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MONDAY Vol. XXXVII No. 10167 August 1, 2016 Shawwal 27, 1437 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Month-long summer Erdogan In brief underlines Qatar’s QATAR | Service Ministry opens new festival begins today support documentation offi ce The annual celebration features Qatar’s Ministry of Justice yesterday shopping promotions at launched a documentation centre at participating malls across Qatar QNA the Al Arabi Sports Club. The off ice and the Pearl-Qatar Ankara will operate initially for a month on a trial. After that, it will move to a new By Joey Aguilar building to provide its services to Staff Reporter urkish President Recep Tayyip the public. The new off ice is part of Erdogan said that HH the Emir the ministry’s strategy to improve its TSheikh Tamim bin Hamad al- service and make it more accessible to he Entertainment City at the Thani confi rmed the State of Qatar’s the public. The ministry said it chose Doha Exhibition and Conven- standing by Turkey and its willingness the Al Arabi Sports Club due to its Ttion Centre (DECC) is all set to to provide any support. central location. The off ice is located at welcome visitors with a wide range of In remarks carried by Turkey’s Ana- gate number six. There are now a total indoor activities, games, and live per- dolu Agency, Erdogan said that HH the of 16 documentation off ices in Qatar, formances as the month-long Qatar Emir was the fi rst leader to call him on providing services to the public. There Summer Festival gets underway today. the night of the failed coup attempt to is also an electronic documentation The opening of the facility this provide Qatar’s support to Turkey. service under the name of Sak being evening marks the start of the month- President Erdogan said that some made available to the public. The long Qatar Summer Festival (QSF) 2016, countries’ leaders called him on the working hour in the new off ice will be one of the major tourism events organ- next day, congratulating him on the from 7:30am to1.30pm. ised by the Qatar Tourism Authority victory over the coup. (QTA) from August 1 to 31. Regarding the government’s deci- REGION | Negotiations Speaking at a press preview yester- sion to temporary suspend employees Yemen government day, QTA Festivals and Tourism Events in the public sector, the president said director Mashal Shahbik told reporters that it was being done by activating accepts peace plan that the Entertainment City featured QTA Festivals and Tourism Events director Mashal Shahbik leading the press preview of the Entertainment City yesterday. judicial mechanisms and within the Yemen’s government yesterday new activities, fun-fi lled and interac- law, adding that this would continue accepted a UN-proposed plan to end tive games for all ages, and a 26-stall their singing talent at least for 30 min- local and foreign visitors. visitors at the Entertainment City to in- until the elimination of those involved fighting that has killed thousands, but food court that would serve a variety of utes. She stressed that they reduced the crease compared to the 2015 fi gures. in the coup. the rebels rejected it, insisting that any international cuisines. Another new activation at the Enter- ticket prices for the rides and games Residents and visitors will also have a About the military’s restructuring settlement must first tackle a unity “We always want to bring something tainment City this year is an initiative compared with rates last year. chance to watch the fi reworks display at after the coup attempt, Erdogan indi- administration. The draft agreement, new to attract and drive in more people from Qatar Foundation, which encour- The QTA offi cial said visitors need the Doha Corniche today and on August cated that they intended to establish a which follows several months of to the festival every year,” she said. ages visitors to read a story from start to to pay QR15 to enter the hall but the 31 at 9pm as part of the QSF. gendarmerie academy to be a training UN-brokered negotiations in Kuwait, At the Giant Games Zone, Shahbik fi nish as they pass through a maze-like amount is consumable, giving them free The annual celebration features centre for the elements, pointing out stipulates that the Iran-backed Houthi noted that visitors would have the op- booth. tokens for selected games. A swipe card shopping promotions at participating that in the current phase all military Shia rebels must withdraw from Sanaa, portunity to play some popular mobile As part of the “National Reading will be used to pay for the charges. malls across Qatar (Lagoona, Land- hospitals would fall under the health which they overran in September 2014. applications such the Angry Bird in Campaign”, the activity aims to pro- “One of the purposes in using this mark, Gulf Mall, Ezdan, Al Khor Mall, ministry. Under the plan, a political dialogue “real life”. mote a passion for reading. system is to fi gure out the real number Hyatt Plaza, City Center and Dar Al Erdogan said that Turkey would between the factions would start 45 Besides thrill rides such as the Crazy A dedicated “Colour your Summer” of people who are visiting the Enter- Salam) and the Pearl-Qatar. Some shut down military high schools and days after the rebels withdraw and Caterpillar and Crazy Wave, the Go zone for children has also been set up for tainment City. Children below two QR2mn worth of prizes will be given all cadets would be transferred to reg- hand over heavy weapons to a military Karting zone is also ready to give young various art and drawing activities. years are free to enter,” she added. away on weekly draws. ular schools at the military academy. committee to be formed by President race enthusiasts a chance to drive and Gamers will also enjoy playing virtual The venue off ers an all-access brace- QTA is also organising a Doha Come- A National Defence University Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Prisoners of experience exciting rides for a number reality games at the Tech Games zone, a let known as VIP entry ticket that costs dy Festival, led by famous comedians in would be established and it would in- war would also be freed. Page 4 of laps at a dedicated track. unique indoor entertainment off ering. QR120. It entitles a person unlimited the region, at Qatar National Conven- clude army, air force and naval acad- For the fi rst time, the venue has set up To promote Qatar’s rich cultural her- access to rides and games from 1pm to tion Centre from August 18 to 20. It has emies, the president said. EUROPE | Compassion infl atable pools to treat young children itage, Shahbik said the Entertainment 11pm, Sunday to Thursday except Friday also invited popular social media infl u- Erdogan stressed that the current with water rides. Stage at the main QSF venue this year where operation extends until midnight. encers to play at a football match titled phase was witnessing a discussion A show of QTA has also put up a special karaoke will be featuring multicultural shows With a bigger venue this year, Shah- “Street Madness” on August 12 at the Al with opposition parties on the possi- solidarity booth for those who want to showcase and performances daily that will enthral bik said they expect the number of Gharaff a Sports Club. bility of the general staff and the Na- Muslims attended services in churches tional Intelligence Agency (MIT) to be around France yesterday in solidarity tied to the presidency through a con- and sorrow following the brutal stitutional package, if the opposition murder of a priest, the latest in a accepted the proposal. string of attacks by militants. More In regard of Fethullah Gulen terror- than 100 Muslims were among the ist organisation, he said that it had a 2,000 faithful who packed the 11th- broad network in Western countries, century Gothic cathedral of Rouen, Africa and many places, and there was near the Normandy town where two no terrorist organisation in the world teenagers slit the throat of 85-year-old spread around the world like that. Father Jacques Hamel. “I thank you Erdogan said that they were plan- in the name of all Christians,” Rouen ning celebrations next week in Istan- Archbishop Dominique Lebrun told bul for safeguarding democracy that them.”In this way you are aff irming that will attract participation from citi- you reject death and violence in the zens, political leaders, high-ranking name of God.” Page 11 military offi cers, as well as artists and Skill games off er various prizes. PICTURES: Shaji Kayamkulam Exciting rides await visitors. athletes. Page 11 FRANCE | Aviation Strike hits 900 fl ights Strikes by Air France flight attendants in the last five days have led to 900 flights being cancelled and 150,000 Fraport sells stake in St Petersburg airport to QIA passengers aff ected through yesterday. The week-long strike is expected to ermany’s Fraport and a co-in- Group is also selling shares to QIA. The transaction is subject to the ap- help off set weakening revenues at hubs from the closing of the total transaction. last until tomorrow evening. Today vestor have sold a 24.9% stake Thalita Trading is the parent compa- proval of the Russian government and like Frankfurt and Antalya and allow for Despite the recent weakening traffi c the French airliner expects 20% of Gin the operator of St Petersburg ny of Northern Capital Gateway, which the senior project fi nance lenders. a confi rmation of its 2016 earnings fore- developments at some Group airports, medium-haul flights to and from airport to the Qatar Investment Author- holds the concession to operate Pulkovo Currently, Fraport AG expects that cast. particularly Frankfurt and Antalya, the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to ity (QIA). Airport in St Petersburg, Russia. Due to these approvals will be granted and that “Depending on the further develop- Fraport AG Executive Board is maintain- be aff ected, but said it would operate Fraport is lowering its stake in Thal- the sale by consortium partner Cope- the transaction closing will take place ment of carrying amounts up until the ing its outlook - when taking account of more than 95% of long-haul flights. The ita Trading, the parent company of louzos Group, QIA will acquire a total during the second half of 2016. closing of the transaction, the before the positive eff ects from the disposal of unions issued the call for strike to seek Northern Capital Gateway, which holds stake of 24.99% in the airport operat- Based on the current book values, mentioned values may still vary,” the shares in St Petersburg - for the full year the extension of a labour contract on the concession to operate the Pulkovo ing consortium, while Fraport AG will Fraport AG expects the total transac- statement said. 2016 ranges for Group EBITDA, Group rules, pay and promotions that runs Airport in St Petersburg, to 25% from remain the lead operator following this tion to generate a gain between €30mn “However, as of today Fraport AG ex- EBIT, Group EBT, and Group result set at out at the end of October. 35.5%. Consortium partner Copelouzos transaction, a statement said yesterday. and €40mn ($34-$45mn), which will pects a noticeable positive contribution the beginning of the fi scal year,” it said. Qatar among top 10 Asian economies in ‘Online Service Index’

atar has been ranked among the among Gulf countries and 55th globally the principle of transparency, and in- ministrations to use information and The EGDI is based on an expert as- Numerically, the EGDI is a weighted top 10 Asian economies in the with a score of 0.6441. crease the effi ciency of e-services pro- communication technologies to de- sessment survey of the online pres- average of three normalised scores Q“Online Service Index” of the Qatar Digital Government reported vided to the public and businesses. liver public services. This measure of ence of all 193 United Nations member on three most important dimensions biannual E-Government Development that 144 e-services have been launched Qatar Digital Government has three the index is useful for government of- states, which assesses national web- of e-government, namely: scope and Index (EGDI) released recently by the in the fi rst half of 2016, taking the total strategic objectives, better services for fi cials, policy makers, researchers and sites and how e-government policies quality of online services (Online Serv- UN Department of Economic and So- number of e-services to 1,030 exceed- individuals and businesses, enhance representatives of civil society and the and strategies are applied in general ice Index, OSI), development status cial Aff airs (UN DESA). ing the set target of 1,000 e-services. effi ciency in government administra- private sector to gain a deeper under- and in specifi c sectors for delivery of of telecommunication infrastructure Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia, was HE the Prime Minister and Minister tion, and encourage fi nancial prudency standing of the comparative bench- essential services. (Telecommunication Infrastructure ranked third among GCC states scoring of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser by increasing government openness marking of the relative position of a The assessment rates the e-govern- Index, TII) and inherent human capital 0.67391. bin Khalifa al-Thani, launched “Qatar through more civic participation. country in utilising e-government for ment performance of countries relative (Human Capital Index, HCI). Qatar has On the e-participation index, Qatar Digital Government Strategy 2020” in EGDI is used to measure the will- the delivery of inclusive, accountable to one another as opposed to being an slightly advanced on all these indexes was ranked third along with Kuwait, May 2014 with the objective to ascertain ingness and capacity of national ad- and citizen-centric services. absolute measurement. since the last edition in 2014. Gulf Times 2 Monday, August 1, 2016 QATAR

HMC to organise Environment Minister in anti-smoking Oman talks

campaigns soon QNA Muscat amad Medical Cor- ucts is a poisonous gas emitted poration (HMC) will from tobacco smoking. he Minister of Envi- Horganise several aware- Acknowledging that it is ronment and Climate ness campaigns against tobac- diffi cult for many people to TAffairs of Oman, Mo- co use very soon, a senior offi - quit smoking, Dr al-Mulla en- hamed bin Salim al-Toobi, cial of the corporation has said. couraged seeking professional met Qatar’s Minister of Mu- “We are planning more help, through HMC’s Smoking nicipality and Environment awareness campaigns in order Cessation Clinic or primary HE Mohamed bin Abdullah to reach a much wider com- healthcare centres, where al-Rumaihi, currently visiting munity as well as extend our patients can obtain advice, the Sultanate. clinical services to more HMC treatment and support from The meeting discussed en- hospitals within the coming specialists to enable them quit hancing co-operation between year,” said Dr Ahmad al-Mul- smoking permanently. Qatar and Oman in the fi eld of la, senior consultant and head The Smoking Cessation environment. HMC and Mada off icials at the signing ceremony. of the Smoking Cessation Clinic at HMC provides pa- The Minister of Munici- Clinic, HMC. tients with ways to replace their pal and Environment also met According to him, a large nicotine consumption and cope Oman’s Undersecretary of the number of people who are with withdrawal symptoms, Ministry of Regional Munici- willing to quit tobacco smok- and supports patients through- palities and Water Resources ing visited the Smoking Ces- out the process of quitting. for Regional Municipalities Af- sation clinic during this year’s “Quitting smoking has fairs, Hamad bin Sulaiman al- Ramadan. various health benefi ts for a Gharibi. “We have received around healthy individual and also The meeting was attended by 200 new visitors seeking to quit for those with chronic condi- Qatar’s ambassador to Oman Ali Mada, HMC sign tobacco use at our clinic during tions such as diabetes. For the bin Fahad al-Hajri. Ramadan. Usually, the number diabetic, quitting smoking can The Minister of Municipal of people who are motivated to result in improved blood sugar and Environment is scheduled quit smoking increases in Ra- levels and blood circulation, to meet today with Oman’s Un- madan because fasting requires increased insulin reception, dersecretary of the Ministry abstinence from smoking in ad- decreased cholesterol levels, of Housing, Saif bin Amir al- dition to refraining from food and decreased complications,” Shaqsi, and Chairman of Muscat and drink during the day. So the said Dr al-Mulla. Municipality, Mohsen bin Mo- pact in assistive fi gure we have recorded for this Exercising, drinking plenty hamed al-Sheikh. year is almost similar to previ- of water and staying away He is also due to visit Muscat’s ous years in Ramadan,” stated from smokers are some steps Qurum Natural Park and the Dr al-Mulla. that people can take to de- Qurum Nature Reserve. Dr al-Mulla explained that crease the urge to smoke, ac- The Minister arrived in Mus- nicotine, which is the addictive cording to Dr al-Mulla. Avoid- cat on Saturday evening on a substance in tobacco products, ing places such as shisha cafes two-day visit and was welcomed is as addictive as any other hard and other areas frequented by by Oman’s Minister of Environ- technology fi eld drug such as cocaine and her- smokers will also help prevent ment and Climate Aff airs Mo- oin. He stressed further that inhaling second hand smoke hamed bin Salim al-Toobi, Qa- atar Assistive Technol- meeting the needs and aspira- lives more independently. people with disabilities in Qa- carbon monoxide - another which is responsible for heart tar’s ambassador to Oman Ali ogy Centre (Mada) has tions of people with disabilities Al-Mansouri, said, “We seek tar to achieve their full poten- component of tobacco prod- and respiratory diseases. bin Fahad al-Hajri, along with a Qsigned a Memorandum in Qatari community. to build specialised competen- tial as well as enabling their number of Omani offi cials. of Understanding (MoU) with The MoU also serves to cies in the fi eld of assistive tech- surrounding environments to the Rehabilitation of People strengthen the co-operation nology at HMC across diff erent ensure that they have access to with Disabilities Department between Mada and HMC and to areas, such as paediatrics and all they need for success,” she at Hamad Medical Corporation streamline their eff orts and re- elderly department, in order to added. (HMC) recently. sources in the development of ensure the integration of the Al-Raisi stated that such co- The MoU was signed by Maha services for people with disabili- services for the people with dis- operation between HMC and Qatar condemns Mohamed al-Mansouri, Mada’s ties as well as providing assist- abilities within HMC.” Mada would result in providing CEO, and Mahmoud Saleh al- ance and consultations to pa- a high level of assistive tech- blasts at Somali Raisi, chief of Continuing Care tients with disabilities at HMC. “We seek to build nology services for the patients Group at HMC. In addition to HMC special- specialised competencies with special needs as well as the CID headquarters The pact aims to build up ists’ competencies develop- in the fi eld of assistive development and enhancement specialised competencies in the ment programme, the areas of technology at HMC across of the patient’s quality of life by fi eld of assistive technology, as co-operation also include the diff erent areas, such as integrating them into society. QNA well as providing the highest exchange of statistical data paediatrics and elderly “It will also enable them in Doha level of assistive technology for about the people with special department” leading independent lives as well people with disabilities and pa- needs in Qatar as well as the as laying the right foundation for tients requiring such services at early identification of their “Hamad Medical Corpora- assistive technology concept to he State of Qatar has HMC. The MoU comes to realise needs and requirements and to tion is a key partner in imple- be part of patient care and reha- expressed strong con- Qatar National Vision’s aim of enable them to exercise their menting the strategy to enable bilitation” he added. Tdemnation of the two explosions which targeted the Criminal Investigation Depart- Partial closure at Al Khor ment (CID) headquarters in Mogadishu, and left a number of casualties. Ooredoo tv introduces four new apps Community roundabout In a statement released yes- terday, the Foreign Ministry, said the State of Qatar condemns he Ooredoo tv service has To ensure that fresh content is why we have developed an store will soon become an inno- he Public Works Au- The temporary closure is “this criminal act which contra- introduced four new ap- is available for its wide cus- app section to allow our users vation platform for Qatar, con- thority (Ashghal) has being implemented to “carry dicts all human values and prin- Tplications to its app store. tomer base, the company has to enjoy the latest games, news verging TV and Internet into one Tannounced that it will out pipeline-laying work as ciples”. Announcing this yesterday, also invited businesses and and social media while relaxing smart-living service. Long gone temporarily close the exit part of the design, build, op- The statement affi rmed soli- Ooredoo said the new additions developers to come up with at home.” are the days of traditional satel- of the Al Khor Community eration and maintenance of darity with the government and were part of the company’s on- new content for the service, Ooredoo tv off ers users a lite. People in Qatar want to be Roundabout leading to Al Al Thakhira Sewage Treat- people of Somalia, and its sup- going investment in entertain- and aims to invest in a host of “crystal-clear 4K service, which in control of their technology, Khor Community Gate 1, from ment Works project, transfer port to all the eff orts of main- ment for Qatar. next-generation solutions in works with multiple devices and as well as have access to diverse tomorrow until September 6. pumping station and associ- taining stability and security in With the added applications, a number of languages in the combines apps, on-demand and content, which is why we are During the closure period, ated pipelines”, Ashghal has the country. users can now listen to their fa- near future, according to a live television in one easy-to-use adding more and more applica- motorists who intend to ac- said in a press statement. The statement also stressed vourite Holy Qur’an recitals on press statement from Ooredoo. box”, the statement adds. “With tions.” cess the facilities or residen- The authority will install Qatar’s fi rm position that re- their TV using the Holy Qur’an Fatima Sultan al-Kuwari, di- 26 apps already available for us- Ooredoo tv is available via tial area within the work zone road signs to advise motor- jects violence in all its forms and App, check out the latest reci- rector of community and pub- ers on its app store, Ooredoo tv Ooredoo shops, Starlink, Tech- have been advised to contin- ists of the closure. It has re- manifestations. pes and food info with Foody.TV, lic relations at Ooredoo, said: is fast becoming one of the most noBlue and Jumbo outlets. The ue straight to the Industrial quested all road users to abide It expressed Qatar’s condo- and catch up with the latest news “We believe home entertain- interactive services in the coun- service has no upfront charges, Roundabout 2, and turn left at by the speed limit and follow lences to the families of the vic- and documentaries with the Al ment should be so much more try.” no equipment costs and no on- the roundabout to access the the road signs to ensure every- tims, as well as the government Jazeera and France 24 apps. than just ‘what’s on TV’, which Al-Kuwari added, “Our app going contracts. local area (see map). one’s safety. and people of Somalia. Araco wins Powerscreen Dealer of the Year 2015 award

raco, part of Alfardan Auto- lows a signifi cant period of growth motive Operations, has been and the company was also recognised Arecognised by leading mobile as the 2014 Regional Dealer of the crushing and screening equipment Year. provider Powerscreen with its world- Antoine Azar, Araco general man- wide Dealer of the Year 2015 award. ager, said: “By constantly focusing on Araco was singled out from Pow- our customers’ needs, developing new erscreen’s worldwide network of strategies accordingly and introducing 120 dealers, according to a press the right products to the market, we statement. The award was given in have managed to achieve this success. recognition of Araco’s “significant The co-operation, determination, contribution to the Qatari construc- time and eff orts of the team have made tion sector, supplying aggregates a huge contribution to the success of to government and private sector this dealership.” projects”. Araco sales manager Gaber Morsi Ma’n Alhamawi, COO of Alfardan added, “We would like to thank our Automotive Operations, said: “The customers, through whom we have group’s strategy is to deliver lifetime succeeded in our quest to be one of superior customer satisfaction by the market leaders in the Qatari mar- providing quality services at well- ket.” established facilities that follow the The statement notes that Araco The Powerscreen Dealer of the Year highest standards. Araco, as part of has grown steadily in the commercial 2015 award. the group, has embraced this strat- equipment market through a combi- egy and displayed continuously the nation of strategic investments and a ing and recycling industries. utmost dedication to customer satis- strong product portfolio. To meet Qatari customers’ needs, faction.” Araco’s Powerscreen business pro- Araco’s 46,000sqm facilities are fully The award was particularly signifi - vides aggregate solutions for its cus- equipped with a workshop and parts Craftsmen at the factory. PICTURES: Ram Chand cant as it coincided with Powerscreen’s tomers in Qatar. store led by a team of skilled techni- 50th anniversary and was the only ac- The equipment has been de- cians and parts personnel. Customers The Powerscreen crushing machine small pieces, which are turned into ag- Within the range, there is a model to colade presented during the celebra- signed to exceed the primary can rely on “prompt after-sales serv- off ers diff erent applications: the jaw, gregates and sand. suit every application and designed to tions. crushing and screening needs of ice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year”, the cone and impact crusher. Its main The Powerscreen screening machine be easily transported, set up, operated Araco’s year of success in Qatar fol- customers in the mining, quarry- statement adds. function is to crush big boulders into is responsible for screening aggregates. and maintained. Gulf Times Monday, August 1, 2016 3 QATAR

Cultural Welfare Centre to benefi t Lankan community

By Peter Alagos nity in Qatar,” the ambassador will co-ordinate, monitor, and tifi ed Sinhala Buddhist domi- Plans to expand told Gulf Times yesterday. supervise all cultural-related nated cultural group for the last Business Reporter According to the ambassa- issues conducted by the 20 em- 14 years, reform has been al- dor, he has appointed a “cultural bassy-registered organisations ready initiated by appointing an he proposed Sri Lankan community,” which will estab- in the state,” he said. 11-member ‘Supreme Council’ Cultural Welfare Centre, lish the Sri Lankan Cultural Wel- represented by all communities: Tunder the auspices of Sri fare Centre. “To cater to this community, the Sinhala, Tamil, and Mus- Lankan school Lankan embassy in Qatar, will The cultural community, I would like to introduce lims,” the ambassador stressed. benefi t the more than 100,000 he further said, will promote certain reforms with regard Karunadasa said having an Sri Lankans here, ambassador the welfare of the Sri Lankan to the welfare of the Sri umbrella organisation under WM Karunadasa has said. expatriates in Qatar “and to Lankan community in the banner of the Supreme “To cater to this community, bring redress to labour-re- Qatar” Council would help streamline I would like to introduce certain lated grievances and house- the responsibilities of the em- in Doha: envoy reforms with regard to the wel- maids in trouble.” “With regard to the cultural bassy to the Sri Lankan com- fare of the Sri Lankan commu- “Also, the cultural community activities done by a self-iden- munity. By Peter Alagos Business Reporter

he Sri Lankan embassy here is keen on supporting National Reading Campaign resumes Tan expansion project for the Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha (SSLSD), ambassador WM ational Reading Karunadasa has said. Campaign, an ini- According to the ambassador, N tiative of Qatar the initiative is part of “certain Foundation for Education, reforms” and embassy-related Science and Community activities that are in the pipeline. Development, has resumed “The message I want to send is with several summer ac- that the embassy is willing to ex- tivities. It will also be part pand the school premises to allay of the Qatar Summer Fes- concerns from the Sri Lankan com- tival and families in Qatar munity following a media report can enjoy a number of fun- that said there is a move to close filled activities and educa- down the school. There is not one tional events. iota of truth to this,” Karunadasa told Gulf Times yesterday. The festival will run In December 2014, Karuna- for the entire month of dasa said the embassy signed a August, from 1pm to 11pm lease contract with the Ministry on weekdays, and until of Foreign Aff airs and the Min- midnight on Fridays istry of Municipality and Urban Planning for a 10,000sqm plot of Exciting National Reading land located in Al Thumama for Campaign activities include Sri Lanka’s community school. storytelling sessions, jigsaw “We have a large parcel of puzzles, and scrabble games. land that is waiting to be devel- These are part of the Qatar Sum- oped, and this school expansion mer Festival which is being held project is a good opportunity to at the Doha Exhibition and Con- meet the needs of the Sri Lankan Sri Lankan ambassador WM Karunadasa. vention Centre. community in Qatar, particu- The festival will run for the larly in the fi eld of education,” with other Sri Lankan students.” “For this purpose, the em- entire month of August, from he said. Currently, SSLSD has lim- bassy is intending to request 1pm to 11pm on weekdays, and The ambassador said due to ited admission and can only ac- the chairman of SSLSD to make until midnight on Fridays. the lack of space at SSLSD, many commodate 775 students. Once certain reforms and adjustments The National Reading Cam- parents took their children back completed, the school expansion in connection with the existing paign strives to cultivate a love of to Sri Lanka “since they wanted project in Al Thumama will be board of directors and in their reading from an early age, while to educate their children in a Sri able to take in more than 1,000 strategies,” Karunadasa said. fostering a lifelong pursuit of Lankan cultural setting, along students, the ambassador said. Business Page 1 knowledge. Children engaged in National Reading Campaign Gulf Times 4 Monday, August 1, 2016 REGION/ARAB WORLD

