edward I for allegedly The case of William Cragh is the ar- “For some people, there’s a spiritual which, due to second world war bomb- itinerary keeping him away from killing 13 men. chetypal Marcher story — it’s all about motivation to walking pilgrim paths; for ing and later redevelopment, was “not the capital, tens of thousands of series of hiking paths based on He was executed just outside Swan- diff erent cultural and ethnic identities, others, its about recreation and renewal on most people’s radar as a medieval people are still expected to at- the supposed pilgrimage of a sea by the Norman lord, William de Bri- political tensions and rebellion. in a more secular sense. destination.” The church has amaz- tend demonstrations. Amedieval warrior who came back ouze. “From a research perspective, I’m re- It also ties into the growing passion ing12th-century Romanesque carvings West Midlands Police have to life after being executed for fi ght- For reasons lost in the mists of time, ally interested in borderlands and bor- for valuing and protecting our historic of strange and fantastic creatures. revealed they will be send- ing against the English is to open in the lord’s wife, Lady Mary, prayed to the der identities. You can still see that in natural landscapes. “It’s so quiet and peaceful today, but ing about 400 offi cers, while the Welsh Marches. Named St Thomas deceased bishop of Hereford, Thomas the landscape and culture of this region “I think there’s also something par- is also the site of a lost medieval village a spokeswoman for the Police Way, the paths meander through the de Cantilupe, requesting him to ask God today — in place names, ruins of castles ticularly compelling and immediate which had a large and bustling weekly Federation confi rmed almost all long-disputed borderland, linking Her- to resurrect Cragh. and fortifi cations, and the diff erent lan- about connecting with history through market. We’ve created a medieval mar- forces would be sending rein- eford and Swansea. Cragh did, apparently, come back guages (especially Welsh and English) place, in the landscape. ket soundscape so visitors can immerse forcements. The trails were created after Cath- to life and set off with the De Briouzes spoken here.” That sense of directly overlaying itin- themselves in that lost world.” She said some of the smallest erine Clarke, a professor of English at to give thanks at the bishop’s shrine in The trail is not one continuous path eraries and footsteps of the past is really The trail was launched yesterday with forces may not be able to provide the University of Southampton, be- Hereford. but a series of individual circular walks evocative.” a number of events at Hereford Cathe- extra offi cers, but other than came fascinated by the story of Wil- The story was one of those that per- of between 4km and 14km, aimed at Locations on the route include Her- dral. Canon Chris Pullin said: “Though that every region was expected liam Cragh and started a project look- suaded the Vatican to make De Canti- making them more accessible and in- eford Cathedral, where St Thomas’s less well known today, St Thomas of to help out. ing at the idea of modern-day pilgrims lupe a saint. clusive, Clarke said, adding that the shrine is still to be found, the castle at Hereford was an important saint in the David Jamieson, police and following in his footsteps and those of “It must have been the most awkward walks could be linked with a bit of plan- Caerphilly and the Norman church and middle ages and his shrine was a major crime commissioner for the his party. road trip of all time,” said Clarke, whose ning. lost medieval village at Kilpeck, Her- pilgrimage destination. We hope this West Midlands, has said he is Clarke said it was a great tale. “And project was funded by the Arts and Hu- She said the project tapped into efordshire. new route will encourage visitors to extremely worried about the it’s a brilliant way into the strange manities Research Council. the resurgence of interest in pilgrim- In Swansea, visitors can see the castle explore his story, and to experience the extra pressure Mr Trump’s visit and fascinating world of the medi- “The route moves through the heart age routes, such as the Cistercian Way and dungeon where Cragh was held be- benefi ts of pilgrimage for well-being, will put on his force after years of eval March of Wales, a historic area of the medieval March of Wales, in in Wales and the Two Saints Way in fore he was hanged on Gibbet Hill. recreation and renewal.” funding cuts. Gulf Times Sunday, July 8, 2018 15 EUROPE Offi cer charged over killing that

triggered riots Firefighters work to put out a fire as cars burn in the Le Breil neighbourhood of Nantes early yesterday. AFP The offi cer had initially ing estate with a history of gang torched in Nantes before dawn Three men were given sus- stopped them for an ID check in On Thursday evening, around Nantes claimed that he acted in self- violence. yesterday in the fourth night of pended four-month prison sen- the crime-ridden area of Aulnay- 1,000 people marched in Nantes defence while trying to arrest the Police initially said that Abou- rioting, after gangs of youths tences on Friday for taking part in sous-Bois. calling for “justice for Abou” and 22-year-old in the city of Nantes bakar, who was under surveil- set fi re to 52 cars – including the violence after the shooting. President Emmanuel Macron demanding clarity about the cir- French police offi cer who on Tuesday, but later told inves- lance for suspected drug traffi ck- the mayor’s personal vehicle – In a separate development, two denounced the attack as an “ap- cumstances of his death. shot dead a young black tigators he had fi red his weapon ing, had resisted arrest and tried and several buildings overnight off -duty offi cers, a husband and palling and cowardly act” and There have been fears that the Aman in western France, by accident. to reverse his car into an offi cer. Thursday to Friday. wife, were attacked on Wednes- vowed the suspects would be unrest could spread. sparking four nights of rioting, “He recognises he made a However, a witness who spoke Security services fi red teargas day night in front of their three- “found and punished”. In 2005, riots erupted across has been charged with man- statement that did not conform to AFP said that the car was sta- yesterday in two suburbs after year-old daughter in a north- One of them has been arrested the country following the deaths slaughter, his lawyer said as with the truth,” his lawyer Lau- tionary when the offi cer opened coming under Molotov cocktail eastern suburb of Paris shortly while the second remains on the of two black teenagers who were clashes between youths and po- rent-Franck Lienard told AFP. fi re. fi re. after leaving a dinner party. run. electrocuted in a Paris suburb lice raged into the early hours The victim, identifi ed as The offi cer, who has been Calm was restored before fi rst French security forces are fre- In a bid to defuse tensions, while hiding from the police. yesterday. Aboubakar Fofana, died from a granted conditional release, told light, AFP reporters said. quently treated as targets and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe Anger over policing bubbled The unrest has shone a light on single bullet wound to the neck the IGPN police oversight body There have been more than they struggle to combat violent visited Nantes on Thursday over again last year when a young tensions in deprived urban areas on Tuesday evening after po- under questioning that “it was a dozen arrests over the vio- drug-dealing gangs. where he promised “the fullest black man in another Paris sub- of France, where local youths of- lice stopped him in his car in the an accidental shot” that killed lence, including in Garges-les- A police source said that the transparency” about the cir- urb suff ered severe anal injuries ten complain about heavy-hand- Breil neighbourhood of Nantes Aboubakar. Gonesse, the Paris suburb where attackers recognised the police- cumstances of the young man’s caused by a truncheon during his ed policing and brutality. – home to a large public hous- Some 35 more vehicles were Aboubakar grew up. woman because she had recently death. arrest.

Lithuanians win wife-carrying Thousands rally in German championship Amid World Cup fever, many would be forgiven for letting cities in support of migrants another very special world championship go under their radar: Finland’s annual wife- AFP carrying race. Berlin Yesterday couples raced through an obstacle course with the man carrying his female teammate in housands of people a bid to take home the title. marched through German The winner this year was a couple Tcities yesterday to protest from Lithuania, organisers said. against EU policy on refugees After a gruelling contest lasting and support non-governmental over an hour, Vytautas and organisations helping rescue Neringa Kirkliauskas made it to migrants in the Mediterranean. the finish line, with couples from Around 12,000 people at- Finland and Sweden coming tended a rally in Berlin, local ra- in second and third place, dio reported, while Munich and respectively. Leipzig also saw protests called The competition, which takes for by charity organisations in- place in Sonkajarvi in central cluding German-based Lifeline, Finland, has been taking place whose rescue boats were recent- since 1992. ly prevented from entering Ital- A protester wears a paper boat as a hat during a demonstration in A migrant who was intercepted aboard a dinghy off the coast in the Strait of Gibraltar, is seen yesterday The woman, who doesn’t ian waters. Berlin yesterday. after arriving at the Spanish port of Tarifa on a rescue boat. necessarily need to be married The Lifeline vessel, with more to her teammate, is hauled over than 230 migrants aboard, was ion” and “human rights don’t ers also vented their ire at Aus- More than 1,400 people have deal with migrant and refugees ropean Union member states. the course either by piggyback or ultimately forced to dock in stop at the Mediterranean”. trian leader Sebastian Kurz and drowned attempting to cross the arrivals from Africa and the The accord came after Ita- over his shoulders. Malta where it was impounded German Interior Minister Italian Interior Minister Matteo Mediterranean so far this year Middle East. ly’s new populist government Slower couples also have a last month. Horst Seehofer, who backs a Salvini. according to the International The deal includes the creation pushed the issue to the forefront chance of winning, with an Yesterday some demonstra- hard line on reining in migra- “They are fl outing human Organization for Migration, the of secure centres for migrants of the EU agenda by refusing to award handed to the funniest tors donned rescue vests and tion, was accused of “exploiting rights, it is not acceptable and is UN’s migration agency. in the bloc, “disembarkation open the country’s ports to mi- attempt, the best dressed and the held up slogans, including “hu- the distress of those at sea” for repugnant,” rally organisers said EU member states last week platforms” outside the bloc and grant rescue ships operating in strongest carrier. manity is not a political opin- political reasons, while protest- beforehand. reached a controversial plan to sharing out refugees among Eu- the Mediterranean. The Finns are known for turning their competitive streak into a number of curious pastimes. Alongside wife-carrying, the Nordic country has also Stranded NGO crews slam ‘Fortress Europe’ made sports out of mobile- phone-throwing, air guitar performances, swamp football DPA sels in recent weeks because they ly leading to deaths at sea. eff ort to intensify the “Fortress and rubber-boot-throwing. Valletta want migrants rescued at sea to be “While these ships have been Europe” mentality. returned to Libya by the Libyan stranded in port, June has been The German captain of the MV coastguard. the deadliest month in the Medi- Lifeline has controversially been ctivists and NGO crews Protesters laid out life jackets terranean since records were fi rst charged in Malta with steering an stranded in Malta have to form the number 628 – the kept,” activist Carola Rackete told unregistered boat. Acalled on the government number of people known to have reporters yesterday. The Maltese government’s ac- to allow rescue vessels to go back died attempting to cross the Med- Richard Brenner, part of the tions against NGOs has sparked to work at once amid a rise in iterranean in June - and unveiled a crew on the MV Lifeline migrant criticism, including from former migrant deaths in the Mediter- banner reading “Europe Kills”. rescue ship, which entered Malta prime minister Lawrence Gonzi, ranean. Protesters said that the clamp- with 234 migrants in June after six who said no government action Berlusconi Crew members of charity ships MV Lifeline, Sea-Watch 3, and The Italian and Maltese gov- down against non-governmental days stranded at sea, said that the should come at the risk of human Seefuchs take part in the protest yesterday in Valletta. ernments have blocked NGO ves- organisations (NGOs) was direct- NGO was being scapegoated in an lives. Italy’s Berlusconi to run in next year’s EU elections Italy’s ex-premier Silvio New literature prize created in Nobel protest Berlusconi will stand in next year’s elections for the European Parliament, the head of the EU By Ilgin Karlidag, AFP 107 intellectuals wrote in a joint the founders of the new prize, raised from crowdfunding and assembly said in an interview Stockholm statement. Alexandra Pascalidou, told AFP. donations – will be handed out yesterday. As the #MeToo movement The Swedish Academy’s at a December 10 ceremony, the Berlusconi, 81, was until recently has made waves globally, the members used to be appointed same day as the Nobel banquet. barred from public off ice due to a hat do you do when Swedish Academy descended for life before its patron, Swe- Librarians across Sweden tax fraud conviction which he has this year’s Nobel Lit- into turmoil in November when den’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, was have been asked to nominate up finished serving. Werature Prize, the local media published the tes- forced to change the statutes, to two authors, with a deadline Courts lifted the ban in May. world’s most prestigious ac- timonies of 18 women claiming making it possible for members set for July 8. “I asked him to run in the colade of its kind, is postponed to have been raped, sexually as- to resign and be replaced. Authors with the most nomi- European [elections]. I think it’s because of a sexual assault scan- saulted or harassed by an infl u- Resigning member Kjell Es- nations will then receive votes right that he should head the dal? ential French cultural fi gure who pmark told the Dagens Nyheter online from the public in Swe- [party] list,” European Parliament You create your own award. has long been connected to the newspaper that the institution den and abroad. President Antonio Tajani told La More than 100 Swedish in- institution. had “given way to nepotism, at- Based on the nominations and Stampa newspaper. tellectuals have joined forces to The revelations led the Acad- tempts to cover up serious vio- the vote results, a jury including Asked about Berlusconi’s form a new prize-giving body in emy to announce in May there lations, stale macho values and publishers, literature professors, This file photo taken on October 5, 2017, shows a woman opening response, Tajani said: “I think he protest after the Swedish Acad- will be no Nobel Literature Prize arrogant bullying”. culture journalists and critics the door of the Alfred Nobel Museum in Stockholm. intends to run; I think he was very emy, which selects Nobel laure- this year, as disagreements on Seen as the bearer of high will shortlist four authors – two pleased [by the request].” ates, was plunged into crisis over how to deal with the scandal culture, the Swedish Academy, men and two women – and make thors including Ernest Heming- is after total purity ... total good- Berlusconi ran in European its long-standing ties to a man sowed deep discord among its founded in 1786, is traditionally the fi nal choice. way, Albert Camus, Boris Pas- ness,” Linderborg told AFP. Parliament elections in 1994, accused of assaulting several 18 members and prompted six to known for its integrity and dis- The winner, who may come ternak, Alice Munro and Doris She warned that allowing 1999, 2004 and 2009, but nearly women. quit – including the fi rst woman cretion, with meetings and deci- from anywhere in the world and Lessing, among others. the public, who may not have a every time gave up the right to sit The alternative honour serves permanent secretary Sara Dan- sions on prizes kept secret. must have published at least one For Asa Linderborg, chief cul- profound understanding of lan- in the assembly, ceding his place to denounce “bias, arrogance ius. But the New Academy plans literary work in the last 10 years, ture editor at daily paper Afton- guages and books from diff erent to a party colleague. and sexism”, according to its But for some the lack of a No- to make its prize-awarding will be announced on October bladet, it’s “deeply provocative” parts of the world, to vote for an He was a member of the EU founders The New Academy, bel literature award for the fi rst process transparent. 14, in the same month as the No- of the New Academy to use lit- author risks turning the prize legislature only from 1999 to whose members include au- time in almost 70 years was un- “We want to create something bel Literature Prize would have erature to promote moral values in favour of “predictable and 2001. thors, artists and journalists. acceptable. which is open and inclusive and been announced. and even “the most disturbing Western-translated” literature. Tajani was named deputy leader It is meant to “remind peo- “Sweden is one of the world’s which allows people to contrib- But some observers are scep- ideas” can become high-quality Meanwhile others are indif- of Berlusconi’s centre-right Forza ple that literature and culture at most democratic, transparent ute,” said Pascalidou. tical about whether the New literature. ferent to the initiative. Italia on Thursday, and according large should promote democ- and gender-equal countries ... The new literature award – Academy can compare with the “Art should be free. You can- “They’re free to do as they to La Stampa, was tasked with racy, transparency, empathy and it needs a great literary prize,” which carries a prize of 1mn kro- Nobel Literature Prize’s history not label it based on righteous- wish,” Swedish Academy mem- reviving a party that is slumping respect, without privilege”, the Swedish columnist and one of nor (around €97,000, $113,000) of recognising distinguished au- ness or evil. The New Academy ber Per Wastberg told AFP. in opinion polls. Gulf Times 16 Sunday, July 8, 2018 EUROPE

