BUSINESSBUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 Duhail eager to avoid upset on Doha, Miami explore coronation co-operation in aviation day and maritime growth published in QATAR since 1978

SATURDAY Vol. XXXIX No. 10781 April 7, 2018 Rajab 21, 1439 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

In brief

ARAB WORLD | Diplomacy Qatar pledges $500mn in aid of Lebanon Qatar has pledged $500mn in the form of concessionary loan and investments in aid of Lebanon during the CEDRE Conference in Paris to support the country’s economic development. Qatar participated in the conference with a delegation headed by HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani is being greeted upon of Foreign Aff airs, Dr Ahmed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani with the Commander of US Centcom General Joseph Votel (centre), the Deputy Commander Lieutenant arrival at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa by the Commander of United States bin Hassan al-Hammadi. About General Charles Brown (left) and Chief of Staff Major General Terry Ferrell (right) at MacDill Air Force Base. Central Command (Centcom) General Joseph Votel. 40 countries and international organisations, as well as the private sector, participated in conference to support the plan prepared by the Lebanese government to promote investment, especially in infrastructure projects in the country. Page 3 Emir: strong US strategic ties QATAR | Weather Thundery rain with strong wind forecast Thundery rain associated with strong wind has been forecast key to combating terrorism today at places, the Qatar Met department has said. The QNA The meeting discussed the scope of The meeting also saw a review of maximum temperature of 32C is Tampa strategic bilateral military and defence strategic military, security, and defence expected at Mesaieed, Wakrah, co-operation, in light of the Joint Dec- ties and how to advance them. Al Khor and Abu Samra. The laration on Security Co-operation that It also focused on the two countries’ minimum of 20C is forecast at Abu is Highness the Emir Sheikh was announced during the fi rst US- counter-terrorism eff orts. Samra. Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani Qatar Strategic Dialogue in February The meeting was attended by a Hand the Commander of United and its role in co-ordinating counter- number of their excellencies members ARAB WORLD | Confl ict States Central Command (Centcom) terrorism eff orts. of the offi cial delegation accompanying General Joseph Votel held yesterday They also discussed the latest re- the Emir. Air strikes return to an expanded meeting at MacDill Air gional and international developments. Afterwards, the Emir visited the Ghouta killing 32 Force Base. At the outset of the meeting Gen- Special Operations Command Central, Air strikes killed 32 civilians in The meeting was attended by mem- eral Votel expressed his thanks to His and listened to an overview of the most the last opposition-held town in bers of the offi cial delegation accom- Highness the Emir and appreciation notable operations run by the com- Syria’s Eastern Ghouta yesterday panying the Emir and a number of to the State of Qatar’s pivotal role in mand. and the army launched a ground leaders of the military attache of Qa- countering terrorism and in promoting Earlier, His Highness the Emir ar- offensive on its outskirts after tar’s embassy in Washington. stability in the region through Al Udeid rived in Tampa, Florida, on the fi rst day talks sputtered over a rebel On the American side it was attended Air Base and through the co-operation of an offi cial visit to the United States withdrawal. Backed by Russia, by Deputy Commander of US Central with the US in that regard. that lasts several days. Syrian troops had captured nearly Command Lieutenant General Charles For his part, the Emir said that the Upon arrival at MacDill Air Force all of the one-time opposition Brown, Chief of Staff of US Central strategic co-operation between Qatar Base, the Emir and the accompany- stronghold of Ghouta with Command Major General Terry Fer- and the US was strong and will contin- ing delegation were greeted by General a combination of ferocious rell, Director of Intelligence Brig. Gen. ue to be so in all fi elds, governed by the Votel, Qatar’s ambassador to the US bombing raids and negotiated Karen Gibson, and a number of ranking joint interests of the two countries and Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani, withdrawals. All that remained Air Force and Marines offi cers. the friendly peoples. as well as a number of senior offi cers of was its largest town of Douma, His Highness the Emir listened at The Emir added that increasing the the US Central Command, and mem- held by the Jaish al-Islam Islamist the outset of the meeting to a summary strategic bilateral co-operation is crucial bers of the military attache at the Qa- faction and home to tens of from the Central Command on the coa- to counter-terrorism eff orts and for en- tari embassy. Pages 14, 16 and Busi- thousands of people. Page 3 lition’s role in the region. hancing peace and stability in the region. ness Page 1 His Highness the Emir’s Tweet Recycling ‘gaining traction’ Qatar showcasing its in Qatar, says paper factory economic strength

By Peter Alagos are both Kraft paper used to make core n exhibition – shedding light country’s economic tour to the US. well as the depth of economic ties be- Business Reporter pipes, carton boxes, paper bags, and on the Qatari cultures and tra- A large number of American com- tween the two countries by presenting reboard, a lightweight material that Aditions as well as its economic panies – including ExxonMobil, Oc- interactive info-graphic designs that has 80% the strength of wood. capabilities, National Vision 2030 and cidental Petroleum, and Boeing – focus on these aspects. here is a growing interest among According to the company, recycling 2022 FIFA World Cup – will begin to- which have investment projects in The QF will use info-graphic designs members of the local communi- paper conserves natural resources, day in Miami, Florida. Qatar will also be present at the ex- and discuss its educational and scien- Tty on the value of recycling and saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas Several Qatari institutions as the hibition. tifi c research programmes, and how it the benefi ts of reducing diff erent types emissions, and keeps landfi ll space free Ministry of Economy and Commerce The exhibition, which will have supports Qatar’s development. of paper waste, offi cial of a Qatar- from other types of trash that can’t be (MEC), Supreme Committee for De- small, creative models of six stadiums The DFI will highlight its latest mov- based paper factory has said. recycled. livery & Legacy, Qatar Investment Au- that will host the World Cup 2022, will ies, as well as the awards won by the in- Recycling can help Qatar become Also, paper that is produced from thority, Qatar Airways, BeIN Sports, also tour Washington, DC and both stitute’s Ajyal Film Festival. It will also self-sufficient and self-sustaining virgin raw materials uses far more en- Doha Film Institute (DFI) and Qatar North and South Carolina. screen a fi lm that focuses Msheireb by assisting the government focus ergy and water than if it is manufac- Foundation (QF) are taking part in the The MEC’s pavilion aims to showcase Downtown Doha project. on “going green” and other envi- tured using recycled paper, the com- event, which is being held as part of the the strengths of the Qatari economy as Page 16, Business Page 1 ronmentally-friendly initiatives, ac- pany added. cording to Omar Rageh, who is the “Recycling activities in Qatar has company director of Elite Paper Re- gained traction…we focused on going cycling. Elite Paper Recycling company director to schools or inviting schools and other He explained that methane gas, Omar Rageh. companies to tour our facilities so we which is produced by rotting paper can raise awareness. We want people Israeli forces kill seven Palestinians (books, magazines, newspapers, and producing new paper products, we to learn more about recycling and what carton boxes, among many others) that are helping to reduce the methane happens to a piece of paper when it is AFP Gaza’s health ministry also reported the border fence, who responded with end up in landfi lls, is one of the major in our environment and in the air we discarded,” Rageh said. Gaza City that some 408 Palestinians had been tear gas and live fi re. air pollutants. breathe,” he further explained. The company said one of its major taken to hospitals and medical centres Israel said there were also attempts to “We are experiencing high amounts Rageh said the factory collects over responsibilities is promoting public for treatment. break through the barrier. of air pollution right now and through 100 tonnes of waste paper daily from environmental awareness, especially sraeli forces killed seven Palestinians The dead included a 16-year-old, it Thousands of protesters - Israel es- recycling, we can play our part in re- schools, malls, and other compa- among students and citizens of Qatar. as thousands protested and clashes said. At least six journalists were shot and timated 20,000 - gathered in locations ducing air pollution,” Rageh told Gulf nies, covering only 40% of Qatar. The The factory has a “go green” initiative Ierupted along the Gaza border yes- wounded, according to a statement from near the border east of Khan Yunis, in Times on the sidelines of a recent expo company can recycle up to 14 tonnes to keep Qatar clean and conserve its terday, a week after a mass demonstra- the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. the south of the blockaded Palestinian on self-suffi ciency. of waste paper in 30 minutes, and can natural resources for the future gen- tion led to violence and the bloodiest Palestinians burned mounds of tyres enclave, and east of Gaza City, among “If we can use discarded paper by produce fl uting and test liners, which eration. day since a 2014 war. and threw stones at Israeli soldiers over other spots. Page 3 Gulf Times 2 Saturday, April 7, 2018 QATAR

Schools Arabic debating QC provides emergency aid contest kicks off to 23,000 IDPs of Ghouta today atar Charity (QC) has distrib- Eastern Ghouta in addition to the emer- uted blankets to 23,000 inter- gency relief project, which included the he International Schools Qnally displaced persons (IDPs) distribution of food baskets. Arabic Debating Champi- of Eastern Ghouta to alleviate their suf- Qatar Charity projects for the re- Tonship, being organised by fering, especially in the bitter winter. lief of aff ected Syrians have benefi ted Qatar Debate, member of Qatar Also, the charity has said in a state- more than 16.2mn displaced people Foundation for Education, Sci- ment that it is preparing to implement and refugees in the areas of food, shel- ence and Community Develop- a number of projects in the fi eld of food, ter, health and education from April ment (QF), is set to kick off today, health and shelter for the newly dis- 2011 until the end of December 2017, at Qatar National Convention placed persons living under diffi cult at a cost of about QR544.5mn, the Centre. humanitarian conditions. statement adds. The fi ve-day event is be- The aid is provided as part of QC’s QC has said it is grateful to all those ing held under the patron- ‘Aff ected by Winter’ campaign, which who have contributed to its relief cam- age of HE Vice Chairperson is devoted to lessening the suff ering paigns since the beginning of the crisis, and CEO of Qatar Foundation, of displaced people and refugees af- to support the aff ected Syrian people Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al- fected by the winter around the world, within and outside the country. The Thani, with the participation particularly those displaced from East- charity has further appealed to philan- of schools from 50 Arab and ern Ghouta, as their number exceeded thropists, both Qataris and residents, foreign countries. 120,000 people. to continue their support for the Syrian The championship aims to Last month, Qatar Charity managed people. strengthen educational and to distribute relief aid to more than QC launched its ‘Aff ected by Win- cultural links between the par- 6,000 people in the besieged Eastern ter’ campaign to support displaced ticipating countries, and pro- Ghouta as part of its urgent and re- people and refugees aff ected by the vide opportunities to boost peated responses to lessen the suff ering bitter winter and heavy rain in Syria, brotherly relations and ex- of the people living there in the diffi cult Iraq, Palestine and places with Ro- change experiences among humanitarian conditions. hingya refugees. young Arabic speakers and oth- Recently, 1,470 families with 8,350 Interested people can donate to the ers, as well as to raise the level members, aff ected by the Eastern campaign through the QC website of open debate and freedom of Ghouta siege, have benefi ted from QC’s (qcharity.org) and app. They can also opinion in the Arab world and aid that has been provided at a cost of make donations at the QC headquar- the world in general, in order over QR1mn, the statement notes. ters, branches and collection points lo- to interact with other diff erent The charity has provided ambulanc- cated in commercial complexes as well opinions. (QNA) es and non-food items to the people of as through the hotline - 44667711. Distribution of aid among the IDPs of Eastern Ghouta. Cityscape Qatar to feature ‘cutting-edge’ real estate projects

number of leading local, The 2018 event will overall quality of life, through regional and interna- showcase a wide range of innovations that encourage Ational real estate devel- real estate opportunities social interaction, respect for Qatar University and Ashghal off icials at the workshop. opers and construction com- to global real estate culture and greater care for the panies will showcase a range investors and fi nanciers, environment. of “cutting-edge” real estate developers across all Fellow participant Just Real projects at this year’s Cityscape asset classes, architects Estate’s Lamias Finianos said, Qatar, the organisers have said. and urban planners, “Our focus for Cityscape 2018 Now in its seventh year, Cit- consultants, along will be on the launch of Bay- yscape Qatar 2018 will be held with representatives walk, an exciting residential Ashghal explores areas of property on The Pearl-Qatar. from April 22-25 at the Doha from investment and Exhibition and Convention economic agencies and Further, we are extremely Centre in West Bay. cities pleased to be showcasing our The 2017 edition of City- prestigious THE e18hteen scape Qatar, described as the Katara Hospitality, according commercial building (winner co-operation with QU of the 2017-2018 best commer- country’s “largest real estate to the organisers. development and investment Speaking ahead of Cityscape cial high rise in Qatar) in Lusail he Public Works Author- There were presentations understanding (MoU) signed be- to its eff orts to achieve the ob- event”, ended on a high note Qatar 2018, Elias Massaad of City. Additionally, we will be ity - Ashghal, in associa- and discussions by scholars tween Ashghal and QU-CENG, jectives of the Qatar National and saw more than 6,600 par- UDC said: “We are long-term showcasing some of our excit- Ttion with Qatar Universi- from the College of Engi- aiming at development and en- Vision 2030 through building ticipants over the course of the participants in the event and ing international properties, ty, hosted a workshop for its staff neering (QU-CENG) in four hancement of co-operation be- advanced infrastructure, roads three-day event. It is expected recognise its valuable infl uence including Buyukyali in Turkey, to identify areas of co-operation areas. They were on building tween the two entities to benefi t and highways, besides public to attract more participants on the local real estate market. and innovative new develop- between the two entities. materials and roads; drain- from the potentials of both the buildings in educational health this year given the event has Cityscape has come a long way ment in one of the world’s most The workshop “Advances in age, treatment and use of parties in the fi elds of research, and government offi ces. been extended to four days due since the inaugural exhibition cosmopolitan cities.” Civil Engineering and Potential waste water for irrigation consultancy, and community Ashghal said it spares no ef- to “increased demand”, ac- and is now a hotly anticipated “Cityscape Qatar will illus- Developments and Applica- purposes; health and safe- services, based on the desire of fort to support researchers and cording to a press statement by event; the largest of its kind in trate the evolving breadth of tions for Qatar” was held in the ty in project management; both parties in active commu- students from the university the organisers. the region.” real estate opportunities in the presence of Ashghal’s quality and healthy monitoring nity partnership and facilitate and to train fresh graduates in The 2018 event will show- UDC will not only launch its country and region’s rapidly and safety department manager and strengthening of vital mutual transfer of knowledge their specifi c areas with provi- case a wide range of real es- new projects on Cityscape’s growing market – a market an- Khalid al-Emadi and several new infrastructure. and technology. sion of required consultancies, tate opportunities to global platform but also showcase chored by an ever-increasing engineering aspirants and other The workshop came within It was reiterated at the meet- envisioning that Qatar is the end real estate investors and fi n- the progress and development investor and consumer de- Ashghal staff . the scope of the memorandum of ing that Ashghal is committed benefi ciary. anciers, developers across all of its landmark project, The mand,” said Faariss Khalil, ex- asset classes, architects and Pearl-Qatar. In addition to hibition manager. “We, there- urban planners, consultants, showcasing their properties, fore, expect signifi cant interest along with representatives UDC will also use Cityscape to from investors this year due from investment and economic focus on previously untapped to the variety of quality real agencies and cities. markets such as Turkey and estate product off ered by our Joining local companies Southeast Asia. “We anticipate exhibitors.” United Development Company it will be an unrivalled exhibi- Meanwhile, running paral- Workshop at Tamuq tion as well as a great brand- lel to Cityscape Qatar 2018 (UDC), Msheireb, Qatari Diar, Just Real Estate and Place Ven- raising opportunity, both on a will be the Cityscape Qatar dome are regional and interna- local and international level.” Conference hosted by DTZ tional heavyweights, including Also participating in this Qatar’s general manager, Edd Riverside Group, Arma, QNB event is Msheireb Properties, Brookes, along with the free- focuses on combating whose mission is to change the to-attend seminars Cityscape and Ezdan. These are in addi- tion to new exhibitors joining way people think about urban Qatar Talks, taking place on the corrosion challenges this year such as Qatar Rail and living and to improve their exhibition fl oor. Dhruv Arora speaking at the recent workshop hosted Dhruv Arora from Qatar Shell workshop. by Texas A&M University said, “Corrosion remains one of Seedlings planted at roundabout Aat Qatar (Tamuq) high- the key focus areas for Shell R&D vides material selection, mitiga- lighted Qatar’s ongoing chal- in Qatar. And we always appreci- tion strategies and lifetime pre- lenges in the area of corrosion as ate these kinds of workshops that diction tools to industry. well as recent advances and ini- can foster close collaborations be- Dr César O Malavé, dean of tiatives to address and combat it. tween industry and academics.” Tamuq, said: “At Texas A&M at The workshop, ‘Material Se- Co-organised by the Mechan- Qatar, our mission is to play a key lection, Reliability and Corrosion ical Engineering Programme at role in creating sustainable solu- — Challenges and Opportuni- Tamuq and the National Cor- tions to real-world challenges ties’, was the fi rst in a series of rosion and Materials Reliabil- by generating new knowledge planning workshops that aim to ity Laboratory at Texas A&M’s through research and collabo- highlight materials selection, re- main campus in College Station, Dr Bilal Mansoor rative partnerships. This event liability and corrosion challenges Texas (US), the workshop fea- brought together, experts from in Qatar to forge new, interdis- tured a lineup of scientists and The National Corrosion and academic institutions, research ciplinary, collaborative research engineers from local industry Materials Reliability Laboratory centres, industry and govern- initiatives for 2018 and beyond, and subject-matter experts from (NCMRL) is a world leader in ment organisations to provide a Tamuq said in a statement. top universities in the US who research and technology eff orts venue for communication and Maintaining critical infrastruc- shared their latest discoveries. for materials degradation and knowledge-sharing. tures and key oil and gas assets is The workshop established a reliability. NCMRL’s main fo- “We hope workshops such as of strategic importance for Qatar, platform for communication and cus is research and development these are successful in provid- according to Dr Bilal Mansoor, knowledge-sharing among experts within corrosion science and ing much-needed synergy to the workshop chair and an assistant from academic institutions, re- engineering. Through research, scientifi c community in Qatar to Al Rayyan Municipality’s gardens section has finished the decoration of Muaither Club roundabout. professor of mechanical engineer- search centres, industry and gov- education and training, and forge new collaborative research Around 7,500 seedlings have been planted and an irrigation network installed at the roundabout. ing at Texas A&M at Qatar. ernment organisations in Qatar. testing materials, the lab pro- initiatives for the future.” Gulf Times Saturday, April 7, 2018 3 QATAR/REGION/ARAB WORLD Qatar ‘to make signifi cant contributions’ to Lebanese economic plan

