SUBSCRIPTION SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016 MUHARRAM 14, 1438 AH NO: 17020 Thai king takes Purple joy as Pique eyes final journey past Prince hometown Barcelona grieving7 subjects bids24 farewell presidency46 Obama warns ‘democracy itself’ at stake in election Min 20º 150 Fils Trump denies sex assault ‘lies’, faces first lady rebuke Max 37º CLEVELAND/WASHINGTON: Donald Trump savaged the US media for reporting “outright lies” that he groped and forcibly kissed women, as US President Barack Obama warned yester- day that American “democracy itself” is on the ballot and First Lady Michelle Obama blasted the Republican nominee in a powerful tirade. Just 26 days before the American electorate chooses a suc- cessor to her husband on Nov 8, a visibly angry first lady deliv- ered a fiery takedown of the real estate mogul and his “dis- graceful” behavior. “Now is the time for all of us to stand up and say, enough is enough,” Mrs Obama told a rally for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. “This has got to stop right now.” Her husband turned up the heat later yesterday, jetting to the key swing state of Ohio to lash Republicans tight to their sinking ship. The New York mogul came from a “swamp of crazy” that Republicans had cultivated over decades, Obama told the state where Trump has long held a lead but where a poll on Thursday edged Clinton ahead. Obama warned that American “democracy itself” is on the ballot. He trashed Trump as a dictator-in-the-making, but also voiced concerns about how Trump’s legion of supporters might react to a possible election defeat. “Civility is on the ballot,” Obama told a group of largely young voters in the swing state. “Tolerance is on the ballot,” he continued. “Courtesy is on the ballot. Honesty is on the ballot. Equality is on the ballot. Kindness is on the ballot. All the progress we made in the last eight years is on the ballot,” he said. “Democracy itself is on the ballot right now.” With an eye on winning back control of Congress, Obama also used the rally in Cleveland to lash Republicans tight to US President Barack Obama arrives to speak at a Hillary for America campaign event in Cleveland yesterday. (Inset) their sinking White House nominee. Clinton is now the favorite Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to a crowd at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati on Thursday.— AFP to win the presidency, but the balance of the Senate and the House of Representatives is much less clear. “A lot of Republican elected officials have just stood by,” Obama said. 15 militants, 12 soldiers “They’ve allowed a lot of crazy talk to just be pumped out again and again.” But the 70-year-old Trump was defiant, castigating his accusers as “horrible liars” and accusing Clinton of conspiring in killed in Sinai IS attack a coordinated media attempt to sabotage his campaign. At least six women have accused Trump of making unwanted ISMAILIA, Egypt: Militants killed 12 tary said in a statement. “The clashes led for years, but the insurgency in the physical advances in accounts reported by The New York Times, members of Egypt’s military in North to the martyrdom of 12 and injury of six rugged and thinly populated peninsula NBC, People Magazine and others, most of them after Trump Sinai province and wounded six more in armed forces heroes.” Islamic State said gained pace in mid-2013. The militant asserted in Sunday’s debate with Clinton that he had never sex- an attack on a checkpoint yesterday, the it killed more than 20 soldiers and that it group staging the insurgency pledged ually assaulted a woman. military said, adding that it killed 15 mili- suffered no casualties. It said its mem- allegiance to Islamic State in 2014 and With his campaign in free-fall and sliding in the polls, Trump tants in return. Islamic State claimed bers looted weapons and ammunition adopted the name Sinai Province. It is pounded the battleground states of Florida and Ohio. “These responsibility for the incident, which from the checkpoint. blamed for the killing of hundreds of vicious claims about me of inappropriate conduct with women took place 40 km from the town of Bir President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said in soldiers and policemen, and has started are totally and absolutely false,” Trump told a rally in West Palm al-Abd, making it the first major attack in a brief statement later yesterday that to target Western targets within Egypt. Beach. “The attacks are orchestrated by the Clintons and their the central Sinai area, which had so far the latest attack would only strengthen However, there has been a dramatic fall media allies.” Trump said his lawyers were preparing a lawsuit escaped the militants’ campaign. Egypt’s resolve to continue the “battle in recent months in the number of against The New York Times - which published the accounts of It was carried out using assault rifles for building and survival”. The attack attacks on mainland Egypt that have two women who