Spanish PM to meet Catalan president Turkey’s expanded to defuse tensions

AFP At the time, separatist au- Madrid thorities said 92% of the 2.2mn Catalans who cast their ballot – 43% of eligible voters – opt- parliament sworn in pain’s new leader Pedro ed for independence. Sanchez is meeting sepa- The conservative Spanish DPA cabinet meeting will be held on Sratist Catalan president government in power at the Istanbul Friday. Quim Torra tomorrow for the time, headed by Mariano Ra- The AKP failed to win a ma- fi rst time in a bid to kickstart joy, responded by sacking the jority on its own in parliament, dialogue after the region’s Catalan government, suspend- urkey’s expanded parlia- but secured a total of 344 seats failed attempt at secession ing its parliament and impos- ment was being sworn in through its alliance with the which sparked the country’s ing direct rule over the wealthy Tyesterday, with 600 law- far-right Nationalist Movement worst crisis in decades. northeastern region. makers taking the oath of offi ce, Party (MHP). Sanchez has been in power Madrid ended direct rule two weeks after elections that The main opposition Repub- for a month after overthrowing over Catalonia last month af- also gave the president sweeping lican People’s Party (CHP) has his conservative predecessor ter Torra’s administration was powers. 146 seats in parliament, while the Mariano Rajoy in a key parlia- sworn in. The number of parliamentar- pro-Kurdish People’s Democrat- mentary vote he won with the Catalan lawmaker Meritxell ians was increased from 550 to ic Party (HDP) has 67 seats, and help of Catalan separatists. Batet, who was recently sworn 600 following constitutional the centre-right Iyi (Good) Party Sanchez has urged Cata- in as Spain’s minister for pub- changes that were narrowly ap- 43 seats. lan separatist leaders to “turn lic administration, said that proved in a referendum in April Among the HDP’s new law- the page” after Torra said he the ruling Socialists wanted 2017. makers is prominent investiga- wanted another referendum on to amend the constitution to Lawmakers convened at 2pm tive journalist and government independence. move toward a “federal model”. (1100 GMT) at the Grand Nation- critic Ahmet Sik, who spent 430 At the start of this month, However with only 84 depu- al Assembly in Ankara, observing days in detention and was con- six of the nine Catalan leaders ties in the 350-member house, a moment of silence for Mustafa victed on terrorism charges in held near Madrid were trans- the Socialists have little room Kemal Ataturk, the founder of April. ferred to Catalonia to ease for manoeuvre. the modern, secular Turkish re- At 22, the youngest lawmakers tensions ahead of tomorrow’s Amending Spain’s constitu- public. are Rumeysa Kadak from the AKP talks in Madrid. tion requires a two-thirds ma- In his opening remarks, parlia- in Istanbul, and Dersim Dag from They include former Cata- jority of the Congress of Depu- mentary Speaker Durmus Yilmaz the HDP in Diyarbakir, south- lan vice-president Oriol Jun- ties. said: “It is our joint responsibil- eastern Turkey. queras, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Sanchez “will not launch ity to protect the honour of this Meanwhile, former CHP chair, Cuixart of two pro-independ- anything that is too compli- constituent assembly which is Erdogan and legislators stand at attention at the beginning of the swearing-in ceremony yesterday at the 79-year-old Deniz Baykal, is the ence associations, and Raul cated for such a minority par- the sole safeguard of our inde- Turkish parliament in Ankara. oldest parliamentarian. Romeva, the former Catalan ty”, said Fernando Vallespin, a pendence and democracy.” Actor Baris Atay, who was government’s international af- political science professor at Yilmaz, a former central bank state and government, with the tacular inauguration ceremony at He will instead also appoint briefl y detained in May for a fairs chief. the Autonomous University of governor and a lawmaker from prime minister’s post abolished the presidential compound.” vice-presidents. tweet criticising the government Accused of rebellion along Madrid. “There’s no majority the Iyi (Good) Party, added: “It under the new system. He added that “there will be 22 The European Union aff airs over a 2014 mining accident, was with deposed Catalan leader in Spain for an amendment of is a moral duty to avoid attitudes The country’s last prime min- presidents and 17 prime minis- ministry will be merged with the elected to parliament from the Carles Puigdemont for their the constitution. The right can and behaviour that could over- ister, Binali Yildirim, was sworn ters, vice-presidents, parliament foreign ministry, he said then. HDP in Hatay province. role in the region’s proclama- block it.” shadow its (the assembly’s) pres- in as the lawmaker from Izmir. speakers” at his inauguration. Erdogan’s mandate under the Former Turkey international tion of independence in Oc- Vallespin said the only pos- tige.” He was also nominated as the The guests include Venezue- executive presidency makes him footballer Alpay Ozalan and Su- tober 2017, they face up to 25 sible positive outcome would Last year’s referendum ap- ruling Justice and Development lan President Nicolas Maduro, solely responsible for cabinet and persport motorcycle champion years in jail. be if both sides accept to try proved a radical change to an ex- Party’s (AKP) candidate for the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry vice-presidential appointments. Kenan Sofuoglu were both elect- Torra said that the aim of and reach a compromise that ecutive presidency, with the June parliament speaker’s post, ac- Medvedev, and Turkish Cypriot “The ministers can be chosen ed as AKP lawmakers. the talks was to “fi nd out the grants Catalonia a special sta- 24 simultaneous parliamentary cording to state broadcaster TRT. leader Mustafa Akinci, among from the parliament, why not?” Erdogan has been in power for Socialists’ view on the right of tus within Spain with more and presidential elections ce- Erdogan watched the swear- others, Yeni Safak daily newspa- Erdogan said yesterday. 15 years, fi rst as prime minister self-determination for Cata- power over taxation and other menting Turkey’s transition from ing-in ceremony briefl y from a per reported. Under the new system, how- and then as president from 2014. lans”. matters. a parliamentary model. balcony. Erdogan will announce his new ever, cabinet ministers cannot be But under the new political The government has already “Sanchez will push for Cata- President Recep Tayyip Erdog- “Our goal is a powerful par- cabinet tomorrow night. members of parliament, so they system, the counting of terms rebuff ed this with spokeswom- lonia to start abiding by the law an won re-election in a decisive liament, a powerful government The cabinet will shrink under would have to give up their seats. starts afresh, which means Er- an Isabel Celaa responding that again and function as a region fi rst round with 52.59% of votes and a powerful Turkey,” Erdogan the new system, to 16 ministers, The president’s confi dante, dogan starts his fi rst fi ve-year the “right to self-determina- within the constitution and and vast new powers, including said earlier yesterday as he ad- Erdogan had told broadcaster A Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavu- term tomorrow. tion does not exist in the con- Torra will say that’s not his in- over the judiciary and the ability dressed AKP lawmakers. “Turkey Haber on June 21. soglu, who won for the AKP from There is a two-term limit on stitution”. tention,” Vallespin predicted. to rule by decree. is embarking on a new era with The previous cabinet had 21 Antalya, was also among those the offi ce of the president, so he However, a senior Catalan “He wants to walk out say- When he is sworn in tomorrow, the presidential oath ceremony ministers and fi ve deputy prime sworn in. could eff ectively stay in power government offi cial told AFP ing he asked for a referendum. he will become both the head of on Monday. We will have a spec- ministers. Erdogan said that the fi rst until 2028. that they would bring this up Torra is dogmatic, radical, even at the meeting, which starts at more radical than (Carles) Pu- 0930 GMT. igdemont.” “Our proposal to resolve this The Catalan parliament is is a referendum on self-deter- divided between moderates mination. and radicals like the exiled One gored on the fi rst day of Pamplona bull run If they have a better idea, Puigdemont, who view any they can explain that to us,” the concession towards Madrid as offi cial said. treason. AFP these people in the streets it’s an Catalonia’s separatist gov- There are no great expecta- Pamplona indescribable feeling of adrena- ernment pushed ahead with tions from the meeting. line and excitement,” he gushed. an independence referendum “Things will not be resolved The festival claims scores of on October 1 despite it having in one or two or three meet- ne person was gored and casualties every year. been ruled unconstitutional by ings ... they have to continue four others injured yes- In 2017, there were more than the court and Spain’s central a dialogue,” the senior Catalan Oterday at the fi rst running 17,000 participants and 64 were government. offi cial said. of the bulls in this year’s San Fer- wounded. The referendum was fol- Torra himself has asked min festival at Pamplona, one of Seven of the injured had been lowed by a unilateral declara- Sanchez for a second date in Spain’s best-loved traditions. gored. tion on independence on Oc- September in Barcelona, Cata- The week-long event kicked Since 1910, 16 runners have tober 27. lonia’s main city. off on Friday with the midday fi r- died – the last one in 2009. ing of the traditional chupinazo “It’s taking a lot of risks for fi rework rocket on the city hall nothing,” said Raul Plaza, 37, who balcony as revellers descended has run more than 130 times at on Pamplona in the northern Na- San Fermin. varra region for an event dating The run-up to this year’s event Fighter jet crashes back more than 700 years. has been overshadowed by re- But the fi rst run – where bulls minders of the gang rape of a charge runners through narrow woman during the 2016 edition. AFP manian Army after this loss”, cobbled streets – only began Sexual assaults also marred Bucharest Defence Minister Mihai Fifor yesterday morning and already previous contests. wrote on Facebook. fi ve were wounded, Red Cross In the central Plaza del Castillo It was not clear what caused offi cials said, adding that one of square, town hall publicity mate- Romanian Air Force pi- the accident, with Fifor saying them was gored. rial bore the slogan “Pamplona, lot died yesterday after that Romania’s fi ghter jets are The streets were slippery due a city free of sexist assaults” and Runners sprint yesterday during the first running of the bulls of Pamplona’s San Fermin festival this year. A his fi ghter jet crashed functioning “perfectly”. to overnight showers and some city offi cials have launched a mo- during an airshow in the south- Prosecutors have opened an bulls became separated from the bile phone app for women to use fi lmed themselves having sex return this year, was widely con- have tarnished the reputation of east of the country, the Roma- investigation. herd and took other paths. if they believe they are in danger. with an 18-year-old woman. demned. the whole city, taking the gloss nian defence ministry said. The Soviet-era MiGs are The bulls completed the 848m Municipal employees and Thousands of Spaniards pro- At the 2013 San Fermin festival off an event supposed to be a Lieutenant Florin Rotaru, primary jets for the Romanian run from the corral to the bull- members of feminist associations tested in April after a court sen- photos emerged of women festi- heap of fun washed down with 36, was fl ying the MiG21 Lanc- Air Force which has been using ring in just under three minutes. handed out red badges shaped tenced them for “sexual abuse” val-goers being groped by men. large quantities of sangria. er during a display in the town them for the last fi ve decades Inigo Plaza, a tall 29-year-old like hands to participants, to raise rather than the more serious of- To try to stamp out such prob- Feminist collectives have tried of Fetesti, 90km (56 miles) and still relies on them for mis- automobile worker who took part awareness of sexual violence. fence of “sexual assault”, a cat- lems this year a phone number is to avoid overly focusing on the from the Black Sea coast, sions of air policing. in the run, said: “The important This year’s campaign comes in egory that includes rape. available 24/7 for people to re- 2016 case. where thousands of spectators The last time a MiG crashed thing is to fi nish in one piece and response above all to the incident A decision to free the assail- port sexual violence and police “Zooming in on a sole case gathered. in Romania was in 2017, near to be here again tomorrow.” that sparked national outrage ants on bail pending an appeal will have CCTV footage to help renders invisible other assaults,” No one else was hurt. Mihail Kogalniceau airbase, “To have an animal weighing two years ago when fi ve men call- just prior to the start of the festi- identify the perpetrators. they suggested in a pre-festival “Words are too little to de- where American troops are 600kg behind you and with all ing themselves “The Wolf Pack” val, meaning they could in theory Some lament that the assaults statement. scribe the pain felt by the Ro- stationed. Thousands of Harley-Davidsons in Prague for 115th anniversary bash