QNA this important conference will produce the desired Paris results, and that Lebanon receives the support it deserves,” Dr al-Hammadi added. He noted that the crises in the countries of the he State of Qatar participated in the Eco- region were mainly due to the defi cit faced by the nomic Conference for Development in Leba- countries of the region in development paths, and Tnon (Cedar Conference), which opened yes- that the threat to political and social stability in a terday in the French capital, Paris. number of countries in the region was a direct re- Qatar’s delegation to the conference was headed sult of the wide imbalances witnessed in develop- by HE Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign ment processes in these countries. “It is imperative Aff airs Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi. for all to pay the utmost attention to advancing the The Secretary-General in his speech at the con- development paths and achieving the human and ference said the State of Qatar has a principled and social well-being of the countries and peoples of consistent position on the issues of development the region, in order to achieve stability and to avoid partnerships in the Arab region, noting its contin- the spectre of fi ghting, armed confl icts and politi- ued contribution to providing all forms of support cal tension,” he underlined. that to the sustainability of development in the Lebanon has historically been an integral part of countries of the region. the Arab region and its political and social fabric, Palestinian demonstrators wave their national flag and shout slogans against the Israeli security forces during a protest on the border east He said the State of Qatar has always been calling but it has also been distinguished by its diversity of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, yesterday. for necessary support to Lebanon and its people, and political and social experience. It is a feature pointing out that Qatar contributed to rebuilding that deserves to be preserved because it represents entire villages following the Israeli aggression on the deep inter-relationship between diff erent reli- Lebanon in 2006, and also built the infrastructure gions, and reconstruction of churches and mosques de- Dr al-Hammadi said, stressing that this achieve- stroyed by the brutal war, adding that Qatar con- ment requires providing the reasons for economic tinues to support this through various packages of and fi nancial support to ensure the continuation of investment in Lebanon, and the provision of eco- this experience and its development on a constant nomic and humanitarian assistance that helps to basis. Israeli troops kill enable this country to overcome the diffi culties it is Al-Hammadi also referred to the wide economic going through. diffi culties faced by Lebanon during the last few Al-Hammadi said the recent economic reforms years due to the political crises and armed confl icts undertaken by the Lebanese government, the re- in the region, which created continuous pressure structuring of the economic structures and the set- on its economy and which has directly aff ected the ting of priorities for the growth processes praised rates of economic growth and lack of social serv- by the International Monetary Fund, are a catalyst ices. seven Palestinians for all countries of the world and international and He said a favourable environment is needed to Arab fi nancial and economic institutions to in- create eff ective economic policies that would en- Reuters crease their support for Lebanon’s new economic able it to increase economic growth and achieve Gaza Border Six journalists shot path, noting that this eff ort “will achieve suffi cient development in all fi elds, and in particular social during Gaza protests support for promising economic growth and en- development, which is the mainstay of political suring the sustainability of development,” he said. stability and social harmony. sraeli troops shot dead seven Six Palestinian journalists were He also stressed that “the State of Qatar will He also thanked the French government for or- Palestinian protesters and shot and wounded by the Israeli contribute signifi cantly to support the new Leba- ganising the Economic Conference for Develop- Iwounded at least 200 along army during clashes yesterday nese economic plan, to reiterate its fi rm position in ment in Lebanon, and for its sincere interest in the the Israel-Gaza border yester- between demonstrators and support of Lebanon so that it can achieve the de- stability and advancement of the country. day, Gaza medical offi cials said, troops on the Gaza border, the sired development, and will look positively at the He said that the French government has re- raising the death toll to 27 in the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate mechanisms and facilities provided. mained steadfast in its friendship with Lebanon week-long disturbances. said. The union said the six were “We are aware of the importance of political and and all Arab countries. “We are deeply aware of They said the demonstrators, shot despite wearing clothes social stability in Lebanon in the stability and se- this positive and constructive role on all issues of including two teenage boys clearly identifying themselves as curity of the whole region. We sincerely call on all concern to the countries of the region, especially aged 16 and 17, were killed at journalists, adding it held Israel participants in this conference to support the de- economic partnerships and support for the devel- protest sites along the frontier “fully accountable for this crime”. velopment plan in this country, and we hope that opment process”, he concluded. during a round of daily demon- None of the injuries were life strations that has been dubbed threatening, but it called for the “The Great March of Return”. perpetrators to be held account- TENSION The day of violence, which saw Relatives of Osama Qudeih, who was killed during clashes with able. An Israeli army spokeswom- Flights resume at bigger Palestinian crowds than Israeli forces on the border, mourn during his funeral in Khan an had no immediate comment in recent days but not as large Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. on the statement. key Yemeni airport Saudi prince’s Israel as when the demonstration be- gan last Friday, calmed down as 20,000. Refugees comprise moud Abbas, who holds little after strike ends night descended. most of the 2mn population of sway in Gaza, condemned what used T-shirts, cheap medical Flights to and from Seiyun comments a ‘stain’ Gazans, including Palestin- Israeli-blockaded Gaza, an en- he described as Israel’s “acts masks and perfume to try and Airport, a main facility in war-torn ian refugees and their descend- clave ruled by the Hamas which of killing and oppression con- protect themselves. Yemen, resumed yesterday after ants seeking to regain ancestral calls for Israel’s destruction. ducted...against the peaceful Israel tried to douse the a two-day suspension due to a on his country: Iran homes in what is now Israel, David Keyes, an Israeli gov- uprising.” burning rubber with jets of wa- workers’ strike over wages, a have set up tent encampments ernment spokesman, accused Israel’s response to the pro- ter directed over defensive dirt local off icial said. “The airport a few hundred metres inside the Hamas of having instigated vi- tests has drawn international mounds on its side of the bor- resumed its flights after an DPA man a “newcomer” whose po- 65km fence that separates Israel olent protests along the border. criticism, with human rights der. agreement was reached with Tehran litical ambitions had become from the Gaza Strip. “This is a travesty for the groups saying it involved live A UN human rights spokes- the airport administration to an “incurable disease.” Large groups of youths have Palestinian people that the Ha- fi re against demonstrators pos- woman urged Israel to exercise pay workers all their financial He accused the prince of be- ventured much closer to the mas government is encouraging ing no immediate threat to life. restraint against the Palestinian dues in return for ending their ran yesterday slammed ing willing to spend billions of no-go zone along the bar- its people to attack Israel, it is The demonstrators have re- protesters. strike,” Salah Basabeen, a trade pro-Israel comments from dollars and make “nonsensical rier, risking live fi re from Israeli encouraging its people to com- vived a longstanding demand “We are saying that Israel has unionist, said. Two flights left the ISaudi Crown Prince Mo- and shameful remarks” to ad- troops to roll burning tyres and mit acts of violence,” he said. for the right of return of Pal- obligations to ensure that ex- airport yesterday, heading to hamed bin Salman, calling vance his own political goals. throw stones. Hamas’ Gaza leader, Yehya estinian refugees to towns and cessive force is not employed. the Egyptian capital Cairo. Two them a “stain” on Saudi Ara- The prince apparently had “Israel took everything from al-Sinwar, spoke at a protest villages which their families And that if there is unjustifi ed others from Amman in Jordan bia’s reputation. limited geographical knowl- us, the homeland, freedom, our encampment to praise those fl ed from, or were driven out and unlawful recourse to fi re- and Cairo landed at the airport. “These politics are a terri- edge of Israel and Palestine, future,” said Samer, a 27-year- who turned out to confront the of, when the state of Israel was arms, resulting in death, that On Wednesday, workers at the ble tragedy and will go down Ghassemi added, and was old protester who would not “enemy who besieges us”. He created. may amount to a wilful killing,” airport went on strike to pressure in history as a stain (on the unaware how much the Pales- give his full name, fearing Is- said the demonstrations would The Israeli government has Elizabeth Throssell said in Ge- the government to pay their country’s reputation),” Foreign tinian people had suff ered over raeli reprisals. continue, telling the crowds: ruled out any right of return, neva. salaries. Seiyun in eastern Yemen Ministry spokesman Bahram the past seven decades. “I have two kids, a boy and a “We will uproot the borders, we fearing that the country would Israel says it is doing what it is one of two functioning airports Ghassemi said. In March, Salman had made girl, and if I die, God will take will pluck out their hearts, and lose its Jewish majority. must to defend its border and in the country, which has been in Earlier this week, in an in- controversial comments about care of them.” we will pray in Jerusalem.” Palestinian youths burned that its troops have been re- the grip of a devastating power terview with The Atlantic Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatol- The number of protesters Earlier, Hamas spokes- Israeli fl ags and planted Pales- sponding with riot dispersal struggle since late 2014. magazine, the prince, who lah Ali Khamenei. yesterday was larger than in man Hazem Qassem urged tinian banners on dirt mounds means and fi re “in accordance The second airport is in Aden, the is the son of Saudi Arabia’s He also threatened Iran with recent days, but lower than the protesters to keep the ral- beside tented encampments as with the rules of engagement”. current seat of the Saudi-backed King Salman, recognised Is- war in ten to 15 years. outset of the disturbances on lies peaceful.”Maintaining the others arrived on large trucks The Palestinian deaths have government. The feud in Yemen rael’s right to exist.In doing so, Saudi Arabia, has no formal March 30, when 17 Palestin- peaceful nature of the protests carrying piles of more tyres to elicited scant concern in Is- resulted in the closure of Sana’a Ghassemi said he was turning diplomatic ties with Israel, ians were fatally shot by Israeli will strike all fragile Zionist burn. Others launched stones rael, which has been the target airport, in the Houthi rebel-held Saudi Arabia, into a “lap dog of which declared statehood in forces. propaganda,” Qassem said in a with slingshots. of thousands of rocket strikes territory, to commercial flights in the Zionist regime (Israel).” 1948 and captured Arab terri- The Israeli military estimated statement. With Israeli tear gas rising from Gaza over the past few August 2016. Ghassemi also called Sal- tories in the 1967 Six-Day War. yesterday’s turnout at around Palestinian President Mah- into the air, Palestinian youths years. Air strikes leave 32 dead in Ghouta as talks sputter

AFP this week amid reports Jaish al- days of the Gaza war” when Is- The daily air raids kept resi- tion would only prompt Rus- Beirut Islam remained divided over a rael was bombing the Palestinian dents cowering in basements for sia and regime warplanes to withdrawal, and heavy bombing enclave and people around the weeks and a ground assault soon resume deadly strikes. hit Douma yesterday afternoon world watched, he said, giving sliced the area into three isolated The nature of the ongoing ir strikes killed 32 civil- for the fi rst time in around 10 his name only as Mohamed. pockets, each held by diff erent discussions over Douma is un- ians in the last opposi- days. State news agency SANA said rebel factions. clear and Jaish al-Islam itself Ation-held town in Syria’s The Syrian Observatory for Syrian air strikes hit the town The fi rst two were evacu- has not stated its position since Eastern Ghouta yesterday and Human Rights said dozens of air yesterday in response to deadly ated under Russian-brokered this week’s first evacuation. the army launched a ground of- strikes hit various parts of Dou- rebel mortar fi re from Douma. deals last month that saw more It remains unclear exactly fensive on its outskirts after talks ma, including some suspected to It said mortar shells hit several than 46,000 rebels and civil- why the talks between Moscow sputtered over a rebel withdraw- have been carried out by Russian suburbs of the capital and killed ians bussed to the northwestern and Jaish al-Islam have fal- al. warplanes. at four people and wounded province of Idlib, which the re- tered. Backed by Russia, Syrian “At least 32 civilians died, more than a dozen. gime does not control. SANA reported that they troops had captured nearly all of including seven children,” said But Jaish al-Islam spokesman Tens of thousands of people fell apart when rebels refused the one-time opposition strong- Observatory head Rami Abdel Hamza Bayraqdar in a statement also fl ed through humanitarian to release detainees they were hold of Ghouta with a combina- Rahman, adding that around 50 late yesterday denied that the corridors opened by Russia and holding in Douma, and said tion of ferocious bombing raids people were wounded. group had targeted any Damas- Syrian troops. yesterday that “military opera- and negotiated withdrawals. On Douma’s outskirts, Syria’s cus neighbourhood. Some have already returned tions against Jaish al-Islam will All that remained was its larg- army entered fi elds surround- The regime and its ally Rus- to their devastated neighbour- not stop until the hostages are est town of Douma, held by the ing the town, state news agency sia launched a blistering air and hoods, while others are staying released.” Jaish al-Islam faction and home SANA said. ground off ensive on Eastern in crowded shelters. Jaish al-Islam had been an- to tens of thousands of people. Regime forces were locked in Buses carrying Jaish al-Islam fighters and their families, from the Ghouta in mid-February, killing As talks over the third and gling for a reconciliation deal Moscow announced a deal violent clashes with Jaish al- former rebel bastion’s main town of Douma, arrive at the more than 1,600 civilians and final pocket of Douma dragged that would allow them to stay in with Jaish al-Islam last Sunday, Islam rebels in agricultural areas Abu al-Zindeen checkpoint near the northern town of Al-Bab. causing an international outcry. on, Russia and Syria’s regime Douma as a police force. ushering in three consecutive to the southwest and east of the The enclave on the eastern threatened Jaish al-Islam with The group appears to have lit- days of evacuations from Douma town, the Observatory said. “The hospital is in a state of pieces and are unrecognisable.” edge of Damascus had escaped a renewed military assault if tle leverage, however, to face the that saw nearly 3,000 fi ghters A medic inside Douma de- panic,” the medic said. A doctor inside the town said government control since 2012 they did not agree to withdraw. regime’s recovered might, and and civilians bussed to northern scribed to AFP chaos at the local “Dentists are carrying out state television was broadcast- and, although it had shrunk over Those still trapped in Douma the latest strikes raised fears of Syria. hospital as wounded and dead emergency surgeries. Dead ing the bombardment live. the years, it still covered sizeable had been nervous that any at- a brutal end to the fi ve-year-old But the evacuations stalled were brought in. bodies are being brought in “It feels like we’re back in the territory two months ago. tempt to renege on an evacua- siege of Eastern Ghouta. Gulf Times 4 Saturday, April 7, 2018 AFRICA

15 killed in Nigeria SA’s Zuma defi ant after court bank robbery, attack appearance on graft charges on police station AFP opened indiscriminate fi re,” said Kano a resident who witnessed the at- AFP chanted Zuma’s name, while val vessels as part of the deal, tack, speaking on condition of Durban outside, the crowds sang, “Tell also faces charges of corruption anonymity. “The other group at- us what he has done wrong” and a company representative ifteen people were killed tacked the two banks, shooting and “Hands off Zuma”. from France appeared in court on Thursday when a gang people they met inside, many of ormer South African “He might have made his alongside Zuma. Fof armed men attacked them in the head,” he said. president Jacob Zuma own mistakes, but we say allow Thales’ lawyer, Robert two banks and a police station in “They carried away money Fcame out fi ghting yester- the old man to retire in peace. Driman, declined to comment the Nigerian town of Off a, police in sacks from the banks and fl ed day after appearing in court to It is a conspiracy,” pro-Zuma to AFP on the case. said yesterday. on motorcycles they seized from face corruption charges over business manager Sphelele Ng- Zuma is accused of illicitly The brazen assault happened okada (motorcycle taxis) riders.” a suspect multi-billion dollar wane, 29, said. pocketing 4,072,499.85 rand in part of Nigeria’s volatile central Senate President Bukola Saraki, 1990s arms deal. Police equipped with shields, — $340,000 at today’s rates region, where criminal gangs and one of Nigeria’s highest-ranking Zuma was composed in the water cannon and armoured — from 783 payments handled cattle rustlers regularly attack se- politicians, commiserated with dock wearing a dark suit, white vehicles mounted a major se- by Schabir Shaik, a business- curity forces. the victims of the “savage attack” shirt and red tie as about 1,000 curity operation outside the man who acted as his fi nancial “They attacked the police sta- in Off a. cheering supporters rallied court, but the hearing and adviser.Shaik was sentenced to tion and at the same time attacked In a statement released yester- outside to protest against the speeches were peaceful. 15 years in prison in 2005 based two banks,” said Kwara state po- day, Saraki said the robbery “is prosecution that has deepened A young traditional dancer on the same accusations, but a lice spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi, a despicable act committed by political divisions. in full warrior costume and much-criticised 2016 inquiry adding that nine police and six ci- cruel individuals.” Gang attacks The ex-president, who was clutching a shield took to the absolved Zuma of any blame. vilians died in the violence. are a persistent problem for Ni- forced to resign just seven Jacob Zuma, former president of South Africa addresses his stage following Zuma to en- Zuma has claimed the in- The gang invaded a busy com- geria, adding to security woes in weeks ago, has been charged supporters outside the high court in Durban, yesterday. tertain the crowd after he ad- quiry proved there was “not mercial area where several banks a country already grappling with with 16 counts of graft stem- dressed them in his native Zulu a single iota” of evidence for and the police station are located the Boko Haram insurgency. ming from an arms contract “I am innocent until proven long his epic legal battle to head language. wrongdoing. in broad daylight around 4:50pm Nigerian President Muhamadu dating back to before he be- guilty, but there are people off the charges and avoid a trial He sang and danced along Last month, prosecu- (1550 GMT), said Okasanmi. Buhari has had to deploy military came president. who want to treat me like I am could send him to jail. enthusiastically to a rendition tions chief Shaun Abrahams “We are going all-out to ensure throughout Nigeria, West Africa’s After just 15 minutes of le- guilty,” Zuma told the crowd “What we are saying, what of “Umshini Wam”, a struggle- — dubbed “Shaun the Sheep” we arrest them,” he said, adding largest economy, to quell violence gal discussions in the packed from a concert-style stage to the former president is saying, era song that means “Bring me for his loyalty to Zuma during that the haul from the robbery was in the absence of a strong police courtroom A of the Durban wild cheers. is true — we don’t think we are my machine gun”. his presidency — ordered that not immediately known. force and rigorous legal system. High Court, the case was ad- In the case, which is offi cially going to get a fair trial,” said Zuma is accused of taking Zuma be charged with fraud, The robbers charged into the On Wednesday, Buhari reit- journed until June 8 by judge known as “the State v Zuma”, a supporter, Bishop Timothy bribes from French arms maker corruption and money laun- banks and shot people on the spot erated his support for $1bn in Themba Sishi. he is referred to as “accused Ngcobo who appeared on stage Thales over a contract worth dering. before making off with bags of emergency funding for weapons Zuma, surrounded by a large number one”. His lawyers con- alongside Zuma. several bn dollars during his Thuman Mkhize, 43 and un- cash on stolen motorbikes, said a purchases to fi ght security threats entourage, left the courtroom fi rmed to the court yesterday “Zuma came with ideas that time as a provincial economy employed, from Durban said witness. across the nation, though critics to address his supporters, tell- that he would appeal against are going to boost the black minister and later as deputy Zuma “was the perfect leader” “They split into two groups. warn that similar defence spend- ing them that the charges were the decision to prosecute him. people.” ANC president. because he “opened free edu- One group attacked the divi- ing in the past has been tainted by “politically motivated”. The appeal is likely to pro- In the courtroom, supporters Thales, which supplied na- cation and land”. sional police station where they corruption.

ENVIRONMENT Zimbabwe cops ‘closing in’ on Grace Mugabe in probe Three militants dead Zimbabwean police investigating an ivory- smuggling racket will soon question former ruler Robert Mugabe’s wife Grace, who is accused Reuters Al Shebaab, a militant group of arranging shipments abroad, a government- Mogadishu allied with Al Qaeda. owned newspaper reported yesterday. The Herald The military’s Africa Com- newspaper, once the mouthpiece of the Mugabe mand (Africom) said they car- regime, said police were making progress in their he US military said yes- ried out the strike on April 5 probe into Grace’s role in allegedly smuggling terday it had killed three near the town of Jilib, about ivory to China, the United Arab Emirates and the Tmilitants after launching 370km southwest of United States. an air strike in Somalia against Mogadishu. Gulf Times Saturday, April 7, 2018 5 AMERICAS

Trump to again snub annual media dinner US slaps sanctions on AFP Washington

onald Trump will again snub the annual White DHouse correspondents’ dinner, organisers said yester- Putin’s oligarch allies day, amid sustained attacks by the president on US media. AFP key tool in Putin’s eff orts to sup- Bill Browder, a US-born Brit- by evidence from US intelligence While other members of his Washington port the modernisation of his ish fi nancier whose lawyer Ser- agencies, and in March the ad- administration are expected own military by selling advanced gei Magnitsky died in a Russian ministration fi nally imposed to attend the dinner in Wash- hardware around the world, was jail after protesting alleged tax sanctions on 19 Russian entities ington on April 28, it will be he United States struck also added to the sanctions list. fraud, tweeted that Washington for “malicious cyber attacks”. the second year in a row that Trump: not turning up for the at the heart of President In all, President Donald was “fi nally hitting Putin and his In parallel, and to Trump’s the president himself will stay White House correspondents’ TVladimir Putin’s inner Trump’s administration targeted cronies where it counts”. fury, former Federal Bureau of away. dinner. circle yesterday, imposing sanc- seven oligarchs, 12 companies Russia analyst Boris Zilber- Investigation (FBI) chief Robert “The White House has in- tions on seven of Russia’s most that they own or control, 17 sen- man, of Washington think tank Mueller has been empowered as a formed us that the president assaults on the “fake news” infl uential oligarchs and stok- ior Russian offi cials, and a state- the Foundation for Defence of special prosecutor to investigate does not plan to participate media have sharpened in re- ing a diplomatic crisis that some owned arms export company. Democracies, said the sanctions possible collusion between the in this year’s dinner,” Marga- cent weeks and have included have dubbed a new Cold War. “The US is taking these ac- might fi nally give Putin’s allies president’s campaign and Russia. ret Talev, the president of the attacks on CNN president Jeff Those hit include metals mag- tions in response to the totality of pause as “until there is a change So far Mueller has indicted 19 White House Correspondents’ Zucker and Amazon found- nate Oleg Deripaska, described the Russian government’s ongo- in the Kremlin’s behaviour, their people, including 13 Russians. Association, said in a state- er Jeff Bezos, who owns the as operating for the Russian gov- ing and increasingly brazen pat- bottom lines will suff er and their Putin: no immediate response to US offi cials confi rmed that ment. Washington Post. ernment, as well as Alexei Miller, tern of malign activity across the ability to enjoy the spoils of their the latest development as yet their action against the oligarchs Trump regularly accuses Since taking up the presi- director of state-owned energy world,” one offi cial said. corruption will be hampered”. was in part related to Russia’s al- major media organisations dency, Trump has strongly giant Gazprom. “This included their occupa- The measures were taken un- Trump begrudgingly signed leged interference in the US vote, such as CNN, the New York favoured news outlets that Any assets they hold in areas tion of Crimea, instigation of der a US law passed to punish the Countering America’s Adver- but stressed the broader nature Times and the Washington provide glowing coverage such under US jurisdiction could now violence in eastern Ukraine, sup- Russia for its alleged bid to inter- saries Through Sanctions Act in of their concerns. Post of bias, and he organised a as Fox News, the Daily Caller, be frozen. port for the Assad regime in Syria fere in the 2016 presidential elec- August last year, despite arguing “The Russian government op- rally of supporters on the same Newsmax and Sinclair, a group Also on the list are tycoon ... and ongoing malicious cyber tion, engage in cyber warfare and that it undermined his own au- erates for the disproportionate evening as last year’s dinner. of almost 200 local TV sta- Suleiman Kerimov, under inves- activity,” the senior offi cial said. intervene in Ukraine and Syria. thority to lead US foreign policy. benefi t of oligarchs and govern- Trump was famously ridi- tions. tigation in France over allega- “But most importantly this is a However, yesterday’s an- The president had long disput- ment elites,” Treasury Secretary culed by his predecessor Sinclair sparked controversy tions that he brought in millions response to Russia’s continued nouncement also came as Wash- ed the idea that Russia’s alleged Steven Mnuchin said. “Russian Barack Obama in a speech at by recently forcing reporters to of euros in suitcases full of cash, attacks to subvert western de- ington and its allies face a new cyber espionage and propaganda oligarchs and elites who profi t the dinner in 2011. read a script about “fake sto- and Kirill Shamalov, a billionaire mocracies.” diplomatic crisis with the Krem- eff orts sped him to victory in the from this corrupt system will no The Republican president’s ries” in the mainstream media. reported to be Putin’s son-in- Campaigners against Krem- lin over the attempted poisoning election, seeking better relations longer be insulated from the con- law. lin corruption welcomed the US of a former Russian double agent with Putin. sequences of their government’s Russia’s state arms exporter, a move. on British soil. But Congress persisted, backed destabilising activities.” Moderate earthquake hits California