Bahrain arrests Shia cleric over illegal protests

DPA/Reuters the country’s 2011 protests. Manama Bahraini Information Minister Ali bin Mohamed denied in an interview with ahraini authorities DPA earlier last month that said yesterday they the crackdown on dissidents Bhave arrested a key was politically motivated, Shia Muslim cleric for in- saying it was aimed at main- stigating illegal anti-gov- taining national stability. ernment protests, amid an Meanwhile, a Bahraini increasing clampdown on suspect held for question- dissidents in the kingdom. ing in connection with a Majeed al-Mishal, the bomb attack that killed a head of the disbanded Is- woman in late June has died lamic Scholars’ Council, in prison, a local newspaper was arrested on Saturday reported yesterday. and charged with “incit- The interior ministry said ing others to break the law in a statement that a de- and participate in an ille- tainee held on unspecifi ed gal gathering,” the Interior charges died at a hospital on Ministry said. Saturday evening of “natu- In 2014, Bahrain dissolved ral causes”. the Islamic Scholars’ Coun- The statement did not cil, the highest religious name the detainee, but the Yemenis cross a flooded road following heavy rainfall, in the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa yesterday. body for the Shia majority in Arabic-language Al-Wassat the Gulf country, and con- newspaper identifi ed him as fi scated its assets. 35-year-old Hassan Jassem In June, authorities re- Hassan al-Hayki and said he voked the nationality of Ay- was being held in connec- atollah Isa Qassim, Bahrain’s tion with the bombing in the top Shia cleric and spiritual village of al-Aker. leader of the largest opposi- “The detainee, who was Yemen’s govt accepts UN tion group, Al-Wefaq. held protectively, was suf- On Wednesday, a Bah- fering from a health prob- raini court started the trial lem,” the statement said, of Qassim on charges of ille- without giving any details. gally raising donations and The interior ministry said money laundering. earlier last month that it had Qassim’s supporters are arrested two men suspected peace plan, rebels reject it holding an open-ended sit- of planting the bomb on in outside his house in Duraz June 30 that killed the wom- AFP broadly in line with the demands the withdrawal (of rebels) from (UN) envoy was no more than just ing the formation of a 10-member village, north of the capital an while she was travelling Kuwait City of Hadi’s government. Sanaa” and other cities they have ideas for a solution to the security “supreme council” to run Yemen, Manama, fearing his depor- through the village. It replaces a roadmap previous- seized, said a statement. aspect, subject to debate like oth- which Mikhlafi branded a “new tation or arrest. Her three children were ly proposed by UN envoy Ismail According to sources close to er proposals,” a statement from coup”. On July 18, a Bahraini ad- wounded. emen’s government yes- Ould Cheikh Ahmed that stipu- the delegates at the Kuwait talks, the rebel delegation said. Under the proposed peace deal, ministrative court ordered The ministry said a third terday accepted a UN-pro- lated the creation of a unity gov- the government accepted the deal It charged that the Yemeni gov- that council would be abolished the dissolution of Al-Wefaq suspect in the blast had fl ed Yposed plan to end fi ghting ernment including the insurgents, following pressure from Saudi ernment announcement of a draft and all rebel decisions since they that played a major role in to Iran. that has killed thousands, but the which was rejected by Hadi’s gov- Arabia which wants to show the settlement was “no more than media occupied Sanaa would be rescind- rebels rejected it, insisting that ernment. rebels are unwilling to accept a stunts” aimed at foiling talks. ed. any settlement must fi rst tackle a Under the new plan, a politi- political solution. The rebels reiterated their long- A defi ant Saleh defended the unity administration. cal dialogue between the factions Yemeni Foreign Minister Ab- standing demand that a peace new council, which he said aimed The draft agreement, which would start 45 days after the dulmalek al-Mikhlafi , who is deal must fi rst forge an accord on at “fi lling the political void left in follows several months of UN- rebels withdraw and hand over leading Hadi’s negotiating team, a new consensual executive au- the country after the legitimacy of Israeli soldiers shoot brokered negotiations in Kuwait, heavy weapons to a military com- said he had sent a letter to the UN thority, including a new president Hadi expired and he fl ed” to Saudi stipulates that the Iran-backed mittee to be formed by Hadi. envoy informing him the govern- and government. Arabia. Houthi Shia rebels must withdraw Prisoners of war would also be ment backed the “Kuwait Agree- This condition is an explicit de- “This council will govern the alleged knife attacker from Sanaa, which they overran in freed. ment”. mand for the removal of the inter- country as a presidential council September 2014. The government’s acceptance One precondition, however, is nationally recognised Hadi. and in accordance with the coun- DPA then ran toward the soldiers Yemen, home to what the came after a meeting in Riyadh that the Houthis and allied forces Houthi spokesman Mohamed try’s constitution and laws,” Saleh Tel Aviv wielding the knife before United States sees as Al Qaeda’s chaired by Hadi. loyal to Saleh sign the deal by Au- Abdulsalam said on Twitter be- said. being shot, a military state- deadliest franchise, descended “The meeting approved the gust 7, Mikhlafi wrote on Twitter. fore the government announce- Hadi’s government has used ment read. into chaos after the 2012 ouster of draft agreement presented by The rebels rejected the pro- ment that the rebels insist on a main southern city Aden as a tem- sraeli soldiers yester- Israel and the Palestinian longtime strongman Ali Abdullah the United Nations calling for posal. comprehensive and complete porary capital since it was recap- day shot and killed a areas have suff ered waves of Saleh. an end to the armed confl ict and “What was presented by the peace agreement, rejecting what tured from the Houthis last year. IPalestinian man after violence, Security deteriorated further he called “half solutions”. But the authorities have strug- he charged at them with a including dozens of knife after the Houthis swept into the The government’s announce- gled to secure the port city, which knife, the military said. attacks, since October. capital and pushed south, forcing OIC rejects deal to form political council ment came just hours after the has seen a string of bombings The man, identifi ed by The attacks have been President Abd-Rabbu Mansour coalition said a Saudi army of- and assassinations by the Islamic the Palestinian Health Min- launched by Palestinians Hadi’s government to fl ee into ex- The Organisation of Islamic eff orts to achieve a political fi cer and six soldiers were killed State group and Al Qaeda. istry as 31-year-old Rami protesting the ongoing Is- ile in March last year. Co-operation (OIC) expressed solution to the Yemeni crisis, in border clashes with Yemeni Yesterday, two policemen were Awartani, exited his vehicle raeli occupation and alleged The United Nations says the its rejection of the Agreement to put an end to the suff erings rebels on Saturday. killed and a third was wounded at Hawara checkpoint on Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa confl ict has killed more than 6,400 reached between the Houthis and of the Yemeni people and to Yesterday, rebels and loyalists by a bomb and a car blew up else- the northern West Bank and site in Jerusalem. people and displaced 2.8mn since the allies of Ali Abdullah Saleh to re-establish security and stability traded artillery fi re near the Sau- where in the city without causing then, when a Saudi-led Arab coali- form a political council in Yemen. in the country, said OIC in a press di border, military sources said. casualties, offi cials said. tion launched a military campaign This agreement is considered as statement yesterday. In Yemen’s southern Shabwa The militant rivals have ex- to support Hadi. a violation of Security Council OIC Secretary General Iyad province, 18 rebels and 15 loyal- ploited the turmoil to boost their More than 80% of the popula- Resolution No. Ameen Madani renewed the OIC’s ists have been killed since Satur- activities in the impoverished 10 Palestinian prisoners tion urgently needs humanitarian 2216 and conflicts with the stand in support of the legitimate day, other military sources said. Arabian Peninsula country. aid. regional and international government in Yemen. The rebels angered the gov- join mass hunger strike The proposed peace deal is ernment last week by announc-

QNA the Liberation of Palestine Bethlehem (PFLP) leader Ahmad Saadat, who was reportedly moved to solitary confi nement after Houthis, Saudi en new Palestin- joining the strike, according ian prisoners yester- to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Tday joined a mass open Society. hunger strike in solidarity Kayid, a member of the with prisoner Bilal Kayid, ac- PFLP, Palestine’s most troops killed in cording to Issa Qaraqe, head popular left-wing political of the Palestinian Commit- faction, has been on hunger tee of Prisoners’ Aff air, a day strike for 47 days in protest after reports emerged that of being placed in adminis- Kayid’s health had deterio- trative detention – Israel’s border fi ghting rated sharply after almost 50 controversial policy of in- days without food. ternment without charge or Qaraqe told the Palestinian trial under undisclosed evi- Reuters towards peace,” he said in a state- (Wafa) News Agency that ten dence – on the day he was Cairo ment. prisoners from Israel’s Ramon scheduled to be released af- The slow-moving negotiations prison joined the open strike, ter completing a 14-and-a- are aimed at ending a 16-month- including Popular Front for half-year prison sentence. even Saudi troops and doz- old confl ict that has killed more ens of Houthi fi ghters were than 6,400 people, nearly half Skilled in heavy fi ghting on of them civilians, and displaced People gather among the rubble of a Sufi mosque that was blown up by explosive devices in an attack in the border with Yemen, Saudi more than 2.5mn. the southwestern city of Taiz, on Saturday. state news agency SPA reported A truce that began in April yesterday, as the main combat- has slowed the momentum of ants in Yemen’s war prepared for fi ghting, in which a Saudi-led a further week of peace talks in coalition has been trying to re- Kuwait. store Hadi to power and roll back Radicals blow up Sufi mosque in Taiz The UN-sponsored negotia- Houthi gains, but violence con- tions had been on the verge of col- tinues almost daily. AFP tiquities and museums con- rebels, but the city itself is con- lapse after a new row erupted last The coalition said Houthi Aden demned the destruction of the trolled by a combination of week between the Saudi-backed fi ghters, backed by troops loyal site that is considered the most forces loyal to President Abd- government and its Iranian-allied to former president and GPC famous in Taiz. Rabbu Mansour Hadi and allied Houthi foes and renewed fi ghting chief Ali Abdullah Saleh, tried unni Islamist radicals in It said the mosque’s white militias. broke out. to breach the Saudi border at the Yemen have blown up dome was “one of the biggest Residents have complained of But UN Yemen envoy Ismail Rabou’a area on Saturday, ignit- Sa 16th century mosque domes in Yemen and one of the the growing infl uence of radical Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the ing heavy fi ghting. housing the shrine of a revered most beautiful religious sites in Salafi sts, who have been impos- talks between the Houthis and It said in a statement that doz- Sufi scholar in the city of Taiz, a old Taiz”. ing curbs on mixing between their General People’s Congress ens of Houthi fi ghters were killed local offi cial said yesterday. Images of the site before de- men and women. party allies and the internation- near the border strip and their Gunmen led by a Salafi st lo- struction showed a white square- While Al Qaeda and Islamic ally-recognised government of military vehicles destroyed by cal chief known as Abu al-Abbas shaped, single-storey structure State group militants have been President Abd-Rabbu Mansour coalition aircraft that repelled blew up the mosque of Sheikh topped by a large central dome under attack by both govern- Hadi had been extended by a their assault. Abdulhadi al-Sudi on Friday circled by smaller ones. ment and rebel forces as well as week. One Saudi offi cer and six sol- night, the offi cial told AFP, con- Sufi sm is a mystical move- US drones, Salafi sts operate un- “We hope that the delegations diers died in the fi ghting, the fi rming media reports of the at- ment of Islam that is frowned der the banner of pro-govern- can utilise this remaining week statement, carried by Saudi state tack. upon by the Salafi sts. ment militias fi ghting the Iran- to achieve progress on the path news agency SPA said. Yemen’s commission for an- Taiz city is besieged by Shia backed Shia rebels. Gulf Times Monday, August 1, 2016 5 ARAB WORLD Syria forces, rebels battle in Aleppo DPA Syria’s state news agency State media said that dozens of Damascus SANA reported that chief of army families have departed through staff Ali Ayoub had inspected corridors to regime-controlled government troops in Aleppo areas – a claim that rebels denied. yrian government forces where he was posted on the “na- Once Syria’s commercial hub, and Islamist rebels engaged ture of their combat missions” Aleppo has been divided between Sin fi erce fi ghting in the there. government forces in the west contested northern province of The agency did not directly and rebels in the east since fi ght- Aleppo yesterday, a monitoring mention yesterday’s reported ing erupted for control of the city Men walk past burning tyres, which activists said are used to create smoke cover from warplanes, in Aleppo yesterday. group reported. clashes in Aleppo. in mid-2012. The clashes erupted after the Earlier yesterday, a spokesman Syria’s confl ict started with rebels launched an attack on for Jaish al-Fatah, a coalition of peaceful pro-democracy protests regime-held areas in the south- Islamist rebels, said in an online in March 2011. ern parts of Aleppo, the Syrian video that the grouping planned It soon developed into a full- Observatory for Human Rights a “major battle” to break the re- blown war that has devastated UN formally invites Syria added. gime siege on the Aleppo city. the country. Airstrikes by unidentifi ed jets The video could not be inde- Hospitals and medical volun- hit rebel-held districts in the city pendently verifi ed. teers have been major casualties of Aleppo, the capital of the prov- Forces of Syrian President in the strife. ince with the same name, the Ob- Bashar al-Assad are imposing a Yesterday, a series of airstrikes govt to new peace talks servatory said. tight blockade on the rebel-held on a rebel-held area in southern No casualties were reported. eastern section of Aleppo after Syria killed at least fi ve civilians Shells fi red by rebels, mean- they blocked all supply routes and put a hospital out of service, AFP keep the peace process alive views on that,” Ramzy said. for the creation of a transitional while, hit regime-controlled into the area earlier this week. according to the Observatory. Damascus amid a surge in fi ghting between He said Muallem “confi rmed body, which should have oc- neighbourhoods in suburbs of On Thursday, the Syrian gov- The bombardment by uni- Syrian President Bashar al-As- the intention of the Syrian gov- curred on August 1, a new con- Aleppo, leaving at least three ernment said it had opened three dentifi ed warplanes targeted sad’s forces and rebel groups. ernment to participate in these stitution and elections by mid- civilians dead, said the Britain- humanitarian corridors in Aleppo the opposition-controlled town N deputy Syria envoy “I informed the minister and talks once they are held”. 2017. based watchdog that relies on to help an estimated 250,000 to of Jasem in the southern Daraa Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy his deputy of the intention of Muqdad said Syria’s govern- The UN-brokered talks have a network of activists inside 300,000 civilians leave the op- province. Uyesterday invited Da- the special envoy De Mistura ment was “ready to resume the so far been deadlocked over As- Syria. position-held neighbourhoods. mascus to new peace talks with to reconvene the inter-Syrian talks with no preconditions in sad’s fate. the opposition at the end of talks towards the end of Au- an inter-Syrian context with no The government has ruled August, drawing a positive re- gust,” Ramzy said after meeting foreign interference”, the offi cial out negotiations on his possible US-backed forces advance in Manbij city sponse from the government. Foreign Minister Walid Mual- SANA news agency reported him departure, while the main oppo- On Tuesday, the world body’s lem and his deputy Faisal Mu- as saying. sition High Negotiations Com- US-backed forces waging an cornered the militants in the old The SDF, which was formed last special envoy Staff an de Mis- qdad. De Mistura’s announcement mittee has said it will not agree off ensive against the Islamic State quarter and was fighting them in year and includes the powerful tura told reporters in Geneva he “I explained to the minister comes with the armed opposi- to any deal that leaves Assad in held city of Manbij in northern Syria some parts of the city after seizing Kurdish YPG militia and Arab wanted “to proceed with a third how we intend to proceed, and tion facing diffi culties, especial- power. now have control of almost 70% of most of the western, eastern and fighters, launched the campaign round of intra-Syrian talks to- we discussed how to render this ly in the northern city of Aleppo Since Syria was plunged the city after rapid advances in the southern parts of the city, Sharfan nearly two months ago with the wards the end of August” after process of political transition where government forces are be- into chaos in 2011, more than last two days, a spokesman said Darwish of the SDF-allied Manbij backing of US special forces to drive two previous rounds of talks this which has already been endorsed sieging rebel-held districts. 280,000 people have been killed yesterday. Military Council told Reuters in Islamic State from its last stretch of year ended in failure. by the Security Council to be a A peace roadmap, endorsed and upwards of half the popula- Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) has Beirut by telephone. the Syrian-Turkish frontier. De Mistura has struggled to credible one, and we exchanged in December by the UN, called tion has been displaced.

A displaced woman, who fled from Al-Shirqat, due to Islamic State violence, holds her child on the outskirts of Al-Shirqat, south of Mosul, Iraq, on Saturday. Minister says IS leaders and families fl ee Mosul

AFP the fi nal push to retake it is likely still lenge, and the operation could unleash Baghdad months away. a humanitarian crisis unless plans are “A number of the families and leaders made for people who would likely fl ee of (IS) in Mosul, they and their families the fi ghting. raq’s Defence Minister Khalid al- sold their belongings and withdrew to- The Red Cross has said it believes Obeidi has said that Islamic State wards Syria,” whose border west of the that up to a million Iraqis could be dis- Igroup leaders and their families city, Obeidi told Iraqiya state television. placed in the coming months by fi ght- have sold their belongings and fl ed Some also sought to infi ltrate towards ing against IS, including the operation Mosul as Iraqi forces close in on the Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, lo- to recapture Mosul. northern city. cated north and east of Mosul, Obeidi IS overran large areas north and west Iraqi forces are conducting opera- said during an interview which was of Baghdad in 2014, but has since lost tions to set the stage for an assault on broadcast on Saturday night. signifi cant ground to Iraqi forces backed Mosul, the country’s second city that Mosul is the last city held by IS in by US-led air strikes, training and other has been held by IS since June 2014, but Iraq, but retaking it poses a major chal- assistance. US warns South Sudan war criminals

AFP “Recent weeks have featured well- law – including those who order or incite Washington documented reports of civilian killings violence, or encourage or contribute to and a surge in the number of government the commission of crimes – will be held soldiers in uniform raping and gang rap- accountable,” the US statement read. ashington has warned that ing women and girls who have taken ref- The statement reminded “all parties” those who perpetrate atroci- uge in UN Protection of Civilian sites,” that the peace agreement provides for Wties in South Sudan’s civil war the US State Department said late on a special court that “will have jurisdic- will be held responsible for their crimes. Saturday. tion over violations of international law The United States served as a mid- The United Nations “has documented committed during the transitional pe- wife in the creation of the South Sudan, at least 120 cases of sexual violence in the riod, including those committed during formed in July 2011 by partitioning Su- last two weeks” in fi ghting between gov- the ongoing violence.” dan. ernment forces and those loyal to rebel Washington also called for “an imme- But South Sudan descended into chief Riek Machar. diate halt to combat operations and full war in December 2013, and a peace deal “Those responsible for war crimes, compliance with the ceasefi re declared signed last year collapsed during heavy crimes against humanity, and other vio- on July 11 and in the peace agreement.” fi ghting in the capital last month. lations of international humanitarian Gulf Times 6 Monday, August 1, 2016 AFRICA Congo opposition leader demands polls by end 2016

AFP On December 19 the notice ex- presidential election in 2011. route thronged with supporters Firefighters dousing a fire at the scene of a suicide attack outside the Criminal Investigation Department Kinshasa pires and on the 20th the house Last month, another leading and draped with the fl ags of vari- (CID) headquarters in Mogadishu yesterday. must be free,” he added, to light of the opposition, Moise ous opposition parties. rousing cheers. Katumbi, was sentenced in ab- One group of youths carried a ongo’s veteran opposi- An immensely popular fi gure sentia to three years in jail for coffi n daubed with anti-Kabila tion chief Etienne Tsh- who emerged as a leading dis- property fraud. slogans. Cisekedi yesterday called senting voice as far back as the The presiding judge in the At the rally itself, opposition for elections to be held this year 1980s, when he was a critic of case has since claimed she was supporters waved banners read- Six killed in attack on and for President Joseph Kabila strongman Mobutu Sese Seko, pressured by the authorities into ing “Change is now,” and “No to step down as scheduled on Tshisekedi recently accom- signing off on a guilty verdict, to dialogue without the release of December 20. plished the rare feat of uniting ensure Katumbi would be ineli- political prisoners.” Tensions have been growing the Congolese opposition. gible to run for offi ce, according “We voted for Tshisekedi in in the mineral-rich but trou- Congo’s opposition has nev- to a letter seen by AFP. 2011 but still the international Somali police building bled state over fears that Kabila, er before managed to forge a Tshisekedi travelled to the community imposed Kabila on in power since 2001, may try common front against Kabila, rally in an open jeep escorted by us,” said one supporter who gave to extend his rule with a third who beat Tshisekedi in the last a swarm of motorbikes along a his name only as Martin. AFP two cars packed full of ex- ago but continue to carry out term, beyond the constitutional Mogadishu plosives into the headquar- regular attacks on military, maximum of two. ters of the police’s criminal government and civilian targets. Speaking at a rally in Kinsha- ix people were killed yes- investigations department. In recent months they have sa, Tshisekedi warned him not terday in a gun and car- An AFP correspondent heard claimed deadly assaults on to try, saying it would be “high Sbomb assault on a police an exchange of gunfi re after the military bases as well as civilian treason” if the electoral process building in the centre of the explosions, which took place targets including hotels. were not launched on schedule Somali capital that also left near a busy junction in the city. Last month, a junior minister in September. seven assailants dead, Secu- “One of the cars hit the cor- was among 11 people killed in After a two-year absence due rity Minister Abdirasak Omar ner of the building and the oth- an attack on the Naasa Hablood to ill-health, Tshisekedi, 83, re- Mohamed said. er hit near the gate. There was hotel. turned Wednesday to the Dem- Some of the attackers smoke and dust and everything That began when a suicide ocratic Republic of Congo to a rammed two cars into the was in a mess,” said witness bomber detonated a car laden warm welcome from supporters. building in central Mogadishu Abukar Osman. with explosives outside the He told supporters that Sep- and others tried to storm it, he There was no immediate building. tember 19 was the “fi rst red line told reporters. claim of responsibility. Gunmen then stormed the which must not be crossed”. “All of the seven gunmen The blasts came just days af- hotel in an assault lasting for “The electoral body must be have been killed, some of ter at least 13 people were killed several hours. Special secu- convened (by that date) for the them were shot by the security in twin bombings near Mogad- rity forces ended the siege after presidential election. If it is not, forces and others detonated ishu airport and UN and Afri- killing three attackers inside high treason will be proved in themselves,” he said. can Union buildings. the hotel. the person of Kabila, who will “Five civilians died in the That attack was claimed by Earlier in June, the same take responsibility for the mis- road and one policeman, so that Al Qaeda-linked Shebaab mili- group claimed an attack on ery of the Congolese people,” the overall casualty number of tants fi ghting to overthrow So- the city’s Ambassador Hotel, Tshisekedi said. deaths is 13,” he added. malia’s internationally-backed which left 10 dead including “From that moment, his Earlier, security offi cial Ibra- government. two lawmakers when a huge car three-month notice period on him Mohamed said that “ter- The Shebaab were forced bomb ripped the front of the the presidential palace begins. Etienne Tshisekedi, flanked by his wife Marthe, attending a political rally in Kinshasa yesterday. rorist elements” had smashed out of the capital fi ve years six-storey building. Zuma makes last push for votes

AFP Johannesburg

outh African President Jacob Zuma yesterday urged supporters to vote Sfor the ruling African National Congress ahead of fi ercely competitive municipal polls that could see the party lose control of several major cities. Zuma’s ANC, which controls the majority of the country’s 278 munici- palities, has been weakened by graft scandals and growing public discon- South African ruling party ANC president Jacob Zuma, centre, and deputy tent since it led the fi ght against white- president Cyril Ramaphosa, left, arriving for the closing campaign rally for the minority rule. municipal election at Ellis Par Stadium yesterday in Johannesburg. At a massive fi nal rally, the party made a last push for votes, stressing its thousands of homes,” said Zuma. “A lot of money was wasted there anti-apartheid history and the legacy The latest Ipsos opinion polls suggest that should have been spent on the of former president and Nobel peace that the ANC, which has ruled since the people,” Frieda Motlatla, 24, said at prize winner Nelson Mandela. end of apartheid in 1994, could be under yesterday’s rally. “Millions of our people must vote threat in three major cities - Pretoria, But with her hair wrapped in an ANC and enable their movement to con- Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth - in ANC turban, she said Zuma’s trou- tinue improving the lives of our people,” Wednesday’s election. bles would not aff ect her support: Zuma told a packed Ellis Park Stadium in The main opposition Democratic “I don’t vote for a person, I vote for the Johannesburg city centre. Alliance (DA), which rules in Cape a party.” “Every vote counts.” Town, is hoping for a breakthrough, “Nkandla is not our business,” An estimated 55,000 supporters citing the country’s poor economic agreed Simon Machaka, 42. “Some decked in the ANC’s green, yellow and performance and a series of corruption people will always be dissatisfi ed. They black fi lled the stands for the extrava- scandals plaguing Zuma. don’t focus on the good things.” gant rally, crowning a campaign the Last week, South Africa’s highest Zuma, 74, will have completed two party said had cost it an estimated 1bn court ruled that the president pay back terms in offi ce in 2019 and is not eligi- rand ($72mn). $500,000 of public funds spent up- ble to run for president again, but the “We have walked the streets of grading his private Nkandla residence ANC could replace him ahead of the this country, we have visited every with facilities including a chicken coop next general election if the party scores town, every city. We have been to and a swimming pool. poorly in the local polls.