Reuters biggest anniversary bash for the motors and honking horns. people across the entire globe,” Prague motorcycles outside of their US The event attracted bikers said Karen Davidson, a great- home of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from all over, like Piotr Sobczik granddaughter of one of the where a similar party starts at the of Poland, to share their love of founders. ens of thousands of “hogs” end of August. the motorcycles. Europe has become important roared into Prague yester- More than 60,000 bikers and “It is freedom, it is a lifestyle. for Harley-Davidson, already the Tday as Harley-Davidson about 40,000 other visitors from It is a way of spending our free dominant player in the heavy- enthusiasts from around the over 70 countries convened in time – a passion,” he said. weight US motorcycle market. world converged on the Czech Prague, in the heart of central Riders from as far as the Unit- In 2017, Harley-Davidson sold capital to honour the storied mo- Europe, event organisers esti- ed States and China came for nearly 40,000 new motorcycles torcycle maker’s 115th anniver- mated. the four-day gathering which in Europe, more than 16% of sary. Some 4,000 bikers chosen in a features biker games, music and sales. Prague, home to a 90-year-old lottery and clad in leather, denim Czech beer. Revenue from European Union Harley-Davidson club, the old- and helmets paraded through the “This (Harley-Davidson) countries was second only to the Participants of a motorcycle parade ride their bikes through the centre of Prague yesterday to celebrate est in the world, is hosting the city centre yesterday, revving brand is so strong for so many United States. the 115th anniversary of the Harley-Davidson trademark. Gulf Times Sunday, July 8, 2018 17 INDIA ‘Central govt Kashmir simmers after interpreting SC order in a three civilians shot dead Agencies minister and party president Srinagar Mehbooba Mufti. However, Mufti warned that any attempt by the BJP to engi- strange way’ roops shot dead three neer defections in her PDP “will stone-throwing protest- erode the trust of the Kashmiris IANS three matters (police, land and Ters including a 16-year- in Indian democracy”. New Delhi public order), all the powers will old girl in Jammu and Kash- “If Delhi intervenes and be with the Delhi government, mir yesterday, as tensions rose breaks our party, and makes including the Services. The ahead of the anniversary of the Sajad Lone or whosoever as the elhi Chief Minister judgment is a law now, they are death of a popular rebel com- chief minister, it will erode the Arvind Kejriwal yester- not following it. It is contempt of mander. trust of the Kashmiris in Indian Dday said the Supreme the court,” he added. Witnesses said soldiers democracy. Any intervention Court’s July 4 order made it The war over the administra- opened fi re in the southern from Delhi will be taken seri- clear that his government had tion and governance of Delhi Kashmiri district of Kulgam ously,” she said in an interview the power to transfer or post intensifi ed after the Supreme after hundreds of people angry to India TV. bureaucrats and if the central Court on Wednesday ruled in at an army search operation for Mathematical arrangements government, represented by the favour of the elected city gov- suspected militants gathered to in the 87-member assembly Lieutenant Governor, was in any ernment and clipped the Lt Gov- protest, some hurling objects. are not stacked in favour of any confusion they should approach ernor’s independent decision- A government doctor said party. the court. making powers. that the dead included two In the assembly which has Asked if he would go to the Kejriwal on Friday urged men aged 20 and 22 years and a been kept under suspended an- court over the Services issue, he Home Minister Rajnath Singh to 16-year-old girl. imation, the PDP has 28 MLAs, said: “the Lt Governor and the follow the court’s orders. “The three had bullet injuries the BJP has 25 seats and enjoys Ministry of Home Aff airs (MHA) In other developments, Ke- and succumbed soon after their support of two legislators from are the one having confusion and jriwal said development works arrival at the hospital,” the doc- Peoples Conference and one they should approach the court. in the national capital will be tor at a sub-district hospital in legislator from Ladakh. We do not have any confusion”. “speeded up” and he will ensure Kulgam said. For any party to stake claim Kejriwal said Lt Governor Anil that funds are sanctioned within Police chief S P Vaid con- to form a government, it would Baijal and the MHA were inter- a fortnight for roads and drains fi rmed the deaths but did not require the support of 44 law- preting the Supreme Court’s or- in all the unauthorised colonies. reveal any more details. makers. der “in a strange way”. “Life of people is hell in the The killings come on the eve Protesters shout during a funeral procession of three civilians at Kulgam south of Srinagar yesterday. In her interview, Mufti re- “They are saying they are unauthorised colonies. To en- of the second anniversary of the futed reports about her party ready for the fi les and concur- sure a life of dignity to them, death of Burhan Wani, a charis- four districts, anticipating fresh on Friday and fi red shots in the “We are for continuing with trying to forge an alliance with rence part of the order, but will funds and approval will be sanc- matic 22-year-old rebel killed unrest today. air to honour their hero. Governor’s Rule in the inter- the Congress, describing them not accept the Services order. tioned for roads and drains in by security forces two years ago Wani’s killing has triggered a Rail services have been sus- est of peace, governance and as “baseless”. This is not done, either apply the the next 10-15 days for these on July 8. sustained wave of violent pro- pended in the valley for two days development in the state,” BJP “Why would I resign if had it order fully or not at all. You can- colonies throughout the national Separatist leaders have called tests that have so far claimed as a precautionary measure. general secretary Ram Madhav been so? When our government not accept the order as per your capital region. Work will start on for a shutdown today to com- the lives of at least 100 civilians, Authorities have announced tweeted. (with the BJP) fell, the governor wish,” he said. a war footing and daily progress memorate the slain militant. with last year the deadliest in that admit cards would be His remarks came amid asked me whether I would like Kejriwal also said that “on one will be monitored,” he said. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a the state for the past decade. treated as curfew passes for speculation that the BJP and to explore other alternatives, hand, the MHA is saying they are Kejriwal met locals who com- separatist leader who is under Thousands of others were in- candidates taking the National its partner, former secession- and I told him that I will send not interfering in the works of plained of the shoddy work be- house arrest, accused the se- jured by shotgun pellets fi red by Eligibility Test (NET) at various ist Sajad Lone’s Peoples Con- my resignation within an hour. the Lt Governor, but they them- ing carried out. He warned the curity forces of carrying out the army. centres in Srinagar. ference, were engineering a “The PDP could have formed selves in a statement released offi cials action if the work was a “massacre”, saying they had Thousands of people walked Meanwhile, the Bharatiya political coup in the PDP and the government with the Con- on Friday said they have asked not up to the mark. fi red indiscriminately at pro- to attend the funeral of the slain Janata Party ruled out stitch- get the support of its rebel leg- gress two years back. We did not the Lt Governor to wait for the He said the work to ensure testers. civilians. ing an alliance with disgruntled islators. do so, and formed the govern- Supreme Court’s order on Serv- water supply is already going on. Authorities imposed a curfew Reports from Tral where People’s Democratic Party leg- At least fi ve rebel PDP law- ment with the BJP for a greater ices.” “We will also work on the sewer in Wani’s native town of Tral Wani was buried, said some islators to form a government in makers in the state have openly aim, which my father had envi- “The court has said apart from soon.” and cut off mobile Internet in militants appeared at his grave Kashmir. spoken against former chief sioned,” she said. Congress unit in Kerala to name new chief soon

IANS several decades deeply divided be- After Rahul Gandhi took over as Thiruvananthapuram tween Karunakaran and former de- Congress president, he tried to end the fence minister A K Antony’s factions power of group leaders here, but his and an unwritten practice was that moves met strong resistance as both he Kerala unit of the Congress when Karunakaran was the chief min- Chandy and Chennithala strongly op- Party will announce a new chief ister, the post of the state chief was posed it. Tsoon, sources said yesterday, given to the Antony faction and vice According to a senior party leader, adding veteran leader K Karunaka- versa. Gandhi appears to have been con- ran’s son K Muraleedharan and senior In 2001, when Antony took over as vinced by these two state leaders that leader Mullappally Ramachandran are chief minister, Thennala Balakrishna yet another experiment could be dis- among the front-runners. Pillai moved out to accommodate Mu- astrous for the party. “These two names have been zeroed raleedharan as the party president. While Muraleedharan is acceptable in on and the announcement could But after 2004, things changed with to both Chandy and Chennithala and well be made very soon,” a senior party Oommen Chandy taking over from also enjoys a sizeable following, Ram- leader who did not want to be identi- Antony and Ramesh Chennithala be- achandran has the full blessings of the fi ed said. coming the president and since then party high command, even though he “Many parties in states have a presi- these two leaders have headed the two does not enjoy much of a support ei- dent and a working president. May be major factions in the party. ther among the leadership of the party these two leaders could well be nomi- Things, however, changed when the here, nor the cadres. nated for these two posts,” the party party high command surprised every- “Well, in our party you never know, leader said. one by nominating Sudheeran as the just like Sudheeran who was in po- After V M Sudheeran quit as presi- new president in 2014, much to the litical wilderness was made the party dent of the state Congress last year, displeasure of the two factions. Many chief in 2014, there could be a dark M M Hassan was fi rst asked to offi ci- in the party believed this was a wrong horse too and one such leader is K ate and then was given the post till move and the relation between Sud- Sudhakaran,” said the senior leader. the party high command decided on a heeran and Chandy worsened and is He however warned any wrong suitable candidate. also said to be a reason for the party’s move would impact the party’s future The Congress’ Kerala unit was for defeat in the 2016 assembly polls. in the state. PM slams Congress, launches poll campaign in Rajasthan

IANS the previous governments. It is be- He said the central government and Jaipur cause of their intentions that the peo- the state government were working ple are now calling the Congress a ‘bail together for the progress of Rajasthan. gadi’. Many senior Congress leaders “Never forget the tough circum- rime Minister Narendra Modi and former ministers are out on bail,” stances in which Vasundhara Raje took yesterday virtually began the Modi said at a public meeting here. oath in 2013. When she took oath, sys- PBharatiya Janata Party’s poll While “bail gadi” sounds like the tems were not working properly. She campaign in Rajasthan and took a Hindi word for “bullock cart”, Modi has changed the work culture in the dig at the Congress, calling it a “bail emphasised that by “bail” he was re- state. gadi” because several of its leaders and ferring to the relief given by courts to “The previous government only in- former ministers were out on bail. senior Congress leaders, who are fac- dulged in laying the foundation stone Modi was on a day-long visit to Jaipur ing legal battles. of the projects and not completing to inaugurate several infrastructure The prime minister arrived in a spe- them. projects worth over Rs21bn in Rajasthan cial aircraft that landed at the Sangan- “We are working on ground level not and address benefi ciaries of various er airport where he was welcomed by on papers. Our projects are neither de- welfare schemes of the central and state Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh and layed nor abandoned. Development is governments in Rajasthan that faces as- Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. our only agenda,” Modi added. sembly elections later this year. Before addressing the meeting Modi He also said that farmers, women Launching a scathing attack on the laid the foundation stone for several and Dalits are at the core of the BJP Congress, the prime minister said the infrastructure projects, including el- government schemes. work being done now by the BJP in the evated road project for Ajmer, water The prime minister said Rajasthan state and at the national level could supply and sewerage projects in Ajmer, is a land of sacrifi ce where many war- have been done earlier. Bhilwara, Bikaner, Hanumangarh, riors and soldiers have laid down their “You are aware of the intention of Sikar and Mount Abu. lives for the sake of the nation. Gulf Times 18 Sunday, July 8, 2018 INDIA

INVESTIGATION EDUCATION MEETING POLITICS ALLEGATION Actor’s son and wife Tripura keen to reform Owaisi cancels visit after JD-U will be ‘big brother’ BJP threatens to sue get anticipatory bail approach of teachers protests by Hindu groups in Bihar, says Tyagi ex-Jharkhand CM

A New Delhi court yesterday granted Tripura Education and Law Minister Ratan Lal All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen A day ahead of its national executive meeting in The Bharatiya Janata Party in Jharkhand anticipatory bail to the son and wife of Nath, who visited state-run schools for the fifth day president Asaduddin Owaisi has cancelled Delhi, the Janata Dal-United yesterday made it yesterday demanded an unconditional veteran Bollywood star Mithun Chakraborty yesterday, said the government would not punish his visit to Ghaziabad for a party programme clear the party will play big brother in Bihar and apology from former chief minister Babulal in a case of rape and cheating. Special Judge teachers for minor mistake or slight incompetency, planned for today as the district administration Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be the face of Marandi for alleging that the party had Ashutosh Kumar granted bail to Mahaakshay but reform their approach towards teaching refused permission after protests by some National Democratic Alliance in the state. The bribed legislators of his Jharkhand Vikas and Yogita Bali and asked them to furnish a and students. Nath, who is extensively visiting Hindu groups, his party leaders said. At a JD-U also spelt out its plan to contest more seats Morcha-Prajatantrik to defect in 2015, and personal bond of Rs100,000 with two sureties government schools, asked senior off icials to serve press conference in Ghaziabad, MIM leader in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls amid threatened him with a defamation suit. of the like amount. The court has asked them show cause notices to five teachers for their major Pravesh Pasha said they had applied for speculation of growing diff erences over seat “Babulal Marandi should publicly apologise not to tamper with evidence or influence negligence in attending schools and teaching. “The permission for a programme at Dasna where sharing in NDA. Senior JD-U leader K C Tyagi for his bribery claim. The Bharatiya Janata witnesses and to join the investigation previous Left Front government during its 25-year his party candidate won the post of the Nagar said: “JD-U will be a big brother in seat sharing Party will move court and sue him for whenever required and co-operate with the rule has destroyed the qualitative and academic Panchayat chairperson. However, some Hindu for 2019 polls in Bihar.” The party would contest defaming the party,” said Rabindra Rai, BJP probe agency. A woman has alleged that practice of education in Tripura. We want to outfits came out in opposition and announced more seats. Tyagi’s statement assumes political Lok Sabha MP and then state BJP president, Mahaakshay, on the pretext of marriage, improve the quality and academic performance of that they would not allow Owaisi to enter significance in view of Bharatiya Janata Party in a joint press conference with the six cheated and raped her. educational system in the state,” Nath said. Dasna, he said. president Amit Shah’s likely visit to Bihar. legislators. Simultaneous polls against constitution, say parties