A shallow, moderate earthquake rocked California’s Ventura County coast on Thursday, the US Geological survey said, swaying buildings across a wide area including the city of Los Angeles. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries following Canada, British Columbia in probes of Facebook, AggregateIQ the magnitude-5.3 quake, which struck at 12.34pm (1934 GMT), 23 miles east-southeast of Santa Rosa Island at a depth of 10.4 miles (16.8km). Reuters British Columbia, will jointly provincial personal privacy rules. Facebook Canada said on technology company had broken The Los Angeles Fire Department went into “earthquake mode”, Vancouver investigate Facebook Incorpo- Canada’s privacy commis- Wednesday that more than provincial personal privacy rules pulling crews out of more than 100 stations across the 470sq mile rated and Canadian data fi rm Ag- sioner launched an investigation 600,000 Canadians had their for its role in the Brexit cam- (750sq km) region to sweep neighbourhoods for damage to key gregateIQ, over an ongoing data of Facebook in March after the data “improperly shared” with paign. infrastructure, such as roadways and bridges. he Canadian federal agen- sharing scandal. New York Times and London’s Cambridge Analytica. The two agencies will now Los Angeles police were also making checks of infrastructure and cy charged with protect- The Offi ce of the Privacy Observer newspaper broke news British Columbia’s privacy jointly investigate the compa- “critical locations”, they said. Ting privacy rights of in- Commissioner of Canada said of the use of Facebook data by commissioner was separately nies, as they are subject to both National Weather Service off icials said there was no threat of a dividuals said on Thursday that the probes will look at whether political consultancy Cambridge investigating AggregateIQ over federal and provincial personal tsunami from the off -shore quake. it, along with its counterpart in the companies broke federal and Analytica. whether the Victoria-based privacy laws. Gulf Times 6 Saturday, April 7, 2018 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA South Korea’s Park jailed for 24 years

AFP Seoul

outh Korea’s disgraced former president Park SGeun-hye was jailed for 24 years yesterday for corrup- tion, closing out a dramatic fall from grace for the country’s fi rst woman leader who became a fi g- ure of public fury and ridicule. A trial which lasted more than 10 months ended with Park being found guilty on multiple criminal charges, including bribery and abuse of power. Park’s successor described the sentencing as a “heartbreak- ing event” for both the nation and the ex-leader herself. “The accused abused the power be- stowed by the people – the true ruler of this country – to cause chaos in national administra- tion,” said Judge Kim Se-yoon. “Despite all these crimes the accused denied all the charges A supporter of South Korea’s former President Park Geun-hye reacts after the court sentence during a against her, displayed no re- rally outside the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul yesterday. morse and showed an incom- prehensible attitude by blaming the pavement in tears while oth- involving him and his relatives. Less than four years later, she Choi and other ... offi cials,” he ers began a protest march. Judge Kim Se-yoon said he had was impeached, stripped of all said, referring to Park’s secret “The rule of law in this coun- passed a tough sentence to “pre- her powers and ousted from of- Park Geun-hye in a file picture. confi dante and long-time friend try is dead today,” said Han Ge- vent such an unfortunate event fi ce on the back of months-long Choi Soon-sil. Park, 66, was un-hyung, a 27-year-old Park from happening again”. mass protests that brought mil- decades until his death in 1994. tank. “Park has denied all charg- Park among her core supporters, convicted of receiving or de- supporter. Park herself was not The presidential Blue House lions onto the streets of Seoul She was tried separately and sen- es against her and expressed no who have always seen her as a he- manding more than $20mn from in court for yesterday’s judge- said in a statement after the ver- and other cities. tenced in February to 20 years in remorse or atonement – legally roically tragic fi gure who devoted conglomerates, sharing secret ment which, in a rare move, was dict: “Each person must have The trigger was a snowballing prison. as well as politically – for what’s her life to the service of her coun- state documents with Choi, or- broadcast live on television. She diff erent feelings about former graft scandal involving Park and Condemned in the media for probably the most shocking po- try despite childhood tragedy. dering offi cials to stop off ering had boycotted most sessions of President Park Geun-hye. But Choi and accusations of graft, her “Rasputin-like” infl uence litical scandal in our modern his- The fact that she never mar- state subsidies to “blacklisted” the trial in protest at being held a bleak wind blew through the infl uence-peddling and taking over Park, Choi was convicted tory,” Jeong told AFP. “Given her ried or had children was part of artists critical of her policies, in custody. She now has seven hearts of all of us today. “It is a bribes from corporate bigwigs in of using her presidential ties to attitude and public anger over her appeal, given the nepotistic and fi ring offi cials who resisted days in which to fi le an appeal. heartbreaking event for the na- exchange for policy favours. squeeze tens of millions of dol- her scandal that remains raw, it tendencies of many senior offi - her abuses of power. Park becomes the third former tion as well as for the person’s Much of the public anger was lars out of major South Korean will be diffi cult to create a politi- cials. “I’m married to the Repub- The wide-ranging corruption South Korean leader to be con- life. A history that is not remem- focused on Park’s relationship businesses, including Samsung cal environment in favour of her lic of Korea. I have no children. scandal exposed shady links be- victed on criminal charges after bered is bound to be repeated. We with Choi and accusations that – the world’s top smartphone release anytime soon.” South Koreans are my fam- tween big business and politics in leaving offi ce, joining Chun Doo- will not forget today.” she let her childhood friend – maker – and retail giant Lotte. Park’s left-leaning succes- ily,” she once declared. But for South Korea, prompting massive whan and Roh Tae-woo, who Park, the daughter of dictator who held no formal position or Former leaders Chun and Roh sor, Moon Jae-in, came to power the vast majority of Koreans, street protests against Park last were both found guilty of trea- Park Chung-hee, lost both her security clearance – meddle in received presidential pardons af- largely because of the public she has now been permanently year. But yesterday the ruling was son and corruption in the 1990s. parents to assassins. She took of- state aff airs, including high-level ter each spent around two years backlash against her and her con- disowned, and will go down in greeted with dismay in streets Park’s presidential predecessor fi ce in 2013 as a conservative icon appointments and editing offi cial in jail – a privilege that may elude servative party, dimming hopes history not as the country’s fi rst outside the courtroom by several Lee Myung-bak is currently in who cast herself in the role of speeches. Choi is the daughter of Park for many years, said Jeong for a pardon under the current woman president but the fi rst hundred fl ag-waving Park sup- custody as prosecutors investi- daughter of the nation — incor- a shadowy religious fi gure who Han-wool, an analyst at the administration, he added. There democratically-elected leader to porters. Many protesters sat on gate multiple corruption charges ruptible and beholden to none. had served as a mentor to Park for Seoul Hankook Research think- is some residual sympathy for be forced from offi ce.

China enforces ban on online Bible sales Facebook apologises after Myanmar groups blast Zuckerberg Bibles have been pulled from Chinese online retailers in “recent days”, merchants told AFP yesterday, as Communist authorities ramp up control over religious AFP in Myanmar, a mainly Buddhist lence from the other community. systems in Myanmar. “It took over son conceded the company was worship. The clamp down on “illegally published Yangon country accused of waging an eth- “That’s the kind of thing where I four days from when the messages too slow in responding to reports books” also comes as the Vatican and Beijing negotiate nic cleansing campaign against think it is clear that people were started circulating for the escala- about the incendiary messages. a historic agreement on the appointment of bishops in Rohingya Muslims. trying to use our tools in order to tion to reach you,” said the groups, “We should have been faster and China. “Bibles and books without publication numbers acebook apologised yester- On Thursday six Myanmar or- incite real harm. Now, in that case, who had fl agged the worrying con- are working hard to improve our have all been removed in recent days,” a merchant day to Myanmar civil society ganisations published an open let- our systems detect that that’s go- tent to Facebook. “Far from being technology and tools to detect and on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao told AFP, Fgroups who took issue with ter criticising an interview Zuck- ing on. We stop those messages stopped, they spread in an unprec- prevent abusive, hateful or false without giving details on how authorities have Mark Zuckerberg’s defence of the erberg gave with news site Vox from going through,” Zuckerberg edented way, reaching country- content,” the spokesperson told enforced the ban. However, another merchant said platform’s record on curbing hate this week. In it he cited examples was quoted as saying. In their letter wide and causing widespread fear AFP by e-mail. she can list Old Testament editions of the Bible while speech roiling the country. Face- of both Myanmar Buddhists and the six local tech and human rights and at least three violent incidents “We are sorry that Mark did not English editions were still available in search results on book has been battered by allega- Muslims spreading “sensational” organisations said they were “sur- in the process.” make clearer that it was the civil Amazon China and Dangdang.com. tions that posts on its site have messages on Facebook Messen- prised” to hear Zuckerberg “praise When reached for a comment society groups in Myanmar who Online sales of other major religious texts including helped fuel communal bloodshed ger that warned of imminent vio- the eff ectiveness” of Facebook’s yesterday, a Facebook spokesper- fi rst reported these messages.” the Holy Qur’an and the Taoist Daodejing did not appear to be aff ected. All books sold in China technically must go through an off icial approval process, but Bibles have been readily available in recent years. The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) governs the distribution of China’s equivalent of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), which is needed for books to be legally sold in the country. China’s State Council and GAPP authorities did not immediately respond to AFP’s requests for clarification. Jin Mingri, pastor of the Protestant Zion Church in Beijing, which is not registered with the government, said the restrictions were tied to “overall tightening in the overall environment.” “Maybe (authorities) think that the spread of the Bible on informal channels is not conducive to state ideology,” Jin told AFP. “This certainly has an impact on believers’ access to the Bible,” he added. The state-linked China Christian Council estimates the country has around 20mn Christians — excluding Catholics — in off icial churches supervised by the authorities. But the true number of worshippers could be higher, at least 40mn to 60mn, according to some estimates, as some pray at “underground” or “house” churches which seek to exist outside government control. Meanwhile China’s roughly 12mn Catholics are divided between a government-run association, whose clergy are chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unoff icial underground church loyal to the Vatican.

Eight held in Australia over child abuse claims

Eight people have protection workers visited been arrested across their compound and found Australia, police said a dozen filthy, neglected yesterday, following a children. They were all lengthy investigation into removed into state care. disturbing allegations of New South Wales police child abuse. said a strike force was set The four men and four up in 2012 to investigate women, aged between allegations of “child sexual 29 and 51, were seized assault, and serious neglect over off ences allegedly of children”. “Following committed at a rural extensive investigations, property in New South strike force detectives, Wales state, both historical assisted by South Australia and ongoing. Police and Western Local media said they were Australia Police Force, part of an infamous family arrested eight people first exposed several years across three operations,” ago when police and child it said. Gulf Times Saturday, April 7, 2018 7

BRITAIN

POLICY SETBACK HEALTHCARE SCANDAL JUSTICE Sugar tax on soft drinks Council rejects Corbyn Great Ormond Street MPs to grill senior figures Grenfell Tower fire comes into eff ect bid to extend home hospital misses top rating in Cambridge Analytica row ‘widow’ jailed for fraud

Britain’s sugar tax on soft drinks came into Jeremy Corbyn’s plans to extend his Islington Great Ormond Street hospital missed out on an A series of senior figures linked to the A woman who said she lost her home and eff ect yesterday, a move that will lead to some home have been rejected as too radical by his “outstanding” rating because of concerns with Cambridge Analytica scandal are to appear husband in the Grenfell Tower fire has been higher prices. The tax, announced in March local Labour council. The Labour leader had the way it was being led, NHS inspectors said in front of the House of Commons inquiry jailed for four-and-a-half years. Joyce Msokeri, 2016, has already cut sugar content in drinks applied to move the front wall of the Sixties yesterday. The children’s hospital was judged into fake news and misinformation, the 47, filled a room at Kensington’s Hilton hotel by 45mn kg per year, the Treasury said, as terrace forward by about 3ft to allow a single- outstanding for the eff ectiveness of treatment digital, culture, media and sport committee with donations after saying she was a grief- over 50% of manufacturers have reformulated storey extension to be built. But the council and care, and remained “good” overall. But, has announced. Brittany Kaiser, a former stricken victim of the disaster, which killed 71 their products to be below the levy’s sugar turned down the application after a neighbour despite its international reputation, it could business development director at Cambridge people. Southwark Crown Court heard data threshold. “Our teens consume nearly a bathtub objected. Off icials ruled it would “harm the not achieve the Care Quality Commission’s top Analytica, will speak to the committee on showed her phone had never been used near of sugary drinks each year on average, fuelling appearance, rhythm and integrity of the terrace overall ranking because of problems with its April 17. Kaiser worked to find new clients for the Grenfell site. Last month, Msokeri was a worrying obesity trend in this country,” Public and the character and appearance of the area”. top management. The CQC report yesterday the election consultancy and spoke out in found guilty of fraud and possessing a false Health Minister Steve Brine said. “The soft They added: “This harm would not be outweighed said it “requires improvement” — the second March about her role at Cambridge Analytica. document. Sentencing her, Judge Michael drinks industry levy is ground-breaking policy by the small benefit…to occupiers of the bottom rating — in the “well-led” category. The day after Kaiser, Alexander Nix, the Grieve QC said her off ences were “callous and that will help to reduce sugar intake, whilst property.” Forty-seven of Islington’s 48 councillors Bosses were criticised for a “defensive attitude” former Cambridge Analytica chief executive, contemptible, indeed disgusting”. “Your greed funding sports programmes and nutritious are from Labour. The application was made in the and appearing to be unaware of “wide will return to speak in front of the committee in taking advantage of the situation you had breakfast clubs for children.” name of Corbyn’s wife Laura Alvarez. concerns” raised by nurses. for a second time on April 18. created was insatiable,” he added. Police hold Harry and Markle meet Invictus Games athletes emergency talks as violent crime rate soars

Guardian News and Media to know why more was not being London done. Scotland Yard has said it is conducting a total of 55 inves- cotland Yard has held an tigations into murders so far emergency meeting with this year. At least 35 of those Scommunity groups and killed were stabbed. On Thurs- youth workers as the violent day, Dick, announced a new crimewave in London threatened 120-strong taskforce to tackle to become a political crisis. organised crime, apparently in Police chiefs want to develop addition to the 80-member Op- a mobilisation plan to tackle the eration Sceptre anti-knife unit knife and gun violence in Lon- launched last May. don. This week two teenagers Che Donald, vice-chair of the were shot dead and there were a Police Federation, told the Today number of stabbings. programme the current crisis The invite to the meeting at was a direct result of cuts to of- Prince Harry, patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, Meghan Markle and Jayne Kavanagh, chef de mission for the UK team, watch athletes at the team trials for the the Metropolitan police head- fi cer numbers and funding, but Invictus Games Sydney 2018 at the University of Bath Sports Training Village in Bath, Britain, yesterday. quarters at New Scotland Yard also said the police alone could yesterday morning said: “Lon- not solve it. don is currently experiencing an “We also have to think about exceptionally high level of gun reductions in funding to coun- and knife crime. cils, and councils themselves “There is a high and increasing were responsible for putting level of concern in communities youth workers on the streets, about the issue and it is impera- making safe areas for young tive that we listen to and act on people to go to. Various chari- those concerns. ties were involved in engage- “Working with communi- ment with young people and all Poisoned ex-spy getting ties, our aim is to identify eff ec- of that’s gone,” he said. tive and long-lasting solutions “There is no outlet, there is no in the short and longer term. It intervention, there is no inter- is important that our response action. What we do not want to is fully informed by community turn it into is a police state, but concerns and any community unfortunately we are left with tensions are rapidly identifi ed, very, very little options and op- better fast, says hospital heard and responded to.” portunities to address this grow- The message urging people ing crime.” Reuters European soil since World War II. his 33-year-old daughter. Both Moscow and London In an exchange at the United to attend was from Commander On Thursday night, residents London Moscow denied any involve- A judge said last month, near- have accused each other of try- Nations, the ambassadors of Mark McEwan, the community and community groups gathered ment and suggested that Brit- ly three weeks after the attack, ing to deceive the world with an Britain and Russia quoted ex- engagement and inclusion lead in near Hackney Central station, ain had carried out the attack to that it might have left them with array of claims, counter-claims tracts from Alice in Wonderland for the Met. east London, close to where Is- ormer Russian spy Sergei stoke anti-Russian hysteria. compromised mental capacity and threats. at each other. But with growing calls for rael Ogunsola, 18, was stabbed to Skripal is no longer in a “He is responding well to and that it was unclear whether At a session of the executive The hospital in Salisbury said politicians to set out substantial death on Wednesday, to call for Fcritical condition and his treatment, improving rapidly and they would recover. of the global chemical weap- it was providing the medical up- plans to address the crisis, con- an end to the violence. health is improving rapidly more is no longer in a critical condi- The attack prompted the big- ons watchdog this week, Russia date in response to “intense me- cerns remained that national and The protest organisers, Guid- than a month after he was poi- tion,” Christine Blanshard, med- gest Western expulsion of Rus- called for a joint inquiry into the dia coverage.” London leaders had fallen short. ing A New Generation (an appar- soned with a nerve agent in Eng- ical director at Salisbury District sian diplomats since the height poisoning of the Skripals, but Russian state television re- The Met police commissioner, ent backronym for Gang), asked land, the hospital treating him Hospital, said in a statement. of the Cold War as allies in lost a vote on the motion. ported that Yulia had phoned Cressida Dick, has been criti- residents to share their stories said yesterday. Prime Minister Theresa May Europe and the US sided with At a UN Security Council her cousin in Russia and told her cised for making no public state- and plead for an end to the killings Skripal, 66, a former colonel said the Skripals were poisoned May’s view that Moscow was ei- meeting on Thursday, Rus- that she and her father were both ment on the subject this week over a communal megaphone. in Russian military intelligence with Novichok, a deadly group ther responsible or had lost con- sia warned Britain that “you’re recovering and that she expected until Thursday, while the Home Pauline Pearce, a community who betrayed dozens of spies to of nerve agents developed by the trol of the nerve agent. playing with fi re and you’ll be to leave hospital soon. Yulia’s Offi ce, the Met and the mayor activist and Hackney mayoral Britain’s foreign spy service, and Soviet military in the 1970s and But Moscow has hit back by sorry” over its accusations. health has improved rapidly. of London all declined interview candidate for the Liberal Demo- his daughter Yulia were found 1980s. expelling Western diplomats, Given the twists and turns On Thursday, she issued a requests from Radio 4’s Today crats, told the rally that the re- slumped unconscious on a public Russia has said it does not questioning how Britain knows in the aff air, British and Rus- statement through the police programme yesterday morning. cent string of stabbings and bench in Salisbury on March 4. have such nerve agents and Pres- that Russia was responsible and sian diplomats have variously to thank hospital staff and peo- At a protest in Hackney on shootings were partly a result of Britain blamed Russia for the ident Vladimir Putin said it is off ering its rival interpretations, claimed the mystery to be wor- ple who came to her help when Thursday night, community ac- young people feeling “disenfran- poisoning, the fi rst known off en- nonsense to think that Moscow including that it amounted to a thy of Sherlock Holmes or of an “when my father and I were in- tivists and residents demanded chised” by their environments. sive use of such a nerve agent on would have poisoned Skripal and plot by British secret services. Agatha Christie whodunit. capacitated” Woman jailed for conning Diamonds on sale National Gallery ex-boyfriend of £50,000 defends £22 ticket Guardian News and Media tion I think is very attractive for London the public.” Guardian News and Media Vaughan, who is also known loved. I gave up my home and job Monet & Architecture will London as Linda O’Connor and has one to be with the defendant.” cost £20 on weekdays and £22 child, met Wilton in 2009; fol- Wilton said he now earns £200 he debate over gallery on weekends. But the National lowing the end of his marriage he a week working 60 to 80 hours as entrance fees has been is not the fi rst to charge more woman who pretended moved from Devon to her home a self-employed taxi driver. He Treignited after the Na- than £20 for tickets. Entry to she had her legs and arm in south Wales. said he was renting a room in a tional Gallery raised the cost of Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Trag- Aamputated to swindle Wilton, a self-employed taxi shared house, and could not af- an exhibition ticket beyond £20 edy at Tate Modern is £22 for her ex-boyfriend out of nearly driver, last saw Vaughan in Au- ford to take time off for a shoul- for the fi rst time, charging £22 adults, and last year the Victoria £50,000 has been jailed for three gust 2011 but they remained in der operation. for its Claude Monet exhibition and Albert Museum charged £24 years. contact as friends via text mes- Vaughan, of Cwmbran, south on weekends. for Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Re- Linda Vaughan, 42, told her sages and e-mail. Wales, had previously pleaded Gabriele Finaldi, the gal- mains on weekends and £30 for former partner Colin Wilton The court heard that Vaughan guilty to two counts of fraud. lery’s director, this week ad- its extended opening. she was living in a tent on a told Wilton she was abroad and Jailing Vaughan for three years, mitted that London exhibitions The Turner prize-winning artist beach and had undergone limb suff ering from gangrene and sep- Judge Eleri Rees, the recorder of “have become quite expensive” Jeremy Deller said while the price amputations after being diag- ticaemia. Cardiff , said yesterday: “Over but blamed this on the cost of might discourage young people nosed with blood poisoning and She also said she had both of a period of four years you made staging large-scale shows. “We from seeing certain exhibitions, needed money. her legs and an arm amputated, false representations to Wilton couldn’t have put it on for free, income from shows such as this In reality she had got married that the battery for her wheel- about your situation and false because that’s not the way we was needed to subsidise museums. to another man and was using chair had been stolen and needed claims about your state of health operate,” he told BBC Radio 4’s “Maintaining free entrance to Wilton’s cash to support her life- replacing, and she was living in a and that of your son. Today programme yesterday. museums’ collections is more style. tent on a beach. “This was an elaborate web of Finaldi said the National had important,” he said, as was “in- Cardiff crown court heard the In a victim impact statement, lies and his aff ection for you may off ered early bird tickets at re- creasing the number of foun- fraud occurred over a four-year Wilton, 65, said he felt used. “I well have blinded him to what duced prices and argued the exhi- dation course places for young period between February 2012 was being used, to be honest. might have been obvious to an- bition was worth the ticket cost. people at art colleges”. and January 2016. I was totally strung along and other and you were taking full “There’s a good number of The Arts Council England Wilton, a taxi driver, made used,” he said. “As a result of all advantage of his feelings towards paintings which have not been budget has been cut by 30% 201 payments to Vaughan, as of this I still have sleepless nights you and you were draining him of seen in public before,” he said. since 2010. It said the long-term frequently as twice a week, and think about all the things she his resources. A model poses with two white diamonds, each over 50 “Those are the pictures that are squeeze on public funding in with the smallest amount be- described and how she said she “You have left him with sig- carats, at Sotheby’s auction house in London yesterday. most diffi cult, sometimes im- the arts and cultural sector had ing £35 and the largest £3,700. was living. nifi cant fi nancial trauma and left The two diamonds are expected to fetch more than $15mn possible for the public to see. To resulted in some organisations In total she conned him out of “It has left me feeling de- him emotionally very bruised when they are auctioned in May. have brought those in and to be it supported having to increase £49,225. pressed – I lost something I really and let down.” able to show those in this exhibi- ticket prices. Gulf Times 8 Saturday, April 7, 2018 EUROPE