accused him of groping and kissing them - and some heavier weapons, medical was the latest in what appears to be a been claimed by the IS. A previously unless the paper retracts the article. and security sources said. The wounded surge in the number of operations unheard of group, “Hasm”, or The Times refused to back down. “We published newswor- were taken to hospital in Al-Arish. “An launched by the militants as well as a “Decisiveness”, seems to have taken the thy information about a subject of deep public concern,” the armed group of terrorist elements wave of IS kidnappings and subsequent lead in those attacks. It claimed respon- paper’s assistant general counsel David McCraw wrote in a let- attacked a security checkpoint in North killings of Sinai’s local residents suspect- sibility for the attempted assassination ter to Trump’s lawyers. The women’s accusations surfaced after Sinai this morning using four-wheel ed of collaborating with security forces in recent weeks in Cairo of a top prose- a video emerged of Trump boasting in 2005 of groping women drives and were immediately engaged. battling the militants. cutor and a former mufti, or chief the- with impunity because he was famous, sending the White Our forces killed 15 terrorists,” the mili- Egypt has battled militants in Sinai ologian. — Agencies House race into unprecedented levels of vulgarity. — AFP LOCAL SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016 GCC, Turkey urge Iran to stop Amir offers meddling in regional affairs condolences ‘JASTA runs contrary to international law’ to Thailand RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) their unwavering stance against extremism, cause, urging faster steps for an internation- KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh nations and Turkey called on Iran Thursday and terrorism, voicing commitment to fight al peace conference for the Middle East. Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent not to interfere in their internal affairs and extremist thoughts adopted by terror In the meantime, the ministers called for a cable of condolence to Thailand’s to respect national sovereignty, in line with groups distorting Islam. The ministers con- an overall, just and lasting settlement in Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on United Nations (UN) charters. The remarks demned the suicide and terrorist attacks Cyprus by the end of the year through the the passing away of Thailand’s King were included in a joint statement issued at that hit Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait and ongoing UN negotiations. They also urged Bhumibol Adulyadej. Their Highnesses the fifth GCC/Turkish high-level strategic Bahrain, and other places. an end to the isolation of the Turkish the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- dialogue, with participation of Kuwait’s First They reaffirmed commitment to fight the Cypriots, in line with calls by the UN Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq by Secretary General and the relevant resolu- Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. all means, within the framework of the US- tions of the Organization of Islamic Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent cables of simi- Moreover, the statement urged Iran to led international coalition, supporting all rel- Cooperation (OIC). lar sentiments. Meanwhile, National find peaceful solutions to its dispute with evant efforts. The meeting condemned the On Libya, the GCC-Turkey dialogue wel- Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem the UAE over three islands occupied by attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) comed the outcome of the ministerial His Highness the sent a cable of condolences to Thailand Tehran and claimed by the UAE. It also against Turkey, saying Ankara had the right meeting held on the North African country Amir Sheikh National Legislative Assembly President called on Iran to adhere to the nuclear to defend itself against it. in New York in September, which reiterated Sabah Al-Ahmad Pornpech Wichitcholchai on the pass- agreement reached with the p5+1 group of The GCC and the Turkish ministers support to the Libyan consensus govern- Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ing away of Thailand’s King. —KUNA nations (US, Britain, France, China, Russia stressed the necessity of intensifying coor- ment, as the only legitimate one. The two plus Germany). On the Middle East region, dination and cooperation, both bilateral sides agreed to hold the coming session of particularly, the Gulf, the statement noted and international, to counter the challenges the strategic dialogue in 2017. Army Chief of Staff Boosting cooperation heads to US to attend Meanwhile, the GCC and Turkey have reiterated strong bilateral ties, and desire to anti-IS conference promote cooperation through the High Level Strategic Dialogue founded in KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Army Chief of Jeddah, Saudi Arabic, in September 2008.