IANS and contrary to the Constitu- conditions, when states have New Delhi tion. Democracy and govern- their own agenda and diffi cul- ment should be given priority. ties, is against the basic spirit of The fi nancial issue is secondary, the Constitution.” ost political parties, in- fi rst priority is the Constitution Anjan said he came to know cluding those friendly and democracy. Constitution from the Law Commission that Mwith the Bharatiya Ja- has to be upheld,” he said. the Law Ministry has asked them nata Party, told the Law Com- AIADMK leader M Thambi- to examine the concept adding mission yesterday that they durai told reporters that it was parliament was the right plat- were opposed to the proposal of not possible to hold simultane- form to discuss the issue. simultaneous elections to the ous elections in 2019. SAD MP Naresh Gujral said Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha is seen with men convicted in Ramgarh lynching case yesterday. Lok Sabha and state assemblies “It is not possible in 2019 be- the party “fully supports” the saying it was against the consti- cause people of states like Gu- proposal. tution and would dilute regional jarat, Punjab, Himachal, Tamil He said elections have become interests. Nadu and others have voted a very expensive and it was in the Parties that opposed the pro- government for fi ve years. Let national interest not to spend posal included Trinamool Con- these assemblies complete their so much money. Gujral also said Opposition slams BJP leader gress, the Communist Party full term,” he said. that the imposition of code of of India and the Indian Union Thambidurai, who is the Lok conduct ahead of elections im- Muslim League. Tamil Nadu’s Sabha deputy speaker, said if pacts decision making and al- ruling All India Anna Dravida needed the proposal could be most one year of fi ve-year term Munnetra Kazhagam, which is considered in 2024. “At that of a government goes in prepar- for feting lynching convicts perceived to be close to the BJP, time we can consider. The peo- ing for various elections. and BJP ally, Goa Forward Party, ple and stake holders should be The IUML opposed the pro- too opposed the proposal. The given adequate time to present posal with its secretary Khorrum IANS by a local Bharatiya Janata Party Swaraj India founder and the rights of any citizen, should AIADMK said it was opposed to their views. It needs constitu- A Omer telling the Commission New Delhi leader. lawyer Prashant Bhushan also be punished with the full force holding simultaneous elections tional amendment. If they bring that it will not make any signifi - Condemning Sinha’s action, slammed the minister and ac- of the law,” Sinha said. in 2019 but can consider the it for constitutional amendment cant improvement in the elec- the Congress slammed the rul- cused Prime Minister Narendra “Unfortunately, irresponsi- proposal in 2024 if there was a in 2024, we will consider it. We toral process. pposition parties yes- ing BJP and accused it of fan- Modi and BJP president Amit ble statements are being made consensus on the issue. don’t want simultaneous polls in Communist Party of In- terday slammed federal ning communal tension. Shah of patronising “lumpen about my actions when all that The Shiromani Akali Dal 2019,” he said. dia (Marxist) leader Sitaram Ominister Jayant Sinha “It is only in ‘New India’, thugs”. I am doing is honouring the (SAD), a part of BJP-led National GFP President Vijai Sardesai Yechury had written a letter to for allegedly honouring eight where those who are supposed “Jayant Sinha hugs and gar- due process of law. Those who Democratic Alliance, supported said they had expressed opposi- the Law Commission earlier this men sentenced to life in jail in to get the noose are instead be- lands Ramgarh lynching con- are innocent will be spared and the proposal, which has been tion to the proposal because it week and termed the idea of si- a lynching case after they were ing garlanded,” the Congress victs as they come out on bail. the guilty will be appropriately strongly articulated many times goes against federalism. multaneous polls as “inherently released on bail in Jharkhand. said in a tweet. Obviously the junior minister punished,” he said in a series of by Prime Minister Narendra “It would aff ect the federal anti-democratic.” Yechury said The minister of state for Civil “The minister of the BJP- is keen to remain in the good tweets. Modi. structure of the country. The the proposal “negates the prin- Aviation, however, defended his led central government, which books of his bosses, Modi and “I have repeatedly expressed The Law Commission had entire proposal is impractical. It ciples of federalism which is a action, saying he had full faith honours those accused of riots, Shah, who patronise these my misgivings about the fast- written to recognised national won’t work,” Sardesai said. fundamental feature of India’s in the judicial system. is now garlanding convicts of lumpen thugs,” Bhushan said. track court judgment sentenc- and state parties to participate in He said that if the proposal Constitution”. Sinha welcomed the eight lynching. Is the Modi govern- However, Sinha defended ing each accused to life impris- consultation. was implemented, the region- Yechruy had turned down the men by hugging and garlanding ment encouraging social insta- his actions and said he had onment. I am pleased that the Trinamool Congress MP al issues would go to the back Law Commission’s invitation them after they were released bility,” the Congress asked. full faith in India’s judicial high court will hear the matter Kalyan Banerjee, who put for- burner. “The idea is good but will for a personal discussion on the on bail on Thursday. Communist Party of India system and the rule of law. as a statutory court of appeal to ward his party’s views before the dilute issues of regional nature,” matter. A total of 11 men, including (Marxist) general secretary Si- He said while he unequivo- test the correctness of the fast- Law Commission, later said that he said. Congress indicated that it a local BJP leader, were sen- taram Yechury also attacked the cally condemned all acts of track court order,” the minister Modi’s concept of simultaneous CPI leader Atul Anjan said will present its views before the tenced to a life term for beat- BJP for “tearing India’s social violence and rejected any type said. elections in the country is “im- the Law Commission had been commission. ing a meat trader to death on fabric” and promoting politics of vigilantism, he had misgiv- “In the Ramgarh case, the practical and unconstitutional.” asked to hold consultations as “We are in talks with all the June 30 last year in Ramgarh, of hate. ings about the fast-tack court Ranchi High Court, which is “The basic structure of the par” of “One country, One elec- opposition parties and we shall Jharkhand. “We don’t need to look far judgment sentencing the eight the fi rst court of appeal, has constitution cannot be changed. tion” agenda being pushed by be taking a joint decision on According to reports, the life to see who or which ideology is men to life imprisonment. suspended the sentence of the We are against the concept of the Modi. that. We are not going to boy- sentences of the convicts were tearing our social fabric apart “The rule of law is supreme accused and released them on simultaneous election because “The CPI feels that holding cott. We are going to talk to the suspended by the Ranchi High when union ministers patronise in India’s constitutional de- bail while admitting their case. it is against the constitution. It simultaneous elections to Lok opposition leaders and come up Court and after getting bail they those convicted of lynching,” he mocracy and any unlawful act, The case will once again be re- should not be done. Sabha and assemblies in the with our own suggestion,” party headed to Sinha’s residence, led said in a tweet. particularly those that violate heard.” “It is impractical, not possible present social and economic leader R P N Singh said.

Jadavpur University students NEET, JEE-Main to be continue their hunger strike held twice a year

IANS ing admission tests for six sub- wan since 11pm on Friday. IANS der the NTA will be online. Kolkata jects in the humanities stream for The students yesterday New Delhi “Computer centres will be set up the coming academic year. threatened to escalate their agi- where students with no access “On Friday, our vice chancel- tation if the EC meeting was not to computers can practise from tudents of Jadavpur Uni- lor (Suranjan Das) and pro vice convened and they did not re- uman Resource Devel- August-end or September.” versity continued their chancellor (Pradip Ghosh) had ceive a positive response from opment Minister Pra- JEE Main exams will be held Shunger strike over its deci- called on the honourable chan- the VC by today noon. Hkash Javadekar yesterday in January and April while NEET sion to scrap admission test for cellor, who had asked for the “We have given him (VC) time said two national level engineer- will be held twice in February and six under-graduate courses. report. Today, we have sent it to till 12 noon. If no EC meeting is ing and medical entrance exami- May, Javadekar told reporters. The The authorities meanwhile him,” he said. convened by tomorrow and we nations will be held twice a year nodal agency responsible for JEE- sought a directive from West Bhattacharjee said the au- don’t get any response from him from 2019 by a newly-formed Main and NEET examinations was Bengal Governor K N Tripathi, thorities were now awaiting we will start an indefi nite hunger National Testing Agency (NTA). the Central Board of Secondary who is the ex-offi cio chancellor, an advice or directive from the strike,” said a protesting student. The NTA was approved by the Education (CBSE). on the emerging situation. chancellor. They accused the state gov- cabinet in November 2017 as an Javadekar said NTA would also Virtually backing the stu- “The rule is once the Execu- ernment of “interfering with the autonomous and self-sustained conduct National Eligibility Test dents, the Jadavpur University tive Council comes out with a autonomy of the institution time premier testing organisation to (NET), Common Management Teachers’ Association (JUTA) resolution, then for carrying out and again.” conduct entrance examinations Admission Test (CMAT) and sought an appointment with any modifi cations in the resolu- On the other hand, a JUTA for higher educational institu- Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Tripathi and endorsed the stand tion, if at all it is done, we need offi cial said they have e-mailed tions to bring in major reforms in Test (GPAT) exams. of a section of teachers to stay a directive or advisory from the Tripathi seeking an appoint- the examination system. But the Indian Institutes of away from the admission proc- chancellor. Otherwise, there will ment to “discuss the entire mat- “The National Testing Agency Technology (IITs) will continue ess. be legal complications. We are ter with him”. will conduct JEE (Joint Entrance Ex- to conduct JEE-Advanced. University Registrar Chiranjib now awaiting some advice or di- “In some of the departments, amination) Main and NEET (National The National Eligibility Test Bhattacharjee said a report has rective from him,” he said. some teachers have announced Eligibility cum Entrance Examina- is conducted twice a year – July been sent to Tripathi on the pre- Meanwhile, 20 students they won’t be part of the admis- tion) this year. Students can take the and December. The December vailing situation after the univer- were on hunger strike outside sion process. We respect their exams both times a year and the best session of the NET will be the sity Executive Council decided to the university’s administrative sentiment, and endorse it,” the Jadavpur University students stage a sit-in demonstration in score will be counted,” Javadekar said. fi rst exam to be conducted by the do away with the system of hold- headquarters Aurobindo Bha- offi cial said. Kolkata yesterday. He said all examinations un- newly-formed body. Gulf Times Sunday, July 8, 2018 19 LATIN AMERICA

US evacuates embassy staff Obrador to seek negotiated in Managua

AFP Managua peace in Mexico drug war he United States on Fri- day ordered all of its non- Reuters Congress, where Lopez Obrador’s Na- Temergency personnel to Mexico City tional Regeneration Movement and al- leave crisis-stricken Nicaragua lies gained seats last Sunday, she said. amid a wave of anti-government The concept could mirror a simi- protests and violence that has exican President-elect An- lar strategy enacted in 1940 by Lazaro left 230 dead, the embassy in the dres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s Cardenas, who was then president, capital Managua said. Mtransition team unveiled a plan Sanchez said. The US “ordered the depar- on Friday to shake up the fi ght against Cardenas decriminalised drugs, au- ture of non-emergency US gov- crime, including reduced jail time but thorised doctors to prescribe narcotics ernment personnel” and urged stiff er controls on weapons, as the for addicts, opened up clinics for ad- citizens to reconsider travel- country reels from a militarised drug dicts and proposed treating them as pa- ling to Nicaragua due to “crime, war. tients instead of criminals. civil unrest, and limited health- The concept of “transitional justice” The purchase of small quantities care availability,” according to a is part of the incoming government’s of marijuana, cocaine and heroin was statement. integral security strategy, Olga Sanchez, made legal and the state controlled their “Heavily armed, government- Lopez Obrador’s proposed interior min- sale. controlled parapolice forces in ister, told Reuters in an interview before Lower-level criminals were freed civilian clothing, sometimes her team unveiled the plan. from jails. numbering in the hundreds, Transitional justice typically involves However, the radical changes only operate in large parts of the leniency for those who admit guilt, lasted six months as shortages of co- country, including Managua,” it truth commissions to investigate atroc- caine and morphine during World War warned, also advising citizens ities and the granting of reparations for II prompted the law to be cancelled. to avoid demonstrations, which some victims. The modern-day militarised drug began in April. “Not only will it be amnesty, it will be fi ght, Lopez Obrador argues, has failed Protesters are demanding a law to reduce jail time,” Sanchez said. to stop narcotics smuggling and vio- elections be brought forward, “We will propose decriminalisation, lence, and does not address the poverty or the resignation of President create truth commissions, we will at- that leads many to the drug trade. Daniel Ortega, whom they ac- tack the causes of poverty, we will give His new plan was developed in con- cuse of establishing a dictator- scholarships to the youth and we will sultation with human rights groups, re- ship with his wife and vice presi- work in the fi eld to get them out of the ligious leaders and the United Nations, dent Rosario Murillo. drug situation,” she said. though details are still being worked out. The Nicaraguan government Lopez Obrador, a leftist who handily “It’s a change in everything: in com- is planning a march for Satur- won the presidency last Sunday, wants President-elected Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador talks to journalist ahead of a meeting of his new cabinet in Mexico City. bat, in social policy, in drug policy, in day afternoon, while the oppo- to rewrite the rules of the drug war, sug- politics against violence, a very impor- sition Civic Alliance called for gesting a negotiated peace and amnesty 200,000 murders since fi rst adopted in streets within three years, while profes- ied Colombia’s peace process with its tant change in our country starting with a demonstration next Thursday for some of the very people currently 2006. sionalising local police. biggest guerrilla group, which allowed Andres Manuel,” Sanchez said. followed by a 24-hour national targeted by security forces. “It’s an integrated public policy,” He said the government would com- rebel leaders to avoid prison. Separately, Lopez Obrador told re- strike on Friday. Sanchez had said the new adminis- Sanchez said, the aim of which was to bat corruption in the ports and seek to After the Mexican plan is reviewed by porters that his senior campaign offi cial After demonstrations fi rst be- tration, which takes offi ce on December “pacify” the nation. establish stricter customs controls to Lopez Obrador, Sanchez said the am- Tatiana Clouthier and Zoe Robledo, a gan, the US ordered relatives of 1, would move fast to reconsider drug Lopez Obrador’s pick for security stop illegal weapons from entering the nesty idea would be presented as a pub- lawmaker attached to his National Re- diplomatic staff to leave. policies and use of the military that, minister, Alfonso Durazo, said the ad- country. lic referendum. generation Movement party, had both It has also cranked up its own despite toppling some high-profi le ministration would aim to remove a To consider the possibility of a nego- If it receives public support, the ad- been proposed as deputy interior min- pressure on Ortega to make kingpins, failed to prevent more than signifi cant part of the military from the tiated peace, Sanchez’s team has stud- ministration would then put it before isters. progress in struggling peace ne- gotiations. The US Treasury put National Police Commissioner Francisco Javier Diaz Madriz and Fidel An- tonio Moreno Briones, secretary One Colombian activist killed of the Managua mayor’s offi ce, on its fi nancial blacklist, citing their roles in killings and beatings of every 3 days, says ombudsman anti-government protesters. Also sanctioned was Jose Francisco Lopez Centeno, an oil AFP ist ELN remains the last organised pointed the fi nger at local police. executive the US Treasury al- Bogota group fi ghting against the govern- “Our activists in Caceres, An- leged had siphoned off millions ment, which has launched military tioquia, have already been beaten of dollars from two government- operations in the dense jungle of by local police, the local com- linked companies for his own human rights activist is its southwest to try to root out the mander has threatened them and benefi t and that of Nicaragua’s killed every three days in rebels. ordered them to leave the area,” leaders. AColombia despite the peace The ombudsman said most of Petro said on Twitter. accord signed with Farc rebels, the the murders were committed in The northeast department’s po- country’s ombudsman has said. areas beset by drug smuggling and lice colonel Carlos Cabrera said an Carlos Alfonso Negret said that illegal mining, but didn’t identify investigation would be carried out between January 1, 2016 and June the perpetrators. to see “if the police were respon- 30 this year “311 Colombian citi- “We’ve already said enough is sible.” Marina Silva zens who dedicated their lives to enough, no more social leaders Interior minister Guillermo Riv- being social leaders and defenders assassinated in Colombia because era announced on Twitter that a counting on of human rights” have been killed. we want peace and tranquillity,” committee would be called “in the The news comes as Colombia added Negret in an audio record- coming days” to evaluate methods anti-graft wave looks to end the fi nal armed con- ing shared with journalists on of protection for civilians. fl ict in South America against the Wednesday. Colombia, the world’s primary National Liberation Army (ELN), But police revealed on Thursday producer of cocaine, has endured Protesters barricade a street in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Petion-Ville yesterday to protest Reuters accused by local authorities of that yet another rights activist was a 50-year multifaceted armed against the increase in fuel prices. Brasilia being behind a roadside bomb shot dead on Wednesday night. confl ict involving Marxist guer- that injured eight soldiers, two Ana Maria Cortes, 46, was rillas, paramilitary groups, drug seriously, in the country’s lawless murdered in the northeast of the gangs and state security agencies, ormer Brazilian senator southwest on Wednesday. country while co-ordinating the in which more than 8mn people Marina Silva is counting Since the 2016 peace deal with presidential campaign of left- have been killed, disappeared or Haiti tense after unpopular Fon a forceful anti-corrup- left-wing Farc guerillas, the Marx- ist candidate Gustavo Petro, who displaced. tion message to overcome a lack of campaign resources as she fuel price hike triggers protests runs for president this year for the third time, she told Reuters, refl ecting on what may be her AFP stations had closed in the mid afternoon. toughest challenge yet. Port-au-Prince The framework signed in February between In the Brazilian election sys- the International Monetary Fund and Haiti tem that metes out campaign implied the ending of subsidies for petrole- resources based on parties’ past oadblocks went up in protest and gun- um products, which are a major source of the election performance, Silva’s shots sounded in the capital of impov- budget defi cit. recently created party — known Rerished Haiti Friday, ahead of a fuel Haiti’s government justifi es the decrease as the Sustainability Network, price rise to comply with an International in subsidies by saying they unfairly benefi t or REDE — will get less than 1% Monetary Fund agreement. the neighbouring Dominican Republic, where of public campaign funding and Burning tyres blocked major routes in the pump prices are higher. a fl eeting moment during the capital Port-au-Prince, while sporadic gun- “Each day it’s a subsidy of 5,000-6,000 mandated electoral hour on TV. fi re could be heard in several districts of the barrels that we fi nance for the other side of the “To win an election with eight city. border, which is a heavy burden for our econ- seconds of television time, very Earlier Friday, the government said that omy,” said Jude Alix Patrick Salomon, Haiti’s little resources and a party that starting this weekend, the price of gasoline Minister of Economy and Finance. is more a movement than a tra- will rise 38%, diesel will go up 47% and kero- Conscious of how unpopular their an- ditional party” is daunting, Silva sene will be 51% higher. nouncement was, ministers held a press con- said, weighing up this election to The measure is highly unpopular among the ference about the price increase during the her prior runs. majority of people in a country which is the World Cup soccer quarter fi nal match of Bra- Silva is polling a close second to Indigenous people of the Nasa ethnic group burn uniforms seized from ELN guerrillas in Corinto, poorest in the Americas. zil, the side most Haitians fervently support. far-right lawmaker Jair Bolsonaro, Cauca department, Colombia. Colombian indigenous people tried two National Liberation Army (ELN) Roadblocks erected in protest further com- Only at the end of the match, in which Brazil according to recent voter surveys, guerrillas captured last week in rural Caloto, Cauca department, and sentenced them to 37 lashes and plicated traffi c already snarled by drivers try- was eliminated at the hands of Belgium, did excluding jailed ex-president Luiz eight years in prison. ing to fi ll up before prices rise. But most gas trouble erupt in the capital. Inacio Lula da Silva. Mexico extradites key ‘El Chapo’ lieutenant to US