Germany, France to develop surveillance aircraft against Russian subs

Reuters sula von der Leyen and her French for both countries to harmonise France operates the Atlantique 2, Canada, Poland, Italy, Spain, trol aircraft that will be retired scored its commitment to joint Berlin counterpart, Florence Parly, plan their military requirements for or ATL2, produced by Dassault Turkey and Greece. between 2025 and 2035. European weapons programmes, to sign a letter of intent about the the maritime mission. Aviation in the 1980s. Nato members are modern- France and Germany will also but said it also planned to take a new “Maritime Airborne Warfare The initiative is part of a larger German navy offi cials were ising and upgrading military take a “signifi cant fi rst step” on more assertive approach in seek- ermany and France will System” at the Berlin air show on drive by France and Germany to not immediately available for equipment in the wake of in- development of a new European ing waivers from European Union launch a programme April 27, it said on its website. increase their co-operation on further comment on the pro- creasingly aggressive military fi ghter jet at the Berlin air show, regulations to safeguard certain Gthis month to develop a The two countries agreed last defence programmes, including gramme, or how it will tie into actions by Russia, including a France’s Parly told French media key defence technologies. new marine patrol and surveil- July to seek a “European solu- eff orts to develop a new Euro- an eff ort by eight North Atlantic high level of submarine patrols on Thursday. Defence ministry spokesman lance aircraft, the German navy tion” to replace existing marine pean fi ghter jet. Treaty Organisation (Nato) allies, not seen since the end of the Cold In addition, they will display Holger Neumann told reporters said yesterday, in what defence surveillance planes, and develop Germany now uses the P-3C including France and Germany, War. for the fi rst time a life-sized that the step is part of a larger ef- sources said was a response to a a road map to that end by mid- Orion built by Lockheed Mar- to co-operate on “multinational In February, Nato Deputy Sec- model of the planned “Euro- fort to improve Germany’s weap- sharp increase in Russian sub- 2018. tin Corporation to patrol large maritime multi-mission aircraft retary General Rose Gottemoeller drone”, a programme that also ons buying system amid reports marine patrols. The letter of intent formalises swathes of ocean for submarines capabilities”. underscored the importance of includes Italy and Spain. of persistent gaps in military German Defence Minister Ur- those plans and paves the way and other potential threats, while The programme also includes replacing existing maritime pa- Yesterday Germany under- equipment and personnel.

Three quit Nobel Freed ex-Catalan leader literature academy to Madrid: Time to talk over sex AFP In a major victory for Puigde- conference is being planned. scandal Neumünster, Germany mont, the upper state court in German police detained Pu- Schleswig-Holstein on Thurs- igdemont on March 25 as he was day dismissed the rebellion travelling from Finland back to AFP usted Catalan leader charge against him over his role Belgium, where he has been liv- Stockholm Carles Puigdemont in last October’s independence ing in self-imposed exile for the Ocalled for immediate referendum, deemed illegal by past six months. “political dialogue” with Ma- the Spanish government. The arrest came two days after hree prominent members drid to resolve the row over the Rebellion – which carries a Spain’s Supreme Court ordered of the Swedish Acad- region’s independence bid as he maximum sentence of 30 years international warrants for Puig- Temy resigned yesterday left a German jail yesterday. in Spain – is not punishable un- demont and other fugitive Cata- in protest at close ties between The 55-year-old smiled der German law, they ruled. lan leaders on charges linked to the institution, which awards and waved at supporters as he The closest German equiva- holding the banned referendum. the Nobel Literature Prize, and walked out of Neumuenster lent, the criminal off ence of high The German court’s refusal to a high-profi le man accused of prison in northern Germany af- treason, did not apply because accept the rebellion charge is a sexual assault. ter posting a €75,000 ($92,000) Puigdemont’s actions were not blow to Madrid, as under Euro- The Academy has been reel- bail, a day after judges rejected accompanied by violence, the pean law it means Puigdemont ing since it was revealed as part Spain’s request to extradite him judges found. cannot be prosecuted for the of the #MeToo campaign in No- on a rebellion charge. However, they said the former off ence even if he is returned to vember that several members, The German judges are still Catalan president could still be Spain. as well as members’ wives and mulling however whether to ex- sent to Spain to face trial for the Despite the setback, the Span- daughters, had allegedly been tradite him on a lesser charge of alleged misuse of public funds in ish government said it respected assaulted by the well-known fi g- corruption. organising the disputed referen- the German judges’ decision. ure at the centre of the scandal. “The time for dialogue has dum. “It’s a matter between judg- Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter arrived,” Puigdemont told re- The German judges said they es, not a matter between gov- Puigdemont speaks to the media after leaving the detention centre (Justizvollzugsanstalt, JVA) in newspaper broke the news, porters outside the prison, say- needed to gather more informa- ernments,” said government Neumuenster, northern Germany. publishing the testimony of 18 ing that Catalonian demands tion before making a decision on spokesman Inigo Mendez de women claiming to have been for talks had for years “only re- the embezzlement charge in the Vigo. controversial and discomfi ting”. elect a president and form a gov- Another former Catalan min- assaulted or raped by one of ceived a violent and repressive coming weeks, but ruled that Berlin, which has long ex- Catalonia has been mired in ernment as their chosen candi- ister, Clara Ponsati, was bailed in the most infl uential fi gures in response”. Puigdemont be released in the pressed support for Madrid’s political crisis ever since the re- dates are now either in exile, in Scotland last week. Stockholm’s cultural scene. There is “no excuse” for the meantime. actions in the Catalan row, de- gion unilaterally declared inde- jail or facing prosecution. They face charges of rebellion, The Academy has since cut all Spanish authorities not to start Madrid has estimated that clined to comment on the latest pendence on October 27 in the Fresh regional elections will misuse of public funds and diso- ties with the man, who has not “a political dialogue with the some €1.6mn in public money judicial developments. wake of the controversial refer- be triggered if a new leader is not beying the state. been publicly identifi ed. Catalan political leaders”, he was improperly used to hold the “The process lies in the hands endum. elected by May 22. Nine other pro-independence But his identity is generally added. referendum. of the justice system, as is Prime Minister Mariano Ra- Puigdemont was one of a fi gures are currently in custody known by the public as he is a He also called for “the imme- If convicted, Puigdemont fac- right,” said German government joy’s conservative government number of Catalan fi gureheads in Spain, including six members high-profi le person in cultural diate release” of fellow Catalan es up to eight years in jail. spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer. responded by sacking the Cata- who fl ed abroad to escape prose- of Puigdemont’s Catalan gov- circles. separatists detained in the clash As part of his bail conditions, The UN’s Special Rapporteur lan government, taking direct cution, dragging other European ernment and the former presi- The alleged sexual assaults oc- with Madrid over the wealthy Puigdemont must remain in on the right to freedom of ex- control of the region and calling countries into the spat. dent of the regional parliament. curred between 1996 and 2017, northeastern region’s failed Germany and report to police pression, David Kaye, said that early elections. A Belgian judge on Thurs- A major demonstration call- according to Dagens Nyheter. breakaway attempt. weekly. rebellion prosecutions “raise The December vote was won day bailed three former Cata- ing for imprisoned separatist One of the resigning mem- “It’s a shame for Europe to On Twitter he said he will now serious risks of deterring wholly by a block of separatist parties. lan ministers after they handed leaders to be freed is planned for bers, Peter Englund, said the have political prisoners,” he said. to travel to Berlin, where a press legitimate speech, even if it is But they have been unable to themselves in to police there. April 15 in Barcelona. scandal had deeply divided the Swedish literary world. “Over time, a crack that ap- peared has continued to grow,” he said in a letter to the Afton- bladet newspaper, adding that Still dissatisfi ed, Slovak protesters keep up pressure over corruption the Academy’s permanent sec- retary Sara Danius had been sub- ject to “unjustifi ed” criticism. Reuters murders remain unsolved many ropean bastion in a eurosceptic charges but Fico remains in the The fallout continued yester- Bratislava expected the protests to subside. region. apartment. day as King Carl XVI Gustaf was Instead, they have focused on Slovakia has been a European “When people read about the informed of developments as police president Tibor Gaspar, Union member since 2004 but biggest scandals in newspa- the director general of the Nobel rotests in Slovakia over who has held his post for fi ve unlike its neighbours Poland and pers and then hear about these Foundation, Lars Heikensten, the murder of a journalist years during which time there Hungary has avoided disputes petty cases, it only makes them expressed concern over a “seri- Phave led to the prime min- have been few big corruption with Brussels over the rule of angrier,” said sociologist Zora ous and diffi cult situation”. ister’s resignation and a cabinet prosecutions. law. Butorova. Along with Englund, members reshuffl e. Gaspar says there is no reason In addition, most analysts say The biggest demonstrations Klas Ostergren and Kjell Esp- Still not satisfi ed, the dem- to resign. Fico’s leadership style was less since the fall of the Communist mark decided to step down after onstrators now want the police “The protests have already authoritarian than that of lead- regime in 1989 show another the group’s meeting on Thursday chief out and a crackdown on achieved a lot and the best sce- ers in Poland and Hungary and ex-communist country strug- at a Stockholm restaurant. corruption. nario they can hope for is a re- credit the Smer government gling to wipe out persistent graft “It is with great sadness that Nearly 50,000 people form of the police, a key con- with leaving media and judicial ingrained by decades of authori- after 36 years working at the marched through the capital dition if they want to see any freedoms in place. tarian rule and a swift transition Academy, including 17 as chair- Bratislava and other cities on development in the prosecution Slovakia saw its fi rst landmark to democracy. man of the Nobel Committee, Thursday in a fresh sign of an- of high-ranking corruption,” verdict last year when two ex- Slovakia ranks 54th out of I feel forced to make this deci- ger over a cozy political system said Aneta Vilagi of Comenius A vendor sells the Nota Bene street magazine with a cover showing ministers were sentenced to nine 180 countries in Transparency sion,” Espmark said in a letter many say turns a blind eye to University. “But it won’t happen a protest held to demand the resignation of the Slovak police chief and 12 years for rigging a public International’s Corruption Per- to the media. “When prominent graft. immediately.” Tibor Gaspar. tender in 2007. ception Index, behind neigh- academy members put friend- The outcry began in February Police say Kuciak was likely Both remain free pending ap- bours Poland and the Czech Re- ship ahead of responsibility and when 27-year-old Jan Kuciak murdered for his reporting. ciak’s stories also deny wrong- Another doctor pleaded guilty peal. public but ahead of Hungary. integrity, I can no longer partici- was found shot dead at home He covered suspected tax doing. to accepting cash bribes, a bot- Many recent scandals in Slo- According to the group, no pate in its work.” with his fi ancée Martina Kus- fraud and other graft by people With Fico’s deputy Peter Pel- tle of vodka, thirty free-range vak newspapers linger. senior Slovak politician has been Ostergren condemned “a be- nirova. with links to Smer and other legrini now prime minister, eggs and two kilos of walnuts In 2011, a secret service fi le – sent to prison for corruption in trayal of the founder and his His investigative reporting parties. many worry little further will last week. known as Gorilla – leaked and the past six years. Six regional great protector”, referring to the had focused on graft involving In his fi nal unfi nished report, change. Slovakia’s protests are in part pointed to high-profi le corrup- politicians have been given sus- Academy’s founder, Swedish politically-connected business- Kuciak also probed Italians with Previous governments have a refl ection of its unique trajec- tion across the political spec- pended sentences. King Gustav III, and inventor Al- men so public anger at his killing suspected mafi a links in Slova- taken steps to fi ght corruption tory within Eastern Europe un- trum. “Corruption in Slovakia is fred Nobel, who left some of his was also directed at prime min- kia. but the drive has mostly led to der Fico. In 2016, thousands marched comparable to other central Eu- fortune to the institution. ister Robert Fico who has led the One had past business deal- prosecution of petty bribes. The country of 5.4mn has seen to a luxury apartment complex ropean countries. The diff erence The three men are lifetime Smer party’s government for 10 ings with two Slovaks who later For example, a cardiologist strong economic growth in the overlooking Bratislava Castle to is how rarely it is prosecuted and members and cannot technically of the last 12 years. worked in Fico’s offi ce. received a two-year suspended past decade, driven by automo- demand Fico vacate a fl at that he punished,” said Marian Lesko, resign, but there is nothing forc- Fico resigned in March lead- They have resigned and deny sentence in 2015 for accepting a tive production. rented from a developer investi- a political analyst with anoth- ing them to attend meetings. ing to a cabinet reshuffl e that left links to the murder and those bribe of €1,000, a box of choco- At the same time, Fico posi- gated for tax fraud. er NGO, the Stop Corruption Of the academy’s 18 members, Smer in power and though the accused of corruption in Ku- lates and two ducks. tioned the country as a pro-Eu- The developer now faces Foundation. fi ve are no longer active after two women, Kerstin Ekman and Lotta Lotass, went on leave for Killer dog to be put to sleep Romania stops lorry with 79 migrants Solo: A Star Wars Story for Cannes several years. Bjorn Wiman, the culture edi- A Staff ordshire Terrier mixed-breed dog was set to be put to sleep Romanian border police stopped yesterday a lorry bound for The latest Star Wars movie spin-off , Solo: A Star Wars Story, will get tor of Swedish newspaper Da- after autopsy results yesterday confirmed that it mauled its owners Hungary with 79 migrants, 20 of them children, hidden in the cargo its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, organisers gens Nyheter, said that the res- to death in the German city of Hanover this week. bay. announced yesterday. ignations are “a disaster” for an The incident, which shocked Germany and prompted a debate The Serbian driver aimed to smuggle the migrants – Iranians, Iraqis, The premiere is scheduled for May 15, 10 days before the film opens academy “in ruins”. about the rules of dog ownership, saw a 52-year-old woman and her Syrians, Turks, and Chinese – across the border with Hungary. in theatres around the world, they said in a statement. His counterpart at the Afton- 27-year-old son die as the result of the attack in their apartment. Romania was not a part of the Balkan migration route at its peak Solo takes audiences back to the youth of the smuggler, ace pilot bladet newspaper, Asa Linder- Fire rescue workers captured the dog when they broke into the flat in 2015-16, but is now sometimes used because of strict controls at and charming scoundrel, Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford in the borg, said “the tower of Babel is after being alerted by the woman’s daughter late on Tuesday. Hungarian and Croatian borders. original 1977 Star Wars movie. crumbling”. She called the authorities after she couldn’t reach either family The Balkan route closed two years ago, after more than 1mn people, His younger self is played by relative newcomer, American actor The allegations against the member and spotted the body of her brother through a window. including many refugees from Syria and Iraq, but also migrants Alden Ehrenreich. man were fi rst revealed as part of Neighbours said that the man was seriously ill and had been so from Asia and Africa, passed it over a little more than 10 months. The Cannes Film Festival is best known for screening art-house the #MeToo campaign exposing since childhood. His mother was apparently a wheelchair user. In August 2015, 71 refugees crammed into a lorry died of films from around the world, but the inclusion of Solo is not without sexual misconduct, which began The dog, named Chico, is in an animal shelter in the nearby town of suff ocation on the road from Hungary to Austria. precedent. Attack of the Clones was screened there in 2002, as was in Hollywood and has spread all Langenhagen and will be euthanised. Hungarian authorities charged 10 smugglers with their deaths. Revenge of the Sith in 2005. over the world. Gulf Times Saturday, April 7, 2018 9 INDIA

GOVERNANCE VIOLENCE SCANDAL LAW AND ORDER CRIME Parliament Budget session Clashes in Kerala over Kochhar’s relative stopped Woman assaulted Defence website hacked, least productive since 2000 land acquisition from travelling to Singapore on Mumbai train three other govt sites down

With Parliament passing only two laws outside Protesters yesterday clashed with police in Malap- The Central Bureau of Investigation yesterday A woman was molested and assaulted by a man in Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Budget-related Bills during the month-long puram, Kerala, over land acquisition for a national questioned ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda a moving train bound for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maha- department website was hacked yesterday, with session, the Budget session that concluded highway project, leaving several women and Kochhar’s brother-in-law Rajiv Kochhar for a raj Terminus, the Mumbai police said. The accused the web portals of at least three other govern- yesterday was the least productive Budget children injured. Fearing their land and houses second consecutive day in connection with a - a taxi driver - and the victim were known to each ment departments including the interior, law session since 2000, data shows. Besides the would be taken away, the demonstrators fought case of Rs32.5bn loan to the Videocon Group other and he owed her money over which they and labour ministries also appearing to be down. Finance Bill and the two Appropriation Bills, the with the police as a land survey work was going in 2012. Rajiv was quizzed at CBI’s Bandra office had an alteration. A handicapped commuter on an Sitharaman confirmed the attack, but India’s Lok Sabha could pass only the Payments of on. Trouble began after a people who had assem- in Mumbai. Sources said the CBI was probing adjoining seat shot a video of the entire incident cybersecurity czar denied hacking had taken Gratuity (Amendment) Bill and the Specific Relief bled near A R Nagar, Vengara, pelted stones at the Rajiv’s link over allegations pertaining to his which has gone viral. In the video the driver is place. The defence ministry website was the first (Amendment) Bill in its overall 29 sittings. The Ra- police, who retaliated by chasing them. The roads Singapore-based company Avista Advisory’s seen grabbing the woman sitting on the opposite to be affected, with its homepage replaced by a jya Sabha passed only the Payments of Gratuity were then blocked and old tyres set on fire. Over dealings with ICICI Bank. The bank, however, has seat in the handicapped compartment. He then screen showing a Chinese character that means (Amendment) Bill, that too without any discussion, the past few months, Kerala has been witnessing denied its engagement with Avista for any serv- drags her by the hair and attempts to strangle her. “zen”. Soon, other major departments’ websites in its 30 sittings. It was for the first time since mass protests over land acquisition. Congress ices ever. Rajiv had been stopped on Thursday He later molests her even as other co-commuters were either “unreachable” or “not found”. The 2000 that the two Houses spent almost no time leader Ramesh Chennithala accused the Left at Mumbai airport by immigration authorities as raised an alarm to alert a policeman. The man was ministry of home affairs website’s main page on discussing the Budget. government of trying to “terrorise the people”. he was about to leave for Singapore. arrested after the train stopped at Dadar. said that the site was offline. No jobs, no vote: town warns Modi ahead of polls