Kenya’s rapid urbanisation takes toll on Maasai communal land

It’s just before sunset, the time of day (18 miles) south of the capital Nairobi. The influx of outsiders and increase when Maasai herdsman Josphat Ole As in many other East African countries, in buildings on land that belongs to Tonkei would have been counting his the rapid growth of urban areas has indigenous communities have caused herd of cows after hours in the grazing taken a toll on the ancestral lands of tension with the Maasai pastoralists, who fields, a few years ago, Thomson Reuters pastoralists, where much of the new say urbanisation has led to evictions, Foundation reports from Kitengela. development is taking place. forced displacement and increased Today Tonkei must wait until darkness Kenya has undergone unprecedented violence. to perform the check. The routes to urban growth, which has led to an increased Tonkei said land developers conspire grazing fields and water points have demand for land, further exacerbated by a with unscrupulous Maasai elites and been blocked and he has to take a long, growing middle class population. some politicians to convert communal alternative route to reach his “Manyatta”, At the time of independence, in 1964, land into private land, aided by county or homestead, where he counts his herd. about 8.5% of Kenyans resided in urban land registry off icials. An area that for years provided grazing areas, according to United Nations data. The land is divided into small portions, ground for his cows has been built over This figure had risen to 16.7% by 1990 with some of it sold on to people to with commercial properties and gated and by 2015, one in four Kenyans lived in develop residential and commercial communities, leaving him and other urban areas. properties, and the rest held for the herdsmen with no choice but to walk long The UN projects that by 2030 almost a purpose of speculation. distances in search of pasture and water. third of Kenyans will live in urban areas, “The conflict caused by urbanisation is He is not sure how pastoralists’ rising to 43.9% by 2050. not just because of grazing for animals... communal grazing land has passed into A push by middle class Kenyans to own the most painful part is taking land the hands of private developers. property amid soaring land prices has through fraud,” said Letuati Nackson “We don’t know who sells our land to led financial institutions, developers and Ole Umash, chairman of Lerelo Emaa, private developers. We only realise speculators to target land in satellite a community-based organisation that it has been sold when we see them towns around Nairobi, experts said. advocates for the rights of Maasai. erecting concrete fences and putting up In Kajiado County, where Tonkei lives, Current models of urbanisation pay no structures,” Tonkei said. land has become a contentious issue attention to human rights, resulting in Tonkei is among Maasai herdsmen as fraudsters have duped thousands gross inequalities, social exclusion and reeling from the impact of rapid of buyers into purchasing Maasai violence, said Umash, adding that zoning urbanisation that is encroaching into the communal land, which is then converted should be compulsory to ensure fields plains of Kitengela town, around 30km into private land, local people said. are reserved for grazing. Gulf Times Monday, August 1, 2016 7 AMERICAS Hundreds in Canada protest death of black man

Reuters Abdirahman Abdi, 37, died on Protesters chanted “Black would respect the wishes of The family held Abdi’s funeral a probe into whether race was a Corp reported one of the offi c- Ottawa Monday after being hospitalised lives matter!” as they started Abdi’s family for the event to be on Friday, which was attended factor as advocacy groups voiced ers had been taken off patrol and in critical condition following marching, a reference to the US- peaceful, and while some pro- by at least 600 people, including concerns over police violence that the other has been on leave. his arrest. founded anti-police brutality testers were so angry that others Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and against minorities. It was unclear whether that ore than 500 people Witnesses told local media he movement, which has an offi cial had to calm them down, none other local politicians. In a statement, organisers of leave was paid or unpaid. rallied in Canada’s was beaten by Ottawa police of- chapter in Canada. crossed the police barricade. The province of Ontario’s po- Saturday’s rally called for the Ottawa police declined to Mcapital on Saturday to fi cers who responded to calls of a “They murdered him! Enough Police said there had been no lice watchdog, the Special In- offi cers involved in Abdi’s arrest comment and referred further protest the death of a mentally disturbance. is enough!” the protesters arrests. vestigations Unit, is looking into to be put on unpaid leave, for all questions to the Special Investi- ill black man following an arrest, His death echoed events in the chanted as they approached the Abdi’s family spoke briefl y the circumstances surrounding offi cers to wear body cameras, gations Unit. marching against what they see United States, where a string of Ottawa police headquarters, before the march, thanking sup- Abdi’s arrest. and for a review into how they The SIU said it does not com- as race-based police brutality in killings of black men by police where the march ended in the porters, although organisers Some advocates have called deal with minorities and people ment on the “internal human a country that prides itself for and allegations of brutality and late afternoon. have said they do not want to be for criminal charges to be fi led. in distress. resource matters” of individual being tolerant. racial bias have sparked protests. Organisers had said they interviewed. There have also been calls for The Canadian Broadcasting police forces. Dad of slain soldier calls Trump a ‘black soul’ AFP against immigrants, Muslims “Who wrote that? Did Hil- Washington and women. lary’s script writers write it?” His call to temporarily ban Trump said in the interview. Muslims from entering the Unit- “If you look at his wife, she he father of a slain Mus- ed States has drawn criticism was standing there. She had lim American soldier as- even from leaders of his own nothing to say,” Trump said, Tsailed Donald Trump as party. adding: “Maybe she wasn’t al- a “black soul” yesterday in an Mitch McConnell, the Sen- lowed to have anything to say.” This file photo taken on July 28 shows Khizr Khan, father of Humayun Khan who was killed while serving in Iraq with the US Army, gestures as impassioned exchange with the ate Republican leader, implicitly Khan said he had invited his his wife looks on during the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Centerin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Republican presidential candi- criticised Trump in a statement wife to speak, but she declined, The father of a slain Muslim American soldier assailed Donald Trump as a “black soul” yesterday in an impassioned exchange with the date over the qualities required yesterday. knowing that she’d become too Republican presidential candidate over the qualities required in a US leader. in a US leader. He called Captain Khan “an emotional. Khizr Khan electrifi ed the American hero,” praised the sac- He said that running for presi- Democratic convention last rifi ces of families like the Khans, dent does not entitle Trump “to week with a tribute to his fallen and said he agreed with them disrespect” the relatives of sol- son that ended with a steely re- that “a travel ban on all members diers killed in combat. buke that Trump had “sacrifi ced of a religion is simply contrary to “Shame on him! Shame on his nothing” for his country. American values.” family!” he told ABC News.“He Clinton accuses Trump of Trump defended himself in Yet Trump, despite his high is not worthy of our comments. an interview with ABC’s This negatives and penchant for con- He has no decency. He is void of Week, insisting he had made “a troversy, has attracted a fervent decency, he has a dark heart.” lot of sacrifi ces” while suggest- following among working class In a statement late on Sat- scapegoating soldier’s parents ing that Khan’s wife, who stood white males, and he stands near urday, Trump praised Captain silent on the convention stage as even with Democratic candidate Khan as “a hero to our country,” her husband spoke, had not been Hillary Clinton in the polls. adding, “we should honour all Reuters She also used the episode to she would want to speak at the day on ABC’s This Week, Trump allowed to talk. In an interview with Fox News who have made the ultimate sac- Cleveland Heights, Ohio contrast her own religious faith convention but she had decided cast doubt on why Khan’s wife But Khan shot back in inter- Sunday, Clinton took aim at rifi ce to keep our country safe.” with that of Trump, who has she would be unable to do so on did not speak. views on US television news Trump’s positive view of Rus- But Trump took issue with spoken of religion on the cam- stage because of her pain over “She was standing there, she shows, while his wife Ghazala sian President Vladimir Putin Khan’s convention night speech, S Democratic presiden- paign trail infrequently. the 2004 death of her son. had nothing to say, she prob- explained in a Washington Post and accused him of “absolute including his claim that the bil- tial candidate Hillary “I don’t begrudge anyone of “Donald Trump said that may- ably, maybe she wasn’t allowed op-ed that she had been too allegiance” to Moscow’s foreign lionaire candidate had never read UClinton accused Don- any other faith or of no faith at be I wasn’t allowed to say any- to have anything to say. You tell grief-stricken to speak. policy objectives. the US constitution. ald Trump yesterday of scape- all, but I do tremble before those thing. That is not true,” she wrote. me,” Trump said. “Without saying a thing, all Trump responded defi antly, “While I feel deeply for the goating the parents of a Muslim who would scapegoat other “When Donald Trump is talking Trump yesterday tweeted that the world, all America, felt my saying in the ABC interview that loss of his son, Mr Khan, who soldier killed in Iraq, after the Americans, who would insult about Islam, he is ignorant.” Khan’s son had died 12 years ago: pain,” she wrote. “Whoever saw he had “no relationship” with has never met me, has no right to Republican nominee took issue people because of their reli- Trump stirred bipartisan out- “Captain Khan, killed 12 years me felt me in their heart.” Putin, but that “if our coun- stand in front of millions of peo- with remarks the soldier’s father gion, their ethnicity, their dis- rage for his back and forth with ago, was a hero, but this is about Their son, US Army captain try got along with Russia, that ple and claim I have never read made at the Democratic Nation- ability,” Clinton said in remarks the Khans. RADICAL ISLAMIC TERROR Humayun Khan, was killed in would be a great thing.” the constitution” and “say many al Convention. at the Imani Temple Ministries, The Republican nominee and the weakness of our ‘leaders’ Iraq in 2004 in a roadside ex- The jousting on policy was other inaccurate things,” Trump Trump, in an ABC interview an African-American church in lashed out at Khizr Khan, a US to eradicate it!” plosion at the gates of a military overshadowed, however, by the said. that aired yesterday, questioned Cleveland Heights, Ohio. citizen of Pakistani origin and a Trump also tweeted that he compound. emotional back and forth be- Clinton criticised Trump’s why Ghazala Khan, mother of US “It’s just not how I was raised, Muslim, when Khan told of his had been “viciously attacked” Khan, speaking on CNN, ac- tween Trump and Khan. treatment of the Khans during Army Captain Humayun Khan, that’s not how I was taught in my war hero son at the convention by Khan at the convention. “Am cused Trump of lacking the “I work very, very hard. I’ve a campaign stop at a church in stood quietly by her husband, church,” said Clinton, who grew and took issue with Trump’s call I not allowed to respond?” he moral compass and empathy created thousands and thou- Cleveland, Ohio. Khizr Khan, as he took the stage up as a Methodist. “Tim Kaine for a temporary ban on the en- asked. needed to be the country’s sands of jobs, tens of thousands “Mr. Khan paid the ultimate at last week’s Democratic con- and I are people of faith,” she try of Muslims into the United The candidate also tried to leader. of jobs, built great structures. sacrifi ce in his family, didn’t vention in Philadelphia. said, referring to her vice presi- States. change the subject to the war “He is a black soul. And this I’ve had tremendous success. he?” she told the African Ameri- Trump suggested the mother dential running mate, who is a Khizr Khan invited the Re- itself: “Hillary voted for the Iraq is totally unfi t for the leadership I think I’ve done a lot,” Trump can congregation. “And what has might not have been “allowed” Catholic. publican nominee to read the US war, not me!” of this beautiful country,” Khan said about his sacrifi ces. he heard from Donald Trump? to speak. Earlier yesterday, Ghazala Constitution and visit the graves On Twitter, Republican said. Trump questioned whether Nothing but insults, degrad- Speaking at a church service, Khan took up her own defense in of American soldiers from many strategist Ana Navarro called Trump has courted contro- Clinton had been behind Khan’s ing comments about Muslims, a Clinton said Trump had been in- an opinion piece in the Washing- backgrounds at Arlington Na- Trump’s comments about the versy and sparked outrage dur- address, which the naturalised total misunderstanding of what sulting to a family who had sac- ton Post, saying her husband had tional Cemetery. Khans “gross” and labelled him ing his drive for the US presi- Pakistani immigrant said he made our country great — reli- rifi ced so much. asked her in advance whether In the interview aired yester- a “jerk.” dency with disparaging remarks wrote with his wife Ghazala. gious freedom, religious liberty.

One dead in Texas shooting, gunman at large Maryland downtown fl ooding kills two AFP gency Medical Services said. fi red into a crowd of pedestri- Washington A fi fth victim, a man, refused ans, he said. aid, the ATCEMS said. A woman in her 20s was shot Reuters we’ve had overnight in Ellicott Police later confi rmed there and died at the scene. Washington City,” he said in an interview with t least one person was had been a second, separate Seven minutes later police Baltimore’s WBAL NewsRadio. killed and four others shooting incident in the area, were notifi ed of a second shoot- County spokesman Andy Bar- Awounded in a shooting which took place just minutes ing inside a nearby parking ga- looding from torrential th said a man and a woman were in Austin, Texas early yesterday, later, although only the gunman rage, he said. rain killed two people killed. with police warning that the was injured. In that incident, an individual Fin Ellicott City, Mary- The woman’s body was recov- shooter was still at large. Police across the country, pulled out a gun and fi red, but land, with fl oodwaters that tore ered from the river overnight. The incident began shortly and especially in Texas, remain was then confronted by wit- through the US town’s historic Barth said every business near after 2:15am (0715 GMT) in a on edge after a rash of shoot- nesses who knocked him down downtown, collapsing a street the river on the town’s historic busy downtown area fi lled with ing incidents, including one on and disarmed him. and sweeping away cars. Main Street had suff ered major bars and nightclubs, with police July 7 in Dallas which saw fi ve Manley said the alleged Ellicott City was pounded by damage, including building fronts warning people on Twitter to offi cers shot dead by a black ex- shooter, who was injured, was almost 6in (15cm) of rain in two torn off and doors stripped away. steer clear of the area due to an tremist as they were protecting Police block off an area of 6th Street after two shootings yesterday apprehended and taken to hos- hours late on Saturday, sending Governor Larry Hogan de- “active shooter”. a peaceful march against police in downtown Austin, Texas. pital. a tributary of the Patapsco River clared a state of emergency, as “Active shooter incident brutality. His condition was not imme- out of its banks, offi cials said. did Kittleman. downtown, multiple victims. At the time, police initially ence broadcast via Periscope, of the incident 2:17am, offic- diately clear. Howard County Executive The declarations allow aid to Stay away from downtown,” thought they were facing multi- Austin Police Chief of Staff ers arrived in the busy down- It was unclear if the shooters Allan Kittleman said the fl ood- be released more quickly for El- Austin police tweeted. ple shooters. Brian Manley said the unidenti- town area where they found “a knew any of their victims, with ing in Ellicott City, about 56km licott City, which has a popula- One woman was killed Instead, it turned out to be fi ed shooter in the fi rst incident, very chaotic scene,” Manley Manley saying it was part of the northeast of Washington, was tion of about 65,000. and three other women were one individual armed with a ri- believed to be a white or light- said. ongoing investigation. worse than that from Hurricane Firefi ghters rescued about 120 rushed to a local hospital fl e who was fi ring from diff erent skinned Hispanic male in his There appeared to have been He called for any witnesses Agnes in 1972. people and emergency workers with gunshot wounds, the spots. 20s, was still at large. a disturbance during which an with video footage or pictures “I don’t believe there’s ever been were also dealing with a water Austin-Travis County Emer- At a pre-dawn press confer- After receiving first reports individual pulled out a gun and to share their fi les with police. a fl ood and the devastation that main break. Gulf Times 8 Monday, August 1, 2016 ASEAN Reclaimed city off Singapore triggers fears for ecology Sellapan Rama Nathan

AFP with a Chinese businessman, Johor Bahru, Malaysia who paid cash. Former Investors can pay anything from $200,000 for a two-bed- planned multi-billion- room unit, up to $1.6mn for a Singapore dollar new city near seaside villa. ASingapore is attracting By comparison, a mass mar- interest from investors with ket condominium in Singapore president promises of luxury living but costs around $740,000 - which there are questions over its fu- in Forest City would buy a four- ture owing to China’s economic room seaside villa with a func- critical woes and warnings of environ- tion hall, two parking lots and a mental catastrophe. large garden. Forest City, a $42bn futuris- But some analysts ques- after stroke tic “eco-city” of high-rises and tion the project’s long-term waterfront villas, will sit on four sales targets as China’s econ- man-made islands on the Ma- omy struggles to break out of a DPA laysian side of the Johor Strait growth slowdown that has seen Singapore just an hour from Singapore. expansion fall to 25-year lows, Off ering 700,000 residential while authorities clamp down units as well as shopping malls, on a fl ight of cash from the he former president of international schools, hotels, country. Singapore, S R Nathan, is convention venues and medical At the same time Standard Tin a critical condition in facilities on 3,425 acres (1,370 & Poor’s said it was “cautious” hospital after suff ering a stroke hectares), the city will even have about Forest City after it down- early yesterday morning, a state- its own immigration centre. graded Country Garden’s long- ment from the Prime Minister’s The venture is being devel- term corporate rating in March Offi ce said. oped by Hong Kong-listed real to “BB” from “BB+”, citing risks The statement said that Nath- estate giant Country Garden from its aggressive land acqui- an was currently in the intensive and a fi rm partly owned by Jo- sitions. care unit of the Singapore Gen- hor’s powerful Sultan Ibrahim It called sales targets “some- eral Hospital. Iskandar with an eye on cashed- what ambitious given this is a Nathan, 92, was the sixth up Chinese buyers. new large-scale project and tar- A general view along the beach at Forest-City, one of the man-made islands on the Malaysian side of the Straits of Johor. president of Singapore serving “It is by far one of the most gets primarily mainland (Chi- two terms from 1999 to 2011. enthusiastic private land rec- nese) overseas buyers”. the ecology of the whole area in studying an impact assessment the creation of an estimated tains” installed to prevent silt To date, Nathan is the longest- lamation projects I have heard And even if the project is a profound ways,” Greenpeace report provided by Malaysia and 62,200 jobs. and sediment from spreading serving president of the country. of around the Southeast Asia success, campaigners say it scientist Paul Johnston said. is seeking further clarifi cations. Country Garden Pacifi cview and polluting the waterway. He had already suff ered a region,” said Chua Yang Liang, could prove to be a disaster for “It might change the things An environmental study executive director Mohamad “No damage, no pollution has stroke in April last year, but was head of research for Southeast the local ecology and fi shermen that are living there, it might commissioned by the Forest Othman Yusof said developers been exported to Singapore,” said to be recovering. Asia at property services and who complain of dwindling change the vegetation that can City joint venture fi rm, Coun- were strictly following guide- Othman said. “We don’t want “Mary and I are sad to hear investment group Jones Lang catches. grow there.” try Garden Pacifi cview Sdn lines laid down by the Malay- to create any problems with an- about former President Nathan’s Lasalle. While its website describes Local activists say at most risk Bhd, acknowledged a “perma- sian government to minimise ybody and we’re going to abide hospitalisation this morning. Our Offi cials say they have shifted it as a “liveable eco-city”, envi- of destruction is Malaysia’s larg- nent loss of traditional fi shing the environmental impact. by the rules and regulations.” thoughts and prayers are with his 500 units in pre-selling already, ronmentalists say the dumping est intertidal seagrass meadow ground” and damage to seagrass He said at least 20 simulation Water quality is monitored wife and family,” Nathan’s suc- despite the development not of sand to build the new city - an on Merambong shoal off Johor. meadows and mangroves due to studies were carried out before closely following complaints by cessor President Tony Tan said. due to be completed until 2035. estimated 162mn cubic m (5.7bn The reclamation has also ruf- the development. the reclamation was approved, Malaysian fi shermen, he said. Although mostly ceremonial, During a visit by AFP, sales ex- cubic ft) - could alter tides and fl ed feathers in Singapore, with But it added that this would while the project’s original size “We are very confi dent about Singapore’s president has some ecutive Alex Lee said he had destroy marine life. the city-state’s environment be balanced by the project’s of 5,000 acres was cut by 30 the success of the islands,” said powers such as the ability to veto sold 10 properties in one sitting “It has the potential to change ministry saying it is “carefully” economic benefi ts, including percent and “double silt cur- Othman. the use of government reserves. Harry Potter magic hits Asia as fans celebrate new book

By Elizabeth Law, AFP them on my shelves but this will Singapore be my crowning glory,” added Chua, who was wearing a Harry Potter-themed sweater. arry Potter magic hit Widely seen as the eighth Harry Asia yesterday, as aspir- Potter instalment, the play is set Hing witches and wizards 19 years after the end of the last crowded into bookstores to get book and features a grown-up Children watch a video preview at a book store during the launch of the new book Harry Potter and the Cursed their hands on the fi rst copies of a Potter working at the Ministry of Child in Singapore yesterday. new play that imagines the hero as Magic. an adult. Like many of his fans, Pot- woman for Om Book Shops, said Launch parties for Harry Pot- ter has now become an adult and in New Delhi. ter and the Cursed Child were held has three children with his wife “We’ve got an excellent re- hours after the play’s premiere Ginny Weasley. sponse,” she said, adding that the in London, setting the stage for a He still has his trademark store would be laying on Potter- return of the series that has capti- round-rimmed glasses and the themed activities throughout vated readers and movie audiences scar on his head, a permanent re- the day. worldwide. minder of his nemesis Lord Vol- In Bangkok, around 40 fans, Nearly 300 fans rushed through demort, but must now help his many wielding wands and other the doors of Kinokuniya bookstore youngest son Albus confront the wizarding paraphernalia, gathered on Singapore’s Orchard Road at family’s dark past. outside a large downtown mall 7:01 am (2301 GMT Saturday) to The script’s global kickoff was overnight. become one of the fi rst people in timed to coincide with its launch Sanpipat Huangsawat, 29, the world to see the new script. at midnight in London, after the was fi rst in line and had started Student Samantha Chua, 24, play’s world premiere at the Pal- queuing at 6:30 pm on Saturday who along with her boyfriend ace Theatre earlier in the evening. evening. He fi nally got his hand on was fi rst in line, said she had been July 31 is also author J K Rowling’s the book some 11 hours later. Two fans showing their purchased new book Harry Potter and the waiting outside the fourth-fl oor birthday. “I feel very excited and it’s great Cursed Child during the launch at book store in Singapore yesterday. bookstore since 5am. In India, fans began lining up to be the fi rst owner of this book in “We were here so early that the outside shops which had opened Thailand,” he said. years old, and it’s unbelievable that Ten-year-old Adele Leung, who mall wasn’t even open yet so we early especially for the script’s Sheryans, 16, said he was not after nine years they’re keeping it came with her mother, was anx- had to come up through the cargo release. sure he’d ever get the chance to going,” he said in Bangkok. ious to crack into the latest Potter lifts,” she said, adding that it was “It’s been amazing to see see another Harry Potter book Dozens gathered at a downtown tome. “all worth it”. 10-year-old fans and 70-year- launch. bookstore in Hong Kong to get the “I love Harry Potter and have “I grew up reading the books old grandmothers turn up at our “I’ve been following the Harry new title and try on Harry Potter read all of the last ones. I think I and I have a special place for shops,” Shilpi Agarwal, a spokes- Potter series since I was eight costumes provided by the store. will read it in a few days,” she said. House fi re kills family of six in southern Vietnam

