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FRIDAY Vol. XXXVII No. 10164 July 29, 2016 Shawwal 24, 1437 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Emir in Argentina talks

In brief Russia ‘aid operation’

QATAR | Offi cial Ministry of Defence denies media reports The Directorate of Protocol, Public for besieged Relations and Moral Guidance at the Ministry of Defence has denied reports by some media about the fabricated tweet against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which was attributed to HE the Minister of State for Defence Aleppo city Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al- Attiyah, regarding recent events in AFP nesty to rebels who surrender over the Turkey. The Directorate stresses the Aleppo, Syria next three months, state news agency need to elicit information from their SANA reported. off icial sources. “Everyone carrying arms and sought yria regime ally Russia yesterday by justice is excluded from full punish- announced a “large-scale” aid ment if they hand themselves in and lay EUROPE | Coup bid Soperation to allow civilians and down their weapons,” it said. Turkey reshuffl es HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Argentinian President Mauricio Macri held a session of off icial talks last fi ghters to fl ee besieged Aleppo, as the Syria’s state television also an- night at the Quinta de Olivos Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires. The talks reviewed bilateral relations and means of boosting president off ered an amnesty to rebels nounced “the opening of three passages military top brass and developing them on all fronts, particularly in economy and investment. Page 2 who surrender. to allow citizens out of eastern districts” Turkey yesterday reshuff led key The opposition, however, condemned of Aleppo. military commanders sacking almost the initiative as an attempt to “alter Regime planes yesterday dropped fl y- half of its generals in the wake of the Aleppo’s demographics and ensure ers showing a map with the location of failed coup, as authorities shut down forced displacement”, while Amnesty these humanitarian passages, he said, as dozens of media outlets in a widening said it was “not a substitute for allow- well as small aid packages, an AFP cor- crackdown. A hastily-convened ing impartial humanitarian relief for ci- respondent said. military council meeting came Yemeni govt says peace vilians many of whom will be sceptical He went to see one of the corridors after the government ordered the about government promises”. but said it remained closed and saw no discharge of 149 generals — nearly half UN aid chief Stephen O’Brien warned movement of local residents nearby. of the armed forces’ entire contingent that any corridors must be used volun- “We’re scared of using the regime of 358 — for alleged complicity in the tarily and protection be guaranteed. crossings because we refused to do mil- putsch bid. Separately, a total of 131 “No one can be forced to fl ee, by any itary service. The corridors are nothing talks ‘completely ended’ more than words. It’s just an excuse to newspapers, TV channels and other specifi c route or to any particular loca- media outlets were being shut down tion,” said O’Brien. throw people into jail,” said Hassan Ib- under the state of emergency. Page 10 AFP They did not name the council’s and hold the Houthi-Saleh alliance “Protection must be guaranteed for rahim, a 25-year-old father. Aden members. responsible” for the failure of the all according to the principles of neu- The Syrian opposition High Negotia- “The aim is to unify eff orts to con- talks, he said. trality and impartiality.” tions Committee condemned Russia’s ARAB WORLD | Diplomacy front the aggression by Saudi Arabia The rebels overran Sanaa in Sep- Government forces have surrounded proposal as “a euphemism for Russia’s Kerry to meet Abbas emen’s government said yes- and its allies,” they said in reference tember 2014 and expanded their con- rebel-held districts in eastern Aleppo eff orts to alter Aleppo’s demographics in Paris tomorrow terday that peace talks un- to the Riyadh-led Arab coalition that trol to other parts of Yemen. since July 17, sparking fears for an esti- and ensure forced displacement”. Yderway since April had ended launched a military campaign against In February last year, they had set mated 250,000 people who live there. “The forcible displacement of Alep- US Secretary of State John Kerry without agreement after Shia rebels the rebels in March 2015 in support of up a “Supreme Revolutionary Coun- Residents have reported food short- po’s population is a war crime perpe- will meet with Palestinian President and their allies formed a 10-member Hadi. cil” to run the country after they an- ages and spiralling prices in rebel dis- trated by the Syrian regime and a per- Mahmoud Abbas in Paris tomorrow to “supreme council” to run the war- The job of the council would be to nounced the dissolution of the gov- tricts since regime forces cut off the manent member of the (UN) Security discuss progress toward a two-state torn nation. “manage state aff airs politically, mili- ernment and parliament. opposition’s main supply route into the Council,” it said, referring to Russia. solution, the State Department said. “The negotiations have complete- tarily, economically, administratively, UN-sponsored talks between the northern city earlier this month. Amnesty was also dismissive. “The secretary is not looking at trying ly ended,” said Abdullah al-Olaimi, socially and in security”. rebels and representatives of Hadi’s Russian Defence Minister Sergei The Russian plan was “not a substi- to make progress based on a fixed deputy director of the Yemeni presi- Ould Cheikh Ahmed who has been government, which began on April 21, Shoigu said three humanitarian corri- tute for allowing impartial humanitar- date on the calendar,” spokesman dent’s offi ce and a member of the brokering 100 days of talks aimed at have failed to make headway. dors were being opened “to aid civilians ian relief for civilians who remain in John Kirby said. Instead, Kerry will government team to the UN-brokered a peaceful settlement condemned the The negotiations were launched held hostage by terrorists and for fi ght- opposition-held areas of the city or other speak with “Abbas about prospects talks being held in Kuwait. move without formally announcing after the United Nations secured an ers wishing to lay down their arms”. besieged areas, many of whom will be for a two-state solution, and trying to “We have participated and exer- the collapse of negotiations. agreement on a ceasefi re in the war- He told Russian news agencies that a sceptical about government promises”, make meaningful progress to create cised patience for the sake of our peo- “This is a clear violation of the torn country. fourth corridor would be opened to the it said. the conditions where that solution ple and we end the negotiations for Yemeni constitution” as well as Res- The main stumbling block at the north of Aleppo for rebels to fl ee with UN envoy Staff an de Mistura said the can be more successfully pursued”. their sake,” Olaimi said on his Twitter olution 2216, he said in a statement talks in Kuwait has been the form of their weapons. world body had not been consulted on account. released in Kuwait. the government in Sanaa. Medical and food assistance would be Russia’s initiative. In Riyadh, President Abd-Rabbu The resolution calls on the Houthis The Hadi government backed by provided along the routes for civilians Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch ASEAN | Crime Mansour Hadi’s government said the to withdraw from territories they oc- Saudi Arabia say that he is the legiti- and fi ghters who lay down their weap- accused Assad’s regime and Russia of Indonesia executes rebels had “fi red the bullet of mercy” cupied in 2014, to hand over their mate head of state and should preside ons, Shoigu said. extensively using banned cluster mu- killing off the talks. arms and return state institutions to over a transitional period in the coun- President Bashar al-Assad, mean- nitions against the rebels since late four drug convicts UN special envoy Ismail Ould the legitimate government. try. But the rebels insist on forming a while, issued a decree off ering an am- May. Page 4 Indonesia today executed four drug Cheikh Ahmed said the rebels’ move Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abdul- national unity government to oversee convicts, three of them foreigners, “contravenes” their commitment to malek al-Mikhlafi said the rebels’ the transition. Nusra Front splits from Al Qaeda by firing squad, an off icial said. Ten the peace process and “represents announcement amounted to a “new More than 6,400 people have been others expected to have faced the a grave violation” of UN Security coup”. killed in Yemen since the Saudi-led Al Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, campaigns separately launched by the firing squad, including nationals Council Resolution 2216. The rebels have “missed an oppor- coalition intervened in support of will split from the terrorist network and United States and Russia against militant from Pakistan, India and Zimbabwe The Shia Houthi rebels and the tunity for peace which the Yemeni Hadi’s government. change its name to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham groups in Syria including Al Nusra Front as well as Indonesians, were not General People’s Congress of former people needed”, Mikhlafi said on his Another 2.8mn people have been (Front for the Conquest of Levant), its and its rival Islamic State. put to death but off icials said they president Ali Abdullah Saleh earlier Twitter account. displaced and more than 80% of the leader said in a video yesterday. It was the fi rst time that Al Nusra leader would be executed at a later stage. announced the formation of “a su- “We call on the international com- population urgently needs humani- The split is believed to have been Abu Mohamed al-Jolani appeared in a Authorities did not give a reason for preme political council of 10 mem- munity to condemn the new coup tarian aid, according to UN fi gures. prompted by intensifi ed military video with his face uncovered. Page 4 the reprieve. Page 7 bers”. against the constitutional legitimacy Page 3 Dates festival kicks off at Souq Waqif Petrol prices to rise

QNA by Dh5 next month Doha etrol prices in Qatar will go up various government bodies, would he Local Dates Festival kicked off at Souq Wa- by Dh5 a litre next month while review fuel prices (gasoline and die- qif yesterday evening. The festival is organised Pthere will not be any change in sel) and make recommendations on Tby the Ministry of Municipality and Environ- the diesel price, according to an an- proposed prices for the local market ment in collaboration with administration of Souq nouncement by the Ministry of Energy accordingly. Waqif. It will run until August 14, coinciding with the and Industry. The monthly revision in local fuel dates harvesting season in Qatar. According to the ministry, the prices followed the government’s deci- Held under the auspices of HE the Minister of Mu- 91-octane Premium gasoline will cost sion on fuel subsidy reforms in Qatar. nicipality and Environment Mohamed bin Abdullah QR1.35/litre (QR1.3 now) and Super A BMI Research analyst told Gulf al-Rumaihi, the festival was opened in the presence QR1.45 (QR1.4) in August. Times yesterday that “similar to what of a number of senior offi cials of the ministry and The current price for this month has happened in the rest of the Gulf with participation of a number of local farmers. QR1.3 (Premium) and QR1.4 (Super) (GCC) since the start of the year, we The festival events include display and sale of all will be in eff ect until July 31. expect to see infl ation increasing on the types of freshly harvested local dates, particularly Diesel, however, will remain un- back of subsidy cuts.” khalas, khanizi, arzis, barhi and hilaly. changed at QR1.4/litre in August. BMI Research, a Fitch Group com- The event aims to introduce locally produced va- Fuel prices in Qatar were allowed to pany, forecasts Qatar’s annual infl a- rieties of dates as well as promote cultural aware- fl uctuate in response to changes in the tion to average 2.9% in 2016. But it still ness and heritage associated with date palm. It also global market from May 1. remains low compared to the double- highlights the value of date as food and its health The Local Dates Festival was opened at Souq Waqif yesterday in the presence of a number of senior off icials of Every month, a special commit- digit infl ation Qatar witnessed a few benefi ts. the Ministry of Municipality and Environment. tee comprising representatives from years ago. Gulf Times 2 Friday, July 29, 2016 QATAR Qatar, Argentina sign MoUs QNA witnessed the signing of the fol- dential Palace. Buenos Aires lowing MoUs: Earlier on arrival in Buenos 1. An MoU on co-operation in Aires yesterday the Emir was the legal fi eld between the jus- welcomed at Ministro Pistarini atar and Argentina tice ministries of Qatar and Ar- Airport (Ezeiza) by Argentina’s signed three Memoran- gentina. Minister of Foreign Aff airs Su- Qdums of Understanding 2. An MoU on co-opera- sana Malcorra, Qatar’s am- (MoUs) following a session of tion in the field of diplomatic bassador to Argentina Fahad offi cial talks chaired by HH the training between the Diplo- Ibrahim al-Mana, Argentina’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad matic Institute at the State of ambassador to Qatar Rossana al-Thani and Argentinian Presi- Qatar’s Foreign Ministry and Cecilia Surballe, several Arab dent Mauricio Macri yesterday the National Foreign Service ambassadors accredited to Ar- night at the Quinta de Olivos Institute (ISEN) at Argentina’s gentina and members of the Qa- Presidential Palace here. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. tari embassy in Argentina. The talks reviewed bilateral 3. An MoU on holding po- Meanwhile, HE the Minister of relations and means of devel- litical consultations between the Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed oping them, particularly in the foreign ministries of Qatar and bin Abdulrahman al-Thani held fi elds of economy and invest- Argentina. a separate meeting with his Ar- ment, so as to enhance the level Members of the offi cial del- gentinian counterpart Susana of co-operation between the two egation accompanying the Emir Malcorra here yesterday. countries. and several Argentinian minis- During the meeting, they The talks also touched on de- ters were present at the signing discussed bilateral relations be- velopments in the Middle East ceremony. tween Qatar and Argentina and and the international arena. The Emir was accorded an ways to further develop them, as HH the Emir and the Argentinian president witnessing the signing of an MoU. Following the talks, the Emir official welcoming ceremony well as latest regional and inter- and the Argentinian president upon his arrival at the Presi- national developments.

HE the Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani chairing a meeting with his Argentinian counterpart Susana HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani being received by Argentinian President Mauricio Macri. Malcorra in Buenos Aires yesterday.

Emir receives message from Six-month-long traffi c diversion Ooredoo’s business Swiss president on Wakrah-Mesaieed road HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has received a written message from President traffi c diversion will be in place for 6 months seen in the attached map). desks generate demand of the Swiss Confederation starting from tomorrow (July 30) on a stretch The diversion is required to facilitate the con- Johann Schneider-Ammann, Aof the northbound lanes of Mesaieed Road. struction of the new 10 lane (fi ve lanes in each di- on relations between Qatar During the period, traffic for nearly 6km on rection) Al Wakrah bypass and eight-lane highway ix months after being launched, Ooredoo’s and Switzerland, and ways of the closed section of Mesaieed Road towards (four lanes in each direction) for The New Orbital business desks are receiving thousands of enhancing them. Al Wakrah will be diverted to a parallel lane (As Highway Project, Ashghal said. Svisitors every month at Ooredoo Shops as The message was received by business customers take advantage of the new HE Minister of State for Foreign service. Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al- The Ooredoo dedicated business desks, which Muraikhi, during a meeting with opened in selected Ooredoo retail stores in Febru- ambassador of Switzerland to ary, were designed to give business customers eas- Qatar Etienne Thevoze yesterday. ier access to business services to ensure increased customer satisfaction. Indian embassy The desks, which are located at Al Khor, Salwa, open house today Al Sadd, Al Wakrah, City Center, Old Airport, Landmark, and Hyatt Plaza Ooredoo Shops, en- Indian Embassy will hold an open able business customers to purchase the company’s house on its premises today business portfolio and services in-store, includ- from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. The ing Shahry Smart and Hala Business packs, fi bre session will address any urgent and mobile broadband, SIP-T business telephony, Business Kiosk at Ooredoo Shop. consular or labour problems smart offi ce, Ooredoo cloud Services, and more. faced by Indian nationals in Qatar. Ooredoo has seen a strong uptick in the number channel has proven to be a signifi cant success, and Written information on issues/ of companies deploying business solutions in 2016, with thousands of customers being served every cases proposed to be discussed particularly from small and medium-sized busi- month, we hope to extend the programme further with the Embassy may be given nesses in Qatar looking to realise greater effi cien- in the near future.” from 5.30pm to 6pm. This will cies. Each dedicated desk off ers customers a trained be followed by meeting with Ooredoo Qatar chief operating offi cer Yousuf al- business sales representative to assist with their embassy off icials from 6pm to Kubaisi said, “In addition to enhancing the level of business needs and discuss communication plans. 6.30pm. customer care for companies, we are also introduc- More details of all plans, pricing, and off ers The new address of the embassy ing special off ers for businesses at these locations, available for business customers can be had from is as follows: Villa Nos. 86 & 90, bringing superior value and productivity to small Ooredoo shops or 800-8000 / www.ooredoo.qa/ Street No. 941, Al Eithra Street, and SOHO businesses. This new business desks business Zone 63, Onaiza, Doha. Small businesses hit as sultry QC builds housing units in Mauritania weather keeps people indoors

By Ramesh Mathew and safeguard themselves, es- were taking a heavy toll on their Faisal said he and several other Staff Reporter pecially children, against heat business. There has been a dip shopkeepers in the locality are exhaustion and heat stroke in the number of customers on closing their outlets earlier than throughout the hottest summer weekends, too, he informed. usual. While the normal clos- weltering conditions are months. ing time is around midnight, he forcing some shopkeepers Speaking to Gulf Times, em- “This is because fewer said now they are wrapping up Sin Doha to down shutters ployees of some eateries and customers are coming to by 11pm. earlier than usual, it is found. shops at Souq Waqif and other shops due to the prevailing Some of the smaller grocer- With many people choosing places said there has been a fall weather conditions” ies in the city are also remaining not to remain outdoors other than in the number of customers in closed between 2pm and 4pm, it for essential work, some shop the evenings. Open-air activi- Besides aff ecting the revenues is found. “This is because fewer operators said they were getting ties, in particular, have been hit of restaurants, fewer customers customers are coming to shops fewer customers than usual. hard as people are looking to also means a drop in “tips” off ered due to the prevailing weather High temperatures and soar- spend their time indoors to es- to waiters, the employee rued. conditions,” he said. ing humidity levels - particu- cape the sultry weather. Similarly, Abdul Faisal, the It has also come to light that larly during the evening - are An employee of a restaurant in operator of a grocery in Doha, some suppliers are avoiding du- prompting many residents to Najma said they would normally said many people are not step- ties in the afternoon and late in avoid stepping out. Hamad attract a lot of customers in the ping out of their homes in the the evening. Delivery boys too To accommodate the students of Shariah Sciences and imams of mosques, Qatar Charity has built Medical Corporation, too, has evening, including foreigners, late-evening hours - when hu- have raised concern about run- 25 housing units in Mauritania. Several poor families and students will benefit from the project, a reminded Qatar’s residents to but the numbers had dwindled midity levels soar - and this is ning errands in such weather spokesman said. Some of the inmates are seen near the hostel. continue observing precautions of late as the heat and humidity aff ecting their business. conditions. Gulf Times Friday, July 29, 2016 3 REGION/ARAB WORLD Houthis Keeping traditions alive... to form a ‘supreme council’ Reuters leadership including a president and a Dubai deputy from each ally. It said the deal was signed by GPC deputy head Sadeq Abu Ras and the emen’s Houthi group and its al- Houthis’ Ansarullah political council lies in ex-president Ali Abdul- chief, Saleh al-Samad, and outlined Ylah Saleh’s party said yesterday a basis for running the country and they would set up a governing council managing state aff airs on the basis of to run the country, signalling frustra- the existing constitution. tion with stalled UN-sponsored peace Houthi forces and Saleh loyalists talks in Kuwait. now hold most of Yemen’s northern Senior offi cials in President Abd- half while Hadi’s forces share control Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government of the rest with southern separatists Families of Kuwaiti sailors bid them farewell as they sail away in dhows on a pearl-diving trip in Kuwait City. Pearl-diving trips are held annually under the said the move undermined diplomatic and various tribes, with Al Qaeda-af- patronage of the Kuwaiti emir in order to keep alive traditions that accompanied the once important national trade of pearl-diving, prior to the discovery of oil. eff orts to end a devastating civil war fi liated militants operating in parts of that has drawn in a Saudi-led Arab the country. coalition and caused a humanitarian The accord as quoted by the crisis. sabanews.net cited what it called the “The Houthi and Saleh declaration international community’s failure to today is a message to the world that rein in the “arrogance of the Saudi ag- they are not ready for peace and are not gression” as an important factor in the ready to spare Yemen more destruc- decision to ditch the peace talks. Egyptian Copts look to new law tion,” Hadi’s deputy prime minister, Saudi Arabia has said it intervened in Abdel-Aziz al-Jubari, told Dubai- the war to try to restore Hadi to power based Al Hadath TV. after Houthi forces began advancing The announcement by the Iranian- on his temporary base in the southern allied Houthis and Saleh’s General port city of Aden last year, and to roll to end religious discrimination Peoples’ Congress Party (GPC) could back Houthi gains. unravel an already shaky ceasefi re that The Houthis had been overseeing took eff ect in April and had reduced regions they controlled via a so-called By Haitham El-Tabei, AFP Coptic Pope Tawadros II has said ary 2011, a suicide bomber killed more overthrow by the military, his support- the intensity of the confl ict. Revolutionary Committee with GPC Minya, Egypt he hopes the new law will streamline than 20 churchgoers in the coastal city ers singled out Christians for blame. The talks under way in Kuwait had participation. church construction and cut through of Alexandria. Leading Muslim clerics, as well as shown no sign of headway on UN peace It would now be replaced by a the red tape. The violence multiplied after Mu- much of the secular opposition and proposals including a Houthi with- “High Political Council” comprising n a recent Sunday in southern Ishak Ibrahim, a researcher with the barak’s ouster, with sectarian clashes the Coptic Orthodox Church, sup- drawal from cities including the capital 10 members equally divided between Egypt, dozens of Coptic Chris- rights group Egyptian Initiative for in Cairo killing more than a dozen ported his ouster. Sanaa captured since 2014 and the cre- the Houthis and GPC to “manage the Otians gathered for mass next Personal Rights, said current laws are people. A month later, when police dis- ation of an inclusive, more democratic country’s aff airs” in all political, mili- to the charred remains of a wooden biased against Christians. Then in October that year, Copts persed an Islamist protest camp in government. tary, economic and administrative structure they once used as a chapel. “There is discrimination in handling who had been protesting a church ar- Cairo and killed hundreds of Mursi A statement carried by the Houthi- spheres. A priest and fi ve white-clad dea- Muslim and Christian rights in build- son clashed with the military outside supporters, mobs responded by torch- run sabanews.net news agency said Its presidency and vice-presidency cons began chanting around a simple ing houses of worship. The conditions state television headquarters. ing dozens of churches and Christian the new council would entail a rotating would be rotated between the two allies. wooden altar as the sun beat down on for building churches are a hindrance,” More than 20 protesters were killed, properties around the country. the remains of the makeshift chapel, he said. some run over by armoured vehicles. The authorities have promised to which was torched two months ago. Egypt had 2,869 churches in 2011. Three soldiers died in the clash. clamp down on sectarianism. A blackened wood cross lay amid Nadia Henry, a member of parlia- State television appealed to viewers President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the the rubble, a testament to a string ment for the liberal Free Egyptians to descend on the scene to “protect the former army chief who ousted Mursi, of clashes in southern villages this Party, said a new law could dampen military,” and aired a clip of a soldier has said there would be no discrimina- Anti-graft head jailed for month that has highlighted sectarian sectarian tensions. calling the Christians “dogs”. tion against any Egyptian. tensions in Egypt. “Regulating church construction A year later, the Muslim Brother- But that hasn’t stopped the vio- Further down the road in the village will bring down the number of sectar- hood’s Mohamed Mursi was elected lence. In May, a Muslim mob stripped exaggerating corruption of Ismailiya, a building the congrega- ian clashes in Egypt,” she said. president. an elderly woman of her clothes and tion wanted to use for their church is However, the Copts, who make up His rule was marred by clashes be- attacked her house in a southern vil- closed for lack of a permit. some 10% of Egypt’s 90mn people, are tween Christians and police following lage after rumours that her son was AFP him to jail, accusing him of “spreading Egypt’s Copts, the Middle East’s going through some of their darkest the funerals of victims of a sectarian dating a Muslim woman. Cairo false information aimed at disrupt- largest Christian minority, have long times in recent memory. clash. Coptic farmer Amir Mikhail, who ing public peace and order”, a judicial struggled to obtain offi cial permission Copts have long been the target of Police fi red tear gas at the angry hosts religious services in his small source said. to build churches. sectarian attacks, but they surged un- mourners outside the headquarters of home in Ismailiya, said the govern- gypt’s former anti-corruption Geneina was also ordered to post They are now hoping a new law on der during the three-decade rule of the Coptic Pope in Cairo. ment was not doing enough to protect chief was sentenced yesterday to bail of 10,000 pounds pending an ap- building houses of worship — both former president Hosni Mubarak. When massive protests swamped Christians. “The offi cial message is Eone year in prison on charges of peal hearing. mosques and churches — will curb A month before Mubarak was over- Cairo’s streets demanding Mursi’s great, but on the ground, nothing is having exaggerated the impact of graft The retired judge faced an intense discrimination against them. thrown in a popular uprising in Febru- resignation in July 2013, leading to his implemented,” he said. on the country. media campaign accusing him and his But here in the rural southern prov- Hisham Geneina, head of the Cen- family of tarnishing Egypt’s image and ince of Minya, even the rumour of tral Auditing Authority until his dis- of membership of the banned Islamist Christians building a church can spark missal in March by President Abdel opposition. mob violence. Copts have faced grow- Fattah al-Sisi, was also ordered to pay In the trial that opened in June, ing violence in recent years. Dozens a punitive fi ne of 20,000 Egyptian the prosecution accused Geneina of have been killed in sectarian attacks pounds ($2,000). “spreading false news with the goal of across the country. The retired judge’s troubles began harming public interest” and of using “My simplest right as an Egyptian after he quoted a study by the authori- “baseless calculations” to exaggerate should be to pray in a church, not the ty based on 2012-2015 reports that cal- the cost of corruption. street,” said Nashat Saed, 31, who at- culated the cost of corruption at about Watchdog Transparency Inter- tended the service with his wife and 600bn pounds ($66bn). national ranks Egypt as 88th out of three children. The study highlighted the allegedly 168 countries on its corruption per- “I feel oppression every time I come illegal acquisition of state-owned land ceptions index, and Sisi has publicly here to pray,” he said as sweat trickled by senior offi cials and businessmen launched a crackdown on the wide- down his face. from the tenure of toppled president spread graft that dogged the Mubarak “I dream that we open a church Hosni Mubarak. years. where we can bring the women and Ahead of his trial in June, Geneina, “Putting Egypt’s top auditor on children to pray, instead of the street.” 32, told AFP he was convinced that trial sends a clear message: the Egyp- Egypt’s authorities often refuse to his sacking was based on an erroneous tian government is waging a war not give Christians building permits for media report suggesting he attributed against corruption but against those churches on the grounds that doing the 600bn fi gure to 2015 alone. who fi ght against it,” Transparency In- so would disturb the peace with their Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a meeting with Egyptian Coptic Pope Tawadros II and members of the A Cairo court yesterday sentenced ternational said last month. Muslim neighbours. Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church at the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo yesterday. Saudi snow city tests kingdom’s capacity for fun

By Katie Paul, Reuters exclaims, teeth chattering, even face covered but traded her black cultural venues, entertainment “We used to have to go to Du- Riyadh as temperatures outside exceed robes for a colourful snowsuit. partnerships, tourist attractions bai in order to play in the snow. 45 Celsius. “Women in Saudi Arabia are and athletic clubs, hoping they Once this snow city started up, There is no music to drown required to wear abayas, when- will invigorate the private sector people started coming here... It’s t a shopping mall in out the drone of air conditioners ever they’re outside. In here, it’s and inspire Saudis to lead health- attracting tourists. Thank God,” southern Riyadh, a wom- inside the Snow City theme park diff erent.” ier lifestyles. said Nawal, 20. Aan shrouded in black robes in the Saudi Arabian capital, in Entertainment offerings and It wants culture and enter- The Snow City is a private and bulgy black coat throws keeping with the kingdom’s Is- physical activities are severely tainment to absorb 6% of Saudi venture by Al Othaim Leisure snowballs at her young son, gig- lamic law. limited in the kingdom, es- household spending by 2030, up & Tourism Company, but it has gling underneath a face covering. But in a country where public pecially during the withering from 2.9% now. the clear blessing of the govern- The boy gleefully lobs snowy morality codes keep most pub- summer months, something Theme parks exist, but unlike ment, which sent the governor projectiles back in her direction. lic spaces segregated by gender, reformers led by Deputy Crown Snow City are mostly subject to of Riyadh province, Prince Faisal Nearby, children in neon snow the new mixed-gender attrac- Prince Mohamed bin Salman gender-based timings to prevent bin Bandar al-Saud, to inaugu- suits stand squealing under a tion is a rare opportunity for are trying to change as part of mixing of unrelated men and rate the facility. spray of ice droplets. Saudis of all stripes to blow off a wide-ranging programme to women. Some 1,500 people visit daily, Others trudge up a snowy hill steam. transform the Saudi economy Many Saudis descend on near- said a manager. with parents, before cascading “It’s awesome that this is al- and society. by Gulf states, where water parks “People are having fun,” he Visitors enjoy snow rides in the new Snow City attraction at Al Othaim down ice slides in infl atable tubes. lowed for us,” said Bedour, a bub- The Vision 2030 plan, an- and indoor skiing have been said. Mall in Riyadh. “It’s freezing,” one little girl bly 19-year-old, who kept her nounced in April, pledged new available for years. “So let’s do it, let’s try it.” Gulf Times 4 Friday, July 29, 2016 ARAB WORLD

Settlement plans ‘provocative and Syria regime tightens counterproductive’

AFP Washington its grip on Aleppo he United States has slammed as “provoca- tive” Israeli plans to build hundreds of new Reuters Al Nusra announces Tsettlement homes in annexed east Jerusalem, Beirut break with Al Qaeda saying they seriously undermined the prospect of peace with the Palestinians. The head of Al Nusra Front in Syria “We are deeply concerned by reports today that the ro-government forces yes- said his militant group was break- government of Israel has published tenders for 323 terday tightened their grip ing ties with Al Qaeda and changing units in east Jerusalem settlements,” State Depart- Paround the besieged Syrian its name, in remarks broadcast ment spokesman John Kirby said in a statement late city of Aleppo where the local gov- yesterday by Al Jazeera. on Wednesday. ernor said safe corridors had been Abu Mohamad al-Jolani said Al This follows Monday’s announcement of plans for opened for civilians to escape rebel- Nusra would change its name to 770 units in the settlement of Gilo. held areas. Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Conquest of “These steps by Israeli authorities are the latest ex- A quarter of a million civilians still Syria in Arabic) and expressed his amples of what appears to be a steady acceleration of live in Aleppo’s opposition-control- gratitude to the “commanders of Al settlement activity that is systematically undermining led eastern neighbourhoods, eff ec- Qaeda for having understood the the prospects for a two-state solution,” Kirby said. tively under siege since the army and need to break ties”. “We remain troubled that Israel continues this allied militia cut off the last road into In a rare televised message, pattern of provocative and counterproductive action, rebel districts in early July. Jolani said the new group “will have which raises serious questions about Israel’s ultimate State television quoted the gov- no links whatsoever with foreign commitment to a peaceful, negotiated settlement ernor of Aleppo as saying three parties”. with the Palestinians.” humanitarian corridors would be The announcement came a week Palestinian leaders and the United Nations joined established and President Bashar after US Secretary of State John in condemning plans advanced this week for 770 new al-Assad off ered an amnesty for Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister homes that would expand the Gilo settlement on the rebels who surrender within three Sergei Lavrov said they had agreed southern perimeter of east Jerusalem. months. on “concrete steps” to save a failing They are part of a larger Israeli plan for around Pictures of what appeared to Syria truce and tackle groups like Al 1,200 units approved some three years ago, according be a leafl et dropped on Thursday Nusra and the Islamic State group. to Ir Amim, an NGO that monitors Israeli settlement showed a map of Aleppo, entitled Militant sympathisers and ob- activity. “Safe exit points from Aleppo city”, servers have been speculating on- On Wednesday, tenders for 323 settlement homes with four crossing points out of the line about a possible split between in four areas of east Jerusalem were published, Ir rebel areas marked as humanitarian Al Nusra and the network founded Amim and Israeli NGO Peace Now said. corridors. by Osama bin Laden to which it The tenders in at least three of the areas had been The Syrian army said on Wednes- pledged allegiance in 2013. previously published but the homes were not built for day it had dropped thousands of Al Qaeda prepared the ground unclear reasons. leafl ets over opposition-held Alep- for the announcement earlier yes- They are now being relaunched, Peace Now said. po districts, asking residents to co- terday in an online message. “On the one hand, the government does not allow operate with the military and call- “We direct the leadership of for Palestinian construction, and on the other hand ing on fi ghters to surrender. Al Nusra Front to go ahead with it promotes massive construction for Israelis,” Peace But two rebels and aid workers what preserves the good of Islam Now said in a statement. contacted in besieged Aleppo said Syrian army soldiers patrol the area around the entrance of Bani Zeid after taking control of the previously rebel- and the Muslims, and protects the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s govern- the army fi red at civilians at one of held district of Leramun, on the northwest outskirts of Aleppo. jihad of the Syrian people,” Ahmed ment “decided to repudiate the Quartet report and to the safe corridors, in the Salah Al Hassan Abu al-Khayr said in an prove, yet again, that it has no intention to promote a Din district. The UK-based Syrian Observato- The army, backed by allied militia of the district. A rebel source con- audio message released online by peace agreement based on a two-state solution.” A doctor for a medical charity ry for Human Rights, said helicop- forces and air support from Syrian fi rmed that the army had made ad- Al Nusra. A recent report by the diplomatic Quartet — the that operates in Aleppo also said the ters over rebel-held areas dropped and Russian jets, has taken more vances. “We urge them to take the United States, European Union, Russia and the UN — army had fi red artillery at families baby diapers and meal packs that ground on the northern edge of the He said Kurdish forces from the appropriate steps towards this said settlement expansion was eroding the possibility gathering near another humanitar- had Russian language labels. city, around the Castello road which nearby Sheikh Maqsoud district matter,” said Abu al-Khayr, who was of a two-state solution to the confl ict. ian corridor, in the opposition-held Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city be- leads out towards Turkey. had also taken advantage of the identified as a deputy of Al Qaeda Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the occu- Bustan Al Qasr neighbourhood. fore the outbreak of the confl ict fi ve State television said the army had fi ghting to advance into a housing leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. pied West Bank are viewed as illegal under interna- Hael Asi Hilal, head of the Syrian years ago, has been divided between advanced in the Bani Zeid district, complex in Bani Zeid. “Whatever Nusra does, its tional law. Red Crescent in rebel-held areas, government forces and rebels since on the southern side of the Castello “There has been a (rebel) with- ultimate objective is to further They are also considered major stumbling blocks said no family so far had been able the summer of 2012. road. drawal, but no one has surren- embed itself into Syria’s revolution to peace eff orts as they are built on land Palestinians to leave to government-held areas Its recapture would mark Assad’s The Syrian Observatory for Hu- dered,” Zakaria Malahifj i of the and secure its long-term future” as view as part of their future state. via any corridor due to snipers fi r- biggest victory so far in the civil man Rights said the pro-govern- Aleppo-based rebel group Fastaqim a legitimate rebel group, analyst Kirby also voiced concern about increased demoli- ing at them. war. ment forces had taken full control group told Reuters. Charles Lister tweeted. tions of Palestinian structures in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. “More than 650 Palestinian structures have been demolished this year, with more Palestinian struc- tures demolished in the West Bank and east Jerusa- lem thus far than in all of 2015,” he said. “As the recent Quartet report highlighted, this is Tunisian troops shoot dead 2 ‘terrorists’ part of an ongoing process of land seizures, settle- ment expansion, legalisations of outposts, and denial of Palestinian development that risk entrenching a he Tunisian army killed douba, the ministry said in a state- Tunisia saw an uptick in militant tourists and a policeman at the Na- Tunisia has been in a state of one-state reality of perpetual occupation and con- two suspected militants on ment. A soldier was wounded dur- violence following its revolution in tional Bardo Museum in Tunis. emergency since November 24, fl ict.” TWednesday in the northwest ing the fi ghting, it said. 2011, and security forces frequently The following month, 30 Britons when a suicide bombing, also Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem of the country, the Ministry of De- Two rifl es were also seized, along clash with extremist groups in the were among 38 foreign holiday- claimed by IS, killed 12 presidential in 1967. fence said yesterday. with ammunition, backpacks, mountainous west of the country. makers killed in a gun and grenade guards in central Tunis. It later annexed east Jerusalem, which Palestinians “Military units, reinforced by clothes, mobile phones and cash. The militants have responded by attack on a beach resort near the Several thousand Tunisians have view as their future capital. elements of the National Guard... It said the army and the National launching ever more ambitious at- Tunisian city of Sousse. joined extremist groups including The status of Jerusalem has been among the most killed two terrorists during search Guard would continue to search for tacks. Both attacks were claimed by the the Islamic State group in Syria, contentious issues in peace negotiations, which have operations” near the town of Jen- militants in the region. In March 2015, gunmen killed 21 Islamic State group. Iraq and neighbouring Libya. been at a standstill since April 2014.

Getting pumped and pampered in hard-times Gaza

By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters Gaza City

parkling Mediterranean beaches, expensive restaurants Sand state-of-the-art health clubs do not readily spring to mind when it comes to the Gaza Strip. But with their borders tightly restricted by Israel and Egypt, Pal- estinians in an enclave known for economic hardship and war have no choice but to fi nd some respite close to home. Some leisure spots may be out of the fi nancial reach of many of Gaza’s 1.9mn inhabitants, especially with unemployment at 42%. But the sea is free and thousands pack sandy beaches daily to escape the withering summer heat, erecting tents and preparing barbecues. “We are fed up and this is the only place to entertain ourselves. Other places require money,” Ibrahim Shweideh, 26, who is unemployed. In the evening, cafes are fi lled with men, many of them jobless, playing cards and drinking coff ee and tea. A Palestinian man rides a camel on a beach in Gaza City. Those who can aff ord monthly membership fees ranging between ed to shape up, keep fi t or relieve Several posh beachfront hotels moud Abbas are responsible for the 100 and 150 shekels ($25 to $40) can their stress,” he said. and restaurants cater to Gaza’s mid- irregular supply. join a growing number of gyms and Hammada said four new health dle and upper-class population, Both groups blame each other. health clubs. clubs opened this year alone. with some meals priced at up to 90 And for the jobless young men Body-building coach Hussam Gazans can also travel back in shekels ($23). Some of the staff were sitting in groups along the street or Hammada, who works at the Super time for some leisure — to a Ham- trained in schools in Egypt. in public gardens, the good life is Gym center, has noticed an uptick mam, or bathhouse, believed to be Lights from coff ee shops illumi- only a dream. in customers since the 2014 war be- more than 1,000 years old. nate the coastal road in stark con- Israeli restrictions and the bitter tween Israel and Palestinian mili- “The Hammam has become a trast to large parts of Gaza suff ering rivalry between Hamas and Fatah tants led by Hamas, Gaza’s ruling prime historical place for people lengthy daily blackouts resulting all contribute to Gaza’s plight, said a Islamist group. to visit, heal their pains, relax their from fuel shortages at its one power 25-year-old man who gave his name “Reasons varied. Some people muscles, improve their mood and plant. only as Ashraf. suff ered from diabetes and high socialise,” said Saleem al-Wazeer, Local residents say squabbles be- Three years after graduating from blood pressure and others — and whose family has owned the bath- tween Hamas and the Fatah move- university with a degree in business they are the bigger number — want- house for over a century. ment of Palestinian President Mah- administration, he is still unemployed. Gulf Times Friday, July 29, 2016 5 AFRICA

Elephant poaching down Zimbabwe war veterans’

Reuters Oslo

he illegal killing of African group offi cials detained elephants for their ivory Tseems to have fallen but AFP sociation, was arrested late on charges or allegations against The punishment will be se- seizures of white-owned com- currently in South Africa. poaching of the animal is still far Harare Wednesday in Harare, accord- him,” ZLHR said. vere,” Mugabe said in a speech mercial farms, in what Mugabe Earlier this month, many of- too high, an international report ing to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Recent demonstrations, the on Wednesday to supporters said was a reversal of imbalances fi ces, shops and some govern- said yesterday. Human Rights (ZLHR) group. largest in many years in Zim- outside the headquarters of the from the colonial era. ment departments were closed More patrols in wildlife parks, olice have arrested a senior “Information presently at babwe, have been triggered by ruling ZANU-PF party. Many veterans have also been for a one-day strike over the better forensic techniques for offi cial from Zimbabwe’s hand is that the police are charg- an economic crisis that has left In a dramatic change of accused of the widespread in- economic crisis that has been tracking the origin of tusks, and Pwar veterans’ association ing him with subverting a con- banks short of cash and the gov- stance, the liberation war fi ght- timidation and violence during worsened by a severe drought. a crackdown on corruption by after it accused President Robert stitutional government and ernment struggling to pay its ers last week vowed not to sup- past elections that have kept Mawarire, one of the organis- China, the main market for ivo- Mugabe of “dictatorial” behav- insulting the offi ce of the presi- workers. port Mugabe, who has been in Mugabe in offi ce. ers of the strike, was greeted by ry, were among factors helping to iour in a shock rupture with the dent,” the lawyers said. More than 90% of the popu- power since 1980, if he sought The president on Wednes- hundreds of cheering supporters limit the slaughter. 92-year-old leader, lawyers said A Mahiya family lawyer con- lation is not in formal employ- re-election in 2018. day also issued a direct threat to two weeks ago when he was re- “There are elements of good yesterday. fi rmed the arrest to AFP, but de- ment after years of economic “You can’t maintain a dic- pastor Evan Mawarire, who has leased by a court that dismissed news, but we are nowhere near Veterans of Zimbabwe’s 1970s clined to comment further. decline under Mugabe’s rule. tatorship by arresting people emerged as leader of the popular a case against him of attempting the success we need to turn the independence war, who had pre- The association’s secretary Police declined to comment for speaking their mind,” Rug- “ThisFlag” protest movement to overthrow the government. trends around,” John Scanlon, viously been loyal Mugabe sup- general, Victor Matemadanda, yesterday on the two cases, a are Gumbo, a war veteran and against the authoritarian gov- Other protests have erupted secretary general of the Con- porters, last week issued a state- was also taken from his rural day after the president vowed to former senior government offi - ernment. at the border with South Africa vention on International Trade ment bitterly denouncing the home in Gokwe, northwest Zim- punish the unnamed authors of cial, told AFP. “It’s unfortunate “We know how to deal with after many basic imports were in Endangered Species (CITES), president, who faces growing babwe, after being summoned the war veterans’ criticisms. that war veterans are being vic- our enemies who have been outlawed, and in Harare over told Reuters of CITES fi ndings. signs of opposition. for police questioning. “When we fi nd out who the timised.” trying to bring about regime police offi cers allegedly using About 60% of the elephants Douglas Mahiya, spokes- “His whereabouts are cur- people were, the party will dis- Starting in 2002, the veter- change,” Mugabe said, referring road blocks to extort cash from found dead in the wild in 2015 man for the War Veterans’ As- rently undetermined, as are the cipline them. ans led the government-backed by name to Mawarire, who is motorists. had been killed by poachers for their ivory rather than having died of natural causes, down from almost 80% at a peak in 2011, it said. Aid agencies seek $1.2bn to fi ght southern Africa drought A CITES index tracking the il- legal ivory trade dipped in 2014, the latest year for which data are AFP Angola, Lesotho, Madagascar, The drought has been labelled available, from peaks in 2012 and Johannesburg Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, the worst in 35 years. 2013 that were the highest since and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mo- international commercial trade The United Nations Offi ce for zambique have all issued drought in ivory was banned in 1989. umanitarian agencies the Co-ordination of Humanitar- alerts in recent months, as thou- Taken together, the data indi- have said that they need ian Aff airs (OCHA) warned that sands of cattle die, reservoirs cated that poaching was declin- H$1.2bn in critical aid for if the agencies failed to raise the shrink and harvests fail. ing or had at least stabilised after seven drought-stricken countries funds in time, the consequences Pakkala said the situation had a surge that began a decade ago, in southern Africa, as the El Nino of the drought would be cata- been worsened by the timing CITES said. weather phenomenon continues strophic. of the drought, which hit as the But rates were still far too high to devastate crops across the re- “Droughts, like the one caused economies of many of the aff ected to enable depleted populations gion. this year by El Nino, are becoming countries were struggling. of the world’s largest land animal An estimated 12.3mn people are more frequent and more severe,” “We are at a critical point,” said to recover. at risk, southern Africa’s Regional said Timo Pakkala, OCHA El Nino CARE regional director Emma Scanlon said that best esti- Inter-Agency Standing Commit- Co-ordinator for Southern Africa. Naylor-Ngugi. “Unless donors mates were that illegal killings tee said, as their food stocks are “The time to act is now ... not only provide more funding, millions of peaked at around 30,000 in 2011 exhausted and their access to safe only to save lives now, but also to people will suff er and hard-won and were still in the “low tens of drinking water becomes limited. prevent crises of this scale hap- development gains will be re- thousands” a year. A family tries to glean water from a dry riverbed in drought-hit Masvingo, Zimbabwe. The hardest hit countries are pening again.” versed.” Gulf Times 6 Friday, July 29, 2016 AMERICAS Heart hazard for Apollo astronauts, says study

AFP “We know very little about the and those like the International yond Earth orbit into deep space, through the skin and can damage lifelong access to healthcare – all ble radiation levels in the lab. Paris eff ects of deep space radiation Space Station (ISS) crews who eight have died to date. cells or DNA, according to Nasa. ingredients for better health. “After six months – the equiv- on human health, particularly stayed closer to home in low- The eighth, Edgar Mitchell, The agency has plans for In comparing diff erent types alent of 20 human years – the on the cardiovascular system,” Earth orbit (11%). passed away this year, after the a manned trip to Mars in the of astronaut, the researchers mice demonstrated an impair- asa’s Apollo astronauts, said Michael Delp of the Florida The fi ndings were published in data had been analysed, and was 2030s, and has stated that radia- were able to exclude the impact ment of arteries that is known the only humans to have State University. “This gives us the journal Scientifi c Reports. not included in the study. tion shielding “will be a crucial of zero-gravity on cardiovascu- to lead to the development of Ntravelled beyond Earth’s the fi rst glimpse into its adverse “These data suggest that hu- Beyond the magnetosphere, a technology” for the voyage as lar disease, as all three groups atherosclerotic cardiovascular protective magnetosphere, die eff ects on humans.” man travel into deep space may magnetic “bubble” which shields well as for exploring the surface. (Earth-bound, low-orbit and disease in humans,” said a Florida disproportionately of heart and Of seven Apollo astronauts to be more hazardous to cardiovas- Earth and its occupants, the The study was the fi rst to in- deep space) were exposed to it. State University statement. blood vessel diseases, research- have died to date, three (43%) cular health than previously es- Apollo astronauts were exposed clude non-fl ight astronauts as a The researchers also found “What the mouse data show ers said, blaming radiation. succumbed to cardiovascular timated,” the researchers wrote. to unprecedented levels of parti- comparison group in examining no diff erence between the three is that deep space radiation is This raises health concerns for disease – a group of ailments that The National Aeronau- cle radiation, said the study. the long-term health of space groups in terms of cancer or ac- harmful to vascular health,” add- humans with dreams of travelling includes heart attacks, brain an- tics and Space Administration The ISS, by comparison, orbits travellers. cidents as the cause of death. ed Delp. to the Moon, Mars or beyond, as eurysms and strokes. (Nasa)’s Apollo programme sent Earth within the magnetosphere. Comparing astronauts to the To test a possible cause for lu- Billionaire Elon Musk and space agencies and private com- This was “four to fi ve times 11 manned fl ights into space be- Energetic particles from ga- general population can yield con- nar astronauts’ higher incidence Dutch company Mars One have panies vie to expand human- higher” than for trained astro- tween 1968 and 1972. lactic radiation can be danger- fusing outcomes, as they are bet- of cardiovascular disease, the mooted placing human colonies kind’s extraterrestrial footprint. nauts who never left Earth (9%), Of the 24 men who fl ew be- ous to humans as they pass right ter educated and fi tter, and have team exposed mice to compara- on the Red Planet. Obama to voters: ‘carry’ Clinton to the White House

Reuters for me. I ask you to carry her Philadelphia the same way you carried me,” Obama said. When he fi nished, she joined resident Barack Obama him on stage where they hugged, Obama and Clinton wave to painted an optimistic pic- clasped hands and waved to the the crowd at the Democratic Pture of America’s future crowd. National Convention at the Wells and off ered full-throated sup- The two were rivals in the Fargo Centre in Philadelphia late port for Hillary Clinton’s bid to hard-fought 2008 campaign for on Wednesday. defeat Republican Donald Trump the Democratic nomination. in a speech that electrifi ed the After winning that election about the middle class. Give me Democratic National Conven- to become America’s fi rst black a break. That’s a bunch of malar- tion. president, Obama appointed key!” Biden said. He urged Democrats to enable Clinton his secretary of state, a New York media mogul Clinton to fi nish the job that he position she held until 2013. Michael Bloomberg, a Republi- started with his election near- Republicans have painted can-turned-independent, as- ly eight years ago in a rousing Clinton as a Washington insider sailed fellow billionaire Trump speech that capped a night when who would represent a “third in a speech of his own, calling party luminaries took to the term” for what they view as failed his presidential bid a “con” and stage to contrast the party’s new policies under Obama, elected to Biden: (Trump) is trying to tell us he cares about the middle class. ripping into Trump’s history of standard-bearer with Trump, a second term in 2012. Give me a break. That’s a bunch of malarkey! bankruptcies and lawsuits. whom they portrayed as a threat Speaking to delegates, Obama “Trump says he wants to run to US values. off ered an alternative to busi- “America is already great. ence, were what made the United Bloomberg addresses delegates on Day 3 of the Democratic National the nation like he’s running his “There has never been a man nessman Trump’s vision of the America is already strong. And States great. Convention at the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia. business? God help us,” Bloomb- or woman, not me, not Bill – no- United States as being under I promise you, our strength, our “That’s why anyone who erg, a former New York City may- body more qualifi ed than Hillary siege from illegal immigrants, greatness, does not depend on threatens our values, whether tering the country and building a day, urging Russia to fi nd and or, said to roaring applause. “I’m Clinton to serve as president of crime and terrorism and losing Donald Trump,” he said. fascists or communists or (Is- wall on the border with Mexico to release tens of thousands of e- a New Yorker and I know a con the United States,” Obama said to infl uence in the world. “Preach!” members of the lamic militants) or homegrown stop illegal immigrants. mails that Clinton did not hand when I see one.” cheers at the Philadelphia con- “I am more optimistic about crowd shouted. demagogues, will always fail in After his convention Trump over to US offi cials as part of a Trump has hammered Clin- vention on Wednesday night. the future of America than ever “Best president ever,” someone the end,” Obama said. got a boost in opinion polls. probe into her use of a private e- ton as untrustworthy and cast Hillary Clinton, the wife of before,” Obama said at the Wells screamed. Senior Democrats and former He had a two-point lead over mail system while she was secre- America as a place where secu- former president Bill Clinton, Fargo Centre, a basketball and Trump replied to Obama on national security fi gures lined up Clinton in a Reuters/Ipsos opin- tary of state. rity threats abound and law and was due to accept the party’s hockey arena. Twitter, writing: “Our country earlier on Wednesday to describe ion poll released on Tuesday, the Clinton has said those e-mails order are breaking down. White House nomination in a A former fi rst lady and US does not feel ‘great already’ to Trump as unable to steer Ameri- fi rst time he has been ahead since were private. Clinton waged another hard- speech to end the convention last senator, Clinton made history on the millions of wonderful people ca through the dangerous waters early May. Speaking to the convention, fought primary battle this year, night. Tuesday when she became the living in poverty, violence and of today’s world. On Wednesday night, US US Vice-President Joe Biden said beating off an unexpectedly The election is on November 8. fi rst woman to secure the presi- despair.” By contrast, many prominent Senator Tim Kaine accepted the Trump was an opportunist who strong challenge from the left Her address will be closely dential nomination of a major Obama listed what he de- Republicans, alarmed by Trump’s party’s nomination as Clinton’s had no clue about how to make by Bernie Sanders, a US senator watched to see if she can make a party. scribed as progress during his provocative comments on illegal vice-presidential running mate America great or to help working from Vermont. convincing argument for bring- She promises to tackle income two terms in offi ce, such as re- immigrants and Muslims, were and in a speech described bil- families. Democratic leaders have ing about change while still rep- inequality, tighten gun control covery from an economic reces- absent from the party conven- lionaire Trump as “a one-man Drawing chants of “Not a clue” sought to tamp down lingering resenting the legacy of Obama, and rein in Wall Street if she be- sion, the Obamacare healthcare tion that nominated Trump for wrecking crew” who cannot be from the fl oor of the convention, bitterness among some die-hard who is ending his second term comes president. reform and the 2011 killing of Al the White House in Cleveland trusted in the Oval Offi ce. Biden took Trump, a reality TV Sanders supporters, and move with high approval ratings. Obama took aim at Trump’s Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. last week. Trump, who has never held host, to task for his trademark past unruly displays of dissent “Tonight, I ask you to do for campaign slogan and promise to He said American values, not Trump has proposed tempo- public offi ce, off ered his critics slogan: “You’re fi red.” that marked the convention’s Hillary Clinton what you did “Make America Great Again”. race, religion or political prefer- rarily banning Muslims from en- fresh lines of attack on Wednes- “He’s trying to tell us he cares fi rst day on Monday.

Toronto off icer jailed for six years

A Toronto police off icer was sentenced to six years in prison yesterday in the shooting death of a teenager three years ago that led to a rare Trump says he was being ‘sarcastic’ conviction in Canada, where activists say police too often get off easy in brutality cases. The 2013 shooting, which occurred after an altercation on a streetcar Reuters Trump’s explanation echoed She handed over thousands with the teen, who was brandishing a knife, was caught on video and Washington those of his campaign advisers of e-mails in 2015 to US offi cials led to widespread protests in Toronto. and other supporters, who im- probing that system, but did not James Forcillo was found guilty of attempted murder in January for mediately tried to pass his com- release about 30,000 deleted e- firing additional shots at the teenager, whom he had already shot three epublican presidential ments off as tongue-in-cheek mails she said were personal and times. candidate Donald Trump and not serious. not work-related. He was acquitted of second-degree murder on a determination that the Rtried yesterday to quell But the exhortation for a US Cyber security experts and initial shots he fired were justified, but the second volley was not. the furore over his call for Russia adversary to use cyber intru- US offi cials have said there was Forcillo’s sentencing in the case comes days after the death of a to fi nd Hillary Clinton’s deleted sions against an American po- evidence that Russia engineered mentally ill black man after his arrest by police in Ottawa. e-mails, saying that he was be- litical candidate drew criticism the release of the sensitive Dem- The deaths echo similar events in the United States, where allegations ing sarcastic. from intelligence experts and ocratic Party e-mails to infl u- of police brutality and racial bias have sparked protests. In Moscow, meanwhile, a other public fi gures, including ence the election. Some confrontations in the United States were also caught on video. Kremlin spokesman pointedly some Republicans. But the Kremlin beat back Last year, a Toronto police off icer shot and killed Andrew Loku, a told Washington to solve its own Trump made the remark at a those insinuations again yester- 45-year-old Sudanese immigrant with a history of mental illness. e-mail problems. news conference in Miami that day, saying that they were driven No charges were filed. Trump on Wednesday invited allowed him to steal some of the by anti-Russian sentiment. Crown prosecutors had sought an eight to 10 year sentence for Forcillo, Russia to dig up tens of thou- limelight from the Democratic “It is so absurd it borders on while defence lawyers argued for two years of house arrest. sands of “missing” e-mails from National Convention in Phila- total stupidity,” said Kremlin Forcillo can appeal the sentence. Clinton’s time at the US State delphia, where Clinton was due spokesman Dmitry Peskov.”The Department, prompting the to accept her party’s presiden- Americans needs to get to the Democrats to accuse him of urg- tial nomination for the Novem- bottom of what these e-mails Miami blood donations halted over Zika ing foreigners to spy on Ameri- ber 8 election. are themselves and fi nd out cans. “Russia, if you’re listening, what it’s all about.” US regulators have called for a halt to blood donations in the Miami Later, he dismissed concerns I hope you’re able to fi nd the Although some Democrats area as investigators probe four potential non-travel associated cases raised by Clinton campaign 30,000 e-mails that are miss- have wondered aloud whether of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which can cause birth defects. manager Robby Mook that his ing,” Trump, the Republican Trump committed a crime in If confirmed, the cases would mark the first time that mosquitoes comments raised national secu- Trump: Of course I’m being sarcastic. presidential nominee, told re- his remarks directed at Russia, carrying the virus are known to be present in the mainland US. rity concerns. porters. the prospect of any prosecu- The US territory of Puerto has already seen a surge in local transmission “You have to be kidding. They don’t even know, frankly, he said, referring to hacked e- He later said on Twitter that tion is considered nil because of of Zika, which can spread by mosquitoes or sexual contact. His client, his person, deleted if it’s Russia. They have no idea mails released last weekend by if anyone had Clinton’s e-mails, the strong guarantee of speech “In consideration of the possibility of an emerging local outbreak 33,000 e-mails illegally. You if it’s Russia, if it’s China, if it’s WikiLeaks. “perhaps they should share rights in the United States. of Zika virus, and as a prudent measure to help assure the safety look at that. And when I’m be- somebody else. Who knows who The DNC e-mails showed them with the FBI!” Charging Trump for his com- of blood and blood products, the FDA is requesting that all blood ing sarcastic with something...” it is?” party leaders favouring Clinton The Republican presidential ments about Russia would “turn establishments in Miami-Dade County and Broward County cease Trump said in a Fox News inter- “But you have 33,000 (Clin- over her rival in the campaign nominee was referring to a pri- campaign fl uff into a crime” and collecting blood immediately,” said a statement from the US Food and view broadcast yesterday. ton) e-mails deleted, and the for the nomination, US Senator vate e-mail system Clinton kept would be laughable, said Daniel Drug Administration (FDA). Asked if he was indeed be- real problem is what was said on Bernie Sanders of Vermont. in her home in Chappaqua, New Richman, a Columbia Univer- Florida has already seen 381 cases of Zika, all involving people who ing sarcastic, Trump snapped: those e-mails from the Demo- The committee is supposed to York, while secretary of state sity law professor and former US were infected while travelling to parts of the world where the virus is “Of course I’m being sarcastic. cratic National Committee,” be neutral. from 2009 to 2013. prosecutor. circulating. Gulf Times Friday, July 29, 2016 7 ASEAN

MH370 pilot murder-suicide claims rejected

DPA Federal Bureau of Investiga- Kuala Lumpur tion related to the ongoing probe. “The investigation is still alaysia’s chief of po- ongoing and can only be con- lice yesterday dis- cluded once the (MH370) black Mmissed claims the box is found and analysed,” disappearance of Malaysia Air- he told reporters in a press lines fl ight MH370 may have conference after the meet- been a pilot murder-suicide. ing of police chiefs from the The pilot murder-suicide 10-country Association of angle cropped up anew after a South-East Asian Nations. US-based magazine reported When asked about the re- last week that an FBI analysis ports that the police is zeroing of the data found in the fl ight in on A pilot suicide-murder simulator owned by fl ight angle Khalid said: “It is not MH370 captain Zaharie Ah- true.” mad Shah showed that he con- But Khalid declined to con- ducted a simulated fl ight to the fi rm or deny reports about the Indian Ocean a few weeks be- fl ight path found in Zaharie’s fore the plane vanished along a fl ight simulator. similar route. The Beijing-bound MH370, Earlier in the day news re- with 239 people aboard, disap- ports quoted Australia’s Joint peared on March 8, 2014 nearly Agency Coordination Centre an hour after it took off from — which is leading the search the Kuala Lumpur Interna- in the Indian Ocean — as say- tional Airport. ing that “the MH370 captain’s So far, only pieces of debris fl ight simulator showed some- from MH370 have been dis- one had plotted a course to the covered, in South Africa, Mo- southern Indian Ocean”. zambique, Mauritius and Re- Inspector general Khalid union Island. Abu Bakar said they have not Searchers have yet to fi nd Indonesian men light candles during an anti-execution rally in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta. passed on information to the the main wreckage.

Myanmar policemen Indonesia executes detained over drugs

Reuters has also become a major sup- Yangon plier of the stimulant metham- phetamine. Narcotics pose a major yanmar police have headache for the government detained seven col- led by Aung San Suu Kyi, which drug traffi ckers Mleagues from a bor- governs the large, impover- der unit after nearly 300,000 ished and fractious country President Widodo has been Indonesian woman Merri Utami, who methamphetamine tablets after winning a landslide elec- unshakeable despite global appeals was caught with heroin in her bag as she were found hidden at their tion victory in November. came through Jakarta airport, claims she camp, a senior offi cial told Re- Most drugs are produced in Agencies was duped into becoming a drug mule, and uters yesterday. border areas controlled by eth- Cilacap, Indonesia that police forced her into confessing with Acting on a tip-off , police nic minority rebels or by mili- beatings and sexual harassment. raided a Border Police camp in tias allied with the military. Rights groups have mounted a campaign a remote area near the frontier Myanmar’s western border ndonesia executed an unspecifi ed to save her, and 10 women’s rights activ- with Bangladesh and found with India and Bangladesh number of convicted drug traffi ckers, ists were detained by police yesterday in the drugs buried in the camp is an important route used to Iaccording to local television reports Cilacap — the port city closest to the prison kitchen. smuggle chemicals for the pro- yesterday. island — as they rallied in support of her. “The police found a total of duction of methamphetamines The convicts were shot by fi ring squad Family members of Michael Titus Ig- 292,500 stimulant tablets hid- into Myanmar. at the Nusa Kambangan penal island weh, a Nigerian prisoner, also protested den in the ground inside the The manufactured drugs are shortly after midnight amid pouring rain. his looming execution, saying his case was kitchen,” Soe Linn Aye, a senior then smuggled back the other It was unclear how many were executed, still under review. offi cer at national police head- way, into South Asia, experts TV One and Metro TV reported, citing an “I don’t think this is fair. They should quarters in the capital, Naypyi- say. unnamed source. fulfi l his legal rights fi rst,” Igweh’s sister- taw, told Reuters. Drugs from Myanmar also A Pakistani convict who had been ex- Members of Indonesian Women Coalition (Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia) protest in-law Nila, who gave just one name, told The haul was estimated to be fl ow north into China and east pected to be among the 14 executed was against the planned execution of Merry Utami who is on death row, at the Wijayapura reporters in the port city. worth 580mn kyat ($490,000), into Southeast Asia. still alive, his lawyer Saut Edward Rajag- port in Cilacap yesterday. Support for the death penalty in Indo- he said. Experts fear that Myanmar ukguk said. nesia is generally high but there has been Myanmar has for decades could soon see an explosion in It was not clear if Zulfi qar Ali was spared to the island and cars heading for the penal the most serious crimes and said “drug some public opposition. been a major producer of opi- methamphetamine use. because of a last-minute appeal or wheth- colony in the evening carrying convicts’ rel- crimes are generally not considered to Dozens of protesters held a vigil late yes- um and its refi ned form, hero- The drug is already widely er his execution had been postponed be- atives, police and religious counsellors. meet this threshold”. terday in front of the presidential palace in in, and in more recent years it used in diff erent parts of Asia. cause of the rain, Rajagukguk said. President Joko Widodo believes Indo- The UN high commissioner for human Jakarta, arranging candles in the shape of a Ali was removed from a hospital where nesia faces an emergency due to rising rights has called on Indonesia to end the noose and laying posters emblazoned with he had been receiving treatment for liver drugs consumption and has dramatically “unjust” use of the death penalty and the a bloody hand and the words “stop the ex- problems and was taken to Nusa Kamban- escalated the use of capital punishment, European Union has also urged a halt. ecutions” on the ground. gan for execution. putting to death 14 drug convicts, mostly But Indonesian foreign ministry spokes- Diplomats and lawyers were angered The attorney general’s offi ce said late foreigners, since he took power in 2014. man Arrmanatha Nasir defended the upcom- after authorities notifi ed family members Vietnam struck by Wednesday that 14 convicts would be ex- Indonesia last carried out executions ing executions as “pure law enforcement”. the executions would take place on Thurs- ecuted “soon”. in April 2015 when it put to death eight There have been concerns about legal day, saying they believed they could only The executions were the third set car- drug convicts, including two Australians, irregularities in the cases of some facing be held today after the end of a legally re- powerful storm ried out since President Joko Widodo took sparking international outrage. imminent execution, with Amnesty In- quired, 72-hour notice period. offi ce in October 2014. Family members say they have been told ternational citing “systematic fl aws” in Authorities have not released a detailed Indonesia yesterday rejected mounting the convicts in the forthcoming round several trials and noting a handful of clem- list of the convicts who will face the fi ring AFP were brought down, bringing international pressure and desperate pleas were to be executed - a day earlier than had ency appeals were still pending. squad but the Jakarta-based Community Hanoi widespread traffi c delays. from relatives to halt the execution of 14 originally been expected. These included Pakistani Zulfi qar Ali, Legal Aid Institute said the group consists “Many trees have come drug convicts facing the fi ring squad. The government could not be reached whom rights groups say was beaten into of four Indonesians, six Nigerians and one down onto people’s houses and The group, including foreigners from for comment. UN secretary-general Ban confessing to the crime of heroin posses- each from Pakistan, India, Zimbabwe and powerful storm rolled cars,” said Hanoi resident Tran Nigeria, Pakistan, India and Zimbabwe as Ki-moon led international condemnation, sion, leading to his 2005 death sentence. South Africa. across northern Viet- Dai Thang. well as Indonesians, have been placed in urging Widodo to halt the imminent ex- Rights group the Justice Project Pa- Indonesia had an unoffi cial morato- Anam yesterday killing Photos of the downed isolation on a prison island where Jakarta ecutions and declare a moratorium on the kistan say that the 52-year-old father of rium on the death penalty between 2008 one person, delaying fl ights trees — an unusual politically carries out executions. use of the death penalty. six was “tortured relentlessly” during a and 2012 but resumed executions in 2013 and felling hundreds of trees in touchy subject in communist Authorities stepped up preparations, with Ban recalled that under international three-day interrogation in a house by po- under Widodo’s predecessor, Susilo Bam- the capital Hanoi. Vietnam — spread across so- ambulances seen transporting coffi ns over law, the death penalty should be used for lice, after which he required surgery. bang Yudhoyono. Tropical storm Mirinae, cial media yesterdayday. which barrelled across China’s Plans by city authorities to Hainan island before surging cut down many of the city’s into Vietnam in the early hours trees sparked protests last year yesterday, brought high winds and a rare U-turn by the gov- and more than 280mm of rain ernment in a country where as it pushed inland. environmental destruction Malaysia assures citizens on More than 32,000 people has fuelled public anger in the were evacuated ahead of the past. storm which struck six prov- National fl ag carrier Viet- inces and cities across the nam Airlines said it had to de- north, authorities said. lay more than twenty fl ights to anti-terrorism measures In Hanoi, one person was and from Hanoi because of bad killed and more than 500 trees weather.

QNA Against Terrorism in Foreign Countries an even greater part alongside the world ing over detained suspected Islamic State Kuala Lumpur Act, Prevention of Terrorism Act and the community in the fi ght against terrorism,” militants would not be infl uenced by the Cambodian opposition leader fined National Security Council Act. he added. extremist ideology. Najib pointed out that the National Se- Seven prison guards are undergoing a “We have isolated these detainees A Cambodian court fined opposition leader Sam Rainsy 160mn mid the latest terrorist outrages curity Council Act, in particular, had been “de-radicalisation” programme in Malay- whom we call ideological criminals... so riel ($40,000) yesterday morning for defaming a fellow politician, around the world Malaysia’s Prime deliberately misinterpreted. sia after they were infl uenced by suspected other prisoners are not infl uenced,” Ah- although neither Rainsy nor his lawyer were present at the trial, AMinister Najib Razak has reassured Najib said the commission of terror acts Islamic State militants they were guard- mad Zahid said. Ahmad said his offi ce is local media reported. Malaysians that the government will con- across the globe demonstrated that the ing, a senior offi cial said yesterday. refurbishing a former prison for political The Phnom Penh Municipal Court fined Rainsy for alleging that tinue to put all possible measures in place threat was real and growing, and that hard- “The prison guards have been identi- detainees to be used to hold all detained national assembly president Heng Samrin called former King to protect them. ly a day went by without another atrocity. fi ed and sent for de-radicalization pro- Islamic State suspects. Norodom Sihanouk a “traitor” in 1979 and sentenced him to death The Malaysian prime minister noted He said that they are far from immune grammes,” deputy prime minister and He said there are currently 261 Islamic in absentia under a Vietnamese-backed government. that a slew of laws had been introduced in Malaysia, as the fi rst ISIS attack on last home aff airs minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi State detainees in Malaysia, adding that Rainsy made the claims in a Facebook video published in for this purpose following requests from month showed, alluding to the Movida told reporters during a post-Ramadan cel- police have identifi ed 63 Malaysians fi ght- November 2015. security forces, according to Malaysia’s night club bombing in Puchong on June 28 ebration in the eastern state of Sarawak. ing with Islamic State militants in Syria Rainsy has been in self-imposed exile in France since November (Bernama) News Agency. which left eight people injured. He said the de-radicalisation pro- and Iraq. 2015, when the same court issued an arrest warrant for him based “These laws were necessary, and other The prime minister said that ISIS and its grammes involved Islamic scholars, psy- Last month, eight people were injured on a seven- year-old criminal defamation charge. countries have since followed our lead,” he cruel, perverted ideology had no place in chologists and offi cials from the country’s in a grenade attack on a bar in Petaling The entire trial took 10 minutes, according to local rights group, said in a statement. Islam nor in peaceful, diverse and tolerant Islamic aff airs department. Jaya just outside Kuala Lumpur in the fi rst which monitors the political climate, although it did not include any He listed them as the Security Off ences Malaysia. Ahmad Zahid said they are taking meas- confi rmed Islamic State-related attack in testimony from Rainsy or his lawyer. The conviction is the latest in a (Special Measures) Act, Special Measures “Now is the time for us to unite and play ures to ensure that prison guards watch- Malaysia. series of legal and physical attacks on Cambodia’s opposition Gulf Times 8 Friday, July 29, 2016 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA

PROTECTED REFUGE CRUEL PRACTICE SAFETY FIRST HEADING NORTH White whale gets escort N Korean seeks asylum at Aussie prison abuse could Taiwan orders faulty buses Tectonic plate shift skews along Australian coast South’s HK consulate violate torture norms: UN off road after deadly fire Australia’s place on maps

A white whale called Migaloo is being guarded by Security was tightened yesterday at the South The use of hoods, restraints and teargas on Taiwan yesterday ordered almost half the tour Scientists in Australia are to recalculate the authorities as it makes his way up the Australian Korean consulate in Hong Kong after media reports Australian aboriginal children in youth detention buses inspected after a recent bus inferno — country’s location, which is around 1.5m further east coast to breeding grounds in the Great that a North Korean, possibly a student, had sought centres by police, as shown in footage released which killed dozens of Chinese tourists — off north than where it currently appears on maps, Barrier Reef. The perfectly white humpback refuge there. The North Korean is understood to this week, could violate the UN treaty barring the road after they failed new safety checks. local media said yesterday. The continent is whale is a favourite sighting as it journeys in be a member of a delegation that attended an torture. Australia’ Northern Territory on Twenty-four Chinese tourists and two Taiwanese moving north at about 7cm a year, the fastest winter from the Antarctic to warmer waters off academic competition at a Hong Kong university Wednesday suspended the use of hoods and nationals died in the fire earlier this month, the rate of any continental tectonic plate worldwide, the coast of the state of Queensland. However two weeks ago, the South China Morning Post said, restraints on children after the broadcast of CCTV worst road accident ever to hit mainland visitors the broadcaster ABC reported. The update curious onlookers have reportedly been getting citing government sources in the Chinese-ruled footage showing guards at a juvenile detention to the island — raising major safety questions. is considered essential to ensure that global too close and authorities have now stepped in to city. A student who assisted at a Maths Olympiad centre teargassing aboriginal inmates. UN Nine of 20 buses of the model which caught fire navigation satellite systems, such as GPS, work maintain a “compliance watch” to keep boats away. held at the Hong Kong University of Science and Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, told have been taken off the road due to problems properly, said scientist Dan Jaksa from Geoscience Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles Technology (HKUST) told Reuters the organising Australia’s Radio National welcomed the inquiry. with circuit fuses and storage batteries, highway Australia. The new data will be published early said boats had to keep 500m away from Migaloo as committee of the competition asked for help on “It’s hard to tell only from the video or the press department off icials said yesterday. Three more next year but will be based on 2020 projections, the rare white whale has a special protection zone, July 16 to track down an 18-year-old unnamed North coverage but I do think that it’s a very worrisome such buses had minor issues, which authorities meaning Australia’s new coordinates will initially be further than the normal 100m for other whales. Korean who had gone missing after the contest. development that can amount to torture,” he said. have ordered be repaired. about 20cm further north than its actual location. Traditional finery Japan to review mental health system after stabbing spree

AFP follow-up care after they are released Tokyo and the sharing of information with po- lice, Jiji Press said. “It is indispensable to examine the apan is reviewing its mental health decision made by the city to discharge system to see how a man who was him from the hospital and the city’s Jhospitalised after making violent handling of him after his discharge,” Ja- threats came to be released after just 12 pan’s top selling Yomiuri Shimbun daily days and was later able to kill 19 people. said in an editorial on Wednesday. Satoshi Uematsu, 26, has admitted to A report in The Japan Times newspa- carrying out the country’s worst mass per said that after Uematsu’s discharge killing in decades on Tuesday when he from hospital, the local government had stabbed to death 19 people and wounded planned to check on him but could not 26 others at a care centre for the mentally due to lack of staff . disabled in Sagamihara, west of Tokyo. Uematsu, who is now being ques- A former employee of the centre, Ue- tioned by prosecutors after turning matsu left his job in February and was himself in, reportedly said he wanted all forcibly hospitalised by city authorities disabled people to “disappear”. for evaluation after having made verbal He was hospitalised after delivering and written threats to kill the mentally a letter to a member of parliament in disabled, including those at the centre. which he threatened to kill hundreds of His release from hospital 12 days later, mentally disabled people. A dancer, dressed in the traditional Yi costume, waits to perform at the Torch Festival, in Xichang, China’s Sichuan province. As a result of fast urbanisation in after it was decided he posed no threat, He was discovered at the time to be rural areas like Lienchang prefecture, the traditional costume is fading away for the Yi people in daily life. has raised questions about the decision suff ering from paranoia as well as being to discharge him as well as his follow-up dependent on cannabis, but was dis- monitoring. charged 12 days later. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has now In a sign the care centre feared its met with relevant offi cials and ordered former employee, offi cials in Kanagawa a review into the mental healthcare sys- prefecture, which includes Sagamihara, tem, top government spokesman Yoshi- confi rmed that the facility in April set hide Suga told reporters yesterday. up 16 security cameras to watch out for “The prime minister ordered the Uematsu after he was discharged from ministers to study necessary measures, the hospital. such as strengthening safety at facili- Uematsu reportedly tied up fi ve of the China, Russia to drill ties and following up on those receiving eight caregivers on duty before stab- compulsory mental treatment, as swift- bing, slashing and otherwise injuring ly as possible and putting them into ac- the 45 victims in a span of 50 minutes, tion,” Suga said. Fuji News Network and other broad- According to the health ministry, casters said. mentally ill people who threaten to harm He targeted those with severe mental themselves or others can be subjected to handicaps who could not communicate, in South China Sea involuntary hospitalisation. Japan News Network reported, while the The government will review the tim- 19 dead, aged 18 to 70, suff ered deep stab AFP time security threats” Yang said. The two sides hold joint drills regu- naval vessels within 12 nautical miles ing of such admissions and discharges, wounds to the upper body areas. Beijing The announcement comes after a larly “on land and sea”, Yang said, which — the normal territorial limit around tribunal at the Permanent Court of “contribute to peace and stability.” natural land — of reefs in the region. Arbitration in The Hague ruled that September’s exercise was “routine” The missions were widely seen hina and Russia will hold joint there was “no legal basis” to Bei- and “does not target any third party”, as an attempt to push back against naval exercises in the South jing’s claims in the South China Sea, he added. China’s increasing assertiveness, al- CChina Sea in September, Bei- embodied in a “nine-dash line” dat- Last August, the two powers — who though the Pentagon said they were jing’s defence ministry said yesterday, ing from Chinese maps of the 1940s were allies then rivals during the So- also a warning to Vietnam, Taiwan after an international tribunal in- and extending almost to the coasts of viet era — carried out military ex- and the Philippines. validated the Asian giant’s extensive other countries, which have compet- ercises in the waters and airspace of On Monday, US National Security claims in the area. ing claims. the Peter the Great Gulf, south of the Adviser Susan Rice told Chinese of- The drills will be carried out in the China has built a series of artifi cial Russian Pacifi c city of Vladivostok, fi cials in Beijing that the US intended “relevant sea and air of the South islands on rocks and reefs in the area involving 22 vessels, up to 20 aircraft to continue its patrols in the region, China Sea”, defence ministry spokes- hosting facilities capable of support- and more than 500 marines. while the vice chairman of China’s man Yang Yujun told reporters at a ing military operations, widely seen In May last year, they conducted Central Military Commission, Fan monthly briefi ng. as an attempt to bolster its control of their fi rst joint naval exercises in Eu- Changlong, warned that ties between With international diplomatic ten- the waters. ropean waters in the Black Sea and the two powers could easily fray. sions mounting and Washington reg- The tribunal ruling — in a case Mediterranean, China’s farthest-ever “We should be honest with our- ularly sending warships into the stra- brought by the Philippines — infuriat- drills from its home waters. selves that deep down in this rela- tegically vital area to assert the right ed Beijing, which rejected it as “waste Xi and Putin meet frequently and tionship we’re still faced with obsta- to freedom of navigation, the move paper” and reiterated its right to de- their countries, both permanent cles and challenges,” Fan said, adding could see vessels from several of the clare an Air Defence Identifi cation members of the United Nations Secu- that military ties had been “impacted world’s most powerful militaries in Zone controlling fl ights over the area. rity Council, often take similar stanc- by some complicated and some sensi- the same region at the same time. China and Russia have close mili- es there on divisive issues such as the tive factors”. Rice noted that “risks of The drills aimed to “consolidate tary and diplomatic ties, often in op- confl ict in Syria. unintended consequences” of the two South Korean protesters denounce a deal between Seoul and Tokyo on resolving and develop” China and Russia’s position to the West, particularly the In response to Beijing’s increased countries’ forces operating in ever- a long-running row over “comfort women”, before a press conference by off icials comprehensive strategic partnership, United States, and their leaders Xi activity in the South China Sea, the closer proximity had been reduced from the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation in Seoul yesterday. and “enhance the capabilities of the Jinping and Vladimir Putin enjoy a US began a series of “freedom of navi- thanks to better communication and two navies to jointly deal with mari- tight relationship. gation” operations in the area, sailing other confi dence-building measures. Protests mar inauguration of Canberra probes Pope aide over child abuse claims ‘comfort women’ foundation

AFP the cleric had grown up and worked. them at this stage,” he told Melbourne part Denis Hart said Pell, who he has AFP number of comfort women who are still Sydney “You know, his hand touching your radio station 3AW, adding that while known for 55 years, was a good man. Seoul alive. genitals and stuff on the outside of your Pell had not been interviewed, detec- “The allegations made on the ABC But the deal was condemned by some bathers or shorts. And then that slowly tives may be sent to Rome to do so. against Cardinal Pell do not refl ect the of the women and South Korean activ- ustralian police said yesterday became (a) hand down the front of the Asked if charges were possible, he man I know or the behaviour which outh Korean protesters clashed ists, who took issue with Japan’s refusal they are investigating child pants or your bathers or whatever you said: “Anything is possible at this stage.” I have observed over the years I have with police yesterday as they tried to accept formal legal responsibility. Aabuse complaints against Vati- call them,” one of the complaints Lyn- Pell, Australia’s most senior Cath- known him,” Hart said. Sto disrupt the opening in Seoul of “You can’t silence the victims with can fi nance chief George Pell, but don Monument told the ABC. olic cleric, has denied the allegations “Cardinal Pell is entitled to have a Tokyo-funded foundation for women money!” scores of protestors chanted at had not yet decided whether to press The broadcaster also alleged Pell and suggested there was a conspiracy allegations against him investigated forced to work in Japanese wartime yesterday’s opening event, which they charges. was naked in front of three young against him. according to the usual lawful proc- brothels. picketed with banners reading: “This is It follows explosive allegations boys, believed to be aged eight to 10, “He denies the claims absolutely,” esses without being compromised or The plight of the so-called “comfort not what the comfort women want!” against the cardinal aired by the Aus- in a Torquay surf club changing room said a statement from the 75-year- sensationalised by the media.” women” is a hugely emotional issue that The Reconciliation and Healing tralian Broadcasting Corp on Wednes- in summer 1986-87. old’s offi ce, adding that they were The allegations come just months has marred relations between Seoul and Foundation tried to play down the pro- day, which he strongly denied. It said it had obtained eight police “nothing more than a scandalous after Pell admitted he “mucked up” Japan for decades and which, for many tests, saying opposition to the deal with “That’s a matter that we investigat- statements from complainants, wit- smear campaign, which appears to be in dealing with paedophile priests in South Koreans, symbolises the abuses Tokyo was limited to a vocal minority. ed and still are investigating,” Victoria nesses and family members that have championed by the ABC”. Victoria in the 1970s, while giving ev- of Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule over the “Some victims I met expressed grati- Police Chief Commissioner Graham been helping the police investigation. The archbishops of Sydney and idence to a national inquiry into insti- Korean peninsula. tude for reaching the deal while they are Ashton said of the claims. Ashton said the matter had been Melbourne both said Pell deserved the tutional responses to child sex abuse. Last December, the two nations alive,” the foundation’s head Kim Tae- They include allegations from two sent to the Offi ce of Public Prosecu- presumption of innocence. He was accused of historic sex reached a “fi nal and irreversible” agree- Hyun told reporters. She said she had men, now in their 40s, who said they tions for their assessment on whether “Trial by media benefi ts no one,” abuse claims when he was the Catho- ment, under which Tokyo off ered an talked with 37 of the 40 surviving South were groped by Pell in summer 1978- there was a case to answer. said Sydney Archbishop Anthony lic Archbishop of Sydney in 2002, but apology and 1bn yen ($8.5mn) to open Korean comfort women and claimed 79 at Eureka pool in Ballarat, where “We’re waiting to hear back from Fisher, while his Melbourne counter- was later cleared of any wrongdoing. the foundation for the dwindling many of them supported the foundation. Gulf Times Friday, July 29, 2016 9 BRITAIN

REALTY CORPORATE LEGAL OFFBEAT TRAGEDY House price growth edges Studio group Pinewood Court sentencing ‘Talking’ donkey rides at Four-year-old boy dies in up in July: Nationwide to be sold for £323mn filmed in pilot scheme London’s Jubilee Gardens fire at house in south Wales

House prices rose at their fastest annual pace in The owner of Britain’s Pinewood Studios, home Cameras have been filming criminal court trial A “donkey whisperer” is encouraging people A four-year-old boy has died in a house fire in four months in July, in data that might not yet of the world’s most famous fictional special agent sentencings in England and Wales as part of to use technology to help them understand south Wales. It is understood the boy’s mother reflect any impact from June’s vote to leave the James Bond, is set to be sold to a real estate fund a pilot scheme to explore whether they could donkeys’ emotions. Mark Ineson, owner of ‘Real and two siblings survived the fire, which broke out European Union, mortgage lender Nationwide for £323mn, it said yesterday. Synonymous for be broadcast, the news organisations involved Donkeys’ in Dewsbury has been studying the at a terraced home in the village of Alltwen, near said yesterday. “The outlook for the housing many Britons with the heyday of British cinema, disclosed. Cameras have been filming the judge’s animals for more than 20 years. Entertainment Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley. The mother market remains unusually uncertain and it may Pinewood’s first four studios were built in the sentencing in eight crown courts – the highest group Merlin Events has teamed up with ‘Real and a sibling are thought to have escaped and take several months for the underlying trends 1930s at its site west of London and the company criminal trials courts – in cities including London, Donkeys’ to off er donkey rides “with a diff erence” raised the alarm. Firefighters managed to save in the market to become evident,” Nationwide has since grown with facilities in the US, Canada, Manchester and Cardiff . A single camera is trained in London’s Jubilee Gardens. New technology another sibling from the home but the four-year- economist Robert Gardner said. Nationwide Malaysia and the Dominican Republic. The 007 on the judge, with microphones close by to record allows children to hear the animals’ sounds old boy died. Chris Margetts, of Mid and West said house prices rose 5.2% in July compared, stage at Pinewood, one of the largest in Europe, their sentences. Nobody or anything else is translated into English, and into full sentences. A Wales fire and rescue service, said: “The thoughts edging up from 5.1% in June. Economists polled was first built for the 1976 Bond movie The Spy filmed or recorded, due to concerns that it could spokeswoman at Merlin Events explained that the of the fire service are with the family and the earlier had expected house prices to rise 4.5%. Who Loved Me. Pinewood Group said yesterday intimidate people taking part in the case. Broadcast technology behind the translators analyses the community of Alltwen at this time. We would like In monthly terms, house prices rose by 0.5%, it would recommend shareholders accept the cameras have long been in use in courtrooms in sounds of each donkey’s “ee-aww,” triggering a to remind people of the importance of having from 0.2% in June. off er from PW Real Estate Fund. countries including US and South Africa. phrase that reflects what the donkey is feeling. smoke alarms installed in their homes”. Labour ‘could Diners have narrow escape form pacts with parties across left’

Guardian News and Media ing to have to work within the London current electoral system. One of the agreements would have to be all of the political parties ne of Jeremy Corbyn’s except the Tories and a chunk of key allies has made a bold our own. Osuggestion that Labour “I would probably be be- could form progressive alliances ing over-optimistic if I thought or electoral pacts with other par- the SNP weren’t going to play ties across the left including the hard and fast but nonetheless Greens, Liberal Democrats and they could come under pres- SNP. sure if there was serious talk of Clive Lewis, the shadow some form of electoral pact to defence secretary, raised the stop the Tories, to look at how suggestion of an alliance with if there were seats – one where Caroline Lucas of the Greens the Liberals have the best chance in an article for the Guardian, of beating the Tories, the Liber- Police investigate the crash scene in Kentish Town after an unmarked police car hit a black Nissan Qashqai SUV then struck diners outside a restaurant. arguing that grouping together als go forward, if there is a seat with others on the left is nec- where the Greens have a better essary and would lead to better chance of beating the Tories, the decisions. Greens go forward. If there are “Such progressive alliances seats where a Green candidate are now essential not just be- standing down would make the cause that is the only way we can diff erence to Labour, there are beat the Tories but because that ways you can do it.” is the way we will make better His comments immediate- decisions and take more of the ly annoyed some Labour MPs Scotland child protection country with us,” he said. who said they had fought hard “Frankly, I want to be in gov- against Green candidates in local ernment with Caroline Lucas, elections, including Lucas’s seat not against her – and certainly of Brighton. not in permanent opposition.” Ian Austin, an opponent of He later told the Guardian that Corbyn and MP for Dudley this could extend to other parties North, said: “Labour plus greens scheme unlawful: court on the left including the SNP and plus non-voters is still a math- LibDems. ematically impossible, self-in- Guardian News and Media “unquestionably legitimate and that as presently drafted they with their Article 8 rights, and The supreme court challenge “I sit and listen to Lucas and dulgent fantasy.” London benign”. risk breaching important regu- in circumstances in which there was brought by the NO2NP seven or eight times out of 10, I Phil Wilson, MP for Sedgfi eld, The scheme, which is part of lations protecting privacy and was no objectively compelling campaign, a coalition which in- listen and think: not sure about tweeted: “The cat’s out of the the SNP government’s Getting confi dentiality. They also ex- reason for the failure to ascertain cludes the Christian Institute, that bit but most of it I agree bag, Corbyn’s people want 2 b udges at the supreme court It Right For Every Child frame- pressed concern at the lack of and have regard to their views.” Care (Christian Action Research with. When the Tories jeer her, in government with the Greens. have ruled that the Scottish work, provides children with ac- safeguards which would enable The court ruled that infor- and Education) and the Family I want to stand up. Half the time Will this madness plse stop.” Jgovernment’s controversial cess to a named person such as the proportionality of an inter- mation-sharing provisions do Education Trust. when the SNP are speaking, I Lewis said he knew some “named person” scheme risks a health worker or teacher who ference with Article 8 rights to not meet the Article 8 criterion Their arguments had previously listen to what Mhairi Black or would be upset about the idea breaching rights to privacy and acts as a single point of contact. be adequately examined. of being “in accordance with the been dismissed as “hyperbole” by others are saying and think I but people “have to start think- a family life under the European It aims to help parents access In the 48-page judgment, the law”, and are therefore not within the Court of Session in Edinburgh, agree with that. I listen to Tom ing about the bigger picture”. Convention on Human Rights, services and to identify those court said: “It is thus perfectly the legislative competence of the which said named person did not Brake (a LibDem) and think I “It’s about beating the Tories and thus over-reaches the leg- children in need of protection. possible that information, in- Scottish Parliament and cannot be diminish the role of parents and agree with what he says on that but it’s also about better politics islative competence of the Ho- But critics fear that it erodes cluding confi dential informa- brought into force as they stand. had “no eff ect whatsoever on the issue. because the more people you can lyrood parliament. parental rights and will detract tion concerning a child or young The Scottish government legal, moral or social relationships “There is a common set of bring along, the less tribal you The supreme court has given from targeted interventions for person’s state of health (for pledged to start work immedi- within the family”. themes and values and princi- are and better decisions you will the Scottish government 42 high-risk children. example, as to contraception, ately on the necessary amend- Responding to the judgment, ples that we need to identify as make. The more consensus you days to correct the defects in The fi ve judges ruled that pregnancy or sexually transmit- ments to the legislation, which the Deputy First Minister, John progressives and then start to have the longer term the deci- the legislation, which has been information-sharing provi- ted disease), could be disclosed forms part of the Children and Swinney, insisted that the court work out how can we work to- sions you make,” he said. “I do described as a snoopers’ charter sions proposed by the scheme … to a wide range of public au- Young People Act in 2014, in- had made it clear that “the prin- gether not just to stop the Tories believe in a progressive majority by family rights campaigners, may result in disproportion- thorities without either the child sisting that its aim remained to ciple of providing a named person but to have better politics. and the fi gures speak for them- but said that it recognised that ate interference with Article or young person or her parents implement the scheme nation- to support children and families “The fi rst thing is we are go- selves.” the aims of the scheme were 8 rights under the ECHR, and being aware of the interference ally as soon as possible. does not breach human rights”.

The Fall premiere Vandals cause £10,000 British lamb may go on damage to Glasgow school sale in US next year Guardian News and Media posals to lift export restric- London tions on British lamb is great Guardian News and Media providing our children with a able to get the place back up and news for our farmers who are Glasgow safe and protective learning en- running.” one step closer to gaining ac- vironment.” Liz Cameron, Glasgow city ritish lamb could be back cess to the lucrative American The intruders appeared to take council’s executive member for on the US market by market, worth an estimated inks trashed in an esti- their time, smashing or scratch- children, Bearly next year, ending a £35mn a year. mated £10,000 worth of ing every computer monitor, young people and lifelong two-decade ban on British red “Our world-leading food Sdamage Parents have be- pulling whiteboards off the learning, said the incidents of meat imports, the UK govern- and drink industry is a key gun an online fundraising drive walls, setting off fi re extinguish- school vandalism were soul de- ment says. part of our nation’s economic after a Glasgow primary school ers and breaking crockery. stroying. “The respect for edu- George Eustice, the farming success and in addition to was badly damaged by teenage Evening Times reporter Ca- cation shown by these — let’s be minister, told farmers at the forging good trade deals with vandals who destroyed every triona Stewart tweeted: blunt — thugs is nil... National Sheep Event yester- our European neighbours, we piece of computer equipment, Irene Wilson, the school’s jani- Our schools are the most treas- day that the US department want to secure more export smashed sinks and made pop- tor who was passing by the school, ured thing in our city and we all of agriculture (Usda) has pub- opportunities in the States as corn in two microwave ovens raised the alarm after hearing must protect them,” she said. lished proposals to relax im- well as with our close friends before wrecking them. noise from inside. “I’m saying to everybody in port restrictions on lamb from in the Commonwealth and The cost of the damage at It has been hit by vandals as the community — our schools the UK. other countries around the Gowanbank primary is thought recently as last week. are there for your children and According to the depart- world.” to run to more than £10,000. Gowanbank’s parent council your grandchildren and it is the ment for environment, food Defra says it will help pre- It is the fi fth primary school in has launched an online fundrais- responsibility of everyone in the and rural aff airs (Defra), the pare the UK farming industry Glasgow to be targeted by van- ing appeal in a bid to return the community to look after them.” move is a “signifi cant step for- for the 60-day Usda consulta- dals this summer. school to as close as possible to Another Glasgow primary ward (that) means that British tion and has been liaising with Headteacher John Daly normal before classes resume in school, St Catherine’s, has lamb is on track to be avail- US trade associations to “gain said it looked like a bomb had three weeks. also been the target of multi- able for US consumers by early support for proposals”. been detonated in the school Daly said he was trying to re- ple break-ins, with the vandals 2017”. Phil Stocker, chief executive in the Nitshill area of south place Gowanbank’s IT equip- smashing windows, The US has banned the im- of the National Sheep Asso- Glasgow.”Nothing was stolen, ment. “We can’t function starting fi res and causing other port of British beef and lamb ciation, said: “Increasing the everything was just trashed. without it and I plan to get new damage that has cost an estimated since 1989 after the fi rst out- number of export destinations It was nothing but wanton crayons and drawing equipment £100,000. break of the neurodegenerative for British sheep meat is vi- vandalism and it is very defl at- for the children. The Scotsman reported that a Former US athlete Mary Decker (left) and South African disease bovine spongiform en- tal for our industry, ensuring ing,” he told the Evening Times. One silver lining is that there group of former pupils is thought ex-athlete Zola Budd pose on arrival at the premiere of Sky cephalopathy (BSE). there is demand for our quality “It may only be a building but are still a couple of weeks before to be responsible for much of the Atlantic’s documentary The Fall in London. Eustice said: “The US deci- product in as many markets as this completely takes away from school goes back so we will be damage. sion to press ahead with pro- possible. Gulf Times 10 Friday, July 29, 2016 EUROPE Turkey reshuffl es military Merkel fi rm on after sacking 149 generals AFP Yildirim then left for the presi- The cleric denies the charges, Ankara dential palace to discuss the out- but Turkey insists radical meas- come with Erdogan. ures are needed to eradicate what In a possible move to pre-empt Erdogan describes as the “virus” urkey’s top military com- its decisions, two of Turkey’s top of Gulen’s infl uence across all manders met yesterday to ranking generals – Land Forces Turkish institutions. refugees, vows Treplace almost half of their Chief of Staff General Ihsan Uyar Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag generals in a radical shake-up af- and Training and Doctrine Com- said Gulen had wanted to return ter the failed coup, as authorities mand head General Kamil Ba- to Turkey from his leafy com- shut down dozens of media out- soglu – resigned just before the pound in Pennsylvania, just like lets in a widening crackdown. meeting, the Dogan news agency Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Kho- The hastily-convened meeting said. meini did when he returned to came after the government or- Lower-ranking offi cers were Tehran from Paris in 1979 in the dered the discharge of 149 gen- expected to be fast-tracked to fi ll Islamic revolution. security moves erals – nearly half of the armed gaps in top positions. “He (Gulen) was going to bring forces’ entire contingent of 358 The purge saw 1,099 offi cers his own order. It would have been DPA – for alleged complicity in the and 436 junior offi cers receive a a totally diff erent Turkey,” said Berlin putsch bid. dishonourable discharge as well Bozdag. Separately, a total of 131 news- as the 149 generals. Meanwhile, three news agen- papers, TV channels and other In a symbol of the military’s cies, 16 television stations, 23 ermany will remain open media outlets were being shut waning power, the meeting was radio stations, 45 newspapers, to refugees but will do down under the three-month held at the Cankaya Palace of the 15 magazines and 29 publishers G“everything humanly state of emergency declared in Turkish premier in Ankara and were ordered to shut down, the possible” to ensure security, the wake of the coup. not, as is customary, at military country’s offi cial gazette said. Chancellor Angela Merkel The July 15 rebellion saw plot- headquarters. It did not give the names of vowed yesterday, as she defend- ters bomb Ankara from war- Since the coup the military has the outlets, but according to a ed her migration policy while planes and wreak havoc with already lost control of the coast- list obtained by the CNN-Turk reassuring a country shaken by tanks on the streets of Istanbul guard and gendarmerie, which channel they included mainly a series of attacks. in a bid to unseat President Recep will now be the responsibility of provincial titles as well as some Merkel said that only by Tayyip Erdogan. the interior ministry. well-known national media. “sticking to its principles” could But it sparked a backlash af- The military insists that only These include the opposition Germany overcome the major fecting all aspects of Turkish life. a tiny proportion of the armed daily Taraf, as well as the Zaman test it is facing after four violent So far almost 16,000 people forces – which number around newspaper and its English-lan- attacks since July 18, three of have been detained in a crack- three quarters of a million, the guage sister publication, Today’s which were committed by regis- down – the magnitude of which second-largest in Nato after the Zaman, which were part of a tered asylum-seekers. had caused international alarm. US – took part in the attempted holding company linked to Gulen She described the attacks as “My concern has to do with coup. until being put into state admin- “shocking and depressing” and the fact that the actions here But 178 generals have been de- istration in March. said that the perpetrators had are very tough and the principle tained, with 151 of them already Authorities issued arrest war- mocked Germany by posing as of proportionality is not always remanded in custody. rants for 42 journalists earlier refugees. central,” German Chancellor An- President Erdogan, who sur- this week and on Wednesday is- But her government would gela Merkel said in Berlin. vived the biggest threat to his sued another 47 for former Za- not rescind its off er of refuge to The meeting of the Supreme 13-year domination of the coun- man staff . those fl eeing war and confl ict, Military Council (YAS), lasting try when supporters countered A total of 26 from both sets of she added. Merkel: I am just as convinced today as I was before that we can do it – we can live up to our historical more than fi ve hours, brought the plotters on the streets, has warrants have been detained so “I am just as convinced today responsibility. together Prime Minister Binali blamed the attempted overthrow far, Turkish media indicated, al- as I was before that we can do it Yildirim with top military fi gures on US-based preacher Fethullah though several of those targeted – we can live up to our histori- equipped to participate in police Wuerzburg, a mass shooting in The chancellor noted that untarnished by the coup. Gulen. are believed to be abroad. cal responsibility,” Merkel said, operations during terrorist at- Munich, a knife attack in Reut- the battle against Islamic State reiterating her mantra that Ger- tacks. lingen, and a suicide bombing in (IS) would not take priority over many can integrate the 1.1mn Merkel said that “it is now Ansbach. the fi ght against other crimes refugees who arrived in the time” for soldiers to undergo the “The fact that two men who such as acts of right-wing ex- country in 2015. training they require to be “in- came to us as refugees are re- tremism, which have risen dra- She outlined a nine-point se- tegrated” into the fi ght against sponsible for the deeds in matically since the beginning of Pope stumbles and falls in curity plan, which she said in- terrorism. Wuerzburg and Ansbach mocks 2015. cludes a lower threshold for the The security plan also in- the country that took them in,” The Munich shooting, in deportation of failed asylum- cludes the creation of a central the chancellor said. “It mocks which nine people died and doz- seekers, an agency tasked with decrypting the many other refugees who ens were injured, was carried Poland, but escapes injury “early warning system” for online communications for the truly seek our protection against out by a German-Iranian teen- radicalisation among refugees purpose of national security violence and confl ict.” ager who reportedly admired and the deployment of soldiers and the acceleration of plans for She warned against a blanket Adolf Hitler and Norwegian far- AFP in domestic counterterrorism intelligence-sharing with other suspicion of Muslims as a re- right terrorist Anders Behring Czestochowa, Poland operations. countries. sult of the attacks, insisting that Breivik. Critics say that Germany’s The four incidents since July Germany was “not in a war or “Don’t follow those who carry Bundeswehr (the unifi ed armed 18 included an axe-and-knife fi ght against Islam, but in a fi ght hate in their hearts,” Merkel said ope Francis fell yesterday forces) is neither trained nor attack on a commuter train near against terrorism”. in response to the rise in racism, after stumbling on an altar xenophobia and anti-Semitism Pstep during a visit to Po- Merkel’s nine-point security plan in the country. land but quickly got back to his Germany’s right-wing politi- feet, without injury. Chancellor Angela Merkel has laid out a nine-point se- RESEARCH/PREVENTION: Research into Islamist cal upstart Alternative for Ger- The 79-year-old Argentine curity plan after two terrorist attacks claimed by the terrorist organisations and radicalisation will be sup- many Pontiff stumbled, then fell down Islamic State (IS) hit Germany in the space of a week. ported and in some cases expanded. (AfD) has seized on the up- out of view before being helped surge in violence to accuse Mer- to his feet by altar servers. EARLY WARNING SYSTEM: Merkel said one goal was INFORMATION SHARING: The chancellor said that kel of making the country a tar- Vatican spokesman Greg Burke to create a system whereby government agencies are European member states should begin sharing intel- get for terrorists. told AFP that “the Pope is fi ne” able take action as soon as early signs of radicalisa- ligence on terrorist suspects as soon as possible. The attacks have increased after Francis delivered a homily tion are detected among refugees. misgivings within Merkel’s own and said mass at the revered Ja- GUN CONTROL: The European Parliament must pass conservative political bloc – sna Gora monastery in Czesto- SECURITY PERSONNEL: The chancellor said that the legislative restrictions on the ownership and trade of made up of her Christian Dem- chowa, southern Poland. federal government should be given the freedom firearms as soon as possible, Merkel said. ocrats and its Bavarian sister It is home to the Black Ma- to hire additional security forces and acquire better On a national level, the sale of weapons online will be party CSU – about her promise donna, an icon which Catholic equipment “wherever necessary”. criminalised in the near future. of sanctuary to all those fl eeing faithful believe has miraculous the civil war in Syria. qualities. Pope Francis waves while on a tram to the World Youth Days event in DECRYPTION AGENCY: She said there would be a INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES: Co-operation between al- The CSU government in Ba- Security was tight at the hill- Krakow. central agency tasked with the decryption of online lied intelligence agencies should be strengthened and varia, where three of the attacks top shrine following a series of Pope takes a tram ride communication for national security purposes. information-sharing accelerated. took place, formulated yester- attacks in Europe, with a highly eve of the Pope’s fi ve-day trip to day its own counter-terrorism visible police and army presence celebrate the 2016 World Youth Pope Francis became the first GERMANY ARMY: “The time has come” for Bundeswe- DEPORTATIONS: Eff orts to deport failed asylum-seek- strategy, saying that it would on the roads leading into the city. Day. Pontiff to hop on an ordinary city hr soldiers to receive the training required to take part ers from Germany to safe third countries will be sped hire 2,000 new police offi cers Francis, 79, hopped into an Shortly after touching down tram yesterday, on his way to the in large-scale counter-terrorism operations. up and the threshold for deportations lowered. by 2020 and introduce tougher open-topped popemobile for in Poland, Francis said the world opening ceremony of an interna- screening of refugees. a tour through the cheering was at war but argued that reli- tional Catholic extravaganza. crowds. gion was not the cause, insisting The Argentine, 79, boarded a “We slept so little, but it’s the way for people to “overcome yellow and white street car with Airport workers AFP falls victim to Nice terrorist attack hoax worth it, what an atmosphere!” fear” was to provide asylum to “Pope’s tram” on the destination said pilgrim Kate Tor, whose those fl eeing confl ict. screen. He looked thrilled as he plead guilty over Agence France-Presse said yesterday that it had When AFP tried to reach the “cousin”, who had young sons were among the Francis left Czestochowa waved to the snap-happy crowds Total chief’s death fallen victim to a hoax by a person claiming to be given numerous details about the supposed thousands of children who had yesterday by helicopter, head- lining the streets of Krakow. a relative of a man killed in the Nice attack who victim, the woman did not reply and closed the camped out on the sweeping av- ing back to to Krakow where he Francis was sharing the eco- Two Moscow airport workers never existed. Twitter account. enue leading to the monastery. will be presented with the keys logically friendly tram, which was admitted responsibility yesterday A woman claimed in an interview via Twitter AFP corrected the initial story. Teenagers still wrapped in to the city, before heading to the painted in the colours of the for the death of Christophe de that she was the cousin of a man named “Our journalist, trying to be extremely sensitive sleeping bags, elderly couples sprawling Blonia meadow for his Vatican, with 15 young disabled Margerie, the chief executive of Timothe Fournier who died after pushing his and empathetic to victims of the attack, did perched on folding chairs outside fi rst big WYD event. people and their carers for the Total and a staunch defender of seven-months pregnant wife out of the way of a not suff iciently cross-check and verify the tents and families with Francis- At his fi rst meeting with 800m (0.5-mile) journey. Russia’s energy policies, whose rampaging truck. information,” said global news director Michele themed balloons were serenaded youngsters on Wednesday The Pontiff , a fierce defender of plane collided with a snow The account was reported by AFP which put Leridon. by the Argentine Pope’s favourite evening at the window of the the environment, has always been plough as it was trying to take off . together a comprehensive list of the victims after “This is regrettable and harmful to the Agency tango music before his arrival. archbishop’s palace in Krakow, a fan of public transport. The snow plough driver, Vladimir the July 14 attack, combing through social media and its clients who used the story. But we were Ambulances and fi re-engines he encouraged the thousands As archbishop of Buenos Aires he Martynenko, and duty engineer networks and local media in a bid to identify and victims of a malicious act. We firmly reminded were on standby with Polish of- gathered below to party. was known to take the under- Vladimir Ledenev – two of five contact family members. our news staff of sourcing rules and those fi cials taking no chances with “Now go and do your duty, ground train to get around the suspects in the case – both However, when an off icial list was published, the governing the use of social media networks,” she security following the murder of make noise all night long!” he Argentine capital. pleaded guilty to causing name odid not appear among the 84 victims. said. a priest in a French church on the fi nished with a grin. Margerie’s death in October 2014. That will make it diff icult for the court to rule that anything other than a breach of airport safety systems led to Margerie’s death. His family has not publicly Putin shuffl es regional offi cials after customs chief axed commented on the case. The French energy group’s chief died along with three air crew. AFP Germany in the 1980s along cally sensitive Kaliningrad re- tions due in September. involving the security services Martynenko admitted in court Moscow with Putin – after security gion and made a senior inte- Former customs chief Bely- refl ect the changed alignment that he had driven his snow agents this week searched his rior ministry offi cial governor aninov has not been charged of forces in the upper echelons plough onto the runway, colliding offi ces and home over the al- of another central region in yet over the alcohol smug- of power,” business newspaper with Margerie’s jet. ussian President leged smuggling of high-end changes that strengthened the gling investigation but media Vedomosti wrote in an edito- Ledenev, who was in charge of Vladimir Putin has car- liquors. power of security apparatchiks. released images of investiga- rial. the team of airport workers on Rried out a major reshuf- Belyaninov was replaced by “This is the personal deci- tors rifl ing through shoeboxes Other recent high-profi le the night of the crash, pleaded fl e of top regional offi cials af- Vladimir Bulavin – a former sion of the head of state. He stuff ed with cash in his grandi- graft probes have seen a re- guilty to failing to prevent the ter the government sacked the deputy chief in the FSB secu- has shown his faith” in them, ose villa. gional governor – who was accident. country’s scandal-tainted cus- rity agency – who headed the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Analysts say the probe into also dismissed by Putin yes- The three others charged in the toms chief. country’s northwestern dis- Peskov said. the customs service is part of terday – detained at a Moscow case, all air traff ic controllers, Prime Minister Dmitry trict, with his appointment The spokesman has insisted a broader struggle inside Rus- restaurant with hundreds of pleaded innocent. Medvedev signed off on the setting off a chain of further that the shuffl e was just part sia’s security organs after a re- thousands of euros and inves- All five suspects were released resignation of customs head moves. of a “normal cyclical rotation” cent personnel shakeup. tigators held by the FSB for al- from jail last year after about 11 Andrei Belyaninov – a former Putin shifted another FSB and was not connected to par- “High-profi le anti-corrup- legedly taking bribes from mob months inside. Putin KGB agent who served in East boss to head the strategi- liamentary and regional elec- tion revelations of recent weeks bosses. Gulf Times Friday, July 29, 2016 11 INDIA

Ustad, once the pride of Ranthambore, now languishes in captivity

IANS Udaipur, a kind of zoo, around Wildlife Protection Act can send behaviour change to maximum ger Reserve, Sunayan Sharma says New Delhi 400km from Ranthambore, and an animal to the zoo if it poses a intrusion and breach in the ani- that permission was not sought to has remained there since. threat to human life,” a senior of- mal’s space due to excessive move Ustad permanently because The state administration has fi cial of the Rajasthan Forest De- tourist infl ow in Ranthambore. it would “expose” the incapability abelled a “man-eater,” al- to take approval from the central partment said. Ustad’s shifting was resisted by of the Sajjangarh Biological Park legedly under pressure from government to keep an animal in The warden has temporary wildlife activists. to house a tiger. Lthe tourist lobby of Ran- permanent confi nement. How- powers to shift an animal to the In March 2016, the Supreme Former chief wildlife warden of thambore National Park in Rajas- ever, no such clearance was taken. zoo. However, to shift an animal Court dismissed a petition seek- Rajasthan R N Mehrotra also sees than after it killed four people in The Rajasthan government has permanently, permission has to ing Ustad’s relocation, claiming violation of norms set for better fi ve years, the mighty male tiger also not provided a “compliance be sought from the central gov- its distress due to captivity. The upkeep of the animals. “T-24” known as “Ustad” is liv- report” on the tiger’s proper up- ernment, and it can be done only court upheld the decision to keep “There are violations going on. ing in captivity in a small enclosed keep, rendering Ustad a “fateless after a proper health report report it behind the bars. Without permission, its fate is like area without offi cial sanction, an convict”, wildlife conservationists of the animal. It was, however, never proven that of a convict in a permanent RTI query has revealed. have said. Till he was taken away from that Ustad is a man-eater. The jail, but with the status of custo- Ustad, who is 10 years old, was According to information ob- Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in National Tiger Conservation Au- dial detention,” Mahrotra said. one of the major attractions of the tained through Right to Informa- Ustad: in ‘jail’ May 2015, Ustad was the most thority in a July 2015 report said He added: “It was never proven national park till May 2015, when tion query, the Central Zoo Au- sighted tiger. But it was said to there had been a considerable that Ustad was a man-eater. To it killed its last human – a forest thority had twice reminded the cials have not yet replied. to captivity if it poses a threat to have become aggressive of late, time gap between the tiger’s at- declare an animal man-eater, a guard, the 57-year-old Rampal Rajasthan forest authorities to According to Rajasthan forest humans. exhibiting a change in behaviour. tacks on humans, which ruled out consultation is done among the Saini. seek permission for the perma- offi cials, the chief wildlife war- “I was not holding the post at He was not the only tiger in it being a man-eater. warden and Wildlife Institute of The tiger was the “imprisoned” nent housing and proper manage- den has the technical authority to the time. But the chief wildlife Ranthambore exhibiting such Wildlife conservator and India, which in Ustad’s case never at the Sajjangarh Biological Park, ment of T-24. However, the offi - shift any animal from the jungle warden under Section 12(B) of the changes. Experts attribute this former fi eld director of Sariska Ti- happened.”

Open air market Over 1mn bank workers to go on strike today

IANS itation without any delay,” UFBU Chennai/Kolkata West Bengal convener Gautam Banerjee said in Kolkata. According to Venkatachalam, anking operations across unmindful of the adverse impli- India will be hit today as cations, the government was pur- Bover 1mn employees of 40 suing the reform measures in the private and state-run banks will banking sector like inadequate strike work to protest against the infusion of capital in public sector central government’s policies, a banks, which will result in reduc- union leader said yesterday. tion of government’s equity and “The strike is on. We are not create compulsion for higher pri- aware of any case fi led by the vate capital leading to the privati- banks or the Indian Banks Asso- sation of banks. ciation (IBA) to restrain the nine He said the unions also op- unions of UFBU (United Forum posed the decision to privatise of Bank Unions) from the strike,” IDBI Bank by reducing the gov- C H Venkatachalam, general sec- ernment’s capital to less than retary of the All India Bank Em- 49%, proposals of consolidation ployees Association (AIBEA), said for public sector banks but ex- in Chennai. pansion for private sector banks, Earlier, major bank unions de- giving licences to corporate hous- Customers shop at an open air evening vegetable and fruit market in Ahmedabad yesterday. ferred a two-day strike call for es to start banks, ineff ective steps July 12 and 13 following a restraint to recover the bulging bad loans in order by the Delhi High Court. the banks, and giving concessions The unions in the banking sec- to defaulters and others. tor had given the strike call to “We demand that willful and protest against the merger of fi ve deliberate defaulters be declared associate banks with the State as criminal off enders and pun- Bank of India (SBI) and the priva- ished,” he said. tisation of IDBI Bank. Venkatachalam said bank loans The unions are opposed to the wilfully defaulted by borrowers government’s decision to merge totalled over Rs58,792 crore. 12 guilty, 8 acquitted in the State Bank of Bikaner and He said the total amount of bad Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore, loans of the government-owned State Bank of Patiala, State Bank banks stood at Rs539,995 crore as of Mysore and State Bank of Hy- of March 31, 2016. derabad with the SBI. “But the government and the “The strike will involve em- RBI (Reserve Bank of India) are ployees and offi cers of public sec- not taking tough measures to 2006 arms haul case tor banks, old generation private recover the bad loans. Even the banks and foreign banks totalling (defaulters’) names are not being IANS guments from Friday between Khan Shahid Pathan, Sayyed Following a tip-off , offi cers of other associate in Malegaon in more than 80,000 branches,” he published,” he said. Mumbai the lawyers of the convicts and Akif S Jafruddin, Bilal Ahmed the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Nashik district and fl ed to Bang- said. “The top 100 borrowers NPA the Special Public Prosecutor Abdul Razaq, M Sharif Shab- Squad (ATS) chased two cars on ladesh and then to Pakistan on a According to Venkatachalam, (non-performing assets) rose Vaibhav Bagade and lawyer Ab- bir Ahmed, Afzal K Nabi Khan, the Chandwad-Manmad high- forged passport. the banks may fi ll up ATMs num- from 7% in March 2015 to 19.3% Mumbai court yesterday hijee Mantri before sentencing Mushtaq Ahmed M Isaf Shaikh, way near Aurangabad on May 8, A native of Beed in Mahar- bering around 200,000 in the in March 2016. When the Centre convicted 12 people in the them. Javed A Abdul Majid, M Muzafar 2006. ashtra, he was arrested after his country to facilitate cash with- should have taken steps to check Asensational 2006 Aurang- There were a total of 22 ac- Mohamed Tanveer and Moham- They apprehended three sus- deportation from Saudi Arabia in drawals. this alarming rise in the NPA, it is abad arms haul case. cused who were charged with ed Amir Shakil Ahmed. pects from one car – Mohamed June 2012. “We wanted to strike work coming with various reforms and Among them was Lashker-e- procuring a huge amount of The eight acquitted on vari- Aamir Shakil Ahmed, Juber He then revealed to the ATS when the parliament is in session. allow concessions to the big cor- Toiba member and 26/11 suspect explosives, arms and ammuni- ous grounds, including lack of Sayed Anwar and Abdulazeem another hideout from where they Though the strike is on a Friday, porates which comprise the bulk Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias tion, and allegedly planned to evidence, are Mohamed Juber Abduljameel Shaikh – while recovered 13kg RDX, 1,200 car- the next day is a full working day of the defaulters,” said Banerjee. Abu Jundal. target various political leaders Sayyed Anwar, Abdul Azim Ab- the other, allegedly driven by tridges, 50 hand grenades and 22 for the banks. There will be no “Despite the banks providing Judge S L Anekar acquitted for their role in the 2002 Gu- dul Jalil, Riyaz Ahmed M Ram- Abu Jundal, managed to give magazine rounds. bunching of holidays,” he said. steady income to the govern- eight people. jarat riots. zan, Khatib Imran Akil Ahmed, the slip. In 2013 the ATS fi led its Venkatachalam said the strike ment, attempts are being made The judge upheld the pros- The trial, which had resumed Vikar Ahmed Nisar Shaikh, Ab- A total of 16 AK-47 army as- charge-sheet for conspiring in was against the unwarranted to project banks’ fi nancial health ecution’s plea that the case was in 2013 after the arrest of Abu dul Samad Shamsher Khan, Mo- sault rifl es, 3,200 live cartridges, various terror cases since 2006. banking reform measures. as not good so that the Centre part of a larger post-2002 Gu- Jundal, concluded in March this hamed Akil Ismail Momin and 43kg of RDX and 50 hand gre- Earlier, the trial had been “Since the central government can move ahead with mergers jarat communal riots conspiracy year before the Maharashtra Firoz Tajuddin Deshmukh. nades were sized from Khulta- stayed by the Supreme Court af- is moving on a fast-track with its and eventually privatise all the to eliminate then chief minister Control of Organised Crime Act The trial of two others - an ab- bad, Yeola and Malegaon areas ter one of the accused challenged reforms, which are aimed at wip- nationalised banks. This strike is (now prime minister) Naren- Special Court here. sconder Shaikh Abdul Naim, and on two separate occasions by the the constitutional validity of ing out the public sector banking against the government’s attacks dra Modi and Vishwa Hindu The 12 found guilty are: Abu an approver-turned hostile wit- ATS. certain provisions in the MCOCA sector, the country needs to resist on the public sector banking sec- Parishad leader Praveen Togadia. Jundal, Aslam Kashmiri, Faisal ness Mehmud Sayyed – will be After escaping the police team, invoked on the accused but the these attempts by resorting to ag- tor,” he added. Anekar will start hearing ar- Ataur-Rehman Shaikh, Afroz conducted separately. Jundal dumped the car with an- stay was lifted in 2009.

Campaign against terror Dead cows rot as Dalits Uttarakhand to hunt for mythical plant

AFP The minister said the search protest against attack will focus on the Dronagiri Dehdradun range of Himalayas near the AFP Kirit Rathod, a spokesman for Cow slaughter and the con- Chinese border, one mountain Ahmedabad Dalit Adhikar Manch. sumption of beef are banned in ttarakhand will soon be- of which is mentioned in the “Since Dalits have stopped Gujarat and several other states. gin a multi-million rupee epic Ramayana as being the site disposing of the cattle car- Two more Dalits were beaten Usearch in the Himalayas where the magical herb grows. undreds of dead cattle casses in nearly half-a-dozen after they tried to save the four, for a mythical plant believed to “We have set an initial budg- have been left rotting in districts, approximately 500 while a police offi cer was killed hold life-saving properties, a et of Rs250mn for the project,” HGujarat after members (dead) cattle are lying unat- days later when violence broke minister said yesterday. Negi said. of the Dalit community refused tended across various towns out at a rally in protest at the The state government will Scientists will start work in to dispose of them in protest at and villages of Gujarat,” Rathod attack. spend Rs250mn ($37mn) hunt- August, the minister said, add- a vicious attack, a rights group said. Police, who say the Dalits ing the herb Sanjeevani Booti. ing that the central govern- said yesterday. Another representative of had been taking the cow to be While many wild plants with ment has refused to fund the The group has called a mass the group, Jignesh Mewani, skinned after it died naturally, medicinal properties grow in project. rally to protest the treatment of said that “at least 500 fami- have made 20 arrests over the the Himalayas, there is scant Ancient texts say the plant low-caste workers, often tasked lies of 19 villages and towns” attack. evidence that the plant ever has life-restoring properties, with unsavoury jobs including across Prime Minister Narendra Rightwing Hindu groups existed, with sages and mod- grows in the high mountains the disposal of dead cows. Modi’s home state had stopped have long demanded a complete ern researchers failing for cen- of the Himalayas and glows in Cows are considered sacred work. ban on the slaughter of all cat- turies to fi nd it. the dark. by Hindus and they are left to The strike comes after four tle, citing religious scriptures. “We have to try and it will India’s 5,000-year-old roam freely through the streets Dalits were stripped half-na- Attacks by vigilante groups never go to waste. If we are de- medicine system Ayurveda of India. ked, tied to a car and thrashed on cow traders and smugglers termined we will certainly fi nd uses herbs to cure ailments and Around 10,000 people are by cow protection vigilantes on have increased since Modi A demonstrator shouts slogans during a protest organised by a it,” Surendra Singh Negi, the has seen a revival under Prime expected to attend the rally on July 11 over suspicions they had stormed to power at a general Muslim forum against terrorism in Kolkata yesterday. state’s minister for alternative Minister Narendra Modi’s gov- Sunday in Ahmedabad, said killed one of the animals. election in 2014. medicine, said. ernment. Gulf Times 12 Friday, July 29, 2016 INDIA Indian prime time needs a ceasefi re

By Sanjeev Srivastava of the English elite. It became a Times Now was climbing the rat- cian friends that could have been He did not always follow jour- against the UPA - which inter- them the freedom to tell a story IANS/ New Delhi heady cocktail which combined ings charts on the back of its cov- misconstrued without knowing nalism ethics and enjoyed tossing estingly continued even after the as they want to. And Barkha, the pain and pleasure, ecstasy and erage of the 26/11 Mumbai terror the proper context. By the way, out - from the NewsHour windows Congress lost the 2014 elections - shoe may be on someone else’s agony in equal measure. attack. And then - out of nowhere there is a conversation in those - rules of fair play and balance. Arnab is now perceived as a sup- foot today but it does not behove wo of the biggest stars of News became secondary. So - came the Radia Tapes. In the tapes where Niira Radia is criti- Others in the TV news genre either porter of the Modi government. you to call anyone a “chamcha.” Indian News TV - Barkha did the debates. As star anchors controversy that followed, Barkha cising me for being a “show off followed him or did not change. The Barkha-Arnab slugfest is You have been called diff er- TDutt and Arnab Goswami became gladiators, the viewers Dutt’s credibility took a hit. She and a loud mouth.” Both sets fell by the wayside as the now not just about clashing egos ent names at diff erent times and - are now fi ghting in full public began to behave more like spec- has never fully recovered from the Arnab juggernaut rolled on, ruth- and contrasting styles, it’s about while you have shown remarkable glare. The gloves are off . And how! tators in a Roman arena; baying episode. less, remorseless and relentless. who is on which side of our sharp- strength of character in fi ghting That this would happen - for blood and constantly looking Those were diffi cult times for COMMENT Already smarting under the ly polarised polity. Both are free to back, you know it hurts. sooner or later - was inevitable. for their evening fi x of adrenaline her. The more she tried to defend Radia Tapes controversy, Barkha choose which side they want to At a time when this country is The signs were there for anyone rather than reasoned, well-artic- herself, the more she tied herself Meanwhile, Arnab was emerg- also lost out because she was - battle for, but as someone who has losing faith in most institutions, who cared to see. And not many ulated arguments. in knots. She argued well, with an ing as the knight in shining ar- and rightly so - seen as an apolo- genuine admiration for both of including journalism, it’s the re- viewers of prime time news were So the writing was on the wall. equal measure of logic and emo- mour in the collective conscious- gist for status quo, i.e. UPA. Not them - one may agree or disagree sponsibility of both of you - idol- oblivious to these almost impos- But that the cookie would crum- tion. But she lost out on public ness of Indian chattering classes. so much because she supported with them on diff erent issues but ised and hero worshipped by so sible-to-miss signals. ble in this manner, with such vi- perception and there’s no fi ghting Raising issues of corruption in the Congress and the UPA but be- there’s no denying their success many - to uphold the dignity of These were the not-so-subtle ciousness, I, at least, did not an- that. UPA-II, he was unsparing and cause she was seen as a die-hard and spunk - is it too much to ask our profession. innuendos, the in-your-face sug- ticipate. And here’s my disclaimer. As clearly partisan. But he was rid- Modi critic, an enemy in the eyes for some restraint from both these gestions, mocking not just the But more on that later. Let’s get somebody who has been a re- ing on the common man’s disgust of Modi bhakts. To be fair (or am fellow journalists? For a major- zSanjeev Srivastava is founder- style of journalism and presenta- the background out of the way porter/editor for a better part of with the government, was on the I being unfair here) Barkha never ity of our young journalists, these editor of EditPlatter.Com and tion of the other, but also ques- fi rst. his career, I will admit that if my right side of public perception and did hide her opposition to Modi. two are role models. former India Editor of BBC. The tioning each other’s motives and It all began with the second phone was being thus tapped one soon created an almost embar- On the other hand and largely So Arnab, please stop calling views expressed are personal. He ideology. Prime time news be- term of the United Progressive could have also chanced upon rassing gap between himself and thanks to his anti-establishment journalists names on your show. can be contacted at sanjeevs59@ came an obsession with a section Alliance government (UPA-II). conversations with some politi- others in the ratings game. image and his relentless campaign We are still a democracy. Allow hotmail.com

Heart-stopping stunts Opposition disrupts RS over linking Pulses to be benefi ts with Aadhaar imported to

IANS New Delhi

he Rajya Sabha was dis- rupted yesterday as some ease crisis, Topposition members shouted slogans against the gov- ernment’s stance on making the Aadhaar card compulsory for poor families to receive benefi ts. Members of the Trinamool Congress, Left, Janata Dal-Unit- says Paswan ed, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) raised the issue Rahul attacks government total consumption. As a result, Gandhi also challenged Prime soon after the upper house met. over price rise pulses have become expensive in Minister Narendra Modi to an- Ramgopal Yadav of the SP said the country. nounce a date by which the prices the central government has asked Agencies Chickpea prices, the most con- of essential commodities like the states to give subsidies only to New Delhi sumed pulse in India, have more pulses and vegetables will de- those who have an Aadhaar card. than doubled in a year after back- crease. “The Centre has asked states to-back droughts curbed output Speaking in the Lok Sabha, not to give subsidies to those who ndia is looking to import puls- in the country, prompting au- the Congress leader recalled that do not have an Aadhaar card. es from Myanmar and African thorities to suspend futures trad- Modi had made a series of prom- Forty percent of the people don’t Inations to counter a domestic ing in the protein rich food grain. ises in the run-up to the general have an Aadhar card,” Yadav said. shortfall of 7.6mn tonnes that has Prices will remain high until elections in 2014 and promised to TMC member Derek O’Brien driven local prices of key pulses supplies rise, said Paswan, add- bring down prices. said the government was not like chickpea to a record high, ing production is likely to increase “You had made a good speech consulting states on the issue de- Food and Agriculture Minister this year due to good monsoon then. But now that you are the spite talking about co-operative Ram Vilas Paswan said. rains and the fact that farmers prime minister, we want to ask federalism. More purchases by India, the hiked the area under pulses culti- you one question... why have the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) mem- world’s top consumer of pulses, vation due to better prices. prices not come down?” Gandhi ber Dilip Kumar Tirkey said: “In could help the country rein in As of July 22, Indian farm- claimed that compared to 2014, Odisha, 20% of the people do not its headline infl ation, which hit ers had cultivated pulses on 9mn prices of certain essential items have Aadhaar card. This is an im- a near two-year high in June on hectares, compared to 6.5mn have gone up by between 100% portant issue.” double-digit annual increases in hectares during the same period and 300%. Minister M Venkaiah Naidu prices of sugar, vegetables and a year ago, agriculture ministry Reminding him of his election tried to respond to the concerns pulses. data shows. speech in Uttar Pradesh in 2014 - raised by the members, but oppo- “The challenge of demand- State governments need to take when Modi had said he wanted to sition members started shouting supply gap of about 7.6mn tonnes measures to limit stock holdings be a “chowkidar (guard)” for the slogans. Naidu then said the op- (in pulses) is being addressed via and clamp down on hoarding to country and not the prime min- position wanted to politicise the public and private imports,” Pas- check the rise in prices, Paswan ister, Gandhi said the task of safe- issue and did not want a response. wan tweeted yesterday morning. said. guarding the interests of the poor He said the Aadhaar card was Earlier this month, India said “States can take action against people now should be “left to the “not compulsory.” it would help Mozambique culti- hoarders and black-marketers by Congress.” “We cannot make it compul- vate pulses and then import them imposing stock limits on trad- Gandhi lamented that today a sory till everyone gets it,” Naidu through government-to-govern- ers. We can only give direction huge quantity of pulses are be- said even though the opposition ment deals in the coming years. to states to take action against ing looted under Modi as the members continued their protest. India consumes nearly 22mn hoarders. We cannot do it our- “guard.” “We raise issues in parliament tonnes of pulses annually, but selves because action-taking “Now you are the prime min- to get answers. They raised a rel- relies heavily on imports to meet power rests with the states,” he ister you have become a big man. evant issue. I don’t think anyone demand as production has been added. Why should you be a chowkidar has a problem with Direct Ben- hit by uncertain monsoons and Meanwhile, Congress vice too? Leave that duty to us, the efi t Transfer, in case Aadhaar is irrigation problems. president Rahul Gandhi charged Congress Party today,” Gandhi completed. DBT is the need of the In the year to March 2016, the central government with said amid strong protests from hour; it will eliminate middle- Members of an acrobatic group practice at a pedestrian underpass in Mumbai yesterday. overseas purchases accounted for gross failure to keep prices under the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party men,” Naidu said. about a quarter of the country’s control. members.

Goa suspends bus services to Eminent Bengali writer Karnataka over river dispute Mahasweta Devi dead IANS and better the living condition of Kolkata these backward people. IANS ices for Karnataka,” Dhavalikar state and educated people must In her six-decade literary ca- Panaji said. respect the country’s constitu- reer, she authored over 120 books, The cities and towns of Kar- tion, laws and should listen to minent writer and social comprising 20 collections of nataka are a major trade as well what the judiciary says. If it can activist Mahasweta Devi short stories and around 100 nov- ollowing reports of anti- as passenger destination for Goa be challenged, they are free to do Edied yesterday following els and contributed innumerable Goa protests in northern and over 100 inter-state buses, it,” Parsekar said. prolonged illness, a doctor said. articles and columns to news- FKarnataka over the Mhadei operated by private and public Michael Lobo, a legislator be- She was 90. papers and magazines, a large Water tribunal ruling, the Goa companies, ply between the two longing to the ruling Bharatiya Ja- The Ramon Magsaysay winner number of them woven around government yesterday suspended states every day. nata Party (BJP), however, called is survived by her daughter-in- tribal life. Adopting a distinctly bus services to the neighbouring On Wednesday and yesterday the protests in North Karnataka law and grandchild. Mahasweta matter-of-fact style free from state for two days. there was a string of protests in the handiwork of the Congress. Devi’s son died two years ago. sentimentality, Devi vividly por- Goa’s Transport Minister Su- northern Karnataka, along the “People of Karnataka have to “She passed away at 3.16pm trayed the suff erings the tribals din Dhavalikar told reporters here Goa border, after the New Delhi- understand that Mhadei is the life- following a cardiac arrest and endured at the hands of upper- that the suspension order was is- based Mhadei Water disputes tri- line of Goa. You cannot stop that, multi-organ failure,” the doctor caste landlords, money-lenders sued as a “precautionary meas- bunal directed the Karnataka gov- you cannot take our water, because said. and government servants, and ure.” ernment not to divert 7.56 TMC we will be without water. The en- The Bengali novelist penned chronicled the stories of tribal re- “The Karnataka bandh is for water from Mhadei river to Mal- tire Western ghats fl ora and fauna telling commentaries on the sistance and protests. the state of Karnataka only, not aprabha basin until fi nal orders. is because of the Mhadei river. The suff erings and oppression of Mahasweta had deep respect for Goa. We won the Mhadei Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant bandh is not justifi ed. It is a politi- tribals, and in a rarity for a city- for tribal life and culture, high- dispute issue yesterday. The Parsekar said that people from cal move by the Congress govern- bred writer, came down from lighting the absence of the caste, Karnataka government should both states should respect law ment of Karnataka,” Lobo said. the ivory tower to mingle with dowry systems and gender dis- solve its problem. Though bus and the order of the tribunal and Karnataka had started work them. crimination in their society - and operators here are ready to go to resolve issues in a “cultured” way to divert water from the Mhadei, She shared their food and was convinced the “so-called Karnataka, I have ordered them instead of staging protests. which fl ows into Goa, into the ba- huts, tried to understand their mainstream” had nothing to off er. not to go there for two days. “We are an educated state. sin of the Malaprabha river, which problems and fought the pow- “The tribals are more civilised Right now there are no bus serv- Karnataka is also an educated it claims is water defi cit. Mahasweta Devi: championed the cause of tribals ers-that-be to uphold the rights than us,” she would often say. Gulf Times Friday, July 29, 2016 13 LATIN AMERICA

ANNOUNCEMENT TRIAL LAW AND ORDER LEGAL HEALTHCARE 500 UN observers to Guatemala ex-president Police confiscate drugs Facebook fined $11.6mn WHO declares Brazil verify Colombia ceasefire charged in bribery case with Olympic logo over WhatsApp standoff free of measles

The United Nations will co-ordinate some A Guatemalan judge charged former president The Brazilian police has confiscated a shipment A judge in Brazil has slapped a $11.6mn fine on The World Health Organisation (WHO) has 500 international observers to verify that Otto Perez with money laundering and bribery of cocaine and crack wrapped in plastic bags, the local Facebook branch over the company’s declared Brazil free of measles, after no case of Farc rebels comply with a ceasefire and in a massive corruption case in which 52 others bearing the Olympic rings and the logo of the refusal to surrender data from its WhatsApp the disease was registered in the last year. Brazil surrender weapons once a peace deal is signed, were also accused, including former ministers, Rio 2016, sources said. The drugs were found in a messenger program to a police investigation. The saw no domestic cases of measles from 1985 Colombia’s Congress said. The Colombian business people and lawyers. Perez and former house in the central neighbourhood of Lapa in Rio order came from a judge in the northern state of to 2000, although it broke out in 2013 in the government and the Marxist Revolutionary vice president Roxana Baldetti are accused de Janeiro. Besides the 93 doses of cocaine and Amazonas, saying Facebook was failing to meet northeastern states of Pernambuco and Ceara, Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) are in the of receiving hundreds of bribes for public 28 of crack, 13 40-calibre bullets, the use of which its legal obligations. Facebook Brasil has “shown said Merceline Dalh-Regis, president of the WHO’s final phase of four years of talks that it is hoped contracts during their administration. Perez and Brazil has outlawed, were also found, Xinhua tremendous disregard for Brazilian institutions,” international committee for the eradication of will result in a peace deal putting to an end a Baldetti denied the charges, and the rest of the news agency reported. Beyond the Olympic prosecutors added. WhatsApp is owned by social measles, in a statement, Xinhua news agency half-a-century of conflict. The rebels last month accused also said they were innocent. Perez logos, some of the drugs were also wrapped in media giant Facebook. The long-running dispute reported. The WHO said it had worked alongside signed a ceasefire and disarmament deal with and Baldetti resigned and were arrested last bags featuring the logo of a well-known drink pits Brazilian authorities’ insistence that they need the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) to the government, with the aim of becoming a year over accusations that they were part of a brand. In recent years, Brazilian police have seized access to communications between criminal stamp out the disease, with a joint investment of political party. The government said it hoped to customs racket, which they also denied. They a number of drug shipments featuring the names suspects against Facebook’s argument that it is $335,000 going towards measles control and the move on to a full peace deal within weeks. are currently in pre-trial detention. and images of football stars or sports events. protecting privacy and freedom of communication. hiring of 165 dedicated nursing staff in Brazil.

Venezuela police stop Corrupt Brazil opposition march for recall vote tycoon’s UK

AFP Caracas realty splurge enezuelan police blocked a march by opposition Vprotesters demanding a referendum on removing Presi- dent Nicolas Maduro, a prospect looking less likely as the leftist government digs in its heels. revealed Some 200 police blocked hun- dreds of opposition demonstra- Guardian News and Media Witness statements by Mach- heart of the City of London, it is tors shouting “Recall now” as Brasilia ado and his sons, who began currently leased by a bank. they tried to march on the head- cooperating with prosecutors in z In June 2015, CDP Proper- quarters of the National Elector- May after negotiating plea-bar- ties Ltd, owned by The Noronha al Council (CNE) in Caracas. Brazilian businessman gains, set out in forensic detail Trust, bought the leasehold to a There were no clashes, but the who has admitted laun- how bank accounts in Switzer- fl at on Lowndes Square in May- muscular police response lay bare Adering millions of dollars land and Andorra, British Virgin fair for £1.8mn. the tension gripping the country in bribes went on a 12-month Islands shell companies and se- z In October 2015, PDB Prop- as it lurches through an economic property spending spree in Lon- cretive trusts were used to col- erties Ltd, belonging to The crisis that is causing severe food don and Leeds, a Guardian in- lect bribes. Boldro Trust, paid £6.2mn for shortages and hyperinfl ation. vestigation has found. The Guardian revealed how freehold land at Bell Yard, just “The government is desperate. Expedito Machado – the son Expedito used another set of off Fleet Street. The address is They’re afraid of the people’s vote. of a former senator implicated in off shore structures to move cash home to a legal chambers, 9-12 They’ll use every trick they can” the massive corruption scandal at into the UK. The fi ndings raise Bell Yard, which specialises in to avoid a recall, said the speaker Petrobras – spent £21mn on UK questions about whether the fraud cases. of the opposition-majority legis- real estate in 2014 and 2015, buy- money used to buy the proper- A spokesperson for Santander lature, Henry Ramos Allup. ing offi ce buildings in the City ties came from kickbacks. said the bank could not discuss The opposition has been hop- and Fleet Street, an apartment in Expedito’s witness statement client information for confi den- ing pressure from Venezuelans Mayfair and a canal-side plot in suggests this was the case. His tial reasons. fed up with recession, shortages the docklands area of Leeds. lawyers point out that none of Expedito Machado’s com- and mounting chaos will force The case potentially ties the UK properties are included in panies are understood to col- the government to allow a refer- London property to one of the a list of assets of supposed illegal lect thousands of pounds a year endum on Maduro. world’s biggest fraud investiga- origin which are being returned in rent from their commercial But the leftist leader’s camp tions, called Operation Carwash. to the Brazilian government. tenants. There is no suggestion made clear it was not going with- The investigation has already They say the buildings were ac- these leaseholders were aware out a fi ght on Tuesday, when it uncovered an estimated $2bn quired after Expedito sold one of of the identity of the benefi cial asked the electoral authority to ban of funds diverted to Brazilian his businesses. owners or the source of the off - the opposition coalition, the Dem- politicians and their allies. The Lists of off shore companies shore companies’ funds. ocratic Unity Roundtable (MUD). kickbacks came from contrac- owned by the family were leaked Close to his father and keen The move came just as the opposi- tors bidding for work with the to the press along with their wit- to follow him into politics, Ex- tion was hoping to get a green light country’s state-owned oil and ness statements in June. Checks pedito began acting as a go-be- to proceed to the next stage of the gas giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA, against the Land Registry show tween in 2007, helping collect lengthy referendum process. known as Petrobras. four BVI entities set up by Ex- kickbacks from contractors. His A top Maduro aide instead ac- At the heart of the inquiry is pedito Machado currently hold witness statement says his fa- cused the opposition of commit- Expedito’s father, Sergio Mach- property in England. ther, after taking up his post at ting “gigantic fraud” by allegedly ado, who turned whistleblower The 31-year-old entrepreneur Transpetro when he lost his Sen- including the names of thousands after he left Petrobras’s distribu- and fi nance worker moved to ate seat in 2003, was “pressured of dead people, convicts and mi- tion arm, Transpetro, in 2014. London in 2012. Starting in Oc- to obtain illegal funds by politi- nors in a petition submitted in Machado had been accused of tober 2014, he spent £6mn on a cians who had supported him”. May with 1.8mn signatures re- operating a long-running brib- freehold in the former docklands The majority of the funds were questing a recall vote. ery scheme and his evidence to area of Leeds. handed over to elected members Electoral law expert Eugenio prosecutors, which includes se- Three more investments fol- of the centre-right Brazilian So- Martinez said the allegations had cret tape recordings, has already lowed – using off shore vehicles cial Democrat party (PSDB), un- “no practical substance.” “But brought down three ministers. linked to multiple bank accounts der whose banner Machado had they could be useful (to Maduro’s His accusations now risk im- at Santander: been elected to the senate. But camp) as a political strategy to plicating the interim president, z In April 2015, GTD Prop- some of the money was set aside delay the recall referendum proc- Michel Temer, who took over erties Ltd paid £7.2mn for the to fund his future campaign to ess. The deadlines are starting to A member of the Venezuela’s opposition gestures showing a national flag in front of National following the impeachment of freehold on an offi ce building in become a state governor. It was get dangerously close,” he said. policemen during a demonstration in Caracas. Dilma Rousseff in May. Great Winchester Street. In the “his dream”, according to his son. Mexico to move jailed Dinosaur footprints Missing ex-Gitmo druglord to house arrest detainee in Caracas AFP had no responsibility to fund his Montevideo travel anywhere. AFP most powerful gang in Mexico. home in Atizapan de Zaragoza, “He asked to speak to the Red Mexico City His release will mean that a suburb of Mexico City. Cross by phone, to his lawyer two of the three cartel leaders His daughter, Johana Fonse- n ex-Guantanamo Bay and to his relatives, and the convicted over the murder are ca, told Milenio television that inmate who was freed and consulate enabled him to make exico’s government out of prison. the family was “happy that we Asent to Uruguay only to the calls. When his discussion said it will soon trans- Last year, a federal court will be able to give the neces- disappear several weeks ago has at the consulate was over he Mfer ageing drug lord approved Fonseca Carrillo’s sary care for an 86-year-old turned up in Venezuela, offi cials left on his own,” the ministry Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo to request to fi nish his sentence person.” said. said. house arrest after 31 years in under house arrest after his “I understand that this sort Ahmad Diyab — a 44-year- It added that there would prison for the killing of a US lawyers said he should be re- of news doesn’t please public old Syrian who was resettled be no legal problem for Diyab, undercover agent. leased due to his advanced age opinion, but my dad is follow- in Uruguay in 2014 along with who has a Uruguayan resi- Interior Minister Miguel and illnesses. ing the law by fulfi lling his sen- five other ex-detainees — went dency card, to return to that Angel Osorio Chong said the “It’s an obligation imposed tence,” she said, defending his off the radar after apparently country. National Security Commis- on us by a judge and that we “humanitarian” release. evading border control and His disappearance sharpened sion exhausted all legal options have to comply with,” Osorio She said her father “possibly crossing into Brazil and then US debate over the push by US for “this criminal to remain in Chong told reporters, adding has colon cancer” and has lost Venezuela. President Barack Obama’s ad- prison” following a court ruling that the transfer was “immi- vision in one eye. When asked about reports ministration to resettle other in his favour with nine years left nent.” In 2013, a court freed Guad- Diyab turned up at Uruguay’s detainees. in his 40-year sentence. A federal government offi cial alajara cartel co-founder Rafael consulate in Caracas, the coun- A total of 76 inmates now re- The 86-year-old drug capo, said on condition of anonymity Caro Quintero on a legal tech- try’s Foreign Minister Rodolfo main at Guantanamo, which alias ‘Don Neto,’ was convicted that Fonseca Carrillo’s home nicality with 12 years left in his Nin Novoa said “yes, that is the Obama took action to begin for the 1985 murder of US Drug will be “guarded by police” 40-year prison sentence. case.” closing in one of his fi rst acts as Enforcement Administration at a residence that Fonseca The release angered the US The foreign ministry said Diy- president. agent Enrique “Kiki” Camare- chooses, and that he could be government and prompted ab appeared at the consulate on However Obama has been un- na, a crime that strained US- released soon. Mexican authorities to issue an Tuesday asking for help getting able to fulfi l his long-held cam- Mexican relations at the time. Fonseca has been held at the arrest warrant for his extradi- to Turkey so he could be reunited paign promise to close the facil- Fonseca Carrillo is also Puente Grande prison in the tion to face US charges over the with family. ity due to opposition from the known as the “grandfather” of western state of Jalisco. murder. Diyab said he had no plan to Republican-held Congress, con- drug traffi cking because he is His lawyer, Ernesto del Cas- The third Guadalajara car- return to Uruguay, but wanted cerns at home over plans to hold the oldest of the three found- tillo, said Carrillo will be taken tel veteran, Miguel Angel Felix Visitors look at dinosaur footprints while visiting the Cal Montevideo to arrange his on- one-time terror suspects on US ers of the now defunct Guad- in an ambulance to the local Gallardo, alias “The Godfa- Orcko cliff in Cal Orcko, on the outskirts of Sucre, Bolivia. ward travel. soil and the reluctance of allies alajara drug cartel, once the airport and will then go to a ther,” remains in prison. The foreign ministry said it to take in the prisoners. Gulf Times 14 Friday, July 29, 2016 PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN

New Islamabad airport to be Pakistan, Iran ready by 2017

Agencies Islamabad to enhance he New Islamabad Inter- national Airport (NIIA), Twhich can host A-380, the world’s biggest passenger air- craft, will be fully operational by June 2017. The schedule date of comple- security ties tion of all construction work of the project is December 25 this Internews tablishing institutional mecha- the “need for fi ghting against year, the Daily Times reported Islamabad nism to oversee the border the common threat posed by yesterday. security, including Joint Com- Daesh, which was not only pos- The fi rst green-fi eld airport in mission, and agreed to continue ing a grave threat to the stability Pakistan, it is being constructed akistan and Iran yesterday further discussions,” the joint of the Muslim countries but also near Fateh Jang, some 20km cited the need to establish statement read about border se- giving a bad name to Islam – a from Islamabad and 23km from Pinstitutional mechanisms curity issues discussed between religion of peace.” Rawalpindi. to oversee border security in the two countries. This came against the back- The airport will have 90 addition to fi ghting against the drop of current strained ties be- check-in counters, parking for common threat posed by Daesh, “They noted the need for tween Iran and Saudi Arabia. 22,000 vehicles, maintenance the Arabic acronym of Islamic establishing institutional Pakistan in the past attempted hangar, a 15-gate terminal with State. mechanism to oversee the to mediate between the two key 10 remote gates, duty free shops This was stated in a joint border security, including Islamic countries but with little and two runways. statement by National Security Joint Commission, and success. Adviser Lt Gen Nasser Janjua agreed to continue further Islamabad is trying to fol- and Iran’s Secretary of the Su- discussions” low a delicate path as it neither Man shot dead preme National Security Coun- wants to spoil ties with Iran cil Ali Shamkhani as the former The statement also called for nor turn its back towards Saudi in Sindh province concluded his three-day trip to unity among the Muslim Um- Arabia with whom the coun- Relatives and area residents carry photographs of Pakistani national Zulfiqar Ali, who was sentenced to Tehran. mah through early resolution of try has longstanding strategic Unknown gunmen have shot death in 2005 for heroin possession in Indonesia, during a protest in Lahore yesterday. “They noted the need for es- all diff erences while calling for partnership. dead a man in a southern Pakista- ni town, police said, after a burnt Qur’an prompted days of religious tension in the area. Police were patrolling the streets in Ghotki, around 420km north of Pakistan in touch with Karachi in Sindh province, in an eff ort to halt any potential unrest, authorities said yesterday. “Unknown gunmen yesterday (Wednesday) shot dead an 18-year- Indonesia for clemency old Hindu boy and wounded another,” senior police off icial Masood Bangash said. Bangash said another man was arrested in the town four days for death row convict earlier after burnt copies of Islam’s holy book were found at the local mosque. IANS drug convicts including an In- confessing.Pakistan sum- Pakistan has extremely strict laws Islamabad dian and Zulfi qar Ali. moned Indonesian Ambas- against blasphemy. The group, besides Ali and sador Iwan Suyudhie Amri “So far no arrests have been Indian national Gurdip Singh, in Islamabad this week to made in connection with the includes four Indonesians, in- convey their concerns, Dawn shooting and it is too early to akistan yesterday said it cluding a woman, six Nigerians, online reported. link the killing of Hindu man with was in touch with top of- a Zimbabwean, and a South Af- Ali was arrested in November Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani (right) shakes hands with Pakistani the Qur’an burning incident,” he Pfi cials in Indonesia to halt rican. 2004 in connection with a 300 National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua in Teheran on July 26. added. the imminent execution of Pa- They have been placed in iso- gram heroin case in Jakarta. kistani national Zulfi qar Ali for lation on a prison island – Nu- Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the drug smuggling. sakambangan island – where Ja- Prime Minister on Foreign Af- Ali is set to be executed by a karta carries out executions. fairs, who was in Laos for an fi ring squad in the next 24 hours On Wednesday evening, the Asean (Association of Southeast on a prison island in Indonesia. Attorney General of Indonesia Asian Nations) Regional Forum Pakistan set to open security gate at Afghan border Pakistan will keep up eff orts announced the death penalty meeting, sought a meeting with to halt Ali’s imminent execution would be applied to 13 men and his Indonesian counterpart Ret- “till the last moment”, a Paki- one woman as a punishment for no Marsudi on the issue. DPA said yesterday, in a move that “We will go ahead with the mishes when Pakistani troops stan Foreign Offi ce offi cial said, drug-related crimes. After restarting the death Islamabad/Kabul could spark tension between plan,” Defence Minister Khawaja tried to install the gate last adding that it was in talks with Ali’s family had been informed penalty last year, Indonesia has the neighbours. Asif said, ignoring Kabul’s ob- month. Jakarta and remained hopeful that he would be executed on planned to execute 16 prisoners The gate at the Torkham bor- jection that Pakistan must not Islamabad and Kabul have about the possibility of clemen- Thursday night. this year and up to 30 in 2017. akistan will open a se- der crossing is ready and will be build permanent structures on been in a longstanding dispute cy for Ali, Dawn online reported. His family carried out a pro- As of June, some 152 inmates curity gate at the main inaugurated on Monday, the De- the disputed border. over the demarcation of their Indonesia rejected the appeals test in Lahore on Wednesday. in prisons nationwide are await- Pborder crossing with Af- fence Ministry said in the capital At least half a dozen soldiers more than 2,000-kilometre bor- from the UN and European Un- Rights groups in Pakistan ing execution, according to In- ghanistan next week, officials Islamabad. from both sides died in skir- der called the Durand Line. ion to halt the execution of 14 claim Ali was beaten into donesian authorities. Guns cheaper than smartphones in tribal town of Darra

AFP Darra Adamkhel

unfi re echoes through a dusty northwest tribal Gtown, the soundtrack to Pakistan’s biggest arms black market, where Kalashnikovs welded from scrap metal are cheaper than smartphones and sold on an industrial scale. Darra Adamkhel, a town sur- rounded by hills some 35km south of the city of Peshawar, was a hub of criminal activity for decades. People smugglers and drug runners were common and eve- rything from stolen cars to fake university degrees could be pro- cured. This generations-old trade in the illicit boomed in the 1980s: The mujahideen began buying weapons there for Afghanistan’s battle against the Soviets, over the porous border. An arms seller picks an assault rifle from a shelf at his shop in the tribal area of Darra Adamkhel. A Pakistani gunsmith makes bullets at a small workshop in the tribal area of Darra Adamkhel. Later, the town became a stronghold of the Pakistani Tali- one of the most popular weap- weapon they are shown,” he ex- erated by authorities with little The Wild West atmosphere jected to the gun market in Darra half have closed. ban, who enforced their strict ons in the world, widely used by plains. power in the tribal areas between is fading as the town embraces directly, but residents say they If the government does not rules and parallel system of jus- organisations such as America’s “In past 10 years I have sold Afghanistan and Pakistan, where modern conveniences. have had to give sureties they change its policies, he says, “I tice – infamously beheading FBI SWAT teams. 10,000 guns, and had zero com- militants once operated with Before the crackdown Gul’s will not harbour militants, and a fear Darra will be fi nished”. Polish engineer Piotr Stanczak The MP5 can retail for thou- plaints,” he claims. impunity. workshop – just one of hundreds half-hearted attempt at licens- Darra trade union leader Bad- there in 2009. sands of dollars. In Gul’s sweltering workshop, Residents, for their part, in the town – could produce ing is now also being made. am Akbar confi rmed that some Now Darra is clean of all but Gul’s version, which comes employees shout over the roar of viewed the market as legitimate more than 10 weapons a day, he Police and paramilitary offi c- 3,000 shops have closed, and the arms, yet the gunsmiths in with a one-year guarantee, costs electrical generators as they ex- in an area dominated by Pashtun says. ers were prominent at entry and said skilled workers are attempt- the bazaar say the region’s im- roughly 7,000 rupees, or $67 pertly cut and drill through met- traditions, where gun culture is Now they only produce four. exit points to the area during a ing to learn new trades. “Noth- proved security and authorities’ – and, he claims, it works per- al brought from the shipyards of deeply embedded in male iden- “Demand has decreased,” he recent AFP visit there. ing is left in this bazaar now,” he growing intolerance for illegal fectly. Karachi, far to the south on the tity. says. “I have been working here for says. weaponry are withering an in- Gul then puts on a demonstra- Arabian Sea. But in recent years the military Gunsmiths put the blame 30 years but now I have no work Hundreds of gun shops still dustry that sustained them for tion, test-fi ring his MP5 in the The main bazaar which cuts has cracked down on extremism, squarely on the Pakistani gov- to do,” says Muzzamil Khan, sit- cram the narrow streets around decades. small outer yard of his workshop through the town used to hold particularly in the tribal areas, ernment and military, particu- ting idle outside his workshop.“I the bazaar and the sound of gun- “(The) Nawaz Sharif govern- – fi rst the single shot mode, then nothing but tiny gun shops and security is the best it has larly checkpoints on the way to am ready to sell my lathe ma- fi re still pierces the air – albeit ment has established check- fi ring in a burst. crammed together, their gleam- been since the Pakistani Taliban Darra halting customers who chine.” intermittently – but the gun- points everywhere, business is A Darra-made Kalashnikov, ing wares displayed openly on were formed in 2007. once travelled to the town open- Mohamed Qaisar, making smiths say it is not enough. stopped,” said Khitab Gul, 45. Gul says, can sell for as little as racks as customers test-fi red Every second or third shop ly. cartridges at his shop in the “We have no electricity, no Gul is known in Darra for his $125, cheaper than most smart- into the air above. in Darra now sells groceries or Foreigners have been banned main bazaar, said at one point water, no business,” Akbar replicas of Turkish and Bulgari- phones. “The workers here are Trade was illegal, unlicensed electronics instead of weapons, for security reasons. there had been up to 7,000 warns. “Life has became very an-made MP5 submachine guns, so skilled that they can copy any and unregulated, but long tol- the gunsmiths lament. The military has not yet ob- shops there – but now almost diffi cult.” Gulf Times Friday, July 29, 2016 15 PHILIPPINES

Water lily festival BI alert on human smuggling syndicate

Manila Times In another development, Makati members of the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) together with representatives of the he Bureau of Immigra- South Korean Embassy in Ma- tion (BI) has warned the nila arrested Tuesday night 17 Tpublic against a human South Korean fugitives inside a traffi cking syndicate recruiting posh building at Ortigas Cent- Filipino jobseekers for work in er in Pasig City. China. Morente said he had directed Immigration commission- the legal division of the bureau er Jaime Morente issued the to hasten the Koreans’ imme- warning yesterday after Chi- diate deportation. nese immigration authorities They are Kim Minkook, Yu deported a Filipina who fell Doohee, Lee Byungkon, Lee victim to the syndicate. Seungho, Jo Joongwon, Choi The victim, whose name was Myoungsoo, Jang Hyoungjun, withheld in compliance with Kim Hansaem, Park Sungjun, the Anti-Traffi cking Law, was Bae Mungwon, Lee Seungho arrested in China for overstay- (Seungho), Lee Yungyu, Hong ing and for working without a Ukjin, Han Sang Seo, Park valid visa. She was detained for Yungjin, Kim Kyungjin and two months before being sent Kim Tawewon. back. Licas said the suspects were The victim recounted to BI “fugitives from justice after offi cials that she and her re- being charged with conspiring cruiter, a Chinese woman re- and operating an illegal gam- siding in Manila, left the coun- bling website/den”. He said try for China on October 15 last the arrest happened at a round year. On arrival in China, she 8pm at One Corporate Center. said, her recruiter left her at The Koreans had no subse- her workplace and returned to quent travel since their arrival. the Philippines without both- They were admitted under visa ering to secure a visa extension issued by the Cagayan Eco- Sen Cynthia Villar joins participants in the water lily festival. or work visa for her. nomic Zone Authority. The victim sought the help “Korean nationals are oper- of the Philippine embassy in ating an illegal on-line gam- Beijing, which provided her bling den at units 702 and 905 with a travel document that of One Corporate Center,” she used in returning to the said Antonette Bucasas-Man- Philippines. grobang, BI spokeswoman.

Beijing harbours Governor pleads not guilty to graft

Manila Times tracting was justifi ed under the Cotabato circumstances. druglords: Duterte She added: “It was only the Taliño Shell Station which was The president has previously linked at least 316 such suspects have been slain drigo Duterte denounced extrajudicial In his speech at Camp Nakar in Lucena orth Cotabato gover- willing to accommodate the China to the drug trade since he took offi ce on June 30. Police say killings and said he would put it “under City, headquarters of the Southern Luzon nor Emmylou Taliño- credit term requested by the the killings were in self-defence. control”. Command, Duterte made a distinction NMendoza entered a provincial government.” Agencies However local media agencies have “We cannot build a nation over the dead between the Abu Sayaff , the communist not-guilty plea to graft charges But the ombudsman held Manila posted even higher totals of deaths, with bodies of our own citizens. I’ll have to group and Muslim rebels, including the she is facing before the Sandi- that “there was no compelling human rights advocates warning that control [it],” the president said in a speech Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) ganbayan’s First Division in justifi cation for dispensing these may be extra-judicial killings. during oath-taking ceremonies for offi - and the Moro National Liberation Front connection with allegedly ille- with the requirement of public hina is harbouring major drug lords Last week the Chinese embassy in Ma- cials of the League of Cities of the Philip- (MNLF), that his administration aims to gal procurement of diesel fuel bidding”. who smuggle narcotics into the nila issued a statement saying that Beijing pines and League of Provinces of the Phil- negotiate peace with. in 2010. A dismissed police offi cer CPhilippines, the president said yes- was off ering its support to Duterte’s drug ippines Wednesday night. “We have to insist on peace, even to Mendoza, who posted bail, in Bataan, allegedly engaged terday. crackdown. The death toll in the war against drugs our Moro brothers and sisters. As I talk to was arraigned yesterday and in illegal drug and gunrunning Rodrigo Duterte made the remarks even “China has expressed explicitly to the has hit 667 since the president’s election the communist, I will talk to the MI[LF], the court set preliminary con- activities, and two other sus- as the two countries continue to bicker new administration China’s willingness victory on May 10, based on an independ- MN[LF], and all the armed groups there, ferences to November 2, 3, 4 pected drug suspects in Ba- over an international tribunal invalidat- for eff ective co-operation in this regard, ent tally by ABS-CBN News. except the Abu Sayyaf,” the president and 9 where the parties will tangas and Oriental Mindoro ing Beijing’s extensive claims to the South and would like to work out a specifi c plan Police operations have killed 429 peo- said. mark documentary evidence. were shot dead after resisting China Sea. of action with the Philippine side,” the ple while unidentifi ed gunmen have killed “I will not talk with the criminals, only The pre-trial was set on No- arrest and engaging lawmen in “Where is the big fi sh (in illegal drugs)? embassy said. 182. Fifty-six were identifi ed as victims of with those with ideology,” he added. vember 10. a shootout on Wednesday. If you want them, go to China. Beijing is known to execute drug off end- vigilante killings. Duterte earlier this month said he will The case stemmed from The Mariveles municipal Look for them there,” Duterte told sol- ers and in recent years has put to death Duterte told local government execu- not brand Abu Sayyaf members as crimi- three counts of graft fi led by police chief, superintendent diers and police during a visit to a military several Filipinos found guilty of smuggling tives he had become the “whipping boy” nals, noting that the group was “driven the offi ce of the ombudsman Crizaldy Conde, identifi ed the camp. narcotics into China. for the casualties, but argued that the drug due to desperation”. alleging that the fuel, cost- fatality as former police offi cer “I wanted to talk to the ambassador. Duterte, who was elected on May 9 af- problem had reached crisis proportions. “I am not including Abu Sayyaf in crim- ing P2.4mn, was bought from 3 Alpasel Hamsa of Barangay That is how serious it is. Now, how do I ter running on a fi erce anti-drugs plat- “It’s a drug crisis. 170,000 surren- inality. You’ll never hear me say that they a gasoline station owned by Camaya in Bataan. fi ght this? We cannot just go there and just form, reiterated during the visit that his derees. Is that a police problem? The po- are criminals,” the President had said. Mendoza’s mother without Hamsa became the 15th vic- declare war,” he added. special envoy, former president Fidel lice cannot solve it,” he said, referring to But in his speech yesterday, the presi- public bidding. tim in drug-related clashes He did not identify the alleged drug Ramos, would soon be going to China to drug suspects who had turned themselves dent reiterated a promise he made in his The governor allegedly ap- with the police in Bataan this lords and a Chinese embassy spokesman discuss the dispute over the South China in to authorities. State of the Nation Address (SONA) on proved the release of P2.4mn month. could not be contacted for comment. Sea. Military camps will be used as drug re- Monday that he will crush the ASG. from provincial funds to pay Conde said Hamsa, upon Duterte had previously asserted that Ties between the two countries have habilitation centres as a stopgap measure, Duterte said he has to neutralide the for 49,526.72 litres of fuel used seeing approaching police- most of the illegal drugs in the Philippines frayed after the UN-linked tribunal ruling, until more rehabilitation centres are built, rebel group because “Filipinos cannot for one road grader and four men, went for his calibre .45 originated from China and that many which was widely seen as a victory for the Duterte said. have better life under them”. dump trucks used in road re- gun and fi red at the lawmen, Chinese had been arrested for smuggling Philippines. “The military has large reservations. It’s “That’s why we are fi ghting them. I will habilitation projects that took triggering the shootout that drugs into the country. China previously off ered to reopen talks going to be barracks style for those who are not allow that [to happen] because the two days. led to his death. But it was the fi rst time he explicitly with the Philippines on the issue but only recalcitrant,” he added. constitution mandate belongs to this gov- During preliminary inves- Scene of the crime opera- named China as the lair of those responsi- if it disregarded the tribunal decision. President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday ernment, not with them,” he said. tigation, Mendoza in her de- tives recovered from the crime ble for the traffi cking. The Philippines refused. said the government will not talk with “So there will be no talks. Those crimi- fence said she relied upon the scene the victim’s gun with live Duterte has openly called for the kill- Even as he reiterated his vow to crush the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), because its nals? They’re nothing, you have to destroy Bids and Awards Committee’s ammunition, empty shells and ing of drug dealers and police fi gures show illegal drug syndicates, President Ro- members are “criminals”. [them],” he added. determination that direct con- three sachets of shabu. President warns City view NPA on ceasefi re

Agencies let’s forget it. Let’s just fi ght,” Lucena City, Quezon Duterte said. Following Duterte’s declara- tion of a unilateral ceasefi re dur- resident Rodrigo Duterte ing his fi rst State of the Nation yesterday threatened to Address on Monday, the Armed Plift the unilateral ceasefi re Forces of the Philippines and he had declared with communist Philippine National Police sus- rebels following a New People’s pended operations against com- Army (NPA) attack against gov- munist rebels. ernment militiamen. The NDF, however, set two In a speech before soldiers conditions before reciprocating: at Camp Guillermo Nakar, the the offi cial text of the ceasefi re president said the Communist declaration and the release of Party of the Philippines (CPP), more than 500 political prison- the New People’s Army and ers. the National Democratic Front President Rodrigo Duterte. On Wednesday, members of (NDF) should give him an ex- the Cafgu Armed Auxiliary in planation before midnight or talked to militant lawmakers as Davao del Norte were attacked he will scrap the declaration of well as government chief nego- by communist rebels resulting in ceasefi re. tiator Silvestre Bello 3rd about the death of a militiaman. Four “I am issuing a warning to the the incident others were wounded. communists. Are we in a truce or “I am demanding an explana- Before meeting the soldiers, are we not? Give me an answer by tion from the CPP … If you do not the President attended a com- tonight because tomorrow, I will honour or you kill a single sol- mand conference with military cancel [the ceasefi re],” Duterte dier or a Cafgu (Civilian Armed offi cials in Camp Nakar, home said. Forces Geographical Unit), who of the military’s Southern Luzon A general view of the skyline from the Makati City Hall in Manila. The president said he had is also a soldier of the Republic, Command. Gulf Times 16 Friday, July 29, 2016 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL Ambulance inauguration Drowning biggest killer of kids in Bangladesh

Guardian News ing drowning of children under Dhaka fi ve, before 2035. And in response to the high numbers of child drownings, t just nine years old, the government made swim- Sadia Yasmin Lata is al- ming lessons compulsory in Aready a trained cardiop- primary schools in April 2015. ulmonary resuscitation (CPR) Over a year later, however, caregiver. the decision awaits implemen- She’s demonstrating a CPR tation. drill to other children her age. This is because the edu- “I would remove any hazard- cation secretary at the time, ous substance from the ground Nazrul Islam Khan, issued the around him, and then speak letter of instruction directly to into both of his ears to check schools, without following the his senses,” she says. bureaucratic protocol to moni- She would then pinch his tor its implementation. hand and check his respira- With the support of inter- tion. “If he does not respond, I national donors, including would breathe air into him and, Grand Challenges Canada and at intervals, give him a cardiac the Royal National Lifeboat massage,” she says. Institution, the CIPRB has in- Sadia’s life-saving skills are troduced SwimSafe across 10 not just something handy to districts of Bangladesh. have, they might prove essen- Though the programme was tial one day. launched in 2006, it is teaching Sadia lives in Sirajganj in swimming and rescue tech- northwest Bangladesh, a niques to hundreds of children country where drowning kills and fi lling in the gaps where A Sri Lankan buddhist monk blesses an ambulance provided by India in Colombo yesterday. more children than any other schools are failing. accident or disease. The organisation identifi es Drowning accounts for suitable ponds in villages, and 43% of deaths among chil- it installs 12.5m wide bamboo dren under fi ve, according to frames in which children have the Bangladesh Demographic their lessons and can exercise. Health Survey 2011. In Raiganj, the CIPRB oper- A 2005 Health and Injury ates in 15 ponds with 30 in- Survey — the latest available — structors equally divided be- revealed that 17,000 children tween genders. aged between fi ve and 17 die It takes around two weeks Dead US suspect ‘was from drowning every year in for a child to learn the 21 steps the country. of swimming — including get- Around the world, drowning ting into the water, fl oating and is most prevalent among chil- treading water — before they dren younger than fi ve because graduate, says Arafat Hossain, this is when their curiosity a supervisor of SwimSafe in begins to grow and they start Raiganj. friend of cafe attacker’ venturing away from supervi- Although scared at fi rst, sion, says Aminur Rahman, Sadia was eager to learn how to The authorities are working hard to “Shazad Rouf, 24, was an American the killings of liberals and religious mi- eign hostages and two police officers. director of the Centre for In- swim. “I told my mother that I prevent similar attacks passport holder and had been missing for norities in the mostly Muslim nation of Police have rejected the Islamic State jury Prevention and Research, have an instructor who teaches six months,” Rahman told Reuters. 160mn. (IS) group’s claim for the July 1 attack. Bangladesh (CIPRB). swimming and I want to learn Reuters Rouf’s father had fi led a missing person While authorities blame the violence The group posted gruesome images of “Our research reveals that it,” she says. Dhaka report for him on February 6, the spokes- on domestic militants, security experts the carnage before the military stormed the larger the family size the Her mother enrolled her and man said, adding that Rouf had been say the scale and sophistication of the cafe the cafe. more vulnerable their children Sadia learned all the steps and wanted by police on suspicion of plotting attack suggested links to a trans-national Moniruzzaman said the six convicted are to drowning,” he says. techniques. She says her fa- ne of nine suspected militants a subversive act. network. militants had conspired and assisted The more children parents vourite swimming techniques killed in a police raid in Bang- Also wanted in the same case was Nibras Islamic State has warned that violence in the bombing of the lawyer’s office have, the more diffi cult it be- is an arm pull. “I learned Oladesh this week was a Bangla- Islam, one of Rouf’s friends, who had been would continue until Islamic law was es- just north of Dhaka, part of JMB’s then comes to look after them, he swimming in eight days. deshi-American who was a friend of one among the cafe attackers, Rahman said. tablished worldwide. deadly campaign against the secular ju- explains. I don’t feel scared anymore,” of the gunmen who attacked a cafe on Rouf was from a well-off family in Dha- A Bangladesh court yesterday upheld diciary. The causes of the high says Sadia. July 1 killing 22 people, police said yes- ka, Rahman said, but added that he had no the death sentence for six Islamist mili- “Of the ten JMB extremists originally number of child drownings in Shohag Hossain, a swim- terday. information on his US tants convicted over a suicide bombing in sentenced to death by the trial court in Bangladesh are rooted in pov- ming instructor at SwimSafe in The attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery, connection. 2005 of a lawyer’s offi ce that killed eight 2013, two were acquitted by the high court erty The causes of the high Raiganj, says he trains around a cafe in Dhaka’s diplomatic quarter, was A US embassy spokesman declined to people, a top prosecutor said. and two others were sentenced to life in number of child drownings in 100 children each swimming one of the most brazen militant assaults in comment. Bangladesh’s judiciary is under pressure prison,” he added. Bangladesh are rooted in pov- season, which lasts from April the country’s history. Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibil- to fast track cases involving militants as The attack was one of a series of blasts erty. to December. Most of the 22 people killed were for- ity for the cafe attack but the government the government faces mounting criticism the JMB carried out in 2005, then raising In rural areas, fathers spend The CIPRB pays Hossain £1 eigners and police have been scouring the has dismissed suggestions the group has a to crackdown on Islamists over a series of fears that the Muslim-majority nation most of their days working for every child he trains. country for accomplices of the fi ve gun- presence in Bangladesh. recent deadly killings. would descend into Afghanistan-style Is- away from home while mothers He says this makes the train- men who were all killed when police ended Instead, authorities have blamed the A bench of two high court judges reject- lamic militancy. engage in household chores. ers enthusiastic about their the siege. banned domestic group, Jamaat-ul-Mu- ed appeals from the six convicted over the Four lawyers and four litigants died in During this time, children job, which increases the par- On Tuesday, police raided a building in jahideen Bangladesh, which has pledged 2005 bombing, claimed by local extremist the attack. The suicide bomber was also mostly hang around with their ticipation of children. a Dhaka suburb and killed nine militants, allegiance to Islamic State, for the cafe at- group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh killed. mothers unless they live in ex- At present, the programme who police said were from the same do- tack. (JMB). Authorities launched a crack down on tended families where relatives is only able to provide training mestic group as the cafe attackers, and Police said another of the nine militants “The court upheld the death orders the JMB at the time, but it has regrouped can take care of them. to children older than fi ve, as who had been plotting their own similar killed on Tuesday had been identifi ed as against the six JMB extremists as the in recent years under new leaders. Most accidents happen younger children require more attack. the trainer of the cafe attackers. charges against them were proved be- According to experts, it has been active- when mothers have to split supervision. Eight of the nine were identifi ed from The man had been a religious student yond any doubt,” deputy attorney gen- ly recruiting young and highly educated their attention between work Instead, the CIPRB has their fi ngerprints, which are taken when who had gone missing a year ago, counter- eral Sheikh A K M Moniruzzaman told young men to its ranks. and children, Rahman says. opened up a daycare pro- national identity cards are issued, and one terrorism police chief Monirul Islam told a AFP. Police have blamed the banned group In July 2013, the govern- gramme called Anchal, which turned out to be a wanted Bangladeshi- news conference. JMB has also been blamed for a siege for scores of gruesome murders of reli- ment of Prime Minister Sheikh provides a safe place for par- American, said Dhaka police spokesman In the past year, Al Qaeda and Islamic this month by five gunmen on an upscale gious minorities, as well as of foreigners, Hasina committed to end pre- ents to leave their young chil- Masudur Rahman. State have made competing claims over cafe in Dhaka that killed 20 mostly for- since 2013. ventable child deaths, includ- dren while they go to work.

Nepal fl oods leave 73 people dead

AFP also providing relief to the vic- Kathmandu tims.” Images released by the army, which is involved in the opera- loods and landslides in tions, showed villagers waiting Nepal and India have on rooftops to be evacuated in Fkilled more than 90 peo- motorboats. ple in recent days, with at least The worst-hit district was 2mn residents forced to fl ee Pyuthan, 250km west of Kath- their homes, offi cials said yes- mandu, where dozens of hous- terday. es have been swept away. Nepal has been worst hit, Scores of people die every year with homes and bridges de- from fl ooding and landslides stroyed after days of torrential during the monsoon rains in Ne- monsoon rains, although water pal and neighbouring India. levels were now slowing reced- The situation is particularly ing. desperate this year because “Since Monday, 73 people millions of Nepalis are still liv- have been killed in the fl oods ing in tents or makeshift huts and landslides,” home minis- after a devastating earthquake try deputy spokesman Jhanka that killed nearly 9,000 people Nath Dhakal told AFP, increas- in 2015. ing the death toll from Tuesday Floods have also hit India’s after the discovery of 15 more remote, northeastern state of bodies. Assam where 19 people have “Our teams are working lost their lives mainly after riv- continuously in aff ected areas ers burst their banks in the last to search and rescue. We are week, offi cials there said. Army personnel help flood victims in Kapilvastu, Nepal. Gulf Times Friday, July 29, 2016 17 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH Dire consequences of injustice njustice is deviation from justice {And your Lord is not ever unjust to a rival purchaser simply to harm to Allah The Almighty as an excuse.” and violation of the truth. There [His] servants.} [Qur’an 41:46] him with no intention of buying While Sulaymaan ibn ‘Abdul- are three broad types of injustice: {Verily the unjust are surely in the merchandise]; do not hate one Malik was on the pulpit, a man I 1- To be unjust towards Allah perpetual torment.} [Qur’an 42:45] another; do not turn your backs said to him, “Remember the Day The Almighty: The most heinous forms In addition, there are many Qur’anic on one another; do not enter into of Announcement!” Sulaymaan of this type are disbelief, polytheism, verses that speak about doing injustice commercial transactions when others descended from the pulpit and asked and hypocrisy. Allah The Almighty to oneself. These verses explain have entered into that [transaction]; the man, “And what is the Day of Says (what means): that this type of injustice comes in rather, be, O slaves of Allah, brothers. Announcement?” The man answered, {And [mention, O Muhammad], two forms: Shirk (polytheism), and A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; “Allah The Almighty Says (what when Luqmaan said to his son while disobeying Allah The Almighty. Shirk he does not do injustice to him, he means): {Then an announcer will he was instructing him, “O my son, do is the most heinous of sins; Allah The does not let him down, and he does announce between them, “The curse of not associate [anything] with Allah. Almighty Says (what means): {Then not disdain him. Piety is here, [and he Allah be on the unjust.”}[Qur’an 7:44]” Indeed, association [with him] is great we caused to inherit the Book those pointed to his chest three times]. It is Abu Ad-Dardaa’, may Allah be injustice.”}[Qur’an 31:13] We have chosen of Our servants; and enough evil for a Muslim to disdain pleased with him, said: “Beware of the {Indeed, the curse of Allah is upon among them is he who wrongs himself, his brother Muslim. All of a Muslim orphan’s tears and the supplication of a the unjust.} [Qur’an 11:18] and among them is he who is moderate, is inviolable for other Muslims: his wronged person.” 2- To be unjust towards other and among them is he who is foremost blood [life], his property and his Some scholars state that there are people: Allah The Almighty Says (what in good deeds by permission of Allah. honour.[Muslim] three types of injustice: means): That [inheritance] is what is the great The righteous predecessors also Unforgivable injustice: This type {And the recompense of an odious bounty.}[Qur’an 35:32] dispraised injustice in their sayings: refers to Shirk, from which we seek deed is an odious deed the like of Doing injustice to others through ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah refuge with Allah The Exalted. Allah it; yet whoever is clement and acts aggression against their lives, property be pleased with him, said: “The day The Almighty Says (what means): righteously, then his reward is up to or anything else, is dispraised in many when the wronged will triumph over {Indeed, Allah does not forgive Allah. Surely, He does not love the Qur’anic verses such as the verse that the wrongdoer will be far severer than association with Him, but He forgives unjust.}[Qur’an 42:40] reads (what means):{The cause is the day when the wrongdoer wronged what is less than that for whom He {The cause is only against the ones only against the ones who wrong the him.” Mu‘aawiyah, may Allah be wills.}[Qur’an 4:48] who wrong the people and tyrannise people and tyrannise upon the earth pleased with him, would say, “I would Injustice that cannot be waived: upon the earth without right. Those without right. Those will have a painful be terrifi ed to wrong a person who has This type refers to doing injustice to will have a painful punishment.} punishment.}[Qur’an 42:42] none but Allah The Exalted to seek His the servants of Allah The Almighty. [Qur’an 42:42] Similarly, the Hadiths of the help against me.” Forgivable Injustice: This type 3- To be unjust towards oneself: Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, Abu Al-‘Aynaa’, may Allah have refers to wronging oneself. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): dispraise injustice: mercy upon him, said: “I had some A man passed by a person whom {Then we caused to inherit the Book It was narrated on the authority unjust enemies, and I complained Al-Hajjaaj had crucifi ed, and said: those We have chosen of Our servants; of Abu Moosa Al-Ash‘ari, may Allah about them to Ahmad ibn Abi “O Allah, your leniency with the and among them is he who wrongs be pleased with him, that the Prophet, Daawood. I said to him, ‘They have oppressors has harmed the oppressed.” himself.} [Qur’an 35:32] sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: become united like a single hand When the man slept that night {He [Moosa] said, “My Lord, indeed “Indeed, Allah gives respite to the against me!’ He replied, ‘{The hand he saw in a vision that he entered I have wronged myself, so forgive me,” oppressor, but when He seizes him, of Allah is over their hands.}[Qur’an Paradise, and saw the man who had and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the He does not let him escape.” Then he 48:10]’ I said, ‘They are cunning!’ been crucifi ed in the highest ranks of Forgiving, the Merciful.} [Qur’an 28:16] recited:{And thus is the taking away He replied, ‘{The evil plot does not Paradise; then he heard a caller say, In fact, all three types are considered of your Lord when He takes away the encompass except its own people.} “My leniency with the oppressors has as doing injustice to oneself as one towns [while] they are unjust; surely [Qur’an 35:43]’ I said, ‘They belong to admitted the oppressed people to the wrongs oneself when one intends to do His taking away is painful [and] strict.} a large company.’ He replied, ‘{How highest ranks in Paradise.” injustice. [Qur’an 11:102] [Al-Bukhari and many a small company has overcome a It was said: “Whoever plunders Ath-Thahabi, may Allah have Muslim] large company by permission of Allah others property, others will plunder his mercy upon him, maintained that The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi The Exalted.}[Qur’an 2:249]’”. property.” injustice is a major sin and said that wa sallam, said:“Protect yourselves Yoosuf ibn ’Asbaat, may Allah It is said: “Whoever does injustice doing injustice to others may take the against doing injustice, for injustice have mercy upon him, said: “Whoever for long, loses power.” form of trespassing on their property, will be darkness on the Day of wishes an oppressor long life wants ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with abusing them physically or verbally, Resurrection.” [Muslim] Allah The Exalted to be disobeyed in him, said: “Beware of the supplication and attacking the weak. He mentioned ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased His universe.” of an oppressed man, as it is answered.” the Qur’anic verses and Prophetic with her, said to Abu Salamah ibn Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allah be ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with Hadiths that threaten the unjust. Then ‘Abdur Rahman, may Allah be pleased pleased with him, said: “When the him, said: “The previous nations he reported that some of the righteous with him, who was disputing with punishment was removed from the were destroyed because they kept predecessors said: “Do not wrong the some people over a piece of land, people of Yoonus, may Allah exalt his denying people’s rights until this weak so as not to be one of the evil “O Abu Salamah, beware of seizing mention, they all returned the rights of became rampant, and they spread strong people.” In addition to this, he land unjustly because the Prophet, others to the extent that a man would transgression until its rights were mentioned some forms of injustice sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said, pluck a stone out of the foundation of ransomed.” that he considered to be major sins: ‘Whoever seizes unlawfully a hand- his house and return it to its owner.” It was said: “The most evil of all Devouring the property of span of land, a collar of seven lands will Abu Thawr ibn Yazeed, may Allah wrongdoers is the one who wrongs orphans be around his neck [in the Hereafter].’” have mercy upon him, said: “Using an some people for the benefi t of others.” Procrastination in repaying debts [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] unlawfully acquired stone in a building Ibn Al-Jawzi said: “Injustice despite the ability to repay at the due It was narrated on the authority is considered the beginning of its necessitates two sins: usurping others’ time. of Huthayfah, may Allah be pleased destruction.” rights and defying Allah The Exalted Denying a wife her rights such as with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu A scholar said: “Had a single with disobedience. The sin of doing dowry, clothing and provision. ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Do not be stone of injustice been used in building injustice is more evil than other sins Denying a labourer his wage or blind followers and say: ‘If people Paradise, the House of Eternity, it because it is usually committed against salary do good, we do good, and if people would have been ruined.” the weak, who are powerless to fend for Inaccurate divisions and do injustice, we do injustice.’ Adjust A sage said: “When you want to themselves. The cause of injustice is valuation, which are considered major yourselves; when people do good, do do injustice, remember the justice the darkness of the heart; a man whose sins, according to Ibn Hajar, may Allah good, and when they wrong, do not do of Allah The Almighty that will be heart is lit with guidance would not have mercy upon him. injustice.”[At-Tirmithi] executed against you. When you want commit injustice.” It was narrated on the authority to use your strength to wrong others, Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah The Texts of the Shari‘ah Dispraise of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood, may Allah remember that Allah The Exalted has have mercy upon him, said: “People Injustice be pleased with him, that the Prophet, the strength to punish you. Never, unanimously agree that the Allah The Almighty Says (what sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: be impressed by someone who sheds consequences of injustice are dire and means): “Whenever a person is murdered, there blood, as his Assassin never dies.” that the outcomes of justice are good.” {And those cities - We destroyed is a share of the burden of the crime on Yazeed ibn Haatim would say, “I He also said that, “Allah The Exalted them when they wronged, and the son of ’Aadam [Adam], may Allah fear nothing more than a person whom grants victory to a just state even if it is We made for their destruction an exalt his mention, since he was the fi rst I wronged while knowing that he has a non-Islamic state, and lets an unjust appointed time.} [Qur’an 18:59] to commit murder.”[Al-Bukhaari and no supporter but Allah The Exalted, state be defeated, even if it is an Islamic {And in no way did We do injustice Muslim] especially when he says, ‘Allah The state.” to them, but it is they who were the It was narrated on the authority Exalted is suffi cient to judge between Article source: http://www. unjust.} [Qur’an 43:76] of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased me and you.’” islamweb.net/emainpage/ {Allah does not love the unjust.} with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu One day, ‘Ali ibn Al-Fudhayl wept, [Qur’an 3:57] ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: so he was asked why. He replied: “I {And your Lord does injustice to no Do not envy one another; do not feel sorry for those who wronged me, one.}[Qur’an 18:49] commit Najash [to overbid against because they will have nothing to say Injustice: the causes, harms and cure - The devil: Allah The Almighty Says people: Allah The Almighty Says (what means): Moreover, the Hadith about the story of deeds and evil deeds, as mentioned in the mention, Saying (What means): {So when Our (what means): {And decidedly not one of you [there is], the man who killed 99 people, as well as the authentic Hadith. command came, We made the highest part [of {O you who have believed, enter except that he will go [herded] down to it; that, one who said: “By Allah, if my Lord takes the city] its lowest and rained upon them stones Ainto Islam completely [and perfectly] for your Lord, has been a thing decreed, a must. hold of me, He would torment me as He has Consequences and Harms of Injustice of layered hard clay, [which were] marked from and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Thereafter, We will safely deliver the ones who not tormented anyone else.” [Al-Bukhari and Injustice incurs the anger of Allah The your Lord. And Allah’s punishment is not from Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.} [Qur’an were pious and leave behind the unjust [ones], Muslim], support the same meaning that a Exalted. the wrongdoers [very] far.}[Qur’an 11:82, 83] 2:208] [abjectly] kneeling.} [Qur’an 19:71, 72] believer must not despair of the mercy of Allah Allah The Almighty makes an unjust Similarly, Allah The Exalted destroyed the {Satan has overcome them and made them {And your Lord would not have destroyed The Almighty. person suff er all types of torment. people of Nuh (Noah), may Allah exalt his forget the remembrance of Allah. Those are the the cities unjustly while their people were 4- Imagining the predicament of reckoning *Injustice destroys families and states. mention, Thamood, ‘Aad and the Companions party of Satan. Unquestionably, the party of reformers.} [Qur’an 11:117] and judgment on the Day of Judgment; Allah An unjust person will be deprived of of the Thicket. Allah The Almighty Says (what Satan - they will be the losers.} [Qur’an 58:19] {Say, “Have you seen for yourselves? In case The Almighty Says (what means): {And the all forms of the intercession of the Prophet, means): {So each We seized for his sin; and B- A persistent evil-enjoining soul; Allah The the torment of Allah comes up to you suddenly earth will shine with the light of its Lord, and sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. among them were those upon whom We sent Almighty Says (what means):{Indeed, the soul or openly, will any be perished except the the record [of deeds] will be placed, and the Letting unjust people go unpunished a storm of stones, and among them were those is a persistent enjoiner of evil.}[Qur’an 12:53] unjust people?”} [Qur’an 6:47] prophets and the witnesses will be brought, and corrupts the entire Ummah (Nation) who were seized by the blast [from the sky], C- Personal inclination; Allah The Almighty 3- Not to despair of the Mercy of Allah The it will be judged between them in truth, and they Injustice is a sign of the hardness and and among them were those whom We caused Says (what means): Almighty: He Says (what means): {Indeed, will not be wronged. And every soul will be fully darkness of the heart. the earth to swallow, and among them were {So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you no one despairs of relief from Allah except compensated [for] what it did; and He is most An unjust person is low and mean in the those whom We drowned. And Allah would not not be just.} [Qur’an 4:135] the disbelieving people.} [Qur’an 12:87]. It knowing of what they do.}[Qur’an 39:68-70] sight of Allah The Exalted. have wronged them, but it was they who were {But as for he who feared the position of his was narrated on the authority of Safwaan ibn 5- Remembrance and mentioning of Allah Injustice causes one to lose the blessings wronging themselves.}[Qur’an 29:40] Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] Muhriz that a man asked Ibn Umar, may Allah The Almighty and seeking His forgiveness: of Allah The Almighty. The Qur’an tells us The remorse of unjust people is useless if it inclination, then indeed, Paradise will be [his] be pleased with him, “What did you hear the Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And the story of the man who lost his two gardens comes too late; {And the Day that the unjust refuge.}[Qur’an 79:40, 41] Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, those who, when they commit an immorality because of his injustice: Allah The Almighty [person] will bite at both his hands, [and] say, {…and do not obey one whose heart We have say in private?” Ibn ‘Umar replied, “I heard the or wrong themselves [by transgression], Says (what means): “Oh, would that I had taken to myself a way made heedless of Our remembrance and who Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, say: remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their {And he entered his garden while he was along with the Messenger.”} [Qur’an 25:27] follows his desire.} [Qur’an 18:28] There many A believer will be brought extremely close to sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - unjust to himself. He said, “I do not think that Injustice is one of the sins that cause one to other similar verses. his Lord on the Day of Resurrection. Enveloping and [who] do not persist in what they have done this will perish - ever. And I do not think the be punished in this world and in the Hereafter him in His Mercy; He will make him confess while they know.} [Qur’an 3:135] Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought because it aff ects others. This is no surprise, Curing and Giving Up Injustice to his sins by asking him: “Do you remember 6- Restraining oneself from doing injustice back to my Lord, I will surely fi nd better than as the wronged person humbly and bitterly 1- Remembering that Allah The Almighty doing this sin and that sin?” He will reply: and returning rights to their owners: Sincere this as a return.”} [Qur’an 18:35, 36] supplicates against the person who did injustice never does injustice; He Says (what means): “Yes, my Lord, I remember.” Then Allah The repentance is to feel remorse in the heart, to Injustice was the only cause of the to him, and Allah The Exalted answers his {Whoever does righteousness - it is for his Almighty will Say, “I covered it up for you in the restrain oneself from disobeying Allah The destruction of previous kingdoms: {So the supplication, Saying: “By My Might and [own] soul; and whoever does evil [does so] worldly life, and I forgive you for it today.” Then Exalted, to ask Him for forgiveness by the people that committed wrong were eliminated. Exaltedness, I shall rescue you, even if it be against it. And your Lord is not ever unjust to the record of his good deeds will be handed to tongue, and endeavour to return rights to And praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds.} after some time.” [His] servants.}[Qur’an 41:46] him. As for the disbelievers and hypocrites, their owners. Consequently, whoever has [Qur’an 6:45] Hence, fear Allah The Almighty; be just {Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as their evil acts will be exposed publicly {…and transgressed against his brother’s honour, {So We took him [Pharaoh] and his soldiers and return the rights to whom they are due, much as an atom’s weight}[Qur’an 4:40] the witnesses will say, “These are the ones property or anything else, then let him ask and threw them into the sea. So see how was before there comes a day when there will be no {Allah wants no injustice to the worlds.} who lied against their Lord.” Unquestionably, for his forgiveness today before the time (the the end of the wrongdoers.} [Qur’an 28: 40] repelling. [Qur’an 3:108] the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers...} Day of Resurrection) when there will not be Allah The Almighty also tells us about Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/ 2- Considering the fateful destiny of unjust [Qur’an 11:18]”[Muslim] any dinars or dirhams and there will only good the people of Lut (Lot), may Allah exalt his emainpage/ Gulf Times 18 Friday, July 29, 2016 COMMENT

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Production Editor: Amjad Khan The global security threat

P.O.Box 2888 of antimicrobial resistance Doha, Qatar [email protected] The emergence of a highly Telephone 44350478 (news), 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) lethal and rapidly spreading Fax 44350474 antimicrobial-resistant infection would lead to untold numbers of deaths GULF TIMES and unimaginable misery By Tadataka Yamada Seattle

oday we are faced with the harsh reality that the Solar so good: it’s treatment or prevention Tof infectious diseases has not made quantum advances since the early successes of vaccines and the beginning of antimicrobial therapies. In a sense, the world is headed backward, as once- treatable microbes become resistant to existing therapies, and new infections a longer journey for which there are no eff ective interventions continue to arise. The situation represents a serious and imminent threat to the world. In its round-the-world tour, the plane Solar Impulse Witness the global impact of the 2014 2 has become a showcase for Sun-powered technology, Ebola crisis in West Africa or the 2003 featuring innovations which could have a bright Sars outbreak, which jeopardised even wealthy economies like Singapore and commercial future. Canada. The threat of infectious diseases – either from microbes that develop resistance to existing therapies or new microbes that The aircraft successfully completed the fi rst fuel- The emergence of a highly lethal emerge – is among the most important challenges that humankind faces. free fl ight around the world on Tuesday, returning and rapidly spreading antimicrobial- to Abu Dhabi after an epic 16-month voyage that resistant infection would lead successes and failures and provide infectious threats. There are acquisition of external innovation. to untold numbers of deaths a reasonable return on the required many ways this could be done. Adequate infrastructure for clinical demonstrated the potential of renewable energy. and unimaginable misery. The investment. The easiest would be to spread trials would have to be built to support Solar Impulse 2 fi rst took off from Abu Dhabi on consequences could be similar in Many ideas have emerged to address the money around to scientists in research not only in developed March 9, 2015, beginning a journey of about 40,000km magnitude to a large-scale terrorist this investment problem, such as academia, product-development countries, but also in remote regions (24,500 miles) and nearly 500 hours of fl ying time. attack. Communities could be walled off ering prizes for successful products, partnerships, biotech firms, and where some of the infectious threats What’s new about the plane? Solar Impulse 2 is off , national borders closed, and travel creating new incentives for industry larger pharmaceutical companies that the world faces are likely to could be restricted or even suspended. investments, and establishing novel as opportunities arise. This might emerge. not the fi rst solar-powered plane, but unlike its Health systems could disintegrate or funding mechanisms to support allow existing processes to move The new company’s work would predecessors it can store enough energy in its batteries collapse, as could economies. research to address emerging forward with new momentum based be aided by prior agreements to fl y through the night. The possibility of such an infectious threats. All have merit and on the availability of new funds. among regulatory agencies on the The plane has the wingspan of a 747 but only the apocalyptic scenario suggests that the would have some impact, but they Unfortunately, history suggests that requirements for registration of threat of infectious diseases – either would lead to incremental advances this wouldn’t lead to much progress new products, among intellectual- weight of a car – it had to be designed with the from microbes that develop resistance at best. A more ambitious solution is beyond the state of the pipeline property holders on waiving royalty principle of effi ciency fi rst and foremost. to existing therapies or new microbes needed. today. rights, and among governments on The next step will be to harness the technical gains of that emerge – is among the most Almost every country is prepared An alternative would be to create liability-protection for the company Solar Impulse to improve power-to-weight effi ciency important challenges that humankind to channel a large percentage of its a full-fl edged, global, not-for-profi t and compensation for the victims faces. It is not just a public health risk; GDP toward investments in national pharmaceutical company with a of unexpected adverse reactions to in related fi elds. it is a threat to national and global defence or security. The global threat research budget equal to that of the new products. The international In terms of maritime transport, there are already security. Thus, it must be met with a of emerging or resistant inf-ections world’s top fi ve for-profi t companies, community would have to increase solar-powered craft. comprehensive and eff ective solution. must be viewed fi rst and foremost and with the singular objective of available manufacturing capacity, Solar energy is also used to power military drones, The research and development in that context, with all countries creating a pipeline of products to create new distribution channels, which can be remarkably similar in design to Solar required to produce new medicines committed to providing fi nancing, address the challenge of infectious and reserve storage capacity for or vaccines is time consuming, often intellectual capital, and available threats. As with any of its for-profi t stockpiling products that have no Impulse 2. taking more than a dozen years. It is resources to support the discovery, peers, the management and scientifi c immediate application. Recent progress in electricity storage mean it is now also very expensive, costing hundreds development, manufacture, stockpiling, talent to undertake this eff ort would It goes without saying that this would feasible to have solar energy plants a long way from of millions of dollars for every new and equitable distribution of new have to be the best available, and be a complicated undertaking, with traditional power grids. product. Moreover, there is no antimicrobial agents and vaccines. attracting it would require competitive many details to be worked out. But guarantee of success; indeed, for each Unless countries recognise the risks compensation. The management somehow we must suspend disbelief Solar Impulse 2 successful product, there are as many they face, they are unlikely to make team would be held accountable for its and take action now, lest we be caught “More than an is nothing like a as nine equally promising candidates such a commitment. It might help to performance by a board of investors, off -guard against an imminent global commercial airliner. that fail. inform them that the estimated cost comprising representatives of threat. This is a battle we cannot aff ord achievement in Its wings are as wide Given the risks involved, it is not of emerging global infectious threats countries that provide the funding and to lose. – Project Syndicate as those of a jumbo surprising that pharmaceutical is $60bn per year; if investments are scientists who provide the intellectual aviation, Solar companies are very careful in their made upfront, the total costs could be capital. zTadataka Yamada, a venture partner jet, the carbon fi bre choice of investments in new drug or much smaller. In keeping with industry practice, at Frazier Healthcare Partners, was Impulse has fuselage is much lighter, vaccine programmes, selecting only Country investments should the pipelines would have to be built previously Chief Medical and Scientifi c but the plane fl ies at a those that promise fi nancial gains be pooled to create a substantial with a combination of internal Offi cer and a Board Member of Takeda made history in fraction of the speed of suffi cient to cover the costs of both pipeline of products to combat research and in-licensing or Pharmaceuticals. energy” an airliner and can only carry one person. The surface area of (solar) cells needed to fl y with only two people is the size of an Airbus or a Boeing. So Qatar calls for cultural diplomacy in education for a commercial airliner it’s unthinkable. The project’s great merit has been to act as a test for QNA world through the dissemination of is instead, a symbolic component lighter and cleaner 21st-century technology. Berlin universal values and the sharing of that allows dialogue between At the moment it is extremely diffi cult to do without ideas. Cultural diplomacy has no real diverse cultures, thus, it preserves fossil fuels for fl ying. meaning without our belief in these convergence among societies and E Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz core common values. enhancing the chances of world The aircraft industry is working more towards al-Kuwari, Adviser at the “As much as cultural diplomacy peace”, he added. electric planes powered by batteries that can be Emiri Diwan and Qatar’s leads to the achievement of greater “As a representative of the proud recharged on the ground. Eff orts are also being made Hcandidate for the post of the prosperity and understanding between citizenry of Qatar, I am proud to to develop planes which use less carbon-based fuel, or director-general of the United Nations nations, adversely, indiff erence state that we have been fully engaged Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural towards it leads to the decline of global in this campaign for the leadership use biokerosene made from vegetable material. Organisation (Unesco), said there are peace and security. of Unesco and we resolutely believe Air transport represents nearly 3% of global CO2 big gaps between the countries of the “Understanding such matters, a few that heritage protection is a global emissions. world in terms of providing access months ago during my participation issue that must be addressed for At the end of 2015, solar power generated nearly 224 to education and culture, calling HE Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari: in the Avignon Forum in French all of humanity, and I personally gigawatts of the world’s electrical capacity, up 21% on for healing this rift and taking clear “Today, more than ever, we need Bordeaux, I called for establishing an consider heritage protection as measures for the provision of culture, cultural diplomacy in our fight for the international day of culture against an issue close to my heart due to 2014 thanks to improvements in solar panel technology education for all through cultural protection of human heritage” terrorism and reiterated the message my experience in many of these and lowered costs. diplomacy. I put forth in South Africa, Tunisia currently affected conflict zones. Even so, solar energy only constitutes less than 1% This came in Dr al-Kuwari’s speech unique cultural attributes; the cultural and the European Union Parliament “A few months ago, I had the of the world’s output, dominated by fossil fuels of oil, before the opening session of the products become the main currency because there is no permanent way to privilege of being named the ‘Man of ‘Seminar of the Institute for Cultural for this kind of trading between fi ght terrorism at its grass roots level, Arab Heritage 2016’, which has further coal and gas. Diplomacy’ in Berlin this week. communities, including helping except through cultural education and emboldened me to double my eff orts “More than an achievement in the history of Dr al-Kuwari explained that to create respect for the arts and understanding,” he said. on enhancing the protection of human aviation, Solar Impulse has made history in energy,” schools, libraries and books are literature that transcend geographic “Today, more than ever, we need heritage,” al-Kuwari said. said Bertrand Piccard, one of the pilots, on landing. plentiful in some regions of the boundaries. cultural diplomacy in our fi ght for the He said cultural diplomacy is not world, yet there is still an inability to “These products may be formed protection of human heritage which simply a contemporary aff air. It is He said the technologies used on Solar Impulse provide the minimum basic education in various cultural edifi ces that aim is currently exposed to vandalism, rooted deeply in many cultural events 2 could be used on the ground in daily life to halve requirements for millions of children to introduce unique societies to the destruction and looting. throughout history that fortifi ed the emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas in other regions. cultures of diff erent people, and I Intolerant groups bent on “holy links between countries and people blamed for climate change. Unesco reports indicate the scope recall in this regard, the esteemed ignorance” have launched their war who sought, and achieved, the noble For the two pilots, landing back where they started of the problem at hand, with 58mn Arab World Institute in Paris, in which against the cultural and symbolic principle of mutual respect. children out of school, primarily due I contributed to its inception when I wealth of humanity in Mosul, The gift of cultural exchange is is only “the beginning of the continuation” of a longer to economic reasons, he added. was an ambassador for my country in Timbuktu – ‘the pearls of the desert’ among these events where the will journey, said Piccard. “One of the most important tasks Paris. –, Libya and Palmyra, trying to spread of communication between people of cultural diplomacy lies in rectifying “This culturally fascinating fear in the minds of the people who was embodied centuries ago until it and providing education for all and institute played a prominent role in want peaceful coexistence and an end became the symbol of rapprochement To Advertise above all. Therefore, I am pleased and introducing French and Europeans to these shameful and horrifi c acts, Dr that has become universal throughout grateful with Qatar’s initiatives in the to Arabic Culture and aided in the al-Kuwari said. the world. [email protected] fi eld of education, such as the World establishment of an open exchange of “Hence, one of the tasks of cultural The gifts between Charlemagne and Display Innovation Summit for Education dialogue between East and West,” Dr diplomacy is to protect the ancient Harun al-Rashid are a good example Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 (WISE), “Education Above All,” and al-Kuwari said. heritage of humanity. of the degree of cultural interaction “Educate a Child” initiatives that will He added: “We have at the Western The German city of Bonn witnessed that expresses appreciation between Classified allow by the end of the current year for cultural institutes such as the German the launch of Unesco’s programme for cultures and mutual respect for Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 providing education to more than ten Goethe Institute, the Spanish the protection of cultural heritage with cultural knowledge that has formed million boys and girls in the world’s Cervantes Institute, the French the creation of the “Unite4Heritage” the so-called “culture of common Subscription most marginalised regions. Institute for Co-operation and the campaign, disseminating the belief things”. The “gift of economic [email protected] “Cultural diplomacy allows for the British Council, great examples of through the international community interaction” has truly enhanced the development of terms and patterns of the extent of faith and its profound that heritage is not just the remains of convergence of East and West and dialogue to be shared with the other impact on cultural diplomacy and archaeological monuments from our spread tolerance among people of 2016 Gulf Times. All rights reserved party, thus creating a bridge of respect the ability to bring people together ancestors or mental imagery circulated diff erent beliefs and cultures, said Dr for our inherent diff erences and and establish resounding peace in the amongst the people themselves, but al-Kuwari. Gulf Times Friday, July 29, 2016 19 COMMENT Boris Johnson the counter-revolutionary

Johnson is culturally at ease liberty, equality, and fraternity into a EU members a chance to reconceive with Europe and at times concrete form: 80,000 pages of laws the European project. If they succeed, that cover rights and regulations from the UK may even eventually want to seemed ambivalent about the bedroom to the factory fl oor. And rejoin. the Leave campaign that he the application of these rules helped Of course, that is not what the waves of countries – from Greece and Brexiteers or their allies elsewhere led Spain to Estonia and Poland – move are seeking. They may succeed in from autocracy to democracy. unravelling the EU, but they are By Mark Leonard The EU has driven a revolution unlikely to deliver on their promise London in how countries live together of recreating the world of yesterday, – advancing individual rights, much less a better future. In fact, international law, and the pooling of they could inadvertently destroy the f history repeats itself – fi rst sovereignty. Its transformative power benefi ts of European integration that tragedy, then farce – what comes springs from the promise of potential people most value. next is Boris Johnson, a shape- membership, a “neighbourhood Voters who supported Brexit may Ishifting politician who embodies policy” that exports European yet echo what Marx said of Louis the contradictions of our age. Johnson values, and its facilitation of global Napoleon’s counter-revolution: “A is a tribune of the people who grew up institution-building and copycat whole people, that imagines it has with the privileges of the 1%; a child regional integration. imparted to itself accelerated powers of immigrants who campaigned for Now, as a result of the counter- of motion through a revolution, closed borders; a Conservative who revolution, the EU club is shrinking, suddenly fi nds itself transferred back wants to upend the political order; rather than growing. Rather than to a dead epoch.” They discover that an erudite man who mocks expertise; remaking the world in its image, what they overthrew was not the and a cosmopolitan who casually the EU fears neighbours that export tyranny of the ancien régime, but “the calls black people “piccaninnies.” chaos rather than import values. concessions that were wrung from it Johnson did more than anyone to bury Interdependence causes, rather than by centuries of struggle.” Britain’s European future; but his ends, intra-European confl ict. And That is where Johnson’s political ultra-fl exibility may yet prove to be its the European idea has become a focus cross-dressing may come into its salvation. of political opposition across the own. If the UK enters a deep recession In his fi rst public appearance after continent. and struggles to deliver on the Leave being appointed Foreign Secretary, Indeed, the most troubling thing campaign’s promises, many voters Johnson compared the Brexit vote to about Europe today is not the United British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson may yet want to remain in the single the French Revolution. Provoking boos Kingdom’s departure, but the fragility market, or even the EU itself. That sort at the French Embassy’s Bastille Day and disunity of the remaining 27 an era of disintegration. A slow slide divided north and south; Ukraine and created. But the backlash against of volte-face would be impossible for celebration, he hailed the referendum states, where the domestic consensus into ungovernability can be just as the refugee crisis have divided east interdependence – whether through most of the Brexit camp, for whom as “a great popular uprising against a for Europe has all but evaporated. The devastating as a breakup. and west. the euro, free movement, or terrorism the dream of sovereignty trumps stifl ing bureaucratic ancient regime UK’s “Leave” campaign channelled Some EU decisions are already being Pro-Europeans need to engage – is undeniable. the threat of economic collapse. (sic) whose democratic credentials had a widely felt desire to restore past challenged by national referenda, such with the sources of discontent and To save the EU, European leaders But Johnson is culturally at ease become very far from obvious.” certainties, not to establish new rights. as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor rethink the forms used to express the should focus on making people feel with Europe and at times seemed But the Brexit vote – with its And all member states are subject Orban’s planned plebiscite on refugee European ideal. The EU was based on a safe with interdependence. That ambivalent about the Leave campaign promise to recreate the Britain of to the economic insecurity, cultural quotas. In France, the so-called mechanical idea that interdependence means redistributing some of the that he led. yesterday – is less revolution than anxiety, and political alienation that Posted Workers Directive (which would reduce confl ict. By linking economic benefi ts of free movement Johnson’s ability to escape the counter-revolution. Boris and his band new political forces are exploiting by allows employers to pay seconded European means of production to communities bearing the burden shackles of his previous statements of Brexiteers have more in common using referenda to recast politics as workers no more than the minimum together – fi rst through the European of it; strengthening control of would inspire Houdini. If the EU with Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, who a fi ght between the people and self- rate in the host country) may not coal and steel community, and later external borders and co-operation manages to reform and the UK’s overturned the French republic to serving elites. be implemented. And the European through the common market and the against terrorism; ensuring greater economic problems deepen, all that create a new monarchy, than with Britain’s post-referendum Commission is backtracking on euro – the EU hoped to bind Europe’s fl exibility for eurozone integration and seems solid – particularly Johnson’s Danton or Robespierre. economic and political travails will favoured projects such as a free-trade states together so closely that war migration; and returning to the idea Euroscepticism – could melt into air. If anyone or anything has a claim to make other EU member states think deal with Canada. between them would no longer be an that EU institutions’ highest calling is – Project Syndicate embody the progressive ideals of 1789, twice before holding their own Rather than banding together, each option. to defend Europe’s nation-states, not it is the EU. Its politicians and offi cials popular votes on membership. But new challenge has divided the EU into True, war in Europe is now mostly to develop their own power. zMark Leonard is Director of the have translated the vague trinity of make no mistake: the EU is well into ever-smaller groups. The euro has unthinkable, with much wealth The Brexit crisis gives the remaining European Council on Foreign Relations. Weather report Turkish democracy’s secret weapon Three-day forecast have been infrastructure investment, Succumbing to the temptation to military rebels, will spur Erdogan’s TODAY By Adeel Malik High: 40 C Oxford support for medium-size fi rms, consolidate power in the hands government to resolve Turkey’s expansion of regional trade, and of the president, ostensibly to political impasse and ensure economic Low : 33 C Hazy at places at first becoming hot development of the tourism sector. protect his government’s authority, growth. Turkey’s middle class will not during day with some clouds he recent failed coup As a result of these eff orts, Turkey’s could limit checks and balances support a party that fails to advance attempt in Turkey highlights per capita income has tripled in less and restrict space for political its interests and deliver economic the country’s continuing than a decade, while its poverty rate opposition, including within his own prosperity. But an AKP that returns SATURDAY vulnerability to military has more than halved, according party. That would undermine the to its foundational vision of enabling High: 39 C T Low: 33 C takeover. But it also reveals a newly to World Bank estimates. This has very system for which the middle economic mobility – that is another developed – and highly potent – asset, underpinned tremendous economic class has been fighting. story. Sunny one that Turkey’s neighbours should mobility among Turkey’s rural labour Of course, Erdogan does need to Importantly, as Erdogan seeks also seek to cultivate: a strong middle force, small entrepreneurs, and lower- consolidate his political base, including to concentrate more powers in the class willing and able to mobilise income workers, taking masses of by renewing ties with loyal supporters. offi ce of the President, he would SUNDAY against extremist threats. The people from the margins of society to And purging the military and civilian do well to remind himself of the High: 40 C question for Turkey now is whether the mainstream. Even foreign policy bureaucracy of possible coup supporters conditions that led to the Ottoman Low: 33 C President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will was, wherever possible, aligned with would undoubtedly please party Empire’s emergence and its eventual M Sunny cultivate this asset. For the wider the economic interests of the rising loyalists. But he must also heal the collapse. Much like the AKP’s rise, Middle East, the issue is how to build middle class (though the Syrian political rift and forge a new consensus the empire’s was based on the a middle class that can safeguard intervention refl ects a shift in foreign- that supports economic prosperity. support of an emancipated citizenry Fishermen’s forecast stability. policy priorities). Perhaps most important, the in the rural countryside, particularly OFFSHORE DOHA When throngs of citizens took to For Turkey’s new middle class, AKP needs to halt the dangerous in the Anatolian heartland. But, Wind: SE 03-12/15 KT the streets of Istanbul in the middle the survival of democracy could not unravelling of the Turkish model of upon consolidating their power in Waves: 1-3/4 Feet of the night, in an eff ort to push back be more important – and, as recent regional economic integration, based Constantinople, Ottoman rulers INSHORE DOHA Wind: SE-NE 05-15/18 KT the military coup makers, it was a events have shown, they are willing to on the policy of “zero problems with quickly moved toward establishing a Waves: 1-2 Feet powerful show of collective action – fi ght for it. Indeed, what has occurred neighbours,” originally conceived Sultanic order that contradicted its one that should interest any political in Turkey does not refl ect only a by former Prime Minister Ahmed progressive origins – and weakened Around the region leader, particularly those seeking to power struggle between Erdogan and Davutoglu but rolled back in recent it from within. With greater Weather Weather develop their countries. Analysis of his challengers; it also highlights the years. Turkey has severed ties with centralisation of powers, Ottoman today Max/min tomorrow Max/min the coup has tended to focus on the determination of the middle class to virtually all of its immediate Middle rulers became uncomfortably Abu Dhabi Sunny 43/33 M Sunny 44/34 rivalries within the Turkish elite, ensure that Turkey does not revert to a Eastern neighbours. The recent dependent on notables at home and Baghdad Sunny 46/28 Sunny 46/28 Dubai Sunny political system that would damage its souring of diplomatic ties with imperial powers in Europe. M Sunny 39/33 41/34 and on Erdogan’s failings (which, to Kuwait City Sunny 41/31 Sunny 43/31 be sure, are plentiful). But little has economic and political fortunes. Russia has further weakened Turkey’s If Erdogan’s AKP hopes to avoid a Manama Sunny 41/32 Sunny 40/31 been said about the structural shifts All of this suggests that, in position. In the process, Turkey’s similar fate, it must not continue its Muscat Sunny 31/30 Sunny 33/32 in Turkey’s political economy that responding to the coup attempt, status as a model Muslim democracy march toward a latter-day Sultanic Riyadh Sunny 45/29 Sunny 44/29 have empowered the country’s middle Erdogan and his supporters must has gradually deteriorated and order. A prosperous and inclusive Tehran Sunny 35/23 Sunny 34/25 classes, which form the electoral base think beyond punishing the military political polarisation has deepened, democracy is the only way out for of Erdogan’s Justice and Development faction that carried it out, though that amid growing threats to the country’s Turkey, and it would restore a model Party (AKP). is, of course, critical. They must also stability. that the countries of the wider Middle Over the past two decades, Turkey focus on strengthening the interests None of this is good for the East desperately need. – Project has made remarkable economic of the middle class that came to the economy on which Turkey’s middle Syndicate/Mohammed Bin Rashid strides, transforming itself from government’s defence. class – and, in turn, the AKP’s Global Initiatives, 2016 Europe’s sick man into one of its most In this sense, the real challenge electoral success – depends. That vibrant economies and a new centre facing Turkey in the coming months provides reason to hope that the failed zAdeel Malik is Globe Fellow in the of gravity for trade in the Middle and years will not be from the coup, by highlighting the role of the Economies of Muslim Societies at the East. Critical to this transformation military or foreign conspirators. middle class as a bulwark against University of Oxford. Live issues Diabetes: the psychological toll on young adults

By Michelle Andrews higher than two years earlier, when One possible contributor to the rise continually test their blood, monitor Around the world Tribune News Service the rate of mental health/substance in hospitalisations may be the health their carbohydrates and take more Weather Weather use hospitalisations per 1,000 for that law, which permitted young people to insulin if their blood sugar gets too today Max/min tomorrow Max/min group was 22. stay on their parents’ health insurance high. In contrast, some other chronic Athens Sunny 37/24 Sunny 37/25 oung people with diabetes “It was defi nitely not something until they turn 26, said Frost. conditions require someone to take a Beirut Sunny 31/26 Sunny 32/26 Bangkok T Storms 32/26 S T Storms 31/25 were four times more likely that we were expecting,” said Amanda In 2014, “we saw a big jump in pill once a day, nothing more. Berlin S T Storms 26/17 P Cloudy 24/16 to be hospitalised for mental Frost, a senior researcher at HCCI, employer-sponsored insurance Young people may feel their Cairo P Cloudy 37/24 P Cloudy 37/24 health or substance use who worked on the recently published coverage for those young folks,” she condition sets them apart. Cape Town Showers 17/10 Sunny 22/09 Y Colombo T Storms 29/25 T Storms 29/25 treatment in 2014 than were young study. HCCI researchers will examine said. In addition, “we could see an “Everybody wants to fit in, and this T Storms T Storms 32/26 adults without the disease, according the trend more closely in future work, increase in young adults’ mental is something that doesn’t fit in,” she Dhaka 32/26 Hong Kong Sunny 33/29 S T Storms 34/28 to a recent study that shines a harsh she said. health hospital admissions at that said, noting that young people with Istanbul Sunny 31/22 Sunny 31/22 light on the psychological toll the The study analysed the insurance time.” diabetes can be subject to bullying Jakarta S T Storms 31/24 P Cloudy 31/24 disease can take on this group. claims of more than 40mn people Depression is two to three times and teasing. Karachi Cloudy 32/28 M Cloudy 32/28 For every 1,000 young adults aged younger than age 65 from 2012 more common among young people But that doesn’t explain the London S Showers 22/14 P Cloudy 24/13 Manila S T Storms 32/26 T Storms 30/26 19 through 25 who had diabetes, 37 through 2014 with work-place with diabetes than those that don’t increase in hospitalisations for mental Moscow M Sunny 29/17 S T Storms 29/18 were hospitalised for mental health/ provided coverage from three have the disease, said Tina Drossos, a health issues, she said. Typically, New Delhi T Storms 30/26 T Storms 31/26 substance use, compared to nine major health insurers. No other age clinical psychologist at the University young people would be hospitalised New York S T Storms 27/22 Showers 28/23 young adults without diabetes. group showed such high rates of of Chicago Medicine Kovler Diabetes if they tried to commit suicide or Paris Cloudy 26/16 Cloudy 25/16 P Cloudy M Sunny 24/13 The study by researchers at the hospitalisation for mental health or Center. had seriously entertained the idea of Sao Paulo 20/13 Seoul T Storms 30/24 S T Storms 31/24 Health Care Cost Institute in the substance use, according to the study. Managing the disease is tough at suicide and formed a plan to carry it Singapore S T Storms 31/25 S T Storms 31/25 US also found the incidence of such The rate for children up to age 18 with any age, but young people may fi nd it out. Sydney Sunny 18/07 M Sunny 18/08 hospitalisations is on the rise for diabetes was second highest, at 21 per particularly challenging. “It’s a 24/7 “Most people who are depressed Tokyo Rain 31/23 Clear 31/22 these patients. The 2014 rate was 68% 1,000 in 2014. disease,” she said, requiring kids to don’t commit suicide,” she noted. Gulf Times 20 Friday, July 29, 2016 QATAR Berthed yet busy: keeping luxury boats ship-shape

By Ramesh Mathew their owners are very particular about Staff Reporter the maintenance works. “Everything should be perfectly done during this pe- riod,” said a source familiar with the in- t’s that time of the year again, when dustry. scores of luxury boats remain ber- Another source said all maintenance Ithed in marinas around Qatar for an- work can now be done in Qatar and there nual maintenance. is no need to take the yachts anywhere. According to industry sources, a vast Francis, who has been driving boats majority of boat owners utilise the peak for years, said: “A number of boats have summer period - which begins at the end qualifi ed technicians to handle repair and of June and continues for 45-50 days - to annual maintenance works here in Qatar carry out diff erent kinds of maintenance itself. There is no need to go anywhere.” work on their vessels. In fact, he noted, boats have started There has been a steady rise in the coming to Qatar from other countries in number of luxury boats and yachts in the region for their annual maintenance. Qatar over the past decade, especially As many boats remain out of action for as dedicated marinas have come up at a most of the summer, especially in July number of places. These include West and August, their owners feel it is the Bay, Lusail, The Pearl-Qatar and the area right time for carrying out annual main- near Doha Port. tenance works. There are some 450-500 private luxu- “There is usually a fall in boating ac- ry boats in the country apart from several tivity during July and August due to dhows, according to the sources. adverse weather conditions across the Most maintenance works are carried region. But this is also the busiest period out in the local marinas nowadays, it is for technicians as they carry out essen- learnt. The situation was quite diff erent tial repairing and maintenance works about a decade ago when boats had to during this period,” said an industry be taken to yards in the UAE for repairs source. and servicing. Now, boats are taken there With marinas coming up in Lusail, mainly for painting jobs and critical en- The Pearl-Qatar and along the West Bay gine repairs, the sources point out. coast, there has been a signifi cant rise in As many of these boats cost a fortune the number of dedicated berths in the and involve highly advanced technology, country. Boats berthed at The Pearl-Qatar. Aspire, Youth Art Centre in joint initiative spire Zone Foundation both organisations to encourage age and train young Qatari art- (AZF), in collaboration talented young Qataris in the ists to promote their talent. Awith the Ministry of Cul- fi elds of sport and art. The Youth Art Centre is always ture and Sports’ Youth Art Cen- keen to develop platforms such tre (YAC), recently completed a “We’re grateful to YAC for as “Aspire Art of Movement” to A group of participants at the Aspire Art of Movement final workshop. series of workshops ahead of the their co-operation and enable artists to showcase their launch of “Aspire Art of Move- collaboration in organising artwork to new audiences and ment,” an art exhibition which these workshops, and we’re to members of the community features work by 12 young Qatari always delighted to support in innovative ways. We have or- artists. young Qataris whether ganised numerous workshops The workshops follow the re- helping to develop their during the past three months, cent agreement between AZF sporting talent or in other leading to the creation of some and YAC to work together to areas” remarkable artwork that is decorate a 455-metre wall in the guaranteed to appeal to art and vicinity of the Aspire Zone sports “The project will give these sports fans in Qatar. The artists complex, featuring a number of inspiring young artists the op- have taken bold, innovative and paintings by young Qatari artists portunity to exhibit their work modern approaches to their refl ecting themes such as move- outside of traditional gallery work and expressed their ideas ment and ambition in sports. spaces. It will allow the public and passion powerfully in their The “Aspire Art of Move- to interact with their art in an art.” ment” project refl ects the uni- open space and provides a great Aspire Zone Foundation pro- versal appeal of sport and art as platform to promote their work vides access to some of the subjects that can be understood to the large numbers of sports world’s fi nest sport training fa- by people of all nationalities and fans and members of the public cilities off ering a unique sport, backgrounds. AZF has launched who visit Aspire on a daily basis. sports medicine, research and the project in recognition of the We’re grateful to YAC for their education destination. Aspire strong eff ect that art can cre- co-operation and collaboration Zone Foundation is committed ate on human emotions, and its in organising these workshops, to maximising its facilities to de- ability to leave positive, lasting and we’re always delighted to liver positive, lasting benefi t to impressions about sport. support young Qataris whether the people of Qatar. Commenting on the success helping to develop their sporting The “Aspire Art of Movement” of the workshops, Nasser al- talent or in other areas.” exhibition is an excellent exam- Hajri, Director of Marketing at Artist Salman al-Malik, ple of the huge range of activity Aspire Zone, said: “This initia- Chairman of YAC, said: “One off ered by AZF, both in sport and Aspire Art of Movement final workshop tive refl ects the commitment of of our objectives is to encour- other areas of life. HGTV and Travel Channel to be launched on beIN

eIN and Scripps Net- improvement, DIY, design, real more than 100mn households works Interactive have estate and landscaping content,” in nearly 40 countries and ter- bannounced that Home & said Phillip Luff , Managing Di- ritories across the United States, Garden TV ( HGTV) and Travel rector, UK & EMEA, Scripps Canada, the Caribbean, Asia, Channel will be launched on Networks Interactive. Australia and New Zealand. beIN network. HGTV has not “Since its launch in 1994, Yousef al-Obaidly, Deputy been previously available in the HGTV has established itself as a CEO of beIN MEDIA GROUP, Middle East and North Africa top 10 network in all of cable in said: “Scripps Networks is well (Mena) region. the US. We are thrilled to bring known globally for its premium Travel Channel, the world’s HGTV’s high quality content to quality factual programming. leading travel media brand, will audiences in the Middle East and Their ability to produce and expand distribution in the region North Africa in partnership with package content that is ex- as it is made available on beIN beIN.” tremely relevant for discerning network from August 1, 2016. HGTV viewers can expect high net worth individuals and Travel Channel entices view- to enjoy hundreds of hours families is well recognised. I am ers with “aspirational” content of quality programming from pleased that through this part- like the hit global series House new commissions, including nership, beIN is able to bring Hunters International, Delicious Listed Sisters and Tiny House two great channels to our view- Destinations and Expedition Hunters, to new seasons of ers.” Unknown. top-rated renovation and real Scripps Networks is the lead- Leading US home and lifestyle estate series including Prop- ing provider of lifestyle content brand HGTV will launch for the erty Brothers and Love it or across the globe, producing more fi rst time in the Mena region this List it. than 2,500 new hours of original autumn. The network, dedicated Key titles will be subtitled programming each year. Scripps exclusively to creating the best in Arabic at launch, with all Networks’ global lifestyle me- in home improvement, DIY, de- programmes subtitled within dia portfolio includes popular sign, real estate and landscaping a year. brands Food Network, Cooking content, will launch on beIN on HGTV is the leading global Channel, Asian Food Channel, November 2, 2016. home and lifestyle channel and HGTV, DIY Network, Fine Liv- “HGTV is a journey of trans- is the premier source for home- ing Network, Travel Channel and TRAVEL HGTV formation for your home and related inspiration, instruction Great American Country, reach- how you live. When you are and entertainment. HGTV origi- ing audiences in more than 175 beIN launched its portfolio company has consistently at- owned channels. beIN has family. beIN aims to continue looking for inspiration it is the nally launched in 1994 in the countries and territories around of entertainment channels in tracted premium content part- around 70 multi-genre chan- expanding its content off ering premiere destination for home United States and now reaches the world. November 2015. Since then the ners as well as launching beIN nels, suitable for the whole through 2016.