Reuters months in March at 6.23%, ac- Kasba Bonli cording to the Centre for Moni- toring Indian Economy (CMIE), an independent think-tank. akesh Kumar has a post- The diffi culty in getting a rea- graduate degree but works sonable job is so great that more Ras a house painter in the than 25mn people applied for less small town of Kasba Bonli in Ra- than 90,000 positions recently ad- jasthan. vertised by the state-run railways. The 31-year-old, the only one Ram Vilas Paswan, a minister in of eight siblings to attend uni- Modi’s Cabinet, said the jobs data versity, said his attempts to get was worrying and that the gov- a salaried job had failed, and he ernment was working to address blamed the government of Prime it. He also defl ected some of the Minister Narendra Modi for not blame onto provincial authorities. creating employment opportu- “People expect only Modi to nities as it had promised. give them jobs; they have forgot- “I voted for Modi last time,” ten that even state governments said Kumar, wearing a pink shirt have some role to play in creating and wrinkled, brown trousers jobs,” Paswan said in an interview. BJP chief Amit Shah, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja that had droplets of paint on it. “Still, the government is worried Munde and state president Raosaheb Danve-Patil attend the rally organised to celebrate BJP’s 38th Foundation Day in Mumbai yesterday. “He had promised jobs, and I about it. In elections, even small is- was sure I would get something. sues can become a factor. The gov- I won’t vote for him again.” ernment is aware of it,” he said. Modi’s failure to create tens of Nevertheless, Modi is still millions of jobs for the country’s the most popular politician in youth — a promise which helped the country and at the moment him secure the largest mandate it seems unlikely that he will in three decades in 2014 — would be dislodged. Nearly nine out be the biggest threat to his bid for of 10 Indians held a favourable Furore as Shah likens another term in a general elec- opinion of Modi and more than tion due by May, 2019, many po- two-thirds were satisfi ed with litical analysts say. the direction he was taking the That seems the case in Kasba country, according to a Pew sur- Bonli, a market town in Rajas- vey in November. than on the edge of sprawling The BJP or its partners rule 21 wheat fi elds, which voted over- out of the 29 states, up from just opposition to animals whelmingly for Modi’s Bharatiya seven in 2014. Janata Party (BJP) at assembly The once-mighty Congress IANS whenever there are huge fl oods, cal ideologies which could never Earlier in his speech, Chief Bharatiya Janata Party chief said elections in 2013 and the general party is in opposition in New Del- Mumbai all snakes, mongooses, dogs, come together have united... Minister Devendra Fadnavis the countdown to the Lok Sabha election in 2014. hi and controls only three states. cats, leopards and lions, climb up They include BSP-SP (the Bahu- compared the opposition to elections had begun and called “My two sons are educated Before the Modi wave, handouts a huge tree as they are scared of jan Samaj Party-Samajwadi Par- wolves who posed no challenge upon all activists to fan out to each but unemployed,” said Hanuman for farmers by Congress helped arely an hour after his the rising waters. ty), TDP-Congress, Congress- to Modi. village to highlight the Modi gov- Prasad Meena, a farmers’ leader turn once-deprived Kasba Bonli comparison of opposition “The political fl ood unleashed Trinamool Congress, etc.,” Shah Shah’s utterances unleashed ernment’s achievements. in the town. “Many farmers vot- into a thriving retail centre, with Bparties with animals at a by Prime Minister Narendra said at a media briefi ng later. reactions and debates on the so- “We don’t want to fi ght the ed in Modi’s name earlier, but he shops there selling everything from public rally here created a furore, Modi has made all these snakes, He claimed that “political cial media, with even veteran ac- next elections on slogans or has no support here now.” glittery bangles to satellite dishes. Bharatiya Janata Party president mongooses, dogs and cats, join parties with diff ering ideologies tor Nana Patekar joining in, ask- empty poll promises but on When Reuters visited the town But as some farmers pros- Amit Shah virtually backtracked together and unitedly contest the have united because of the fear of ing that the Congress should at the basis of the government’s in late 2013 all the talk was about pered, they wanted their children on his comments. 2019 elections against him,” he Modi”, noting animals like snakes least get credit for ensuring de- achievements,” he said. Modi and how his promised to move away from agriculture. During his rally speech, Shah said. and mongoose never come to- mocracy survived in the country. “We should take a pledge to business-friendly reforms would Modi’s election pledge to cre- said when there are huge fl oods However, barely an hour later, gether. Shah yesterday also urged ensure a BJP win in the 2019 elec- boost growth and provide jobs. ate around 20mn jobs annually all animals like “snakes, mon- Shah clarifi ed that what he im- “However, if somebody has party workers to take a pledge to tions and in Assembly elections But it doesn’t seem to have appealed to them, helping send gooses, dogs and cats” climb plied was parties with diff erent felt off ended then I am naming ensure the BJP retained power in Odisha and West Bengal and quite worked. a BJP lawmaker from the area to together on a single tree trunk ideologies joining together to them all now, there is nothing to with full majority to help achieve later even return to power (Chief The unemployment rate in In- the Rajasthan assembly for only for refuge from the deep waters fi ght the upcoming elections vis- feel bad about it. Kindly don’t Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Minister) Devendra Fadnavis’ dia, nearly two-thirds of whose the second time since 1991. below. a-vis the BJP and Modi. twist my comments out of con- dream of ‘New India’. government in Maharashtra. It 1.3bn people are under 35 years But Congress could now make “A campaign is underway “What I intended was that the text,” Shah, apparently on the Addressing the rally to mark the will be the dawn of the golden old, hit its highest level in 16 a comeback, townspeople said. to unite all opposition parties parties with opposing politi- backfoot, appealed to the media. BJP’s 38th Foundation Day, the period of the BJP,” Shah said. ‘Sleepless’ Salman in new Trinamool slammed Govt process to buy bid for freedom today 114 fi ghter jets begins Reuters Aviation which makes the twin- New Delhi engine Rafale declined to com- AFP His conviction shocked fans natural causes such as overeat- ment. New Delhi and the Bollywood elite. Hun- ing, claiming there was no evi- Earlier, the defence minis- dreds fl ocked to his home in dence the animals were shot. he government is seeking try had sought expressions of Mumbai to show solidarity with Four other Bollywood stars to buy around 110 fi ghter interest from single-engine ollywood superstar Sal- the star who moved from his – Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tjets, the air force said in a manufacturers which eff ectively man Khan, now Prisoner luxury apartment to sleeping on Tabu and Neelam Kothari – who request for information issued restricted the contest to Lock- B106, spent another night in the fl oor of a cell in the Jodhpur were also accused in the case yesterday, marking a fi rst step heed’s F-16 and Saab’s Gripen jail as he fi ghts a fi ve-year prison Central Jail. were acquitted for lack of evi- toward a long-delayed deal that fi ghter jets. term for killing endangered wild- “Everyone knows that he is used dence. could be worth more than $15bn. But in February the govern- life. to the lavish lifestyle, which is why “The prosecution has proved Boeing, Lockheed Martin, ment asked the air force to open Salman, one of the world’s he was unable to sleep,” the Deccan beyond doubt the case of hunting Saab and Dassault Aviation are up the competition to twin-en- highest paid actors, was impris- Herald newspaper said, quoting an two black bucks against Salman among the manufacturers ex- gined aircraft, in the latest fl ip- oned on Thursday after a court unnamed jail offi cial. but the case against the other pected to compete. fl op in policy that has delayed convicted him for killing rare an- “He lay down on blankets accused does not prove beyond The planes must be built the acquisition process for years telopes known as black bucks on spread on the fl oor. He hardly doubt,” the trial court judge said largely in India as part of Prime and left the air force short of a hunting trip while shooting a slept. At 6am in the morning, the in his judgement. Minister Narendra Modi’s drive hundreds of planes. movie in 1998. sound of siren woke him up.” Film industry analysts say to build a domestic industrial India began its search for new Salman ‘s lawyer asked for bail Jail superintendent Vikram Salman has nearly $90mn rid- base. planes for the Indian air force in but the plea was adjourned after Singh said no special arrange- ing on him with at least three big The air force said in a notice 2003 to replace its Soviet-era a judge said he wanted to see the ments have been made for Sal- projects in the pipeline. The case, that “85% will have to be made MiG fi ghters. entire case record. man who is now Prisoner 106 and which has dogged Salman for 20 in India by a strategic partner/ Lockheed has teamed with “We argued for bail in the was served a dinner of lentils and years, has seen him held in cus- Indian production agency”. India’s Tata Advanced Systems court. Basically the eyewitness is cabbage like other inmates on his tody three times before. The tender will be open for to build the planes locally while not reliable ... the trial court has fi rst night. In 1998, Salman spent a week in makers of both single engine and Sweden’s Saab has entered into convicted Salman on the basis “He has a simple wooden bed, prison after being accused of using twin-engined combat jets, in a a partnership with the Adani of basically just one eyewitness,” a rug and a cooler in his cell,” unlicensed arms to shoot the black Left front leaders stage a demonstration in front of state widening of the fi eld. Group, a resources conglomer- Mahesh Bora, a lawyer for Khan, Singh told reporters. bucks. He was also found guilty of election commissioner’s off ice in Kolkata against an The Eurofi ghter Typhoon and ate. told reporters in Jodhpur,. Salman has accused Rajas- killing gazelles on the same trip “unprecedented attack” by West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Russian aircraft are also poten- The other contenders have not The court is to sit again today. than’s forest department of try- and served very brief stints in jail Congress on the opposition parties’ basic democratic tial contenders under the new announced their local partners. The 52-year-old action star has ing to frame him. His lawyers in 2006 and 2007, but was later right to file nominations for the panchayat elections. requirements. The request for information is denied killing the black bucks. claim the black bucks died of acquitted on appeal. A spokesman for Dassault open until July, the air force said. Gulf Times 10 Saturday, April 7, 2018 LATIN AMERICA

DECISION LEGAL CRIME TRAGEDY PEOPLE Caracas snaps commercial Norsk Hydro’s Brazil unit Nobel Prize winner Ecuadoran soldier dies Pena Nieto rebuff s Trump ties with Panama sues over spill analysis robbed in Buenos Aires after blast on border in standoff over border

Venezuela has halted commercial relations with Alumina do Norte do Brasil, or Alunorte, has sued A Nobel Prize-winning scientist was attacked An Ecuadoran soldier has died from wounds Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto rebuffed Panamanian off icials and companies, including prosecutors in the Brazilian state of Para, pushing and robbed in Buenos Aires as he travelled to sustained in a roadside bomb blast two weeks ago US President Donald Trump and asserted regional airline Copa, for alleged involvement for a new water quality study to assess a spill by pick up an honorary doctorate. US researcher on the border with Colombia, Ecuadoran President Mexican national pride in the continued in money laundering, prompting both countries the company there. Alunorte, a unit of Norway’s Michael Rosbash, who received the Nobel Prize Lenin Moreno said, calling the explosion a “terrorist standoff regarding the border between the two to recall their ambassadors. The resolution Norsk Hydro, operates the world’s biggest alumina for Medicine last year, and another professor were act.” He said on Twitter that the corporal was being countries. Responding to the US president’s names Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela refinery in Barcarena in the state. Local residents approached by three armed men on motorcycles treated in a military hospital when he succumbed plans to send thousands of National Guard and nearly two dozen Cabinet ministers and and Brazilian authorities accused the company after they parked their car at the University of to his grievous injuries, which had resulted in both troops to the border, Pena Nieto urged Trump top-ranking off icials, and says that Panama’s of causing a toxic leak in February that polluted Buenos Aires. The men then broke the car’s rear his legs being amputated. “A hug of solidarity to his to direct his frustration over matters of financial system had been used by Venezuelan the water supply. The company has admitted to window, stealing Rosbash’s passport and work family,” Moreno tweeted. The death took to four domestic policy at the US Congress and not nationals involved in acts of corruption. The dumping untreated rainwater from the refinery documents, the university said. A celebration the number of soldiers killed in the March 20 blast, Mexico. “If your recent statements derive from statement came a week after Panama declared but has pushed back against accusations of for Rosbash at the university’s Institute of which occurred near the border town of Mataje. frustration over domestic policy issues (...) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and serious contamination. A study determined that Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neurosciences A dozen others were wounded. Ecuador has address them, not Mexicans. We will not allow some 50 Venezuelan nationals as “high risk” for Alunorte had contaminated the nearby waters. was delayed until the evening to allow him to since January been confronted with an unusual negative rhetoric to define our actions,” Pena laundering money and financing terrorism. Alunorte has questioned the validity of the study. apply for a new passport at the US embassy. wave of attacks directed at its security forces. Nieto said on Twitter. Bolivia jaguars facing threat from Chinese fang craze

AFP along with the ground-down La Paz teeth, are prized by some Chi- nese as an aphrodisiac. While trade in the jaguar or olivia’s once-thriving jag- its body parts are prohibited, the uar population is loping big cats have been listed as “near Binto the cross-hairs of a threatened” on the International growing threat from poachers Union for the Conservation of responding to growing Chinese Nature’s “Red List”. Herrera said demand for the animal’s teeth that “from every animal, a poor and skull. person can take in up to $2,000. Researchers believe there are That’s a lot of money.” around 7,000 of the speckled In Bolivia 38% of the popula- big cats in Bolivia, out of a glo- tion lived below the poverty line bal population of some 64,000, in 2015, according to the most stretching from North America recent World Bank fi gures. to Argentina. Conservationists fear the But such is the appetite in money is an added incentive to China’s huge underground mar- farmers who often shoot jaguars ket that “if controls are not put to protect their livestock. in place, it can lead to a seri- To date, Bolivian police have ous problem” for their survival, intercepted 400 jaguar teeth be- Supporters of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva protest against court sentence in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, yesterday. warned Fabiola Suarez of the en- ing sent in the mail to addresses vironment ministry. in China. Considered vulnerable by But Suarez, a specialist in the conservationists, the jaguar’s biodiversity department in the future in the South American environment ministry, said this country is in the hands of anti- is likely only the tip of the ice- traffi cking police only now com- berg and describes as alarming ing to grips with the potential the quantity she believes has scale of the problem. already left the country unde- Lula appeals to UN and Local authorities began get- tected. ting reports in 2014 of trade in The state has belatedly begun the animal in the northeastern to hit back, mounting 15 sepa- area of Beni, according to Rod- rate prosecutions, including 11 rigo Herrera, an advisor to Bo- against Chinese nationals living livia’s directorate of biodiversity in Bolivia, according to offi cial at the environment ministry. data. court in bid to avoid jail He says the increased pres- But the trade continues. ence of Chinese nationals in the On March 19, a traffi cker sell- DPA sued an arrest warrant for the tee will now deliberate the re- The newspaper Folha de Sao metal workers’ union building. South American country has ing jaguar teeth and skulls on so- Rio de Janeiro ex-president, ordering him quest in the coming days. Paulo quoted Lula as saying Lula was convicted of cor- stimulated demand. cial networks was arrested in the to report at a police station in The civil rights watchdog that he did not intend to fl y to ruption and money-launder- President Evo Morales’ leftist Amazon region. the southern city of Curitiba body has the right to ask coun- Curitiba. The lawyers did not ing in July in connection with government has awarded $7bn Unusually, the Chinese em- ormer Brazilian president by 5pm local time (2000GMT) tries to take urgent measures to comment on the report. the renovation of a beachside worth of public works contracts bassy in La Paz has acted to warn Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva yesterday. prevent irreparable harm to an The 72-year-old former penthouse. The renovation was to Chinese groups, sparking an its nationals to steer clear of Fyesterday appealed to the “We can confi rm that the individual who is seeking the leader of the metal workers’ un- bankrolled by a company seek- infl ux of workers from the Asian traffi cking, reminding them in a United Nations Human Rights Human Rights Committee has committee’s help. ion reportedly spent Thursday ing contracts with the state oil giant. note to “respect and strictly ob- Committee in Geneva to ask the received a request for ‘interim This includes the risk of ex- night at the union headquar- giant Petrobras. Herrera said each of the cat’s serve the laws and regulations, government to prevent his ar- measures,’” a UN spokeswoman ecution or deportation that ters near Sao Paulo, where he Moro sentenced Lula to teeth, which measure between both Chinese and Bolivian, rest until he has exhausted all said from Geneva. would lead to torture. held talks with his lawyers and nine-and-a-half years, and an eight and 10 centimetres, can against the illegal traffi cking of appeals against his corruption Lula’s lawyers argued that the In another attempt to prevent members of his Workers’ Party. appeals court in Porto Alegre fetch up to $100 for poachers, wild animals.” conviction, his lawyers said. Supreme Court had narrowly Lula from being jailed, the law- Protesters blocked roads raised the sentence to 12 years but that fi gure can reach $5,000 According to Bolivia’s Na- The Supreme Court on adopted its ruling with only yers requested habeas corpus around the country yesterday, and one month. on the Chinese market. tional Statistics Institute, more Thursday rejected a request six votes against fi ve, which against Moro’s arrest warrant according to the pro-Lula or- The case was linked to the The feline’s skull is also prized and more Chinese are coming from Lula to stay out of jail in “shows the need for an inde- at the Superior Court of Justice, ganisation Movement of Rural massive Lava Jato corruption by traffi ckers, at rates of up to to live in Bolivia. In 2011, there the run-up to the October elec- pendent court to examine if the the country’s second-highest Workers Without Land (MST). scandal surrounding Petrobras, $1,000. were only 2,624 Chinese nation- tions, which he was expected to presumption of innocence was after the Supreme Court, ac- Hundreds of demostrators which has led to dozens of en- Traffi ckers also sell the skin, als living in the country, but the easily win. violated in Lula’s case.” cording to the news portal G1 meanwhile gathered to show trepreneurs and politicians be- and even the testicles, which fi gure jumped to 12,861 by 2016. Judge Sergio Moro then is- The Human Rights Commit- and other media. support for Lula outside the ing jailed. 800 Venezuelans fl eeing Maduro attends rally Measles kills 54 daily to Brazil: UNHCR children in Venezuela AFP The country has the high- Caracas, est number of confi rmed cases, Reuters than 800 Venezuelans are enter- Venezuelans willing to relo- 159, among nine Latin American Geneva ing Brazil each day.” cate from Roraima to other parts countries that reported cases in Venezuelans have also fl ed of Brazil are being fl own to Sao t least 54 children from the fi rst three months of 2018. to Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paulo and Cuiaba this week, as an indigenous tribe have The second biggest out- ore than 800 Venezue- Panama, Argentina and Peru, communities and services in Boa Adied from an outbreak break, in Brazil, has 14 con- lans stream into north- while others have sought refugee Vista are over-stretched, he said. of measles in a remote jungle fi rmed cases, all of them im- Mern Brazil each day, the status in the US, Spain, Mexico UNHCR’s $46mn appeal to region of eastern Venezuela, a ported from Venezuela. United Nations said yesterday, and Costa Rica, according to the help Venezuelans across the re- human rights group claimed. “All confi rmed cases were citing Brazilian government UNHCR. gion is only 4% funded, Spindler “The propagation started reported in unvaccinated Ven- statistics on people fl eeing the President Nicolas Maduro’s said, and he called for more do- in early January and we are ezuelan citizens between the worsening crisis in the economi- government in Caracas is faced nations. calling for a health alert,” said ages of nine months and 18 cally crippled nation. with widespread discontent over Within Venezuela, the eco- Armando Obdola, head of the years,” said PAHO. More than 52,000 Venezue- hyperinfl ation and shortages nomic crisis has limited peo- Kape Kape NGO. Measles, a highly contagious lans have arrived in Brazil since of food and medicines during ple’s access to health services “The most recent deaths viral disease that aff ects chil- the start of 2017, including an a fi fth year of recession that he and medicines, World Health were of six children, but since dren in particular, is prevent- estimated 40,000 living in Boa blames on Western hostility and Organisation spokesman Tarik January the toll is 54,” said Jose able with vaccination. Vista, capital of Roraima state, the fall of oil prices. Jasarevic said. Naveda, a member of the NGO Venezuela’s deepening eco- it said. Venezuelans report they are “WHO is working closely with who visited the aff ected area. nomic crisis has caused chron- About 25,000 of the migrants fl eeing insecurity, violence and of- the health authorities in order to Obdola said he had been re- ic shortages of food and medi- are asylum seekers while 10,000 ten a loss of income, Spindler said. fi ll those shortages. We are pro- cording the deaths in the state cines. Access to aff ected areas have obtained temporary resi- Many are in desperate need of viding medicines for malaria and of Delta Amacuro, where chil- are diffi cult. dent visas and the rest are seek- food, shelter and healthcare. anti-retrovirals. dren of the Warao indigenous The Warao settlements are ing to regularise their status, UNHCR is working with Bra- “We are equipping maternal community have been dying located on the edge of the Ori- the UN High Commissioner for zilian authorities to register hospitals with supplies that are since the beginning of the year. noco River, eight hours’ travel Refugees (UNHCR) said. Venezuelans to ensure they have needed for pregnant women and “There are no medicines, from the regional capital Tu- “We are stepping up our re- proper documentation that en- babies.” and there’s nothing the doc- cupita. sponse in Brazil as the number of titles them to work and access Venezuela’s crisis has posed tors and nurses can do.” “Sometimes getting to a sick Venezuelan arrivals grow,” UN- services, Spindler said. major challenges for governments Latin America was declared person is impossible. The boats HCR spokesman William Spin- Ten shelters have been opened in the region, who also worry that free of measles in 2016, but the do not have fuel, and despite dler told a news briefi ng. in Boa Vista, each with 500 peo- assistance to Venezuelans could Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores Pan American Health Organi- the seriousness of the situation “According to the govern- ple, but some Venezuelans are increase the number of people arrive for a rally with supporters in Caracas, Venezuela. sation last month reported a the silence of the authorities ment’s latest estimates, more living on the streets, he said. leaving their country. virulent outbreak in Venezuela. has prevailed,” said Obdola. Gulf Times Saturday, April 7, 2018 11 PAKISTAN

Even in Pakistan’s Supreme Islamabad, Kabul see eye Court, air is polluted to eye on peace, security