Reuters education studies, was a former face drug traffi cking and con- tran told a local radio programme. from prison in 2001 before join- ment and their Mexican counter- tensions between the neighbours Mexico City security offi cial in Sinaloa state spiracy charges. “We can bring to a good con- ing the notorious crime group, parts. over those issues. who rose to become one of the Guzman’s trial is expected to clusion the process the United offi cials have said. Mexico’s next president Andres The Justice Department said leaders of the cartel, authorities begin later this year. States is carrying out against” US President Donald Trump Manuel Lopez Obrador, who won later another alleged member of exico on Friday ex- say. Lopez, 52, arrived in the United Guzman. has made security at the south- by a landslide last Sunday and will the Sinaloa Cartel, Arturo Lo- tradited to the United He was arrested in Mexico City States on Friday and is scheduled At the time of Lopez’s arrest ern border an administration take offi ce in December, opposes zano, made an initial court ap- MStates a senior lieuten- last year. to make an initial appearance to- in May 2017, Mexican offi cials priority, arguing his plan to build the wall and has said he aims to pearance in El Paso, Texas, on ant of the Sinaloa Cartel drug Mexico’s acting attorney gen- morrow in federal court in Alex- said he was believed to have been a US-Mexico border wall would stem drug traffi cking by alleviat- Friday after being extradited gang formerly headed by Joaquin eral, Alberto Elias Beltran, said andria, Virginia, the US Justice seeking an alliance with Guz- stem the fl ow of drugs into the ing poverty and other root causes. from Mexico on Thursday. ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, the attorney Lopez was seen as an important Department said in a statement. man’s rival, the Jalisco New Gen- United States. Trump and Lopez Obrador Lozano, 47, was in charge of the general’s offi ce said. witness in the case against Guz- “He’s a key person as much for eration Cartel. He has also issued executive discussed security issues as well cartel’s warehouses in Juarez, ac- Damaso Lopez, known as ‘The man, who was extradited to the the United States government as Lopez had played a role in or- orders aiming to improve coordi- as trade and immigration in a cording to an indictment cited by Graduate’ because of his higher United States in January 2017 to for the Mexican government,” Bel- chestrating Guzman’s escape nation between US law enforce- phone call last Monday, amid the department in a statement. Gulf Times 20 Sunday, July 8, 2018 PAKISTAN

Commission bans announcement of election results until an hour aft er polling ends The Election Commission of Paki- stan (ECP) has directed the media not to announce election results ECP okays allocation of before 7pm on July 25. The polling time is from 8am to 6pm and the ECP has asked the media to observe its code of conduct. Chairman of the Pakistan Elec- tronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Salim Beg called on Chief party tickets to women Election Commissioner Moham- mad Raza and both agreed on this, Internews Provincial Assemblies, through a en awarded party tickets. The PML-N awarded a total of der the 5% formula, was required against the required two, and an off icial confirmed on Friday. Islamabad transparent and democratic pro- According to the details re- 639 tickets and was required to to give 27 tickets to women. the Baluchistan National Party The meeting was informed that to cedure and while making the se- leased by the ECP yesterday, the issue 32 of them to women can- It awarded 37 tickets to fe- issued three tickets to women facilitate media, the ECP has for lection of candidates on general Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is- didates, but it also awarded 37 males, 10 more than the require- against the requirement of two. the first time established a media aking advantage of the seats shall ensure at least fi ve per sued the highest number of party tickets to female candidates, in ment. The Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek cell, where the authentic results vague wording of the law, cent representation of women tickets to women, followed by excess of the quota. The Awami National Party (AAT) – a platform being used by would be released. Tthe Election Commission candidates”. the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (ANP) issued 14 tickets to wom- candidates of Muttahida Mus- The PEMRA team spoke about its of Pakistan (ECP) has cleared all Under Section 215 of the Act, (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim (MMA), an amalgam of religious en, against the requirement of lim League (MML) which had eff orts to ensure implementation major political parties on meet- parties that fail to meet the re- League-Nawaz (PML-N). parties, was required to award 30 nine, while the Muttahida Qaumi been denied registration for hav- of the code of conduct for media ing the requirement of awarding quirement would not be entitled The PPP awarded a total of 642 tickets to women, out of the total Movement (MQM) issued six ing links with the banned outfi t issued by the ECP regarding cover- 5% of their tickets for general to an election symbol. party tickets and was required to 583 tickets it had allotted its can- against the requirement of four. Jamaatud Dawa, was required to age of elections. seats in parliament and the pro- Though it appears as if parties award 32 tickets to women, but didates, and it also issued three The Pak Sarzameen Party give 12 tickets to female candi- During the election period, the me- vincial assemblies to women. are required to award 5% of tick- issued 43 tickets to female can- more tickets to women than the (PSP) gave 12 tickets to women dates, but did not meet the re- dia has a duty to ensure that the Section 206 of the Elections ets for general seats to women, didates – 11 more than the legal mandatory requirement. against the required seven, the quirement and awarded only 10 public is informed about electoral Act 2017 reads: “A political party the ECP has made it easier for requirement. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pa- Grand Democratic Alliance is- tickets. matters such as political parties, shall make the selection of can- political parties to clear the test Likewise, the PTI awarded a kistan (TLP), which surprised sued eight against a requirement Political parties which issued candidates, campaign issues and didates for elective offi ces, in- by combining the number of total of 769 party tickets and gave many by jumping into the elec- of fi ve tickets to women, the Pa- less than 20 tickets to its mem- voting processes, said a ECP press cluding membership of the Ma- tickets awarded by the parties to 42 of them to women, when the toral politics in a big way, fi elded kistan Muslim League – Quaid- bers are not required, under the release. jlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and calculate the percentage of wom- legal requirement is 38. a total of 556 candidates, and un- e-Azam (PML-Q) issued fi ve law, to give tickets to women.

Canadian PML-N workers want party Verdict in Sharif case is full of dies on K2 supremo to return soon ‘contradictions’, say experts mountain Internews Internews Lahore Islamabad AFP/DPA Islamabad elieving that the party’s n the wake of delayed but his- supreme leader will re- toric verdict, the legal minds Canadian national who Bturn despite being con- Iin the country have termed was attempting to climb victed by the accountabil- the accountability court’s ruling AK2 mountain has fallen ity court, local Pakistan Muslim “full of contradictions”. to his death, offi cials said yes- League – Nawaz (PML-N) said Renowned lawyer Faisal Sid- terday. Nawaz Sharif’s return is all the diqui said that it is a judgment The 53-year-old was between more necessary to revive ideo- “full of contradictions” that re- camps 2 and 3 on the notoriously logical politics and for building lies on inadmissible evidence and challenging 8,611m (28,251’) momentum of the party’s elec- draws inferences about evidence peak when the accident hap- tion campaign. based upon unproven facts. pened, an offi cial of the Gilgit- “Mian Sahib should imme- Siddiqui believes that the Baltistan Tourism department diately return if he wishes to verdict will go down in judicial told AFP. take his ideological fi ght against history as a horrible example of “A Canadian climber had non-democratic forces to its Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) supporters chant miscarriage of justice. slipped and fallen while climbing logical end. His homecoming slogans during a protest in Multan. He said that it is an example Sharif: mulling his options from Camp II to Camp III on K2, will also boost the morale of of classic contradiction because an 8,611m-high peak in north- party activists needed to ensure Zulfi kar Ali Bhutto and the as- protest the “unjustifi ed” con- at one point the court held that law answered by this decision, bench which will hear the cases ern Pakistan,” Karar Haideri, a win in the polls,” said Naeem sassination of Pakistan Peoples viction whenever the party asks corruption could not be proven in including those relating to bur- in the next two weeks. spokesman for the government- Mir, who represents the trad- Party (PPP) chairperson Bena- them to. the ownership of fl ats, yet former den of proof, white collar crime, Moreover, it is expected that run Alpine Club of Pakistan, told ing community, a virtual con- zir Bhutto. So far, he said, they were di- prime minister Nawaz Sharif was and what constitutes evidence, the appeal would be fi xed before DPA. stituency of the PML-N, in the He claimed that Friday’s ver- rected to remain indoors and convicted for possession of the should be considered in depth at two of them. His death was confi rmed by party. dict did not shock party activ- wait for a call from the central same apartments, whose source each stage of appeal, so that “we Interestingly, three other Sakhawat Hussain of Summit He further said that the ver- ists as they had been expecting leadership. of purchase has not been proved. gain clarity in our jurisprudence judges, including the IHC chief Karakoram, the tour company dict has sent a negative message it for quite some time, adding Meanwhile, a handful of Likewise, former Pakistan at- one way or another”. justice, would be on summer va- that organised his trip. to the rank and fi le of the party, that those who had to quit the PML-N workers held demon- torney general Ashtar Ausaf Ali Also, he adds, accountabil- cation this month. He said that he had received putting workers under pres- party had already done so and strations yesterday at two spots contends that the judgment can- ity starting from the top should Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf notifi cation from the base camp sure, and cautioned that the that there will not be further in the city. not be sustained, explaining that always be welcomed, and must lawyer Hamid Khan explained that the Canadian “had fallen to pressure would not go away if defections. More than a dozen activists three basic questions were in- now extend to all institutions. that the Sharifs would have to his death and his body has been the supremo did not return. Chaudhry Abbas Jutt, chair- gathered at the Model Town volved in the matter. The legal experts believe that fi rst fi le an appeal against the de- moved to advance base camp”, PML-N media co-ordinator man of a Shahdara union coun- party offi ce and lodged a pro- “Firstly, whether there was now all eyes are on the Islamabad cision and then a writ petition for adding that he was in contact Muhammad Mehdi asserted cil, said that they are not de- test. any corruption. Second, was the High Court (IHC), wherein ap- suspension of the sentence. with family members. that the conviction of Nawaz terred by the conviction of their PML-N president Shehbaz money transferred to London? peal against the verdict would be However, it is prerequisite for Hussain said there were 13 Sharif will achieve what was leader. Sharif and senior party leaders Third, who was the owner of fi led in the next 10 days. them to personally appear before members of the expedition who expected by those who wished Rather, he said, they are hap- were present inside the offi ce, the fl ats when it was transferred They say that it would be in- the court if they fi le for a “sus- were trying to scale K2 and Borad to see the party leadership re- py that Sharif remains defi ant but did not join in the protest. to Neilson and Nescol and how teresting to see which two IHC pension of sentence” petition. Peak, which is 8,047m high. moved from public scene. and is ready to be imprisoned Shouting slogans against the money was paid to the original judges will be part of the division Sharif and his daughter Mar- K2 is the world’s second high- History is proof that reac- for the cause of democracy. court verdict, the workers ex- owner and by whom?” he said. bench to take up Sharif’s appeal yam are presently in London. est peak and looms over the tion against allegedly unjusti- Soon after culmination of a pressed solidarity with Nawaz Neilson and Nescol are off - in the next couple of weeks. Pakistan Peoples Party leader Karakoram range on the China- fi ed treatment of a party leader corner meeting held in the area Sharif and his daughter Mar- shore companies linked to the According to the proposed Khursheed Shah opines that the Pakistan border. adds to the popularity of the and addressed by former mem- yam, and vowed to join hands Sharif family. roster, IHC judges Justice Aamar decision should have been an- It is often deemed a more party instead of going against ber of the National Assembly with the former premier in his However, Barrister Asad Ra- Farooq, Justice Mohsin Akhtar nounced three months earlier in- challenging climb than the high- it, Mehdi said, citing the hang- (MNA) Hamza Shahbaz, Jutt struggle for “respect for the him Khan, commenting on the Kayani, and Justice Miangul stead of now, with the elections est peak, Mount Everest. ing of former prime minister said that they will peacefully ballot”. judgment, said that questions of Hassan Aurangzeb will be part of just weeks away. Landmines arrive with the summer thaw in Kashmir

By Sajjad Qayyum, AFP carrying out an awareness cam- The organisation has also re- Neelum Valley, Pakistan paign in the region since 2011. ferred some 250 victims of mine The organisation has provided blasts to rehabilitation centres her with posters and pamphlets providing them with artifi cial s the summer sun warms showing the diff erent shapes limbs since 2011. the verdant valleys of of mines and other unexploded However, there has been a APakistan-administered ordnance, such as mortar and surge of shelling along the LoC Kashmir, its snow and glaciers artillery shells, to help villagers in recent months as tensions begin to melt, and the deadly recognise the danger and avoid it. between nuclear-armed rivals landmines buried within them The mines are often small and India and Pakistan rise, and the slowly begin to shift downstream sometimes camoufl aged, the col- violence is hitting the awareness towards the villages below. our of stones and lying half-bur- campaign. Laid by troops along both sides ied in the grass along the streams, The two countries have dis- of the highly militarised Line underscoring the programme’s puted Kashmir since independ- of Control (LoC), the de-facto push to educate Kashmir resi- ence from Britain in 1947, and border dividing the contested dents on what they look like. fought two of their three wars Himalayan region between India This picture taken on February 22 shows students listening during an They are hoping to save people over the territory. and Pakistan, the landmines are awareness campaign about landmines, provided by the Pakistan Red like Muhammad Rafi q, a carpen- Cross-border clashes recently believed to kill and maim dozens Crescent Society (PRCS), in Abbaspur Sector on the Line of Control in ter from the village of Polas near reached the highest levels in 15 of villagers each year. Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. the LoC, who was going to a for- years, fi gures from both sides “It is a hilly area. Our village est to cut wood when he stepped show. is located at the bottom, and the areas this way each year. just metres from the LoC. on a mine and lost his foot. Earlier in June both militaries enemy posts are at the top,” ex- The area is vast, and villagers Pakistani and Indian troops are The 46-year-old now takes pledged to respect the ceasefi re, plains Muhammad Sulaiman, do not always report what has deployed on the heights above it. jobs as a day labourer to put food but the vow was broken within a 72-year-old resident of the happened. Last September she, like many on the table for his fi ve children. days. village of Bugna, in the steeply The Pakistan Red Crescent other women of Bugna, was cut- “I had no diffi culty when I had In the Neelum Valley, Kazmi of sloped Neelum Valley. Society does not have access to ting grass for livestock, foraging two real legs,” he tells AFP. the Red Crescent warns that the When the snow melts, he says, parts of the LoC itself, and says it for wood for cooking and heat- This picture taken on February 27 shows Salima Bibi, 24, wearing an The Red Crescent volunteers shelling is preventing them from the mines “fl ow from the top to does not have proper data. ing, and bringing drinking water artificial limb before giving an awareness campaign for landmines are going door to door to spread carrying out their mission of ed- our village”. However, it is enough that from the stream. talk to local residents at a village in Neelum Valley, on the Line of the word, and say they have spo- ucating people about the dangers Villagers routinely ford the in winter the villagers feel safe, “I was walking through a small Control in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. ken to more than 200,000 peo- of landmines. many small streams criss-cross- many told AFP, while rising tem- stream,” Salima says. “All of a ple. “Our fi eld teams are not visit- ing the valley as they go about peratures bring increased nerv- sudden there was a blast. I fell the International Committee of ry out routine chores and care for Yasir Arafat Kazmi, the pro- ing the areas on the LoC as their their daily business. ousness. down, I was bleeding.” the Red Cross (ICRC) providing her children. gramme’s project manager, says own lives are at risk,” he says. “They are hit by landmines, Like Sulaiman, Salima Bibi She was rushed to Muzaff ara- her with a prosthetic. “I don’t want what happened they have seen a decrease in the Meanwhile, the sun beats and they become victims,” Su- lives in Bugna, a village of 1,500 bad, and remained there for two Bibi, a mother of three clad to me to happen to others,” she number of victims they have down and the streams course laiman says. people that has only enough months as doctors fought to save in a traditional shalwar kameez, says in an interview at her home. been able to trace since the cam- through the valleys, many carry- Nobody knows how many electricity for lights – but not her mangled leg. wrings her hands sadly as she So she is joining forces with paign began – from 61 in 2015 to ing their treacherous cargo from landmines fl ow into populated enough heat or cooking – and is Eventually, it was amputated, tells AFP how diffi cult it is to car- the Red Crescent, which has been 13 last year. the militarised heights above. Gulf Times Sunday, July 8, 2018 21 PHILIPPINES Another city offi cial killed in ambush

Reuters 4,200 suspected drugs dealers The motive and identities of Manila and users since Duterte came to the gunmen in the latest kill- power. ing are still being investigated, Several thousand more have Chief Superintendent Edward unmen killed a city vice been murdered by unknown Carranza, a police regional di- mayor in the Philippines gunmen, described by authori- rector, said. Gyesterday, police said, ties as vigilantes or rival gang On Monday, Mayor Antonio less than a week after two may- members. Halili of Tanauan City in Ba- ors were shot dead in separate Police have denied the al- tangas, south of Manila, was hit incidents, including one Presi- legations by rights groups and by a bullet in the chest during a dent Rodrigo Duterte said may critics of the campaign that flag-raising ceremony. have had links to illegal drugs. some of the killings were sum- Halili had gained prominence The latest attack brought to mary executions, saying they in 2016 for parading drug sus- 15 the number of mayors and had to use force because the pects in the streets, but he was vice mayors killed since Duterte suspects, who were armed, had included in Duterte’s watchlist unleashed his deadly anti-nar- violently resisted arrest. of local leaders. cotics campaign when he came Presidential spokesman Duterte has said the mayor to power in 2016, according to Harry Roque said the “worri- may have had some drug in- CNN Philippines, citing a tally of some incidents of violence in- volvement and his campaign to its own research team. volving local politicians” must parade suspects was a ploy to Duterte has a watchlist of local end and police must “spare no convince police he was not en- People wade on a flooded street caused by a sudden heavy rain in Manila, yesterday. Health officials have said that the surge in offi cials suspected to have links effort in getting to the bottom gaged in the illegal drug trade. leptospirosis cases can be attributed to seasonal flooding due to continuous rains in recent weeks. to illegal drug trade. of this latest crime”. Halili’s daughter denied her The daughter of one of the Alexander Lubigan, vice father had links to the drugs other victims this week said her mayor of Trece Martires City trade. father was not involved in drugs in Cavite, south of Manila, was On Tuesday, gunmen on a and police investigators said in a sports utility vehicle when motorcycle killed Mayor Fer- they had not received any infor- unidentified gunmen aboard dinand Bote of General Tinio mation linking the other to the another SUV opened fire, po- town in Nueva Ecija province, Leptospirosis outbreak trade. lice said. His bodyguard was but police said he was not Police have killed more than also killed. linked to the drug trade. declared in more villages

By Francis Earl Cueto disease was reported in two of Duque said 58 people have On Thursday, the Health de- German Duterte no longer Manila Times its villages. died of the disease since Janu- partment declared a leptospiro- “The number of aff ected vil- ary. sis outbreak in some villages in lages has increased from 18 to Among the symptoms of the cities of Quezon, Taguig, sentenced keen on rebel talks he Department of Health 28,” Health Secretary Francisco leptospirosis are high fever, Pasig, Parañaque, Navotas, has added 10 more vil- Duque said in a radio interview headache, muscle pain, eye Mandaluyong and Malabon. Tlages to the list of areas yesterday. redness, tea-coloured urine, Duque said his department to life over By Catherine S Valente Until three years.’ If that is my with a leptospirosis outbreak, Leptospirosis is a bacte- cough, diarrhoea and vomiting. has ensured that hospitals are Manila Times destiny, I will accept it. There’s bringing the total number of af- rial infection caused by contact If left untreated, leptospiro- prepared and well-equipped to no problem with it. Destiny is fected villages to 28. with fl oodwater, mud or food sis may cause kidney failure, treat leptospirosis cases. child abuse God. That is what God wants The city of Caloocan was contaminated with the urine of brain damage, massive internal He urged Filipinos to avoid resident Rodrigo Duterte me to be, a civilian after three added to the list because the rats. bleeding, and death. wading in fl ood waters. has declared that he was years, according to Sison, the DPA Pno longer inclined to clairvoyant of the Commu- Manila pursue peace talks with com- nist Party of the Philippines,” munist rebels, given that in- he added. Duterte noted that telligence services discovered Sison has been fi ghting for 50 46-year-old German man a supposed plan by the insur- years and “we were about to Nearly 200,000 workers lose jobs has been sentenced to life gents to remove him from of- begin another 50 years.” Aimprisonment in the Phil- fi ce by October. He insisted that he prefers ippines for child abuse and traf- “Sison said I will not last to go to war than give in to the fi cking. three years so I told Sison now, demand of the rebel group for a after ban on contractualisation Thomas Michael Ruhland was ‘I don’t want to talk to you be- coalition government. convicted of the charges on Friday cause you said I’d only last for “I’m a lawyer. I’ve been by a court in Cebu City, 570 kilo- three years. I have no time to reading the agreements. If By Llanesca T Panti plementing anti-contractualisation poli- grieved contractual workers were making metres south of Manila, according talk to you. It’s up to you,’” Du- you summarise them, if their Manila Times cy, the companies went on a pre-emptive their situation worse. to court documents. terte said in his speech at the fi gures…, it would end up in strike move by fi ring the contractual em- They were alluding to the incident in He has been detained in Cebu’s opening ceremony of the Na- power-sharing and in a coali- ployees” especially in Southern Tagalong Bulacan on June 15 when the police tried to provincial jail since 2011 when tional Science and Technology tion government. I cannot give ust two months after President Rod- Region. During his presidential campaign, break the picket line of NutriAsia workers he was arrested for taking nude Week in Davao City on Friday. it to you. Let’s go to war. Let rigo Duterte issued Executive Order then Davao City Mayor Duterte promised who were protesting their longstanding photos of two teenage girls at a Sison is Jose Maria “Joma” us all go to war,” the president J52 banning contractualisation, at least that he would end contractualisation. contractual status. A number of NutriAsia motel in nearby Talisay City, po- Sison, founder of the Com- said. Duterte’s statement came 200,000 workers have been fi red, Rep. The House of Representatives passed workers were injured. lice said.Judge Jose Andal also or- munist Party of the Philip- after the Armed Forces of the Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis party-list has the Security of Tenure bill banning con- Director Benjo Benavidez, chief of the dered Ruhland to pay 3.4mn pesos pines (CPP). “They said in- Philippines (AFP) confi rmed said. tractualisation last January, but the meas- Department of Labour and Employment’s ($64,150) to the two teenagers, stead of fi ghting, they’ll just that communist rebels were Casilao made the claim by citing data ure has been gathering dust in the Senate. Bureau of Employment Relations said he who were then aged 16 and 14. use their energies to oust Du- supposedly plotting to topple gathered by Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), The passage of the Security of Ten- had yet to verify where the KMU got its “He took advantage of their terte. That’s fi ne with me if Duterte in October this year. showing several of the country’s biggest ure bill is expected to benefi t some 6mn fi gures. vulnerability to attain his purpose that’s what the people want. I Meanwhile, Sison sent his companies terminating their contractual workers. “We will check where their fi gures came of exploiting them,” Andal said in am ready to be ousted, but let’s gratitude to Defence Secretary workers instead of granting them a regu- “The president should not give our from. It’s too big, considering that our his decision. Cebu Vice Governor fi ght fi rst,” the president said. Delfi n Lorenzana for “expos- lar employee status in accordance with workers false hopes. These contractual thrust is to regularise workers,” Benavidez Agnes Magpale, who heads the He added that he prefers to ing” Duterte’s “lies” on giving the labour law provision that those whose workers have been performing tasks di- told Manila Times, even as he admitted provincial women’s commission, go to war with the communist him safety and security if he jobs are directly related to the business of rectly related to the business of their em- that some workers lost their jobs as a re- hailed Ruhland’s conviction. rebels fi rst after Sison said he ever goes back to the Philip- a company cannot serve as a contractual ployers for four to eight years. Instead of sult of the order. “So many children will be saved would be ousted in three years. pines. In a statement also on employee for more than six months. being regularised, they were fi red,” Casi- He noted that since June 2016 up to because of his conviction,” Mag- The president said he was Friday, he said Lorenzana’s Among those companies are NutriAsia, lao stressed. June 2018, a total of 182,915 contractual pale said yesterday. ready to become an ordinary statement of making him ac- PLDT, Hanjin shipyard, Manila Harbour Party-list representatives France Cas- workers have been regularised follow- Ruhland was arrested after the citizen if removed from offi ce, countable “for his sins” proved Center, Jollibee and Monde Nissin. tro of Alliance of Concerned Teachers and ing the labour department’s campaign father of one of the abused girls if this was part of his destiny. that Duterte’s assurance of Casilao said in a news conference that Sarah Elago of Kabataan party-list said against illegal work contracting and sought the help of the National “Do you know what Sison immunity to him are false and EO 52 has no teeth at all as “instead of im- the violent dispersal of protesting ag- subcontracting. Bureau of Investigation. said? ‘Duterte will not last. malicious. Audit panel claims 334 infrastructure projects ‘defective’

Manila Times specifi cations of the DPWH,” the sion to ensure that all contrac- ed balance of P51,757,581,014.00, target project and activities,” the mentation for farm-to-market the three-year period, from CY Manila audit report said. tors undertake the projects in all of which were reverted to the audit commission said. road and farm-to-mill roads 2015 to CY 2017 showed contin- According to the report, these accordance with the approved National Treasury,” it added. “Further review and analysis and school buildings, as well ued increase in utilisation rate infrastructure projects included programme of works.” “Our three-year analysis of of the Schedule of Allotment, as projects funded out of the which is an indication that man- hree-hundred-thirty- 18 school buildings in the Na- Also in 2017, the DPWH’s the department’s absorptive Obligations and Balances as of National Disaster Risk Reduc- agement has gradually improved four (334) infrastructure tional Capital Region (NCR or disbursement-over-allotment capacity revealed satisfactory December 31, 2017, out of the tion Management Fund (NDR- in managing its cash allocation Tprojects of the Depart- Metro Manila). rates “remained very low” in obligation-over-allotment rates P51,757,581,014.00 unobligated RMF) in the total amount of and in forecasting its disburse- ment of Public Works and High- “The above defects/defi cien- 2017 while it signifi cantly im- from CYs 2015 to 2017, with allotments, 95.05% or a total of P6,180,559,614.92,” the com- ment program,” it added. ways (DPWH) “were found to cies will result in wastage of gov- proved its obligation rates, ac- the current year rate reach- P49,197,628,126.16 pertain to mission said. “It is noteworthy to mention have defects equivalent to at ernment funds and property, if cording to the audit report. ing a high of 92.19%. However, capital outlays (Cos) intended According to the audit re- that the increase in obligation least P40,924,520.79 which, not corrected by the contractors “Of the total allotments of disbursement-over-allotment for the implementation of vari- port, unobligated allotments rates and cash allocation utili- if not corrected or rectifi ed by in due time,” the audit commis- P662,690,828,097 received rates remained very low,” the ous infrastructure projects. Of as of year-end 2017 were auto- sation rates showed that man- concerned contractors, may re- sion said. It recommended that for CY (Calendar Year) 2017, report said. According to the the unobligated CO allotments, matically rendered invalid with agement has implemented vital sult in wastage of government the DPWH “require all the con- P610,933,247,083 or 92.19% audit report, the disbursement- P43,017,068,510.86 pertain to the eff ectivity of the one-year reforms in its budget execution funds and deprive the public of cerned contractors to rectify im- was obligated. However, only over-allotment rate for 2017 was projects under MFOs (Major validity of allotments under and disbursement forecasting. the maximum use of the infra- mediately the defi ciencies noted P222,661,912,628.91 or 34.14% 33.60%, higher than the 34.14% Final Outputs) 1 to 3, Locally- the 2017 GAA. “Similarly, the Nonetheless, it bears empha- structure.” to conform with the approved thereof was disbursed due to the for 2016 and 34.03% for 2015. Funded Projects and Foreign- low disbursement rate in CY sising that the delay or non- This observation was made programme of works or forfeit delayed/non-implementation of “It can be gleaned from the ta- Assisted Projects,” it added. 2017 was mainly attributed to implementation of the national in the Commission on Audit’s the performance security and infrastructure projects,” the re- ble above that while the DPWH “Also included in the to- the above-mentioned unob- road networks, fl ood control (CoA) audit report on the DPWH consider blacklisting the con- port said. was able to signifi cantly improve tal unobligated CO balances of ligated projects amounting to projects and other maintenance for 2017. cerned contractors who refuse “Review of the DPWH’s ap- its obligation rate, the actual P49,197,628,126.16 are projects P49,197,628,126.16 and the de- and construction services of the “Inspection of the 334 infra- to eff ect the necessary correc- propriations, allotments and utilisation/disbursement of the funded under the Special Pro- layed or non-implementation of agency deprived the intended structure projects conducted by tions.” obligations for CY 2017 dis- agency’s budget has declined. visions of the GAA FY (General obligated projects with total cost benefi ciaries immediate access the CoA-Technical Audit Spe- The commission also recom- closed that out of the total allot- This indicates that management Appropriations Act Fiscal Year) of P73,351,042,962.99,” the audit to safe and reliable road net- cialists during the year revealed mended that the DPWH “di- ments received in the aggregate was not able to eff ectively man- 2017 from the appropriations of body said. work systems, school buildings, defects/defi ciencies including rect the Inspectorate Team to, amount of P662,690,828,097, age the increasing amount of the Department of Agriculture “On the other hand, results of and health facilities and reduced items of work which were not henceforth, conduct regular and P610,933,247,083 or 92.19% was funds entrusted to the agency (DA) and Department of Edu- verifi cation of the Notice of Cash vulnerability to fl ooding,” the in accordance with the standard strict monitoring and supervi- obligated, leaving an unobligat- due to low physical delivery of cation (DepEd) for the imple- Allocations (NCAs) received for audit commission said. Gulf Times 22 Sunday, July 8, 2018 COMMENT

