QATAR | Page 16 SPORT | Page 1 Taylor shines as Al Gharafa INDEX DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2, 16 COMMENT 14, 15 Al Ahli Hospital to REGION 3 BUSINESS 1 – 6, 8 – 12 claim Qatar 20,663.43 10,390.60 50.69 ARAB WORLD 3 CLASSIFIED 7, 8 set up ‘Diet To Go’ in -65.06 -26.20 +0.34 INTERNATIONAL 4 – 13 SPORTS 1 – 8 -0.31% +0.25% +0.68% Cup Latest Figures fi ght against obesity published in QATAR since 1978

SATURDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10410 April 1, 2017 Rajab 4, 1438 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Food festival fireworks Palestinians, In brief UN condemn

QATAR | Offi cial Pakistan mosque attack condemned Israel’s new Qatar condemned yesterday an explosion that targeted a mosque in the city of Parachinar in Pakistan, leading to a number of deaths and injuries. In a statement yesterday, the Foreign Ministry expressed Qatar’s settlements condemnation of what it described as a criminal act that violated all AFP Peace Now said its location deep humanitarian principles and aims to Jerusalem in the West Bank was “strategic for destabilise Pakistan. The statement the fragmentation of the West Bank,” highlighted Qatar’s position that which Palestinians see as the bulk of rejects violence and terrorism in all its he Palestinians and the United their future state. forms regardless of its motives. It also Nations yesterday condemned “Netanyahu is held captive by the expressed Qatar’s condolences to the Tthe Israeli cabinet’s approval of settlers, and chooses his political sur- people and government of Pakistan, as the fi rst offi cially sanctioned new set- vival over the interest of the state of well as the families of the victims of the tlement in the occupied West Bank in Israel,” the NGO said, adding it was attack. Page 11 Fireworks light up the evening sky yesterday above the Hotel Park, the venue of the 8th edition of the Qatar International Food more than 25 years. pushing Israelis and Palestinians closer Festival, which runs until April 8. Some 130 participants, mostly from the hospitality, and food and beverage sector, are taking part The security cabinet gave its unani- to “apartheid.” QATAR | Crime in the festival, organised by Qatar Tourism Authority, in partnership with Katara Hospitality. PICTURE: Sajin Orma Page 16 mous backing to the new settlement The international community re- late on Thursday as what is widely seen gards all Israeli settlements in the oc- MoI arrests culprits as the most right-wing government in cupied Palestinian territories as illegal of citizen’s murder Israeli history presses ahead with set- and a major obstacle to Middle East The Ministry of Interior has reported tlement expansion in defi ance of inter- peace. through its Twitter account that the national concern. Israel draws a distinction between competent authorities arrested the Senior Palestinian offi cial Hanan those it sanctions and those it does not culprits of a citizen’s murder in Al Khor Boeing’s newest Dreamliner Ashrawi said the move showed the - so-called outposts. on Thursday. The ministry added that it government was pushing ahead with The cabinet also invited tenders for is taking further actions in this regard. “their systematic policies of settler nearly 2,000 new homes in existing colonialism, apartheid and ethnic settlements and discussed retroac- ARAB WORLD | Crisis model completes fi rst fl ight cleansing, showing a total and bla- tively legalising three outposts, Peace tant disregard for Palestinian human Now said. Lebanon at ‘breaking rights.” Ronen Bergman, senior corre- point’ over refugees Reuters EDT (1338 GMT) and landed at 2:35pm “Israel is more committed to appeas- spondent for Israel’s Yediot Aharonot Lebanon’s prime minister warned North Charleston EDT. ing its illegal settler population than to newspaper, said Netanyahu, who has yesterday that his country has reached The plane is a second and fi nal abiding by the requirements for stabil- faced corruption allegations, has been “breaking point” by hosting more “stretch,” of the original 787-8, which ity and a just peace,” she said. dragged further right to keep his gov- than 1mn Syrian refugees and urged oeing Co’s newest and largest debuted in 2011. A spokesman for UN chief Antonio ernment together. investment from the international Dreamliner model, the 787-10, It is 18ft (5.5m) longer than the 787-9 Guterres, expressed “disappointment The far-right pro-settlement Jew- community. Saad Hariri’s comments Bsuccessfully made its fi rst fl ight and seats 330 passengers, 40 more than and alarm” at the announcement. ish Home party, part of Netanyahu’s came as the United Nations refugee yesterday, kicking off a test programme the 787-9 and 88 more than the 787-8. “The secretary general has consist- coalition, is often dictating the govern- agency UNHCR said more than 6mn for the high-tech jet. The 787 has been a top seller, with ently stressed that there is no Plan B for ment’s agenda, he added. Syrians have fled their country since its The plane, which sells for $312.8mn 1,200 fi rm orders as airlines use it to Israelis and Palestinians to live together “He has been shifted more and more devastating war broke out in 2011. Of at list price and rounds out a family of Workers check over the new Boeing open new routes between smaller cit- in peace and security. He condemns all to the right since being re-elected. those, Lebanon is hosting more than a three carbon-fi bre composite Dream- 787-10 Dreamliner after it’s first test flight ies that can be profi table with the fuel- unilateral actions that, like the present “(Netanyahu) is not calling the agen- million Syrians, roughly a quarter of its liners, fl ew well, the pilots said. at the Charleston International Airport effi cient 787. one, threaten peace and undermine the da, he is chasing the agenda,” Bergman current population of 4mn. Page 3 “We had a great fl ight,” Captain Tim in North Charleston, South Carolina, Airbus competes against the 787-10 two-state solution,” Stephane Dujarric said. Berg said at a news conference after the yesterday. with its A330neo, a remake of its older, said in a statement. The former US administration of AFRICA | Politics fl ight. aluminium-hulled A330 equipped with The new settlement will be con- Barack Obama was deeply opposed to The plane “performed exactly like we ed a dramatic backdrop for President fuel-effi cient engines. structed north of the former wild- Israel’s expansion of the settlements Pressure up on Zuma thought it would.” Donald Trump’s visit to the Boeing fac- Both jets are optimised for shorter cat Jewish outpost known as Amona, and in December withheld its veto from aft er ousting Gordhan The fl ight was one of three initial tory, where he promised to boost US fl ights compared with other mid-sized, which was razed in February in ac- a UN Security Council resolution con- South African President Jacob Zuma voyages yesterday, joining the Airbus manufacturing and punish companies twin-aisle planes. cordance with an Israeli High Court demning the policy. came under mounting pressure A319neo jetliner and the Antonov An- for moving jobs overseas. After brisk initial sales, orders for order. But since Donald Trump took offi ce yesterday for his decision to sack 132D, a light turboprop military trans- Companies in Japan, China, Italy, both have slowed, with Airbus selling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January, settler leaders have been popular finance minister Pravin Gordhan, port developed with Saudi Arabia. Sweden, France and Britain produce just over 220 of its A330neo. had promised to build a new settlement emboldened by his far less critical with even the president’s deputy voicing Boeing’s 787-10 is being built at many of the 787’s major components, So far, the 787-10 has booked 149 or- for its residents after their eviction. stance and Israel has since announced opposition to the move. Gordhan was Boeing’s factory in North Charleston, such as wings, fuselage sections and ders from nine customers, about 12% of “I promised to create a new com- more than 5,500 new homes in existing one of 10 ministers who either lost their South Carolina, due to its large size. the rudder. the total of fi rm orders. munity and we are going to respect that settlements. jobs or were moved to new roles late The facility is Boeing’s only jetliner Airlines can choose engines from The mid-sized 787-9 has captured commitment and create it today,” he Netanyahu has been in discussions Thursday. The reshuff le sparked concern assembly factory outside of Washing- General Electric Co of the United just over half the total. said ahead of Thursday’s security cabi- with the Trump administration on how about its impact on investments, as ton state and, in contrast to the others, States, or Britain’s Rolls-Royce Hold- After spending 2017 in testing, the net meeting. to move ahead with further construc- Gordhan had been regarded as an is not unionised. ings Plc. 787-10 is expected to enter service with It will be the fi rst entirely new set- tion. emblem of stability for Africa’s most Last month, the new plane provid- The fi rst 787-10 took off at 9:38am airlines in 2018. tlement that an Israeli government has Trump has pledged unstinting sup- industrialised economy. Page 4 approved since 1991, the anti-settle- port for Israel but has also urged Netan- ment NGO Peace Now said. yahu to “hold back on settlements for BRITAIN | Politics In recent years, construction had a little bit” while his administration Syrian opposition rules out future role for Assad focused instead on expanding existing looks for ways to restart Israeli-Pales- Scotland asks for 2nd settlements. tinian talks. independence vote The Syrian opposition said yesterday it who has committed war crimes,” Yehia rebels fighting to oust him. Haley told Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon would not accept any role for President Aridi, an HNC consultant, added in a reporters on Thursday that Washington formally asked British Prime Minister Bashar al-Assad in the future of the war- WhatsApp statement. would focus on working with powers Theresa May yesterday for the start of torn country, reacting to a recent US Aridi’s comment was in response to like Turkey and Russia in order to seek Temperature in Qatar to touch 37C today discussions on a second referendum for shift saying that removing al-Assad is remarks by US ambassador to the a political settlement to Syria’s conflict, The maximum temperature in Qatar The minimum temperature of 21C is Scottish independence. Sturgeon sent no longer a priority for Washington. United Nations Nikki Haley, who said which is now in its seventh year. will touch 37C today at Abu Samra from expected at Al Khor, followed by 23C at the request by letter to May, arguing that “Assad is completely and utterly that Washington’s priority “is no longer “We believe that the US policy on Syria yesterday’s 34C at Batna, the Met off ice Mesaieed, Wakrah, Ruwais, Dukhan and the referendum is needed in late 2018 or unacceptable as president,” an off icial to sit and focus on getting Assad out.” hasn’t been crystallised yet, and that has said. Abu Samra and in Doha. early 2019 because “the UK government in the High Negotiations Committee Haley’s remark was a departure from is why Ms Haley has quickly clarified Dukhan is forecast to experience a Inshore the weather will be hazy to has decided to remove Scotland not just (HNC), a main Syrian opposition the policy of the Obama administration, her comments by reiterating the war maximum temperature of 35C, followed misty at places at first with slight dust from the European Union, but from the grouping, said. which had repeatedly demanded crimes committed by the regime,” Aridi by 33C at Mesaieed, Wakrah and in and scattered clouds. The off shore single market as well.” Page 7 “No free country can have a leader al-Assad’s departure and supported added in English. Doha, 32C at Al Khor and 30C at Ruwais. forecast is hazy with scattered cloud. Thailand ready to share agricultural expertise with Qatar

By Joey Aguilar its knowledge in this fi eld with many need to have more rains for the crops,” farming, and aquaculture, among oth- About helping Qatar to grow rice, Staff Reporter developing countries as part of their he added. ers to increase production. Chaiyindeepum explained that such technical co-operation programme. According to Chaiyindeepum, such It is learnt that Thailand has also ex- crop needs plenty of water and rainfall In an interview, the envoy pointed technique was developed by the late pertise in molecular plant breeding, to nurture. Thailand is one of the top hailand can share its expertise on out that Thailand is known to be an king, and it was known as the Royal which develops plants that have high tol- exporters of jasmine rice to various re- sustainable development, espe- expert in rainmaking, also known as Rainmaking Project. It is now used by erance to drought and extreme weather. gions in the world, including the Gulf. Tcially in agriculture, with Qatar “cloud seeding”, which he believes is many countries to deal with drought, “We are also very good in trim farm- Qatar ranks 42nd as Thailand’s jas- in order to help the country achieve needed by countries in a region like the he claimed. ing, aquaculture (fi sheries), and others, mine rice export destination. The Thai food security, ambassador Soonthorn Gulf, including Qatar, for growing vari- Besides rainmaking, the Thai am- but we have lots of it in Oman, a GCC embassy, he added, is also trying to Chaiyindeepum has told Gulf Times. ous crops, the envoy said. bassador stressed that they can also country close to the sea and which has promote high level visits in the near fu- As an expert in agriculture and an ex- “In Jordan we have shared this one provide technical assistance and ca- a bigger market and population,” the ture to further strengthen ties between porter of many food products, Chaiyin- (though an agreement) because I know pacity building to Qatar in areas such as envoy said. “In fact, some companies the two countries in various fi elds of Thai ambassador Soonthorn deepum noted that Thailand has shared this is a problem that in some areas you hydroponics farming, as well as organic already have a joint venture in Oman.” co-operation, including food security. Chaiyindeepum. Gulf Times 2 Saturday, April 1, 2017 QATAR

Advisory Council taking part in IPU meeting Nigerians The Advisory Council is taking part in the 136th jailed for general assembly of the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU), which Demand for organic starts today in the Bangladeshi money capital of Dhaka and lasts until April 5, with a delegation led by Advisory Council Deputy Speaker laundering HE Issa bin Rabia al-Kuwari. During the meetings, chairman Doha Criminal Court has of the 136th general assembly sentenced four Nigeri- will be elected and a general products ‘growing’ Aans to seven years in jail discussion will be held on the and ordered their subsequent handling of inequality in welfare By Peter Alagos ing local farm produce, Ku- Qataris and many expatriates. deportation in addition to a fi ne and dignity as well as the stance Business Reporter mar said LuLu is also sourcing “Demand for these prod- of QR100,000 each for money of parliamentarians towards most of the premium brands ucts is a growing trend in Qatar laundering. foreign intervention in domestic on “healthy living” from its due to increasing awareness Local Arabic daily Arrayah aff airs of sovereign states, and etail chain LuLu Hyper- international suppliers in the on keeping a healthy lifestyle has reported that they were also other relevant issues. market has kept pace UK and the US, among other and choosing healthy op- convicted by the court of seizing Rwith the growing de- countries, “to keep up with the tions. Our customers are very £27,000 from a major organisa- mand among its health con- growing demand from Qatar health conscious hence it is tion and breaching into its infor- Five schools scious consumers seeking or- consumers.” part of our social responsibil- mation system. ganic food products, including “Nowadays, we are also pro- ity to promote healthy living The Public Prosecution had qualify for Qatar produce grown in farms in the moting almost all organic and by responding to their growing referred the defendants to the e-Nature finals country. ‘healthy’ products, especially needs,” he stressed. court accusing them of collud- “Only recently, LuLu par- in our new outlets like Al Mes- “Most expatriates who come ing with another unidentifi able Five schools from across Qatar ticipated in Mahaseel Festival,” sila and Barwa where we are to our outlets are looking for person for receiving money from have qualified for the finals said Krishna Kumar R general keeping a large separate sec- these ‘healthy’ products but abroad in return for a commission of the Qatar e-Nature Schools manager, LuLu Hypermarket tion for these items. Even in there is also a big demand from of 25% of the amount. Competition 2017, scheduled for along D-Ring Road. our D-Ring branch, we also the Qatari market and they are When the money came, it was April 25 at the Westin Hotel. The festival, organised by keep almost all varieties of or- also patronising many of these transferred again to the account of A total of 63 students from 21 Katara-the Cultural Village, in ganic products as well as food items,” he further said. Some of the organic produce displayed at Mahaseel Festival. another one of the defendants in private and independent schools collaboration with the Minis- items that promote a healthy Speaking to Gulf Times pre- an attempt to cover up its source participated in the semi-finals, try of Municipality and Envi- lifestyle,” he pointed out. viously, Qatar Culinary Profes- there is a demand and poten- “If there is no demand for and returned to the source. which took place recently. The ronment’s Agricultural Aff airs Kumar said awareness sional chairman Baran Yucel tial growth for organic farm- organic fruits and vegetables, The four were also accused of five qualifying schools that have Department, was aimed at campaigns on keeping a said people in Qatar “are now ing in Qatar. Citing the lack there won’t be a second and breaching into the information progressed to the finals include supporting and promoting Qa- healthy lifestyle contrib- more aware” about the health of organic plantation in Qatar third farm in Qatar. I am fully system of a major organisation Elite International School, Al tar’s agricultural and livestock uted to the growing demand benefi ts and advantages of “a few years ago,” Yucel said aware of the second farm and and using an email attributed to Khansaa Primary Independent industry. for “healthy options” and using organic produce. more organic farms are being from what I understand, the the organisation for conducting School for Girls, Alshaqab But aside from support- has become a trend among At the same time, he said established in the country. third one is on its way,” he said. their illegal transactions. Primary Independent School for Girls, Abu Hanifa Model Independent School for Boys and Nord Anglia International School Al Khor. The Qatar e-Nature schools contest is organised by Sasol, the Centre is helping children 32,157 patients Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Friends of the Environment Centre. This contest allows students to actively learn about Qatar’s beautiful and with Down syndrome screened for diverse wildlife. The user-friendly Qatar e-Nature app is available for download free of he Child Development charge on Apple Store, Google Play Center at Rumailah store, Windows Phone Store and on THospital of Hamad TB in 2016 the website (www.enature.qa). Medical Corporation (HMC) is playing a pivotal role in the amad Medical Corpo- Dr al-Maslamani said that care and development of chil- ration’s (HMC) Com- the CDC is home to the Na- dren with Down syndrome Hmunicable Diseases tional TB Control Programme through its early intervention Center (CDC), the region’s and the state-of-the-art TB rehabilitation programme. fi rst hospital dedicated to Laboratory, which provides Rider told Several specialists at the cen- the identifi cation and treat- all public and private health tre have advised families on the ment of infectious diseases, facilities in Qatar with TB di- importance of early interven- is leading the fi ght against agnostics and leadership. to pay blood tion and rehabilitation in help- tuberculosis (TB) in Qatar. “In 2016, we screened ing children with the condition The CDC is a 9,000sq m around 32,157 patients re- to thrive. This early interven- purpose-built facility which ferred from HMC facilities, money tion has allowed several chil- has 65 single patient rooms, primary care centres, the dren including fi ve-year-old all with negative pressure and Medical Commission, private Haya Rashid al-Noaimi to enjoy Haya al-Noaimi with specialists from Child Development Center. 100% fresh air exchange and hospitals, and clinics because Doha Criminal Court her childhood and start school. the capacity to be converted of their exposure to active TB has fi ned a GCC man Khloud al-Ajmy, Haya’s otherapy, occupational thera- on the well-being of children bers. With early intervention into isolation units. cases,” Dr al-Maslamani said. AQR10,000 for causing mother, recalled that she came py, speech therapy and special with Down syndrome to help and continuous rehabilitation, World TB Day, observed While the centre treats the death of a girl, who was rid- to know that her daughter had education), provided by experts them overcome their disability her condition saw a speedy on March 24 each year, is de- residents who have been di- ing pillion on his quad bike at Down syndrome immediately who off ered her specialist care. by securing highly qualifi ed and improvement. Haya’s fam- signed to build public aware- agnosed with the infectious the Sealine Area, and ordered after her birth. “I took leave At the same time, I was also re- well-trained staff who are both ily should also be applauded for ness of tuberculosis. The disease, those with “latent” him to pay a blood money of from my job and started the re- searching and reading books to professional and caring,” she their co-operation and support disease remains an epidemic (inactive) TB also receive QR200,000 to the victim’s legal habilitation journey with Haya help us learn more together. noted. with all the recommended re- in much of the world, caus- preventive treatment. heirs, local Arabic daily Arrayah to try and help her lead a normal “After a series of chal- Marwan Abo Dawwas, a spe- habilitation activities. This has ing the death of nearly 1.5mn “At the CDC, we have a highly has reported. life with her peers. When she lenges associated with getting cial education specialist at the helped Haya enormously,” said people each year, mostly in specialised medical team that He was convicted of reckless was four, Haya was referred to Haya admitted to a school, Child Development Center, Dawwas. developing countries. provides consultations and driving. The defendant failed the Child Development Center she is currently enrolled in said Haya’s progress highlights Today, Haya is preparing to TB is a contagious infection treatment for patients,” she to ensure the safety of his com- to increase the level of her re- preparatory classes at one of the importance of early inter- start school. She is enjoying her that usually attacks the lungs. said. “If we fi nd somebody who panion. As he was speeding, his habilitation and development.” the Higher Education’s In- vention. “She feels and is aware meals, dressing herself, playing It can also spread to other has been exposed to TB, we give quad bike crashed into another “I started follow-up visits to dependent Schools, enjoying of her surroundings just like with her siblings and painting. parts of the body, including them preventive treatment.” vehicle and the girl was thrown the centre three times a week. the admiration and love of her other children. She joins her The specialist care she has re- the brain and spine. A type of “If you are suspected or off in the impact of the crash, She received an integrated classmates and teachers. It is peers in playing and behaves ceived has allowed her to start bacteria called mycobacterium confi rmed to have TB then you eyewitnesses told the court. therapy programme (physi- important that offi cials focus normally with her family mem- school. tuberculosis causes the disease. will be referred to the CDC for “The theme for World TB Day ongoing diagnostics, special- 2017 was Unite to End TB,” said ised treatment, and care,” Dr Dr Muna al-Maslamani, medi- al-Maslamani said, adding, cal director, Communicable “Healthcare for TB patients Disease Center (CDC). in Qatar is free of charge and Winners of QRCS sport fest awarded “Globally, more than 2bn those aff ected can return to people are infected with TB. But work usually within two weeks as a disease, TB is both prevent- of starting treatment.” atar Red Crescent The Mesaimeer nursing team won (Mark Antonio), best goalkeeper able and curable. In Qatar, we Dr Maslamani said the key (QRCS) has awarded the the football championship (team) (Dr Marzouq Saleh), best foot- have a very low incidence of to fi ghting the spread of TB is Qwinners of its fi rst-ever while the Hemaila nursing team ball scorer (Shafeer Aerettel), TB, as a result of the country’s to remove the stigma attached sport fest recently, which start- bagged the champion in basketball. and basketball defensive player strong and innovative infectious to the disease. ed during National Sport Day on Niyas Kasimkutty and Jabir (Jeremy Camacho). disease control programme and “There is still much to be February 14. Kadavath from Mesaimeer Work- QRCS medical aff airs staff education initiatives.” done to raise public aware- More than 200 QRCS staff from ers’ health Center won the carrom across diff erent workers’ health This year, the CDC marked ness of the disease. It is a fact various nationalities participated while Dr Phillip Mwashe, who centres, medical commission Award winners with QRCS off icials. World TB Day with a series of that TB is contagious but it is in four sporting events: basket- belong to the same group, bagged units, ambulance department, educational lectures held at very hard to catch. The more ball, football, chess, and carrom. the championship in chess. and administration department days at Qatar Sports Club, Dafna Dr Mohamed bin Ghanem al-Ali the facility for healthcare staff . we educate people about risk Some 12 teams took part in Individual awards are: best participated in the event. while the fi nal games were played al-Maadheed and QRCS Medi- A range of fun and educational factors and prevention, the football, six in basketball, 32 in player in football (Nizar Kama- The games were held on at Muaither Sports Club, with cal Aff airs general manager, Dr activities for patients and vis- greater the chance we have to carrom, and 32 players in chess. sery), best player in basketball Thursdays, Fridays, and Satur- the presence of QRCS president Abdul-Salam al-Qahtani. itors were also organised. eliminate it,” she added. MME employees honoured QC launches health centre in Chad

atar Charity, under the aus- Aside from medical services, pices of a Qatari benefactor, the health centre aims reduce Qhas launched the Uthman epidemics and infectious dis- ibn Aff an health centre in the Re- eases, which are prevalent in the public of Chad’s Omdurman City region. It also aims to provide capable of providing medical serv- immunisation against children’s ices to 20,000 patients. diseases and to contribute to the The launching ceremony was Millennium Development Goals. graced by Chad’s Minister of In his speech, Khadam lauded Health Moussa Khadam and Qatar Charity for carrying out Hamad bin Abdul Hadi al-Hajri and other dignitaries lead the ribbon-cutting Qatar ambassador Hamad bin development projects that meet ceremony at the Uthman ibn Aff an health centre in Chad. Abdul Hadi al-Hajri, as well as the needs of people in Chad, other offi cials and dignitaries and serving both the health sec- nurse, and laboratory technician tric pumps for farmers to irrigate from Qatar. tor and human development to help residents of the area with their crops, and other income- The 250sq m facility features through its income-generating their medical needs. generating projects. The Ministry of Municipality and Environment’s (MME) Environmental and Municipal Studies Institute eight main rooms and a phar- projects and other signifi cant Qatar Charity said the Qatari The benefactor also pledged director Dr Mohamed bin Saif al-Kuwari has honoured a number of MME employees, who excelled macy; store; private toilets for eff orts in Chad. benefactor also fi nanced several to develop Omdurman by imple- at the training workshop of the law enforcement off icers in the field of inspection on buildings and staff , patients, and visitors; ba- He also pointed out that the important projects in Omdur- menting sustainable projects in the excavations. A total of 38 employees participated in the workshop aimed at equipping them with the sic medical equipment and of- ministry has assigned medical man, including the drilling of future, mainly a primary school, necessary technical and legal skills to eff ectively undertake their duties. fi ce supplies, in addition to an staff for the clinic, consisting of a solar-powered artesian well, mosque, Qur’an memorisation electricity generator. a doctor, administrative director, grain-grinding machine, elec- centre, and a training centre. Gulf Times Saturday, April 1, 2017 3 REGION/ARAB WORLD Lebanon near ‘breaking point’ over refugee crisis: Hariri

Reuters a quarter of Lebanon’s population, and Brussels next week.”I am going... cant violence between Syrian refugees er at Lebanese human rights organisa- Lebanon’s annual economic growth Beirut most live in severe poverty in make- to make sure that the world under- and Lebanese host communities. tion ALEF, said the tensions were root- has slowed to just over 1% from an av- shift camps across the country as the stands that Lebanon is on the verge of Hariri urged the international com- ed in factors such as misperceptions erage of 8% before the Syrian war, of- government opposes the creation of a breaking point,” he said. munity to commit to spending the held by Lebanese that refugees were fi cials have said. rime Minister Saad al-Hariri said formal ones. “Today if you go around Hariri said the country has been equivalent of $10-12,000 per refugee being showered in aid, and government The government is seeking fi nancial Lebanon was close to “break- most of the host communities, there is “extremely lucky in making sure this over a period of fi ve to seven years, policies that had made it diffi cult for support for a programme of public sec- Ping point” due to the strains of a huge tension between the Lebanese crisis has not aff ected host communi- compared to the current level of for- them to obtain offi cial residency. tor-led investment in infrastructure to hosting 1.5mn Syrian refugees, and he and the Syrians...I fear civil unrest,” ties, but we have stretched our luck”. eign support equivalent to $1-1,200 Tensions had not reached the point boost the economy, and to increase the feared unrest could spiral from ten- Hariri told journalists working for for- The Syria war has weakened Leba- per year. of violent escalation, Ghali added. number of Syrians in education. sions between them and Lebanese eign media yesterday. non’s economy, fuelled tension among “I think that will make sure that Lebanese offi cials, citing World Hariri became prime minister in communities. He will urge the international com- Lebanese allied to the rival sides, and Lebanon is going to stand on its own Bank fi gures, say the cumulative cost December in a political deal that saw Refugees who fl ed the six-year-long munity to boost fi nancial support for triggered a number of militant attacks. and the economy will thrive,” he said. of the Syrian confl ict to Lebanon was Michel Aoun, an ally of the Hezbollah, confl ict in neighbouring Syria make up Lebanon at a conference on Syria in But there has so far been no signifi - Georges Ghali, programmes manag- $18.15bn to the end of 2015. elected head of state.

Palestinian ‘reborn’ Syria’s warring sides after murder sentence revoked

AFP but images fi lmed by an Italian Gaza City television channel showed the trade insults after talks crowd storming the station. Later, the crowd was seen Reuters Palestinian prisoner striking one of the soldiers Geneva freed after 17 years in an who had apparently been AIsraeli jail for a murder beaten to death. he was later acquitted of said A photo of another man egotiators from Syria’s he felt reborn yesterday, after with bloody hands screaming government and op- returning to his family in Gaza. with joy at the window after Nposition traded insults Hatem al-Maghari was ar- the deaths became an iconic yesterday, calling each other rested and convicted of mur- image from the second Pales- “terrorists” and “adolescents” der after the brutal lynching tinian intifada, or uprising. after an eight-day round of of two Israeli soldiers in 2000, Maghari had always main- peace talks in Geneva. but was released this week af- tained he was not involved The two sides do not meet ter new evidence emerged, the and the Israeli military court but negotiate via UN media- Israeli army said. granted his request following tor Staff an de Mistura, saving He arrived in Gaza over- “new elements that make it their liveliest invective for the night, he said, and returned to difficult to prove his effective TV cameras after each meeting his family in Rafah in the south participation in the killing of with him. Opposition negotiator of the Palestinian enclave. one of the soldiers,” the army Nasr al-Hariri said the “terror- “The feeling of freedom said in a statement Thursday. ist regime” of President Bashar is indescribable,” he said by He was still found guilty al-Assad had refused to discuss phone from his family home.”I of aggression against a sol- political transition during the didn’t kill anyone.” dier and not preventing an talks and said Assad was a war “I am reborn, I felt major offence and sentenced to 11 criminal who must step down in injustice and oppression in and a half years in prison, the name of peace. prison.” the army said, but with time “They are solely discuss- Maghari said he was work- already served was released ing their empty rhetoric about ing as a police offi cer in the immediately. countering terrorism,” Har- Palestinian city of Ramallah in In 2012, Israel announced iri told reporters, vowing there the occupied West Bank when it had dismantled a network could be “no peace without jus- two Israeli reservists drove of the Palestinian movement tice.” “War crimes and crimes into the city by mistake. Hamas in the West Bank, in- against humanity must not be They were taken to a police cluding two men accused of an option for negotiations.From Displaced Syrians, who fled the Islamic State (IS) group stronghold of Raqqa, arrive at a temporary camp in the village of Ain Issa yesterday. station for their own safety killing the two soldiers. now, venues must be found for transitional justice to ensure fi rst, while his opposite number, delegation as “adolescents” who holding the perpetrators ac- the government’s chief nego- thought they were appearing countable,” he said. tiator, Bashar al-Ja’afari, said he on a television talent show, and Hariri said he was looking for only wanted to negotiate with were under the illusion that gov- a negotiating partner who put someone “patriotic”. ernment would simply hand over the interests of the Syrian people Ja’afari mocked the opposition the keys to the country. Ja’afari said his delegation had given de Mistura documents on IS claims deadly Damascus court bomb all aspects of talks — on elections, constitution, reformed govern- The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for mid-March ance and countering terrorism bomb attacks on a courthouse and restaurant in Syria’s capital Da- — but the opposition had not re- mascus that killed 32 people and were denounced by rebel groups. sponded. The March 15 attacks were a rare assault in the heart of the Syrian The Geneva talks, which be- capital, which remains under government control and has been gan fi tfully last year before be- Hatem al-Maghari (centre), a Palestinian sentenced to life insulated from much of the worst of the war’s violence. ing drowned out by the escalat- imprisonment, sits among his relatives in his home in Rafah in the The latest issue of IS’ Al-Nabaa magazine, issued late Thursday, cited a ing war, were originally backed southern Gaza Strip, upon his release. security source saying a first suicide bomber entered one of the city’s by the United States and Russia. courthouses and opened fire before detonating a suicide bomb belt. While Russia is widely seen as The magazine said the second attacker blew himself up in a restau- holding the balance of power, Syria’s main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) leader LEGAL rant, according to the magazine, which is distributed via social the US has backed away from Nasr al-Hariri (left), shakes hands with UN Special Envoy of the Police arrest woman for filming media sites. its previous overt support for Secretary-General for Syria Staff an de Mistura, prior to a round of the rebels. negotiations, during the Intra-Syria talks, in Geneva. housemaid’s suicide attempt Kuwaiti police have detained a woman for filming her Ethiopian maid falling from the seventh floor in an apparent suicide attempt without trying to rescue her, media and a rights group said yesterday. The Kuwaiti woman filmed her maid land on a metal awning and survive, then posted the incident on social media, Al-Seyassah news- Three suspected Qaeda members killed in Yemen drone strike paper reported. The 12-second video shows the maid hanging out- side the building, with one hand tightly gripping the window frame, as she begs for help in an apparent last-minute change of mind. Reuters terday the attack took place in Mozno in Al- was unknown. Abyan is one of several prov- years of civil war in Yemen to recruit fol- The woman holding the camera is heard telling the hanging maid: Aden Wadie district of Abyan province. inces in central and southern Yemen where lowers and cement its dominance in central “Oh crazy, come back.” The terrified maid is seen screaming “hold The three killed included the local leader Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula me, hold me”, just before her hand slips and she falls down to hit the of the militant group, Waddah Mohamed and its local affi liate Ansar al-Sharia oper- country. awning, which appears to soften the impact. hree suspected Al Qaeda members Amsouda, who was meeting the others in a ate. The United States has repeatedly at- The Pentagon has said that a March 2 The employer made no reaction as she continued filming. Later, para- were killed overnight in what local house in the area, they said. tacked AQAP, using aircraft and unmanned strike against AQAP killed Yasir al-Silmi, medics rescued the maid and rushed her to hospital where she was Toffi cials believed was a US drone Residents also reported a separate attack drones in what US offi cials say is a campaign also know as Mohamed Tahar, a former found to have suff ered nose and ear bleeding and a broken arm, the strike in southern Yemen. on a suspected Al Qaeda vehicle, in the same to degrade the group’s ability to co-ordinate detainee from the US detention centre at newspaper said.The criminal investigation police referred the employer Residents and local offi cials said yes- province, but said the number of casualties attacks abroad. AQAP has exploited two Guantanamo Bay. to the prosecution over failing to help the victim, the daily said.

DIPLOMACY Trump seeks to ‘reboot’ ties with Egypt President Donald Trump will seek to rebuild the US relationship with Guterres calls for more aid as people fl ee Mosul Egypt at a Monday meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi focused on security issues and military aid, a senior White House off icial said yesterday. “He wants to use President Sisi’s visit to reboot the bilat- Reuters humanitarian response pro- third of Iraq in 2014, benefi t- eral relationship and build on the strong connection the two presidents Hassan Sham Camp/Mosul, Iraq gramme without giving addi- ing from the rift that weakened established when they first met in New York last September,” the off icial tional details. the army. Iraqi forces have won told reporters.Egypt has long been one of Washington’s closest allies in During his visit, which lasted back control of most cities that the Middle East, receiving $1.3bn in US military aid each year. nited Nations Secretary- about half an hour, residents fell to the group and the mili- But the bilateral relationship was strained when former president Barack General Antonio Gu- complained to Guterres about tants have been dislodged from Obama criticised Sisi for cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood. Uterres yesterday called the quality of drinking water nearly three quarters of Mosul Obama temporarily halted aid to the country after then general Sisi on world powers to increase aid and poor living conditions in but remain in control of its cen- in mid-2013 overthrew President Mohamed Mursi after mass protests to help people fl eeing the Iraqi tents frequented by mice and tre. against his rule. city of Mosul which govern- insects. Yesterday, Islamic State fi red ment forces have been battling “We want to go back to our at least 18 rockets from west- to retake from Islamic State. villages. We are fed up,” said ern Mosul into the eastern part REBUFF Iraqi forces have seized back Saqr Younis, who fl ed to Mosul which Iraqi force have retaken, Sudan rejects new US travel warning most of the country’s second- when Islamic State arrived in the city’s police chief Brigadier largest city from the hardline his village in 2014. General Wathiq al-Hamdani Sudan yesterday rejected a new US travel advisory warning Americans group in a massive six-month Displaced Iraqi children, who fled Mosul due to the ongoing fighting “If we had died by bom- told Reuters. against visiting the country, particularly three conflict zones, due to risks campaign. between government forces and Islamic State (IS) militants, pose for a bardment it would have been Machine gunfi re and mortars of “terrorism and violent crimes”. The latest advisory was issued by the But at least 355,000 resi- photo at the Hasan Sham Camp, 30 kilometres east of Mosul, yesterday. more merciful,” said Saqr who could be heard in the area of the State Department on Thursday and posted on the website of the Ameri- dents have fl ed fi ghting, ac- has been in the camp for four old city but like in previous days can embassy in Khartoum. It replaces a previous travel warning issued in cording to the government, and people,” Guterres told report- but struggle to accommodate months. Many of the displaced there was no new push by gov- January 2016. It said “terrorist groups are active in Sudan and have stated some 400,000 civilians remain ers during a visit to the Hassan new arrivals with two families have returned to their homes in ernment forces. their intent to harm Westerners and Western interests through suicide trapped inside the densely- Sham Camp, one of several cen- sometimes having to share one areas retaken from Islamic State State television said the air operations, bombings, shootings and kidnappings”. “Violent crimes populated Old City where street tres outside Mosul packed with tent. but some, like Saqr, have not yet force bombed an Islamic State targeting Westerners, including kidnappings, armed robberies, home battles have raged for weeks. civilians escaping the fi ghting. “Unfortunately our pro- been allowed to return by the position in Baaj, some 130km invasions, and carjacking occur everywhere in Sudan but are particularly “We don’t have the resourc- The UN and Iraqi authorities gramme is only 8% funded,” authorities. west of Mosul near the Syrian prevalent in the Darfur region,” it said. es necessary to support these have been building more camps he said, referring to a 2017 UN The group overran about a border. Gulf Times 4 Saturday, April 1, 2017 AFRICA Zuma axes fi nance minister AFP Johannesburg

he sacking of South Af- rica’s respected fi nance Tminister in a cabinet purge pitched the ruling ANC party into chaos yesterday, creating one of its biggest tests since leading the fi ght against apartheid. The country’s Deputy Presi- dent Cyril Ramaphosa launched Gordhan holds a copy of the intelligence report a unprecedented verbal attack that Zuma used as justification to fire him, during a on President Jacob Zuma, whose media briefing yesterday in Pretoria. midnight reshuffl e sent the rand currency plunging and triggered Zuma (right) made 20 new government accusations that he was promot- appointments in the reshuff le. ing graft. Zuma’s axing of fi nance min- Gordhan was reportedly al, said. “We can’t be happy (with list. (He) said ‘you can comment ister Pravin Gordhan also un- sacked because of an alleged in- the decision to sack Gordhan) if you want to comment, but this leashed a wave of opposition in telligence report on meetings he because we think that the fi nance is my decision’,” Mantashe said. the African National Congress held in London earlier this week. minister was a hard worker.” The ANC, which was banned (ANC), which came to power “For him to be removed for this Gordhan had been at logger- under white-minority rule, has under Nelson Mandela in the type of reasoning is to me unac- heads with Zuma for months, lost popularity due to corruption euphoric 1994 elections but has ceptable,” Ramaphosa said. receiving support from several allegations, record unemploy- suff ered declining support. Gordhan held a press confer- ministers and major foreign in- ment and slow economic growth. Gordhan was widely seen as a ence yesterday, saying that he vestors, as well as many ordinary The president is accused of competent manager of one of the heard of his sacking via television South Africans and veterans of being in the sway of the wealthy world’s most important emerg- and dismissing the intelligence the anti-apartheid struggle. Gupta business family, alleg- ing economies. report “as absolute nonsense”. He campaigned for budget dis- edly granting them infl uence Protesters rally yesterday in support of axed minister Gordhan outside the South African National treasury Ramaphosa went public with “We hope more and more cipline and against corruption, over government appointments, in Pretoria. his anger, openly attacking his South Africans would make it but Zuma’s allies have accused contracts and state-owned busi- boss. clear that our country is not for Gordhan of thwarting the presi- nesses. for the economy but mostly bad Zuma is due to step down as port from ANC members in some “I told him that I would not sale,” he added. dent’s desire to enact radical pol- John Steenhuisen, chief whip news for the nine million unem- head of the ANC in December, rural areas and has been able to agree with him,” Ramaphosa Zuma made 20 new govern- icies to tackle racial inequality. of the main opposition Demo- ployed South Africans.” ahead of the 2019 general elec- rely on the party’s majority in told reporters. “There are quite ment appointments in the re- Mantashe told 702 radio that cratic Alliance party, described The president said the changes tion. parliament to survive several a number of other colleagues shuffl e. Zuma was aware that many in the reshuffl e as a “midnight mas- were “to bring about radical so- He is seen as favouring his ex- votes of no confi dence. and comrades who are unhappy “I’m very uncomfortable be- the ANC were “unhappy” about sacre”. cio-economic transformation”. wife, former African Union chief Since coming to power in about this situation, particularly cause areas where ministers the purge, in which Gordhan was “Zuma has got what he want- The rand was down more than Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to 2009, he has been hit by a series the removal of the minister of fi - do not perform have not been replaced by home aff airs minister ed, a Gupta ally in control (of 7% for the week, after days of succeed him – rather than Ram- of corruption scandals, while the nance who was serving the coun- touched,” Gwede Mantashe, the Malusi Gigaba. the treasury),” he told AFP. “Bad speculation that Zuma was about aphosa. ANC suff ered its worst ever re- try with absolute distinction.” infl uential ANC secretary gener- “The president came with a news for our country, bad news to move against Gordhan. Zuma retains widespread sup- sults in local polls in August.

The spectre of starvation is Kenya haunting the globe: report arrests IS recruiter AFP food insecurity crisis is set to and substantive action not only Rome worsen this year with four parts to save people’s lives, but also to of the developing world, South pull them back from the brink Reuters Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and of famine, the food security Nairobi ecord prices, confl icts northeast Nigeria, at risk of situation in these countries will and extreme weather famine. continue to worsen in coming Rcombined to drive the The report was produced months,” the report says. enya has arrested a sus- number of people vulnerable under the joint auspices of the FAO director general Jose pected Islamic State (IS) to starvation up to 108mn last European Union, UN agencies Graziano da Silva said: “We Kmilitant on the country’s year, according to a UN and EU- including the Food and Agri- can prevent people dying from “most wanted” list who alleg- People applaud at the end of a fundraising operation against hunger in Yemen, northeast Nigeria, South backed report published yester- culture Organisation (FAO) and famine but if we do not scale up edly helped send recruits to Lib- Sudan, and Somalia on Wednesday in Hilversum, The Netherlands. The Dutch fundraising campaign day. USAID/FEWSNET along with our eff orts to save, protect and ya and Somalia, police said on raised more than €30mn. Somalia, along with Yemen and Nigeria, are on the verge of famine, while the The global total of people some regional food security in- invest in rural livelihoods, tens Thursday. disaster has already been declared in South Sudan. The United Nations has called on the international deemed “severely food inse- stitutions. of millions will remain severely Police seized Ali Hussein Ali, community for an urgent mobilisation of funds – $4.4bn by July – for the four countries to avert a cure” represents a 35% increase Extreme weather factors food insecure.” who is nicknamed “Trusted catastrophe. on the 80mn considered to be in blamed for the deteriorating Ertharin Cousin, executive One”, and two accomplices in that dangerously exposed posi- situation included drought and director of the World Food Pro- the coastal town of Malindi on tion in 2015. erratic rainfall caused by the El gramme, said that food insecu- Monday. The term refers to people Nino phenomenon. rity was not just a humanitarian In a statement, the police said already suff ering from acute But civil confl ict was the issue. Ali had helped smuggle recruits Cholera spreading in Somalia malnutrition or lacking enough driving factor in nine of the 10 “Hunger exacerbates crisis, to Islamic State in Libya where food to provide their basic en- worst humanitarian crises, the creating ever greater instability he has ties with a human traf- ergy requirements on a sustain- 2017 Global Report on Food Cri- and insecurity,” he said. “What fi cking ring, and to the Shebaab Reuters sponsored by the United Nations to give to the sick child. This is able basis. ses says. is a food security challenge to- militant group in Somalia. Burao, Somalia food agency, said in a report yes- the last bottle,” she said, careful- It can include households Other countries facing wide- day becomes tomorrow’s se- He also moved money around terday that Somalia was one of ly pouring it into a feeding tube who can only survive by, for ex- spread food insecurity this year curity challenge. It is a race East Africa and beyond for Is- four African countries at high inserted through his nose. ample, slaughtering their ani- are Iraq, Syria (including refu- against time – the world must lamic State, police said. eadly cholera is spreading risk of famine (see report on the In the malnutrition ward in the mals and thus depleting their gees in neighbouring countries) act now to save the lives and Kenya has in recent years suf- through drought-ravaged right). general hospital of Somaliland’s future ability to produce food. Malawi and Zimbabwe. livelihoods of the millions at the fered a series of attacks by She- DSomalia as clean water Somalia’s rainy season nor- second city Burao, doctor Ha- The report warns that the “In the absence of immediate brink of starvation.” baab, which is waging an insur- sources dry up, a top aid offi cial mally runs from March to May, mud Ahmed said children were gency against the UN-backed said, deepening a humanitarian but there has been no rain this also being hit hard by diseases Red Cross says number of Kenyans going hungry has doubled to 3mn government in Somalia, where crisis in a country that is on the month. like tuberculosis, meningitis and Kenya has deployed peacekeep- verge of famine. The drought has hit par- measles. The number of Kenyans needing emergency food “It is more and more diff icult for people to access ers. The Horn of Africa nation has ticularly hard in the breakaway Children’s admissions reached aid has doubled in the past three months to 3mn, the water – people are having to travel for up to three Islamic State has also claimed recorded more than 18,000 cas- northern region of Somaliland, almost 60 in March, up fourfold Red Cross said this week, as the impact of a devastat- times as long just to get water for their family.” at least two low-level attacks in es of cholera so far this year, up where the rains began to fail in from October. ing drought worsens. In Kenya the drought has also exacerbated clashes Kenya. from around 15,000 in all of 2016 2015, killing off animals that no- “This is due to the drought,” Kenya is one of several East African countries suf- between pastoralist communities, which have left Kenyan police said Ali was and 5,000 in a normal year, Johan madic families rely on to survive. Ahmed said. “When families lose fering from food crises, along with Ethiopia; South over 30 people dead, and also imperilled wildlife – a born in the Somali capital, Heffi nck, the Somalia head of EU Listless, skinny children last all their livestock and children do Sudan, where famine has already been declared; and main draw card for tourists. Mogadishu, and moved to Kenya Humanitarian Aid, said in an e- week lay in crowded wards in not get milk, this is the famine Somalia, on the brink of its third famine in 25 years. The number of Kenyans going hungry could in 2010 under the guise of being mail on Thursday. the main hospital in the regional that causes the children to suf- Outside the region, Yemen and Nigeria are also increase to four million in the coming weeks, the a tourist. The current strain of the dis- capital Hargeisa. fer.” facing famine, in what the United Nations has called statement said. He then moved to Libya, via ease is unusually deadly, killing Three-year-old Nimaan Has- If the rains fail, the country the worst humanitarian crisis since the end of World More than 340,000 children under the age of five South Africa and Sudan, where around one in 45 patients. sid had diarrhoea for 20 days be- could tip into famine. War II. are also acutely malnourished. he joined IS, before returning Somalia is suff ering from a fore his mother brought him to Somalia’s last famine, in 2011, Like many of its neighbours, Kenya is suff ering the “We are running out of words to describe the situ- to Kenya last November, police severe drought that means more hospital. killed more than 260,000 people. eff ects of two failed rainy seasons in a row, hugely ation in aff ected parts of Kenya, and across the re- added. than half of its 12mn citizens are He weighs only 6.5kg, less Heffi nck said that aid agencies reducing crop harvests. gion,” said Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, the International The two men he was arrested expected to need aid by July. than half the normal weight for were working overtime to try to Food prices have soared, pushing inflation to a five- Federation of Red Cross regional director for Africa. with are also suspected of having Families have been forced to his age. prevent a similar disaster, truck- year high of 9% in February. “Our message is simple: humanitarian organisa- links to Islamic State and She- drink slimy, infected water after Doctors say he is suff ering ing in clean water and stepping “The situation is getting worse every day. Malnutri- tions need resources to respond at the scale that is baab, the police said. the rains failed and wells and riv- from severe malnutrition but his up the distribution of food and tion rates among children are steadily climbing. needed. If we don’t, then thousands of people may ers dried up. grandmother, 60-year-old Fa- cash. Children are getting sick, and livelihoods of families die, and children will be aff ected for the rest of their “We are very close to famine,” dumo Hussein, told Reuters the “The big diff erence this time is have been decimated following the loss of thousands lives.” Ghana graft probe Heffi nck said. family has no money for food or that we have started the prepara- of their livestock,” Dr Abbas Gullet, secretary general “And we won’t be able to say ‘we didn’t know’,” she The Security Information clean water. tion and scaling up of the relief of the Kenya Red Cross Society, said in a statement. said. clears minister Network (FSIN), which is co- “We don’t have mineral water operations earlier,” he said. A Ghanaian lawmaker was on Thursday found in contempt of parliament and ordered to apologise after claiming that a government minister bribed a committee to approve his UN council renews Congo peacekeeping force appointment. National Democratic Congress (NDC) party MP Mahama Ayariga Reuters cil unanimously renewed the Despite a request by Secre- tions missions to MONUSCO” ing 28.5%, but Trump and Haley nial power Belgium in 1960, has accused Energy Minister Boakye United Nations $1.2bn mission for another year tary-General Antonio Guterres if needed and subject to council want to enforce a 25% cap. never had a peaceful transition Agyarko of paying members with a troop cap of 16,215 amid to add two extra police units (320 approval. The council has asked Gu- of power and Kabila’s refusal to of the panel 3,000 cedi (about UN warnings that violence was offi cers), the council has agreed It is the fi rst peacekeeping terres to report back by the end stand down when his fi nal term $700, €650) each to rubber- he UN Security Council spreading across the central to a Washington demand to keep mission to be renewed since US of September on options for re- expired in December has raised stamp his nomination. has cut the troop cap by African state ahead of planned the current total of 1,050 offi c- President Donald Trump pro- ducing the peacekeeping mis- fears the chronically unstable Agyarko denied the allegation T18% for its peacekeeping elections before the end of 2017. ers, according to the draft reso- posed that Washington, the larg- sion after elections have been country could slide back into but an investigation was ordered. mission in the Democratic Re- France had proposed 17,000, lution. est UN contributor, cut funding. held this year, President Joseph civil war. Lawmakers were told there was public of the Congo (DR Congo) while the United States wanted The resolution adopted yes- US Ambassador Nikki Haley is Kabila has stepped down, and Opposition leaders signed a no evidence to support the claim. after reaching a compromise 15,000, diplomats said. terday asks Guterres to “explore reviewing the 16 UN peacekeep- sustainable progress has been fragile deal with the ruling coa- Ayariga was found in contempt with the United States, which There are 16,893 soldiers on the possibility of inter-mission ing operations. made in reducing the threat of lition and allies of Kabila on De- of parliament and ordered to wanted a bigger cut to the largest the ground after the previous co-operation through appropri- Washington provides the armed groups in the country. cember 31 that requires him to “render an unqualified apology to and most expensive operation. UN chief Ban Ki-moon reduced ate transfers of troops and their most money for the total $7.9bn Resource-rich Congo, which step down after elections that the House”. The 15-member coun- the troop level in 2015 and 2016. assets from other United Na- UN peacekeeping budget, pay- gained independence from colo- must happen by the end of 2017. The MP then apologised. Gulf Times Saturday, April 1, 2017 5 AMERICAS

Majority of Brazilians disapprove Ex-Trump adviser Flynn of Temer govt: poll seeks immunity: reports Reuters AFP ing Washington’s sanctions on cutting a deal with Flynn until vember’s presidential election Brasilia Washington Moscow. they are further along in their in Trump’s favour, as questions The Journal said it wasn’t probe and have a better idea of swirl about whether some in the clear what exactly Flynn had of- what information Flynn might Republican’s inner circle col- growing majority of Bra- ichael Flynn has “a sto- fered to discuss. off er. luded with Russia. zilians disapprove of ry to tell”, his lawyer has But it quoted one unnamed The Times also quoted an The FBI, in an extraordinary APresident Michel Temer’s Msaid, amid reports that offi cial as saying that the retired expert as urging caution over admission, confi rmed publicly scandal-plagued government, the ousted US national security army general’s bid for immunity Flynn’s off er of testimony. this month that it was probing and faith is fl agging in his abil- adviser has off ered to testify in suggested potential “legal jeop- “At this early stage, I wouldn’t the possibility of such collusion. ity to steer the country out of its exchange for immunity about ardy” for him. read anything into this request A former US military intel- worst recession ever, according potential ties between Donald Robert Kelner, a lawyer for beyond smart lawyering,” Mark ligence chief, Flynn was gener- to a poll published yesterday. Trump’s presidential campaign Flynn, said in a statement tweet- Zaid, a Washington lawyer spe- ously paid to attend a gala of The survey by pollster Ibope, and Russia. ed late on Thursday that “Gen- cialising in national security Russia’s RT television in late conducted between March 16 Flynn proposed his deal to the eral Flynn certainly has a story to cases, was quoting as saying by 2015, where he sat with Presi- and 19, said that the number of Federal Bureau of Investigation tell, and he very much wants to the Times. dent Vladimir Putin, raising people who consider Temer’s (FBI) and the House and Sen- tell it, should the circumstances “In such a politically charged, suspicions about his ties with government “bad” or “terrible” ate intelligence committees, the permit”. high-profi le national security Moscow. Flynn: the retired army general’s bid for immunity suggested rose to 55% from 46% in the pre- Wall Street Journal reported late “Out of respect for the com- case, I couldn’t imagine not fi rst His ouster came amid contro- potential ‘legal jeopardy’ for him. vious survey carried out in De- on Thursday. mittees, we will not comment asking for immunity,” he added. versy over his discussions with cember. A close adviser of Trump’s right now on the details of dis- “I would suspect both Con- Kislyak in late December, when kind of thing a national security half of the government. The proportion of those who 2016 campaign, Flynn was cussions between counsel for gress and the FBI will fi rst gen- the Obama administration was adviser would do as part of his Soon after Flynn resigned, US rate Temer’s government as forced to step down just weeks General Flynn and the House erate additional evidence from hitting Russia with retaliatory job. Attorney General Jeff Sessions “great” or “good” slipped to 10% into the security job last month. and Senate intelligence commit- smaller players before deciding sanctions and expulsions for its Flynn’s actions came before recused himself from any Rus- from 13%, putting its popularity His resignation came after tees, other than to confi rm that to immunise General Flynn,” election interference. Trump’s inauguration, when sia-related inquiries, following at the same level as leftist former it emerged that he made mis- those discussions have taken Zaid said, according to the Trump has said he did not in- Barack Obama was still presi- the revelation that he, too, also president Dilma Rousseff in leading statements about talks place,” the lawyer added. Times. struct Flynn to speak with the dent. met Kislyak before Trump took March last year, before she was he held with Russian Ambas- The New York Times quoted a At least four investigations Russian ambassador. And a rarely-invoked US law offi ce – contrary to his testi- impeached. sador Sergey Kislyak during the congressional offi cial as saying are under way into allegations However, Trump defended bars private citizens from en- mony during his confi rmation Six of Temer’s cabinet min- presidential transition concern- that investigators are wary of that Moscow tried to swing No- the move, saying that it was the gaging in foreign policy on be- hearing before the Senate. isters, including his two closest aides, have been named in plea bargain testimony for allegedly receiving under-the-table pay- ments, casting uncertainty over his ability to pass reforms need- President backs former aide’s decision ed to restore fi scal discipline and pull Brazil from its worst reces- sion on record. Reuters fi es before the intelligence com- “Mike Flynn should ask for sentatives of the Senate Intelli- The number of Brazilians that Washington mittees of the US Senate and the immunity in that this is a witch gence Committee. approve of how Temer is govern- House of Representatives, his hunt (excuse for big election Offi cials told them the com- ing Brazil slid to 20% from 26% lawyer, Robert Kelner, said on loss), by media & Dems, of his- mittee was not interested in any in December, while those that S President Donald Thursday. toric proportion!” Trump wrote immunity discussions at that disapprove has risen to 73% from Trump has backed a de- Testimony from Flynn could on Twitter. time. 64% in December, the poll said. Ucision by his former na- help shed light on the conversa- Trump would not comment In a CNN interview yesterday, Distrust of the president has tional security adviser to seek tions he had last year with Sergey further when asked about Flynn King criticised Trump’s remarks grown steadily since he took over immunity in congressional in- Kislyak, Russian ambassador to during a White House meeting and defended the investigations. from Rousseff , vowing to restore vestigations of possible ties be- the United States, while nation- with US manufacturers. “This is not a witch hunt,” growth and business confi dence tween his campaign and Russia, al security adviser for Trump’s Senator Angus King, a member King said. “This is an eff ort to get to Latin America’s largest coun- but there was no immediate sign presidential campaign. of the Senate Intelligence Com- to the truth of some very impor- try. that the request would be grant- Trump, a Republican, said in a mittee, said it was too soon to tant questions.” Despite government predic- ed. tweet that Democrats were insti- discuss immunity for Flynn. “There is no doubt whatsoever tions of economic recovery Retired General Michael gating the congressional probes A government offi cial with di- that the Russians were behind within months, Brazil’s jobless Trump with members of the National Association of Flynn, who resigned only 24 days because they were upset about rect knowledge of the case told an eff ort to interfere in our elec- rate shot to 13.2% over the last Manufacturers at the White House yesterday. The president has after becoming national security his November 8 victory over their Reuters that lawyers for Flynn tions,” he said. “To continue to quarter, the state statistics offi ce declined to elaborate on his tweet about ousted national security adviser, wants protection against party’s candidate, Hillary Clin- raised the immunity request deny that – it just fl ies in the face said. adviser Flynn’s bid for immunity in return for testimony. “unfair prosecution” if he testi- ton. roughly 10 days ago with repre- of all of the reality.” Almost eight in every 10 Bra- zilians (79%) now say they do not trust Temer, up from 72% FBI holds Mexican three months ago, the survey showed. prosecutor over The poll commissioned by Part of interstate highway in Atlanta collapses drug traff icking the National Confederation of Industry lobby CNI surveyed US Federal Bureau of 2,000 people and has a margin of Reuters hicles were still stuck trying to Warren Pickard told a news Investigation (FBI) agents have error of two percentage points. Atlanta get off the highway. conference. “We need everyone arrested a Mexican prosecutor Deal declared a state of emer- to stay put and not travel at this suspected of involvement in the gency for Fulton County, which time. We need the roads clear production and traff icking of Settlement of bridge on Interstate 85 encompasses much of the At- for emergency vehicles.” illegal drugs including heroin and Trump University in Atlanta collapsed on lanta area. Local TV images showed cocaine into the United States, AThursday as a fi re raged Government offi ces in At- bright orange fl ames and thick authorities said on Wednesday. lawsuit approved beneath it, authorities said, lanta were set to open at 10am black smoke billowing into the Edgar Veytia, the attorney sending black smoke into the today to give people extra time sky above the freeway as a line general in Mexico’s western A US judge has granted final air and briefl y causing a fi reball to get to work. of cars stood halted on either state of Nayarit, was arrested approval of a $25mn settlement before the structure fell in on Deal said the fi re that led to side. on Monday at the border in San to resolve a class action lawsuit itself. the highway collapse appeared Traffi c was jammed on near- Diego. that claimed fraud against There were no immediate to have been fuelled by a large by roads and freeways as well, He was detained on a warrant President Donald Trump and reports of casualties in the in- pile of PVC piping under the according to online congestion from a New York state court. his Trump University real estate cident, which snarled traffi c for structure. maps. Veytia was believed to have been seminars. miles. Authorities did not know Television station WSB- detained on the bridge between The ruling was from US District “We are trying to assess the who owned the piping or who TV showed what appeared to San Diego and the Tijuana Judge Gonzalo Curiel in San damage and determine how had put it under the bridge, be barrels and coils under the airport, local media reported. Diego, who Trump criticised quick we can repair it,” Repub- A fire is seen underneath a highway overpass on Interstate 85, Deal said. bridge. In the US indictment seen by during the presidential election lican Georgia Governor Nathan before a section of the highway in Atlanta collapsed. All lanes of the freeway were The station reported that fi re AFP, prosecutors said Veytia is campaign last year. Deal told a news conference. blocked, and authorities urged crews from nearby Hartsfi eld- facing three counts: conspiracy Trump vowed to continue Black smoke billowed so that the sun had set early when before a section collapsed motorists to stay away from the Jackson Atlanta International to produce and distribute heroin, fighting the fraud claims during thickly from the bridge in the the fi re started around 6pm lo- around 7.30pm, even as dozens interstate in all directions. Airport were brought in to help cocaine, methamphetamine and the campaign but agreed to the heart of Atlanta that area resi- cal time. of fi refi ghters fought it, causing “We cannot have any more and were spraying foam typi- marijuana, conspiracy to import settlement soon after he was dents told local media they Then fl ames rose several sto- a brief fi reball. traffi c on the highway,” Atlanta cally used for airplane crashes those substances into the US, and elected. thought a storm was coming or reys high from under the bridge Hours after the collapse, ve- Police Department Sergeant onto the fl ames. conspiracy to distribute them. Top Venezuela offi cial breaks with Maduro government over ‘coup’

Reuters a senior Venezuelan offi cial to rights, in the streets, without the European Union, the United likely, diplomats say, given Vene- Caracas criticise like this. fear,” said opposition lawmaker States, and major Latin American zuela’s support from other leftist One person who has known Miguel Pizarro, who led a knot nations. governments and small nations Ortega for years said that it was of demonstrators into a subway Ally Russia, however, bucked who have benefi ted from its oil enezuela’s powerful at- not the fi rst time she had ex- train. the trend in a statement yester- largesse. torney general has bro- pressed dissent within govern- In volatile western Tachira day, urging the world to leave “It’s false there has been a coup Vken ranks with President ment, though never so publicly. state, several dozen demonstra- Venezuela alone. d’etat in Venezuela,” Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro’s government “Luisa has suff ered a lot of tors tore up copies of court sen- “External forces should not foreign ministry said, alleging a after the judiciary annulled con- threats from all sides for her tences in front of local judicial add fuel to the fi re,” it said. regional right-wing conspiracy. gress, a rare show of internal dis- principled actions,” the person buildings. Maduro accuses Washington “On the contrary, institutions sent as protests and international said, asking not to be named for Having already shot down of leading a push to topple him as have adopted legal correctives to condemnation grew. fear of reprisals. most of the National Assembly’s Activists march along a street of Caracas yesterday, chanting slogans part of a wider off ensive against stop the deviant and coup-seek- Luisa Ortega, appointed at- Throughout the day yesterday, measures since the opposition against the Maduro government. leftists in Latin America. ing actions of opposition parlia- torney general in 2007 and a pockets of protesters blocked won control in 2015, the pro- Brazil, Argentina and Peru mentarians.” staunch ally of the Socialists who roads, unfurled banners and Maduro Supreme Court said on meted on the uncertainty, with ed to just over 20% as Venezue- have all moved to the right re- The Supreme Court’s con- have ruled for the last 18 years, chanted slogans against Madu- Wednesday that it was assum- the country’s benchmark Global lans struggle with a fourth year of cently. tempt charge stems from vote- rebuked the Supreme Court’s ro’s unpopular government. ing the legislature’s functions 2027 and state oil company’s PD- recession, scarcities of food and However, new US President buying accusations against three controversial move to take over In Caracas, several dozen stu- because it was in “contempt” of VSA 2037 both around 7% lower. medicines and the highest infl a- Donald Trump seems to have lawmakers from southern Ama- the opposition-led National As- dents marched to the Supreme the law. The country’s currency fell 9% tion in the world. other priorities or has not yet zonas state. sembly’s functions. Court, but were pushed back by Foes lambasted that as a on the black market against the Critics blame a failing socialist fully formed policy on Venezuela. Even though they no longer sit “It constitutes a rupture of soldiers with riot shields. “coup” against an elected body. dollar. system, whereas the government OAS head Luis Almagro, whom in Congress, the court said par- the constitutional order,” the Some protesters also briefl y Some government critics were Maduro, 54, a former bus says its enemies are waging an the Venezuelan government liamentary leaders had not han- 59-year-old said in a speech. blocked highways in the capital, sceptical of Ortega’s criticism, driver and self-declared “son” “economic war”. views as a pawn of Washington, dled their case legally. “It’s my obligation to express my holding banners reading: “No To speculating that her comments of late leftist predecessor Hugo The fall in oil prices since mid- has been pushing for its suspen- International envoys were great concern to the country.” Dictatorship”. may have been a show to feign Chavez, was narrowly elected in 2014 has exacerbated the crisis. sion from the 34-nation regional summoned to a briefi ng at the While various prominent po- Police moved them on, and separation of powers and give the 2013 amid widespread support The court’s move brought bloc and wants an emergency court yesterday, though after litical fi gures have levelled criti- several were detained, according government an excuse to tweak for the ruling Socialist Party’s condemnations and concern meeting after the latest develop- waiting around an hour, were told cism after leaving the govern- to a local human rights group the controversial decision. oil-fuelled welfare programmes. from the United States, Organi- ments. it was cancelled, according to two ment, it is extremely rare for “We have to demand our Venezuelan bonds plum- But his ratings have plummet- sation of American States (OAS), But suspension appears un- foreign diplomats. Gulf Times 6 Saturday, April 1, 2017 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

COURT RULING TRIAL PROBE STAND-OFF CRACKDOWN Taiwan court acquits Indonesia arrests leader Australia identifies names Wife of Taiwan activist Two Hong Kong activists ‘Sunflower’ protesters for treason ahead of rally with secret Swiss accounts pledges to ‘rescue’ him jailed in southern China

A prominent Taiwanese activist-turned- Indonesian police arrested five people, Australia has identified more than 340 The wife of a Taiwanese rights activist detained Two Chinese activists who supported pro- lawmaker who stormed parliament in 2014 including a Muslim leader, for suspected individuals with links to Swiss banking in China said yesterday she would go to Beijing democracy protests in Hong Kong were jailed protesting a China trade pact was acquitted treason, signalling a clampdown on hardline relationship managers alleged to have actively to “rescue” her husband in a case that has by a court in southern China for subverting with 21 other demonstrators yesterday groups that have agitated against Jakarta’s promoted and facilitated tax evasion schemes, deepened cross-strait tensions. China confirmed state power, but their lawyer said their heavy over their roles in the so-called “Sunflower Christian governor ahead of a mid-April a federal minister said yesterday. Information this week Lee Ming-cheh is under investigation sentences were part of an ongoing crackdown Movement”. The rallies three years ago, election. The arrests came just before gathered by authorities in a joint international for suspected activities “endangering national on civil society. Su Changlan and Chen Qitang, which saw thousands take to the streets and protesters gathered to demand the sacking of investigation indicates that the Australians security”, without revealing details of where he is who both faced “incitement to subvert state some 200 people occupy parliament for Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who identified hold “unnamed numbered accounts being held. It is the latest in a series of incidents power” charges, were jailed for three and weeks, expressed growing anti-China public is on trial for blasphemy. Yesterday’s rally was with a Swiss bank,” Minister for Revenue and that have strained relations between Beijing and four-and-a-half years respectively by a court in sentiment and contributed to the plummeting the latest in a series that have tested religious Financial Services Kelly O’Dwyer, said. “The Taiwan since China-sceptic president Tsai Ing- Foshan close to Guangzhou, according to their popularity of Taiwan’s former Beijing-friendly and ethnic tolerance in Indonesia. Vice fact that these accounts are unnamed means wen won the leadership last year. NGO worker lawyer, Liu Xiaoyuan. At least four other Chinese Kuomintang government. But Taipei District President Jusuf Kalla called on the protesters that by their very nature they are likely to have Lee, 42, was last heard from on March 19 after he activists who have been put behind bars for Court found them not guilty, saying their to respect the legal process and said they been established to hide the identity of the entered the southeastern Chinese city of Zhuhai supporting Hong Kong’s large pro-democracy, actions were justified out of public interest. would not be allowed to dictate the agenda. owner,” she said in a statement.” from the semi-autonomous enclave of Macau. “umbrella movement” protests in 2014. Park in custody after arrest AFP the third former leader to be ar- gerprinted and having her mug- any candidate in the democratic Seoul rested over corruption in Asia’s shot taken — changed into prison era when she was elected in 2012. fourth-largest economy, where garb with her prisoner number But she was impeached by politics and big business have on the chest, and put in a cell. parliament in December, as the outh Korea’s ousted presi- long been closely tied. It is a Under South Korean law pros- scandal combined with mount- dent Park Geun-hye was dramatic step in the disgrace of ecutors now have up to 20 days in ing economic and social frustra- Sspending her fi rst day in South Korea’s fi rst woman presi- which to indict her. tions to trigger huge candlelit custody yesterday after a court dent. Choi Soon-sil, Park’s secret demonstrations. ordered her arrest, with her op- The liberal Democratic Party, confi dante at the heart of the The Constitutional Court ponents crowing and her sup- which is favourite to win the scandal, is being held at the same later upheld the decision. She porters crying. election on May 9 to choose centre, as is Samsung heir Lee had been “lost for words” when The former head of state stared Park’s successor, said in a state- Jae-yong. Choi is already on trial authorities asked for her arrest, straight ahead, apparently try- ment that the move showed “all for forcing top local fi rms includ- the Chosun Ilbo daily quoted an ing to maintain her composure, are equal before the law”. ing the tech giant to “donate” unidentifi ed pro-Park lawmaker as she was driven to the Seoul “We hope today’s landmark nearly $70mn to non-profi t as saying. Another said she had Detention Centre through a bar- decision will provide fresh mo- foundations which she allegedly been having “sleepless nights rage of fl ashbulbs shortly before mentum in revealing the truth used for personal gain, while Lee and skipping meals” since mov- dawn. about the scandal of an unprec- has been indicted for bribery and ing out of the presidential palace. After a marathon hearing on edented scale,” it added. other off ences. Park allegedly off ered govern- Thursday a court in the capital But Park’s own Liberty Korea Ahead of Thursday’s hearing, mental favours to top business- ordered Park’s arrest in connec- party — which has changed its prosecutors submitted around men who enriched Choi, includ- tion with the corruption scandal name in an eff ort to distance it- 120,000 pages of documents to ing Samsung’s Lee. that brought millions of people self from her — called the move the Seoul Central District Court, She is also accused of letting onto the streets and saw her im- “regrettable”. and said it would be “counter to her friend, a high school gradu- peached. Loyalist lawmaker and presi- the principle of fairness” if Park ate with no title or security clear- Prosecutors have yet to specify dential hopeful Kim Jin-tae was were not arrested. The former ance, handle a wide range of state the formal charges against her, furious, calling it “the death knell leader, who has denied the ac- aff airs including nomination of but have previously said she is for the country’s rule of law”. cusations, was grilled for nearly top offi cials. Park is also said to suspected of bribery, abuse of While in offi ce, Park took nine hours by the judge. have cracked down on thousands authority, coercion, and leaking a tough approach to nuclear- Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye (centre), leaves the prosecutors’ off ice in a car as she is That came after she under- of artists who had voiced criti- government secrets. “It is jus- armed North Korea, repeatedly transferred to a detention house early yesterday in Seoul, South Korea. went a 21-hour interrogation cisms of her or her father’s iron- tifi able and necessary to arrest calling for stronger international session at the prosecutors’ offi ce fi sted rule from 1961 to 1979. She (Park) as key charges were justi- sanctions against the regime and rest. “Traitor Park was... thrown Korean media and a “majority of rived, waving national fl ags and last week, having refused re- has repeatedly apologised for the fi ed and there is risk of evidence openly urging more of its citi- into a solitary cell in a prisoner the people”. chanting slogans demanding peated requests to be interviewed upset caused by the scandal but being destroyed,” the court said zens to defect to the South, and uniform,” the state KCNA news Despite the early hour, about her release. According to normal while in power. Park, daughter not admitted any wrongdoing, in a statement. Pyongyang’s offi cial organs were agency said, adding her deten- 50 of her supporters were at the procedure, she would have been of late dictator Park Chung-Hee, blaming Choi for abusing their The decision made Park, 65, relatively quick to report her ar- tion was “welcomed” by South detention centre when Park ar- processed — including being fi n- secured the largest vote share of friendship. Flooding swamps Malaysians freed from Pyongyang Australian towns after feud ends

AFP els in the town. Earlier yester- The weather bureau’s re- AFP The prime minister did not Beenleigh, Australia day, SES acting deputy com- gional director Bruce Gunn Kuala Lumpur specify who in the family had missioner Mark Morrow said said across southeast Queens- made the request. Kim’s wife he had fears for some missing land where the Gold Coast is and children, who were living in Japanese whaling vessel the Nisshin Maru returns to the woman’s body was residents from Lismore. “As located, there had been wide- ine Malaysians freed by exile in the Chinese territory of Shimonoseki port in southwestern Japan yesterday after it and two found yesterday and we start to go out and try to spread rainfall of 100-300mm Pyongyang arrived home Macau, staged a vanishing act other vessels hunted 333 minke whales in the Antarctic Ocean. Atens of thousands of fi nd people that made... calls over the last two days. Nearly yesterday, after after the murder and are believed people were evacuated from overnight, there could be some “In terms of what happened Kuala Lumpur agreed to send to be in hiding. Yesterday, for- Japan kills 333 whales in Antarctic hunt towns in two Australian states very distressing news,” he told in the last 24 or 48 hours, we back the body of the assassinated eign minister Anifah confi rmed after torrential rain caused by the Australian Broadcasting have seen some pretty big half-brother of North Korea’s the body was on its way back to A Japanese whaling fleet returned to port yesterday after an annual a powerful tropical cyclone. Corporation. rainfall totals,” he told Bris- leader, ending a bitter feud be- North Korea after being kept in a Antarctic hunt that killed more than 300 of the mammals as Tokyo Category four Cyclone Deb- “There could be people bane’s Courier Mail. “There tween the two countries. hospital morgue in Kuala Lumpur pursues the programme in defiance of global criticism. The fleet set bie hit northeastern Australia overnight that perished in that is still that strong risk around Kim Jong-nam was killed with for more than six weeks. sail for the Southern Ocean in November, with plans to slaughter 333 on Tuesday between Bowen fl ood, we don’t know at this the Gold Coast.” the lethal nerve agent VX on Feb- Chinese and Malaysian me- minke whales, flouting a worldwide moratorium and opposition led by and Airlie Beach in Queens- stage.” Focus has turned to the res- ruary 13 at a Kuala Lumpur air- dia reported it was put on board Australia and New Zealand. land state, ripping up trees, Other towns subject to toration of essential services port, triggering a diplomatic row a Malaysian Airlines plane bound The fleet consisted of five ships, three of which arrived in the morning washing boats onto land and evacuation orders include such as water and electricity between Malaysia and North Ko- for Beijing at 7:39pm Thursday at Shimonoseki port in western Japan, the country’s Fisheries Agency causing widespread damage. Tweed Heads, Kingscliff and in the areas hit by Debbie, in- rea, which expelled each other’s and an AFP photographer saw a said. More than 200 people, including crew members and their Debbie was downgraded Murwillumbah. Farmer Peter cluding Bowen, Mackay and ambassadors and barred their North Korean embassy van and families, gathered in the rain for a 30-minute ceremony in front of to a tropical low as it tracked Hannigan, whose property the Whitsunday islands where citizens from leaving. offi cials leaving Beijing airport the Nisshin Maru, the fleet’s main ship, according to an off icial of the southeast, but continued to is just north of Lismore, said some 50,000 people were still But a deal announced by Ma- early yesterday morning. South Shimonoseki City government. pack damaging gusts and the deluge was the worst he without power, offi cials said. laysian Prime Minister Najib Korean news agency Yonhap re- In a press release, the agency described the mission as “research for dump huge amounts of rain all had ever seen in more than The military has mobilised Razak and confi rmed by North ported Kim’s body was expected the purpose of studying the ecological system in the Antarctic Sea”. the way down the east coast to 50 years in the area. “I think a 1,300 soldiers to help assess Korean state media on Thursday to leave for Pyongyang on an Air But environmentalists and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) call New South Wales state, south lot of people are going to have the full extent of damage and said the two countries had lifted Koryo fl ight as early as on Satur- that a fiction and say the real purpose is simply to hunt whales for their of Queensland, and Sydney. a lot of signifi cant damage on aid the clean-up, with heli- their respective travel bans, and day. meat. NSW Police said the body the farms,” he told the ABC. “It copters and planes deploying Kuala Lumpur would send the The South has blamed Anticipating the fleet’s return, animal protection charity Humane of a woman who “disappeared is the worst I have ever seen I to restore infrastructure and body to North Korea. Pyongyang for the Cold War- Society International called for an end to Japanese whaling. “Each year in fl oodwaters overnight from have to admit.” supply emergency food, water The Malaysians, three embas- style killing, citing what they say that Japan persists with its discredited scientific whaling is another year a rural property” near Mur- Further north in Queens- and fuel. sy staff and six family members, was a standing order from North where these wonderful animals are needlessly sacrificed,” said Kitty willumbah just south of the land, the popular tourist city Queensland Premier An- including a small baby and three Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un to Block, the group’s executive vice president. “It is an obscene cruelty in Queensland border was found of Gold Coast and other near- nastacia Palaszczuk said some other children, landed at Kuala murder his exiled and estranged the name of science that must end,” she said in a release. yesterday. by regions were also inundated 2,000 properties had been Lumpur International Airport half-brother. Japan also caught 333 minke whales in the previous season ending Lismore, south of Murwil- by water. Upper Springbrook assessed, with about 270 se- before sunrise where they were But the North denies this and in 2016 after a one-year hiatus prompted by an ICJ ruling, which said lumbah near the NSW coast in the Gold Coast hinterland verely damaged. “The army is met on the tarmac by Foreign denounced Malaysia’s investiga- the hunt was a commercial venture masquerading as science and was hard hit, with the State recorded 789mm of water doing everything it can to get Minister Anifah Aman. tion into the death as an attempt ordered Tokyo to end it. Under the International Whaling Commission Emergency Service (SES) during Thursday, the Bureau water into those parts of North There were emotional scenes to smear the secretive regime. (IWC), to which Japan is a signatory, there has been a moratorium on warning of 3m high fl ood lev- of Meteorology said. Queensland.” at the airport as they were em- It had insisted that the man hunting whales since 1986. Tokyo exploits a loophole allowing whales braced by tearful relatives who died of a heart attack and his to be killed for “scientific research” and claims it is trying to prove the had also gathered to meet them. body should be handed over to population is large enough to sustain a return to commercial hunting. Mohamad Nor Azrin, coun- Pyongyang. But it also makes no secret of the fact that whale meat ends up sellor of the Malaysian embassy Analysts said the North Ko- on dinner tables. Japan has hunted whales for centuries, and their in Pyongyang, said that while rean regime may use Kim’s body meat was a key source of protein in the immediate post-World War II they had not been threatened and as a “propaganda tool”. years when the country was desperately poor. But consumption has were free to move around they “They will likely use the body dramatically declined in recent decades, with significant proportions of were not allowed to leave. “We to claim they were not responsi- the population saying they “never” or “rarely” eat whale meat. were very concerned because we ble and tell an alternative narra- In response to the ICJ ruling, Japan’s 2014-15 mission carried out had done no wrong. But we had tive,” said Bridget Welsh, an ex- only “non-lethal research” such as taking skin samples and doing to keep our spirits up,” he told pert on Southeast Asian politics. headcounts. reporters. Pyongyang has refused to On the just completed mission as well, the agency said that besides the Najib, who had earlier de- confi rm the identity of the vic- kills it counted whales, took skin samples from live ones and attached clared the diplomatic crisis over, tim, who was carrying a North tracking devices to them. Past missions have been hampered by a said on Twitter: “Thank God, all Korean passport bearing the confrontational campaign on the high seas by environmentalists Sea nine Malaysians from Pyongyang name of Kim Chol when he was Shepherd, though Japan has won some relief from the group through have arrived safely in our home- killed. Malaysia however has of- the courts. land.” fi cially confi rmed his identity Fisheries Minister Yuji Yamamoto told reporters that Sea Shepherd’s Najib had earlier announced using DNA evidence. attitude “seems to have somewhat softened” this time, according to the body was being sent back There are fears Kim’s 21-year- Kyodo News. A fisheries agency off icial said that the whalers this time “following the completion of old son, Kim Han-sol, could be faced “no obstructive behaviour threatening safety of the fleet and the autopsy on the deceased and targeted next. Two women — one crew members” by the group. He attributed that partially to Japan receipt of a letter from his fam- Vietnamese and one Indone- having started dispatching fisheries agency patrol ships to protect the Maddie Skyring is comforted by a companion after discovering her submerged car at the flooded ily requesting the remains be re- sian — have been arrested and fleet. Beenleigh train station carpark yesterday. turned to North Korea”. charged with the murder. Gulf Times Saturday, April 1, 2017 7 BRITAIN/IRELAND

PEOPLE AVIATION CRIME CLAIM LEGAL Fashion queen Millen Jet narrowly misses drone Man charged over Mother blames traff ic Bin lorry death driver declared bankrupt near Heathrow airport double murder fines for son’s death avoids jail for new incident

Fashion designer Karen Millen, who dominated A passenger plane had a near-miss with a A man has been charged with the murder A coroner is to investigate a mother’s claims The driver of the bin lorry that crashed in the high street in the Nineties and Noughties drone at 10,000ft as it approached Heathrow of a mother and her 13-year-old son who that her “adorable” son took his own life Glasgow killing six people has been banned with a legion of celebrity fans including Spice airport. Pilots spotted a gadget with multiple were stabbed to death at their home. Tracey shortly after a visit by bailiffs chasing two from driving for three years. Harry Clarke was Girl Emma Bunton, actress Helena Bonham arms and up to eight rotors pass by the right Wilkinson and her son Pierce were killed in unpaid traffic tickets. Jerome Rogers, 20, was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid Carter and singer Charlotte Church, has been hand side of the plane as it was preparing to the attack in Stourbridge, West Midlands. found hanged in woods 36 hours after being work. At an earlier hearing Clarke, 60, admitted declared bankrupt. Millen, 55, who grew up on land. Both pilots exclaimed: “Was that a drone? The boy’s father, Peter, was seriously injured. reported missing from his family home in culpable and reckless driving nine months after a council estate in Kent before founding the At 10,000 feet!”, air safety experts UK Airprox Aaron Barley, 23, of no fixed address, has also Croydon. Earlier on the day he went missing the fatal crash. He had his licence withdrawn for hugely successful business that bore her name, Board (UKAB) said. The drone was estimated to been charged with the attempted murder he had been visited by a debt collector fol- medical reasons following the bin lorry crash said she was “deeply devastated” after she be about 98ft away from the plane and “safety of Peter Wilkinson, police said. He is due lowing up on two penalty notices, his mother on December 22, 2014. Clarke, from Baillieston, was unable to pay a £6mn demand for unpaid was not assured”, UKAB added. Large drones to appear before Birmingham Magistrates’ Tracey said. Jerome picked up the notices pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to driving tax from HMRC. The designer collected an are not permitted to fly above 400ft or within Court today. The family were discovered by working as a motorbike courier for CitySprint a car on September 20, 2015, despite knowing estimated £35mn when she sold her 130-store proximity of airports or airfields. It incident on emergency crews at the house in Greyhound delivering blood to hospitals across Camden. he was unfit to drive. Clarke admitted driving the chain in 2004 but lost much of the money in November 11, 2016, happened so quickly that Lane, Norton, on Thursday morning. Tracey She says he had been unable to pay both car in the knowledge that he had suff ered a loss the collapse of the Icelandic bank Kaupthing the Airbus A320 pilots said they had “no time was pronounced dead at the scene while her within the two-week deadline and they esca- of consciousness while at the wheel of a moving after the 2008 financial crash. to react”. son died in hospital. lated above £1,000. refuse collection vehicle. Broadband Jurassic Kingdom exhibition bills set to fall after new Ofcom ruling

Guardian News and Media tinue to allow Openreach to set London its own wholesale pricing for the fastest broadband speed packages. It hopes that this cap on what illions of broadband Openreach is allowed to charge at customers could see the 40Mb speed will be enough Mtheir bills slashed un- of an incentive to encourage in- der proposals from Ofcom that vestment from BT and rivals in would force BT to cut almost ultrafast and full-fi bre networks. £100mn in charges to rivals to “Ofcom wants to provide provide services to their custom- incentives to invest in ultra- ers on its network. fast networks, while promoting The telecoms watchdog has competition and protecting con- published proposals that would sumers from high prices,” said A man views an animatronic life-size dinosaur ahead of an interactive exhibition, Jurassic Kingdom, at Osterley Park in west London, Britain, yesterday. see BT-owned Openreach, which Jonathan Oxley, competition controls the UK’s broadband group director at Ofcom. network, dramatically reduce “People need reliable phone what it charges rivals such as Sky and broadband services more and TalkTalk to off er superfast than ever. We’re making sure 40Mb broadband packages to the market is delivering the best customers via its network. possible services for homes and Currently Openreach charges business across the UK.” rivals £88.80 a year in wholesale Analysts at Exane predict that charges for each individual su- cutting the charges will cost BT Scotland makes request perfast package, one of the most £45mn in 2018, rising to po- popular with UK broadband us- tentially as much as £244mn by ers. Ofcom has launched a con- 2021, in a “worst case scenario” sultation to cut this by 40% to if at that time there are nearly £52.77 a year by 2020-21. 7mn non-BT subscribers on the There are estimated to be be- 40Mb service. tween 2.4mn and 3mn non-BT Ofcom believes 40Mb will be for independence vote customers taking the 40Mb the “most important package” package via Openreach, meaning consumers will need over the AFP Britain as a whole voted to leave. early 2019, before Britain leaves Opinion polls show support tion amid reports of a boycott by the company’s fees will fall by coming years to provide enough Edinburgh Sturgeon argues that this the EU. for independence is broadly un- unionists. close to £100mn based on esti- speed to handle their internet means the circumstances have However a government spokes- changed from 2014, but May’s The SNP wants to prevent mated customer levels. needs. changed since a 2014 independ- woman has reiterated May’s posi- fi rm stance against discussing a Scotland being “dragged out of “We would expect these sav- However, rivals believe the he Scottish government ence referendum in which 55% tion that “now is not the time” for vote now is widely regarded as a the EU against its will”, but a sur- ings to be passed on to residential market will move to ever faster yesterday formally asked voted to stay part of Britain. a second independence referen- gamble as Scots could react un- vey by NatCen Social Research on customers through cheaper pric- broadband speeds and that will TPrime Minister Theresa She said the government had dum, adding that the government favourably to London ignoring Thursday found Scottish people es,” said Ofcom. “This promotes mean consumers will poten- May for a second referendum on rejected “all attempts at com- “will not be entering into nego- the will of the Edinburgh parlia- have broadly the same opinions competition in the superfast tially face big price rises, because independence, deepening a con- promise” on Brexit — a reference tiations on the Scottish govern- ment. on the European Union as the rest broadband service most used to- packages over 40Mb will not stitutional crisis sparked by the to her proposal for Scotland to be ment’s proposal”. Sturgeon has already indicated of Britain. day by consumers.” have a price cap. Brexit vote. allowed to stay in the European “At this point, all our focus she will take unspecifi ed “steps” Professor John Curtice, senior Matt Hancock, minister of state “It is good that Ofcom is start- First Minister Nicola Sturgeon single market even as the rest of should be on our negotiations for holding a referendum anyway research fellow at NatCen, said: for digital and culture, said: “We ing to regulate but it is only partial wrote a letter to May telling her Britain leaves. with the European Union, making in case her request for one is ig- “For the most part voters on both want everyone in the UK to have for some products and not others,” that Scotland did not want to “There appears to be no ra- sure we get the right deal for the nored. sides of the border want much the access to fast, reliable, and aff ord- said TalkTalk’s chief executive, leave Europe’s single market, two tional reason for you to stand in whole of the UK,” she added. Sturgeon’s predecessor Alex same outcome — free trade, im- able broadband, and Ofcom’s pro- Dido Harding. “This leaves Open- days after Britain launched the the way of the will of the Scottish But Sturgeon said that the new Salmond frequently threatened to migration control and retention posals are good news for consum- reach a lot of opportunity for gam- process of leaving the European parliament and I hope you will not referendum would give Scots “the hold a non-binding “consultative of much of the consumer and en- ers, businesses, and the country. ing. They can price how they like Union. do so,” she said. choice of following the UK out of referendum” in 2012, before Lon- vironmental regulation currently “Measures like these that re- above 40Mb. Consumers should “The people of Scotland must The Scottish Parliament voted the EU and single market on the don relented and approved the le- aff orded by the EU. duce everyday costs and bills, be worried there could be a speed have the right to choose our own by 69 votes to 59 on Tuesday for terms you negotiate, or becoming gally binding poll in 2014. “This means that on immigra- and ensure consumer markets divide with a choice of a trade off future,” Sturgeon, leader of the another referendum, but it cannot an independent country”. The Spanish region of Catalo- tion in particular voters in Scot- work in the way they should, will for a fair price for lower speed ruling Scottish National Party, hold a legally-binding vote with- May now faces a battle on two nia’s separatist government held a land seem to be more in tune with help us build a Britain that works products and a higher unregulated said in the letter. out London’s approval. fronts as she seeks to negotiate a non-binding referendum in 2014, the stance taken by the UK gov- for everyone.” price for the faster products the Scotland voted to remain in the Sturgeon has said she wants good deal from Brexit and tame but the 80% vote for self-deter- ernment than that adopted by the Ofcom said it intended to con- market is moving towards.” EU in last year’s referendum but the referendum to be held by nationalist sentiment in Scotland. mination was called into ques- Scottish government,” he said. House prices ‘fall for Mattis in London N Ireland political fi rst time in two years’ talks to resume Reuters instate it. This week, nationalists Belfast and unionists missed a deadline to Guardian News and Media rising infl ation and weak wage “The south of England contin- form a coalition government after London growth, potentially deterring ued to see slightly stronger price three weeks of talks that one party people from committing to major growth than the north of Eng- orthern Ireland’s main described as a “shambles”. spending decisions. land, but there was a further nar- political parties will But the British government ouse prices fell for the However, economists believe a rowing in the diff erential,” said Nresume talks on Monday has said it will not start to revert fi rst time in almost two housing crash is unlikely because Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s to break a deadlock that threat- powers to London until April 18, Hyears in March, accord- a shortage of homes coming on chief economist. ens the devolved government, giving the parties an additional ing to Nationwide, in the latest to the market in the UK will limit “Northern Ireland saw a slight the cornerstone of peace in the two weeks to strike a deal. sign of a slowdown in the prop- the extent to which prices fall. pickup in annual house price province for almost two decades, After criticism from all sides erty market. “Markedly weakening con- growth, while conditions re- the British government said. about the format of the talks, the The average price of a home fell sumer fundamentals, likely mained relatively subdued in A political crisis has gripped parties are to agree an agenda 0.3% to £207,308 following a 0.6% mounting caution over making Scotland and Wales.” Northern Ireland since the Irish and hold structured, bilateral and rise in prices in February. It was major spending decisions, and Looking at trends over the past nationalist party Sinn Fein pulled roundtable meetings overseen by the fi rst fall on the Nationwide in- elevated house price to earn- decade, the mortgage lender said out of government in January, the British and Irish governments, dex since June 2015 and surprised ings ratios are likely to weigh home ownership in England was which sparked a March 2 election the London said in a statement. City economists who had forecast down on housing market activity at the lowest level since 1985, at that ended the majority pro- The talks will also explicitly a 0.4% increase in prices. and house prices,” said Howard 62.9% in 2016. Ownership rates British unionists had enjoyed for address “the implementation of The fall pushed the annual rate Archer, UK chief at IHS Markit. among those aged 35-44 fell almost a century. outstanding issues from previ- of growth down to a 19-month “However, a shortage of sup- sharply to 56% from 74% in 2006. No one is predicting the polit- ous agreements”, it said. low of 3.5%, weaker than ex- ply is likely to put a fl oor under “The counterpart to this trend ical impasse might pitch North- Sinn Fein argues that previous pected. And it echoed a report prices. Consequently, we believe has been robust growth in the ern Ireland back into the violence deals to give legal status to the Irish earlier in the week from the Bank house price gains over 2017 will private rental sector, with 20% of between Catholic nationalists language and to proceed with in- of England, which said mortgage be limited to around 2.5%.” households in England now pri- and Protestant unionists that quiries into deaths during the dec- approvals had fallen for the fi rst Nationwide said that over the vately rented, a record high, up killed 3,600 people in three dec- ades of sectarian violence have not time in six months in February. fi rst quarter, there was the least from 12% 10 years ago,” Gardner Defence Secretary Michael Fallon shakes hands with US ades before a 1998 peace deal. been honoured. Their main rivals, Britain’s housing market is ex- variation in regional house price said. Defence Secretary James Mattis at Lancaster House in But the impasse may increase the Democratic Unionist Party, pected to come under some pres- performance in almost 40 years. Brian Murphy, head of lending central London. Mattis signalled that Washington might sectarian tensions and freeze de- have accused Sinn Fein — which sure in 2017 as the backdrop for At 6.8 percentage points, the gap at the Mortgage Advice Bureau, soon decide how to respond to what it says are Russian cision-making as Britain prepares has long sought Northern Ireland’s consumers weakens. between the weakest and strong- said a cooling of the housing mar- violations of a Cold War-era arms control agreement, to leave the European Union. The merger with the Irish Republic — of Household fi nances are being est performing regions was the ket might enable more people to saying the US was conferring with allies. last time the devolved government demanding too many concessions squeezed by a combination of lowest since 1978. get on to the housing ladder. collapsed, it took fi ve years to re- because they want the talks to fail. Gulf Times 8 Saturday, April 1, 2017 EUROPE Tillerson pushes US demand on Nato allies Reuters €70bn. I don’t know any Ger- gested Washington’s security Brussels man politician who would claim guarantees for European allies that is reachable nor desirable,” could be conditional on them Gabriel told the fi rst meeting of spending more on their own de- Nato foreign ministers meet at the alliance headquarters in Brussels yesterday. S Secretary of State Rex Nato foreign ministers attended fence. Tillerson has reassured by Tillerson. He has also said he wants Nato essary and makes sense to further plans for arriving at the target as tomary during such gatherings. A meeting on Thursday be- Uhis nervous European “The United States will realise to do more to fi ght terrorism. strengthen our armed forces”. they prepared for the May sum- His initial decision to skip his tween ambassadors from Nato counterparts over Washington’s it is better to talk about better “Our goal should be to agree at US defence expenditure makes mit. fi rst meeting with Nato foreign and Russia called on Moscow to commitment to Nato and pressed spending instead of more spend- the May leaders meeting that by up about 70% of the total Nato In London, Britain’s Defence ministers had added to questions do more to rein in the Moscow- them again to spend more on de- ing,” he said, noting that human- the end of the year all allies will allies’ defence spending. Secretary Michael Fallon said about the Trump administra- allied separatists battling Kiev’s fence, triggering a rebuke from itarian, development and eco- have either met the pledge guide- Only four European Nato that other European Nato allies tion’s commitment. forces there. Germany. nomic aid to stabilise countries lines or will have developed plans members – Estonia, Greece, Po- must “raise their game, and those The meeting was later re- Stoltenberg said ties between Foreign Minister Sigmar and regions should also count. that clearly articulate how ... the land and Britain – meet the 2% failing to meet the two-percent scheduled and he attended yes- European Nato members and the Gabriel said it was neither Tillerson said allies will need to pledge will be fulfi lled,” Tillerson target. commitment ... should at least terday. United States were “rock solid”. “reachable nor desirable” for pay up or outline plans for meet- said. “Allies must demonstrate Nato head Jens Stoltenberg agree to year-on-year real terms “The United States is commit- He said “fair burden shar- Germany to spend the agreed ing that target when Nato leaders by their actions that they share rejected Gabriel’s call to include increases”. ted to ensuring Nato has the ca- ing to keep the trans-Atlantic Nato target of 2% of member meet on May 25 for the fi rst top- US government’s commitment.” non-military spending towards Tillerson did however off er as- pabilities to support our collec- bond strong” and “stepping up states’ economic output on de- level summit of the alliance to be In Berlin, German government the goal, but said Germany was surances of Washington’s com- tive defence,” Tillerson said. “We Nato eff orts to project stabil- fence. attended by US President Donald spokesman, Steff en Seibert, said moving “in the right direction” mitment to Nato during his brief will uphold the agreements we ity and fi ght terrorism” were Nato allies have until 2024 to Trump. that the government was com- with more military spending af- stop in Brussels, although US have made to defend our allies.” on the agenda yesterday as the do that. Trump has criticised the North mitted to increasing defence ter years of cuts. offi cials said the US secretary of Tillerson said that Nato was bloc seeks to respond to the new, “Two per cent would mean Atlantic Treaty Organisation spending and would continue to He said yesterday that Nato state did not have time for one- fundamental to countering Rus- harsher tone from across the At- military expenses of some (Nato) as “obsolete” and sug- do so “because we know it is nec- ministers discussed national on-one meetings, which are cus- sian aggression in Ukraine. lantic.

Turkey trawled four continents for data Austria sees rise in No joke as on foes of Erdogan: Austrian lawmaker attacks on shelters Nordic AFP Freedom Party (FPOe) has press say Reuters Austria’s government said it was Vienna stoked concerns about the in- Vienna safe to assume the ones on Aus- fl ux to boost support, with its tria were genuine. candidate Norbert Hofer com- no to April Some reports, such as the one ustria recorded a sharp ing close to being elected pres- urkish embassies on four from Nigeria, include the names rise in attacks against ident last year. continents submitted re- of middlemen responsible for Amigrant shelters last The ruling centrist coalition Fools’ Day Tports on alleged foreign- building up ties between Gulen- year, with 49 cases that mostly has taken a harder line, an- based opponents of President ists and local power centres. went unsolved compared to 25 nouncing plans to beef up sur- Recep Tayyip Erdogan within a In the Austrian report, a in 2015, authorities said yes- veillance, ban full-face veils in AFP week of receiving a request from Turkish offi cial in Salzburg says terday. public and oblige migrants to Stockholm Ankara last September, accord- an Austrian mosque umbrella The incidents, revealed in a sign an “integration contract”. ing to documents released by an group and other organisations response by the interior minis- It has also stepped up de- Austrian lawmaker. have destroyed books, audio try to a parliamentary enquiry, portations of migrants whose wedish and Norwegian The papers made public by material, videos and newspa- ranged from racist graffi ti to asylum claims are rejected, re- newspapers said yesterday opposition Greens politician pers deemed to be Gulenist. arson, stones being thrown cently off ering €1,000 ($1,069) Sthat they would refrain Peter Pilz suggested a wider in- Pilz: There is clearly a global network of informants. We cannot say The offi cial says some gaps through windows and gas to the fi rst 1,000 people to vol- from the tradition of publishing telligence network than has so exactly how long it took to build up this network. I assume that it left by disappearing Gulenist pipes being slashed. unteer for repatriation. April Fools’ Day jokes this year far been revealed by authori- happened in a matter of years. organisations have been suc- According to opposition Chancellor Christian Kern over fears that it might spread ties investigating alleged spying cessfully fi lled with Erdogan- lawmaker Albert Steinhauser also wrote to Brussels this “fake news”. by Turkey on its expatriates in ment in which Keskin personally Turkey has accused Gulen of friendly replacements, such as who made the enquiry, 44 of week looking for Austria to Magnus Karlsson, editor- three European countries. ordered the global surveillance masterminding a failed coup at- after-school clubs. the incidents that were clearly be exempted from a European in-chief at the daily Smaland- “There is clearly a global net- eff ort and asked for any reports tempt last July and has purged A report from Azerbaijan motivated by hatred. Union scheme to take in mi- sposten said on its website that work of informants. We cannot to be sent to him, according to state institutions, schools, uni- names a journalist and some Steinhauser told the Aus- grants relocated from hotspots he doesn’t want the newspa- say exactly how long it took to the German media. versities and the media of tens parliamentarians as sources of tria Press Agency (APA) that Italy and Greece. per’s brand “to be spread with a build up this network. I assume The German federal pros- of thousands of suspected Gu- information on Gulenists. in 77% of the cases, police had Recent studies have also potentially viral and erroneous that it happened in a matter of ecutor’s offi ce declined to com- len supporters. It names the director of a not managed to track down the shown a sharp rise in online story”. years,” Pilz told reporters. ment. The cleric denies any involve- Turkish high school in Baku who culprits. hate speech, directed pre- “We work with real news. A senior Turkish government An offi cial at the Diyanet said ment. will be reminded about the need “The most important thing dominantly at Muslims, and Even on April 1st,” he said. offi cial said: “These claims are Keskin was currently in Turkey The documents, which Pilz to remove Gulenist teachers at is for the interior ministry to suggested that Austrians’ at- The “fake news” phenom- completely false.” and that while the Diyanet was said he had received from a his school. take these incidents serious titudes toward immigration enon broke out amid the 2016 Tensions are running high aware of the German media re- Turkish source, showed embas- An Australian report refers to and makes every necessary ef- have hardened. US presidential election and between Turkey and the EU as ports, it had received no offi cial sies in over 30 countries across “people who have lived in Aus- fort to investigate,” he said. The interior ministry said grew even further when Don- Ankara tries to drum up support notifi cation from the German Europe, Africa, Australia and tralia for a long time and who He said that no one wanted a there were also 49 incidents ald Trump, during his fi rst press among expatriate Turks to vote authorities that Keskin was be- Asia sent reports to Diyanet on know (the Gulenist) structure situation like in neighbouring carried out by migrants them- conference on January 11 as then “yes” in a referendum on April ing investigated. alleged Gulenists. very well”. Germany – where the popula- selves at the shelters including President-elect, shouted at a 16 on whether to grant Erdogan Countries routinely post in- Most were fi led by religious An entry from Mongolia de- tion is around 10 times larger violence, death threats, stalk- CNN reporter: “You are fake sweeping new powers. telligence offi cers in their em- attachés in Turkish embassies scribes activity by alleged Gu- – which reported almost 900 ing and vandalism. news!” German, Austrian and Swiss bassies, and the European au- or consulates. lenists on Facebook and Twitter. such cases in 2016. No comparison fi gures from Sweden was a victim of “fake authorities have all launched thorities have not said in what They typically listed the Turkey has rejected previous Austria, a nation of 8.7mn prior years were released. news” when Fox News in Febru- investigations into whether ways the alleged Turkish activ- names and addresses of alleged accusations that it was using people, has received more “We have to look closely ary interviewed a “security and Turkey is conducting illegal es- ity went beyond acceptable lev- Gulenists, as well as of pub- religious bodies in Europe to spy than 130,000 asylum applica- at what the causes are. We defence expert”, who turned out pionage on their soil. els of information-gathering by lishing houses, media groups, on Erdogan critics. tions since 2015 following the strongly suspect that trauma, to have criminal convictions in German prosecutors are in- a foreign power. educational centres and schools In March, the religious at- onset of the European Union’s experiences of war and ex- the United States and had no vestigating Halife Keskin, who Among the documents re- deemed to support the cleric. taché of Turkey’s embassy in biggest migration crisis since treme violence play a role,” connections to the Scandina- leads the foreign aff airs depart- leased by Pilz was a written call Some reports include infor- Austria told a local newspa- World War II. Steinhauser said, calling for vian nation’s security services, ment of the Turkish state re- on September 20, using the let- mation on family members and per that mosque groups had a The opposition far-right better psychiatric care. Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter ligious authority, the Diyanet, terheads of the prime minister’s the educational background of duty to check whether people reported. newspaper Sueddeutsche Zei- offi ce and the Diyanet, for in- targeted people. of Turkish origin in Austria had Now, several local daily Swed- tung and two German broad- formation on supporters of Er- Reuters could not immediate- been “radicalised” by Gulen. IS volunteer loses Danish citizenship ish newspapers including Dalar- casters reported late yesterday. dogan’s arch-enemy Fethullah ly verify the authenticity of the He said it was legitimate to nas Tidningar, Hallpressen and Investigators have a docu- Gulen. documents, but a source close to deliver reports on such people. A Danish appellate court has stripped a man of his Danish Vasterbottens-Kuriren have re- citizenship for volunteering to fight for the Islamic State (IS) in Syria. frained from publishing April Danish-born Hamza Cakan, who has dual Danish-Turkish Fools’ Day jokes. citizenship, was also to be deported to Turkey after serving a six- “Historically, we’ve had super year prison sentence, the Eastern High Court said. successful April Fools jokes. But Vote supporters, opponents clash in Brussels The 25-year-old Cakan, formerly known as Enes Ciftci, had travelled because of debates and discus- to Syria twice in 2013 and was registered as a “fighter” by Islamic sions about the media’s credibil- State, according to the appellate court. ity being connected to fake news, AFP “Many people were injured” Charles Michel, in a tweet, con- stabbed in incidents provoked Defence attorney Michael Juul Eriksen said the deportation would we didn’t want to do it this year,” Brussels and taken to hospital, she add- demned the violence, saying by supporters of Erdogan’s rul- be appealed to the Supreme Court. Ingvar Naslund, editor-in-chief ed, without giving details on the that his government has “zero ing Justice and Development Cakan was last year sentenced to seven years in prison but allowed at Vasterbottens-Kuriren told number of people or on the state tolerance” for such incidents Party (AKP). to keep his Danish passport. TT news agency. everal people were injured of their injuries, saying that the linked to the referendum. The Kurdish community Erik Berger, editor-in-chief in “serious incidents” situation was “sensitive”. Around 100 people remained organisation NavBel said a at the daily Jonkopings-Posten, Sin front of the Turkish The incident occurred on the in front of the consulate at 10pm 60-year-old woman was among Syrian student probed over ‘plot’ told AFP that his newspaper consulate in Brussels between third day that Turkish voters in but police had managed to sep- those attacked and was serious- would “write in (Saturday’s) edi- supporters and opponents of Belgium are allowed to cast early arate the rival camps and the ly wounded. German police are investigating a Syrian doctorate student in tion” about why they won’t pub- Turkish President Recep Tayyip ballots for a referendum that situation was said to be under One of the four attackers fl ed detention for having allegedly planned a bomb attack, local media lish such jokes. Erdogan late on Thursday, Bel- could vastly boost Erdogan’s control. into the embassy building but reported yesterday. In neighbouring Norway, the gian police said. powers. The Brussels prosecutor’s of- was later arrested, NavBel said The 36-year-old male was previously already probed over largest media organisations “Serious incidents broke out Turkish voters in Austria, fi ce was investigating the inci- in a statement cited by the Belga suspected ties to the Islamic State (IS) group, said public such as public broadcaster NRK, between supporters and oppo- Denmark, France, Germany and dent. press agency. broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk. newspaper Aftenposten, VG and nents of the Turkish regime, on Switzerland can also cast their According to the pro-Kurdish Turkey will vote on April 16 The suspect was detained last year over a video broadcast online Dagbladet have also abandoned a public road, outside the con- ballots for the next two weeks, Firat news agency, three peo- on the proposal to create an ex- in which he allegedly voiced his support for IS. Investigators had this old tradition. sulate of Turkey,” police spokes- until April 9. ple of Kurdish origin arriving ecutive presidency and abolish confiscated his mobile phone and other electronic devices, and NRK said local newspapers woman Ilse van de Keere said. Belgian Prime Minister to vote on the referendum were the post of prime minister. subsequently found the bomb-building instructions. would follow suit. Gulf Times Saturday, April 1, 2017 9 INDIA

CLARIFICATION LEGAL DEMONETISATION DECISION CRIME India ‘not blocking Charges filed against Chaos as crowds throng Interest on small Boy’s body found UNMOGIP reports’ Himachal chief minister RBI to exchange old notes savings schemes cut in garbage dump

The United Nations has denied that the Indian The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Hundreds thronged the Reserve Bank of India in The government yesterday lowered the interest The body of a child was yesterday found at government was preventing the UN Military yesterday filed a chargesheet against Himachal New Delhi with old demonetised notes to grab new rate on small savings schemes, including Public a garbage dumping site in Gurugram, police Observer Group in India and Pakistan from Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and ones on the last day of off icial exchange yesterday Provident Fund (PPF), by 0.1% for April 1-June 30 said. The garbage dumping site falls near a making reports. Asked by a reporter if the others in connection with a disproportionate but most people returned home disappointed. period. Accordingly, interest rates for small savings temple in the busiest area of the city, police UNMOGIP was not making periodic reports assets case. The CBI filed the chargesheet in Bank off icials and security personnel turned away schemes are to be notified on quarterly basis. said. A JCB machine was loading garbage “because the Indian government does not allow New Delhi before special judge Virender Kumar many because the facility was only for those who “The government has announced revised rates of into the truck at the site when the body of them to,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Goyal, who has listed the matter for today were abroad during the demonetisation as well as interest on various small savings schemes for the the boy, aged between three to four years, deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq denied there for consideration of the investigation report. Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). Even many eligible first quarter of the financial year 2017-18. “To bring was discovered. The body has been kept in an were any constraints imposed by India. He said Besides Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha claimants failed to reach the bank counters as such rates somewhat closer to market rates, the autopsy house for identification and the police the mission had diff erent mandates and was not Singh, Life Insurance Corporation agent Anand they could not produce the required documents. government has decided to eff ect a reduction of 0.1 are investigating the case. A senior police required to file reports like some of the other Chauhan, his associate Chunni Lal, Joginder As there were hardly any off icials to communicate percentage point (10 basis points) in interest rates officer said that the child might have been missions. “Diff erent peace-keeping missions Singh Ghalta, Prem Raj, Lawan Kumar Roach, with the crowd, the situation outside the RBI turned across the board in all the schemes except the killed somewhere else and later dumped at the have diff erent mandates, and including diff erent Vakamullah Chandrashekhara and Ram Prakash chaotic. People openly expressed their anger and Post Off ice Savings Account, which has been left site. Police said the cause of death would be reporting mandates,” Haq said. Bhatia are also chargesheeted in the case. desperation with one another and with the media. untouched,” the finance ministry said. revealed only after the post-mortem report. Nationwide Metro train flagged off advocates’ stir cripples judicial work

IANS “Around 60,000 advocates New Delhi across Bengal abstained from judicial work in response to the strike,” Bar Council of West Ben- udicial work across the gal vice chairman Prasun Kumar country was crippled yester- Datta said. Jday following a nationwide In Maharashtra and Goa, the strike by advocates in protest majority of the nearly 150,000 against a proposed bill that pro- advocates abstained from work. hibits them from holding agita- Activist lawyer Ashish Me- tions and makes them liable to hta said in Mumbai that all the pay monetary compensation if bar associations in Maharashtra they go on strike. have passed resolutions sup- The strike call was given by porting the BCI’s strike call, but the Bar Council of India (BCI) more than 30% of the advocates - the apex body of advocates - were present in diff erent courts. which has termed the Advocates The Mumbai High Court on (Amendment) Bill, 2017, “draco- Thursday had urged lawyers to Karnataka minister K J George flags off metro trains on the North South line between Sampige Road and J P Nagar metro stations in Bengaluru yesterday. nian” and one which will “com- be responsible in the interest of pletely destroy” the independence the litigants. and autonomy of the Indian Bar. Kerala High Court advocate “The strike was successful A Jayasankar said the strike was across the country. It was ob- “total” in the state, but added it served in all the high courts, dis- was his personal opinion that it trict courts and lower courts. was needless and unwarranted. Lakhs of advocates in the entire “My personal opinion is that country have voiced their protests the lawyers should never resort against this draconian bill which to a strike and it should hap- if passed will completely rob the pen only if the situation is really Plot to hike power rates Bar’s independence,” BCI chair- grave and serious. I don’t think man Manan Kumar Mishra said. this reason for going on a strike According to Mishra, there are is anything serious,” said Jayas- around 1.4mn advocates across ankar. the country. Judicial work was also aff ected In the national capital, lawyers in Uttar Pradesh with lawyers at the high court and all six dis- abstaining from work across dis- being hatched: Kejriwal trict courts - Patiala House, Tis trict courts as well as at the Al- Hazari, Rohini, Karkardooma, lahabad High Court. IANS “A senior Bhartiya Janata Par- ity and water rates increase even ised. We will also abolish resi- from the civic bodies and within Saket and Dwarka - observed The strike call was given fol- New Delhi ty (BJP) leader told me that if the if both the departments are dential house tax if we come a month, we will make Delhi a the strike. Lawyers from the Su- lowing the Law Commission’s Congress or BJP comes to power transferred to the civic bodies. to power in municipal corpo- clean and tidy city, if we are vot- preme Court did not participate latest report in which it has rec- in municipal corporations, then “If AAP is in power at the rations. We will turn the civic ed to power,” Kejriwal promised. but extended their support. ommended sweeping changes elhi Chief Minister the power and water depart- MCD as well, then both the bodies from loss-making and Citing other achievements of “None of the lawyers appeared in the Advocates Act including Arvind Kejriwal yester- ments of the Delhi government Delhi government and the civic corrupt organisations to profi t- his government, Kejriwal said before the court as we have de- prohibiting lawyers from going Dday claimed that with a will be transferred to the corpo- bodies will work together to making and corruption-free that the primary healthcare was cided to abstain from work. The on strikes and making them liable view to hiking electricity and rations as was before 1998. make Delhi clean and devel- organisations,” he said to a huge strengthened by constructing strike is successful,” said New for monetary compensation for water rates, a conspiracy was “This is being done to in- oped,” Kejriwal claimed. applause. Mohalla clinics in the city and the Delhi Bar Association president misconduct or going on a strike. being hatched to transfer the crease the rates of electricity Elections for 272 municipal Kejriwal said the munici- standard of education was also Santosh Mishra. “Advocates’ conduct in power and water departments and water in Delhi,” he claimed wards in Delhi will be conduct- pal corporations were one of improved at government schools. Judicial work was also aff ect- courts, behaviour with litigants to the municipal corporations if while addressing a public meet- ed on April 23 and the results the most corrupt departments “We did a lot in the health ed across Punjab, Haryana and and their unprofessional con- the BJP or the Congress came to ing in Burari , north Delhi. will be declared on April 26. and councilors who commute and education sectors. We made Chandigarh with the courts ad- duct, including the act of going power in the civic bodies. Seeking a huge mandate so Listing the achievements of on scooters at the beginning all kinds of tests free at govern- journing hearing of cases due to on frequent strikes as a measure He appealed to the people to that “corruption in municipal the AAP government, Kejri- of their term were buying big ment and most private hospi- the strike. of protest for irrelevant issues, give the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) corporations could be abolished wal said his government had houses and expensive cars by tals. We raised minimum wages The situation was similar in has reached terrifying propor- a 2015 Delhi assembly election- and Delhi could be cleaned”, reduced electricity rates and the end of their tenure. for the labourers in Delhi and West Bengal with the State Bar tions,” it said in the report sub- like mandate in the civic polls Kejriwal said: “If AAP comes provided free water to every “The BJP-ruled MCDs turned also raised the amount of pen- Council claiming the strike to be mitted to the government on too, so that rates of electricity to power in municipal corpora- household as promised. the city into a garbage dump. sions for various segments,” he successful. March 23. and water are not increased. tions, it will not let the electric- “We did whatever we prom- We will eradicate corruption pointed out. Expose lands Kerala TV Chandy to be sworn channel in hot waters in as minister today By Ashraf Padanna the government has ordered. Thiruvananthapuram “My immediate task is to By Ashraf Padanna Kumar also apologised to women, have since left the chan- turnaround the loss-making Thiruvananthapuram viewers for claiming on Sunday nel in protest and many others, public transport behemoth that a petitioner, identifi ed only working with its newspaper, RI businessman Thomas KSRTC,” Chandy said with Sas- as a homemaker, had caught distanced themselves from the Chandy will join Kerala’s eendran by his side. “I’ll also be he Kerala police have the minister on tape after the brand of journalism its television NCommunist-led govern- attending the swearing-in,” the launched an investigation 72-year-old leader sought sexual arm practices. Incidentally, the ment today as the new transport former minister added. Tinto the sting operation by favours. channel had begun broadcasting minister. A diploma holder in telecom- a Malayalam television channel Though leading Malayalam only from last Sunday. The Nationalist Congress munications, Chandy entered which led to the resignation of a channels have earlier given The NCP has also moved the Party (NCP) leader replaces his politics through the now-defunct minister. enough primetime space to National Broadcasting Commis- senior colleague, A K Saseendran, Democratic Indira Congress Mangalam Television has been women convicted in cheating sion. who resigned after Mangalam (Karunakaran) of which he was accused of violating provisions cases to raise such allegations Kumar also claimed that “a Television aired a lewd phone talk the lone legislator when it aligned of the Information Technology against ministers, it was the fi rst woman journalist had voluntar- recorded by a woman reporter for with the Congress-led opposi- Act, Indian Telegraph Act, Cable case of a sting using a female ily come forward” to carry out the channel six days ago. tion United Democratic Front Television Network Regulation journalist, taking journalism to the sting operation and she was Chandy, 69, a three-time leg- (UDF) in the 2006 elections. Act and the Indian Penal Code. a new low. part of an eight-member inves- islator runs schools in Kuwait He reached the NCP, which is State transport minister A Initially, Kumar claimed the tigation team formed by its edi- and Saudi Arabia, owns a luxury part of the ruling Left Democratic K Saseendran had to resign on audio clip was handed over to torial board. holiday resort in the state and Front (LDF) in Kerala when the Sunday after the channel aired them by the victim as she want- Many claim the police probe spends most of his time abroad. Democratic Indira Congress (K) a lewd telephone talk the minis- ed to expose the minister. They and widespread criticism Chandy, however, said he would merged with it after his men- ters is alleged to have had with a now claim that the minister had prompted the belated apology. now limit his foreign trips to tor Karunakaran returned to the woman while he was campaign- sought sexual favours from a Since the police have booked them once a month. Congress party. Chandy declared ing for his Nationalist Congress lady executive of a taxi aggrega- on non-bailable charges, their ar- The NCP nominated Chandy assets worth Rs923.7mn dur- Party (NCP) in Goa recently. tor and this had prompted them rest is imminent, perhaps the sec- on Tuesday and the ruling Left ing the last year’s state elections, A six-member police team had to reveal his misuse of offi ce. ond such case in the state since the Democratic Front (LDF) en- which he had won by 4,891 votes. booked nine people including Several senior journalists, arrival of private news television. dorsed the decision at a hurried- He was embroiled in a contro- the channel’s managing director writers and fi lmmakers have In 2002, three journalists were ly called meeting here yesterday. versy last year when he claimed and editor, R Ajith Kumar, who come out against the promoters held after Surya TV telecast an He will be sworn in at 4pm. Rs19.1mn from the exchequer for dramatically admitted on televi- of the channel, raising their con- “intelligence report” showing a Chandy reiterated he would medical expenses abroad while sion on Thursday night that one cerns over the blatant violation fake document linking the then make way for his predecessor’s the total reimbursements for the of his reporters had snared the of all journalistic standards. tourism minister Prof K V Tho- return the moment Saseendran entire Kerala legislators was just minister in a sting. Three journalists, two of them mas to a Rs3.36bn scam. Thomas Chandy: new transport minister. is cleared by the judicial probe Rs42.5mn. Gulf Times 10 Saturday, April 1, 2017 INDIA

LEGAL CRACKDOWN CRIME PROJECT CRIME Judge gets four weeks to Kerala vigilance chief Man arrested for selling India’s longest highway Boy branded with respond to contempt notice asked to go on leave ‘artificial eggs’ in Kolkata tunnel set to open cigarette butts over Rs10

The Supreme Court yesterday asked Calcutta Barely two weeks after Chief Minister Pinarayi A shopkeeper was arrested in Kolkata yesterday India will set a benchmark in infrastructure A youth branded an eight-year-old boy with High Court judge C S Karnan to respond in Vijayan told the Kerala assembly that vigilance and for allegedly selling “artificial eggs” to a woman, when the country’s longest highway tunnel burning cigarette butts all over his body over four weeks to the contempt notice issued anti-corruption bureau (VACB) chief Jacob Thomas police said. “A shopkeeper was arrested of 10.98km opens between Udhampur and a matter of Rs 10. The incident occurred in against him. A seven-judge bench headed by will not be moved out, the state government yesterday from Park Circus Market for allegedly Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow. To be Nekunambad village in Andhra Pradesh. According chief justice Jagdish Singh Khehar told justice yesterday asked him to proceed on leave. Reacting selling artificial plastic eggs to the complainant inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to police, V Narendra (19) had given Rs 10 to Venkat Karnan to answer the notice issued to him in to the sudden turn of events, Thomas told the Anita Kumar,” an off icer from the Kolkata it will also be Asia’s first longest bi-directional Rao to fetch him cigarettes. The third standard February. Justice Karnan demanded his judicial media that he would come up with the reasons Police’s enforcement branch said. Kumar lodged tunnel with fully transverse ventilation system, student, however, used the money to buy some and administrative work be restored. Only then behind the government’s move at an appropriate a complaint at after she discovered that she was according to the ministry of road, transport and toff ees for himself. Angry over this, the youth took would he be in a position to respond to the time. According to sources, Thomas had become sold “fake eggs” that had a strange “plastic-like highways. Built at a cost of Rs25.19bn, the tunnel the boy to his house and tortured him. The accused contempt notice, he said. Karnan added he was a headache for the Vijayan government. His raid quality” when they were spread out on a pan. forms part of the proposed widening of National kept the victim in his custody the whole night and not in a state of mind to respond until then. The on two top bureaucrats had led to a huge backlash “I tested my suspicion by putting a match to it Highway 44 between Jammu and Srinagar. branded him all over his body. The next day, he top court, however, said he cannot discharge any from the bureaucracy. The Kerala High Court and it caught fire. The shell also looked plastic,” Constructed in the most diff icult terrain, the left the boy at some distance from the village. The judicial and administrative functions during the too came down heavily on Thomas and told the Kumar said. The accused had bought eggs tunnel will reduce the travel time between boy, who had burn marks even on his face near the pendency of the proceedings. government that it was high time he was reined in. worth Rs115,000 from a wholesaler. Jammu and Srinagar by two hours. eyes, has been admitted to a hospital in Guntur.

Premier Tribute to Dabbawalas apathetic Abattoirs end to farmers, says Rahul strike after IANS New Delhi

ongress vice president Rahul Gandhi yesterday Cclaimed the Bharatiya Ja- crackdown nata Party (BJP) government was anti-farmers and wondered why could not the Prime Minister Narendra Modi provide debt re- lief to the farmers when he could do so for the rich. Accusing the prime minister fears allayed of being disrespectful to farm- ers, Rahul Gandhi, who met Tamil Agencies grounds, said Health Minister push for tougher protections for Nadu farmers agitating in the New Delhi Siddharth Nath Singh, who at- the animal. capital for drought relief funds, tended the traders’ meeting with Under the stiff ened penalties said the plight of the drought- Adityanath. passed by Gujarat’s state assem- stricken farmers and their fami- battoirs in the coun- “Anyone creating trouble in bly, anyone caught transporting lies did not aff ect the government. try called off a four-day the name of religion, from now cows for slaughter could also “I don’t understand why this Astrike after the Uttar on, will not be tolerated,” he told face up to 10 years in jail. discrimination. If the PM has Pradesh government gave assur- a TV network soon after. The Gujarat Animal Preser- given debt relief to the richest ances that mainly Muslim-run, Most of India’s beef comes vation (Amendment) Act, 2017, people in the country, why is he unlicensed slaughter houses from buff alo rather than cattle, was passed with the Bharatiya not ready to give debt relief to would not be shut down or at- and Uttar Pradesh is the coun- Janata Party’s brute major- those who build this country – tacked. try’s biggest producer of buff alo ity and the opposition Congress the farmers. He has no concern Shrill demands by right- meat. remaining suspended from the for the farmers,” Gandhi said. wing Hindu groups to stop the Its recent crackdown spread to house for the entire day on the “The BJP government works slaughter of cows threaten to other states ruled by the BJP. last day of the Budget session. only for a few super rich fami- stoke a fresh wave of communal Despite the end to the strike, The new law also provides lies,” he added. tension, as Muslims, who make slaughterhouse owners remain for a fi nancial penalty from The Congress leader also said up 14% of India’s 1.3bn people, insecure and nervous. Rs100,000 to Rs500,000 for it was the responsibility of the dominate the meat trade. Muslim owners of meat shops such a crime. prime minister to listen to the After the appointment of Hin- still fear they could be targeted, “If anyone is found to illegally farmers and solve their problems. du hardliner Yogi Adityanath as said Iqbal Qureshi, president of keep or transport a cow, the new Pointing to the demands of Uttar Pradesh chief minister fol- the Meat Murga Vyapar Kalyan Act has provision for 10 years’ the farmers – drought relief and lowing a landslide election vic- Samiti, a meat sellers’ group in imprisonment and minimum of waiving of loans, among oth- tory for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Uttar Pradesh. seven years in jail and a fi ne of ers, Rahul Gandhi said a solution Party, slaughterhouses and meat He urged the government to Rs100,00 lakh to Rs1mn,” Minis- “needs to be worked out and at shops suff ered attacks by Hindu make its rules and regulations ter of State for Home, Pradeep- least a conversation needs to be vigilante groups. clear in order to eliminate har- sinh Jadeja, said. started by these people”. “We have decided to call off assment by authorities and vigi- There is also provision for He also vowed to raise the is- the strike after a meeting with lante groups. permanent seizure of vehicles sue in Parliament in support of the the chief minister, who assured Frequent attacks on trucks used for transportation of ani- farmers’ cause. “This government us that the state government will carrying cattle have severely mals for slaughter as against the is anti-farmers and anti-poor. renew the licences of slaughter crippled both local trade and ex- earlier version which allowed They (farmers) have been sitting houses,” Chaudhary Aley Um- ports, said a meat exporter based only impounding of such vehi- here for so many days. Neither the mar Qureshi, a general secretary in Mumbai. cles for six months. government nor the PM is listen- of the Muslim All India Jamiatul During its election cam- The minister said that the state ing to their voice,” he claimed. Quresh, said from Lucknow, the paign the BJP had promised to government would “strictly” im- “In the past three years, relief state capital. maintain communal harmony plement the new law. “Earlier it worth Rs1.4tn has been given Traders will resume selling in Uttar Pradesh, said Randeep was a bailable off ence and legal to the 50 richest families of the meat after the end on Wednes- Surjewala, spokesman of the op- provisions were relatively mild. country. What is the farmers’ day of the nine-day Hindu fes- position Congress party. This did not act as an effi cient de- fault? Why are they not getting tival of Navratri, during which “Everybody will have to wait terrent for those committing this the support? Why aren’t their participants fast and abstain and watch to see whether they heinous crime,” he added. loans being waived off ?” from meat, Qureshi said. fulfi l these promises or pursue a Explaining the rationale for a The farmers’ protest action “The government also assured divisive agenda,” he added. tougher law, Jadeja said “the cow continued for the 18th day yes- us of protection from any arbi- Meanwhile, the Gujarat gov- is a symbol of Indian culture. terday at Jantar Mantar where An art installation, in the form of a statue paying tributes to the ubiquitous Dabbawalas – a trary or unlawful crackdown,” ernment yesterday increased the Cow protection is not only about they have been protesting with person who carries lunch boxes – is unveiled by the RPG Art Foundation in partnership Qureshi said. punishment for cow slaughter religious sentiments but is also skulls of farmers who have com- with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) at Haji Ali in Mumbai yesterday. The state government would from seven years to life impris- of great economic benefi t to our mitted suicide in Tamil Nadu. not discriminate on religious onment as Hindu hardliners society.” Youth cleared of murder In the limelight Ban on liquor outlets after eight years in jail along highways to stay IANS drachud pronouncing the order. New Delhi However, the court relaxed IANS The 19-year-old B. Phar- The arrest had created a sen- the ban on the location of liquor Hyderabad macy student was raped and sation in the state as the girl’s shops by reducing it to 220 me- brutally murdered in a private parents had claimed that the he Supreme Court yester- tres in respect of municipal/local women’s hostel in Ibrahimpat- Dalit youth was being made a day said hotels and res- bodies with 20,000 or less popu- he Hyderabad High nam near Vijayawada on De- scapegoat to save the real cul- Ttaurants falling within 500 lation falling along the highways. Court yesterday acquit- cember 27, 2007. prits. metres on either side of the na- Besides, the top court ex- Tted a youth who was The victim’s naked blood Dalit organisations and hu- tional and state highways cannot empted Sikkim and Meghalaya sentenced to life in jail in 2010 soaked body was found in the man rights activists had also serve alcohol. The top court by from the ban order altogether. in the sensational rape and hostel toilet with legs and protested the arrest of Satyam its December 15, 2016, order had Noting the 82% forest cover murder case of a student in hands tied to a water tap and an Babu, claiming he was innocent. banned the liquor shops within in Sikkim and the peculiar hilly Andhra Pradesh. iron rod, with her own dress. Meera’s parents Shamshad 500 metres on the either side of terrain in Meghalaya, the court It also directed the Andhra Police had found a love letter Begam and Iqbal Basha alleged the national and state highways. said, “We are of the view that Pradesh government to pay Rs written allegedly by the killer, a that relatives of then state min- Refusing to issue a clarifi ca- insofar as the states of Megha- 100,000 compensation to Pi- left foot print in her room and ister Koneru Ranga Rao were tion that the December 15 judg- laya and Sikkim are concerned, it datala Satyam Babu, who spent the word ‘Chirutta’(leopard) involved in the rape and murder ment applied only to liquor shops would suffi ce if the two states are eight years in jail without any written in Telugu on her chest. and to mislead the investiga- and not to hotels and restaurants, exempted only from the applica- evidence of his involvement, Police had picked up few tions, Satyam Babu was arrested. the bench of chief justice Jagdish tion of the 500 metre distance...” while ordering action against suspects but later released Following yesterday’s court Singh Khehar, justice D Y Chan- However, Himachal Pradesh the police offi cers, who investi- them as no evidence was found. order, Meera’s parents said drachud and justice L Nageswara has been brought in the ban limit gated the case. Police claimed a break- Rs10mn should be given com- Rao, said no such relaxation could of 220 metres as applicable to lo- The Mahila Sessions Court in through when Satyam Babu was pensation for Satyam Babu and be made that would defeat the ob- cal bodies adjoining the highways Vijayawada on September 30, arrested in a cellphone robbery demanded that the government ject of preventing drunken driving. with 20,000 or less population. 2010, had sentenced Satyam case on August 17, 2008. Police set up a fast-track court to try “Since the object of the (De- “We are of the view that the ex- Babu to life imprisonment for said he confessed to the murder. and punish the real culprits. cember 15) direction is to prevent emption which has been granted the rape and murder of Ayesha The youth has been suff ering The victim’s family alleged drunken driving, no such relaxa- earlier in respect of areas falling Meera. from GB Syndrome, which had the involvement of Koneru tion can be made which would under local bodies with a popu- The family of the youth had badly aff ected his nervous sys- Ranga Rao’s grandson Koneru defeat the object which is sought lation of 20,000 will suffi ciently challenged the lower court’s or- tem and his two legs were para- Satish, who was the village head. to be achieved. Consequently, the protect the interests” of Himach- der in then Andhra Pradesh and lysed. His mother Mariyamma Police negligence in protecting directions issued by this court al Pradesh and “no further relax- now Hyderabad High Court, alleged that her son was falsely the scene of off ence had also Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak meets actor cannot be read down, as suggest- ation is granted over and above which is serving both the states of implicated in the case to save come in for criticism from legal Rajinikanth in Chennai yesterday. ed. The directions shall be read as what has already been stated in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. some infl uential people. experts and rights activists. they stand,” said justice Chan- that regard,” the order said. Gulf Times Saturday, April 1, 2017 11 PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN

RELIEF CRISIS PROPOSAL CAMPAIGN JUNKET S Sudanese rebels release Load-shedding up to six Hike in diesel, petrol prices Rural schoolgirls to be PM to have one-week long abducted Pak engineer hours as mercury rises in Pakistan on the cards made computer-literate visit to China in May

Pakistani engineer, who was abducted by The Pakistan government yesterday conceded The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) A project to turn 33,000 schoolgirls in the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will South Sudanese rebels earlier this month, has increased and unscheduled load-shedding yesterday worked out an increase in the prices rural areas of the federal capital of Islamabad undertake China’s one-week long visit in the been released. “Ayaz Jamali, who was in the across the country over the last couple of days. of petroleum products for a month with eff ect “computer literate” was launched by the ministry second week of May on the invitation of Chinese captivity of some group in South Sudan, has Without disclosing the quantum of electricity from today. Ogra recommended 2.74% increase of information technology yesterday. Finance President Xi Jinping where he will be attending been released,” FO spokesperson Nafees Zakaria shortfall, the ministry of water and power in the price of high-speed diesel, 2.44% in petrol, Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, State Minister “One Belt One Road” international forum in said. He said Pakistani missions in Addis Ababa announced that it had increased load-shedding 29.6% in kerosene and 17.6% in light diesel oil. for Information Technology Anusha Rahman Beijing besides his other engagements. Sharif and Khartoum were making eff orts to secure by one hour for urban and two hours for rural The regulator calculated an increase of Rs2 Khan and Minister of State for CADD Dr Tariq will have maiden meeting with British Prime Ayaz’s release with cooperation of governments areas with immediate eff ect. As a result, the per litre in ex-depot price of petrol to Rs75 a Fazal Chaudhry watched the signing ceremony Minister Theresa May who will be among 20 of South Sudan, China and Sudan. On March 20, consumers in urban areas would have to bear litre from the existing rate of Rs73. Likewise, it of two agreements to establish computer labs world leaders to attend the forum. Pakistan and South Sudan rebels ambushed a vehicle carrying with four-hour power outage compared with worked out an increase of Rs2 per litre in the in more than 100 government schools for girls China will have detailed bilateral talks during Ayaz and three others, and kidnapped them as six-hours in rural areas, the ministry said. The ex-depot price of HSD at Rs84 a litre compared which launched the project. State Minister for the eight-day visit including new developmental they were travelling to Ghumry oilfield, 50km ministry said the unannounced load-shedding to the current rate of Rs82. Similarly, Ogra Information Technology Anusha Rahman Khan dimensions of the China-Pakistan Economic from Palooch. Ayaz, 25, worked in an oilfield of was caused by sudden increase in temperatures recommended an increase of Rs13 a litre in the said her ministry’s Universal Services Fund Corridor (CPEC). Highly placed diplomatic China Petroleum Engineering and Construction and unprecedented fall in reservoir levels that ex-depot price of kerosene to Rs57 from Rs44. (USF) signed one agreement with the Federal sources said yesterday that the UN endorsement Corporation. He was scheduled to return to the severely reduced power generation from hydro Also, it proposed a Rs7.75 per litre increase in Directorate of Education for setting up computer for Chinese initiative of One Road One Belt country on March 22 for his wedding in Karachi resources. It said the hydropower generation has the price of LDO to Rs51.75 compared to its labs and another with Microsoft for training over has given great boost to Beijing’s eff orts for before getting kidnapped. declined significantly this year. existing rate of Rs44. 90 teachers to run the computer labs. accelerating the process of its advancement.

70 foreign NGOs 22 dead, 57 wounded in allowed to return

DPA Pakistan market blast Islamabad AFP Moeen Begum, a surgeon at the Peshawar local government-run hospital, akistan’s Interior Minis- said. try has given permission Shahid Ali Khan, an admin- Pto 70 international non- t least 22 people were istration offi cial, confi rmed the governmental organisations killed and 57 wounded blast had been a car bomb. (NGOs) to resume their work af- Ayesterday when a car Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ter a crackdown on aid workers in bomb tore through a market in condemned the attack, urging 2015, a government offi cial said a mainly Shia area of Pakistan’s “complete annihilation” of ter- yesterday. tribal belt, offi cials said, in an rorism in Pakistan. In October 2015, all foreign attack claimed by the Taliban. But Shia leaders and residents non-governmental organisa- Survivors described hid- angered by the attack, the sec- tions were forced to stop work ing inside shops after hearing a ond major blast in Parachinar after Pakistan introduced a new “huge bang” - then stumbling this year, quickly accused secu- registration system. through dust-choked air fi lled rity forces of failure, with small One-and-a-half years later, with the sound of screams, spontaneous protests number- the ministry has formally al- tripping over bodies as they ing dozens of people breaking lowed 70 out of the 134 organisa- searched for the wounded in out. tions which applied for the new the busy market in Parachinar, Ali and another eyewitness permits to operate again, Interior capital of Kurram tribal district. described seeing security forces Ministry spokesperson Sarfraz The attack comes after a wave fi re on the protesters, injuring Hussain said. of militant violence killed 130 some. The cases of another 64 or- people across Pakistan in Feb- “Terrorists crossing dozens ganisations are yet to be decided. ruary, unnerving citizens who of check-posts and carrying Pakistan claims the new regu- had been emboldened by im- out attacks puts a question lations will help improve the proving security and prompting mark over the progress of secu- work of NGOs in Pakistan, which a military crackdown. rity institutions,” Allama Raja is one of the poorest and most “People were screaming for Nasir Abbas, chief of a Shia populous countries in the world. help ... When I looked back eve- political organisation, said in However, security sources rything was fi lled with dust,” Islamabad. say the government wants more shopkeeper Sardar Hussain Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a fac- control over international groups said. tion of the umbrella Tehreek-e- in order to prevent foreign He saw his father “drenched Taliban Pakistan, or Pakistani espionage. in blood and dust”, he said, while Taliban, swiftly claimed the at- The trigger for the ban was es- the two clients in their store tack in a message sent to AFP. pionage allegations against the were lying dead on the fl oor. The group was also part of group Save the Children, which “We closed doors of the shop the wave of attacks which shook had allegedly trained Pakistani as we thought there might be the country in February, claim- doctor, a second blast, but we heard ing responsibility for a suicide Shakeel Afridi who helped gunshots for a while and people bomb in Lahore which killed 14 the CIA with its hunt for Al were shouting, so we got out,” people. Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden Muhammad Ali, a resident at February’s assaults also in- Residents gather near a damaged shop in a market after a blast in Parachinar yesterday. US special forces found and another shop, said. cluded a suicide blast at a killed Bin Laden in May 2011 in They emerged to a scene of Sufi shrine in Sindh province of a militant resurgence. military courts to try civilians counter terrorism strategy”. seven semi-autonomous tribal the Pakistani garrison city of desperation, Ali said, describing which killed 90 people and was Pakistan’s powerful army on terror charges. The law had Parachinar was the location districts which are governed Abbottabad. bystanders carrying the wound- claimed by Islamic State. launched a crackdown and tem- expired in January, with the of the fi rst major militant attack according to local laws and The new policy warns in- ed to hospital in any vehicle they The wave of violence dent- porarily closed the border with controversial tribunals having in Pakistan in 2017, a bomb in a customs. ternational NGOs against en- could fi nd as security forces ed optimism after the coun- Afghanistan, which it accused hanged 12 people and ordered diff erent market which killed The district is known for sec- gaging in anti-state activities, arrived. try appeared to be making of harbouring the militants who the executions of 149 more. 24 people in January and was tarian clashes between Sunnis money laundering, terror fi - “We have 22 dead bodies here strong gains in its decade- had carried out the attacks. Rights activists have also claimed by the Pakistani and Shia, who make up roughly nancing, weapons smuggling, at the hospital and 57 injured, and-a-half long war on mili- Politicians also voted to ex- slammed the move, calling Taliban. 20% of Pakistan’s population of or maintaining links with terror including women and children,” tancy, with analysts speaking tend legislation creating secret it part of a “seriously fl awed Kurram is one of Pakistan’s 200mn. organisations. 6 embassy Afghans deported from Europe PM’s health scheme staff fi red extended to 60 districts

over drugs return to war, unemployment Internews eral government programme Islamabad in which they also had to contribute. AFP By Tommy Wilkes, Reuters rigorous asylum tests, and that Later, the KP government Kabul Kabul major cities like Kabul are suf- he federal government launched its own health pro- fi ciently safe. of Pakistan has decided gramme for a few districts. Afghans were the second Tto pay full premium of However, in January this year, ix employees of the US em- wo more planes carrying largest group of asylum seekers the Prime Minister’s National the prime minister announced bassy in Kabul have been Afghans deported from in Europe in 2015, and concerns Health Programme (PMNHP) that the programme would be Sdismissed for using or pos- TEurope landed in Kabul about security and their inte- for Sindh and Khyber Pa- extended across the country. He sessing drugs, an offi cial said, in this week, failed asylum seekers gration have encouraged politi- khtunkhwa to ensure its suc- was of the view that people of an embarrassment to Washing- sent back under an agreement cians to take a tougher line. cess in the two provinces which KP and Sindh were more vulner- ton which has splurged billions between the European Union “We are committed to the had earlier refused to become able to diseases and prevailing on Afghan counter-narcotics and Afghan government. agreements but we need more part of this programme. poverty in the provinces was not eff orts. The arrivals mean 248 people assistance from the interna- Moreover, the scheme, allowing them to aff ord health- The sacking followed an em- have been deported from Eu- tional community to help these which was initially started for care facilities. bassy investigation after staff rope to Afghanistan this year, people,” Miakhel said, referring 23 districts of the country, is Tarar told the meeting that noticed a person wandering compared with 580 throughout to an October agreement be- Afghans, whose asylum applications have been rejected, arrive now being expanded to 60 100 per cent federal funding around the premises “in a state 2016, said Hafi z Ahmad Miakhel, tween the EU and the Afghan from Germany in Kabul airport. districts. would be used for the scheme of confusion and appearing to spokesman for the Ministry of government. Minister for National in KP and Sindh to provide the be intoxicated”, the Wall Street Refugees and Repatriations. “There is a war against the the Taliban,” he said at a non- Reuters could not verify Health Services Saira Afzal secondary and priority health Journal reported earlier this The number of Afghans de- Taliban, against Daesh (Is- governmental organisation of- their stories. The German and Tarar said this while chair- coverage to poor families week. ported from Europe is small lamic State), against Al Qaeda fi ce in western Kabul helping Norwegian embassies in Kabul ing the 15th National Steer- whose daily income is below “We can confi rm that six indi- compared to the thousands and this year we will have more him with cash for lodgings and did not respond to requests for ing Committee meeting of the Rs200. viduals were involved and that all returning voluntarily, but de- forced deportees than last year,” medicine to deal with mental comment. PMNHP yesterday. She said the scheme would of them were contract employ- portations are rising and some he said. health problems. Afghanistan will welcome more Prime Minister Sharif now be expanded to 60 dis- ees,” the US State Department migration experts say expelling Shams Ahmadi, a 24-year old Another recent returnee, returning migrants than any other launched the programme on tricts of the country - 11 dis- said late Thursday. people to a country where the ex-policeman, said he landed in Reza Alizada, said he had lived country in 2017, including up to December 31, 2015, for Is- tricts of Fata, 10 of AJK, seven “No State Department em- government controls less than Kabul on January 24 after his asy- in Norway for about 18 months one million from neighbouring lamabad and described it as of GB, 11 of Punjab, 12 of Balo- ployees were involved in the two thirds of territory amid a lum application, pending in Ger- before police raided his hostel Pakistan, said Masood Ahmadi at the fi rst step towards making chistan and four each of Sindh incident.” Taliban insurgency is wrong. many since 2011, failed a second and detained him. He said he the International Organization for Pakistan a welfare state. and KP. It was not immediately Fifteen deportees arrived by time and police arrested him. was 17 years old but Norwegian Migration in Afghanistan. The scheme was supposed The minister said 17,000 clear what kind of drugs the chartered fl ight from Germany He said he had left Afghani- authorities had found him to be “If you are coming to Af- to be expanded to all parts of patients had so far been ad- employees were using. on Tuesday, while 19 landed on stan after the Taliban blew up in his early twenties. ghanistan against your will, Punjab, Balochistan, Azad mitted to 81 hospitals empan- Over the last 15 years, the US Wednesday from Austria and 10 his house in the province of “I have nobody here to help you are not ready to return. Re- Jammu and Kashmir, Gilg- elled under the programme. government has spent billions from Sweden. Another fl ight, Ghazni, killing his father, and me, and I have no networks to integration back into society it-Baltistan and the Feder- Sharing fi gures, she said 104 of dollars on a war to eliminate from Finland, is scheduled to that his family had fl ed to Iran. help me fi nd a job,” he said, re- will be very diffi cult and forced ally Administered Tribal Ar- open heart surgeries had been drugs from Afghanistan, but the arrive on Tuesday. He plans to go to Europe again. fl ecting broader worries among deportations have the stigma eas (Fata) as the governments performed and 119 patients country still remains the world’s European governments say “I cannot live in Afghanistan. returnees in a country with an of failure,” he said. “It will en- of Sindh and KP had declined had been treated for diff erent top opium producer. those deported back have failed If I leave Kabul I will be shot by unemployment rate of 40%. courage re-migration.” to become part of the fed- forms of cancer. Gulf Times 12 Saturday, April 1, 2017 PHILIPPINES Media groups cry foul over president’s diatribes

Reuters and threatened to use the gov- The verbal attacks showed He was angered by the Inquir- terte said on Thursday. “Those of the drugs war, which included Manila ernment’s television station to how little the president appreci- er over a story that said his anti- journalists really have no shame. a short documentary fi lm and an hit back at dissenting media. ated democracy and governance, drugs crackdown had primarily I tell you, they have no shame, editorial calling for a United Na- The populist leader singled the group added. targeted poor Filipinos, a con- including ABS-CBN.” tions investigation. hilippine media organi- out the Philippine Daily Inquirer The president’s offi ce has a clusion echoed by many rights “If you say in your editorial Presidential spokesman Er- sations have hit back at newspaper for its coverage of his rocky relationship with the me- groups. ‘son of a *****’ then I will hit nesto Abella called the coverage PPresident Rodrigo Duterte bloody war on drugs and a crit- dia and frequently accuses the More than 8,000 people, back and say you, too, are a son a “demolition job” and part of for an expletive-laden speech ic’s allegations that he had hid- press of bias or of distorting re- mostly drug users and small of a *****.” a conspiracy to undermine the that lashed out at a domestic den millions of dollars of assets. marks Duterte has made live on pushers, have been killed since In a statement, the Inquirer government. newspaper and a television net- He also hit out at media con- television. Duterte took offi ce at the end of said it “takes exception to presi- He described one article as a work, saying threats would not glomerate ABS-CBN, but did not Duterte enjoys huge support June, about a third in police op- dent Duterte’s remarks”.ABS- “well-paid hack job”. stop journalists from reporting say why. Duterte: hostile to media? on social media and is fi ercely erations and many of the rest by CBN, which covered the speech- In a television interview this the truth. “Your incoherent and foul- defended by well-known blog- unidentifi ed gunmen. es live, has not commented. week, the documentary produc- In two separate televised mouthed rant against two of the absolutely twisted,” the National gers with large followings on “You know, the Inquirer yes- Duterte’s outburst follows er said the Times had no agenda speeches on Thursday, Duterte country’s major media outfi ts... Union of Journalists of the Phil- Facebook and have frequently terday, they are bullshit, son of criticism by his offi ce about the other than telling stories that it unleashed a stream of profanity was not only unwarranted, it was ippines said in a statement. targeted journalists. a b****. They are garbage,” Du- New York Times and its coverage felt were important. Fisherman survives 58 days adrift eating moss

AFP Omongos said at one point General Santos he thought he might suff er the same fate but did not lose hope of being rescued, fi nd- drift and alone in the ing strength thinking of his Pacifi c Ocean, Rolando grandfather, a fi sherman who AOmongos prayed to live had toiled hard for the family long enough to bring home all his life. news of the death of his uncle, “Every time my body suf- whose corpse he had cast off fered from the heat, I would at sea. dip into the sea and then sur- The 21-year-old Filipino face again. I would dip ten fi sherman was stranded in times a day to keep cool,” he January after a storm sepa- recounted. rated him and his uncle from Omongos stayed on the their main fi shing vessel, lookout for passing ships, try- leaving the pair on a tiny boat ing to get their attention from without fuel, food or fi shing his tiny boat. tools. “I prayed that they would His prayer was answered have mercy and come toward when — having survived for me.” 58-days by eating moss and When one fi nally did, he drinking rainwater, but too said he had barely any strength Protesters display banners of underground Communist movements as they march along a street in Manila yesterday. weak to stand — he managed left. “I was too weak to stand to hail a passing ship by wav- up and they had to carry me,” ing his ragged shirt. he said. Still in shock and tearful, “I was so happy when I was his hands blistered by the sun, rescued because God heard Omongos told reporters of his what I prayed for every day ordeal after returning to Ma- and every night. I cried but no nila on Wednesday. tears came.” Omongos said he lived off After his rescue by a Japa- the tiny plants that grew on nese ship, he was dropped Govt push for rebel the boat and rainwater he col- off on the Papua New Guinea lected using plastic contain- island of New Britain — over ers. He lost 40 kilogrammes in 3,200 kilometres from the weight. Philippine port of General When Omongos’ uncle died Santos where he and his uncle he tied the body to the boat had originally set out. for a week, but had to loosen Rolando, who left school it into the sea when it began to young, said he might return truce ahead of talks decompose. to his studies but that after his “I just thought, Lord, I leave recent experience one thing AFP discussions with the commu- in the poverty-stricken country dreds of other detained guerril- the Philippines to launch a uni- my uncle to you. I have to live was for sure: he was not going Manila nist-led National Democratic began in 1968 and is one of the las. lateral ceasefi re by March 31 in and come home to give our back on a boat. Front. longest running in the world. The insurgents later resumed support of the Oslo talks.The family the news about what “I just want to rest for a few “The fi rst agenda item that we It has claimed an estimated armed attacks. rebels also urged the government happened to him.” months,” he said. he Philippines called for will tackle starting April 2 will be 30,000 lives, according to the In the latest outbreak of vio- to reciprocate by ceasing armed a new ceasefi re yesterday the issue of a bilateral ceasefi re military. lence, communist guerrillas operations against them. Twith Maoist insurgents agreement,” Silvestre Bello, the Duterte, a self-described ambushed a military patrol in However Bello stressed yes- after rebels killed two govern- government’s chief negotiator, socialist who once boasted a remote village some 75 kilo- terday that only a truce negoti- ment soldiers ahead of peace told reporters before fl ying to of his links to the communist metres east of Manila, an army ated by both sides would suffi ce. talks in Norway next week. Oslo. rebels, opened talks with the commander in the area said yes- Both sides were also expected Negotiations between Manila However he warned there 4,000-strong communist rebel terday. to discuss a raft of socio-eco- and the rebels collapsed in Feb- were no assurances the gov- movement after taking offi ce in Two soldiers were killed and nomic reforms that Bello de- ruary after the guerrillas killed ernment’s objectives would be June last year. two others wounded in Thurs- scribed as “the heart and soul of several soldiers and police in a achieved. He released captured rebel day’s two-hour fi refi ght in Gen- the peace process”. series of attacks, spurring Presi- “We expect the discussion leaders and both sides declared eral Nakar town, Lieutenant- These aim to address the roots dent Rodrigo Duterte to angrily in this round of talks to be very separate ceasefi res to pave the Colonel Randolph Cabangbang of the confl ict that he said were call off the talks. difficult and exacting,” Bello way for peace talks overseas. told reporters. linked to “social justice, extreme Duterte later softened his said. However the talks soured as It followed a pledge last week- poverty...(and) corruption in the Filipino fisherman Rolando Omongos, 21, is seen on arrival at the stance and agreed to resume The communist insurgency Duterte refused to release hun- end by the Communist Party of government”. Manila International Airport. Duterte allies seek to take over village councils

Reuters to postpone for a second successive dinary measures”. “We are afraid that and vacate the posts, and according to Manila year the ballot for 336,000 chairmen 40% of our barangays are controlled, Barbers, Duterte can appoint caretak- and councillors in the nation’s 42,000 aff ected or infected by drugs and that ers, because the constitution states he barangays. But instead of extending the will increase,” Barbers told Reuters. exercises “general supervision over lo- llies of Philippines President tenure of incumbents, Duterte’s allies “Especially if we give access to the cal governments”. Critics say he has no Rodrigo Duterte have prepared want to declare all posts vacant until drug lords to come into play, maybe authority to do that and are suspicious Alegislation to postpone elec- 2020, and let the president appoint run for public offi ce. And that’s more of his motives. tions to the over 40,000 village coun- caretakers instead. dangerous.” Congressman Edcel Lagman said the cils in the country and allow him to If successful, that would eff ectively The barangay is the smallest politi- democratic process “should never be choose replacements in what they say expand Duterte’s control of the execu- cal unit in the Philippines dating back sacrifi ced to the questionable scheme is part of the war on drugs. tive and legislative branches to the lo- to before Spanish occupation started of the president and his cheerleaders.” If passed by Congress, the move cal government apparatus. Duterte’s in the 16th century. Similar to a mayor, Former Senate President Aquilino would make Duterte, a former mayor, spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said the barangay leaders have considerable in- Pimentel, the author of a 1991 Local the most powerful leader in the Phil- president wanted to keep drugs out of fl uence. Government Code, called the plan “a ippines since late dictator Ferdinand politics, but would let lawmakers de- Via appointments, Duterte could, joke” and said Duterte should jail rogue Marcos. cide on the elections. potentially, build a grassroots power offi cials instead of purging all barangay Marcos was widely accused of ex- Members of the Filipino community (barangay) local security forces, which “He is aware of the process, respects base, adding to the majority support leaders. “We cannot do away with the ploiting village council leaders to le- according to the group conducts foot patrol to deter crime and drug abuse in the law, and defers to the independ- he holds in the lower house and Senate, right of the people to elect their own gitimise his rule. their neighbourhood, carry batons while walking past commuters at a railroad ence of Congress,” Abella said. and his fervently loyal following on so- leaders,” he said on television. Duterte has declared that 40% of track in Santa Mesa, Metro Manila, yesterday. Barbers, who chairs the house com- cial media. Barbers said Duterte had no “Assuming there are drug dealer, the Philippines’ village chiefs, known mittee on dangerous drugs, said he desire to entrench his power. addicts, abusers among them, then the as barangay captains, are “into drugs”, since Duterte took offi ce at the end of support of Duterte loyalist and House had not contacted Duterte about his “He does not need an additional solution is to prosecute them, put them and obstructing the anti-narcotics June, about a third by police and many of Representatives speaker, Pantaleon proposal and took it upon himself to power base,” he said.”We don’t want to behind bars.” crackdown launched by his adminis- of the rest by mysterious gunmen. Alvarez. They say it aims to stop local intervene. turn into a narco-state, we don’t want Some barangay captains have indi- tration. The proposal to delay the barangay drugs barons from winning posts. He said the move was neither au- to be under the auspices of drug lords.” cated they could challenge the plan if Over 8,000 people, mostly drug us- polls due in October has been fi led by The bill, slated for discussion when thoritarian nor undemocratic because The bicameral Congress can pass a Congress pushes it through. ers and small pushers, have been killed Congressman Robert Barbers with the Congress reconvenes in May 2, seeks “extraordinary times need extraor- bill to postpone the barangay elections They will hold talks next week. Gulf Times Saturday, April 1, 2017 13 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL/MALDIVES Top Bangladesh army offi cer dies from injuries in blast

Agencies He was the highest ranked Islamist hideout in the north- H M Ershad speaks during a Dhaka military offi cer to have been eastern city of Sylhet. press conference in Dhaka. killed in the country’s more IS took credit for the attack than a decade-long fi ght while the Bangladeshi govern- senior army offi cer who against Islamist extremism. ment and police blamed the headed the intelligence Bangladesh police yester- blast on a homegrown Islamist Awing of Bangladesh’s day launched an assault on a militant outfi t. Ershad elite security force died yester- militant den in a northeastern About a dozen more police day, days after he was injured city, a day after a family of eight and security offi cers were also in a bomb attack claimed by the committed suicide by blow- injured in the attack. renounces Islamic State group. ing themselves up as security Army commandos said they Lieutenant Colonel Abul Ka- forces stormed another terror later shot dead four Islamist ex- lam Azad was on life support hideout. tremists including one of their alliance and fl own to Singapore on Sun- “Our SWAT (Special Weap- top leaders after a three-day day a day after he was critically ons and Tactics) team started gunfi ght. injured in an explosion near a operations at their (second) On Thursday, police’s coun- with Awami militant hideout. hideout,” a police offi cer in ter-terrorism offi cers and He was fl own back to Dhaka Moulvibazar said. SWAT raided another Islam- on Wednesday and admitted to Explosions and gunfi re ist hideout in a village in the League a military hospital after his con- rocked the neighbourhood, northeast and found bodies of dition remained unchanged. witnesses said. up to eight people. Police be- “He died very early on Fri- The police this week lieved they blew themselves up By Mizan Rahman day,” Mizanur Rahman Bhuiy- launched ‘Operation Hit Back’ in an explosion to avoid being Dhaka an, a spokesman of the Rapid to fl ush out militants from their arrested. Action Battalion said. hideouts after they failed to There has been a resurgence Bangladesh prides itself on convince them to surrender. of extremist attacks in recent laiming that Jatiya Party being a mainly moderate Mus- Militants in the hideout that weeks in the Muslim-majority is no longer a compo- lim country. But that percep- was targeted on Thursday be- nation of 160mn after a relative Cnent of the ruling Awami tion has been damaged by a longed to Neo-Jamaatul Muja- lull since fi ve IS-linked gunmen League-led 14-party Grand Al- series of gruesome killings of hideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB), killed 22 people including 18 liance, its chairman HM Ershad atheist bloggers, foreigners and inclined to Islamic State. foreign hostages at a Dhaka cafe has said his party will form an- religious minorities. On Saturday, six people in- on July 1. other grand alliance. Colonel Azad, 41, was the in- cluding two police offi cers were Since the cafe attack, se- “We’ll fl oat another grand al- telligence director of the RAB, killed in twin explosions that curity forces have launched a liance. Many parties are con- which has been at the forefront targeted a crowd and security nationwide crackdown on Is- tacting me. Islamic parties have of Bangladesh’s fi ght against offi cers who were watching lamist extremist groups, killing Policemen walk during an operation to storm an Islamist extremist hideout in the town of Moulvibazar formed a grand alliance. They Islamist militancy. army commandos storming an around 60 suspected militants. on Thursday. may join us through discus- sions,” he said. Ershad was speaking at the launching ceremony of Jatiya Islami Mohajote, a new political platform of 34 Islamic parties. He said, “We’re now the oppo- Maldives opposition faces sition party and we’re no longer there in the Grand Alliance. We’re now trying to form a sepa- rate grand alliance. We want to constitute an alliance with those crackdown after failed bid who believe in the spirit of the Liberation War, Islamic values and Bangladeshi nationalism.” AFP Maldivian Democratic Party, was president at the time. Nasheed, who has pledged He said peace will not be re- Colombo was sentenced to 13 years pris- The opposition said several to return to the honeymoon stored and the nation will not get on in 2015 and has been living others who support Nasheed’s islands to contest the 2018 rid of enforced disappearances, in self-imposed exile in London bid to oust the speaker had election, said the incident ex- killings and injustices if Islamic pposition parties in the since last year. been intimidated by police in posed the government’s shaky values are not established in so- Maldives accused the the days since. majority. ciety. Ogovernment yesterday Main opposition party The Maldivian government He became the Maldives’ Ershad, also a former military of waging a revenge campaign leader Mohamed warned the international com- fi rst democratically elected dictator, called upon the Islamic against their leaders after they Nasheed was slapped munity against being swayed president in 2008, but was nar- parties to be vocal against mili- Liang Thow Ming speaks during an interview in Colombo. narrowly failed to seize control with fresh terrorism by opposition forces. rowly defeated by Yameen in tancy. of parliament. charges this week just “I urge the wider interna- a controversial 2013 election Although Ershad’s Jatiya Mohamed Nasheed, the days aft er he remotely tional community to clearly run-off . Party is now the ‘opposition’ in leader of the main opposition led an eff ort to wrestle observe the intricacies of the Yameen has presided over the Bangladesh parliament, its party, was slapped with fresh control of parliament laws of the Maldives before a major crackdown on po- three leaders are also ministers in terrorism charges this week rushing to judgement,” the litical dissent in the nation Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Port City to just days after he remotely led “President (Abdulla) Yameen government quoted fi sheries of 340,000 that has raised cabinet. an eff ort to wrestle control of has instigated new charges of minister Mohamed Shainee as fears over its stability and Jatiya Party has lost so much parliament. terrorism against Nasheed,” saying. dented its image as a tourism of credibility that both Chinese The bid failed after President the joint opposition statement The United States urged paradise. President Xi Jingpin and US Sec- Abdulla Yameen ordered troops said. Male to “restore faith in demo- Almost all key opposition retary of State John Kerry dur- attract $13bn to remove the dissenting MPs The charges stemmed from cratic processes” after the un- leaders and several ruling par- ing their visits to Dhaka last year from the fl oor of parliament, when Yameen was briefl y de- ruly scenes of soldiers dragging ty dissidents have either been refused to meet Jatiya Party, the causing chaotic scenes. tained in 2010 allegedly under away opposition MPs was cir- jailed or fl ed into exile since he leader of the opposition in the in investment Nasheed, the head of the orders from Nasheed, who culating widely on social media. took offi ce. parliament. from 2018, Nepal launches hunt Body art for man-eating tiger says offi cial DPA In mid-February, the tiger Kathmandu killed a 60-year-old woman, who was in the forest collect- Reuters started Colombo’s new wa- ing fodder for her livestock. Colombo terfront development – the uthorities in Nepal Last week, the tiger pounced biggest foreign direct invest- have launched a hunt upon a 61-year-old woman in ment in the country – in 2016 Afor a man-eating tiger the same area, where she was Chinese-backed real after suspending the project that killed two women in a also gathering fodder. estate project near because of concerns about month and a half in areas near Aryal said the team hadn’t ASri Lanka’s main port overpricing and fi nancial the country’s largest national been able to capture the big is expected to attract $13bn terms. park, offi cials said yesterday. cat despite placing two calves worth of investment from The new land is being built A team of 20 offi cials, in- in its habitat as prey. next year, the developer said from the sea in the commercial cluding forest rangers and The animal has also killed yesterday. heart of the capital adjacent to veterinarians, along with six dozens of livestock in the area. The $1.4bn Port City the main port and the historic elephants have been deployed Human-wild animal con- project by China Communica- Galle Face Green. in the dense forest of Chitwan fl ict has signifi cantly in- tion Construction Company “We are positioning the National Pak in south-central creased in recent years in Ne- (CCCC) started late last year port city as a hub to the whole Nepal, Nurendra Aryal, the pal, home to 200 endangered as part of Beijing’s ambitious of South Asia... This is a huge protected area’s offi cial, said. Royal Bengal tigers. plans to create a modern-day market and a region growing “We received a letter from In early February, police “Silk Road” across Asia. very fast,” Liang said. the district forest offi ce of Na- shot dead a wild tiger after it Liang Thow Ming, chief The government has pro- walparasi, which requested us injured nine people, includ- sales and marketing offi cer of posed to ease rules for inves- to capture the animal after it ing four policemen, near a na- CHEC Port City Colombo, the tors in the project, although killed two women in the area,” tional park in south-western A man with tattoo on his face attends the Nepal Tattoo Convention in Kathmandu yesterday. local company that handles no bills have been presented to Aryal said. Nepal. the project for CCCC, said parliament. a third of the 269ha site had Liang said 50% of the land been reclaimed from the sea. would be allocated for hous- “We are hoping to deliver ing, 30% for commercial of- the fi rst site for construction fi ces and the rest for other by the end of 2018,” Liang said activities. Opposition candidate wins mayoral election in Colombo yesterday. India has objected to some The reclamation was ex- aspects of the development pected to be completed by the near Colombo port, a major By Mizan Rahman his rival ruling Awami League can- dal declared the unoffi cial results of two polling stations is 5,255. said the voter turnout was 63.92% end 2019 and the company trade route for the South Asian Dhaka didate Anjuman Sultana Sima with the 101 polling stations as voting at Rakibuddin declared Sakku in the much-hyped polls. anticipated $13bn worth of in- giant. a margin of 11,085 votes. two polling centres was postponed. unoffi cially elected. Sakku had won the maiden vestment in the form of hous- Sirisena’s administration According to the unoffi cial re- Re-polling at these two cen- He also urged the wining may- CCC mayoral polls in January ing, marinas, health facilities, rejected a proposal to give ain opposition Bangla- sults of 101 polling centres out of tres will not be required any- oral and councillor candidates 2012 by defeating Sima’s father schools and other develop- 20ha of freehold land to CCCC desh Nationalist Party 103, Sakku bagged 68,948 votes more as the margin between the and their supporters not to bring Awami League-backed candi- ments over the next 30 years, after India raised concerns. M(BNP) mayoral candidate while his rival Sima polled 57,863 two mayoral candidates is much out any victory rallies in the city date Afzal Khan. he said. Instead, the Chinese fi rm Manirul Haque Sakku has won the in the second election to Comilla higher than the number of total as it goes against the election For the fi rst time, the elections President Maithripala was given land only on a 99- Comilla City Corporation poll for City Corporation. voters under the two centres. code of conduct. to the Comilla city corporation Sirisena’s administration re- year lease. the second straight term defeating Returning offi cer Rakibuddin Man- The total number of voters in the Election Commission sources were held on party lines. Gulf Times 14 Saturday, April 1, 2017 COMMENT

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Deputy Managing Editor: K T Chacko Lessons from Trump’s

P.O.Box 2888 Doha, Qatar [email protected] healthcare debacle Telephone 44350478 (news), 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) The key question now Fax 44350474 is whether Trump will be able to move forward on other items on the Republicans’ economic GULF TIMES agenda

By Simon Johnson Zuma launches a Washington, DC S President Donald Trump’s domestic economic agenda suff ered a major setback battle for his own Ulast week, when the House Republican leadership decided to withdraw their hastily drafted bill to repeal and replace the Aff ordable Care political survival Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”). Given the high-profi le eff ort the president devoted to the issue, the Republican With a massive cabinet reshuffl e late Thursday that majority’s failure to produce a viable included the sacking of his popular fi nance minister, South draft was deeply embarrassing. African President Jacob Zuma launched a fi erce battle for his The key question now is whether Trump will be able to move forward own political survival. on other items on the Republicans’ By defying opposition from part of his cabinet to fi re economic agenda. And, for three Pravin Gordhan, Zuma was trying to reassert control over his reasons, Trump’s next major policy push – on taxes – is in big trouble. divided African National Congress party and to pre-empt First, activism matters. Since President Donald Trump arrives to meet with House Republicans about the new healthcare law at the US Capitol in attempts to oust him before his second term ends in 2019. November, many people have Washington. Gordhan’s years of experience as fi nance minister rediscovered that grass-roots political action in the United States – such Republicans is that political morale The group Swing Left has a helpful Ryan) primarily wants to cut rates earned him the confi dence of investors, who saw him as as well-organised marches, visits to changes quickly. The Democrats were website that enables people to fi nd for the rich. Trump wants a broader guaranteeing the stability of Africa’s most industrialised congressional offi ces, speaking out defeated and depressed in November. the nearest congressional swing tax cut, but one that will increase economy. at town halls, and calling members Now they feel united and focused – district – the point being to identify the defi cit dramatically – which the Reports that Zuma was about to sack him sparked of Congress – really does makes a and with good reason. Until recently, where Democrats should focus their Freedom Caucus will have a hard time diff erence. stopping Trump’s healthcare proposal, attention and donations. swallowing, in part because doing widespread criticism, but the president nevertheless went Members of Congress listen, which would have stripped insurance The third major challenge facing so would expose them to primary ahead with the move, motivated by “a tremendous survival because their jobs depend on it. The coverage from an estimated 24mn Trump is structural. He has pandered challenges. instinct, political desperation, but also cunning,” according entire House of Representatives faces Americans over the next decade, to the far right by installing fanatics Trump could in principle pick up reelection every two years – a term looked tough. But the Republicans’ in top White House posts, including Democratic support, for example if he to Professor Daryl Glaser from the department of political set by the US Constitution to force internal rifts have made it clear to Stephen K. Bannon as chief strategist, adds some infrastructure spending. studies at Johannesburg’s Witwatersrand University. them to hew close to public opinion. Democrats that, if they stay united, Betsy DeVos as education secretary, But why would any Democrat want “He has showed again and again that he is capable of If they don’t, they risk facing serious they can put a serious crimp in the Scott Pruitt as administrator of the to assist a president who not only cowing his critics,” Glaser said. challengers in party primaries and Trump agenda and claw back House Environmental Protection Agency, and appoints people like Bannon, DeVos, reelection campaigns. seats in November 2018. Rick Perry as energy secretary. These Pruitt, and Perry, but also gives those But will Zuma’s gamble pay off this time? Likewise, whether the Senate votes How many? As of March 1, there people – and their cabinet colleagues secretaries free rein to implement Newly appointed Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba comes to confi rm ultra-conservative Neil were 237 Republicans and 193 – are using executive actions to pursue damaging and irresponsible policies at into offi ce “at a time of very weak economic performance,” Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court Democrats in the House (along with an extreme agenda, such as removing home and abroad? will depend on how many phone calls fi ve vacancies). But there are 23 House environmental protections, which will When Trump has been able to act said Frans Cronje, CEO of the think tank South African Senators receive. Both Democratic and Republicans who represent districts result in more polluted air and water without Congress, his appointments Institute of Race Relations (IRR). Republican Senators want to sense that voted for Hillary Clinton in around the US. and executive orders have been beyond “Debt levels have increased, the budget defi cit remains their constituents’ mood – and there November – and many of them look At the same time, Trump realises extreme. On legislation, however, is no better way to get this across than vulnerable today. that if he embraces legislation extremism will not work, owing to the under pressure, and the government’s tax take as a through a phone call. For example, Representative preferred by the Freedom Caucus – a need to attract some relatively centrist proportion of gross domestic product is projected to reach a I am an adviser to a group at Mimi Walters, from California’s bloc comprising the most extreme Republicans in order for it to pass. record level,” Cronje said. MIT that created a website, http:// 45th District, looks increasingly conservatives in the House, whose In the meantime, the Democrats More than a quarter of the workforce and about half fi ftynifty.org, designed to make it out of touch with her voters. In members sank the eff ort to repeal should make that as diffi cult as easy for Americans to use their social committee discussions of Trump’s Obamacare – he will lose the political possible and focus squarely on taking of young people are network to mobilize calls to Congress. healthcare proposal, she infamously centre. In that case, congressional back the House next year. – Project unemployed. The response has been very positive: remarked, “Let the games begin,” Republicans will suff er signifi cant Syndicate Ratings agencies Gigaba is already for example, I made two calls myself before supporting the legislation midterm loses in 2018, and in 2020 zSimon Johnson is a professor at MIT’s the third to hold the in recent weeks, but my network until it was withdrawn. To watch Trump will face the prospect of one may downgrade has made more than 160 calls. And the pressure mount in coming of the most humiliating defeats ever Sloan School of Management and the fi nance portfolio since FiftyNifty itself has accounted for more months, follow the twitter feed of experienced by a sitting president. co-author of White House Burning: South Africa to December 2015, when than 1,200 calls lasting over 31 hours. Dave Min, a law professor at the On tax reform, the Freedom Caucus The Founding Fathers, Our National Zuma rattled markets by The second challenge for University of California, Irvine. (and Speaker of the House Paul Debt, and Why It Matters to You. junk status sacking the respected Nhlanhla Nene. His successor, the little-known Des van Rooyen, only lasted at the post for a few days before Zuma was forced to replace him with Gordhan, who had already held the fi nance Live issues portfolio from 2009 to 2014. Gordhan’s sacking could prompt ratings agencies to downgrade South Africa to junk status, increase the cost Robot help autistic kids with their social skills of borrowing and government debt, Ray Hartley, editor at BusinessLIVE, wrote in a column. Reuters Finn is one of around 170 autistic in hospitals nationwide. Many children with autism fi nd London children that Kaspar has helped in a TRACKS, an independent charity it hard to decipher basic human “The question is if the damage will take the form of an handful of schools and hospitals over and specialist early years centre for communication and emotion so immediate crisis in terms of a collapsing rand, or if it will the last 10 years. children with autism in Stevenage, Kaspar’s designers avoided making play out over a longer period,” Witwatersrand University’s This is nice, it tickles me,” But with about 700,000 people have seen positive results from him too lifelike and instead opted for Kaspar the social robot tells in Britain on the autism spectrum, working with Kaspar, who sports simplifi ed, easy to process features. Glaser said. four-year-old Finn as they play according to the National Autistic a blue cap and plaid shirt for play Autism support groups have been Zuma has weathered scandals both prior to and during his “together at an autism school Society who will mark World Autism sessions. impressed. presidency, but South Africa’s economic performance will north of London. Day tomorrow, the university wants “We were trying to teach a little boy “Many autistic people are drawn be key in determining if he will be able to serve a full second Kaspar, developed by the University Kaspar to help more people. how to eat with his peers. He usually to technology, particularly the of Hertfordshire, also sings song, “Our vision is that every child in struggled with it because of his predictability it provides, which term and secure his future after 2019. imitates eating, plays the tambourine a school or a home or in a hospital anxiety issues,” said deputy principal means it can be a very useful means “He is very committed to bolstering his personal patronage and combs his hair during their could get a Kaspar if they wanted to,” Alice Lynch. of engaging children, and adults too,” network” to obtain more wealth and to weaken his critics sessions aimed at helping Finn Kerstin Dautenhahn, professor of “We started doing it with Kaspar Carol Povey, director of the National with his social interaction and artifi cial intelligence at the University and he really, really enjoyed feeding Autistic Society’s Centre for Autism, within the party to make sure he will not face prosecution for communication. of Hertfordshire, said. Kaspar, making him eat when he told Reuters. corruption cases after his presidency, Glaser said. If Finn gets too rough, the similarly Achieving that goal will largely was hungry, things like that. Now “This robot is one of a number One of Zuma’s tools is believed to be the Gupta business sized Kaspar cries: “Ouch, that depend on the results of a two-year he’s started to integrate into the of emerging technologies which family, which has been accused of using its close ties to the hurt me.” A therapist is on hand to clinical trial with the Hertfordshire classroom and eat alongside his peers. have the potential to make a huge encourage the child to rectify his Community NHS Trust, which, if So things like that are just a massive diff erence to people on the autism president for its economic benefi t in exchange of buying off behaviour by tickling the robot’s feet. successful, could see Kaspar working progression.” spectrum.” his critics – allegations that both Zuma and the Guptas deny. After the departure of Gordhan, who had been at odds with the Guptas, “[the] Treasury will lose its credibility as it becomes a clearing house for looting,” Hartley wrote. Yet if the ANC replaces Zuma as party president in its 2017 elective conference, “Zuma will be much more vulnerable,” Glaser said.

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2017 Gulf Times. All rights reserved Harrison, 5, who is autistic, plays with Kaspar, a child-sized humanoid robot developed at the University of Hertfordshire to interact and help improve the lives of children with autism, in Stevenage, Britain. Gulf Times Saturday, April 1, 2017 15 COMMENT The temptation of Theresa May

British Prime Minister In a replay of British Prime Minister leader Jeremy Corbyn is sticking Margaret Thatcher’s own fi ghts with with his old far-left extremism, Theresa May is, at times, Europe three decades ago, both sides except on immigration, where he is as philanthropic as Mother will huff and puff , threaten to withdraw compromising one of Labour’s most from the talks, and then reach a last- sacred principles to curry favor with Teresa, as ambitious as minute compromise. the shrinking electorate once claimed Teresa of Avila, and as Ultimately, the deal that emerges by Oswald Mosley and other far-right will most likely resemble Norway’s leaders, and now represented by the modest as the Little Flower membership in the European UK Independence Party. Economic Area, but it will be labelled Corbyn, like a true Leninist, believes By Robert Harvey “bespoke” for Britain. In this scenario, that any strategy is acceptable in the London the UK’s access to the European pursuit of power. In a career spanning market will be similar to what it has nearly 35 years, he has always taken today, with somewhat more control the long view. He now seems to think he three great Theresas in over migration from the EU and an end that he could emerge, Trump-like, history are all saints. The to deference to EU institutions such as an unexpected victor in 2020, most recent to be canonised as the European Court of Justice. In especially if Brexit sends the economy Twas Mother Teresa, a tireless exchange, the UK will forfeit most of into a downward spiral. Barring that charity worker and controversial its infl uence in determining how the scenario, he can at least try to sabotage campaigner for the poor; the fi rst was European single market operates. what he sees as a capitalist free-market Teresa of Avila, one of the Catholic By accepting such a compromise, plot originating in the EU. Church’s most dynamic and powerful May would certainly fulfi l her promise to But with even trade union leaders personalities during the 16th century. those who voted for Brexit, and possibly such as Unite’s Len McCluskey now And in the 19th century, Therese of unite the diff erent camps within her criticising Corbyn, a more moderate Lisieux spoke to animals, cultivated own Conservative Party. But a lot could replacement could be found. If former gardens, performed good works, and go wrong. If European countries do not Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls or former became known as the Little Flower. lurch to the right, and if Schulz emerges Foreign Secretary David Miliband takes British Prime Minister Theresa May as Germany’s leader – and the EU’s de the reins, Labour might have a real is, at times, as philanthropic as Mother facto president – the EU will have less chance at victory in 2020. Teresa, as ambitious as Teresa of Avila, tolerance for British demands. Still, May could frustrate Labour and as modest as the Little Flower. But By appealing to Trump and Erdogan, by holding an election this fall, which will she be remembered as well as any May’s current strategy seems to be would strengthen her position vis-à- of them? geared toward appeasing right-wing vis her party’s Europhobic fringe and Like the Little Flower, May is so Brexiteers and Euroskeptics. But if she whoever governs Europe next year. discreet that even many members of Prime Minister Theresa May. concedes too much to them, she could For now, she seems to have ruled out her own party have doubts about what make it impossible to reach a fi nal calling an early election ahead of the she actually believes. She has pandered past the point of no return with will happen for at least another year, presidency in a run-off against the far- agreement with Europe. Either way, Brexit negotiations. But, equipped to America’s toxic president, Donald minimal controversy, while remaining because Europe will be in the throes of right National Front’s Marine Le Pen, Europhobes such as Liam Fox, May’s with a popular mandate of her own, Trump, and courted Turkish President extraordinarily popular. its own elections in France, Germany, unless she shrewdly poses as a moderate trade secretary, will denounce any and with the vision, strength, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both gestures Of course, very little has actually and probably Italy. or a socialist welfare-statist “patriot.” deal as a Cameron-style sellout, and courage of her three namesakes, she have eclipsed even former British happened in the nine months since the Incumbent European governments After that, German voters will either push for a “pure,” off -the-cliff Brexit. could secure a deal with Europe that Prime Minister David Cameron’s referendum took place: no concrete will not want to risk empowering reelect Chancellor Angela Merkel, This would entail acceding to World serves both Britain and the cause of kowtowing to Chinese President Xi steps have been taken; and staunch their populist right-wing rivals by or give the job to the pro-EU Social Trade Organisation rules – or maybe global stability. – Project Syndicate Jinping during Xi’s visit to the United Brexit opponents such as Work and accommodating British bluster. On the Democrat Martin Schulz. And the next no rules at all – with respect to Europe, Kingdom in 2015. Pensions Secretary Damian Green other hand, the Dutch populist avatar Italian leader will surely be anyone but which would put Britain at a signifi cant zRobert Harvey, a former member of But there seems to be something and Minister of State for Foreign and Geert Wilders recently suff ered an Beppe Grillo, the eccentric Five Star disadvantage. the House of Commons Foreign Aff airs deeper to May. By invoking Article Commonwealth Aff airs Alan Duncan electoral defeat, relative to what many Movement leader. The fact that May is facing the Committee, is the author of Global 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, her are still members of the government. expected. And in France, a mainstream When the election dust fi nally weakest domestic opposition Disorder and A Few Bloody Noses: government has now pushed Britain’s Investors are apparently banking candidate such as Emmanuel Macron settles, a phony war between Britain imaginable may actually compound The Realities and Mythologies of the narrow Brexit referendum decision on the fact that nothing signifi cant or Francois Fillon will likely win the and the European Union will ensue. her diffi culties. Labour Party American Revolution.

LEGAL HELPLINE Weather report Three-day forecast

TODAY High: 33 C Low : 23 C Inshore: Hazy to misty at places at first becomes relatively hot daytime A court case of alleged forgery with slight dust and scatterd clouds

to a dispute over the parking period of three years from the date on troubles while presenting it? Please SUNDAY Dr Nizar Kochery High: 33 C Doha space in a shopping centre, the which the judgment becomes fi nal. advise. fi nal judgment was issued last However, a judgment may be passed CR, Doha Low: 23 C week which mentions six months’ for revoking a stay of execution if the Sunny uestion: We are in a imprisonment and fi ne of QR5,000. convicted person commits during A: The certifi cation of cheque shall contract issue and a case It has also mentioned something the period of probation a deliberate confi rm the availability of suffi cient is in the expert hearing. like three years stop of execution. off ence, he shall be sentenced to a funds with the bank to pay on the date MONDAY QWe noticed that there What does it mean? When I penalty involving deprivation of liberty of certifi cation. According to Article High: 31 C are a few documents submitted enquired about this I came to know for more than three months, whether 566 of the Civil Law, the drawer has Low: 22 C by the opposite party which may that there is no imprisonment. the conviction judgment has been the right to ask for certifi cation of the Cloudy decide the matter. The documents Please clarify. passed during this period or thereafter, cheque. The drawee/bank shall not use are signed; the fact is that we have YHO, Doha provided that the action has been such funds but shall keep it to pay the shared a few draft documents brought during such period. value of the cheque when presented. Fishermen’s forecast but never signed the same. They A: As per Article 79 of the penal laws, The drawee does not have the right to OFFSHORE DOHA seemed to be forged. How could we upon issuing a judgment of a fi ne refuse the certifi cation of the cheque Wind: NE-SE 03-12/15 KT proceed? or imprisonment for a period of no Certification if there were suffi cient funds to pay Waves: 1-3/4 Feet RT, Doha more than one year, a judge may order its value. The funds against payment INSHORE DOHA of cheque Wind: NE-SE 05-15/18 KT a stay of execution considering the of the certifi ed cheque shall remain Waves: 1-2 Feet Answer: As per Article 236 of the Civil accused’s conduct, past circumstances Q: We are executing a small portion frozen with the drawee and under his and Commercial code of procedure, of off ence or age and that whether of work in a site in Doha and it was responsibility in favour of its bearer, Around the region forgery may be claimed at any stage there is reason to believe that he shall agreed with the contractor that until the end of the period set for Weather Weather of a case by submitting a report to not commit another off ence. The the payments will be released on presenting the cheque for payment. today Max/min tomorrow Max/min the offi ce of the Registry of the court judgment shall show the reason for the completion of entire work. It The signature of the drawee on the face Abu Dhabi Sunny 34/24 Sunny 36/25 Baghdad M Sunny that specifi es all parts of the exhibit the stay of execution. A judge shall was agreed to issue post-dated of the cheque shall be considered as a M Cloudy 27/15 26/13 Dubai Sunny 35/23 Sunny 36/25 in which the alleged forgery took make a stay of execution inclusive of cheques against the payments. Is it certifi cation. Kuwait City P Cloudy 27/19 Sunny 28/19 place and all claimed acts of forgery; any secondary punishment, except possible to hold the amount in the Manama P Cloudy 30/22 Sunny 32/22 otherwise the claim shall be null and confi scation. contractor’s bank account using zPlease send your questions by Muscat Sunny 33/28 Sunny 34/29 void. The party who makes the claim The stay of execution shall be for a this cheque in order to avoid future e-mail to: [email protected] Riyadh Sunny 27/22 Sunny 36/21 shall notify the other party within 10 Tehran P Cloudy 19/11 S Showers 18/09 days after preparing the report, by a memorandum explaining the evidence LEGAL SYSTEM IN QATAR of forgery and investigation procedures that he requires for evidence; otherwise Except for ministries, other If there are personal circumstances his claim may expire. governmental departments, and public that would change the characterisation organisations and institutions, any of the off ence, it shall not aff ect other legal person shall be criminally any person other than the person Restrictive covenant liable for the off ences committed by concerned, unless that other in job contract his representatives, managers, and person is aware of them. Any other agents acting on his behalf or in his circumstance shall only aff ect the Q: Can a company specify in its name, and it shall not be allowed to person concerned, whether or not agreement with the employee punish him with other than a fi ne, it is aggravating or extenuating. If that once the employee resigns, and applicable provisions from the personal excuses exempting from or he/she shall not work or render secondary penalties stipulated by extenuating the punishment to an any service for the clients of the law; if the law stipulates a penalty off ence, whether as perpetrator or company for a specifi ed duration in addition to the fi ne, then the fi ne accomplices, the eff ect thereof shall (up to 2 or 3 years after the shall not exceed a maximum limit of not exceed the person associated with discontinuation of service)? QR5,000. This does not prevent from such excuses. TT, Doha punishing the perpetrator personally As per Article 43, where there with the appropriate punishment exist personal defences absolving A: The employment contract can decided by law. or any other thing used in committing from or extenuating the penalty to include a restrictive covenant in A perpetrator is one who: (1) the off ence with his knowledge, or if an off ence, whether as principal or Around the world accordance with Article 43 of the commits an off ence by himself or with he willfully aids the perpetrator by any accessory, then it shall aff ect only the Weather Weather Labour Law. If the nature of the another; (2) takes part in committing other means in acts which prepare for, person concerned. Material excuses today Max/min tomorrow Max/min work allows the employee to become an off ence which consists of several facilitate or complete the off ence. exempting from or extenuating the Athens Cloudy 19/07 Sunny 20/08 S Showers 17/14 acquainted with the clients of the acts, and intentionally commits any of As per Article 40, whoever punishment shall apply to any one Beirut 20/14 Showers Bangkok T Storms 31/25 M Cloudy 32/25 employer or the secrets of the business, its constituent acts; (3) acts to assist participates in the commission of who participated in the off ence. If the Berlin Sunny 22/09 Cloudy 18/06 the employer may stipulate that the the perpetrator of the off ence and an off ence shall be punishable with characterisation of the off ence or the Cairo M Sunny 25/13 P Cloudy 24/13 employee shall not compete with be present during its execution; and the penalty for said off ence unless penalty change according to the intent Cape Town P Cloudy 23/13 P Cloudy 22/16 him or participate in any undertaking (4) use another person by any means the law provides otherwise. If any of the perpetrator or as a result of his Colombo S T Storms 32/25 T Storms 32/26 Dhaka S T Storms 34/26 S T Storms 34/26 competing with him after expiry to execute the constituent act of the of the accomplices is not punishable knowledge thereof, the perpetrator Hong Kong P Cloudy 22/17 Sunny 21/18 of the contract. The period of such crime, and the latter person is, for any for lack of criminal intent or for any or accomplice to an off ence shall be Istanbul P Cloudy 11/04 P Cloudy 14/05 undertaking shall not exceed two years. reason, not criminally responsible other particular reasons related to his punished in accordance with their Jakarta T Storms 35/22 T Storms 34/23 Such stipulation shall be valid only if therefore. person, the rest of the accomplices intent or knowledge. Karachi Sunny 33/23 Sunny 35/23 S T Storms P Cloudy 15/06 it is restricted as to the place and type A person shall be considered an shall not benefi t therefrom. According As per Article 45, party to an London 15/06 Manila S T Storms 36/26 P Cloudy 32/24 of the work to the extent necessary accomplice to an off ence: (1) If he to Article 42, where there exist off ence, whether as perpetrator or Moscow Sunny 06/0 Cloudy 13/05 to safeguard the employer’s lawful abets the commission of an off ence, material circumstances in the off ence accomplice, is only punishable by New Delhi M Sunny 39/22 Sunny 38/22 interests. and it occurs in accordance with that would by their nature aggravate the penalty for the off ence which New York Showers 08/03 M Sunny 16/04 such abetment; (2) If he conspires or extenuate the penalty, they shall has actually been committed, even Paris Cloudy 16/06 M Sunny 18/06 Sao Paulo S Showers 23/16 P Cloudy 24/16 with others on the commission of an aff ect all participants to the off ence, if it is other than that intended to Seoul P Cloudy 14/01 Sunny 16/02 What does stay of off ence and it occurs in accordance principal or accessory, whether they be committed, when the off ence Singapore T Storms 31/24 T Storms 31/25 execution mean? with such a conspiracy; and (3) If he are aware of those circumstances or committed is a probable consequence Sydney M Sunny 22/17 Showers 18/15 gives the perpetrator a weapon, tools not. of the participant’s acts. Tokyo Cloudy 10/04 Cloudy 12/04 Q: In a criminal case with regard Gulf Times 16 Saturday, April 1, 2017 QATAR Cultural Zone adds fl avours to QIFF 2017

Qatari chef, Jassim Mohamed al-Kharraz, of ‘We Café’ prepares a Qatari dish.

from 4pm to 9pm. Dada Fifi c, a staff of Nando’s, said the event gives them the perfect opportu- nity to introduce South African culinary delights “in a unique way.” “We’re trying to bring the best to the festival. We made a menu of four items that we believe people here will get to experi- ence the fl avours of South Africa through our chicken and sauces. We’re trying to give them some- thing new to taste and try,” she pointed out. Visitors lounge along the greens of QIFF 2017. PICTURES: Jayan Orma Layla Bernal al-Lenjawi of Eve House of Catering and Events By Peter Alagos rica, Japan, Turkey, and Italy in Chef Jassim believes in the said aside from Qatar-based Fil- Staff Reporter addition to the host country. It need to bring Qatari food “be- ipinos, there is “an overwhelm- not only provides QIFF patrons yond the Gulf” and to a wider ing” demand for Filipino dishes a unique food trip but also off ers audience. “And the food festival such as ‘adobo’ from Europeans his year’s edition of the live cultural and entertainment is the fi rst step and a great op- and other expatriates, “even Qatar International Food performances from some of the portunity for We Café to meet those from neighbouring Gulf TFestival (QIFF) marks featured countries. this objective,” he stressed. countries.” the debut of the Cultural Zone Speaking to Gulf Times yes- On Sunday, chef Jassim, to- “I was surprised that many represented by nine embassies, terday on the sideline of the gether with his We Café part- expatriates visiting the festival A food stall located at the Cultural Zone, which houses establishments representing 10 countries. adding more fl avour to the an- Cultural Zone, Qatari chef Jas- ners, chef Hassan al-Ibrahim, are craving for Filipino food, nual event. sim Mohamed al-Kharraz, one chef Amena Musa, and chef which is why I take pride in rep- tive of the Philippine embassy in resented the Philippines yester- ward to being a regular partici- The Cultural Zone features a of the four owners of ‘We Café’, Dunya Abed, will be preparing resenting the Philippines at this Qatar. As part of the live cultural day by performing excerpts of pant of the food festival, which variety of culinary delights from said it is “an honour” to repre- authentic Qatari cuisine at the high-end event,” said al-Lenja- and entertainment perform- Filipino stage plays. Italian chef, he said off ers diverse gastro- the Philippines, Ethiopia, Mexi- sent Qatar during the 11-day cu- QIFF Cooking Theatre, which wi, who is also the chairperson ances, Doha-based performers Franco Della Toff ola, of Nonna nomic delights and fl avours to co, the US, Germany, South Af- linary celebration. runs live demonstrations daily of ‘Kulinarya Qatar’, an initia- ‘Tanghalan Overseas Pinoy’ rep- Zanon noted that he looks for- each visitor. Attending food fest is an enriching experience: chef Sanjeev Kapoor

he globally acclaimed Indian case their skills and be recognised. It something they are familiar with back His popularity and contribution to In- chef Sanjeev Kapoor has prom- gives them the chance to interact, ob- at home. Besides this, eating out is a dian cuisine granted him the ‘Best Chef Tised to surprise his fans today at serve and experience something diff er- culture here and people also appreciate of India’ National Award. Today, he’s the ongoing Qatar International Food ent and new. Each one of us goes back good off erings.” ranked 73rd on the Forbes list of top 100 Festival (QIFF) 2017 at the Hotel Park. from here as an enriched person,” he Kapoor, who opened his fi rst restau- Indian celebrities. Kapoor was also in- He will host a live cooking demon- said. rant in Doha in September 2015, credits vited to the Rachel Ray’s cooking show, stration at QIFF’s Cooking Theatre at Kapoor, one of the speakers at the re- his parents for inspiring him to become representing India as ‘Food Ambassa- 7pm and a Chef’s Table dinner at his cent ‘Worlds of Flavour’ at Graystone, a chef. What does he do when he is not dor’. restaurant in the Melia Doha. California — an international festival in the kitchen? QIFF forms a part of Qatar Tourism In an exclusive chat with Gulf Times’, organised by the Culinary Institute of “I am with my drum set, playing and Authority’s strategy to grow and di- the prolifi c culinary author and one of America — was of the view that “Qatar singing along with it,” added the celeb- versify the country’s tourism off ering, the famous faces on Indian television, market is very similar to any other mar- rity, whose TV show has run for more particularly in the area of family and declared that QIFF, the country’s sig- ket and in fact very close to the markets than a record 18 years. He was also part urban entertainment. nature food festival, is extremely great back in India.” of the Master Chef India jury panel, on It has grown since its fi rst edition in and important. “Food festivals like “Locals, Indians and expats from seasons three and four, and his books 2010 to become one of the most antici- these provide platforms to people who other nationalities lap up this off ering are bestsellers with more than 200 ti- pated events in Qatar’s growing calen- are passionate about cooking, to show- as it has something for everyone and tles, translated into seven languages. dar of annual festivals and events. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor ... serving it up. Al Ahli Hospital to set up ‘Diet To Go’ in fi ght against obesity

By Joey Aguilar Staff Reporter

l Ahli Hospital will es- tablish a sister company Acalled ‘Diet To Go’ to help people lose weight and prevent obesity by off ering a wide range of healthy food choices in an in- novative way, a senior offi cial said. “For the very fi rst time in Qa- tar, you will fi nd expert dieti- cians joining hands with French chefs to provide healthy food to overweight people,” deputy CEO Jamal S Hammad explained yesterday on the sidelines of the Dr A Azeem A Wahab H Abdulwahab opening of the fi rst-ever two- day ‘Obesity and Overweight senior consultant surgeon and ics in the medical fi eld, includ- Symposium,’ at Katara – the Cul- director of general surgery de- ing surgery to treat obesity and tural Village. The programme will partment at Al Ahli Hospital, told overweight. He cited that a big off er around 122 diff erent cui- reporters that they want to raise number of patients come from sines under a special diet aimed public awareness about the im- other neighbouring countries to at preventing clients from getting portance of preventing and treat- seek treatment and surgery in bored of the usual type of menu ing obesity. Qatar not because their countries served to them every day. He said the symposium also lack the technology and capabil- Hammad hopes the new com- aims to educate their medical ity but due to privacy reasons. pany will open by the end of this staff , including those from other In Qatar, the number of obese month, featuring a wide selec- hospitals in the country, about people, including children, is in- tion of food for their patients at obesity and overweight. creasing every year, according to Al Ahli Hospital, as well as for More than 1,000 participants took part in the first-ever two-day Obesity and Overweight Symposium at Katara, which began yesterday. Organisers invited 30 speak- Hammad. outsiders. The programme will PICTURES: Shemeer Rasheed ers from Qatar and other coun- “We believe this symposium also give walk-ins the option to tries such as Holland and the will address all the diagnosis and take either three months or six control, calculating calories, and delivered to their homes. “They they will not be able to submit their breakfast, lunch and din- US to share their expertise and prognosis of such cases, way of months, or a longer period for etc.,” he noted. can choose and try, and remove the order.” ner, which can either be reheated knowledge to the participants in treatment, prevention, and even the diet, according to the offi cial. Patients who register in the anything until they are able to “We will receive it in the or eaten cold,” Hammad pointed a series of discussions scheduled new techniques used by Al Ahli “The food itself will be produced programme will have a mobile fi nalise their order, then submit evening and next thing in the out. until today. Hospital and worldwide to help in the hospital because it has to application where they can se- it, he added. “If their selection morning the meal will be deliv- About the symposium, Dr A The senior offi cial said they people to reduce their weight,” he go on the strength of monitoring lect the menus, which can be exceeds dedicated calorie intake, ered to their doorstep, it maybe Azeem A Wahab H Abdulwahab, will also tackle several top- added.