Internews Reuters/DPA It said that the leaders agreed A surge in eff orts by the Unit- Islamabad Kabul on a common aim of regional se- ed States and regional powers curity. like Russia and China to seek an Ghani, in a statement, said he end to the war has apparently ven at the lofty Court- he leaders of Pakistan and raised the issue of border viola- prompted Pakistan into a rap- room No. 1 of the Supreme Afghanistan promised tions with Abbasi and stressed prochement with Kabul. ECourt, the air quality Tto work together on re- that the situation was not help- The visit, the fi rst by a Pa- leaves much to be desired. gional security in a face-to-face ful to either side. kistani prime minister in three A reading taken inside the meeting yesterday, one day af- The leaders decided that their years, comes weeks after a courtroom yesterday during the ter Kabul accused the Pakistani national security advisers would Russia-supported international hearing of a pollution-related military of carrying out a rare air prepare a joint action plan for conference in the Uzbek city of case showed a scale of 39 par- strike on its side of the border. peace and reconciliation in Af- Tashkent called upon the Tali- ticulate matter (PM) when the Afghanistan on Thursday ac- ghanistan, according to a state- ban to renounce violence. international standard of clean cused Pakistan of strikes caus- ment from the Afghan presiden- Earlier in February, Ghani of- air is 10PM. ing “huge fi nancial damages” in tial palace. fered the Taliban an uncondi- Particulate matter is the sum a province bordering Pakistan. “Both sides agreed the na- tional peace overture at an in- of all solid and liquid particles Pakistan responded that its tional security advisers will fi - ternational conference in Kabul suspended in the air many of security forces were countering nalise [an] Afghanistan-Paki- attended by the US and key Eu- which are hazardous like dust, Afghan-based militant groups stan action plan,” the statement ropean nations. pollen, soot, smoke and liquid on its own side of the border. quoted Ghani as saying at the “We believe things will start droplets. The row highlighted long- meeting with Abbasi. moving ahead after this meet- The reading was taken by Venu standing mistrust between the The statement did not men- ing,” a Pakistani diplomat told G Advani, a concerned citizen neighbours that centres on mu- tion what the plan would look DPA. from Karachi, at the request of tual accusations that the other like and how the Taliban would The Afghan Taliban has been Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar country does not adequately be persuaded to initiate talks to President Ghani and Prime Minister Abbasi inspect the honour guard at the presidential palace in Kabul. expanding its military off en- when he inquired whether the prevent cross-border militant end the war, which is now in its sives since the end of the North former had brought the pock- attacks. 17th year. parture from the norm of cross- The strikes did not cause any a charge that Islamabad denies. Atlantic Treaty Organisation et-sized apparatus to gauge air But yesterday’s previously A day earlier, Afghanistan border shelling, said Thomas deaths or injuries, said Faridul- Islamabad, in turn, accuses (Nato) combat mission in De- quality. scheduled visit by Pakistan alleged that Pakistan jets had Ruttig, co-director of Afghani- lah Dehqan, spokesman for Ku- Afghanistan of not doing enough cember 2014. Advani, who had moved an Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan dropped four bombs in the Af- stan Analysts Network. nar police. to eradicate Pakistani Taliban They are now estimated to application to become a party Abbasi to Afghan President ghan border province of Kunar, However, Ruttig said that it Afghanistan’s Western- militants, many of whom are control or have infl uence over at in the case related to environ- Ashraf Ghani in Kabul included and warned that such strikes did not appear to damage rela- backed government has long based in Afghanistan and mostly least 14% of the country, while mental pollution in Karachi due “cordial and friendly” talks, Ab- could damage relations. tions greatly, since Ghani did not accused Pakistan of harbour- carry out attacks inside Paki- another 30% is still being fought to industrial activities, told the basi’s offi ce said in a statement. Such an incident is a rare de- cancel the meeting. ing Afghan Taliban insurgents, stan. over. court that the apparatus had been impounded by the security outside. The apparatus was brought inside the courtroom on the in- struction of the court and Adva- Climate change ministry to get $7.15mn Power, water sectors ni told the court after taking the reading that though inside the courtroom the reading showed Internews establishment of Pakistan Water, back in 2013, with objectives of struggling to prepare State of En- may get less funding 30PM, outside it was much Islamabad sanitation and hygiene (WASH), promoting application of vari- vironmental Report 2015-16, in higher. Strategic Planning and Co-or- ous tracking technologies for as- addition to conducting industrial He said that even a minuscule dination Cell, Climate Resilient sessing existing situation of for- and hospital waste surveys of Is- this fi nancial year increase in the pollution index he Planning Commission Urban Human Settlements Unit, est, desertifi cation, soil, climate, lamabad. led to 10-year decrease in the life of Pakistan has endorsed and establishment of a Climate pollution, marine life, and other The Pak-EPA also claims expectancy of individuals who Ta budget of Rs815mn from Change Reporting Unit at the environmental elements. about establishment of a well- Internews sector, as agreed in the Nation- inhaled polluted air. the Public Sector Development MoCC for funding from the pro- It also aimed at facilitating equipped centre of geospatial Islamabad al Water Policy. “What are we doing to our Programme (PSDP) for develop- gramme in the upcoming budget. better environmental planning, technologies for environment “It is diffi cult to complete or children who are not breathing ment portfolio of the ministry of Additionally, the ministry had through assessment of envi- monitoring in Pakistan and col- initiate several important wa- clean air,” Advani lamented. climate change (MoCC) for the also sought Rs738.50mn for its ronmental impact of diff erent lection of a spatial and thematic he federal government ter-related projects such as the The chief justice regretted coming fi nancial year. six continuing projects, includ- human activities, making them database on various environ- of Pakistan has pro- construction of much needed that Pakistan had become one Sources at the ministry said ing the establishment of the geo- compatible with the objectives of mental issues such as natural Tposed an inadequate and major dams for assisting in of the most polluted countries in that some of their on-going mantic centre for climate change, sustainable development. resources, natural and anthro- amount of Rs59bn for both addressing acute water short- Asia and wondered whether the projects are however only being the Green Pakistan programme, “Despite passage of fi ve years pogenic hazards and pollution hydro-electric power and wa- age in the country,” he said. government was doing some- run on paper. the sustainable Land Manage- practically and physically noth- levels. ter sector against the demand At present, Pakistan is at thing to address the alarming Meanwhile, the commission ment project to combat deserti- ing was done on the geomantic MoCC offi cials however said of Rs120bn made by the Min- the risk of water scarcity and situation. approved the Indicative Budg- fi cation of Pakistan (SLMP-II), centre project,” an MoCC offi cial that the Environmental Atlas of istry of Water Resources, in is among the 36 most water- One of the reasons of rising air et Ceiling (IBC) by a tentative and strengthening the Zoological said on the condition of anonym- Islamabad launched by Pak-EPA the Public Sector Development stressed countries in the world, pollution was the fast depleting amount of Rs815mn from the Survey of Pakistan for under- ity. was made up of information from Programme (PSDP). said the offi cial while adding forest cover, said Justice Ijaz-ul- PSDP for the ministry’s expan- taking immediate inventory of Contrary to this, Pak-EPA diff erent websites and was a mere The country is facing severe that the two major water reser- Ahsan. sion portfolio for fi nancial year endangered wildlife species and shows 52% progress on project, replication of the already avail- water crisis due to the insuffi - voirs of the country have been Children are most susceptible 2018-2019. habitats nationwide. largely in terms of fi nancial ex- able information. cient allocation by the present at a “dead level” since Febru- to diseases like asthma, Advani Earlier, the MoCC had sub- The sources said that DDWP penditures of the project. The ministry offi cials also said and previous governments for ary 22, and farmers are already said, adding that when children mitted its demand of Rs69.81mn had approved Rs48.88mn for es- Meanwhile, the environmental that the environmental protec- water sector which is likely to starting to experience water go to school, they are exposed to for approved projects by the De- tablishment of a geomantic cen- protection agency takes credit for tion body had failed to publish worsen in coming days. shortage issues. smoke emitting from cars. partmental Development Work- tre by the Pakistan Environmen- launching the Environmental At- its “annual” report for the past An offi cial working closely He said that the allocation He highlighted that Germany ing Party (DDWP), including tal Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) las of Islamabad 2016-17, besides 10 years. with the water sector said the for the water sector under the had banned diesel cars and said proposed amount is not even PSDP has been dropping in the that the move forward is to en- half of the required amount. last four to fi ve years. courage the use of electric buses The offi cial further believed According to the documents, and cars. that chances are high that the since the Pakistan Muslim Earlier in his application, Ad- federal government might even League – Nawaz (PML-N) gov- vani regretted that non-imple- Woman acquitted allocate less than the proposed ernment took over, there has mentation of the World Bank amount. been a continuous drop in the guidelines by the federal and the “The inadequate allocation PSDP allocation for water sec- provincial governments over the after being on death for the water sector in present tor and the share for the sector last fi ve years had exacerbated scenario in the midst of the cli- has remained below 11% of the the situation. mate change is having a severe total size of the PSDP. Since the respective environ- row for 20 years impact on the country’s water The documents reveal that mental protection agencies had resources may worsen further in 2017-18, the federal PSDP an integral role to play in every in the near future,” he said. allocated only 3.7% (out of the province, the budgets of the AFP family as they had not given He added that it is shocking total size of the PSDP) for the agencies needed to be enhanced Karachi permission for the couple to to see that the government al- water sector which is the low- and the powers of their func- marry. locate such a meagre amount est in the last two decades, fol- tionaries should be broadened, Appeals moved slowly instead of allocating 10% or lowed by 4% in 2016-17, 4.3% he said. woman infamously put through Pakistan’s creaky jus- more of the total size of the in 2015-16, and 8.5% in 2014- Advani stressed the need for on death row for killing tice system. development portfolio for the 15. identifi cation of major pollut- Aher family in 1998 has It was not until 2015 that her ants being released from the been acquitted and walked free lawyers petitioned the Supreme industries, saying that PM25 after 20 years in prison, her law- Court, which – after a three- is detrimental to the health of yer said yesterday. year hearing – ordered Nawab pregnant women and children. Asma Nawab was just 16 and the others to be released. To ameliorate the situation, when her parents and brother “The Supreme Court ruled Govt expands scope he proposed that air purifi ers were murdered in 1998, appar- that there was not suffi cient be installed in schools and the ently during an attempted rob- evidence against my client and cars that cause pollution should bery in the southern port meg- thus she was set free,” Javed of mobile broadband not be allowed to crowd around acity Karachi. Chatari, who was been Nawab’s schools. The nature of the murders lawyer since 1998, told AFP. Nawab packs her luggage at her lawyer’s house in Karachi after her He said that mechanical and sent a chill through the city, She left prison on Thursday. release yesterday. Internews services will cover approxi- vehicular overhaul are also nec- setting them apart from the po- With no family left, Chatari Karachi mately 8mn people, around 4% essary. litical, ethnic and sectarian vio- said, he took her to Karachi’s horse on the Clifton Beach and – could legally fi le a case against of the total population. When Advani mentioned lence that gripped Karachi for famous waterfront hoping that later had a dinner, and then she the state, he said. At its meeting, the board ap- coal-related pollution hanging many years. the breeze and the sight of the started realising that she was But, describing her as a poor akistan is expanding the proved the expansion under its over Karachi, the chief justice Nawab, her then-fi ance Arabian Sea buff eting the sands free,” Chatari said. and lonely woman, he thought it scope of 3G/4G services New Generation Broadband asked him to move an applica- Farhan Ahmed and two others would help her understand that Nawab – who is expected to unlikely she would. Pto rural and semi-urban Sustainable Development Pro- tion so that the matter could be were arrested and sentenced her 20-year ordeal was over. visit her family home today for “That would be a tough call areas, as it bids to enhance gramme (NG-BSD). taken in Karachi. to death, accused of killing the “We made her ride on the the fi rst time since the murders for her,” he told AFP. broadband penetration and Pakistan has been experi- increase the size of the e-com- encing growth in broadband merce market as well as include penetration since the spectrum 145 principals appointed to colleges across Punjab Imran Khan allegedly boots pet dog on wife’s wish more people in mobile banking auction was held in 2014. services. By February-end, mo- The Punjab Higher Education Department interviews were held on March 2, 3, 9 and It is said that a dog is man’s best friend, but one thing that can The decision to include the bile broadband users reached (HED) has appointed as many as 145 10 in their respective divisions. surpass this love is a woman. smaller tehsils in Dadu, Hy- 51.2mn, bringing the total principals at public colleges across the Interviews were held and subsequently, on This has happened to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran derabad, Bahawalpur, Baha- broadband base to 53.6mn, province on the recommendations of the recommendations of the committee Khan who was reportedly forced to kick out his pet dog Sheru walnagar and Rahim Yar Khan according to the latest data committees established for the purpose. formed, division-wise orders were issued from inside his Banigala residence. districts was formally ap- released by the Pakistan Tel- The appointments were made to fill for the positions of principals. Local media reported yesterday that a new quarter was being proved in the 59th meeting of ecommunication Authority positions in government-run colleges, Earlier, the department had formed a built for Sheru in the vicinity of Banigala but outside the main the board of directors at the (PTA). which were functioning without heads. three-member committee to shortlist the residence building. Universal Fund Company (USF With phenomenal growth, The appointments were made to colleges candidates for the posts of principals in There are also reports in the media that Sheru was evicted on the Co). experts believe the industry is with less than 500 students and were colleges comprising of a representative orders of Imran’s new wife Bushra Bibi, who reportedly is not very With an overwhelming ma- facing saturation in urban ar- running without a principal. of HED, and the director of education fond of pet animals living alongside residents. jority of Pakistan’s population eas, and needs to focus on Pa- Earlier in March, the department invited (colleges) and concerned deputy director Imran Khan: it didn’t However, Khan has rejected the news and revealed yesterday that living in rural areas, the expan- kistan’s rural and semi-urban applications for the vacant positions and (colleges) concerned. happen. Sheru died three years ago. sion in latest mobile broadband areas for continued growth. Gulf Times 12 Saturday, April 7, 2018 PHILIPPINES

Former partner shoots dead woman in Cebu

Manila Times Sacan said Rebuyas, who Cebu sustained a gunshot wound in the head, fell on the ground. ucilita Rebuyas was ex- Rebuyas was brought to cited to see her 13-year- the Barili District Hospital Lold son graduate in el- and was declared dead on ar- ementary when she was shot rival. dead by her former live-in- Sacan said that Rebuyas and partner in Barangay Balao, in Anotado have been separated Barili town, southwest Cebu for about a year. They have yesterday afternoon. three children. The suspect, Syrin Ano- Sacan said that Anotado tado, 38, a driver of a food who did not resist arrest ad- catering company, and a na- mitted to the crime. Anotado tive of Negros Oriental, was told police that he killed Re- arrested by police after the buyas out of jealousy. “He Tourists visit the beach on Boracay Island, Aklan province, yesterday. incident. (Anotado) said that Rebuyas Police Offi cer 3 John Rob- has a boyfriend,” Sacan said in ert Sacan of the Barili police Bisaya. station said that Rebuyas, 35, Sacan said the couple no went to the Balao gym near longer saw each other until the Balao Elementary School recently when Anotado went to attend the graduation of her to Rebuyas’ house and asked grade six son. for a reconciliation. However, Sacan said that when Re- Rebuyas rejected the idea. Tourist island in chaos buyas’ son was about to climb Police recovered the .38 re- the stage, Anotado arrived at volver pistol from Anotado about 3.30pm and shot Re- who told police that he pur- buyas at point-blank range. chased the gun in Negros Ori- Rebuyas’ son rushed to his ental. mother and cried. The Balao Anotado is detained at the gym was jam-packed with Barili police station. A charge as shutdown looms people who were startled by of murder will be fi led against the shooting incident. him, Sacan said. AFP or even military, checkpoints at quiries and reservations for his Manila ports to keep tourists away from services had dried up. The threat the tiny central Philippine island of closure fi rst emerged in Feb- that draws two mn visitors each ruary when Duterte accused the he Philippine tourism in- year. Residents will get passes island’s businesses of dumping dustry scrambled yester- while Boracay is rehabilitated. sewage directly into surrounding Two former NPA Tday to manage the fallout Domestic airlines announced turquoise waters. from the temporary shutdown on Thursday they would scale Ibarreta, the hotel industry of its world-famous Boracay back the number of fl ights to the offi cial, said some of Boracay’s rebels join army island, which threw into chaos jumping-off point for the 2,470- 17,000 resort workers would be trips planned by hundreds of acre island. lost in the ban. thousands of tourists. Industry leaders say Boracay “So we’ll have to retrain peo- By Al Jacinto commandant of the First Di- President Rodrigo Duterte accounts for about 20% of the ple (after the ban is lifted) and Manila Times/Zamboanga City vision Training School for ordered the once-idyllic white- country’s tourism revenue and that’s expensive,” she added. having completed the Basic sand resort closed to tourists for fear a longer-term fallout. The authorities plan check- Military Training for a period up to six months from April 26, “Boracay will defi nitely take points manned by police or wo former fi ghters of of four months from Decem- after describing the country’s a hit and the Philippine tour- soldiers at the piers to keep out the New People’s Army ber 4, 2017 to April 5, 2018,” top tourist attraction as a “cess- ism industry will take a hit,” said tourists, who arrive at nearby T(NPA) who surren- he said. pool” tainted by raw sewage. Enerio, the former tourism of- airports, but will not close busi- dered earlier have enlisted into |He said a total of 736 Checkpoints manned by po- fi cial. nesses to avoid lawsuits that the military following four new soldiers, ranging in age lice or soldiers will be set up at Beach weddings, typically could hamper rehabilitation. months of gruelling training. from 18 to 25, are composed piers to turn away visitors. held at sunset for barefoot cou- Assistant Secretary for the Major Ronald Suscano, of people of various ethnic Hundreds of Boracay hotels, ples in bohemian costumes, Interior and Local Governments spokesman for the Army’s groups and 90 indigenous as well as restaurants, tour op- Workers work on the drainage system in the business centre in were an immediate casualty. Epimaco Densing told reporters First Infantry Division, said people belonging to the erators and business establish- Malay town on Boracay island, Aklan province,yesterday. Wedding planner Ronald Son- barring tourists was “an issue of the two former rebels – whose Subanen tribe and the two ments were yesterday unwind- cio said 19 of his nuptials over the state exercising its valid ex- identities were not made pub- former NPA rebels. ing bookings for rooms, fl ights, thousands” of bookings made typically off ered a refund or an the period involving mostly ercise of police power”. lic – are among over 700 new Of the total number of new weddings and other events and as far as two years in advance alternate destination “to save Western couples had already “Someone has to compensate soldiers, including Muslims soldiers, Suscano said 29% facilities. — potentially worth millions of the account”. been cancelled, with fi ve others them or frankly they will fi nd and members of the indig- were college graduates, 23% “Some people are cursing us... dollars for hotels and other tour- Domingo Enerio, the retired moved out of Boracay. ways around,” Raff aello Pantuc- enous tribes in the troubled college level; 28% high school it’s nasty,” Hotel Sales and Mar- ism services — would have to be former head of the government’s “It’s diffi cult because our next ci, a security expert with Brit- region. graduates and the rest fi n- keting Association president either cancelled and refunded, Tourism Promotions Board, said wedding is a month away....it’s ish-based RUSI, think tank said. Suscano said the enlisted ished vocational courses from Christine Ibarreta said. or rebooked. some of the cancelled bookings bloody,” Soncio said. “But as far as I know the Phil- men undertook basic mili- the Technical Education and “I hope (there will be) no mess “Some people are okay but had non-refundable clauses and Wedding photographer Don- ippine government is not in- tary training which began in Skills Development Authority. and no chaos,” she added. “We some people cannot under- must be renegotiated or credited nie Magbanua said his three credibly fl ush with cash and I December last year. “The pri- But Suscano said one re- just want it to be orderly.” stand,” tour operator Clang for future use. wedding shoots in Boracay in imagine that would be quite an vates were declared graduates cruit, Randell Berlin, died Ibarreta said “hundreds of Garcia said, adding clients are The government plans police, May were now in peril, while en- expensive endeavour to do.” by Colonel Rufi no de Leon, during the training. 54 children ‘killed in drug war Robredo camp seeks lower in fi rst year of Duterte govt’ threshold for valid ballots By Mary Gleefer F Jalea have been killed, their children assistance on the status of each Manila Times get sick, they don’t have any sup- drug-related death. port system,” CHR spokesman “If they are open to co-oper- By Llanesca T Panti on the fi rst day of the recount Jackielyn de Guia said. ate with the agency (CHR), this Manila Times on Monday said some ballots ifty-four minors were According to De Guia, out of demonstrates that the govern- were wet and audit logs were killed from July 2016 to 1,100 cases that the CHR inves- ment is willing to investigate all missing. FAugust 2017 during the tigated, only 10% were resolved cases,” De Guia said. he camp of Vice Presi- So far, the PET had opened 33 fi rst year of the Duterte adminis- with the help of complainants Rose Trajano, secretary general dent Maria Leonor ballot boxes from the munici- tration’s war on drugs, according who dared to reach out to them. of the Philippine Alliance of Hu- T“Leni” Robredo has pality of Bato, Camarines Sur. to the watchdog Children’s Legal “We are supposed to carry out man Rights Advocates (Pahra), asked the Supreme Court to Macalintal said there were Rights and Development Center said the issue “should not just set the threshold for validly no indications that the bal- (CLRDC). “The war on drugs is a far revolve around the numbers” but shaded ballots to 25%, in ac- lots were tampered with before Kian de los Santos was the more complex problem. also the economic and socio-cul- cordance with the rules of the these were delivered to the Su- 54th victim, the CLRDC said. Aft er several months, tural rights of the victims. Commission on Elections on preme Court. De los Santos, 17, was found families of victims “If the breadwinner of the fam- manual audit for the recount “There is no indication that dead on the night of August 16 would go back to us with ily is not around, what will happen of votes in the 2016 vice presi- the ballots were tampered with in Caloocan City with a gunshot questions because their to the children? This is more like a dential race. or a massive fraud was com- wound in the head. breadwinners have been ‘war on poverty’ instead of a ‘war Robredo’s legal counsels mitted before the delivery of Police offi cers of the city have killed, their children get on drugs,’” Trajano noted. Romulo Macalintal and Berna- the ballots (to the Presidential maintained that the teenager sick, they don’t have The government’s #Real- dette Sardillo made the appeal Electoral Tribunal),” he pointed “fought back,” which led to his any support system” NumbersPH campaign showed in an urgent ex-parte motion out. Robredo beat Marcos by death. that out of 91,704 anti-drug op- fi led with the high court yes- 263,473 votes in the 2016 polls. From September to December our own investigations but only erations conducted, only 4,075 terday. They asked the court to Macalintal said the presence 2017, 20 more children between a small fraction of these cases drug suspects had been killed as direct the head revisor to apply of wet ballots in six ballot boxes 13 and 16 years old were added to have resolutions primarily due to of March 2018. the correct threshold percent- and the absence of audit logs the list, the CLRDC said. the complainants’ fear of the au- Human right groups, however, age as set by the Comelec in the are no proof of poll fraud. “We could not do away with thorities and lack of legal knowl- claim that deaths have reached revision, recount and re-appre- The PET, he explained, has how many lives were lost. These edge on their cases,” she said in 13,000 since the government ciation of the ballots. the option to order the print- children are not just accused an interview with Manila Times. launched its war on drugs. Robredo’s camp claimed ing of scanned ballots, while but also become actual targets, The CHR has fi led 47 criminal These groups, including the that under the Random Man- Leni Robredo the audit logs are not required contrary to… the government and administrative cases before CHR, CLRDC and Pahra, gath- ual Audit Visual Guidelines of to be placed in ballot boxes but describing them as mere ‘col- various local courts and the Of- ered on Thursday, declaring that the Comelec, a valid mark is a threshold in the ongoing re- that will justify their rejection,” are returned to election offi c- lateral damage,” the watchdog’s fi ce of the Ombudsman involv- the government’s war on drugs mark whose score is higher than count of vice presidential the lawyers said. ers based on Commission on Rowena Legaspi said. ing perpetrators and policemen presents a “far more complex the Vote Counting Machine’s votes. The camp of the Vice Presi- Elections (Comelec) Resolution Meanwhile, the Commis- involved in anti-illegal drug op- problem” beyond the death sta- (VCM) mark detection thresh- Robredo’s camp said a 25% dent also on Thursday claimed 10057. sion on Human Rights (CHR) erations. tistics. old of 20 to 25% or higher of the threshold should be applied. that no anomaly was seen dur- “We are not saying that we’re said aside from fear, families of It said the Philippine National In a forum in Quezon City en- oval. “This (usage of 50% thresh- ing the manual recount of votes. winning because we already the victims face other problems Police (PNP) still has not collab- titled, “War on Drugs: Looking The Comelec guidelines pro- old)is clearly contrary to the Macalintal said the result of the won (in the 2016 polls). The re- such as discrimination and lack orated with them in their inves- Behind the Numbers,” the hu- vide that a valid mark is one mandate of Rule 62 of the Revi- manual recount tallied with count just confi rms our victory of legal knowledge on the cases tigations by sharing reports and man rights groups and a media that the VCM always recognises sor’s Guide that the will of the that of the automated election and that there was no irregu- of their loved ones. police documents to establish organisation, the Philippine Cen- as a vote intention and once voter should be given eff ect, results. larity that happened. Marcos is “The war on drugs is a far more transparency for each case. tre for Investigative Journalism, cast, counts for the candidate setting aside technicalities and “There’s nothing that would inventing supposed irregulari- complex problem. After sev- Last December, the PNP discussed the government’s drug or selection made. that the votes therein should be cause us to be alarmed,” Macal- ties by invoking these audit logs eral months, families of victims agreed to turn over spot reports campaign and its implications to The Supreme Court, sit- presumed to have been made by intal told reporters. which are not required to be in- would go back to us with ques- of drug-related killings to the the poor, the marginalised and ting as Presidential Electoral the voter and will be considered The camp of former senator side the ballot boxes in the fi rst tions because their breadwinners CHR, which had requested their the rights groups themselves. Tribunal (PET), is using a 50% as such unless reasons exist Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos place,” Macalintal stressed. Gulf Times Saturday, April 7, 2018 13 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL

Lankan women going abroad ordered to take contraceptives Sri Lankan women who take up Oli seeks to improve ties with domestic work in the Middle East were being ordered by recruitment agents to take contraceptives before leaving, a media report said yesterday, IANS reports from Colombo. Six recruiters licensed by the India during three-day visit Sri Lankan government said they could provide an employer DPA/AFP won a thumping two-thirds with a “three-month guarantee” New Delhi/ Kathmandu parliamentary majority in that a maid would not become elections late last year. pregnant, the Guardian reported. Oli has since signalled he An agent from Gulf Jobs in epalese Prime Minis- will take a less antagonistic ap- Colombo said, “Before we can send ter KP Sharma Oli ar- proach towards India, which is a maid, there is a medical check-up Nrived in India yesterday Nepal’s largest trading partner. by the government and no one for a three-day visit aimed at New Delhi – which has his- can influence that. But once the improving ties with Nepal’s torically acted as big brother medical test is done … there is a powerful neighbour. to its small northern neigh- device we can give in them. If you During the visit Oli will bour – has similarly been on a want it, we can arrange it.” meet his counterpart Narendra charm off ensive, alarmed by While no women were prepared to Modi, and possible deals on Beijing’s growing infl uence over speak openly about being forced to the use of Indian waterways by Kathmandu. take contraceptives, the Guardian landlocked Nepal as well as an Nepal in May last year signed found that many recruitment expansion of an India-backed up to China’s ambitious One agencies make migrant workers railway to Kathmandu have Belt, One Road initiative, a take Depo-Provera, an injectable been mooted. massive infrastructure drive contraceptive that lasts for three Nepal’s prime minister is also at the centre of the Asian gi- months. expected to push for India to ant’s push to expand its global Sri Lanka’s civil war, which complete previously promised infl uence. claimed the lives of tens of infrastructure projects, many Beijing is the single largest thousands of men, has left of which have limped along donor to Nepal’s reconstruction many Tamil women as the sole for decades and are key to Oli’s eff ort following the earthquake breadwinners for their families. ambitious plans to kickstart three years ago and has also in- Rahini Bhaskaran, coordinator moribund growth at home. vested heavily in much-needed of Migrants Network, a rights Relations soured during Oli’s infrastructure projects, partic- organisation, said women were last term in offi ce in 2015 after ularly in hydropower, in the im- so desperate for work that they deadly protests in southern Ne- poverished Himalayan nation. complied unquestioningly with pal over a controversial new con- Addressing parliament be- the stipulations of recruiters. stitution that led to a blockade fore the visit, Oli said his goal “Most women don’t know what of the border with India. was to “create a balanced, reli- the injections are for. They are not The months-long shutdown able, friendly and cordial at- told anything about it” she said. caused a severe shortage of mosphere” with both India and Bhaskaran believes the goods, including fuel and medi- China. contraceptive serves a cine, at a time when Nepal was Gopal Khakal, a former for- double purpose: covering up still reeling from a devastating eign aff airs adviser to Oli, said potential sexual assaults by earthquake early that year. the prime minister had decided Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, centre, shakes hands with Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh upon his arrival at the Indira Gandhi recruitment agents and serving Oli blamed the blockade on to visit India after New Delhi international airport in New Delhi yesterday. as a guarantee to prospective interference by New Delhi and expressed its willingness to employers in the Gulf that tilted Nepal’s diplomatic rela- mend ties. “Enhancing just relations in-chief of The Kathmandu Post strong support,” he said. and re-establish trust. It is an workers will not get pregnant. tions towards China, stoking “India seems keen to put an with the neighbours on the ba- newspaper, said the visit sug- “It is certainly about resetting eff ort by India to reach out to Currently, there are 1.5mn nationalistic sentiment. end to the diff erences and move sis of non-interference ... and gested a “shift in the dynamics” relations. This visit is as impor- Nepal.” domestic workers in Saudi Arabia The Communist leader re- forward. So our prime minis- mutual interest is the starting between the neighbours. tant for India as it is for Nepal, Oli will return to Nepal to- alone and recruitment agencies turned to power in February ter’s visit can be described as a point,” he said in a nod to his “Nepal has never had a gov- perhaps even more. morrow after receiving an hon- fly in 40,000 foreign women a after his party, together with a reciprocal gesture to India,” he nationalistic base. ernment this strong. This is a “It is an opportunity for orary doctorate at a university in month to keep up with demand, bloc of Maoist former rebels, said. Akhilesh Upadhayay, editor- prime minister with extremely them to off set old mistakes the Indian state of Uttarakhand. according to off icial data. Lanka rules Chinese amputee out foreign to climb Everest judges in after ban revoked

By Paavan Mathema, AFP when bad weather again forced both his legs in Afghanistan – Bhaktapur him to turn back just 200m postponed his attempt and said rights probe from the summit. he will return in 2019. “Climbing Mount Everest is The only double amputee Chinese climber who my dream. I have to realise it. It to summit Everest is New Agencies The Canadian delegation in In this file photo, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena addresses lost both legs to frostbite also represents a personal chal- Zealander Mark Inglis, who Colombo Geneva had said that Canada a press conference in Colombo. Aon Everest four decades lenge, a challenge of fate,” Xia achieved the feat in 2006. was disappointed by the slow ago is hoping to fi nally reach said. Hundreds of climbers fl ock progress in implementing com- Karunasekera was arrested by directly involved in high-profi le the summit after Nepal’s top Xia’s guide, Dawa Gyalje to Everest every year during the ri Lanka yesterday ruled mitments to advance peace the Criminal Investigations De- killings and abductions during court overruled a controversial Sherpa – who has summited brief spring climbing season out any possibility of hav- and reconciliation, politi- partment (CID) as he was under- the former regime and many of government ban on blind and Everest eight times – is hope- starting April, when winds and Sing foreign judges in its in- cal stability, human rights and going treatment at an army hos- them are currently on bail. double amputee climbers. ful the plucky Chinese climber temperatures are more forgiv- vestigations on war time human accountability. pital, police spokesman Ruwan Evidence gathered so far Xia Boyu is the fi rst double will fi nally make it to the top ing than other times of the year. rights abuses. Canada reiterated the desire Gunasekera said. showed that police as well as ju- amputee to be given a permit this time. Last year, 634 people made it President Maithripala Sirise- for the government of Sri Lanka Gunasekera said Karunasek- dicial medical offi cers had col- to climb the world’s highest “He has been training and to the top and seven died trying. na told the media yesterday that to ensure that a process of ac- era, who was the director of the luded to cover up almost all the mountain after the ban was has climbed above 8,000 me- Nepali and Chinese authori- Sri Lanka’s position was clearly countability is established that military intelligence was arrest- cases. Several senior police of- revoked. tres before,” Sherpa said. ties, who monitor all climbs on communicated to the UN Hu- will have the trust and confi dence ed in connection with the May fi cers are currently facing pros- The 69-year-old said the “I am hopeful he will fulfi l his the southern and northern faces man Rights Council (UNHRC) in of the victims of this war. 22, 2008 abduction and assault ecution for their roles in de- measure, introduced in De- dream.” of the mountain respectively, Geneva last month. Some Tamil groups have been of Noyahr who at the time was an stroying evidence or subverting cember to much criticism, was The legal wrangling over dis- are yet to release the number of Sri Lanka was represented at saying that without the partici- editor of the Nation newspaper. investigations. “discriminating against the abled climbers did scupper ex- climbing permits issued for this the Geneva session by Foreign pation of foreign judges the ac- However, offi cial sources The then defence secretary disabled”. soldier Hari Budha Magar’s bid year. Minister Tilak Marapana and countability process will not be said the former head of the DMI Gotabhaya Rajapakse has denied “I panicked after I heard to become the fi rst above-the- But the season – which marks ministers Sarath Amunugama seen as being credible. was under investigation for the involvement in the killings and the news because it meant knee double amputee to scale the 65th anniversary of the fi rst and Faizer Mustapha. Breakthrough after top Noyahr abduction as well as also maintained he had no com- I couldn’t fulfi l my dream. I Everest. summit of Everest by Edmund At the UNHRC last month sleuth’s arrest: The long-de- several other connected cases, mand responsibility over the thought, ‘How can I now get a Magar – a 38-year-old Hillary and Tenzing Norgay – is some countries, including Can- layed arrest of the head of the including the assassination of intelligence units and has shift- climbing permit?’ Xia said. former Gurkha soldier who lost expected to be busy. ada called on Sri Lanka to fulfi l military intelligence directo- Sunday Leader founding editor ed the blame to his army chief But last month, disability its international commitments rate has led to a breakthrough in Lasantha Wickrematunga. Sarath Fonseka. advocacy groups successfully by ensuring the involvement of solving the Keith Noyahr abduc- “This arrest marks an impor- For his part, Fonseka has said overturned the ban in Nepal’s Commonwealth and interna- tion case which is directly linked tant breakthrough in the case,” the intelligence units that op- highest court, arguing it con- tional investigators, prosecutors to several other attacks, police an offi cial source said. erated outside the northern travened the UN convention and judges in the accountability said yesterday. Investigators have found that and eastern war zones were not on the rights of people with process. Retired major general Amal the members of the DMI were under his command. disabilities. Xia’s bid to summit the 8,848m (29,029ft) mountain will be his fi fth. He was part of a Chinese na- tional team in 1975 when the Bangladesh launches billion dollar ‘model’ mosques group encountered bad weather just below the summit. Oxygen-starved and exposed AFP “About 560 “model years after militants carried out forces,” said Ataur Rahman, to frigid temperatures, Xia suf- Dhaka mosques cum cultural attacks on religious minorities, chairman of the Dhaka-based fered severe frostbite and lost centres” would be built in secular activists and foreigners. Centre for Governance Studies. both his feet. the next 30 months as part Afzal said the centres of wor- Hasina’s ruling Awami Legaue In 1996, his legs were ampu- angladesh has launched a of a government attempt to ship would be open to women, party has over the decades tated just below the knee after billion-dollar campaign to fi ght extremism” unlike most of the country’s championed secular causes. he was diagnosed with lym- Bbuild hundreds of “mod- 300,000 mosques, and would be In recent years Hasina has phoma, a form of blood cancer. el mosques”, to try to counter “In the next one to one and a equipped with libraries and cul- cracked down on hardline Is- The tenacious climber re- radicals in the Muslim-majority half months, work on another tural centres. lamist groups, and tried and ex- turned to Everest in 2014 but country, offi cials said yesterday. 100 mosques will begin,” Shah- “Each mosque will cost 150mn ecuted Islamist leaders accused an avalanche killed 16 Sherpa Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, mim Afzal, who heads the gov- taka ($1.8mn),” he said. of war crimes. She has made guides early in the season, forc- who inaugurated work on nine ernment Islamic aff airs depart- Imams would be required to secularism part of Bangladesh’s ing most expeditions to call off mosques through a video confer- ment, said. give sermons “to inspire people constitution. their summit bids. ence on Thursday, is also trying They will be used to preach against extremism”. “Ahead of the elections, she Xia was back the follow- to bolster support in an election against “distorted Islamic phi- An expert said the real aim of is adjusting her secular stand by ing year, but the climbing year, according to analysts. losophy” of groups such as the billion dollar mosque project leaning towards a more rightist season was again cut short A senior offi cial said 560 “model Bangladesh’s largest opposition by Hasina’s government could Islamist position,” Rahman said. when a powerful earthquake mosques cum cultural centres” Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami, be political. Hasina has said a general elec- struck Nepal, killing around would be built in the next 30 the offi cial added. “She wants to build rapport tion will be held this year. 9,000 people - including 22 on months as part of a government The country has been fi ght- with traditional Islamic groups. Some 90% of Bangladesh’s Everest. Xia Boyu walking in Bhaktapur on the outskirts of Kathmandu, attempt to fi ght extremism. ing Islamist extremism in recent She wants to win over these 160mn people are Muslims. His last attempt was in 2016 ahead of another attempt to climb the mountain. Gulf Times 14 Saturday, April 7, 2018 COMMENT

CHAIRMAN Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Qatar, US open new horizons Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka Deputy Managing Editor K T Chacko for co-operation, strategic ties Production Editor Amjad Khan QNA Doha P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar he visit of His Highness [email protected] the Emir Sheikh Tamim 44350478 (News), bin Hamad al-Thani to the US, which began yesterday, 44466404 (Sport), T is new stop on the road of the two 44466636 (Home delivery) countries’ strategic co-operation, and of strengthening the links between 44350474 them according to a shared vision to facebook.com/gulftimes serve their common interests, and it contributes to the regional stability and twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar security and global peace. The visit comes at an invitation that the Emir received via a telephone call from US President Donald Trump in February, during which they reviewed GULF TIMES the strategic relations between the two friendly countries and means of consolidating them to serve their common interests. Although the areas of co-operation Trump’s EPA rollbacks between the Qatari and US sides cover many economic, military, security, cultural and other sectors, the visit is an to dirtier cars mean appropriate opportunity to review what has been achieved in this regard during the last period, and what the offi cials of dirtier air to breathe the two countries aspire to, in terms of opening new horizons for co-operation and strategic partnerships between the Qatar-US Economic Forum session in Miami on Thursday. US President Donald Trump’s ill-advised rollback of two countries, thus providing more tailpipe emissions standards will choke progress toward fruitful opportunities and mutual co-operation among states, mutual in the signing of memorandums of The joint statement pointed that cleaning the air and cutting the costs to drive a car or truck. benefi ts for them especially in the respect, non-interference in internal understanding and security co- the two governments intend to defi ne economic, investment and military aff airs, good-neighbourliness, operation agreements that have and prioritise co-operation in various The Environmental Protection Agency under Trump, sectors. promoting peaceful coexistence and broadened the relations to new fi elds on basis of the results of the headed by the heavily confl icted Scott Pruitt, has The Emir’s visit to the US comes at peaceful means of settling disputes. horizons covering various fields in an fi rst dialogue and decided to establish announced plans to reduce air quality standards without a time when Qatar has succeeded in The Qatari diplomacy and its various unprecedented manner. a working group to develop the saying by how much. That will come later. The standards addressing the unjust siege imposed on initiatives have earned the respect and Within the framework of common policy priorities and political it, as well as in breaking and defeating appreciation of the American side and the strategic dialogue, the two partnerships. were most recently upgraded by President Barack Obama to the siege, in light of the support of many other countries and international governments issued a joint statement On the economic level, the US is the curtail air pollution’s harmful eff ects on human health and the international community for organisations and institutions, as Doha on security co-operation, reaffirming sixth largest trading partner of the State climate change, including rising sea levels, more frequent the Qatari position, which insists plays a prominent role in mediation their commitment to promoting of Qatar as the volume of trade between fl ooding, longer droughts, and an increase in wildfi res. on resolving the Gulf crisis through initiatives, confl ict resolution eff orts, peace and stability and combating the the two countries reached about $6bn dialogue and peaceful means, far from attempts to reconcile confl icting parties scourge of terrorism. in 2016, in addition to the presence of Obama’s goal was to double the average fuel economy of conditions and dictates. The siege and help formulate solutions and The United States expressed its more than 120 US companies operating in new cars and trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Not countries have failed to provide any political agreements for crises. willingness to work jointly with Qatar, Qatar, especially in the fi eld of energy. only would the standards reduce our dependency on oil and evidence of their accusations against The Qatari-US ties date back to 1972 in accordance with the provisions of Qatar has also announced a plan to cut pollution, they would save consumers money. Qatar on supporting terrorism because after the establishment of diplomatic the UN Charter, to deter and counter invest $45bn in the United States. such evidence does not exist at all, relations between the two countries external threats to the territorial Moreover, in June 2017 the two sides A former EPA offi cial estimates that fuel savings to not to mention that Qatar is the fi rst following the independence of Qatar, integrity of the Qatari soil. signed a military agreement to purchase consumers under the Obama standards could be $1.7tn over country to sign a memorandum of but have signifi cantly developed since This strategic dialogue underscored F-15 fi ghter jets, at an initial cost of the lives of their vehicles. In an opinion piece in the New York understanding with the United States to the 1990s under strategic partnerships that the link between Qatar and the $12bn. Times, Margo Ogre, former director of the EPA’s Offi ce of combat the fi nancing of terrorism. in the economic, investment, military US is a strategic partnership that Qatar and the US have succeeded His Highness the Emir’s visit also and cultural fi elds. Washington has not held with any Arab to establish a strong link in education Transportation and Air Quality, further argues that rolling comes amid reports that the US-Gulf Qatar has had excellent relations with country, a partnership that includes and culture, as six US universities back the standards would actually hurt the auto industry’s summit at Camp David which had been various US administrations through politics, economy, investment, as well have opened branches in Education “long-term competitiveness scheduled for May will be postponed to mutual visits and at the highest levels. as security, military and defence co- City in Doha, including Virginia and stability.” September. His Highness the Emir visited operation. Commonwealth University, Weill Dirty air has Qatar, represented by the Emir, goes Washington in February 2015 and The dialogue also shows that Qatar Cornell Medical College, Texas A She’s right. Who wants to Washington with fi rm and clear met President Donald Trump in New and the US plan to strengthen military & M University, Carnegie Mellon been cited as a to buy an American car that positions, open heart for dialogue and York on September 19, 2017. During relations within the framework of the University, Georgetown University and costs more to operate than understanding and an extended hand the meeting, they discussed regional 2040 Vision, which include hosting Northwestern University. factor in asthma, an equally good foreign car? for peace and co-operation on bases and international issues, particularly the US Navy and strengthening the Al In addition to the student exchanges mutual respect, non-interference in the the Gulf crisis and the eff orts exerted Udeid Base to become a strategic base in between the United States and Qatar, heart and lung But automakers complained internal aff airs of others and common to resolve it through dialogue and the region. there are hundreds of Qatari students, that it costs them too much interests consistent with the principles diplomatic channels. Qatar and the US discussed the Gulf including scholarship students, disease to clean up emissions, and of international law. On January 30, the governments crisis and underscored the need for studying in the United States. Pruitt listened. There is no doubt that the issues of the two countries held their fi rst an immediate solution in a way that The visit of the Emir to the US is of the Arab region, especially the strategic dialogue in Washington, respects Qatar’s sovereignty. very important by all local, Arab and This is the latest attack on environmental standards. It Palestinian cause, the Syrian crisis and DC, which marked a milestone in The two governments expressed international standards. comes after the EPA has downgraded emissions standards the situation in Yemen will be part of the bilateral relations as well as the concern about the damaging security, It will constitute a new shift at coal plants, opened the coasts to off shore oil drilling, and the agenda that will be discussed during course of developments in the region, economic and humanitarian impact of in relations of co-operation and weakened protections against toxic runoff s into estuaries. the Emir’s talks in the United States. especially as it resulted in increased the crisis and expressed concern about coordination with the United States. It is certain that maintaining regional consensus and convergence in the peace and stability in the Gulf and about The outcomes of the visit will On top of that, Trump has made it harder for the agency and international peace and security is strategic visions between the two adherence to international law. have positive repercussions for the to enforce surviving standards because he has targeted the a priority in the foreign policy of Qatar, countries and reiterated the need for Qatar appreciated the role played consolidation of bilateral relations with EPA for funding cuts. which is based on the principles and them to remain allies and close friends. by the United States in mediating the the American side in various fi elds, States have tried to stand up for their residents against objectives to the Charter of the United It also marked the beginning of a confl ict in support of the eff orts of for Qatari government and people, Nations and the rules of international strategic partnership between Qatar the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al- for the peoples of the region and for the administration’s rollbacks. After the administration legality that call for constructive and the US, and was culminated Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah. international security and stability. indicated in June that it would relax auto emissions standards, a dozen states, including Pennsylvania, said they’d fi ght it. But the EPA is ready for them. In this latest edict, the EPA singled out California with a plan to strip its ability to set higher auto emission standards, which are protected by a section of the Clean Air Act. The state is getting ready for a court battle. It should. Scientists have long studied the health eff ects of air pollution, much of it literally driven by tailpipe emissions. Dirty air has been cited as a factor in asthma, heart and lung disease, and premature death. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to air pollutants. The EPA has the administrative power to roll back some of these standards. Public and political pressure are the best antidotes to this latest reckless act. Congress should put pressure on the administration to care for our environment. That may sound like a long shot, but consider that Republicans, who now control Congress, are worried that the House could fl ip to Democrats in the 2018 elections. They are vulnerable to public opinion, which has favoured environmental protections - even over economic growth - with few exceptions, according to an analysis of Gallup polls dating back to 1987. That means voters favouring the environment can exert real pressure in the upcoming elections - and they should.