CHAIRMAN Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka Deputy Managing Editor K T Chacko P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar [email protected] 44350478 (News), 44466404 (Sport), 44466636 (Home delivery) 44350474 facebook.com/gulftimes twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar GULF TIMES Amir’s visit to France raises Qatar’s stature on international stage

The just-concluded visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to France underscores the growing importance of Qatar on the international stage, especially at a time when the country is facing an unjust siege imposed by the Saudi-led quartet. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, accusing it of backing terrorism, a charge which Doha denies. Since then the four countries have mounted a campaign to tarnish Qatar’s fair image globally. The latest visit of the The overly complex Amir to France, and his numerous previous tours of several countries over the past year, reaffi rm Qatar’s prestigious position in the international arena and the world’s respect for its policies in the face of the siege. The Amir’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday refl ects the signifi cance of Qatar as a main European Union partner of France in the fi ght against terrorism. The two leaders’ discussion on terrorism, their emphasis on fi ghting it and drying up its funding sources reaffi rm the By Harold James it is up to the task of confronting any of the agenda. This is an area where the But the fundamental problem is Princeton these issues, even trade (the one policy EU should have considerable agenda- that European leaders at the summit paramount interest and determination of both countries in domain that fi ts fully within the EU’s setting power. But its representatives could not get on the same page fast their joint eff orts to combat the menace and its financing, jurisdiction). missed a golden opportunity when US enough to respond in time. Europe in accordance with the letter of intent signed in Doha last he European Union is In theory, all of these issues could be President Donald Trump, who might as has too many moving parts. The EU December. currently facing challenges dealt with together, in a kind of “grand well have written the chaos playbook, is deliberately complex, in order to Another signifi cant takeaway from the Amir’s visit was more severe than even the deal.” The advantages of such a deal off ered an alternative to the trade wars allow for the coordination of a wide the French president’s support for the Kuwaiti mediation Tdebt crisis that threatened to are obvious: in an uncertain world, he himself launched: the complete variety of national interests. That sink the eurozone earlier this decade. membership in a larger community dismantling of tariff barriers. Europeans complexity is fi ne in normal times, to resolve the Gulf crisis, North-South and East-West tensions provides valuable protection and should have seized on that proposal and but it is problematic at exceptional His Highness and his recognition of in Europe have continued to rise since assurance. Not all countries would insisted on the rapid completion of an moments, when the play is frenetic. At the suff ering the Qatari then, and are now being aggravated by win in all areas, but everyone would be initial agreement on G7 tariff levels. those moments, the EU looks more like the Amir people continue to endure growing uncertainty about the future better off overall. It was just such a move, it should the Habsburg empire – a complex vessel as a result of the unjust of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s For example, while Italy and Greece be remembered, that effectively of nationalities where satirists joked underlined the measures adopted by the government. Could these tensions would still have to register asylum ended the Cold War. In 1990, at that the situation was desperate but not siege countries - such fi nally tear the EU apart? seekers and provide them with medical the White House, Soviet leader serious. strong friendship Logically, there is no reason why the and social assistance, their European Mikhail Gorbachev unexpectedly The Habsburg empire had its own as separating families, EU should now be at risk of destruction. partners would support that eff ort, suggested that Nato membership for potential grand deal – a major political between Qatar disrupting students’ Not only has a sustainable agreement because they would benefi t from a a reunified Germany would stabilize reorganisation that would have altered education, hampering on Greek debt fi nally been agreed; but stronger frontier, policed by a European the continent. US President George the political weight of its nationalities and France smooth travel and the United Nations Refugee Agency has force. Likewise, all EU members would H W Bush and his aides leapt at the – but it was never concluded. Instead, preventing Qataris from recorded just 42,213 refugees so far this gain from the increased resilience opportunity, pushing Gorbachev to the political elite began to believe that performing religious rituals. year – nowhere near the million-plus aff orded by greater investment in seal the deal quickly. only an external political challenge – in President Macron’s emphasis on dialogue to resolve the who arrived at the EU’s borders in 2015. energy transmission. In the case of Trump at the G7, an the event, a brief war – could solve the Yet, this year, there has been a spike Nonetheless, a grand deal has always agreement to scrap tariff s would have problem. But World War I was no brief crisis and his call for the lifting of the illegal blockade clearly in angst over migration, in what seems been something of a chimera in Europe. been good for the whole world, even war, and far from rescuing the empire, it refl ects the positive French position towards Qatar, a fact like a delayed reaction not only to the A key problem lies in the intricacy if Trump later tried to renounce it. destroyed it. which was underlined by Macron during his joint press huge infl ux three years ago, but also of the EU, which is poorly equipped As it stands, tariff barriers are not After 1918, nostalgia for the old conference with the Amir. to the sense of insecurity brought on to function amid chaos, much as particularly high: the weighted mean empire surged. It looked better, more The talks also underscore the two countries’ common by the 2008 global fi nancial crisis. Germany’s highly disciplined soccer tariff for all US and EU products is tolerant, and even more capable than visions to resolve crucial issues in the Middle East, especially Europeans are more worried about the team was ill-prepared to face their just 1.6%. Getting to zero would be the group of competing nation-states the situation in Palestine, Syria, Libya and Yemen. future than they were a decade ago, not Mexican opponents’ frenetic play early relatively easy, and it would send a that succeeded it. Today’s Europeans least because they are not convinced in this year’s World Cup. (This is not powerful signal that there will be no tit- should take note. If they allow the On the bilateral front, the meeting reaffi rms the depth of that their political leaders can respond the fi rst case of a soccer match taking for-tat escalation, that global supply fears of the present to continue to stifl e the longstanding relations between Qatar and France in the eff ectively to current challenges. on symbolic signifi cance in the EU: in chains will not be disrupted, and that action, they may soon fi nd themselves fi elds of economy, trade, military, defence, security, culture, Those challenges extend far beyond the summer of 2012, at the height of the global economy is secure. wishing for a vanished opportunity. - education, agriculture and sports. migration and the enduring euro the eurozone’s debt crisis, the decisive Of course, such a deal would raise Project Syndicate It is noteworthy that His Highness the Amir asserted his debate. They include the security European summit occurred at the same challenges for the EU. Some businesses, keenness to spur the growth in French-Qatari relations and issue raised by continued fi ghting in time as a European Cup match between especially in the agriculture sector, zHarold James is professor of History underlined the strong friendship between the two countries Ukraine, the question of how to co- Italy and Germany.) currently enjoy higher levels of and International Aff airs at Princeton during the joint press conference. ordinate energy policy, the stalled Brexit The world of 2018 is one of chaotic protection; eliminating tariff s would University and a senior fellow at the negotiations, and the threat of a global play. Consider the recent G7 summit in thus alter the alignment of domestic Centre for International Governance Also signifi cant is the French president’s praise for the trade war. The EU has not proved that Quebec, where trade was at the top of interests in the EU (and in the US). Innovation. strong Qatari-French relations which he described as strategic, hailing Qatar as a “reliable partner and a friendly country with an ambition and a vision for the future”. President Macron asserted that Qatar is an important partner of France in establishing peace in several parts of the Middle East and Africa. The French president’s remarks confi rm the importance of the role played by Qatar - as an honest and acceptable mediator among the various parties - in achieving peace and security in the Middle East and other parts of the world. The strong relations were also highlighted by the agreements signed between the two countries, which contribute to promoting the distinct strategic partnership between Qatar and France in various fi elds. It is amply evident from His Highness the Amir’s successful visit to France that Qatar is further enhancing its global image and beating the siege politically and diplomatically.

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© 2018 Gulf Times. All rights reserved There is no reason why the EU should now be at risk of destruction. Gulf Times Sunday, July 8, 2018 23 COMMENT Saving Nato from Donald Trump

By Ana Palacio ends, Trump will meet with Russian Article 2 encourages Nato members Madrid President Vladimir Putin, in Helsinki. to collaborate economically and to The nightmare scenario is easy to bring “about a better understanding imagine: Trump lays bare Nato’s of the principles upon which” their ixty-nine years ago, the fractures, including by questioning free institutions are founded. More foreign ministers of 12 mutual defence, before selling his allies important, Article 3 calls upon countries in North America down the river by publicly embracing members to work together to build Sand Western Europe gathered Putin. and maintain a capacity for defence, in Washington, DC, to sign the But this does not need to be the thereby boosting resilience. North Atlantic Treaty, in which outcome. Rather than a high-drama, Whereas Article 5 has become a they “resolved to unite their eff orts make-or-break moment for the entire source of leverage for Trump to use to for collective defence and for the transatlantic alliance, as some have pressure his allies to spend more, while preservation of peace and security.” presented the summit, it can instead impressing his domestic supporters, The organisation that emerged, the be a constructive meeting – even if Articles 2 and 3 are practical and direct. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Trump refuses to co-operate. They focus not on visions of war, has undergirded the longest period of The agenda for the summit should but on the building blocks of peace, sustained peace and prosperity in the include planning for Brexit’s impact including public education, improved West’s modern history. And yet, on on the alliance and addressing the institutional relations, and eff ective July 11, Nato’s 29 members will begin unravelling relationship with its most organisation. These are the areas what is likely to be the most fraught problematic member, Turkey, which where Nato – especially its European summit in the organisation’s history. has, among other things, undermined members – has the most work to do. At last year’s summit, US President US policy in Syria. Participants should In Europe, one rarely hears the word Donald Trump’s hostile tone sent also consider how to combine Nato’s “defence” without “security.” This is shockwaves through the transatlantic activities with the budding European no accident: pairing these ideas makes alliance. America’s allies had already security and defence system. them more palatable for European known, of course, that Trump could What the summit’s participants public that, traumatised by history, be erratic and extreme, but they had should not do is allow all the focus to have long been lukewarm on defence. expected his administration’s more be put on Nato members’ obligation But, with a revanchist Russia to their seasoned members to keep him in to spend 2% of GDP on defence, even east and chaos to the south, Europeans check. That belief turned out to be though it is true that countries must can no longer aff ord to live in denial. misplaced, to say the least. increase their defence expenditure They must strengthen defence at the The blows to the transatlantic further. Nor should they fi xate on foundations, with Articles 2 and 3 as alliance have kept coming. Trump has the mutual defence commitment their guides. unilaterally imposed tariff s on other contained in Article 5 of the Nato Europe has long been given a free Nato members, citing national security Charter, even though the principle pass on defence, but the expiration date concerns, of all things. And, most that an attack on one Nato member is approaching fast. At this moment of notably, at last month’s G7 summit is regarded as an attack against all is uncertainty, it can be tempting to focus in Quebec, he showed unprecedented crucial to the alliance. on the high-stakes politics of Article hostility toward America’s closest The problem with this approach 5. But what Nato really needs is not to allies, launching personal attacks was on stark display last year, when grab more headlines, but to build its against Canadian Prime Minister the stage was set for Trump to reaffi rm Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and US President Donald Trump take a seat during a working dinner meeting at the own resilience, methodically and even Justin Trudeau and backing out of the his administration’s commitment Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) headquarters in Brussels in this May 25, 2017 file photo during a Nato summit. tediously, from the bottom up. - Project fi nal communiqué in response to a to mutual defence. After all, Trump Syndicate perceived slight. would be speaking at the dedication While he declared that the US would than showing the world that Nato requirement are, Nato’s value and In view of such actions, expectations of a memorial to the September 11, never “forsake the friends” that remains strong and united, he exposed relevance extend far beyond these zAna Palacio, a former Spanish for Trump’s behaviour at the upcoming 2001, terrorist attacks in the US – the supported it after 9/11, he did not it as uncertain and divided. Nato issues. Consider Articles 2 and 3 of foreign minister and former senior summit have gone from prickly to only time Article 5 has been invoked. It explicitly mention, let alone endorse, cannot aff ord to make that mistake the Nato Charter. They are rarely vice-president of the World Bank, is a dangerous. The sense of foreboding has was a moment manufactured to press Article 5. Instead, he lashed out at his again. referenced, yet both are of paramount member of the Spanish Council of State been heightened by the announcement Trump on the point. Nato partners yet again about their The truth is that, as important as importance to fulfi lling Nato’s and a visiting lecturer at Georgetown that, just four days after the summit But Trump did not take the bait. inadequate defence spending. Rather Article 5 and the 2%-of-GDP spending purpose. University.

Qatar’s successes in tackling human traffi cking Three-day forecast

TODAY highlights the importance of wage. Qatar also made progress and Qatar Foundation for Social Maximum Temperature : 430c By Ryan Gliha Minimum Temperature : 330c Chargé d’Aff aires of the US embassy comprehensive anti-traffi cking laws, in prevention through expanded Work are key partners in addressing victim-centred law enforcement, awareness-raising campaigns the issue. The US government MONDAY trauma-informed care, and and advancing a ground-breaking acknowledges the ongoing work of the Maximum Temperature : 440c uman programmes and policies that keep e-contract system for new workers International Labour Organisation and Minimum Temperature : 340c traffi cking, people from being exploited. which aims to prevent problems like multiple international labour unions TUESDAY perhaps This year’s report ranked Qatar at contract substitution and abusive and NGOs in Qatar. Because traffi cking Maximum Temperature : 420c Hbetter Tier Two, the second highest of the recruitment fees. is an international crime, it requires Minimum Temperature : 310c four possible rankings. In the report, Qatar’s seriousness about passing an international response and Qatar is known as modern Fisherman's forecast slavery, is a crime the State Department explained that reforms and addressing ongoing well placed to become a model for the that impacts an Qatar demonstrated increasing eff orts challenges was also highlighted in region. January 2018 at the US-Qatar Strategic For the fi rst time, Qatar’s National WARNING estimated 25mn to fi ght human traffi cking. As is true Inshore : Poor horizontal visibility victims throughout for all countries, including the United Dialogue when the foreign ministers Committee to Combat Human expected at places at the world. Deceived States, the report also notes that there of both countries signed the US-Qatar Traffi cking will release its own TIP first or forced into service is still more to be done. Anti-Traffi cking Memorandum of report this year highlighting Qatar’s Offshore : Nil in brothels, hotels, The State Department examines Understanding (MOU). Since the ongoing challenges and successes. We WEATHER construction sites, and homes, its three areas when making signing of the MOU, the US embassy commend the National Committee Inshore : Misty/ foggy at places victims are trapped in a multi-billion determinations for countries’ rankings and partners throughout multiple for undertaking this vital work and at first becomes hot and relatively humid dollar industry that weakens the – prosecutions, protection, and Qatari ministries have held numerous its drive to promote transparency daytime, humid by rule of law and strengthens criminal prevention. In each area Qatar made workshops, trainings, and awareness and improve performance across the night networks. clear improvements in the past year. raising activities. Our joint partnership government. Offshore : Misty at times

Last week the United States For the fi rst time, Qatar prosecuted and collaboration to defeat this crime Ultimately, the message of this WIND Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over 100 cases involving forced labour has never been stronger. year’s report speaks to the power of Inshore : Northwesterly-North- released the 2018 Traffi cking last year. Qatari labour courts handed National governments bear the collaborative eff orts and the strength easterly 04-14 KT Offshrore : Northwesterly-South- in Persons Report, an annual down more judgments in the fi rst primary responsibility in combating of community ties. Modern slavery westerly 02-12/17 KT publication documenting the eff orts half of 2017 than in all of 2016 – a human traffi cking, but they cannot do is a reality here in Qatar just as it is a Visibility : 4-8 KM/ 2 KM of 187 governments in combating strong signal to criminals that Qatar it alone. This year, the introduction reality in every region and country in human traffi cking. The report is as is serious about confronting modern to the TIP Report highlights the the world. But we can all fi nd ways to Offshore : 1-3/4 FT at times contribute to the solution. In doing an important tool to encourage all slavery. importance of local communities Around the region governments, including the United Qatar expanded protections for in safeguarding the places they call so, we all take steps to end human Weather States, to do more to address the vulnerable domestic workers by home from traffi ckers. Civil society traffi cking, protect its most vulnerable Weather tomorrow Max/min problem. As well as providing a passing new legislation outlining organisations in Qatar such as victims, and make our communities today Max/min Sunny 46/31 snapshot of global trends in this several important rights for domestic Msheirib Museums, local charities, the and world a safer place to live, grow Baghdad Sunny 46/30 Cloudy 47/36 terrible trade, the report also workers and mandating a minimum National Human Rights Committee, up, and fl ourish. Kuwait City Sunny 47/36 Manama Sunny 43/35 Cloudy 41/34 Muscat Sunny 39/33 Sunny 39/33 Tehran Sunny 41/28 Sunny 41/28 Live issues Treating your sunburn

Tribune New Service z Cover exposed areas with apply an antibiotic ointment, and Washington, DC sunscreen. cover it with a nonstick gauze z Seek shade during peak sun hours. bandage. z Wear a wide-brimmed hat and z Treat peeling skin gently t boils down to what’s in the sunglasses to protect your eyes and the Within a few days, the aff ected area Around the world term sunburn: “sun” and “burn.” delicate skin around them. may begin to peel. This is your body’s Weather Weather Simply put, the sun burns your Once sunburn occurs, you can’t do way of getting rid of the top layer today Max/min tomorrow Max/min Iskin. And the result can be pain, much to limit damage to your skin. of damaged skin. While your skin is Athens S T Storms 31/22 P Cloudy 31/21 redness, blisters and peeling skin. But the following tips may reduce your peeling, continue to moisturise. Beirut Sunny 29/26 Sunny 29/26 “Prevention is the key,” says pain and discomfort: z Protect your sunburn from Bangkok S T Storms 33/27 S T Storms 33/26 Dr Cindy Kermott, a Mayo Clinic z Take a pain reliever further sun exposure Berlin P Cloudy 27/14 P Cloudy 27/16 preventive medicine physician. “But if If needed, an over-the-counter Stay out of the sun or protect Cairo Sunny 39/24 Sunny 39/26 you’ve already been sunburned, taking pain reliever such as ibuprofen (Advil, yourself from sunlight when you go Cape Town Sunny 23/11 Sunny 23/13 a cool shower or bath can be a helpful Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium outside. Colombo T Storm 29/26 T Storm 29/26 start.” if it has exposure to the outside world (Aleve) may help control the pain and zAvoid applying “-caine” products, Dhaka M Cloudy 33/27 T Storm 32/26 Kermott says the cool water from a - if it’s popped.” swelling of sunburn, especially if you such as benzocaine Hong Kong S T Storms 31/28 S Showers 31/27 shower, bath or cold compress works Kermott says if blisters break on take it soon after sun exposure. Some Such creams may irritate the Istanbul Sunny 29/21 Sunny 29/21 to tame the infl ammation that occurs their own, apply an antibacterial types of pain relievers may be applied skin or cause an allergic reaction. Jakarta Sunny 33/24 P Cloudy 33/25 around a sunburn. Taking an anti- cream to protect the newly exposed to your skin as gels. Benzocaine has been linked to a rare Karachi P Cloudy 33/29 P Cloudy 33/29 infl ammatory medicine can help too. layer of skin. z Cool the skin but potentially deadly condition London P Cloudy 31/18 M Sunny 30/17 Drinking plenty of water will help See a doctor if the sunburn: Apply to the aff ected skin a that decreases the amount of Manila T Storm 31/25 T Storm 29/25 replenish what your body is losing in z Is accompanied by a high fever or compress - such as a towel dampened oxygen that the blood can carry Moscow P Cloudy 23/13 T Storm 22/14 battling the sunburn. extreme pain with cool tap water. Or take a cool bath (methemoglobinemia). Don’t use New Delhi Sunny 38/30 P Cloudy 39/30 Kermott says to avoid applying z Blistering covers a large part of or shower. benzocaine in children younger New York Sunny 27/19 M Sunny 29/19 topical products to the burned area, as your body z Apply moisturiser than age two without supervision Paris M Sunny 31/19 M Sunny 31/17 they can irritate the skin and, in some z Produces yellow drainage or red An aloe vera lotion or gel may be from a healthcare professional. If Sao Paulo M Sunny 27/15 Sunny 27/13 cases, cause an allergic reaction. And streaks leading away from blisters soothing. you’re an adult, never use more Seoul M Sunny 28/18 M Cloudy 30/20 don’t pop blisters that may form. Finally, Kermott says to wear loose- z Don’t break small blisters (no than the recommended dose and Singapore T Storm 29/26 T Storm 29/26 “That fl uid that’s underneath the fi tting cotton clothing over the burn to bigger than your little fi ngernail) consider talking with your doctor Sydney Cloudy 16/08 Cloudy 15/08 blisters is completely sterile,” says Dr limit any further exposure to the sun until If a blister breaks, gently clean before using it. - Mayo Clinic News Tokyo Cloudy 30/22 Cloudy 32/25 Kermott. “It can only become infected the skin is healed.To avoid sunburn: the area with mild soap and water, Network Gulf Times 24 Sunday, July 8, 2018 QATAR

Children conduct a science experiment as part of Qatar Foundation’s summer activities at Education City. Children take part in sports-orientated events during the summer activities by Qatar Foundation. Qatar Foundation hosting several summer activities atar Foundation (QF) is Machaille al-Naimi, president being of all members of the Qatar running swimming lessons and a City Club House will give children Based Makers Camp for Kids’, the Qatar Foundation Recrea- hosting a diverse range of Community Development at community.” mini swim camp for children and the opportunity to conduct diff er- takes place at Qatar Academy tion Centre and Education City Qof family-friendly events QF, said: “We invite everyone to Among the sports-orientat- adults throughout the summer. ent science experiments. Doha from July 8, while Camp Summer Camps are also provid- and activities at schools and ven- take part in our summer events ed summer events taking place Meanwhile, the swimming Qatar Career Development Festival is holding its Summer ing a wide range of activities for ues throughout Education City this year, and experience the at QF is a Summer Volleyball pool at the Qatar Foundation Centre hosts its Summer Career Camp 2018 in Education City children throughout the summer this summer. services and facilities that QF has Programme at Awsaj Acad- Recreation Centre is open every Camp 2018 at the Education City from 9am to 3pm, Sunday to months. QF’s extensive summer calen- to off er at Education City. emy, teaching the basic skills of Friday from 8am to 6pm. Student Centre until July 12. Thursday, until August 2. Meanwhile, a family event cel- dar off ers something for all ages “Community development lies serving, passing, attacking and The Qatar Foundation Recrea- The camp provides high school Virginia Commonwealth Uni- ebrating Eid al-Adha will take and abilities, with a variety of at the heart of everything we do blocking to children aged 9-12 tion Centre will also host a ‘Bak- students with a stimulating ex- versity School of the Arts in Qa- place on August 23 at the Educa- athletic, academic and other fun at QF, and our exciting summer years. ing for Children’ event for children perience that will help them tar, a QF partner university, holds tion City Club House, showcas- activities – including swimming, activities demonstrate our com- The programme, which runs aged 4-12 years on July 25, which make informed academic and ca- its Summer Art and Design Pro- ing Qatari traditions through a trampolining, experimental art, mitment to fostering a socially- until July 29, is free of charge and will teach them to create healthy reer decisions. gramme 2018 for children and host of off erings, including hen- baking, fi lms and football – lined engaged society and nurturing open to the public. meals, while the ‘Summer of Sanea Summer Camp 2018, high school students daily on na tattoo, traditional food, and up for the coming weeks. the mental and physical well- The Awsaj Recreation Centre is Learning’ activity at the Education billed as the ‘Ultimate Project- its Education City campus, and arts and crafts.

2022 FIFA World Cup to further open Qatar’s market for tourism: actress

By Joey Aguilar Staff Reporter

he 2022 FIFA World Cup will further open Qatar’s market for tourism as the host country is expected to Treceive a large number of foreign visitors in the lead- up to and during the prestigious tournament, popular Indian television actress Krystle D’Souza has said. “The football event in 2022 will be fabulous and it will benefi t Qatar in a lot of positive ways,” she told Gulf Times during an interview at W Doha Hotel recently. D’Souza was on her second visit to Doha July 2-5 for a holiday with her parents and some friends, celebrating her ‘Best Actor Comedy’ accolade she received at the Zee Gold Awards 2018 recently. The 28-year-old actress had also won the Indian Televi- sion Academy Award for ‘Most Stylish Actress Off screen’ in 2015 and the title of Most Fit Actor (Female) at the Zee Gold Awards’ in 2012, among other accolades. “It is for people (from diff erent parts of the world) to real- ise that Qatar is a fun place to be in; the people are so friendly and loving and there is also so much luxury around,” the ac- tress stressed. Citing the diff erent places she visited in Qatar, D’Souza expressed confi dence that the country could become one of the top tourist destinations not only in the region but also globally. She believes people will start coming to Doha in bigger Krystle D’Souza in Doha. PICTURE: Thajudheen numbers “from now on” as football fans are excited to expe- rience the country’s many tourism off erings. She said she enjoyed her visit to Msheireb Museums, “Four years from now, I see a bustling Doha because eve- which tells stories on the Arab culture, oil and gas, etc. ryone will be here for the World Cup. So do I, I want to be “The view at MIA was breathtaking, it is like the per- here, too. FIFA (World Cup) is huge, football is huge, glo- fect view for me to have a proposal or something,” D’Souza bally,” said D’Souza. quipped. “I will try to come back in December when the weather is “You can see the old and new Doha, the beautiful skyline, good,” she added. “I have visited (Banana Island Resort Doha and the water is so blue, the arcs that are just placed cor- by) Anantara for three hours but this time I want to stay rectly and photo-friendly.” there for a while, a day or two, just to relax, go to the spa and Beside the “huge malls and amazing restaurants” off ering stuff like that.” an array of local and international cuisines, she also lauded The actress was all praise for Qatar’s tourism and cultural hotels in Qatar such as W Doha and The St Regis Doha for attractions such as the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), Katara their “elegant and very subtle” features. – the Cultural Village, Souq Waqif, Msheireb Museums and “I fell in love with the city and everything here,” said The Pearl-Qatar, saying these places have a lot to off er. D’Souza.

Qatar showcases 2022 World Cup in Moscow

From Page 1 also been placed across Doha, Mos- the Sheikh Faisal Museum. This is in cow and St Petersburg, and will allow addition to two stunning oryx stat- In addition to Majlis Qatar, the SC fans to interact between the cities via ues, which were painted by Qatari and and numerous Qatari stakeholders are live broadcasts. Russian artists. hosting Qatar Elements, the world’s The Qatar-based portals are lo- The Qatari stakeholders contrib- fi rst fl oating multimedia museum. cated in Hamad International Airport, uting to the success of Majlis Qatar Located on the Moskva River, near the popular Souq Waqif and Ali Bin include the Ministry of Culture and Gorky Park, visitors will be invited Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, where the Sports, Qatar Tourism Authority, to travel to Qatar through an immer- SC is hosting Qatar Fan Zone. Qatar Airways, Qatar Museums, Qa- sive multimedia show, where infor- Furthermore, Moscow’s famous tar Foundation, Katara, Souq Waqif, mational graphics on Qatar’s hosting GUM department store will also play Doha Film Institute, Qatar Football plans will be projected on to walls, host to a football exhibition show- Association, Qatar Olympic Commit- appearing to fl ow down into the riv- casing FIFA World Cup memorabilia tee, Aspire, Al Shaqab, beIN SPORTS, ers water. and exhibits from Qatari stakehold- Al Kass, Ooredoo and the Interna- A series of innovative portals have ers, including Qatar Museums and tional Centre for Sports Security.