DPA children, were pulled from a house in Ca Hanoi Mau province in yesterday morning after a fi re started there around midnight, news portal VN Express said. n overnight house fi re in south- One resident managed to escape the fi re ern Vietnam has killed six mem- while another was not home at the time. Abers of the same family, local media Fatal fi res are common in Vietnam, where reported yesterday. safety features such as smoke detectors and Charred bodies, including those of two fi re extinguishers are haphazardly installed. Gulf Times Monday, August 1, 2016 9 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA Tokyo elects fi rst woman governor

Koike’s four-year term will polls declared her the winner at “Reviewing the Olympic and out after becoming embroiled in extend until just after the 8pm. Paralympic budget will be the a personal fi nancial scandal. summer Games start and her “I will lead Tokyo politics in an litmus test for it.” Despite the high number of performance in the run-up unprecedented manner, a Tokyo Euphoria in 2013 at securing candidates, the Tokyo race was will be closely watched you have never seen,” she said in the right to host sport’s marquee seen as a three-way contest a voice made mildly hoarse after event has given way to frustra- between Koike and two men AFP two weeks of campaigning. tion over gaff es, scandals and - former prefectural governor Tokyo The election, contested by a cost overruns. Hiroya Masuda and prominent record fi eld of 21 candidates, was Last year Prime Minister television journalist Shuntaro called after previous governor Shinzo Abe had to tear up blue- Torigoe. eteran politician Yuriko Yoichi Masuzoe resigned over a prints for a new Olympic stadi- Koike, long a fi xture in Japa- Koike was elected yes- fi nancial scandal involving the um because of ballooning costs, nese media and politics, speaks Vterday as Tokyo’s fi rst lavish use of public funds on ho- while organisers ditched the of- fl uent English and Arabic. woman governor, partial results tels and spa trips - the second fi cial logo after the designer was She graduated from Cairo showed, and immediately vowed successive Tokyo leader to quit. accused of plagiarism. University in 1976 in sociology to get a grip on the megacity’s Koike largely played down her A new one was solicited. and worked as an Arabic inter- troubled 2020 Olympic prepara- achievement of becoming the Such fi ascoes, however, preter before going into journal- tions. capital’s fi rst woman governor have since been overshadowed ism. The 64-year-old former TV in a male-dominated society but by allegations of corruption, In 1978, she interviewed then- anchorwoman, defence minister said she will push female-friend- Former Japanese defence minister Yuriko Koike and supporters celebrating her win as the Japanese and French prosecutors have Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and environment minister was ly policies “so that both women capital’s governor, in Tokyo yesterday. launched an investigation into and Palestine Liberation Organ- some 700,000 votes ahead of and men can shine in Tokyo”. alleged bribes linked to Tokyo’s isation chairman Yasser Arafat her nearest rival with almost two A key task will be smoothing extend until just after the sum- possibly double or triple the re- basis for the budget, so that I bid. for a Japanese broadcaster. thirds of ballots counted. the city’s troubled road to the mer Games start and her per- ported original forecast of 730bn can clarify for the eyes of Tokyo Organisers have denied She has compared herself to Koike claimed victory and 2020 Olympics, hit by a series of formance in the run-up will be yen ($7.14bn). residents how much they would wrongdoing. Hillary Clinton and was once addressed supporters in the embarrassing scandals and soar- closely watched. She vowed to tackle the cost have to pay,” Koike said, adding Masuzoe’s predecessor Naoki seen as having the best chance sprawling metropolis of 13.6mn ing costs. A key challenge will be getting issue head on. that transparency would be the Inose - who had led the success- to be Japan’s fi rst female prime people shortly after media exit Koike’s four-year term will a grip on swelling costs, seen as “I would like to review the watchword. ful bid to win the Games - bowed minister.

Politician slams online gambling targeting kids

By Elle Hunt Guardian News and Media

n what could prove a world fi rst, an Austral- Iian politician is seeking to have games such as the hugely popular Counter- Nick Xenophon: call Strike series defi ned in law as gambling. of black jack and roulette. Nick Xenophon, the The gaming research independent senator for fi rm Eilers & Krejcik Gam- South Australia, yesterday ing estimated in June that announced a bid to have skin gambling had an an- multiplayer fi rst-person nual turnover of as much as shooter games defi ned as $9.74bn. gambling in an update to Of that fi gure, 25.8% – the current Interactive nearly $2bn – was on lot- Gambling Act of 2001. tery-style jackpot games. “This is the Wild West of Nearly 14% or $1bn was online gambling that is ac- spent on roulette and 5.6% tually targeting kids,” Xen- or $414mn on fl ipping coins. ophon told Fairfax Media. It also forecast that the Counter-Strike: Glo- market would continue to bal Off ensive has become grow steadily. one of the world’s most The practice of skins successful fi rst-person gambling is understood shooter games since intro- to be widespread among ducing its “arm deal” up- young gamers, sparking date in August 2013, which concern among game de- allowed virtual weapons velopers and academics. known as “skins” obtained A Brisbane teenager told in the game to be turned the Australian Broadcasting into real-world money. Corporation that he had lost The skins are assigned about $1,800 from gambling a value according to their on skins after having stolen rarity, but can fetch thou- his father’s credit card. sands, and can be bought He said he had been in- and sold in the game devel- spired by top players who oper’s own marketplace or had posted videos of their third-party sites. big wins to YouTube and Skins can also be used like the video-game streaming casino chips in online games platform Twitch.

Mass robot dance sets Guinness World Record

DPA While 1,040 robots, each Beijing 43.8cm tall, had attempted the challenge in the port city of Qingdao, only 1,007 total of 1,007 robots were in motion for the full danced for a minute minute, the offi cial Xinhua Ain eastern China’s news agency reported. Shandong province, set- The biggest challenge ting a new Guinness World for remote control of the Record for the largest si- robots is radio frequency multaneous robot dance, a interference from sources report said yesterday. such as mobile phones, The previous Guinness Xinhua cited Quan Jinyou, record was a dance by 540 chief technology offi cer of robots in February in the Qingdao-based Ever Win southern Chinese city of Company, which produced Shenzhen. the robots, as saying. Gulf Times 10 Monday, August 1, 2016 BRITAIN No 10: No scrapping of triple-lock pension protection before 2020

By Rowena Mason dismissed the possibility of there construct, a totemic policy that have done what we needed to do.” “He could redistribute the Guardian News and Media being any risk to the triple lock is easy for politicians to trumpet, Altmann also suggested that welfare cuts to take the pressure before the next general election. but from a pure policy perspective, the triple lock could be aban- off low paid, working people. But “The manifesto contains a keeping it for ever doesn’t make doned now May is in charge, with the obvious alternative is already owning Street has prom- commitment to protect the tri- sense,” Altmann told The Observer. the prime minister having shown off the table: pensioner benefi ts ised that Theresa May will ple lock. That commitment still “I was proposing a double herself to be willing to re-evalu- are protected and so is the ‘triple Dstick to the Tory manifes- stands,” she said. lock, whereby either you increase ate previously stated policies. lock’, which means that the state to pledge of the triple lock, which Lady Altmann had warned that state pensions in line with prices “With David Cameron, it was pension goes up by the highest guarantees rises in the state pen- the cost of keeping the safeguard or with earnings. Absolutely we more diffi cult, it was his flagship out of the growth of wages, infl a- sion, after a former pensions would be “enormous” after the must protect pensioner incomes, policy. But from 2020, and even, tion or 2.5%,” Timothy wrote. minister said it would become election in 2020. but the 2.5% bit doesn’t make you know, now, he is not there,” Debbie Abrahams, the shadow unaff ordable after 2020. The Conservative peer and sense. she said. work and pensions secretary, said Ros Altmann, who left the pensions expert said she tried “If, for example, we went into a May’s joint chief of staff Nick it would be a “grand betrayal, a government in July, called for the last year to persuade Cameron to period of defl ation where every- Timothy said in an article for shocking broken promise hitting mechanism to be abolished and drop the triple lock, thing, both earnings and prices, ConservativeHome last Novem- pensioners in the pocket” if the suggested that the prime min- under which pensions go up by was falling, then putting up pen- ber that the obvious alternative triple lock were broken. ister could be more open to this the infl ation rate, the growth in sions by 2.5% is a bit out of all to welfare credit cuts, looking “The lesson here is that for all idea than her predecessor, David average earnings or 2.5%, which- proportion. at the triple lock, was “off the their words about doing the right Cameron. ever is the highest. “Politically, nobody had the table” for the-then chancellor thing, the Tories don’t stand up A No 10 spokeswoman quickly “The triple lock is a political courage to stand up and say we George Osborne. for ordinary people,” she said. Prime Minister Theresa May: pledges to stick to the Tory manifesto pledge. Scary Bean Risk of attack a case of ‘when, not if’: Met chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe says outrage and especially those on ouaiej-Bouhlel drove a truck into “Firstly, the vast majority of ers has been increased by 600 to Britain is well prepared, but our doorstep in Europe, there is a crowd celebrating Bastille Day, our offi cers are unarmed. I truly 2,800 and the number of special- atrocity similar to those in a greater sense of fear that Brit- the murder of Father Jacques believe this gives us a far health- ists available immediately, 24/7, France and Germany is highly ain will be the next victim in this Hamel, 85, as he celebrated mass ier relationship with the people to tackle any terrorist threat, had likely wave of cruel and mindless mass in a Normandy church last Tues- we police. Our neighbourhood risen three-fold, he said. murder,” he said. day, and attacks in Würzburg and offi cers – the ones who know “I realise that some of what I By Haroon Siddique “I feel and understand that fear Ansbach in Germany. their streets, who know their en- am telling you today is not reas- Guardian News and Media and as the police offi cer in charge The Met commissioner said vironment and who know many suring,” Hogan-Howe said. of preventing such an attack, (I) everyone had watched such in- of the names of the people in “I hope that some of it is more know that you want me to reas- cidents with “a terrifying and their communities – are our ma- so. The threat we all face is very ritain is well equipped to sure you. depressing sense of horror and jor weapon. They are our eyes real, no one watching events in prevent terrorist atrocities “I am afraid I cannot do that dread”. and ears on the street. Europe can think otherwise. Bsimilar to those seen on the entirely. Our threat level has been However, despite people’s “Secondly, it is our tolerance “But it is important that we continent in recent weeks, but it at severe for two years – it re- growing concerns, he said there and acceptance. Our approach to have a shared understanding of remains a question of “when, not mains there. were “lots of things working in Muslims is no diff erent because the work that goes on every day if” there is an attack, the Metro- “It means an attack is highly our (the UK’s) favour”. The rela- these attacks purport to be com- to stop attacks happening, and to politan police commissioner has likely. You could say it is a case of tionship between MI5, MI6 and mitted in the name of Islam. prepare for the time when we are said. when, not if.” police was a “world beater”, Hog- We don’t stigmatise the mil- faced with this terrifying threat.” Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said Hogan-Howe was speaking in an-Howe said, which had helped lions of British Muslims whose The Met commissioner ended he was hoping to off er reassur- the aftermath of a series of at- prevent terror incidents since the values and faith completely reject on a defi ant note, urging people Children look at a scarecrow depicting the film character Mr ance following a number of at- tacks, including four claimed by murder of Lee Rigby in 2013. the terrorists’ litany of hate.” to unite to reject the ideology es- Bean during the Scarecrow Festival in Heather yesterday. tacks in France and Germany, but Islamic State, which have raised He also pointed to the fact that Hogan-Howe outlined specifi c poused by terrorists. During the annual event, residents of Heather are asked to admitted that he was ultimately public fears about the ability of the UK is an island and has strict steps implemented after ram- “We will not become like them, make scarecrows, to raise thousands of pounds for local limited in doing so by the reality authorities to protect them. gun controls as contributing fac- paging gunmen killed 130 people we will not hate, we will not be groups and charities. of the situation. They include the Nice attack tors, and referenced “the British in Paris last November. cowed and because of this, they “I know that with each new on July 14, when Mohamed Lah- way of life and culture”. The number of fi rearms offi c- will never win,” he said. Accidents force RideLondon to J K Rowling bids farewell to Harry Potter at Cursed dramatically shorten course Child gala in London

By Nicola Slawson and Peter Walker tree on his bike or whether he came a cyclist came off his bike in Thames through so many contingencies, but Reuters Guardian News and Media off his bike prior to hitting the tree. Ditton, the South East Coast ambu- invariably, whatever you go through, London He was airlifted to St George’s hospital lance service said. you will fi nd something else.” and is in a serious condition,” she said. He was treated for a head injury by A RideLondon spokeswoman ini- wo serious accidents at the One witness, Katie Meadway, an ed- the air ambulance paramedics. tially said that as far as organisers new “Harry Potter” play that RideLondon-Surrey cycling itorial assistant at Capital FM, tweeted He was also taken to St George’s knew, all participants had been able to opened to swooning reviews Tevent have forced organisers to to say there had been a big accident in hospital. get through via the diversion. Aand delighted gasps from the dramatically shorten the course after Ripley attended by “three air ambu- Some riders tweeted to complain The race organisers later tweeted a audience marks the end of the journey a “backlog” of riders caused delays of lances and countless ambulances”. about long delays, and RideLondon picture of the revised route. for the beloved boy wizard, his creator more than an hour. She wrote: “Just been told by stew- later closed a vast section of the route, The sheer number of people taking J K Rowling said at the play’s premiere Hundreds of cyclists were held be- ards that those involved in accident are diverting riders from mile 44 to mile part in the event means even relatively in London on Saturday. tween Pyrford and Ripley yesterday OK but it is considered serious.” 70 and removing the famous Box Hill minor crashes can cause long holdups Billed as the eighth instalment in the morning because of one incident, RideLondon said: “Due to an inci- climb. on narrower parts of the route, such as series, the play “Harry Potter and the which was attended by air and road dent that required an air ambulance Hugh Brasher, the RideLondon di- at Leith Hill in Surrey. Cursed Child” and a book based on its ambulances. to attend, riders in the Prudential rector, who also organises the London One of the event’s participants, script have helped awaken a new wave An injured cyclist was taken to a RideLondon-Surrey 100 have been Marathon, said the second diversion Jim Smith, stuck at Leith Hill told the of Pottermania fi ve years since the pre- hospital in south London by the air held on the route in Surrey. A planned was caused by hold-ups begun by the Guardian he had not been told the rea- vious episode was made into a movie. ambulance and is said to be in a serious contingency route from West Byfl eet fi rst crash. son and there were no stewards around Throngs of fans crowded book- condition. to Ripley is now being opened and the The initial diversion to route riders to help. stores for the midnight release of the Reports came in via Twitter shortly riders will now be directed down that around the crash site was devised there He said he believed the problems book, hours after the play in London’s after 9.30am of a “bad crash” and an route.” and then, while the new one, from mile were caused by “too many bikes, and West End theatre district dazzled “enormous backlog of cyclists”. A map of the alternative route was 44, was a planned diversion to be used a mix of real experts and lots of new- theatre-goers with swishing capes, Harry Potter fan Fran Plagge poses A spokeswoman for the South East posted on RideLondon’s Twitter ac- in case of delays. bies”. Despite the delays, most cyclists billowy wraiths fl oating overhead and for photographs after becoming the Coast ambulance service said a man count. “It is what we practice,” he said. seemed to be staying upbeat. illusionist tricks of actors appearing to first person to receive the new Harry had hit a tree. There was a second accident at the “We practice diversions where we He said: “Everyone is being very vanish into thin air. Potter script book inside Waterstones “It is not known whether he hit the event later yesterday morning, when don’t have a planned diversion. You go good spirited and people are acknowl- Asked if the book and play heralded bookshop on Piccadilly yesterday edging hazards of the ride. (There is) a new phase of stories, Rowling told morning after a midnight party good camaraderie. Although some are Reuters: “No, no.” celebrating the publication of Harry shouting about re-directing the route, “He goes on a very big journey dur- Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One I think.” ing these two plays and then, yeah, & Two script book. He said he had not experienced I think we’re done. This is the next problems like this at other big sporting generation, you know,” said Rowling, “It was magical. I sat on the edge of my events he had taken part in. who later appeared on stage during seat the whole time,” said Kylie Cruik- The 100-mile RideLondon event a standing ovation at the end of the shamsks, 32, a big Potter fan.“There was had 27,000 registered starters this show. “So, I’m thrilled to see it real- a lot to live up to and they did it.” year, the same as in 2015. ised so beautifully but, no, Harry is Another spectator, 32-year-old There were also up to 3,000 more done now.” Ashley Nottingham, said he was left riders on the roads, taking part in a new Based on a story by Rowling, play- speechless: “It’s blown away every 46-mile event. wright Jack Thorne and director John theatrical boundary I’ve ever known.” It is part of a weekend of closed- Tiff any, Cursed Child picks up the sto- The play opens ahead of the Novem- roads cycling events in the capital ry 19 years later, featuring Potter as a ber movie version of Rowling’s Potter which began in 2013 as one of the lega- 37-year-old overworked employee of the spinoff book Fantastic Beasts and Where cies of the London Olympics. Ministry of Magic and father of three. to Find Them, and follows the opening in The RideLondon 100 follows much The play, a marathon aff air running April of a second Harry Potter attraction of the same route as the Olympic road over fi ve hours and split into two parts, within a theme park, this time at Univer- race. On Saturday, about 70,000 peo- is sold out through May 2017. sal Studios in Los Angeles. ple took part in the family-oriented Enthusiasts from around the world The British writer said she found it Freecycle event, in which an eight- queued outside the ornate Palace The- easy to put her Potter creation onstage mile circuit around central London atre for a glimpse of Rowling and the thanks to the vision for the show. was closed off to motor traffi c. cast of the production. “(It) chimed perfectly with the ma- The weekend culminates in men’s Many in attendance at the show terial I had about the next generation and women’s professional races. said it lived up to its billing in reviews and I could see it would work per- The chief attraction in the men’s race as a thrilling theatrical spectacle, with fectly,” she said.“So, I never wanted to The pelaton stops as members of the public pose for pictures with and greet Britain’s Chris Froome (centre) of Team Sky is Chris Froome, taking part among the deft stagecraft that drew audible gasps write another novel, but this will give near Woking in Surrey, southwest of London. Team Sky contingent. at times. the fans something special.” Gulf Times Monday, August 1, 2016 11 EUROPE Govt overhauls Turkey’s top military council The new wave of army They will replace a number of Incirlik has seen some scattered expulsions and the overhaul of military commanders who have protests in the days since the coup the Supreme Military Council not been reappointed to the YAS, as pro-government supporters (YAS) were announced in the including the heads of the First, have called on the United States off icial state gazette Second, and Third Armies, the to extradite Gulen. Aegean Army and the head of Washington says it will only do Reuters the Gendarmerie security forces, so if it receives clear evidence of Ankara which frequently battle Kurdish Gulen’s involvement in the coup. militants in the southeast. Dunford’s visit comes at a deli- The changes appear to have cate time for Turkey’s relations urkey yesterday dismissed given the government command- with the United States, given Er- nearly 1,400 more mem- ing control of the council. dogan’s constant demands for Tbers of its armed forces and Erdogan told Reuters in an Gulen’s extradition. stacked the top military council interview on July 21 that the With mass purges of suspected Supporters of President Tayyip Erdogan waving Turkish flags during a pro-government protest in Cologne yesterday. with government ministers, as military, Nato’s second-biggest, Gulen supporters well underway part of measures introduced after needed “fresh blood”. in all state institutions, the media a failed coup. Erdogan has upbraided West- and some private companies, the More than 60,000 people in ern leaders for not visiting Turkey Turkish Football Federation said the military, judiciary, civil serv- since the coup. yesterday all its affi liated boards ice and schools have been either He said it was “shameful” that had resigned for the sake of “se- detained, suspended or placed some in the West seemed more curity checks”. It said it was co- Rally draws thousands under investigation since the July concerned about the fate of the operating fully with the authori- 15-16 coup. plotters than in standing with a ties. The new wave of army expul- fellow Nato member. Erdogan told broadcaster A sions and the overhaul of the The aggressive military purges Haber on Saturday that Gulen Supreme Military Council (YAS) come at a time when the armed was a “pawn” being controlled by of Erdogan-supporters were announced in the offi cial forces is stretched by fi ghting a greater power. state gazette just hours after Er- with Kurdish insurgents in south- Erdogan has said that Gulen DPA arrests,” said Habib Aydin, 26, rally was relatively quiet, with Authorities had considered a dogan said late on Saturday he east Turkey and threats from Is- harnessed his extensive network Cologne from the south-western German only minor skirmishes between ban on the protest in the event planned to shut down existing lamic State militants on its border of schools, charities and busi- city of Stuttgart.”A clean-up is ethnic Turks and Kurds in the that high-ranking members of military academies and put the with Syria. nesses, built up in Turkey and necessary. The attempted coup city centre so far. the Turkish government at- armed forces under the command Four soldiers were killed by the abroad over decades, to create a ome 20,000 supporters of was directed against democracy.” The city had prepared for the tended and increased security of the defence ministry. Kurdish militants yesterday in “parallel state” that aimed to take Turkish President Recep The gathering on the east possibility of violence, with po- risks. According to the gazette, 1,389 two separate incidents, offi cials over the country. STayyip Erdogan gathered bank of the river Rhine be- lice deploying 2,700 offi cers for Cologne police had issued military personnel were dis- said. The government is now going at a rally in the western German gan with a minute of silence to the event. a ban on a live-stream video missed for suspected links to the Turkey’s military is taking part after Gulen’s network of schools city of Cologne yesterday, with remember the victims of the Offi cers dispersed a counter- feed from Erdogan in Turkey Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, in the US-led coalition against Is- and other institutions abroad. many praising his government failed coup, as well as the vic- demonstration of right-wing proposed by event organisers, who is accused by Turkey of or- lamic State in Iraq and Syria. Since the coup, Somalia has and military measures which tims of recent terrorist attacks extremists in front of the main leading presidential spokesman chestrating the failed putsch. Its Incirlik Air Base is used shut two schools and a hospital are taken in the wake of a failed in France, Germany and Turkey. station over violations of their Ibrahim Kalin to denounce it as Gulen, who lives in self-im- by coalition forces for missions believed to have links to Gulen, coup in the country. Later, a declaration was read agreement with the force. “unacceptable” and to say it cast posed exile in the United States, against Islamic State. and other governments have re- Organised by European- out loud, explaining that the The group, lead by the politi- doubt on the “true motives” of has denied the charges. Security was tight in the im- ceived similar requests from An- Turkish organisation UETD rally was to stand up for “the cal party Pro NRW, had agreed the German authorities. About 40 % of Turkey’s gener- mediate area around Incirlik yes- kara. under the motto “Yes to democ- rule of law, unity, peace and in- to hold a rally at a fi xed loca- It was not acceptable for als and admirals have been dis- terday, Turkish security sources In an unexpected move, Erdog- racy. No to the coup”, the dem- dependence”. tion, but then set out to march Germany to allow the banned missed since the coup, in which said, before an expected visit an has said that as a one-off ges- onstration was called to protest The document was signed through the city. Kurdistan Workers’ Party PKK Erdogan says 237 people exclud- by the US chairman of the Joint ture, he would drop all lawsuits against the July 15 coup attempt by some 100 groups, including Three other counter-demon- to hold demonstrations in Ger- ing the plotters were killed and Chiefs of Staff , Joseph Dunford. fi led against people for insulting in Turkey that left more than the Turkish-Muslim Council strations by left-leaning groups many, while a “democratic more than 2,100 wounded. While there were rumours on him. 260 people dead. Ditib and the Turkish-German and youth organisations of some event” against the failed coup The government also said its social media that security forces He said the decision was trig- “It’s good for Erdogan to take Chamber of Commerce and In- of Germany’s mainstream par- was frowned upon, Kalin was deputy prime ministers and min- were at the ready on worries about gered by feelings of “unity” action,” said 29-year-old dem- dustry, organisers said. ties had also dissolved by the quoted by Turkey’s state-run isters of justice, the interior and another coup attempt, a US mili- against the coup attempt. onstrator Cabuk Kenan, who The declaration called on “all late afternoon. Anadolu news agency as saying. foreign aff airs would be appointed tary spokesman at the base said Prosecutors have opened more travelled from the Netherlands nations, organisations, parties Representatives of all Turk- The German government to YAS. they had not seen an increased than 1,800 cases against people to attend the event. and...politicians in this world” ish political parties, including was trying to impede the pro- The prime minister and de- Turkish police presence. for insulting Erdogan since he “We want to show that we to show “solidarity with Tur- the opposition, spoke at the Erdogan rally, the spokesman fence minister were previously “It’s business as usual here,” he became president in 2014 after back him and the government,” key” and with the government rally. Turkey’s Sports Minister charged. the only government representa- said, without giving his name.”We serving as prime minister for 11 he added. in Ankara. Akif Cagatay Kilic addressed the About 3mn people of Turkish tives on the council. are not seeing anything like that.” years. “I don’t criticise the wave of Police said the situation at the gathering. heritage live in Germany.

‘Solidarity and compassion’ over priest’s murder

AFP ter the second militant attack in a practising Muslim and I came ternational mediation efforts. Rouen, France less than a fortnight. to share my sorrow and tell you Other joint services were held In the southern city of Nice, that we are brothers and sisters.” in Milan, Naples and Palermo, where a militant carried out a Giving her name only as Sicily. uslims attended Cath- rampage in a truck on July 14, Sadia, she added softly: “What The killing of Father Hamel olic mass in churches claiming 84 lives, local imam happened is beyond compre- fanned fears of religious ten- Maround France yes- Otaman Aissaoui led a delega- hension.” sions in France and renewed terday in solidarity and sorrow tion of Muslims to a Catholic At the Saint Leger church recriminations over perceived following the brutal murder of mass. in the northern city of Lens, security lapses. a priest, the latest in a string of “Being united is a response around 30 Muslims attended Both of the 19-year-old at- attacks. to the act of horror and barba- mass wearing T-shirts embla- tackers - Adel Kermiche and Ab- More than 100 Muslims rism,” Aissaoui said. zoned with messages such as, del Malik Petitjean - had been on were among the 2,000 faithful Notre Dame church in south- “Terrorism has no religion or the intelligence services’ radar who packed the 11th-century western Bordeaux also welcomed identity”. and had tried to go to Syria. Gothic cathedral of Rouen, a Muslim delegation, led by the Father Hubert Renard told Prime Minister Manuel Valls near the Normandy town where city’s top imam, Tareq Oubrou. the congregation: “We are not yesterday called for a new two teenagers slit the throat “It’s an occasion to show alone; our Muslim brothers are “pact” with the Muslim com- of 85-year-old Father Jacques (Muslims) that we do not con- here too.” munity in France, Europe’s larg- Hamel. fuse Islam with Islamism, Mus- Many were moved to tears est with around 5mn members. “I thank you in the name of lim with jihadist,” said Reverend during the sign of peace, a regu- Also yesterday, dozens of all Christians,” Rouen Arch- Jean Rouet. lar part of the liturgy when the prominent Muslims published bishop Dominique Lebrun told Muslims were responding faithful turn to greet each oth- a joint letter pledging: “We, them.”In this way you are af- to a call by the French Muslim er in the pews, either shaking French and Muslim, are ready to fi rming that you reject death council CFCM to show “soli- hands or kissing. assume our responsibilities.” and violence in the name of darity and compassion” over Muslims also attended Meanwhile a Syrian refugee God.” the priest’s murder on Tues- Catholic masses in Italy, no- who was taken in for questioning A few policemen and soldiers day. tably at Rome’s Santa Maria di after a photocopy of his passport stood guard outside but did not Said a woman wearing a beige Trastevere church, in response was found at Kermiche’s house A Muslim woman shaking hands with a nun during a church service in tribute to priest Jacques Hamel in conduct searches, seeking to headscarf who sat in a back pew to a call by the Sant’Egidio has been released, a source close the Rouen Cathedral yesterday. reassure a jittery population af- at a church in central Paris: “I’m community known for its in- to the investigation said. Munich mourns victims of shopping mall shooting

AFP warned Germany against falling “They will not hold us captive pils at his school, and had fi led Berlin into a “vicious cycle of hatred through constant fear. We will a complaint against three of his and violence” as the country remain what we are, a humane tormentors in 2012. seeks to come to terms with a se- community that shows solidar- In an interview with Bild am he city of Munich yester- ries of assaults over the past two ity,” he said. Sonntag, the teenager’s father day paid tribute to nine weeks. At the same time, Gauck said Masoud Sonboly blamed him- Tvictims of a shooting ram- The gun rampage at a Mu- the attacks also called for society self for not noticing how his son page, with German Chancellor nich shopping mall on July 22 by to refl ect on what drove the per- had shut himself off and sought Angela Merkel and President 18-year-old David Ali Sonboly petrators to the violence. refuge in violent computer Joachim Gauck attending the came four days after a 17-year- Noting that the assaults were games. memorials that called on people old Afghan refugee seriously often planned ahead in time, At the same time, he also to resist slipping into fear and wounded fi ve with an axe attack. he said “society must not allow called into question the teacher’s hatred. Two days later, Germany was these young people to be left and classmates’ actions. Christians, Jews and Muslims hit by a machete assault that left alone nor to tolerate their mar- Sonboly said he had spoken to came together at the city’s Goth- one dead and a suicide bomb at- ginalisation.” the teacher about the bullies who ic landmark church Frauenkirche tack that wounded a dozen peo- Investigators have said that targeted his son, but said no ac- for a non-denominational serv- ple. Sonboly was a depressed teen tion was taken. ice, at which Cardinal Reinhard Addressing the Bavarian par- who was obsessed with mass “Our lives in Munich have Marx said mistrust and fear must liament in the second of the day’s killings and had long struggled been destroyed,” he said, add- not have the last word. memorial events, Gauck said at- with his mental health. ing that “we get death threats, Dhari Hajer, who chairs the tackers and terrorists “will not He also appeared to have been my wife has been crying over the German President Joachim Gauck, his partner Daniela Schadt and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at- city’s Muslim council, also force us to hate as they hate.” a victim of bullying by other pu- past week.” tending the memorial service in Munich’s Frauenkirche, Germany, yesterday Gulf Times 12 Monday, August 1, 2016 INDIA

Govt seeks to help workers ‘stranded’ in Saudi, Kuwait

AFP New Delhi

ew Delhi was working yesterday to help more than 10,000 Indian la- Nbourers stranded in the Gulf with no wages after losing their jobs. In a series of tweets, Foreign Minister Su- shma Swaraj said the migrant workers were facing “extreme hardship” and that two jun- ior foreign ministers will be sent to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to take up the issue with authorities. “Large number of Indians have lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The employ- ers have not paid wages (and) closed down their factories,” Swaraj said late on Saturday. “As a result our brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are facing extreme hardship. While situation in Kuwait is man- ageable, matters are much worse in Saudi Arabia.” “The number of Indian workers facing food crisis in Saudi Arabia is over 10,000.” Indian media yesterday said the work- ers were “starving” in camps with no way of returning home as a drop in oil revenues has prompted a downturn in construction and triggered layoff s. The Indian consulate in Jeddah posted a series of pictures on Twitter showing its nationals queuing up for food packets, eggs, spices and salt provided by its offi cials. Swaraj was responding late on Saturday to a series of tweets from people saying Indians had gone without food for three to four days in the camps where they were living. Foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup People shout slogans as they attend a protest rally in Ahmedabad against what they say are attacks on the Dalit community. told AFP that a decision on bringing the workers home would be taken only after a junior minister visits Saudi Arabia. Nearly 3mn Indians live and work in Saudi Arabia, according to the foreign ministry, constituting one of the largest populations of Indian passport holders outside of India. In November 2014, Gulf and Asian labour ministers agreed on a series of initiatives aimed at boosting protection and improving Gujarat Dalits demand conditions of employment for foreign work- ers in the Gulf.

8 killed in building crash t least eight people were killed when a two-storey dilapidated building col- fi rearms for protection Alapsed in Thane district’s Bhiwandi town, police said yesterday. IANS The State “must provide us li- members of the three were present. been single-handedly fi ghting sev- ployment to Dalits who give up the “So far, we have recorded eight deaths, 22 Ahmedabad censed fi rearms to protect ourselves They demanded that the Sched- eral court battles for the Dalits. “undignifi ed” job of skinning dead have been rescued and further rescue eff orts since the government has failed to uled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Although the Acher ST Depot animals and safai karmacharis en- are underway to save other trapped victims,” provide us security”, said Jignesh Me- (Prevention of Atrocities) Act should ground here can accommodate only gaged in the “inhuman” job of man- a police spokesperson told IANS. ujarat Dalit leaders yester- vani, the convenor of the joint front be invoked against the culprits in the about 5,000 people, the venue was ual scavenging. The accident occurred in Gaibinagar local- day asked the government to of the 30 Dalit organizations. July 11 thrashing of Dalit youths by swelling by noon, with thousands This is besides providing hous- ity of this town famous for its powerloom in- Ggive them fi rearms in view of “We have had enough. We will self-proclaimed cow vigilantes for taking up every inch of space avail- ing units to Dalits in urban areas be- dustry, around 35km north of Mumbai, when atrocities by Hindu activists as thou- break their hands and legs if the up- skinning of dead cows. able in the vicinity. cause they are even today “socially the rickety building which housed some 10 sands of Dalits pledged not to lift car- per caste exploiters torture us any This is the fi rst time in Gujarat Organisers said the show of boycotted, discriminated against and families crashed around 8.30am. casses from the streets. more,” he asserted. that as many as 30 Dalit groups from strength was meant to protest against exploited socially, economically and The local municipal corporation had ear- The mass pledge was taken at a The government should also help across the state have come together what they said were growing atroci- sexually in villages”. lier declared the building as hazardous for rally called by as many as 30 Dalit Dalits learn martial arts, he felt. to raise a plethora of issues facing the ties against the community in Gu- The organisers said they kept the occupation, but the families continued to live groups from across Gujarat and Referring to the controversial 2012 community for decades. jarat. political parties at bay at the rally as there, locals told media persons. backed by the quasi-religious body, police attack on Dalits that killed They have rallied under the banner Speakers released a charter of de- all of them exploited them for narrow Teams of the disaster management forces, the Jamiat-e-Ulema-Hind. three persons in Dhangad area of of ‘Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti’ mands for Chief Minister Anandiben political gains. the city fi re brigade and civic body were en- Three Muslim leaders from Surendranagar, speakers at the rally (Una Dalit Fight against Atrocities Patel including action against every- One speaker said “bangles and gh- gaged in the rescue work which was severely Ahmedabad attended the rally and complained that nothing can be ex- Committee), with Mevani as the con- one who was even tacitly involved in aghras” should be couriered to Dalit hampered by torrential rains that continued sat on the podium. Many Muslim ac- pected from a government that has venor. the July 11 incident. MLAs and MPs to denounce their ap- to lash the entire coastal Maharashtra since tivists could be seen in the rally. not even fi led a chargesheet. Family Mevani is a young lawyer who has They also sought alternate em- athy towards the community’s cause. Saturday evening.

CPI-M politburo not to intervene on issue of Kerala CM’s adviser he CPI-M polit- letter, had expressed his Kerala bags dozen tourism awards buro, which had its displeasure to Commu- Ttwo day meeting in nist Party of India-Marxist Delhi, decided not to in- chief Sitaram Yechury over By Ashraf Padanna for the award in other foreign lan- tervene in the appoint- the appointment as her Thiruvananthapuram guages segment. ment of Harvard University economic policies does The award in ‘Tourism Pro- professor Gita Gopinath not match with that of the motion and Publishing’ category as an economic adviser party. erala has won laurels for its (shared with Gujarat) came for its to Kerala Chief Minister The politburo however innovative initiatives like most innovative use of informa- Pinarayi Vijayan despite decided not to intervene in Kresponsible tourism, a cof- tion technology for its website the objections raised by vet- the issue and concluded that fee table book on the Spice Route, and social media campaign. Kerala eran leader V S Achuthanan- such things can be decided a crafts village and a mobile app at Tourism has 1.28mn followers on dan. at the state level and by the the national tourism awards 2014- the Facebook, the largest for any Achuthanandan, in a government. 15. Indian tourism board. Madhya Pradesh was adjudged Stephanie Pearson of the USA the best state in comprehensive received the award for the best for- development followed by Gujarat eign journalist for her feature on and Karnataka while Kerala walked Kerala titled The Green Heaven. away with the highest number of Other winners that went to awards (12) in a variety of catego- Kerala are Turtle on the Beach ries distributed by Speaker Sumi- Kovalam (best five-star hotel), tra Mahajan in New Delhi on Sat- Coconut Lagoon Kumarakom urday night. (heritage hotel), Coconut Creek Kerala received three out of the Farm and Homestay Kumarakom six awards in the marketing cat- (bed and breakfast), Somath- egory for states and two more, in- eeram Trivandrum (wellness), cluding the one for its responsible Lotus Destinations (tour opera- tourism (RT) initiative in the hilly tor promoting niche Segments), district of Wayanad that has trans- Kalypso Adventures (inbound formed its economy through the tour operator) and Dravidian intensive participation of the local Trails (third best inbound tour community. operator). It shared the RT award with Kerala received 977,479 for- Yes Bank’s Edge of India initiative eign tourists last year, an increase in New Delhi, which focuses on Tourists pose at a waterfall in Kerala during a monsoon tour last month. of 5.86% over the previous year’s developing cooperative tourism 923,366 despite a global slow- models to ensure livelihood secu- Dr Venu V, the principal secre- ogy, to position Kerala as a tour- Kerala and the Spice Routes, down. rity of local communities. tary of the state’s tourism ministry, ist-friendly destination,” said the a glossy coff ee-table book that The domestic tourist arriv- Hoteliers, tour operators and an said in a statement here yesterday senior bureaucrat associated with provides a sneak-peek on the rich als were recorded at 12,465,571 as Ayurveda Centre won seven more, that winning fi ve national tourism the tourism saga of the God’s Own multiculturalism of the state more against 11,695,411 of the preceding including the best hotel in the fi ve- awards and seven for private play- Country, as its brochures describe than two millennia ago when its year with an increase of 6.59%. star category and the best heritage ers was a tremendous feat. itself, for two decades. spice trade was fl ourishing won The foreign exchange earnings hotel. Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts “It’s a recognition of our pio- The national awards come soon the award for excellence in pub- in 2015 were Rs69.5bn, an increase Village at Iringal, a small village in neering measures, especially our after it won two Pacifi c Asia Travel lishing in English. of 8.61% over the previous year Kozhikode district, fetched the award cutting edge marketing tech- Association (PATA) Gold Awards The Great Backwaters, a bro- and the total revenue increased by in the rural tourism project category. niques and leveraging of technol- for its marketing initiatives. chure in German, was adjudged 7.25% to record Rs266.8963bn. Gulf Times Monday, August 1, 2016 13 INDIA ‘Delay in indigenous carrier to impact capability’ By Anjali Ojha, IANS The auditor has said that the Cochin Ship- New Delhi yard Limited and the Indian Navy were not op- erating in sync. “The shipyard projected that delivery he delay in delivering an indigenous air- schedule of the aircraft carrier would be in craft carrier (IAC) will adversely impact 2023, against December 2018 as per approval of Tthe Indian Navy, with one of its two car- the Cabinet Committee on Security. The Indi- riers in the process of being decommissioned, an Navy and the shipyard were not operating in Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Federal Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu flag-off the weekly Agartala-Delhi the government auditor has pointed out. sync, which was refl ected in lack of agreement passenger train service on the newly laid broad gauge track in Agartala. The Comptroller and Auditor General, in on project timelines as well as lack of review of a report tabled in parliament last week, also project timelines, for arriving at a realistic de- pointed out that there was “continuing disa- livery date,” the CAG said. greement over project timelines between the Factors like shortage of requisite steel de- Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard Limited layed the commencement of fabricating the (where the IAC is being fi tted out), with realis- hull, while late receipt of critical equipment Railways to invest Rs70bn tic dates for delivery yet to be worked out.” like diesel alternators and gearboxes delayed The delay has also resulted in the cost es- the launching of the ship. calating beyond the originally sanctioned The report also said delayed constitution of Rs193.41bn, the report said, adding that the the Empowered Apex Committee meant the overall physical progress of the carrier was not project was not being monitored at the apex in northeast, says Prabhu assessable. level and the Steering Committee remained The shipyard says the carrier will be deliv- dysfunctional between October 2007 to Au- ered in 2023, fi ve years behind schedule. gust 2013, which was almost the entire dura- By Sujit Chakraborty, IANS and Prime Minister Narendra ny at the Agartala railway station. He said a passenger train be- With INS Viraat in the process of being de- tion of Phase-I of the project. Agartala Modi is personally giving special Prabhu invited the Bangladesh tween Agartala and Kolkata will commissioned - she set out on her farewell There was also a shortfall in the meetings emphasis for the all round devel- railway minister to come to Delhi start in August. voyage from Mumbai to Kochi earlier this week of the Project Management Board and other opment of the region,” he said. to discuss the increased railway Bangladesh Railway Minister - India will be left with only one aircraft car- project monitoring mechanisms. he Railways will invest “Increase of inter-state con- connectivity between India and Mazibul Hoque said Prime Minis- rier, INS Vikramaditya against its requirement “Neither the ministry nor the shipyard could Rs70bn in the current fi s- nectivity and connectivity be- Bangladesh. ter Sheikh Hasina had announced of at least two to be deployed on the western assess the physical state of construction of the Tcal (2016-17) to develop its tween the region and the rest of “India is keen to increase railway a revival of all the pre-1965 railway and eastern seaboards. ship as the ministry failed to incorporate es- network in the seven northeastern the country are being given the connectivity with Bangladesh. If the connectivity with India. “While the Indian Navy envisions ready sential formats for progress reporting in the states, Railway Minister Suresh highest priority. Available con- facilities of the Chittagong port can “We want very close connectiv- combat availability of two aircraft carriers at contracts,” the CAG said. Prabhu said yesterday. nectivity will boost the region’s be used, then trade and economy of ity between our two friends (India any given time, with INS Vikramaditya in serv- The report also said that the MiG-29K air- “In 2014-15, the railway min- economy,” Prabhu said. both northeast India and Bangla- and Bangladesh) and more closer ice and INS Viraat likely to be decommissioned craft that will operate from the IAC continues istry invested Rs27.02bn for (this Bangladesh Railway Minister desh will fl ourish,” he added. people to people relations.” in 2016-17, continuous shifting of timelines of to face operational defi ciencies due to defects purpose). In the current fi nancial Mazibul Hoque, Tripura Gover- The railway minister said that to Hoque said Modi and Sarkar had delivery of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier will in engines, airframe and fl y-by-wire system. year, the investment will be more nor Tathagata Roy, Tripura Chief boost tourism in northeast India, agreed to help Bangladesh to curb adversely impact naval capabilities,” the CAG The compatibility of the aircraft for deck than Rs70bn,” Prabhu said here af- Minister Manik Sarkar, Minister his ministry would sign an agree- terrorism in the country. report said. operations is also still to be fully proved. ter fl agging off the Agartala-Delhi of State for Railways Rajen Gohain ment with the state governments Sarkar said: “Without the de- The report does not take into account the The report said as a result of issues facing weekly passenger train service. and top offi cials of the Indian and of the region to undertake spe- velopment of connectivity, how revised decommissioning schedule for INS Vi- the MiG-29K, the delayed delivery of the IAC “Northeast India is a priority Bangladesh governments were cifi c joint tourism development can industrialisation take place raat. would reduce the service life of the jets. area for the central government present at the fl agging off ceremo- projects. and boost the economy?” Martyr remembered Khangchendzonga National Park now on Unesco ‘heritage’ list

IANS Gangtok

he Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim, home to dozens of Tlofty mountain peaks, 18 glaciers, lakes, waterfalls and some unique fl ora and fauna, has been named India’s fi rst “Mixed World Heritage Site” by Unesco. The UN agency has recognised the park’s outstanding universal values both in terms of its natural and cul- tural signifi cance - thanks to its rich and unique bio-diversity, as also sacred treasures and legends associated with Vajrayana school of thought in Bud- dhism, offi cials here said. The park was initially commissioned in August 1977 with a declared area of 850sq km. Some 20 years later, it was extended to 1,784sq km. The Unesco designation not only adds prestige to the park, but also enti- tles it to fi nancing from the World Her- itage Fund. “The Unesco recognition will give a further push to eco-tourism in our state, while also helping us to regu- A Government of Sikkim handout photo of Mt. Khangchendzonga (also called Mt. Kanchenjunga). late the high infl ux of visitors to more popular destinations with only a mini- especially at Pelling, Yuksam, Gangtok diversity,” an offi cial said. between 7,000m and 8,000m and mal negative impact of tourism,” said and Rabongla. Tourism-related activi- The park is home, among then ani- Mount Khangchendzonga (also called Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar ties like running pack animals, porter- mals, to the red panda, snow leopard, Kanchenjunga), which towers at 8,586m Chamling. ing, guiding and lodge management have great Tibetan sheep and musk deer. and is the third highest in the world. “This is important since tourist ar- become major economic activities.” The birds include black-Necked crane, The park also has religious signifi cance. rivals to our state more than doubled to Khangchendzonga National Park had grey peacock pheasant, Himalayan Sikkim is presented in Buddhism as a 38,479 in 2015 and our target is around been on the Unesco’s tentative list of monal pheasant, Sikkim’s state bird “hidden land” and as per scriptures, what 12 lakh visitors by 2025,” he said in a World Heritage Sites since 2006, and blood pheasant, Tibetan snow cock and now constitutes the park is the sanc- statement. has among the sharpest altitudinal var- Himalayan snow cock. tum sanctorum, where religious masters “At the same time, while there are no iations for any site in the world - from What is also unique about its eco- have hidden religious texts and treatises major developmental projects like roads a low of 1,220 metres to 8,586 metres - system is that it has permanently snow- marked for discovery in later times. or buildings within the Khangchend- within a small aerial distance of 42 km. capped mountains, glaciers, high alti- Offi cials explained that these hidden zonga National Park, tourism associ- “The park has 18 sub-forest types. It tude lakes, grasslands, cold deserts and treasures, known as “ters”, are destined ated with the protected park provides has a large diversity of species of higher varied forest types. Consequently, the to be discovered by ter-tons, literally local communities with substantial in- plants (1,580), mammals (124) and birds fl oral and fauna is also diverse and a de- treasure revealers, from the sacred spots BJP workers wash the statue of Indian revolutionary Shaheed Udham comes,” said the Chief Minister. (300). There is no other protected area light for visitors. littered across the park. This has en- Singh on his martyrdom day yesterday in Amritsar. “As a result, there has been signifi - found in the Indian Himalaya with such It has 20 peaks above 6,000m - 11 sured that the sacred places are not de- cant improvement in living conditions, variety of sub-forest types and species between 6,000m and 7,000m, eight fi led, thereby sustaining preservation. Gulf Times 14 Monday, August 1, 2016 LATIN AMERICA Flower power Caracas seeks to annul vote for reinstating lawmakers

AFP lawmakers comes as the Ven- Caracas ezuelan government asked elec- toral authorities Tuesday to ban the opposition coalition seeking enezuela’s attorney general to oust President Nicolas Madu- requested Saturday to nul- ro in a recall vote, accusing them Vlify the National Assembly’s of massive fraud. decision to reinstate three lawmak- A recent poll found 64% of ers accused of voting fraud. Venezuelans would vote to re- The opposition-controlled move Maduro, who has declared National Assembly swore in three a state of emergency and given suspended lawmakers from the his military sweeping powers southern state Amazonas Thurs- over food production and distri- day, which the attorney general’s bution. offi ce said “has generated an ab- Venezuela’s economic tailspin solutely unconstitutional and is threatening 17 years of socialist unlawful situation that cannot rule under Maduro and his late be recognised or supported by predecessor, Hugo Chavez. agencies and entities of public The opposition’s recall refer- administration.” endum push comes after it won Venezuela’s highest court had legislative elections in Decem- suspended the three lawmakers ber, only to fi nd its power sty- in January after they were ac- mied by the Supreme Court. A traditional ‘silleterito’ participates in a parade with a ‘silleta’ (flower arrangement) with the theme ‘Peace’ during the Flower Festival over the weekend in Medellin, cused of buying votes in Decem- Maduro’s opponents allege he Antioquia department, Colombia. ber’s legislative election. controls both the high court and The decision to reinstate the the electoral authority.

Temer says he’s ready to be booed at the Olympics razil’s interim president Michel Temer said Sat- Rio extends Burday he is fi ne with the likelihood he will be booed when he appears at the opening cer- emony of the Olympic Games next week. “I am totally ready. As (Bra- zilian writer) Nelson Rodrigues metro route used to say, in Maracana (stadi- um) even the moment of silence Reuters to test the extended metro’s operations. gets booed,” Temer told local Rio de Janeiro Temer is widely expected to offi cially media on a visit to Porto Alegre, take over the presidency just days after the ahead of South America’s fi rst Olympics end on August 21. Olympics, which he will open at razil’s interim president, Michel Suspended President Dilma Rousseff is the fabled football pitch. Temer, presided over the Saturday facing an impeachment trial over alleged Temer, the vice president who Bopening of the last major infrastruc- budget irregularities, and the Senate is ex- has been acting head of state since ture project to be fi nished for the Olympics, pected to vote against her the last week of May, will preside over the opening the much-delayed extension of a metro line August. ceremony and declare the Games completed just six days before the event Temer would then take over until elec- open, amid the country’ conten- begins. tions in 2018. tious political situation. The 10bn real ($3.1bn) expansion of the Polls show he is as disliked as Rousseff , Suspended president Dilma metro from Rio’s Ipanema neighbourhood with approval ratings in the single digits. Rousseff and her predecessor to Barra, the area housing the Olympic park The last-minute completion of the 16km and left-wing ally Luiz Inacio and village, is key to the smooth transport metro extension, which was fi rst planned Lula da Silva, meanwhile, have of fans and athletes between the games’ in 1998 but repeatedly delayed, was not the said they will boycott the cer- diff erent competition zones. only challenge the project has faced: Feder- emony. The metro can only be used by athletes al investigators are probing its construction Rousseff is currently sus- and delegation members, fans with tickets for possible corruption. pended for an impeachment for events the day they travel, and oth- The consortium that expanded the met- trial for breaking government ers with Olympic credentials through the ro is led by Queiroz Galvao and Odebrecht budget laws, while Lula, who as Games. Infraestrutura — two fi rms caught up in president was instrumental in It will open to the public September 19, Brazil’s biggest corruption scandal yet un- Rio’s winning bid as Olympic the day after the close of the Paralympics. covered, a sprawling kickback scheme at host, faces serious corruption At the ceremony marking the opening state-run oil company Petrobras. allegations. of the metro on Saturday, Temer told re- Still, the metro is expected to improve “I have to fulfi l my institu- porters he hoped the Games would help Rio’s increasingly congested traffi c. tional responsibilities. And I unite a bitterly divided Brazil, which is The expanded metro is forecast to carry also understand the ex-presi- facing political and economic crises, and an additional 300,000 passengers per day, dents are not going to be in at- has suffered repeated stumbles in its run- according to a recent study from the Getu- tendance. So the fun part is they Hundreds of people hold a protest against suspended President Dilma Rousseff outside the National Congress in Brasilia up to hosting the world’s biggest sporting lio Vargas Foundation, a top Brazilian think can save all the boos just for the yesterday. Protesters took to the streets yesterday to demand the final leaving of Rousseff or for her to defend her event — including having less than a week tank and business school. president,” Temer quipped. permanence, just five days before the start of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Rural fiesta Mexican inmates use tattoo skills for designer purses

By Carola Sole, AFP insalubrity by the National Human Rights onor Reyes, a 48-year-old embroiderer and Tulancingo de Bravo, Mexico Commission. mother of six, in jail for stealing jewellery. They use homemade tattooing equipment Jorge Cueto, the creator of Prison Art, made out of a pen, a needle and little motor served 11 months in a western Mexican itting in a Mexican prison’s library, powered by a cellphone charger. prison in 2012 on fraud charges until he was murder convict David Guzman tat- The inmates use the same apparatus to found innocent and released. Stooed a skull on a leather patch for a tattoo their skin, despite the health risks. Prison Art is now more than two years old, designer handbag to be sold in a luxury shop. “This makes the days shorter. I don’t even employing 240 inmates in six penitentiaries. Guzman, 34, took drugs and stole at a know what time it is,” said Ezequiel Perez, a “Mexican prisons are not crime universi- young age, falling into a “nefarious” world 24-year-old whose muscular arms are cov- ties. It is society that’s forcing young men that landed him in prison, but fi ve years into ered in tattoos. who come out to return to crime because his murder sentence, he appeared at peace “I have breakfast, I eat lunch and I do this they lack opportunities, which also makes as he drew the skeletal fi gure. the rest of the day,” said Perez, who is serv- them easy recruiting targets for organized His work is part of a rehabilitation project ing time for a double murder. crime groups inside prison,” said Cueto, a called Prison Art, which pays inmates to Eighteen inmates were chosen at the Tu- Mexican of Spanish origin. draw designs for purses that sell for $400 lancingo penitentiary to participate in Pris- The handbags are sold in the capital’s at high-end stores in Mexico City and other on Art. The only condition for taking part in ritzy Polanco district, the colonial town of towns. the project, which was created by a private San Miguel de Allende and the Caribbean Guzman lobbied to bring the project to foundation, is to stay off drugs, attend detox coast resort of Playa del Carmen, as well as the Tulancingo prison, in central Hidalgo therapy and give half the earnings to rela- on the internet. state, where several other inmates use tives. Now Cueto plans to go international and makeshift tattoo ink needles to paint birds, Most of the prison’s 550 inmates work open shops in the United States, London and butterfl ies, tigers and, especially, skulls on in the carpentry and craft shops, but they the Spanish island of Ibiza. leather patches. struggle to sell their creations on the outside. “Society has the option of helping. The “My stubbornness was due to my need” to They need money to buy soap, toothpaste idea is to have a product of such quality and care for two children, the slim convict said or toilet paper. taste that people will want it,” he said. as he sat with a dozen male and female in- But Prison Art pays inmates up to $400 Back in the Tulancingo prison library, mates making designs in the prison library. per month for several patches of leather and Pedro Eulalio Vera, an accused kidnapper, The prisoners, young and old, usually puts them in a reinsertion program that can put the fi nishing touches to a design. work on their bunk beds in dormitories that lead to a job outside making the purses once “If people like it, maybe they’ll say, ‘I Argentine President Mauricio Macri and his daughter Antonia attend the inauguration ceremony of hold up to 100 people, or sitting on plastic they are released. want him to do something special for me.’ the 130th Rural Exhibition, in Palermo, Buenos Aires, on Saturday. containers in communal spaces in a prison “My family often doesn’t have anything And, for me, this would be something great, ranked fi fth worst for overcrowding and to give me. This is a source of work,” said Le- no?” Vera said. Gulf Times Monday, August 1, 2016 15 PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN Pakistan envoys For a colourful I-Day meeting to devise new strategy

Internews The issues that would be taken “A new cold war between the Islamabad up during the event include rela- US and China has started. Other tions with the US, India (espe- countries are realigning accord- cially in the context of Kashmir ingly. The strategic transforma- onfronted with an ag- uprising), Afghanistan, China, tion has made it clear that we gravating foreign policy Russia and the European Un- have to align with China. Ccrisis, the government of ion; the upcoming Saarc sum- Relations with Russia also Pakistan has convened a three- mit; membership of the Nuclear need to be improved,” says am- day conference of Pakistani en- Suppliers Group and disarma- bassador Zameer Akram, former voys in key capitals and multilat- ment aff airs; terrorism, and UN- permanent representative at the eral fora for charting a way out. related matters. UN in Geneva. The envoys’ conference, “It would be a serious and While the envoys and the which begins today, is being at- comprehensive review of the Foreign Office top brass brain- tended by nine ambassadors - foreign policy and the challenges storm on the problems and Jalil Abbas Jilani (Washington); we are facing with a view to re- strategy for climbing out of Maleeha Lodhi (United Nations, defi ning and recalibrating our isolation, probably no one New York); High Commis- policy responses,” a source said. would be talking about the sioner Abdul Basit (New Delhi); fundamental issues causing Masood Khalid (Beijing); Qazi “It would be a serious and the paralysis in foreign policy Khalilullah (Moscow); Tehmina comprehensive review of functioning the absence of a A student of Abdoz Arts paints a mural on wall in the run up to the Independence Day celebration, in Karachi yesterday. Pakistan on Janjua (United Nations-Geneva the foreign policy and the full-time foreign minister, du- August 14 celebrates its 70th anniversary of the country’s independence from British rule. and Conference on Disarma- challenges we are facing ality at the top in the FO hier- ment); Nagmana Hashmi (Brus- with a view to redefi ning archy, diminished role of the sels and EU); Ayesha Riyaz (Vi- and recalibrating our foreign secretary, and the mili- enna and International Atomic policy responses” tary’s involvement in decision INVESTIGATION Energy Agency) and Abrar Hus- making and implementation. sain (Kabul). Barring a couple of success The conference would be ad- Murdered woman This would be the third such stories, the foreign policy fi asco dressed by Prime Minister Na- committed conference during the cur- has pushed the country into in- waz Sharif and Adviser on For- Afghan chief executive’s suicide: father rent government’s tenure and ternational isolation. eign Aff airs Sartaj Aziz. would focus on “critical issues The deliberations would also The participants would also in foreign policy”, according to a be important from the perspec- receive briefi ngs from military The father of a Pakistani-origin source. tive of the upcoming presiden- and ISI offi cials. British woman who was allegedly The previous two were on the tial elections in the US and ma- Meanwhile, Pakistan’s envoy Twitter account hacked killed for “honour” in Punjab prov- Middle East and regional con- jor international realignments in Dhaka, Shuja Alam, is also in ince on July 20, has reportedly nectivity. currently under way. Islamabad for consultations. changed his statement by saying AFP were targeted by suicide bomb- sympathetic to the plight of the that his daughter had committed Kabul ers loyal to the Islamic State Hazara community which has suicide. In his initial statement, group during a huge protest in been persecuted for decades, Chaudhry Shahid had told police Kabul on July 23. with thousands killed in the that his daughter Samia Shahid he offi cial Twitter account “CEO Abdullah’s verifi ed late 1990s by Al Qaeda and the died of a cardiac arrest, Dawn Seven Pakistani extremists killed of Afghan Chief Executive twitter account @afgexecutive mainly Pashtun Taliban. online reported yesterday. His TAbdullah Abdullah has has been hacked and our press The July 23 attack, the dead- fresh statement was given before been hacked, and a group ap- and (information technology) liest in the Afghan capital in 15 a four-member investigation team, AFP tween police and 10 suspected night,” a police statement said. parently sympathetic to minor- teams are trying to restore it,” years, killed 80 people. headed by Deputy Inspector Gen- Lahore militants early yesterday morn- The shootout occurred in Pa- ity Shia Hazara protesters has said Javid Faisal, Abdullah’s It came as the protesters de- eral of Police Abubakar Khuda Ba- ing in a house where the group kistan’s central Punjab province claimed responsibility. spokesman. manded that a major power line khsh on Saturday. Police off icials was holed up. about 56km west of Lahore. “I prefer danger- Abdullah’s offi ce said it had no be routed through the central told Dawn online that Chaudhry even extremists were killed Police said the seven dead Police said the Islamists be- ous freedom over peace- information about the wherea- province of Bamiyan, one of Shahid, a suspect in the case in a shootout in Pakistan’s were killed by bullets from their longed to the Pakistani branch of ful slavery.#enlightenment bouts of Ghost Squad Hackers. the most deprived areas of Af- lodged by Syed Mukhtar Kazim, Swealthy Punjab province own men. the Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban #enlightenmentmovement,” “Afghanistan Gov Hacked by ghanistan with a large Hazara Samia’s second husband, had told as police raided the group sus- “When the fi ring stopped, Pakistan and the banned sec- a group identifying itself as GhostSquadHackers #Chief- population. the investigators that his daughter pected of launching attacks on seven terrorists were found dead tarian group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Ghost Squad Hackers tweeted ExecutiveOffi cer Can you hear Following the attack Hazaras had committed suicide. security posts, offi cials said yes- by the fi ring of their own ac- (LeJ). from the account late Saturday. me now?” the group tweeted launched a massive social me- terday. complices and the remaining They were accused of plan- The hashtags refer to the from their own account @ dia campaign – with the hash- CRIME Gunfi re erupted between be- escaped in the darkness of the ning attacks on security posts. newly-founded Enlightenment GhostSquadHack. tag #enlightenment – against Movement led by Hazaras, who The group appears to be what they call discrimination. Case against two for Facebook hate posts Riding into the sunset Rights group seeks prosecution A case was registered against two people in Pakistan’s Punjab province for uploading alleged of ‘abusive’ Afghan militias hate posts on a social media giant Facebook. The complainant Ma- teeullah, said Rozi Khan and Mo- AFP forces,” HRW said in a state- cultivating numerous militias hamed Nadeem Gul Qadri of Toba Kabul ment. with chequered pasts in the Tek Singh city posted objection- “The fact that these forces, region as a short-term secu- able contents on their Facebook and Vice-President Dostum rity fi x to supplement ground pages targeting a religious school uman Rights Watch himself, have never been held troops suff ering record casual- of thought, Dawn online reported yesterday called for the accountable, has undermined ties. yesterday. Hprosecution of Afghan security in northern Afghani- But the rise of these groups, Police registered the case under militias loyal to dreaded former stan.” a throwback to the devastating the Anti-Terrorism Act and are yet warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, The fearsome Uzbek general civil war in the 1990s that set to make any arrests. accusing them of killings and has sought to defend his home the stage for a Taliban takeover, looting during an anti-Taliban territory by reactivating private risks aggravating factionalism TRAGEDY operation. militias to fi ght Taliban insur- and pushing Afghanistan deep- The Junbish militia last gents, who are making steady er into confl ict. Bus accident month killed at least 13 civilians inroads into northern prov- Civilian casualties, at the toll rises to 26 and wounded 32 in the north- inces. hands of both insurgents and ern province of Faryab after ac- “They were carrying guns of pro-government forces, are cusing them of supporting the like Kalashnikovs and shout- a matter of growing concern in The deaths among a wedding Taliban, the New York-based ing ‘You’re Taliban!’ and fi r- Afghanistan. party whose bus was swept rights group said. ing as people came out of their The UN said civilian casu- away by flash floods in Pakistan’s It was the latest allegation of houses,” said a Faryab villager alties soared to a record high Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agency on human rights abuses facing the quoted in the HRW statement, in the fi rst half of 2016, with Saturday, have risen to 26, an of- militia controlled by Dostum, referring to a recent raid by children in particular paying a ficial said yesterday morning. Afghanistan’s fi rst vice-presi- Junbish militiamen. heavy price for growing inse- As many as 11 more bodies were dent who has a catalogue of war It also cited residents as curity as the confl ict escalates. recovered from a ravine, Xinhua crimes attached to his name. complaining that the militia- It reported a 47% increase news agency quoted an off icial as “The killings in Faryab are men forced them to hand over in casualties infl icted by forces saying. At least 26 bodies and three Afghan children ride a bike along a road during sunset on the outskirts of Herat yesterday. the latest in a long record of food and money. loyal to the Afghan govern- injured have been retrieved so far atrocities by Dostum’s militia The Afghan government is ment. while one person is still missing. Afghan troops press off ensive against Islamic State

US airstrikes support thorities say have killed hun- spokesman Attahullah Khogyani onstration by mainly Shia Haz- government forces defeated control just under two thirds of their bitter enemies, the Kabul operation in eastern dreds of Islamic State fi ghters said 78 Daesh fi ghters had been ara people in Kabul. Daesh and saved us from the the country, 5 percent less than bombing underlined how dan- Afghanistan; Afghan troops in recent weeks, the Afghan killed in the operation and many But that attack, which was atrocities and terror,” he said at the start of the year. gerous they could be, even with- take district from militants; army has launched an off ensive bodies had been concealed in- immediately claimed by Islamic as troops moved about pulling But Western officials say out holding large tracts of terri- Islamic State claimed Kabul against the movement, which is side houses to hide the number State, added urgency to the op- down the posters and fl ags cov- the army has increasingly tak- tory. suicide bombing now believed to be confi ned to of fatalities they had suff ered. eration, which military offi cials ering many of the surrounding en the offensive against the Afghan and US military of- three or four districts in eastern Five US special forces troops, say has pushed Daesh fi ght- walls. insurgents, both Taliban and fi cials believe the concentrated Reuters Afghanistan. fi ghting alongside Afghan spe- ers back into the mountains of However after innumerable Islamic State, and prevented attacks on the movement over Jalalabad Afghan commanders said they cial forces, were injured in the southern Nangarhar. false dawns in decades of con- the fall of district and provin- the past six months have killed faced little resistance as they fi ghting. flict in Afghanistan, officials cial centres. many of its fi ghters and leaders pushed into Kot after a heavy air Involving both regular army “We have already in the Nato-led coalition that Islamic State first appeared and weakened the group, despite hen Afghan troops and artillery bombardment as and special forces, the operation destroyed their training provides assistance to Afghan in Afghanistan at beginning of its ability to mount the Kabul at- pushed into Kot, a fi ghters pulled out into nearby in Nangarhar, dubbed “Wrath of camps in Kot district and forces are cautious about de- 2015 and US officials say some tack. Wdistrict close to the mountain areas. the Storm”, coincided with last the operations will expand claring success against Islamic 70% of its fighters come from Gen John Nicholson, the border with Pakistan, this week, “We have already destroyed week’s suicide bombing in Kabul to other districts too” State, which President Ashraf the TTP, the Pakistani Tali- senior US commander in Af- they found many of the houses their training camps in Kot dis- that killed at least 80 people and Ghani promised to “bury” in ban, many from the Orakzai ghanistan, said this week that empty, with posters plastered on trict and the operations will ex- wounded more than 230 more. Abdul Hakim, one of the resi- January. area in the frontier region on the number of Daesh fi ghters, the walls and black fl ags left by pand to other districts too,” said The operation, the Afghan ar- dents left in the dusty town ba- According to fi gures quoted in the Pakistan side of the bor- estimated at around 3,000 in departing Islamic State fi ghters. Shereen Agha, an Afghan army my’s fi rst major strategic off en- zaar, gave a careful welcome to a report by the Special Investiga- der. January, has been roughly cut in Backed by US special forces spokesman. sive of the summer, was planned the incoming troops. tor for Afghanistan, a US watch- Previously considered a much half and now stood at between troops and airstrikes that au- Provincial government well before the attack on a dem- “I am very happy to see the dog, Afghan government forces smaller threat than the Taliban, 1,000-1,500. Gulf Times 16 Monday, August 1, 2016 PHILIPPINES Govt may still The dark side of Duterte’s deadly but popular drugs war

Reuters impose truce Manila hen the image of Jen- nelyn Olaires weep- Wing as she cradled the body of her slain husband went viral in the Philippines, Presi- dent Rodrigo Duterte called it melodramatic. with rebels There’s not much Duterte hasn’t said when it comes to his Philippines may work for resume in Oslo. The peace talks points for cooperation and co- war on drugs, his only real elec- a negotiated truce next will go on as scheduled.” ordination and determine ways tion platform and his big prom- month; Govt to hold Cabinet The peace talks, brokered by of preventing armed skirmishes, ise to the 16mn Filipinos who meeting today, discuss Norway, will resume on August misunderstandings and mis- swept him to power in May by a peace process; Rebels off er 20, four years after bogging down communications during the massive margin. to declare simultaneous due to rebels’ demand for the re- course of the peace talks”. And “the punisher”, as he ceasefire on Aug 20 lease of 500 political prisoners. Duterte’s decision on Satur- is known, has been true to his The government has now day to call off the ceasefi re came word. Reuters promised to free them for health after reports that Maoist-led Hundreds of suspected drug Manila and humanitarian reasons. rebels had killed a militiaman dealers have been killed since Dureza said he welcomed a and wounded four others in an Duterte took offi ce just one statement from rebel leader ambush on Wednesday when month ago. he Philippines may still Jose Maria Siso, who was in- they were returning to an army Six were assassinated in a re-impose a ceasefi re with terviewed on local television base in Davao del Norte to com- single night in Manila, among TMaoist-led guerrillas, a hours after Duterte withdrew ply with the government’s uni- them Michael Siaron, Olaires’s Jennelyn Olaires, 26, talks to her friends during the wake of her partner Michael Siaron in Pasay, Metro senior administration offi cial the ceasefire, saying the com- lateral truce. 29-year-old husband who was Manila, on July 28. said yesterday, a day after it was munists had also intended to Renato Reyes, secretary-gen- shot dead by unknown assail- withdrawn by President Rodrigo impose a truce but it was over- eral of Bayan (Nation), a left- ants on motorcycles. A piece of cardboard was left The tough-talking former He even voted for Duterte in Duterte. taken by events. wing political group, criticised “A friend called out that next to his corpse with the word mayor of Davao City mentioned the May 9 election. Duterte lifted the unilateral “This is what we have been the government for imposing Michael was shot. I ran out to “pusher” written on it. the image of Olaires holding her “They must kill the ones who truce with the communist New waiting for,” Dureza said in a “unrealistic” ultimatums, say- see him,” Olaires, 26, said in a Dozens of similar killings husband in his state of the un- don’t deserve to live anymore, People’s Army on Saturday statement. “The leadership of ing the “peace talks are more rundown part of the capital’s have taken place almost daily in ion address on Monday and said the ones who are a menace to evening, six days after it was the CPP/NPA/NDF announced complicated than some folks Pasay area, with its ubiquitous the Philippines, but with drugs media had tried to portray it as society. declared as a goodwill gesture through the media its belated think”. slums, squatters and thieves. and crime so deep-rooted, being like the Michelangelo’s Because they cause harm to ahead of formal peace negotia- but still strategic and awaited “The road to peace is a diffi cult “Thoughts were running in there is barely any public out- Pieta, the sculpture of Mary others. But not the innocent tions in Oslo next month. decision to also declare its own one, where deadlines and ulti- my mind. It can’t be you. You rage. holding the body of Jesus. people,” she said. The move came after rebels unilateral ceasefi re.” matums cannot just be imposed don’t deserve this. There are Some 316 suspected drug Olaires was to bury her hus- “I don’t need the public’s did not respond to a deadline to Yesterday, the central com- and where discussions of the others who deserve this more dealers were killed from July band yesterday. sympathy. I don’t need the reciprocate the government’s mittee of the Communist Party substantial agenda are the only than you,” she said, recalling 1-27, 195 of which were vigilante She concedes he was a drug president to notice us. “I know truce. of the Philippines off ered to de- sure means to achieve a lasting the moment she discovered his killings, according to police. user but says it is impossible he that he doesn’t like this kind of “We may work out a nego- clare a truce together with the end to hostilities,” he said. body. Human rights groups esti- was a dealer because they were people. But for me, I just hope tiated truce with the Com- government on Aug 20. Armed Forces spokesman “If I only have wings, I will mate the body count to be at too poor and could barely pay that they get the true off end- munists,” Jesus Dureza, presi- “The time-frame can be de- Brigadier-General Restituto quickly fl y to his side.” least double the offi cial number. for their next meal. ers.” dential peace adviser, told termined through negotiations,” Padilla said army units have re- Photographers surrounded Duterte has not condemned Siaron made money by rid- Asked if she had a message Reuters.”It was in our agenda the rebel statement said, add- sumed off ensive action against her behind a police cordon as vigilante killings. He has previ- ing a pedicab - a bicycle with a to tell Duterte, she said: “kill when the formal peace talks ing the two sides can “discuss the rebels. she held his body. ously promoted them. sidecar - and did odd jobs. drugs, not people.”

Rains trigger landslides in Catanduanes

Hospital staff ers sacked for defrauding government Tropical Depression Carina in the villages of Lubas, triggered sporadic landslides Cabungahan and Lictin. in the island province of The initial damage reported by Manila Times the hospital, and Richell Fernan- Act of 1989, Gerard Mosquera, of the provincial government’s offi cial receipts issued to Lag- Catanduanes because of the Department of Public Works Manila dez, pharmacy aide, of the same Deputy Ombudman for Luzon, Point-of-Care programme that may. torrential rains on Saturday, the and Highways (DPWH) reached facility run and operated by the said the decision “is immedi- awards indigent patients free The duplicate and triplicate Off ice of Civil Defence (OCD) about P3mn. provincial government of Pan- ately executory.” medical treatment and hospi- copies were also found to have Bicol reported here. “Landslides and rockslides wo key personnel of the gasinan. The complaint was fi led on talisation in hospitals and clinics been issued to another person. Barnardo Rafaelito “Raff y” reported in the province of community hospital in The anti-graft body’s decision March 6, 2015 by Dr Jeremy owned and operated by the pro- On learning of the incident, Alejandro, OCD Bicol director Catanduanes particularly in TManaoag, Pangasinan, obtained by The Manila Times Agerico Rosario, the 4th district vincial government. six other patients who claimed and Regional Disaster Risk San Andres town but the fallen have been ordered dismissed over the weekend also cancelled provincial board member, who Fabia, however, reduced the to have been allegedly duped by Reduction and Management debris have been removed from public service after they Fabia and Fernandez’s civil serv- was then connected with the amount to P4,000 after Lagmay Fabia and Fernandez showed up Council chairman, said early this morning,” Alejandro were found guilty of defrauding ice eligibilities, including forfei- hospital as assistant provincial pleaded for pity. and presented documents tam- landslides were reported in the said. the government in hospital fees ture of their retirement benefi ts health offi cer. He then asked Fernandez to pered by the respondents. villages of Lubas, Cabungahan, The DPWH has prohibited collected from patients. and disqualifi cation from re- In the complaint, it was al- issue the corresponding receipt. For this, the Ombusman found Manambrag and Lictin all in San heavy vehicles to pass through Ordered dismissed in a deci- employment in the government leged Fabia charged P8,000 for But an investigation later re- probable cause against respond- Andres town. the aff ected road network sion dated June 22, 2016 were service. the treatment and confi nement vealed only P81 was refl ected as ents for seven counts of “mal- He said only one lane of the going to Virac-San Andres as a Jessie Fabia, administrative as- Citing Section 27 (1) of Repub- (August 16-20, 2014) of Liza collection in the duplicate and versation through falsifi cation of road was passable for motorists safety measure. sistant II/cashier-designate of lic Act 6770, or the Ombudsman Lagmay, an indigent who availed triplicate copies of the original public documents.” Philippine war on crime packs decaying jails

AFP Manila

ario Dimaculangan shares a toilet with 130 Mother inmates in one of the Philippines’ most over- crowded jails, and conditions are getting worse as police wage an unprecedented war on crime. Security forces have killed hundreds of people and detained thousands more in just one month as they have followed the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has said the top priority at the start of his six-year term is to eliminate drugs in society. Those detained appear doomed for lengthy stints in an underfunded and overwhelmed penal system, like in the Quezon City Jail where Dimaculangan has wallowed for 14 years while his trial over murder and robbery charges have dragged on. “Many go crazy. They cannot Former inmate at the Quezon City jail, Raymund Narag, a criminal justice scholar at the Southern Illinois think straight. It’s so crowded. Inmates sleep on the steps of a ladder inside the Quezon City jail at night in Manila. University in the United States, poses for a portrait inside the Quezon City jail in Manila. Just the slightest of movements and you bump into something or in decaying concrete buildings years, particularly with the food government data. won May elections. 20-year-old after being accused notorious for its lack of judges, someone,” Dimaculangan said in up to four storeys high. and more rehabilitation pro- And the situation is set to get Justice Secretary Vitaliano of killing a student from a rival publicly funded lawyers and one of the jail’s packed hallways The cash-strapped national grammes. much worse, very quickly. Aguirre told AFP government college fraternity. court rooms. that reeked of sweat. government has a daily budget of But Raymund Narag, a crimi- Under Duterte’s crime war, was preparing locations for new It took seven years for a court Dimaculangan said his spir- There are 3,800 inmates at the just 50 pesos ($1.10) for food and nal justice scholar at the Southern police have reported arrest- prisons while courts have been to acquit him, which is about its used to rise when he was jail, which was built six decades fi ve pesos (11 cents) for medicine Illinois University in the United ing more than 4,300 people for ordered to prioritise the expect- the average length of a trial in informed of a date for a court ago to house 800, and they engage per inmate, although with the States, said such conditions were drug-related crimes since he ed deluge of drug cases. the Philippines and one of the hearing, but he had been disap- in a relentless contest for space. bulk buying of supplies, Quezon unthinkable in Western nations. took offi ce on June 30. But Duterte has said lit- main drivers of the overcrowd- pointed too many times with Men take turns to sleep on City Jail detainees have a sus- “If this happened in America, Duterte has repeatedly urged tle about far-reaching reforms ing problem. cancellations or postponements. the cracked cement fl oor of an tainable diet of soup, vegetables there would be a riot every day. his law enforcers to do more, needed to fi x the systemic prob- Dimaculangan is the longest- “Now when they say I have a open-air basketball court, the and meat. Courts would declare these jails calling on them to triple their lem of overcrowding. serving inmate in Quezon City hearing, I don’t care anymore,” steps of staircases, underneath Pails of water are used to unfi t for human habitation,” eff orts to eradicate the drug “If there are no new jails, no Jail, after being charged with kill- he said. beds and hammocks made out of fl ush the scarce toilets, with the Narag said. menace that he says is threaten- budget increases, no additional ing a politician’s relative in 2001. With no hopes of freedom, Di- old blankets. stench compounded by the rot- The Philippine penal system ing to turn the Philippines into a courts and prosecutors, the sys- Dimaculangan is a pseudo- maculangan said he had turned Even then, bodies are packed ting garbage in a nearby canal. is the third most congested in narco-state. tem will explode. nym, because his real name can- to his Catholic faith and values. like sardines in a can, with in- The jail’s management does what the world, according to the Uni- The population of Quezon That will be a humanitarian not be used for legal reasons. “My purpose is to help my fel- mates unable to fully stretch out. it can to make life bearable, such as versity of London’s Institute for City Jail, which houses in- crisis,” said Narag, the scholar He insists he has a “clear con- low detainees,” he said. When it rains, the conditions running dance competitions and Criminal Policy Research. mates in a northern district of who speaks from harrowing per- science” but cannot get a chance “God did not send me here are even worse as inmates can- other rehabilitation activities. Jails nationwide have nearly the Philippine capital who are sonal experience. to prove his innocence in court, because I am a thief. There are not sleep on the basketball court, Inmates also say there have fi ve times more inmates than on trial but not yet convicted, Narag, 41, was locked up in averaging just one trial hearing a many thieves out there but how which is surrounded by the cells been improvements in recent they were built for, according to has grown by 300 since Duterte Quezon City Jail in 1995 as a year in a chaotic judicial system come they are not in jail?” Gulf Times Monday, August 1, 2016 17 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL

Death toll from Nepal Lanka opposition aims monsoon disaster to defeat Sirisena govt reaches 80 IANS majority in parliament soon.” ing during the three-decade sionally and thereby clear the DPA Colombo Certain members of the Sri civil war. name of the armed forces as Kathmandu Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Samaraweera in his statement an institution, that is the true who are part of the existing accused Rajapakse of going back betrayal of the armed forces,” ri Lanka’s “Joint Opposi- coalition government had also on an agreement he had with Samaraweera said. t least 80 people have died tion”, staunch supporters shown their support and had the UN soon after the war with The OMP is a truth-seeking in monsoon-related dis- Sof former president Ma- informed their supporters to the LTTE ended in 2009. investigative agency and it does Aasters in Nepal in the past hinda Rajapakse, yesterday said join the procession, he said. “This was also evident when not make judgements on dis- week, the home ministry said it will defeat President Maithri- Sirisena, in a statement on he and UN Secretary-General putes, he said. yesterday. pala Sirisena’s government in Saturday, said any street pro- Ban Ki-moon agreed to an ac- In fact, the legislation states “We have recovered 80 bodies the coming months and form a tests would not shake his regime countability process in their that “the fi ndings of the OMP from diff erent locations around new regime. and the government formed be- 2009 joint communique, which shall not give rise to any crimi- the country and nine people re- Joint Opposition member of tween the SLFP and the United was later made into a formal nal or civil liability,” he said. main missing,” home ministry parliament (MP) Udaya Gam- National Party (UNP) would commitment to the internation- Its primary function is to spokesman Yadav Prasad Koirala manpila told Xinhua news agen- continue for the next fi ve years, al community,” Samaraweera establish whether a missing said, adding: “Thirty-one peo- cy that a procession by the Joint reversing an earlier decision of said. person is dead or alive and, if ple have been injured in separate Opposition that had begun from working together for two years. Rajapakse had claimed that they are dead, discover when, incidents.” Kandy in central Sri Lanka on Sirisena said his government the current government was how and where they died. The The 80 deaths were record- July 28 had received “tremen- has dedicated itself to fulfi lling betraying the country’s security OMP will require technical ex- ed in landslides and fl ooding dous support” from the public. the mandate given to the people forces through the legislation pertise that is not available in incidents since July 25. Thousands had already joined and would continue with its eco- on the Offi ce of Missing Per- Sri Lanka, Samaraweera argued. Koirala said the ministry was the procession which will con- nomic and development plans. sons (OMP) to probe the cases “Any Sri Lankan citizen go- Mahinda Rajapakse: in the limelight again still working on fatality fi g- clude in capital Colombo this Foreign minister slams of missing people. ing missing is a tragedy. It is the ures since the monsoon-related week, Gammanpila said. Rajapakse: Foreign Minister “It is your failure to inves- government’s duty to investi- clusion of the Right of Informa- The OMP is a mechanism de- disasters began in early July. “Despite the hindrances by Mangala Samaraweera yester- tigate these allegations and if gate and determine the fate of tion Act is to ensure that those signed to discover the truth of Five people were reported dead the government to stop this day said that Rajapakse’s gov- they are true punish the few any of its citizens who are miss- who know the fate of missing or a missing person’s fate and not in diff erent parts of the country procession, we are going to go ernment failed to investigate miscreants in high positions ing,” he said. disappeared persons can transmit act as a prosecutorial or judicial in fl ooding and landslide inci- ahead and make sure we gain a cases of people who went miss- who may have acted unprofes- The purpose of having an ex- that information without fear. body, he said. dents on Saturday alone. Monsoon in Nepal, which lasts from July to September, causes disastrous landslides and fl ooding every year. Nepal’s mountains have been China hopes for particularly brittle and more prone to landslides following a major earthquake in 2015. stability in Nepal The home ministry said lo- cal police have been deployed in rescue operations in those Reuters the political tumult has weighed districts. Beijing on business confi dence. The government has launched China is vying to increase its rescue and relief operations in 14 infl uence in Nepal, challenging of Nepal’s 75 districts that have hina’s foreign ministry India’s long-held position as been aff ected by the fl oods. Sol- said yesterday it hoped the dominant outside power. diers and volunteers used rubber Cthat all parties in Ne- When Oli visited China in boats to rescue people marooned pal put national interest fi rst March, he signed a deal allow- by the fl ooding, while helicop- and worked for stability, af- ing Nepal to use China’s ports ters were being used to drop food ter the landlocked country’s for trading goods with third supplies. prime minister resigned, nine countries, potentially end- “The district relief commit- months after coming to power. ing India’s decades-long mo- tees have been instructed to Nepali Prime Minister K P Oli nopoly over the impoverished carry out rescue and relief opera- resigned on Sunday, minutes country’s trading routes. tions in co-ordination with local before parliament was to vote on “As a neighbour and friend, police,” the ministry said. a no-confi dence motion he was China genuinely hopes that Images released by the army, likely to lose. The no-confi dence all parties and sides in Nepal which is involved in the opera- motion was brought by former put the national and people’s tion, showed villagers waiting Maoist rebels who propped up interests fi rst, and dedicate on rooftops to be evacuated in the Oli-led government last Oc- themselves to eff ecting Nepal’s motorboats. tober, but fell out with him after stability and development,” Earlier this month, two chil- accusing him of failing to honour China’s foreign ministry said dren were killed when a school in Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, (centre), who is the sole candidate for the top post as of now, is backed by Nepali Congress, a power-sharing deal. in a brief statement. the capital partially collapsed in the largest party in the parliament, making it sure he will become the 39th prime minister of Nepal. Oli’s departure plunges the “China and Nepal have been heavy rains. Himalayan country, plagued by through thick and thin togeth- The situation is particularly political turmoil for years, into a er, and no matter the changes desperate this year because mil- whole new round of political un- in the international or domes- lions of Nepalis are still living certainty. This is the country’s tic situation, the direction of in tents or makeshift huts af- 23rd government to fall since a China and Nepal’s friendship ter a devastating earthquake As consensus eludes Nepal, new multi-party democracy began in and mutually benefi cially co- that killed nearly 9,000 people 1990 after bloody protests, and operation will not change.” in 2015. PM to be elected on Wednesday

IANS Leninist) deciding to sit in oppo- The president decided on the “Due to some reasons, UML Delay in relocation Kathmandu sition. The results of the election election after holding a meeting has decided to sit in opposition will be out on the same day. with outgoing prime minister and so it was impossible to have a The parliament will form a CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma new government based on con- ith the expiry of a panel headed by secretary gen- Oli, Nepali Congress president sensus,” he told the president. deadline given by eral of the House to hold the Sher Bahadur Deuba, PM-in- “We urged the president to of tanneries irks PM WPresident Bidhya Devi elections and call for nomi- waiting Pushpa Kamal Dahal call formation of the new gov- Bhandari for formation of a nation from candidates on ‘Prachanda’, Rastriya Prajatantra ernment based on majority votes new government based on con- Tuesday. Party-Nepal chairman Kamal as chances of formation of the By Mizan Rahman Following the report, the sensus, Nepal is set to elect its According to the constitution, Thapa and Madhesi Janaadhikar national government ended,” Dhaka High Court said each of the new prime minister based on parties should make an eff ort to Forum-Democratic chairman Deuba said after the meeting. 154 tannery owners will have majority votes. form a national consensus gov- Bijay Kumar Gachhadar. Dahal, who is the sole candi- to pay 50,000 taka as fi ne every A voting will be held in Parlia- ernment, bringing on board at Dahal, who is also the chair- date for the top post as of now, is rime Minister Sheikh day until the relocation of their ment on Wednesday to elect the least the major parties in the man of CPN (Maoist Centre), backed by Nepali Congress, the Hasina yesterday ex- factories to Savar. new premier in the wake of the House. If the process fails, a new said it was impossible to install largest party in the parliament, Ppressed her displeasure On April 1, the government second largest party Communist government will be installed a government based on national making it sure he will become the over the unnecessary delay in suspended rawhide supply to Party of Nepal (Unifi ed Marxist– based on majority votes. consensus. 39th prime minister of Nepal. relocating tanneries from the Hazaribagh tanneries as they capital’s Hazaribagh area by had failed to meet the March 31 their owners although the gov- deadline, the latest in a line of ernment has provided them several such deadlines missed with various facilities at Savar. in the past. Wash project “We don’t know why they’re The government then again 9 dead, 31 delaying (in relocating tanner- Sheikh Hasina: “The tanners are extended the March 31 deadline ies). This is not fair,” she said. making unnecessary delay.” till April 10 following a request The prime minister was from the Bangladesh Small and injured in speaking at a programme held at cating their factories within the Cottage Industries Corpora- Krishibid Institution in Dhaka. given time. tion (BSCIC), the implement- She said the government has The court also ordered the ing agency of the tannery estate bus crash established an estate at Savar government to donate 50% of project. for relocation of tanneries from the fi ne to National Liver Foun- Sheikh Hasina said 3Rs - Hazaribagh. “We’ve also ar- dation of Bangladesh. reduce, reuse and recycle - t least nine people were ranged waste treatment facili- On June 28, the Supreme projects were taken in indus- killed when two pas- ties there, but the tanners are Court stayed till July 17 its ear- tries to control environment Asenger buses collided in making unnecessary delay,” lier order that penalised 154 pollution. Industry owners will Makwanpur district in Nepal said the prime minister. Hazaribagh-based tanneries have to be more sincere and early yesterday, police said, DPA Although the government for not relocating to the Tan- take initiative in waste man- reports from Kathmandu. asked them several times to nery Estate within the stipulat- agement as the government has The two buses headed in op- shift their factories to Savar, ed time after Bangladesh Tan- made mandatory establish- posite directions rammed into the owners are delaying unnec- ners Association (BTA) fi led an ment of ETP at all waste- gen- each other in the early hours essarily resorting to tricks, the appeal with the Supreme Court erating industries, she said. yesterday, injuring 31 other peo- prime minister said. seeking a stay on the High About her government’s ini- ple. Hasina said the quicker the Court (HC) order. tiatives to set up 100 economic Poorly maintained vehicles tannery owners relocate their On June 16, the High Court zones in the country, the prime coupled with reckless driving factories the faster the envi- directed 154 tannery owners to minister stressed the need for and bad roads lead to a number ronment of Hazaribagh and pay the fi ne of 50,000 taka per keeping in mind the issues of of fatal road accidents in Nepal adjacent areas will improve. day to the government as the protecting the environment every year. Participants posing for a group photo during the opening of Wash project along with the training The Supreme Court has or- industries ministry submitted and building water bodies and On Thursday, 15 people died programme for healthy food, water, washing hands and promotion and management of garbage at dered each of the 154 tannery a report to the HC mention- other facilities there. when a bus lost control and the village of Bhimdhunga, Nagarjun Municipality in Kathmandu. The project will train the villagers owners at Hazaribagh to pay ing that a total of 154 tanner- She also asked the forest veered off the road, landing and children about the sanitation and importance of washing in three wards of the municipality. the government 10,000 taka ies were yet to be shifted to the and environment ministry to around 200m downhill. ($125) a day as fi ne for not relo- designated site in Savar. strictly monitor the issue. Gulf Times 18 Monday, August 1, 2016 COMMENT

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Production Editor: C P Ravindran What’s the problem with

P.O.Box 2888 Doha, Qatar trade protectionism? [email protected] Telephone 44350478 (news), Repudiation of free and trap – when demand is defi cient, increase their spending. They also and the collapse of international 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) open trade would devastate prices are stagnant or falling, and reduce the burden of debts. And capital fl ows. Fax 44350474 interest rates approach zero – normal because infl ation is still too low, Second, trade wars fanned confi dence and depress macroeconomic logic goes out the owing to depressed macroeconomic geopolitical tensions. The French investment window. conditions, there is no need for the Fed Chamber of Deputies was outraged by That conclusion applies to the to raise interest rates and off set any American taxation of French speciality macroeconomic eff ects of tariff infl ationary eff ects of the increase in exports and urged an economic war By Barry Eichengreen protection in general, and to the spending. against the US. Porto Smoot-Hawley Tariff in particular. To prevent this thought experiment The UK taxed imports from the US GULF TIMES This is a point I demonstrated in an from being misconstrued, I want to while giving special preferences to its academic paper written – I hesitate to be clear: there are other, better ways Commonwealth and Empire, angering ne thing is now certain admit – fully 30 years ago. of raising prices and stimulating Hoover and his successor, Franklin about the upcoming Consider the following thought economic activity in liquidity-trap Delano Roosevelt. Canadian prime presidential election in experiment. President Trump signs a conditions. The obvious alternative minister Mackenzie King warned Othe United States: the next bill slapping a tariff on imports from to import tariff s is plain-vanilla fiscal of an outbreak of “border warfare”, South Africa’s China. This shifts US spending toward policy – tax cuts and increases in president will not be a committed free diplomacy-speak for deteriorating trader. goods produced by domestic fi rms. It public spending. political relations. The presumptive Democratic puts upward pressure on US prices, Still, the point about tariff s is Eff orts to stabilise the international nominee, Hillary Clinton, is at best which is helpful when there is a risk of important. Just as tariff protection monetary system and end the ruling party faces a lukewarm supporter of freer trade, defl ation. is not a macroeconomic problem global slump were set back by these and of the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership in defl ationary, liquidity-trap- diplomatic confl icts. in particular. Her Republican When the economy like conditions, freer trade, the Worse, US, British, French and counterpart, Donald Trump, is economist’s familiar nostrum, Canadian leaders were at one election challenge downright hostile to trade deals that is in a liquidity is not a solution. Those seeking another’s throats at a time when they would throw open US markets. a cure for the current malaise of should have been working together to Breaking with modern Republican trap, normal “secular stagnation” – slow growth advance other common goals. South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) tradition, Trump envisages a 35% and sub-2% infl ation – shouldn’t After all, economic policy aside, faces what could be the toughest challenge so far to its tariff on imported cars and parts macroeconomic claim too much for the benefi cial there was an even greater threat in the two-decade hegemony in local elections this week as the produced by Ford plants in Mexico and macroeconomic eff ects of trade 1930s, namely the rise of Hitler and a 45% tariff on imports from China. logic goes out the agreements. German re-militarisation. country is gripped by violent protests. Economists are all but unanimous And they shouldn’t invoke the old Unilateral resort to trade While the elections on Wednesday focus on local in arguing that the macroeconomic window saw that Smoot-Hawley caused the restrictions, by making diplomatic co- issues, they will also act almost as a referendum on what eff ects of Trump’s plan would be Great Depression, because it didn’t. operation more diffi cult, complicated is happening at the national level, according to political disastrous. But then President Xi Jinping False claims, even when made in eff orts to mobilise a coalition of the Repudiation of free and open trade retaliates with a Chinese tariff , which pursuit of good causes, do no one any willing to contain the Nazi threat. analysts. would devastate confi dence and shifts demand away from US goods. good. Tariff protection may not be bad South Africa’s historic liberation movement could lose depress investment. Other countries From the standpoint of American But Smoot-Hawley did have macroeconomic policy in a liquidity its majority in several key municipalities and face a tough would retaliate by imposing tariff s of consumers, the only eff ect is that a variety of other damaging trap. choice between radical internal reform or an accelerating their own, fl attening US exports. imports from China (now subject consequences. First, it disrupted the But this doesn’t make it good decline. The consequences would resemble to tax) and their US-produced operation of the international fi nancial foreign policy – for Trump or anyone those of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff , substitutes are both costlier than system. else. - Project Syndicate Protests over local issues are staged constantly in enacted by the US Congress in 1930 before. Free trade and free international shantytowns around the country, with some of them and signed by an earlier, disgraced Under normal circumstances, this capital fl ows go together. Countries zBarry Eichengreen is a professor at turning violent as unemployed youths erect burning Republican president, Herbert Hoover would be an undesirable outcome. that borrow abroad must export in the University of California, Berkeley, barricades and clash with police to demand running – a measure that exacerbated the But when defl ation looms, upward order to service their debts. Smoot- and the University of Cambridge. His Great Depression. pressure on prices is just what the Hawley and foreign retaliation made latest book is Hall of Mirrors: The water, electricity, better housing, schools, clinics or jobs. But just because economists doctor ordered. exporting more diffi cult. Great Depression, the Great Recession, The government data agency Municipal IQ counted 70 agree doesn’t mean they’re right. Higher prices encourage fi rms to The result was widespread defaults and the Uses – and Misuses – of protests in the fi rst four months of this year. When the economy is in a liquidity raise production and households to on foreign debts, fi nancial distress, History. The liberation movement that led South Africa out of the 46-year apartheid era in 1994, gave the world the iconic Nelson Mandela and built more than 2mn houses for the poor still holds great emotional sway over South Africans. It took 62% of the vote in the 2014 national elections, down from nearly 66% in 2009. But corruption and cronyism as well as economic slowdown have done enormous damage to the party. Africa’s most industrialised economy contracted at an annualised 1.2% in The government the fi rst quarter due to a slump in mineral prices, data agency a drought and political uncertainty after two Municipal IQ changes of fi nance counted 70 ministers. Foreign direct protests in the investment dropped by fi rst four months nearly 70% to $1.8bn in 2015, according to the of this year UN Conference on Trade and Development. Over a quarter of the workforce and half of young people are unemployed. Pro-Scottish Independence supporters rally in George Square in Glasgow on Saturday. Several thousand pro-independence supporters marched and rallied in central Local ANC branches, however, are seen by many Glasgow calling for Sottish independence from the UK. Independence for Scotland was rejected in a 2014 referendum but the June 2016 EU referendum result in favour as being most interested in infi ghting over lucrative of Brexit has ignited a new call for independence. municipal posts. In late June, a demonstration by some ANC members against the choice of a mayoral candidate in the administrative capital Pretoria escalated to rioting in Let us secure a post-Brexit Europe which fi ve people were killed. In the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, more than a important role, while acknowledging political interests, not to mention period stronger than ever. dozen ANC members have been killed in incidents thought By Ana Palacio Madrid that soft power alone is not enough to personal ambitions, to guide their In uncertain times, Europe must to be related to party infi ghting over the past four months. ensure security. thinking. decide how it will address the South Africa’s 278 municipalities include eight large Moreover, it implicitly establishes This self-serving impulse was existential challenges it faces. The ones, known as metropolitan municipalities, all of which t is said that good things come the right sequence for the on display in European Parliament sensible way forward is to minimise to those who wait. If so, then the development of the EU’s approach President Martin Schulz’s fi ery weaknesses by maximising collective except one - Cape Town - are governed by the ANC. European Union’s new Global to the world, by off ering a far more comments calling for the UK to invoke strengths. The local elections could cost the ANC its majority in IStrategy on Foreign and Security specifi c vision for addressing regional Article 50 (the withdrawal procedure) The alternative – for each country Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, East Rand and possibly even the Policy, more than a decade overdue, challenges than it does for global immediately – a move surely intended to go its own way, as the British have business hub Johannesburg, must be a very good thing. Actually, it challenges. The message is clear: the as a shot across the bow of his chosen to do – would be reckless. But is exactly what Europe needs. EU needs to get its act together within political rival, German Chancellor the most dangerous approach – the some analysts believe. But the timing of its release – in its neighbourhood before it can grasp a Angela Merkel, who had called for one that would bring the most strife The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) was the immediate aftermath of the broader role. deliberation and time. and insecurity – would be to continue long seen as a party of big business dominated by white United Kingdom’s vote to leave the It can also be seen in French pretending to be united, while acting people, but the election of Mmusi Maimane as its fi rst EU – could relegate it to irrelevance. The EU needs to get President Francois Hollande’s tough independently. black leader after the 2014 elections could draw it votes How the EU moves forward with the posturing, which seems motivated Already, EU leaders have missed an strategy will be a bellwether for the its act together within by the expectation of a battle with important opportunity. They could especially from middle-class blacks. future of the European project. the far-right National Front’s Marine have woven the process of defi ning The ANC also faces tough competition from the far- The strategy, developed by Federica its neighbourhood Le Pen in next year’s presidential Europe’s aspirations, and of drafting a left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), known for the Mogherini, high representative of the before it can grasp a election. security strategy that refl ected them, red worker overalls worn by its legislators, which soared Union for Foreign Aff airs and Security And it is abundantly clear in the into broader discussions of what the Policy, does precisely what it should: struggle between the European EU should be, including at the most to become the third-largest party in parliament just one it provides a coherent guiding vision broader role Council and the European recent European Council summit. year after its creation in 2013. and a fl exible framework for adopting Commission for control over the They should not also miss the concrete policies. All of this is well and good, but it forthcoming Brexit negotiations, opportunity presented by the strategy It strikes the ideal balance between will amount to nothing if EU leaders in which the Council is concerned that has been produced. realism and ambition, recognising the do not “join up”, as Mogherini puts it, primarily about upholding the Such opportunities do not come To Advertise EU’s limitations and pinpointing the to ensure that the strategy fulfi ls its autonomy of the member states. along every day. Whether the new EU improvements that are needed. potential. And, so far, the outlook does strategy symbolises the start of a new [email protected] The strategy’s grounded perspective not look particularly promising. This is precisely the kind of short- chapter for Europe or a dead letter Display is apparent from the fi rst sentence: “Brexit”, which has thrown global sightedness that has long undermined about a defunct project will depend on Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 “We need a stronger Europe.” markets into turmoil and raised the EU’s image in the world and, whether European leaders can overcome This signals a major shift from the serious questions about the Union’s by reinforcing the impression of their parochialism and commit to Classified previous, outdated strategy, issued in future, has eclipsed the release of the fecklessness and ineptitude, in the co-operation. The early returns are not Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 2003, whose much-maligned opening security strategy, which barely got member states as well. promising. -Project Syndicate sentence declared:“Europe has never a mention in the conclusions of the If it continues, Brexit could, as Subscription been so prosperous, so secure, nor so latest European Council summit. the doomsayers warn, be the EU’s zAna Palacio, a former Spanish [email protected] free.” Making matters worse, instead downfall. If, instead, EU leaders rise foreign minister and former senior Specifi cally, the strategy of inspiring much-needed soul- to the challenge that Brexit poses and vice president of the World Bank, is a emphasises the importance of the searching among EU leaders, the come together to realise the vision set member of the Spanish Council of State 2016 Gulf Times. All rights reserved EU’s enduring soft power, in which British referendum seems to have out in the new global strategy, the EU and a visiting lecturer at Georgetown prospective enlargement plays an spurred many to allow national could emerge from this tumultuous University. Gulf Times Monday, August 1, 2016 19 COMMENT Improve girls’ access to education

The benefi ts of education child marriage and education should extend far beyond statistics be central to developing countries’ development strategies. But education often gets much higher billing than By Mabel van Oranje child marriage. London The failure to integrate measures to tackle child marriage into development programmes few weeks ago in hindered progress on six of the Mozambique, 19-year-old eight Millennium Development Rosanna told me: “If I could Goals (MDGs), which guided global Agive one message to other development eff orts from 2000 to young girls, it would be to stay in 2015. education, and out of marriage.” She The good news is that this is spoke from experience; Rosanna was changing. Last year, when world a child bride, just like nearly half of all leaders adopted the Sustainable girls in her country. Development Goals to succeed the The link between education and MDGs, they included targets for both marriage is essential. Indeed, the education (to ensure that all children more I speak to girls like Rosanna, “complete free, equitable, and quality who were wrenched out of childhood primary and secondary education”) and married before the age of 18, the and child marriage (to eliminate “all more I am convinced of the inverse harmful practices” against girls and relationship between the prevalence women, “such as child, early, and of child marriage and access to forced marriage”). education. Ensuring that girls can be students, I will never forget the young not brides, is essential to achieving Ethiopian girl who described her gender equality and economic wedding day to me as “the day that I prosperity. had to leave school”. Only with a holistic approach Rosanna, too, nearly had to write – which integrates protections off her education on her wedding day. against child marriage, equitable She was in school when she became educational opportunities, pregnant. When she found out that adolescent health, and poverty she was pregnant, marriage became reduction – can we ensure that girls inevitable – and so, it seemed, did and women worldwide have the dropping out of school. their countries’ economies gain as and learn life skills, such as how to girls are able to live up to their full contributes to this dire reality. Beyond opportunity to fulfil their potential, In fact, Rosanna’s potential could well. articulate opinions, negotiate, listen, potential. the low-quality education delivered and thus to contribute positively to have been extinguished at the moment If Niger, for example, were to and be respectful toward others. All Seen in this light, ending child at many schools, girls can face sexual their societies. when her new husband demanded that end child marriage by 2030, the of these lessons help to boost not just marriage and improving education harassment on the way from home to We all need to encourage she end her education – a demand combination of higher educational their earning power, but also their for girls is a no-brainer. Yet only nine school. governments around the world to imposed on many child brides. attainment and lower fertility rates confi dence and capacity to participate developing countries have developed Teachers might demand sexual fulfil their promises to end child But Rosanna was exceptionally would leave the country $25bn richer in public life. national strategies to end child favours in exchange for fair grades. marriage and improve girls’ access courageous and refused, claiming than it was in 2015. That should be Beyond creating a better life for marriage. Meanwhile, 15mn girls Parents might decide that they would to education. As Rosanna put it: “We control of her own future. enough to make any government pay herself, an educated, empowered girl under the age of 18 are married each rather put their daughters in the have to fight for our future and the Unfortunately, most child brides attention. supports the prosperity of members year – that is a marriage every two perceived “safety” of marriage, instead future of our children.” - Project do not have that option, and end up But the benefi ts of education of her family and wider community seconds. At this rate, in 2050, 1.2bn of exposing them to these risks. This Syndicate facing a far bleaker fate. extend far beyond statistics. After all, – including fathers, brothers, and women will have been married as partly explains why 65mn girls of When girls like Rosanna stay in students do not just learn subjects like husbands, as much as mothers and children. primary- and early-secondary-school zMabel van Oranje is board chair education, instead of marrying early, math, science and literacy at school. sisters. A lack of quality, safe, and age are out of school. of Girls Not Brides: The Global the benefits are not theirs alone; They also develop friendships In short, we all benefi t when accessible education options surely Recognising the link between Partnership to End Child Marriage. Letters Weather report Three-day forecast

TODAY Social A commendable forum on its website to address phones while driving, the practice is High: 42 C the issue. The aim to involve the on the rise. Low : 33 C Hazy at places at first becomes hot commitment measure public in a debate about the dangers The forum seeks suggestions and day time with some clouds and of distracted driving is quite comments from the public on how to relatively humid by night Dear Sir, Dear Sir, commendable. discourage the practice. The ministry has noted that despite TUESDAY This has reference to the news item, The Ministry of Interior deserves the eff orts made by traffi c authorities R Rajan High: 43 C “Indian expat stranded for 9 years praise for its campaign to discourage and prohibiting the use of mobile [email protected] Low: 33 C fi nally travels home” (Gulf Times, the use of mobile phones while Sunny July 28). In fact, the whole credit driving. The ministry, through a series for helping this person to return of tweets, has warned the dangers of home should go to Gulf Times and using mobile devices while behind the Please send us WEDNESDAY its journalist Ramesh Mathew who wheel. High: 43 C took the initiative to understand and We know that distracted driving your letters Low: 33 C analyse the problem and to bring it increases the chance of a crash. Sunny to the notice of the bank, thereby Talking on mobiles and texting are on By e-mail narrowing the dues down to an the top of the list of distracted driving aff ordable amount. Others have only activities. And drivers engaged in text [email protected] Fishermen’s forecast contributed to the great work done by messaging on a mobile are 23 times Fax 44350474 OFFSHORE DOHA your journalist. more likely to be involved in a crash Wind: NW-NE 03-12/15 KT This is not the fi rst time that Gulf or near-crash event compared with Or Post Waves: 1-3/4 Feet Times journalists have done such non-distracted drivers, according to Letters to the Editor INSHORE DOHA Wind: NW 05-10/15 KT commendable works. The community a study conducted by Virginia Tech Gulf Times Waves: 1-2 Feet greatly appreciates the initiative Transportation Institute. taken by your newspaper, not only the But even drivers who are aware of P O Box 2888 Around the region journalistic responsibilities but also the dangers talk on mobiles when it Doha, Qatar Weather Weather the social commitment the newspaper rings, as if they are under hypnosis. today Max/min tomorrow Max/min has to the general public at large. We seem to have been conditioned Abu Dhabi P Cloudy 44/32 Sunny 45/31 to use mobiles constantly, checking Baghdad Sunny 49/31 Sunny 49/31 All letters, which are subject to editing, should have the Dubai Dr Thomas on messages and replying, anywhere, P Cloudy 41/32 Sunny 40/32 name of the writer, address and phone number. The writer’s Kuwait City Sunny 50/34 Cloudy 50/35 doctorthomasentclinicqatar anytime. Manama Sunny 44/33 Sunny 42/34 @gmail.com In another initiative, the Ministry name and address may be withheld by request. Muscat M Sunny 37/32 M Sunny 37/32 of Interior has launched a discussion Riyadh Sunny 46/30 Sunny 47/31 Tehran Sunny 37/26 M Sunny 35/24 Live issues Poor role models can enhance your life

By Judi Light Hopson, Emma and threw rocks at everybody else.” guide for the day. So, I’d step up and ran across photos of his grandfather’s H Hopson and Ted Hagen Gena is one of the most successful serve as their guide. I took on the role farm taken at a gathering in 1920. Tribune News Service women in her community. She has a of guide for the fi rst time at just 11 There were dozens of family members super-nice husband and two well- years old.” in the photo standing near an adjusted children. But, Gena is a great By studying his father’s quick temper enormous barn, which would cost a id you have a less-than- role model herself because she raises and lack of social skills, Tom became fortune to build today. The house was ideal childhood? Were your money for those in her community a lay expert on human behaviour. He stunningly beautiful, too. parents or kinfolk a little who can’t aff ord enough food and read every book he could fi nd on getting Once Jed could clearly understand Around the world Dstrange or abusive? medical care. along with people. the bad luck of his predecessors, Weather Weather If so, use the bad role models in your “I wore out several copies of How to he decided to forgive all of the today Max/min tomorrow Max/min life to make your life successful. By studying human Win Friends and Infl uence People, by strangeness he had lived through. Athens Sunny 38/24 Sunny 38/24 By studying human behaviours that Dale Carnegie,” laughs Tom. “I forgave my odd-ball cousins who Beirut Sunny 32/27 Sunny 32/26 S T Storms 32/26 don’t work, you can fi gure out how If you come from a long line of always gave me a hard time,” says Jed. Bangkok 33/26 T Storms behaviours that don’t Berlin P Cloudy 23/14 Cloudy 22/15 to build your own life into something dysfunctional people, odd-ball “I forgave my uncles who drank and Cairo Sunny 38/26 Sunny 38/24 special. Otherwise, all your pain is work, you can fi gure relatives or discontented kinfolk, don’t caused family problems.” Cape Town P Cloudy 18/09 Sunny 19/11 going to waste. despair. Be the fi rst person in your clan Jed has a new goal to become a role Colombo S T Storms 29/26 P Cloudy 29/26 “I vowed to be just the opposite out how to build to turn the tide. If no one takes on this model for his community. Dhaka T Storms 31/26 S T Storms 31/26 Hong Kong T Storms 36/28 H Rain 31/28 of my mother,” says a doctor we’ll important role, this is a huge loss for “The madness stops with me!” Istanbul Sunny 33/23 Sunny 32/23 call Gena. “Mom was so negative, I your own life into your descendants. laughs Jed. “I have a new baby son who Jakarta S T Storms 31/24 P Cloudy 32/24 could barely function after one of her “I learned through Ancestry.com will observe my attitude, words and Karachi Cloudy 32/27 P Cloudy 32/27 screaming outbursts.” something special that my relatives were quite successful behaviours throughout life. The bad London Showers 18/15 Showers 22/18 T Storms T Storms 31/26 When Gena left home for college, before the 1920s,” says a man we’ll role models of my past are actually Manila 31/26 Moscow M Sunny 29/18 S T Storms 31/18 she took on a new life approach. She A 31-year-old man we’ll call Tom call Jed. “After the big Stock Market prompting me to do a lot better!” New Delhi S T Storms 30/26 S T Storms 31/26 decided to remain positive in every says his dad was a terrible role model. crash at the end of that decade, my New York T Storms 26/21 Cloudy 26/19 possible situation. Tom grew up watching his dad attack grandmother had always told me zJudi Light Hopson is the executive Paris M Sunny 25/17 Rain 23/17 “My dad was quite well-heeled, so employees at their fi shing guide that my granddad and uncles started director of the stress management website Sao Paulo Sunny 27/14 M Cloudy 21/14 Seoul P Cloudy 32/24 S T Storms 31/23 Mom had the luxury to be negative,” business. drinking. If you saw my extended USA Wellness Cafe at Singapore S T Storms 31/26 S T Storms 32/26 Gena laughs. “Mom didn’t have to get “One by one, our employees would family now, you can see the impact of www.usawellnesscafe.com Emma Hopson Sydney M Cloudy 19/09 Rain 13/08 out of her comfort zone to make life quit,” says Tom. “Dad would throw a this bad luck on several generations.” is an author and a nurse educator. Ted Tokyo Cloudy 29/25 Cloudy 30/22 work. She just sat back on her throne fi t and our customers would have no Jed felt sad and confused when he Hagen is a family psychologist. Gulf Times 20 Monday, August 1, 2016 QATAR Ex-Olympian wants athletics clubs for children

By Joey Aguilar The former professional run- Giving more choices and en- McColgan wants to establish who can do good things. Qatar Staff Reporter ner from Scotland now trains gaging children in fun activities athletics clubs in diff erent parts has the facilities, the people, some 100 children under the help a lot in motivating them of Qatar to give more children good coaches. Every child should Doha Athletics Club (DAC), to play and be active in sports, the opportunity to participate in have access to that,” she added. atar has an abundance of which she established after according to McColgan. their activities. Referring to the ongoing dop- talented young athletes her stint at the Qatar Athletics She believes children are the DAC engages parents in some of ing scandal, she said cheats Qwho can be trained to Federation. easiest people to motivate if it is its physical activities once a month did not deserve any accolade, become world-class sportsper- During her visit to several done the right way and by giving to help motivate their children suggesting that such athletes, sons, Olympic medallist Liz Mc- schools in Doha, McColghan them the opportunity to pursue to be more active in sports. their coaches, trainers, agents Colgan has said. said she realised that many the sport they like. “When kids love it so much, and federations should be held “I have seen it, I have seen a lot young students want to take part Besides running, McColgan they just buy it, and some of the accountable. of Qataris who go to school and in various physical and athletic said they also teach children parents are now in running,” she She stressed that the only they love to run, both girls and activities. about the right food to eat, and said. way to have “clean sports” is by boys,” she said while speaking to She noted that Qatar also how to get fi t and healthy. About Qatar’s performance banning agents and imposing reporters on the sidelines of the has many young women who “When we do coaching, we in the fi eld of sports, McColgan fi nes on the government bodies Qatar-British Business Forum in are good in sports and have the don’t just run kids, we talk about noted that the country is do- concerned. Doha. potential to become world- diet, nutrition, sleep, and we ing better and has the ability to McColgan, who was also a McColgan had won the class athletes, especially if they give them the whole package produce more good players by 10,000m World Champion in 10,000m silver medal at the are given the proper training for them to know what an active developing and investing at the 1991, said she, too, had been 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South and access to state-of-the-art lifestyle is all about, and that is grassroots level. a victim of cheating in some Liz McColgan speaking at the forum in Doha. PICTURE: Nasar TK Korea. facilities in the country. what athletics does,” she added. “There are a lot of children competitions. QA, Malindo QFI to host Arabic Summer Institute in three US cities

atar Foundation Inter- Elementary School and Immer- national (QFI) will be sion Summer Institute, will be Air team up Qhosting three profes- held in New York City from to- sional development institutes day until August 3. QFI is bring- this summer, known as the Ara- ing 18 Arabic elementary school bic Summer Institute, with 48 and Arabic immersion teach- teachers of Arabic in three cities ers and administrators for the across the United States. workshop. Attendees will in- QFI’s Arabic Summer Insti- clude teachers from Houston, in bilateral tute provides an opportunity New York City, Los Angeles, and for teachers of Arabic to come Edmonton, Canada. together and discuss peda- Additionally, the Teaching gogy, curriculum development Arabic as a Foreign Language and cultural awareness in the (TAFL) course will gather QFI’s classroom. teacher fellows in Minneapo- The institute for middle and lis from August 8 to 13. Fifteen interline deal high school teachers will be fellows from the US and Brazil hosted in partnership with the will learn more about foreign Through the summer institute, QFI provides an opportunity for atar Airways has Arab American National Muse- language teaching methodology Arabic teachers to come together. teamed up with Ma- um in Dearborn, Michigan from and pedagogy. Qlaysian-based airline today until August 5. Fifteen Dr Salah Ayari will lead the to equip them with best prac- ecutive director, QFI, said, “The Malindo Air to off er passengers middle and high school teach- course as well as guest speakers tices in curriculum planning, demand, and importance of “seamless travel and greater ers from QFI-supported schools from the Centre for Advanced classroom management, and in- Arabic language education in US connectivity” when travelling in the US and Canada will con- Research on Language at the tegrating culture in the language schools is growing every year. between South East Asia and vene in Dearborn and learn more University of Minnesota. classroom. It brings together QFI is committed to support- more than 100 destinations in about integrating the teaching The Arabic Summer Institute new and experienced teachers ing language and non-language Qatar Airways’ network. of Arab culture in the Arabic was founded six years ago to from QFI’s Arabic programmes teachers as they explore Arab The enhanced connectiv- language classroom. meet the needs and interests of across the US and Canada. culture and society in their ity is coupled with the con- A new addition this year, the Arabic language educators and Maggie Mitchell Salem, ex- classrooms.” venience of a single reservation across both airlines’ networks – thanks to a new bilateral in- terline agreement that took eff ect on July 8. The partnership allows Qatar Airways passengers to tap into Surveillance cameras installed Malindo Air’s growing short- riers such as Malindo Air, Qatar Chandran Rama Muthy, haul regional network that cur- Airways is able to expand its chief executive offi cer, Malindo rently serves some 40 cities in regional footprint and continue Air, said, “We are delighted to 12 countries, including 13 major to drive passenger growth on partner with Qatar Airways, airports in Malaysia. our Malaysia route and within one of the world’s best air- on 60% of roads in capital Malindo Air passengers the Asean region. We take pride lines, renowned for its avia- travelling from cities such as in being a global connector and tion excellence and on board Langkawi, Penang, Kota Kina- with the Malindo Air interline hospitality. The agreement will round 60% of roads in the and others, according to local such as road accidents and fi res, The department has inter- balu, Johor Bahru and Kuching agreement, Malindo Air pas- further enhance Malindo Air’s capital Doha have been daily Al Sharq. he added. preters for English, French, Tag- can also easily book interline sengers will fi nd it easier to reach beyond Kuala Lumpur Aequipped with surveil- Colonel al-Mazroui said The 999 service is provided alog, Urdu, Pashto, Bengali and itineraries using one of Qatar travel to new leisure and busi- International Airport to all lance cameras and work is on to around 80% of the calls made to through 150 lines and the rules Persian, the offi cial added. Airways’ thrice-daily fl ights ness destinations in Qatar Air- destinations served by Qatar install such equipment on other the Emergency Services Section followed in dealing with such Further, he stressed that the departing from Kuala Lumpur ways’ expansive network whilst Airways. Malindo Air is now roads as well, an offi cial has said. of the Ministry of Interior - at calls include specifying the type emergency service for the deaf International Airport, and enjoying the high quality serv- able to bring our passengers Colonel Saeed Hassan al- 999 - are about non-emergency of report, locating the site of the (992) has excelled at the re- “seamlessly connecting” to ice we are known for. Many of further than ever before, with Mazroui, director, Control Room issues mostly concerning com- incident, asking for the neces- gional and international levels. more than 100 onwards des- Malindo Air’s regional destina- onward fl ights connecting pas- (operations department) at the plaints and security-related sary information and determin- The service enables people with tinations within the Qatar tions are now also within easy sengers to more than 100 glo- National Command Centre, said queries. ing the entities concerned in a hearing disabilities to commu- Airways global network. reach of Qatar Airways passen- bal destinations through Qatar cameras have also been installed The section receives 5,000- particular case in order to trans- nicate through video calls with Akbar al-Baker, chief ex- gers, providing greater ease of Airways’ state-of-the-art hub, on main roads in places outside 6,000 calls a day and only some fer the report to them through sign language, and they can also ecutive, Qatar Airways Group, travel for passengers travelling Hamad International Airport Doha, such as Al Khor, Al Shee- 20% of these are calls pertaining the Control Room, according to use SMSes and e-mails to report said, “By partnering with car- to these cities.” in Doha.” haniyah, Al Wakrah, Mesaieed to emergencies and critical cases the daily. an emergency and ask for help.

Over eight tonnes of dates sold

More than eight tonnes of local dates have been bought by visitors during the first three days of the ongoing Local Dates Festival at Souq Waqif, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) tweeted yesterday. The event, organised by the MME in collaboration with Souq Waqif, has been drawing a large number of visitors since it got under way on July 28. The festival continues until August 14.