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© 2018 Gulf Times. All rights reserved Gulf Times Saturday, April 7, 2018 15 COMMENT The rise of Silicon China China has a chance to lead in AI repeat of 2015, when market turbulence led to because it has managed to adopt government intervention, sharply falling prices, and several trading halts. The government new technologies very quickly did manage to stabilise prices, but it did so by creating added incentives for brokers and By Marion Laboure, Haiyang Zhang, and banning short-sells and the sale of stocks above Juergen Braunstein a certain threshold. Cambridge A third problem is that a steady increase in housing prices has made investment in all risk assets riskier. Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of n the future, if not already, the Silicon the People’s Bank of China, is now warning of Valleys of artifi cial intelligence (AI) will be a “Minsky moment,” whereby China’s growing in China. The tech fi rms Xiaomi, Baidu, mortgage-fuelled household debt could lead to IDidi Chuxing, Meituan, and Toutiao are a sudden asset-price collapse. all headquartered in Beijing. Alibaba, China’s A fi nal problem is that Chinese fi rms face e-commerce giant, is based in Hangzhou. And limitations in investing overseas. In addition to Tencent, a multinational conglomerate that is the Chinese government’s own capital controls, investing heavily in AI, is in Shenzhen. Tencent the US government has been considering already has a market capitalisation higher tighter restrictions on Chinese investments in than General Electric, and Baidu is larger than strategically important sectors, particularly General Motors. those relating to AI and machine learning. In China has a chance to lead in AI because it fact, US regulators recently blocked Alibaba’s has managed to adopt new technologies very attempt to acquire MoneyGram, citing quickly. Just as millions of consumers in India national-security concerns. went directly from no phones to smartphones The prospect of a China-led AI revolution – skipping landlines and fl ip phones altogether poses both opportunities and challenges. From – Chinese consumers are now doing the same, the perspective of the West, it could allow for and across a wide range of new technologies. more collaboration with one of the world’s For example, Chinese shoppers have skipped most dynamic economies. And it could bring credit cards and gone straight to using China more deeply into the fold of the rules- e-payment platforms. While Apple Pay is based international order. struggling to gain momentum in the United Yet, at the same time, China’s lead in AI will States, Tencent is already facilitating more than likely occasion more clashes between Chinese 600mn cashless transactions every day. fi rms and foreign regulators. China’s tech Tencent and other Chinese fi rms’ massive giants are expanding internationally, and their centralised platforms give them an edge in AI approach to data collection and privacy will research and development, by allowing them present a dilemma for other countries. The to generate and collect huge stores of data challenge will be to contain the risks of doing with which to train their machine-learning Chinese tech firms are investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI). business with an illiberal state, without losing algorithms. These platforms also enjoy near- out on Chinese investments and innovations. – monopolistic power, which will help them By contrast, in Chinese culture, privacy That suits Chinese technology fi rms just fi ne. because the rate of infl ation is higher than Project Syndicate monetise AI applications in the future. is viewed suspiciously, as a form of secrecy. The legal framework in China allows tech fi rms the real rate of return on deposits. And given Moreover, Chinese fi rms are benefi ting from It is assumed that an honest person should to collect a wide range of user data for a wide China’s high consumer-price volatility, many Marion Laboure, former economist at Chinese cultural norms concerning privacy. In have nothing to hide from the public domain, range of purposes, such as constructing social- people are hesitant to lock up their savings for the Luxembourg Central Bank, European the West, privacy is regarded as a personal right to so Chinese consumers are often happy to scoring systems, like Alibaba’s Sesame Credit. long. Commission, and Barclays, is an associate one’s own space and, by extension, to one’s data. give up their data. Unlike in India, which has Still, limited fi nancing and investment Moreover, there is little reason to invest of the Department of Economics at Harvard This conception of privacy is good for individuals adopted a “right to information,” and the opportunities – both at home and abroad in the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite University. Haiyang Zhang is a graduate student and, arguably, for society; but it is bad for AI European Union, which has codifi ed a “right to – could slow China’s momentum in AI and Index so long as economic growth rates are at Harvard Kennedy School. Juergen Braunstein developers, who face hurdles accessing the data be forgotten,” there has not been any serious related fi elds. Chinese savers have little systematically higher than stock-market is a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy they need to train their algorithms. discussion about data privacy in China. incentive to put their money in Chinese banks, performance. And investors are wary of a School’s Belfer Center.

LEGAL HELPLINE Three-day forecast TODAY Maximum Temperature : 310c Minimum Temperature : 250c

SUNDAY Maximum Temperature : 310c Receivables under the Qatar law Minimum Temperature : 230c MONDAY Maximum Temperature : 320c By Dr Nizar Kochery totally successful. Majority of the within six months to other type or years which I signed on 2009 Minimum Temperature : 240c Doha partners are ready to liquidate the increased numbers of partners or when I joined the present Fisherman's forecast company before the situation gets shareholders to the minimum limit; company? If I receive any off ers worse. What are the grounds on (4) The destruction of all or most from any other company, can I WARNING Inshore : Expected thunder rain Question: Please advise on the which a company can be liquidated? of the company property, rendering resign the job easily without any associated with sudden assignment of receivables under Can we liquidate the company on the investment of the remainder legal issues and is it possible to strong wind. the Qatar law. We have receivables the ground of diff erences between infeasible; (5) Unanimous agreement join the new company? Please Offshore : Expected thunder rain to the north associated and we wanted the payment to be partners? Please advise. by the shareholders on the company advise. with strong wind and made by the debtor directly to our IK, Doha dissolution before the expiry of AS, Doha high sea. debtor. its duration unless the Articles of WEATHER Inshore : Slight dust to blowing ASD, Doha A: According to Article 291 of the Association provides for dissolution A: The employment contract signed dust and partly cloudy Companies law, a company shall be by a specific majority; (6) Merger in the year 2009 is still valid as it at times with chance of Answer: The Civil Code of Qatar - dissolved only in any of the following of a company into another; and (7) got automatically renewed. Now the rain at places. Law No 22 of 2004 sets out specifi c cases: (1) Upon the expiry of the Issuance of a judicial judgement employment contract has become WIND Inshore : Northeasterly-North- provisions relating to the assignment duration fixed in the Articles of dissolving the company and an unlimited contract after the fi xed westerly 08-18/25 KT of rights. Article 324 of the Civil Code Association, unless the company declaring it bankrupt. The disputes period. As per the entry exit law, the Offshrore : Northeasterly-South- states that a creditor may assign its is renewed according to the rules or differences of the partner shall employee can change the job with the easterly 10-20/25 KT Visibility : 4-8/3 KM or less at rights to a third party except if there is included therein; (2) Expiry of the not be considered as a ground for permission of the government, either place at times a provision in the law or an agreement objects for which the company liquidation. after the expiry of their contract or SEA STATE between the parties that prohibits has been incorporated, or where after fi ve years of service with the Offshore : 03-06 FT, Rises to 8 FT such assignment, or on account of realisation of such objects become Receiving off ers employer if the contract is of indefi nite its nature. The assignment is valid impossible; (3) Transfer of all shares period, without any no objection Around the region without the consent of the debtor. or capital to a number of partners certifi cate. from other company Weather Weather Article 326 of the Civil Code stipulates or shareholders failing short of the today Max/min tomorrow Max/min that an assignment is not eff ective as legal minimum determined except Q: What is the status of the Please send your questions Baghdad P Cloudy 31/16 Sunny 32/18 against a debtor or third party unless if the company is not transferred employment contract for two to [email protected] Kuwait City P Cloudy 27/20 Sunny 31/20 it has been accepted by the debtor or Manama P Cloudy 31/23 Sunny 31/23 notifi ed to him. The acceptance by the Muscat M Sunny 36/28 P Cloudy 36/28 debtor does not render the assignment Tehran Showers 19/13 S Showers 19/13 valid as against third parties unless it has an established date. LEGAL SYSTEM IN QATAR

According to Article 242 of the Civil witnesses shall apply. Punishment for and Commercial Procedural Law, the According to Article 254, if the forgery abusive language order authorizing investigation shall of an exhibit is proved, the court shall contain a statement of facts that the send the exhibit with a copy of the Q: In my offi ce, my senior uses court accepted and procedures to be related records to the police to take abusive language on staff even followed. This order shall include the necessary action. However, if the without any proper reason. In the following: appointment of one court ordered the lapse of the right of such cases, what action can be or three experts; the date and time of the party that claimed forgery or if the taken against the wrongdoer? the investigation; ordering deposit of charge of forgery is dismissed, he shall What is the punishment for use the exhibit under investigation with be sentenced to a fi ne of not more than of abusive language under Qatar the offi ce of the court; delegation QR500. However, he shall be acquitted law? Please explain. of one of the judges to conduct the if part of claim proves to be true. The YS, Doha investigation if it involves more than party against whom a challenge of Around the world one judge. The offi ce of the court shall forgery is made may discontinue the Weather Weather A: A police complaint can be fi led summon the expert to appear before proceedings at any stage by waiving his today Max/min tomorrow Max/min against such person for use of abusive the judge on the specifi ed time to claim to the challenged instrument. Athens P Cloudy 21/11 Sunny 22/11 language. According to Article 329 conduct the investigation. Anyone who possesses a conventional Beirut Sunny 24/17 P Cloudy 21/16 of the Penal laws, any person cursing As per Article 244, the parties exhibit may contest the party against Bangkok Rain 27/21 P Cloudy 31/23 a third party in public through shall appear before the judge at whom this exhibit testifi es to admit that Berlin Sunny 18/08 Sunny 21/06 addressing improper words aff ecting the specifi ed time to produce the it is written in his handwriting or bears Cairo Sunny 30/16 Sunny 27/14 their honour and dignity shall be exhibits available at their disposal for eff ect as the true copy if it is signed his signature, stamp or thumbprint, Cape Town P Cloudy 19/13 Sunny 26/16 punished to imprisonment for a term comparison, and agree on which of by the judge, the Registry of the court even if the obligation arising therefrom Colombo T Storm 30/26 S T Storms 31/26 not exceeding one year in prison or a them is valid. However, if the party or the offi cial who handed over the has not yet arisen. Such an action shall Dhaka I T Storms 32/23 T Storms 29/23 fi ne not exceeding QR5,000 or both. that is ordered to produce evidence original copy. Whenever the original be taken through normal procedures. If Hong Kong Cloudy 22/15 M Sunny 22/18 fails to appear without a reasonable copy is returned to its place, the the defendant appears and admits the Istanbul P Cloudy 15/09 S Showers 14/09 excuse, a judgment may be issued in extracted copy shall be returned to charge, the court shall make a record Jakarta T Storms 32/24 T Storms 31/24 Grounds for favor of the validity of the exhibit. the Registry of the court and shall be of his admission, and all expenses shall Karachi P Cloudy 34/23 P Cloudy 36/23 dissolving firm The opponent who denies the validity cancelled. The expert, opponents, be borne by the plaintiff . The exhibit London Showers 15/10 S Showers 17/09 of an exhibit shall appear by himself judge and Registry of the court shall shall be regarded as recognised if the Manila P Cloudy 34/25 P Cloudy 32/26 Q: After resigning the job, I started a for verifi cation on the date specifi ed sign on compared papers before defendant remains silent, or if he Moscow Rain&Snow 07/-2 P Cloudy 12/02 company in Doha and we are doing by the judge. If the opponent fails commencing the investigation and neither denies the charge nor ascribes New Delhi I T Storms 34/23 M Sunny 35/23 good in the market. Recently, one of to appear before the judge without this shall be noted in the records. the exhibit to others. However, if the New York Cloudy 09/0 P Cloudy 09/0 the partners sold his shares to his a reasonable excuse, the exhibits As per Article 252, testimonies defendant fails to appear without a Paris Cloudy 21/12 Cloudy 21/11 son and left Qatar. Now there are produced for comparison may be held of witness shall only be heard to reasonable excuse, the court shall rule Sao Paulo S Showers 27/18 P Cloudy 27/18 some diff erences between partners to be valid. prove the script, signature, stamp in absence in favor of the validity of Seoul Cloudy 10/01 S Showers 12/03 with regard to tendering and other In the event of handing over offi cial or thumbprint on the exhibit to the handwriting, signature, stamp Singapore T Storm 31/26 S Showers 32/26 day-to-day aff airs of the company. exhibits to the Registry of the court, be investigated. In this case, the or thumbprint. This order may be Sydney Sunny 27/18 Sunny 27/18 We have tried our maximum to the photocopy shall have the same rules applicable to the testimony of appealed in all conditions. Tokyo Cloudy 20/16 Clear 17/10 solve the issues but it was not Gulf Times 16 Saturday, April 7, 2018 QATAR Qatar and US businesses explore areas of co-operation

atar and the US business- es yesterday explored Qprospects of co-oper- ation especially in the areas of tourism/hospitality, healthcare and real estate sectors. The themed-roundtables were attended by HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, chairman of Qatari Businessmen Association, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassem al- Thani, chairman of Qatar Cham- ber, other members in the visit- ing delegation in the presence of the US businessmen. His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani with Mayor of Miami-Dade County Carlos Gimenez. The meet, which was held in Miami, comes as part of the Qa- tar US economic roadshow cur- HE Sheikh Faisal and other Qatari delegates at the Miami roundtable. rently being underway. The fi rst session discussed op- Company, a subsidiary of Al Faisal erator, based in Qatar — is now related to the healthcare sector Emir arrives in Miami portunities for co-operation in Holdings, already has signifi cant focused on achieving its target of and the opportunities thereof for the tourism sector and hotels in presence in the US hotel sector and 60 hotels in its portfolio by 2026. co-operation between the two is Highness the Emir enhance them in diff erent fi elds, their excellencies members of the the presence of the Miami Tour- its portfolio includes Radisson Blu Qatari businessmen also called countries. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad particularly in trade and invest- offi cial accompanying delegation. ism Board with a number of ma- Aqua, St Regis Bal Harbour Resort, on their American counterparts The investment opportunities Hal-Thani met in Miami ments. They also exchanged The Emir arrived in Miami from jor hotel companies and consult- The Manhattan at Times Square, to invest in the hospitality sector in the most prominent real es- yesterday with Mayor of Miami views on a number of issues of Tampa, the second stop of His ing fi rms. Investment projects in The St Regis Washington DC and in Qatar and to promote partner- tate projects off ered for foreign Francis Suarez at his offi ce. The joint interest regarding several Highness’ offi cial visit to the US. Miami were presented to Qatari Q Miami Hotel. ships in this sector. investment were also presented meeting saw a review of bilateral issues of joint interest. The meet- The Emir is accompanied by an businessmen. Katara Hospitality — a global The second session reviewed by Qatar to the US businesses in co-operation and the means to ing was attended by a number of offi cial delegation. Al Rayyan Tourism Investment hotel owner, developer and op- the investment opportunities Miami. Raising awareness through arts, crafts

By Peter Alagos Cultural Centre (FCC), to name Business Reporter a few. Only recently, Abdullah taught 31 students during a four- day ‘Craft Camp’ at FCC. n this day and age when a “I usually teach the ladies number of parents leave and children but I love engaging Iparenting work to smart- with kids because it gives me the Visitors at the mini market. phones and tablets, kids tend to chance to impart valuable in- miss out on a lot of basic child- puts that would play a signifi cant hood activities like playing in the role in the development of their park, learning how to ride a bicy- childhood.” cle, or just meeting new friends According to Abdullah, con- – in person. ducting workshops are also For arts and crafts teacher Liji opportunities for her to raise Abdullah, regulating children’s awareness such as recycling and use of gadgets and engaging them protecting the environment. “I in fun activities like painting or always make it a point to teach drawing could be instrumental in children how to re-use discard- developing a child’s imagination ed items such as glass bottles, and creativity. newspapers and magazines, as “Nowadays, some parents give well as other paper products, and electronic items as gifts to their transform them into works of children, which I believe could art,” she pointed out. deprive kids of the opportunity QatArt board member Swapna the usual physical activity that Namboodiri said the group will they should be doing like playing A young girl learns the art of glass painting from Liji Abdullah. be holding a workshop for its outdoors or engaging in creative PICTURES: Shemeer Rasheed. members on Sunday at the Doha work that would help develop Festival City, in collaboration their imagination,” Abdullah tivities. During the weekends, paper craft, clay art, jewellery with Hobby House Qatar. told Gulf Times yesterday on the rather than just staying in bed, designing, and fabric painting, The workshop aims to provide sidelines of a mini market organ- parents should bring their chil- among others, was available for a inputs on branding, marketing, ised by QatArt Handmade Com- dren to venues such as Katara glass painting workshop yester- and techniques to optimise the munity at Katara – the Cultural and other places in Qatar so they day as part of QatArt’s mini mar- display of products. Nambood- Village. could immerse themselves in the ket. She also holds workshops for iri added that QatArt has sev- She added: “It is the parents’ many activities that these places institutions like Qatar Founda- eral plans for more markets in the responsibility to involve them- off er.” tion, Children Education Cen- coming weeks before the onset of selves in these valuable ac- Abdullah, who specialises in tre, and Qatar Charity’s Friends the summer season. Handcrafted items add colour to QatArt’s mini market held yesterday at Katara – the Cultural Village. Over 5,000 attend free medical services at Aster facilities

By Joseph Varghese registration on Thursday. The camp Staff Reporter was open to all residents of Qatar and large number of expatriate families and bachelors have availed the facility,” Dr s many as 5,017 individuals from Sameer Moopan, CEO, of Aster DM across the country were provid- Healthcare Qatar told ‘Gulf Times’. Aed free health services by Aster “This is part of our CSR commit- DM Healthcare Qatar yesterday as part ment. We have made it a policy that all of its CSR initiative, Aster Volunteer, to the employees of our group, including mark the World Health Day observed me, have to put in 10 hours of CSR work on April 7. monthly. The free health package included a On this occasion, we have off ered a series of lab tests such as Lipid Profi le health package of 23 tests. We had also test with a set of fi ve tests, Complete allotted individual slots for each person Blood Count with 14 tests, Uric Acid, so that they could reach the facility at ALT or SGPT test related to liver, Blood the given time and complete the pro- Sugar test and doctor consultation. cedures without much delay. The par- Hypertension, diabetes and other ticipation has been so encouraging that dust-related ailments were some of we are looking forward to conducting the common problems diagnosed at the more such free camps,” continued Dr medical camps and the doctors pro- Sameer. vided consultation and highlighted the “This initiative by Aster Volunteers need for healthy lifestyle practices. reinforces our commitment to making The free medical camps were con- quality healthcare accessible to all. As- ducted at Aster Medical Centres at C- ter Volunteer programmes are testimo- Ring Road, Al Hilal, Al Rayyan, Indus- ny to our eff ort to empower individuals trial Area, Al Khor, Old Al Ghanim and who want to make a positive diff erence Aster Hospital in Mathar Qadeem from in the society and extend a helping hand 6.30am to 11am. to the less fortunate” added Dr Sameer. World Health Day is observed to Aster Volunteers, is a healthcare and draw the attention of people towards wellness initiative of Aster DM Health- the importance of global health and to care that focuses on spreading hope, raise public awareness towards health and connecting people who would like issues and concerns. to help those in need. Aster Volunteer “We had started the campaign well has already conducted activities like in advance and collected registra- free medical camp, free health pack- tion through our WhatsApp Health ages, awareness sessions and clothes number. In fact, over 7,000 people had and winter jacket distribution for fi sh- registered for the event and we closed ermen earlier this year. A group of people waiting for the free health screening yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma