BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 Al-Attiyah goes fastest, rises to Qatar’s hospitality market second at Silk expected to grow at 12.1% Way Rally by 2022: Alpen Capital published in QATAR since 1978

FRIDAY Vol. XXXIX No. 10892 July 27, 2018 Dhul-Qa’da 14, 1439 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Deputy Amir meets US commander Sidra off ers In brief world class QATAR | Ties Defence Minister meets US general HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah treatment yesterday met General Joseph Votel, Commander of the United States Central Command. During the meeting, Gen Votel praised the role played by Qatar and its eff orts in the fight against terrorism through Al Udeid Air for children Base. The meeting also reviewed the strategic relations between the two zSurgery Department crosses major milestones countries in the field of military and His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday met at the Emiri Diwan off ice Commander of defence co-operation and prospects US Central Command Gen Joseph Votel. During the meeting, they reviewed the strategic relations between the two countries, with series of complex operations for strengthening them, as well as a especially military and defence co-operation, and ways for strengthening them, in addition to the joint eff orts in the fight against number of issues of common interest. terrorism through Al Udeid Air Base, and other issues of common concern. ollowing the successful opening al-Kharazi at Sidra Medicine, said: of its inpatient facility in January “I am truly thankful to the country’s Fthis year, Sidra Medicine has said leadership for opening such a medical QATAR | Reaction it is ready to accept and conduct highly facility here in the country – it has re- Suicide attack on Afghan complex surgeries in Qatar. ally impacted our decision to stay and A major milestone for the growth of seek my son’s treatment here. I used to security forces condemned the country’s healthcare system, the take my son to the UK for surgery but Qatar has strongly condemned a Qatar guarantees rights world-class expertise now available at it makes all the diff erence knowing that suicide attack in the Afghan capital city Sidra Medicine means that fewer pa- Qatar has a specialised medical team of Kabul, which killed at least five and tients will need to travel abroad to re- who are equally knowledgeable and wounded six security personnel. The ceive expert care for rare and complex highly skilled. More importantly, they Ministry of Foreign Aff airs reaff irmed conditions. understand our culture and that I am Qatar’s firm position in rejecting and freedoms: offi cial “This is a landmark moment for close to my family. I was very happy violence and terrorism regardless of its many young patients in Qatar and the with the care my son received at Sidra motives. In a statement, the ministry QNA freedoms are clear and well-known versal Declaration of Human Rights. region as more families in Qatar have Medicine.” also conveyed condolences to the Doha through its enactment of laws and leg- He added the Qatari legislations re- entrusted the care of their children to Commenting on the surgeries, Dr families of the victims, the government, islation. fl ect the fundamental truth of human the experienced team at Sidra Medi- al-Kharazi said: “These surgeries were and people of Afghanistan. It also He was speaking at the three-day rights and guarantee freedom of reli- cine, choosing to forego treatment the fi rst of their kind being performed wished the injured a speedy recovery. atar’s legislations guarantee the Conference on the Promotion of Re- gion and anti-apartheid. abroad for the same level of care. The in Qatar as we used the cutting-edge The Taliban claimed responsibility for protection of human rights and ligious Freedom organised by the US Al-Nuaimi said that Qatari laws pro- facilities, surgeons and multidiscipli- equipment, including neuro-naviga- the attack on the National Directorate Qfundamental freedoms which State Department which ended yester- hibits insulting the Islamic, Christian nary teams supporting them are on a tion and the cavitron ultrasonic surgi- of Security (NDS). are enshrined in the permanent consti- day. and Jewish religions, and the abuse of par with any of the world’s top chil- cal aspirator. Such equipment is con- tution of the country which also pro- Al-Nuaimi said Qatar guarantees the the prophets or off ending the places of dren’s hospitals. Our facilities are able sidered the best in the neurosurgery hibits racism or discriminatory prac- freedom of belief and worship, and the worship. He added there is no distinc- to treat patients right here at home, fi eld. However, what truly makes our EUROPE | Trade tices, a senior offi cial has said. country has not experienced any dis- tion between the Islamic religion and meaning less burden on the family and care stand out is our talented team of Macron ‘not in favour’ of Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh al-Nuaimi, crimination based on religion or sex. other heavenly religions and referred the country and a more comfortable, surgeons, anaesthesiologists, paediat- vast new deal with US chairman of the Doha International He stressed that the freedom of belief to a number of constitutional texts and culturally sensitive environment for ric nursing teams, radiologists and the Centre for Interfaith Dialogue, said and the right to practise religious rites legislations which promote religious the patients,” said Dr David Sigalet, support from our rehabilitation and French President Emmanuel Macron Qatar’s eff orts to protect religious are fully in accordance with the Uni- freedoms in the country. To Page 16 chair of the Department of Surgery at pathology services. said yesterday he viewed talks Sidra Medicine. “Nothing gives me more joy than between US President Donald Trump A recent complex neurosurgery at seeing the smiles on the young children and EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Sidra Medicine was performed on an as they embark on their journey of re- Juncker as “useful”, but he was “not PM praises Qatari innovators 18-month-old patient named Mona covery under our care. This would not in favour” of a “vast new trade deal” who suff ered from a brain tumour that be possible without our highly skilled between the European Union and the impaired her vision and slowed down and caring teams and the support of United States. “Europe and France her responses. Dr Khalid al-Kharazi, our leadership in ensuring that we have never wanted a trade war and the talks the division chief of neurosurgery, led access to the very best technologies yesterday were therefore useful in the seven-hour surgery to remove the and services.” To Page 16 as far as they helped scale back any tumour. unnecessary tension, and working As a result of the care provided by to bring about an appeasement is Sidra Medicine, Mona was discharged useful,” the French leader. “But a good just three days after her surgery. trade discussion can only be done on “To see our little girl fully recover a balanced, reciprocal basis, and in no from the crippling side-eff ects of the case under any sort of threat,” Macron tumour in just a matter of days is a said. testament to the excellent quality of the facility and the people at Sidra Medicine. We are incredibly grateful EUROPE | Tragedy to them for the care and attention they We suspect arson, provided every step of the way. We are says Greek minister also thankful to the government of Qa- HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday met with a number tar for the world-class services that are Greece said yesterday it suspected of Qatari inventors and innovators. During the meeting, the Prime Minister congratulated the talented Qataris for their available for the benefi t of the people in arson was behind a devastating forest achievements in diff erent fields and for promoting Qatar’s name in various international events. He also hoped they would Qatar,” said Mona’s father. fire which killed at least 83 people and achieve more successes in the future. The Prime Minister stressed Qatar’s commitment to supporting talented young people in Another parent, whose son recently A young patient with Dr Noor ul Owase turned the small town of Mati east of all fields, and to encourage them innovate even more in the future. Page 2 had follow-up neurosurgery with Dr Jeelani and Dr Khalid al-Kharazi. Athens into a wasteland of death and destruction. In one of the worst Greek disasters in living memory, Monday night’s blaze trapped dozens of people in their cars trying to flee a barrelling wall of flames. “We have serious indications and significant signs suggesting the criminal actions of Imran declares victory in Pakistan election arson,” Civil Protection Minister Nikos Toskas told a news conference. He said zElection off icial says Supporters of jailed former prime minister Na- Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) sec- police had testimonies to that eff ect, waz Sharif, who accuse Khan of colluding with the retary Babar Yaqoob told reporters early yester- but did not elaborate. Page 9 full results delayed still powerful army, said the vote count was rigged. day that counting had been delayed by technical by technical glitch Oxford-educated Khan called for “mutually failures in an electronic reporting system and the benefi cial” ties with the United States, and off ered tallying was now being conducted manually. The AMERICA | Business Reuters an olive branch to India, saying the two nations results had been due by around 2am on Wednes- Zuckerberg loses $16bn Islamabad should resolve their long-simmering dispute over day. in record Facebook fall Kashmir. By early yesterday evening, a full day after polls In a speech, Khan promised to create jobs for closed, he told reporters 82% of results had been Facebook Inc Chief Executive Off icer akistani cricket legend Imran Khan declared the poor and said he would turn the palatial prime received and rejected the allegations of tampering Mark Zuckerberg’s fortune took an victory yesterday in the general election, minister’s offi cial residence in the capital into an in the vote count. almost $16bn hit yesterday as the Pand said he was ready to lead the nuclear- education facility instead of living in it. “The complaints we have been receiving, they social media giant headed for the armed nation despite a long delay in ballot count- With about half the votes counted, Khan’s Paki- could be of procedural level, but not any kind of biggest one-day wipeout in US ing and allegations of vote-rigging from his main stan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement rigging,” Yaqoob said. stock market history, a day after opponents. for Justice, had a wide lead, the country’s election With 48% of the total vote counted, Khan’s PTI executives forecast years of lower His success in Wednesday’s election is a stun- commission said. was listed by the ECP in its provisional results as profit margins. At least 16 brokerages ning rise for an anti-corruption crusader who Khan has staunchly denied allegations by PML- leading in 113 of 272 contested National Assembly cut their price targets on Facebook has spent much of his political career on the N that he is getting help from the military, which constituencies. after Chief Financial Off icer David fringes of Pakistan politics, but now stands on Imran Khan gives a speech as he declares victory has ruled Pakistan for about half of its history. Although Khan still appeared likely to fall short Wehner startled an otherwise routine the brink of becoming the country’s prime min- in the general election in Islamabad, yesterday. The army dismissed allegations of meddling. of the 137 seats needed for a majority in the Na- call with analysts by saying the ister. Khan off ered to investigate all the allegations of tional Assembly, he should have no problems fi nd- company faced a multi-year squeeze “God has given me a chance to come to power to ago,” Khan, 65, said in a televised speech from his rigging and said he wants to “unite” the country ing coalition partners from smaller parties and in- on its business margins. implement that ideology which I started 22 years house near the capital Islamabad. under his leadership. dependents. Page 12 Gulf Times 2 Friday, July 27, 2018 QATAR

Prime Minister meets Qatari innovators Qatar joins Nuclear Security Contact Group

QNA Vienna

atar has joined the Nu- clear Security Contact QGroup (NSCG). The Permanent Mission of Qa- tar to the International Organisa- tions in Vienna has sent a note to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stating that Qa- tar has joined the NSCG and its commitment to the objectives set forth in the Statement of Princi- ples of the Group as contained in document INCIRC/899, and re- quested that it be published as an offi cial document and circulated to member-states. The Nuclear Security Contact Group (NSCG) was established at the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington through the joint statement on Sustain- ing Action to Strengthen Global Nuclear Security. The co-sponsors of the joint statement agreed to help address continuing and evolving nuclear security challenges, with the objectives of advancing imple- HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani during his meeting with Qatari innovators yesterday. During the meeting, the Prime Minister congratulated the mentation of nuclear security talented Qataris for their achievements in diff erent fields, and for promoting Qatar’s name in various international events. The Prime Minister and Minister of Interior stressed Qatar’s commitment to commitments and building a supporting talented young people in all fields and encouraging them innovate even more. strengthened global nuclear se- curity architecture. Ministry closes Ooredoo Myanmar gets Great shop for selling Place to Work certifi cation oredoo Myanmar has announced that it has Obecome the fi rst com- pany in Myanmar to achieve the Great Place to Work certifi ca- counterfeit items tion from Great Place to Work Institute for the year covering July 2018 to July 2019. he Ministry of Economy Great Place to Work Institute and Commerce (MEC) has is a global research consulting Tannounced the closure and training fi rm immersed in of a retail outlet located in Ain making workplaces great. Great Khaled for one month for dis- Place to Work helps maintain playing and selling counterfeit focus on engagement and con- women’s accessories bearing in- nection with employees at a ternational trademarks. deeper, values level that creates The inspection campaign a high-trust environment. comes within the framework of Cecile Umana, chief human the ministry’s eff orts to moni- resources offi cer at Ooredoo tor markets and commercial ac- Myanmar, said: “This certifi - tivities in order to crack down on cation confi rmed our continu- price manipulation and uncover ous commitment to create the violations as well as counter- best environment where peo- Ooredoo Myanmar off icials mark the occasion. feit, fraudulent and substandard ple are developed, recognised, products. rewarded and where they feel Ooredoo Myanmar conduct- Fairness, Pride and Camarade- leading organisations in the The outlet was fi ned and they are part of a big family here ed a staff engagement survey rie. Ooredoo Myanmar wants to world. This recognition will closed for a one-month period in Ooredoo Myanmar. We are in together with Great Place to focus on employee engagement further inspire local talent to for violating Article (7) of Law awe of our employees who par- Work Institute to assess the or- and strong collaboration, the build a career and grow with No (8) of 2008. Article 7 com- ticipated in this survey and gave ganisation’s culture, the levels company has stressed in a press a company that values a cul- pels suppliers to clearly display their honest feedback. This will of trust and fairness, and pride statement. ture of mutual respect, great on the product’s package or label help in our continuous journey among the employees. “We are extremely proud teamwork and professional- the type and nature of the item to provide the best employee The survey measures fi ve di- to have been recognised as a ism,” said Vikram Sinha, CEO as well as other relevant data. experience in Myanmar.” mensions: Credibility, Respect, Great Place to Work among of Ooredoo Myanmar. The law also prohibits the dis- play of fraudulent descriptions, advertisements and misleading statements. The administrative closure announcement shall be pub- lished at the expense of the com- Qatar winning fi ght against pany or shop that committed the violation in accordance with Ar- ticle (18) of Law No (8) on Con- sumer Protection. The outlet was fined and closed for a one-month period. The law stipulates that the hepatitis with proactive steps closure decision shall be pub- it will intensify its inspection consumer rights. lished on the Ministry’s website campaigns to crack down on Consumers can report viola- and in two daily newspapers violations. tions or submit complaints and ducation, increased pub- ed at birth against hepatitis. adequate medical care, without at the expense of the violating The ministry said it will refer suggestions to the Consumer lic awareness and sur- Dr Muna al-Maslamani, discrimination. Treatment for company. those who violate laws and min- Protection and Anti-Commer- Eveillance are the factors medical director of HMC’s viral hepatitis is normally sup- Stressing that it will not tol- isterial decrees to competent cial Fraud department through contributing to the continued Communicable Disease Center portive, meaning care given to erate any violations of the Con- authorities, who will in turn the following channels: Call reduction in number of viral (CDC), said: “Qatar has re- prevent, control or relieve com- sumer Protection Law and its take appropriate action against Centre: 16001, e-mail: info@ hepatitis cases diagnosed in mained proactive in its eff orts plications and side eff ects and regulations, the ministry said perpetrators in order to protect mec.gov.qa Qatar each year, the Hamad to prevent the spread of in- to improve the patient’s com- Medical Corporation (HMC) fectious diseases among the fort and quality of life. has said. population. We have set up a Describing viral hepatitis, Between 2010 and 2016, over national disease surveillance its causes and symptoms, Dr 4,400 cases of the Hepatitis C system for the early detection Moutaz Derbala, HMC senior virus (HCV) were diagnosed in of infectious diseases. We have consultant – gastroenterology, Qatar, with 228 of those cases also fortifi ed our healthcare explained that viral hepatitis Temporary ban on fruits and identifi ed in 2015 and 163 in structure by implementing is an infl ammation of the liver 2016, demonstrating a con- high-quality infection control caused by a viral infection. tinued year-on-year decrease, measures and ensuring that “Viral hepatitis is caused by HMC noted in a press state- healthcare workers and others fi ve main viruses, referred to as vegetables from India lifted ment. employed in what are consid- type A, B, C, D and E. It is con- Reducing the spread of vi- ered to be high-risk profes- Dr Muna al-Maslamani: sidered a ‘silent killer’ as an in- ral hepatitis has continued to sions are annually screened for Qatar has remained fected person may show limited atari authorities have outbreak of Nipah virus. “Therefore permission has be a priority for Qatar, with viral hepatitis.” proactive in its eff orts or no symptoms. When there lifted the temporary ban been granted to import fresh, signifi cant investment being Dr al-Maslamani, who is also to prevent the spread of are symptoms, these normally Qon fresh, chilled and fro- “However, as a chilled and frozen fruits and made towards both diagnosing the senior consultant for HMC’s infectious diseases among include jaundice (yellowing of zen vegetables and fruits from considerably large number vegetables from India, particu- and treating those infected. All Infectious Diseases Division, the population. We have the skin and eyes), dark urine, India, imposed towards the end of the Indian expatriates, larly the southern state Kerala,” pregnant women, blood donors said the CDC is dedicated to the set up a national disease extreme fatigue, nausea, vom- of May this year, following re- notably those from the note said. and those working in high-risk diagnosis, treatment and pre- surveillance system for iting and abdominal pain,” Dr ports of the outbreak of Nipah in Kerala, are on vacation, As a result of the ban, there professions, such as health- vention of infectious diseases the early detection of Derbala said. a northern Kerala district. the shortage of some of have been shortages at the lo- care, food service and personal such as hepatitis, tuberculo- infectious diseases According to the World According to information re- the vegetables and fruits cal retail outlets for more than care industries, including bar- sis (TB), leprosy, Middle East Hepatitis Alliance, nine out leased yesterday by the Health from the state had only 45 days for some of the sought ber shops and beauty salons, Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), “The screening of all new- of 10 of the suspected 325mn and Food Control section of the a marginal impact in the after vegetables and fruits from are tested for the virus annu- infl uenza, measles and human comers to Qatar at the Medical people worldwide living with Ministry of Public Health to market” Kerala. ally. immunodefi ciency virus (HIV). Commission and the vaccina- viral hepatitis are unaware importers of foodstuff s in the “However, as a considerably Additionally, every newcom- She stressed the continued tion of babies at birth are the they have the virus. The World country, the Joint Commission The World Health Organisa- large number of the Indian expa- er to the country is screened decrease in the number of vi- main reasons for the marked Hepatitis Alliance is using for the Control of Food for hu- tion (WHO) also declared ear- triates, notably those from Kera- for a number of infectious dis- ral hepatitis cases diagnosed in decline in the prevalence of World Hepatitis Day 2018, July man consumption announced lier this month that the eff ects la, are on vacation, the shortage eases, including hepatitis, to Qatar each year is a direct result hepatitis in Qatar,” said Dr al- 28, to raise awareness for the the decision to lift the ban. of Nipah virus have been eff ec- of some of the vegetables and identify those infected, provide of the country’s strong surveil- Maslamani. need for greater screening, di- The decision follows the tively controlled in the region of fruits from the state had only a them with care and prevent the lance system and the imple- She added that all individuals agnosis and care for those who stabilisation of the epidemio- Kerala, where the outbreak was marginal impact in the market,” spread of the disease. All babies mentation of a national immu- in Qatar who are diagnosed with have the virus and are undiag- logical situations following the reported in May. said a retailer. born in Qatar are also vaccinat- nisation plan for newborns. viral hepatitis are provided with nosed. Gulf Times Friday, July 27, 2018 3 REGION/ARAB WORLD

ANGER CRIME DECISION CLARIFICATION OFFBEAT Fury as S Sudan’s MPs get Dubai police recover Iraqi Airways suspends ‘No drone attack’ on Zoo accused of painting $40,000 loans to buy cars stolen $20mn diamond pilots over food fight Abu Dhabi airport donkey to look like zebra

Lawmakers in South Sudan came under fire Dubai police yesterday said they have recovered Iraqi Airways has suspended two of its pilots for The United Arab Emirates (UAE) yesterday A zoo in Egypt has denied painting black stripes yesterday after it was announced they would a rare blue diamond worth $20mn stolen by a getting into a fight – over a food tray – during an denied reports that Yemen’s Houthi movement on a donkey to make it look like a zebra after a receive $40,000 car loans, while more than half the security guard and smuggled out to Sri Lanka international flight. The row erupted on a flight had attacked Abu Dhabi airport with a drone, photo of the animal appeared online. Student population depend on food aid. Parliamentarians’ in a shoe box. The guard worked at a money to the capital Baghdad from the Iranian city of and said operations were unaff ected. Houthi-run Mahmoud Sarhan put the images on Facebook salaries are just 9,000 South Sudanese pounds transfer company where the gem was stored, Mashhad, with 157 travellers on board plus crew. media said earlier that a Sammad-3 drone had after visiting Cairo’s International Garden ($50) so it is unclear how they would be able the Dubai police said in a video posted on social “Conversation with the pilot became heated launched three strikes on the facility, disrupting municipal park. Aside from its small size and to repay such a large debt, although MPs have media. The thief had hidden the diamond in a because he forbade an air hostess from bringing air traff ic, but did not provide any evidence and pointy ears, there were also black smudges on been pushing for a pay rise. “The money should shoe box handed it to a relative headed for Sri me a meal tray, under the pretext that I hadn’t there were no reports of damage or casualties. its face. The pictures quickly went viral, with have been used for fixing roads. I don’t think it is Lanka on a boat, police Colonel Mohamed Aqil asked him for authorisation,” the co-pilot said in “Operations at the airport are business as experts weighing in on the species of the animal. a good idea giving $40,000 to one person. That Ahli told local media. Police arrested the thief, a letter addressed to Iraqi Airways management. usual,” a UAE off icial said. Abu Dhabi airport A vet contacted by local news group Extranews. $40,000 is a lot to South Sudanese currently,” said who eventually confessed, after interrogating After the pilot had taken his own meal, he “hit and tweeted earlier in the day that there had been tv said that a zebra’s snout is black, while its Paul Kenyi, a motorcycle trader in the capital hundreds of suspects and analysing hours of insulted (the co-pilot)”, according to the letter. The an incident involving a supply vehicle which had stripes are more consistent and parallel. Sarhan Juba. A lawmaker and a parliament spokesman video surveillance footage. The diamond was duo went on to land the plane safely in Baghdad, not aff ected operations, but it was unclear if it told Extranews that the enclosure contained two both independently confirmed the scheme. recovered after the ship’s cargo was searched. only to continue their quarrel after landing. was referring to the same incident. animals and that both had been painted. Disabled teen and family kicked off Emirates fl ight

Guardian News and Media ing.” Kumar said the incident had Dubai left her children distraught. “Travelling with a kid with disabilities is really challenging, mirates staff have forced a we really have to plan it carefully disabled teenager and his in a lot of ways – so something Efamily to disembark from like this is really disruptive, par- a plane because he has epilepsy, ticularly for Eli. He is totally ex- despite the fact he held a medical hausted, he was very upset when certifi cate and clearance to fl y. we got taken out, he didn’t un- Eli, the 17-year-old son of the derstand what was going on.” Euronews journalist Isabelle Kumar said the family con- Kumar, had boarded a fl ight on tinued to be treated badly once Wednesday from Dubai to France, in the airport and that there was the fi nal leg of a long-haul journey “no contrition” by the airline. from New Zealand via Australia. One customer services manager But when Kumar – who had suggested they fl y to Vienna, phoned the airline in advance to despite the fact that they live in ensure they were aware of her Lyon. Finally a diff erent Emir- son’s needs – asked for a seat ates employee suggested that the with a vacant seat next to it in family fl y to Geneva the next day. case he had a seizure, they want- “We were just dumped in an ed to see the medical certifi cate. airport, we had to battle to get a “I couldn’t initially fi nd the hotel and it was only after there Palestinian relatives of Ahmed Albassous, who was killed in Israeli tank fire, mourn during his funeral at a mosque in Gaza City yesterday. certifi cate, But I called the doctor, was a twitter storm that they got them to e-mail the certifi cate suddenly started treating us cor- which she did immediately,” she rectly,” said Kumar. said. “Eli’s doctor wanted to speak When the family arrived in to the attendants but they refused Geneva Eli had a seizure, which to speak to her, refused to look at Kumar puts down to exhaustion the certifi cate, and refused to lis- and lack of sleep. “Eli is now 17, ten to us about Eli’s needs.” we know what it takes – we’ve Hamas vows revenge as Attendants said the certifi cate been everywhere and we’ve had to be shown to ground staff , managed it, but it takes very despite the fact that the family careful planning which is why had spoken to staff at check in this was so disruptive.” and at the departure gate about From there they took a £572 their son’s disability. Emirates transfer car to Lyon, Attendants then told the fami- which they had to put on a credit three die in Israeli strikes ly – Kumar and her husband also card. The company said the cost have 10-year-old twins – they would be refunded, but refused Israel said the artillery fire along the border which injured base near the border east of systems. It said most were fi red recent months, as the latter has had to disembark and threatened to state it in writing, Kumar said. late Wednesday was in one soldier. Gaza City. at “open territory adjacent to orchestrated near-weekly pro- to call the police if the family did When they arrived in Geneva, two retaliation for shots fired “We announce the raising of In total the Israeli army said it the security fence”. No injuries tests along the Gaza border and not leave the plane, Kumar said. of their bags were also missing. at troops along the border the preparedness level to the hit seven Hamas sites through- or damage were reported. supported a wave of incendiary “The children were crying, The incident left them de- which injured one soldier highest and alert all of our sol- out Gaza in response to the bor- The latest bloodshed came balloons and kites launched into Eli was really distressed, he was moralised and exhausted, she diers and forces in every loca- der shooting. fi ve days after the UN and Egypt Israel. biting his arm which is how he said. Although the family had Agencies tion,” said a statement from the brokered a deal to halt a July 20 Over 140 Palestinians have copes with stress, holding his travelled several times with Gaza City, Palestinian Territories Al-Qassam Brigades, the mili- “The enemy shall pay a surge in violence. died from Israeli fi re in the pro- head in his hands,” she said. Emirates, they would think twice tary wing of Hamas. high price in blood for the Israel and Hamas have fought tests. “We managed to get him off ok, before doing so again, she said. “The enemy shall pay a high crime which it commits three wars since 2008. Palestinians say the demon- and there was an emergency med- “It has been very long and very he military wing of price in blood for the crime daily against the rights Last weekend, in one of the strations are meant to pressure ical team waiting. They thought trying, the whole thing has just Gaza’s rulers Hamas yes- which it commits daily against of our people and our most intense bouts of fi ghting Israel to lift an 11-year block- he’d had a medical emergency, been so diffi cult.” Tterday vowed revenge the rights of our people and our fi ghters” since a 2014 war, Israel and Ha- ade on the territory and allow but we said he was fi ne. They Tanni Grey-Thompson, who after Israeli strikes killed three fi ghters.” mas exchanged fi re that killed Palestinian refugees to return couldn’t understand why we had won 11 Paralympic gold medals fi ghters in the latest fl are-up of However, the Gaza border The military said nine projec- four Palestinians – three of to lands in present-day Israel. been kicked off . They immediately between 1992 and 2004, said she violence. was quiet yesterday morning. tiles — likely mortars or rockets them Hamas fi ghters – and one Israel says the demonstrations agreed he was fi ne to fl y, but we was extremely disappointed by Israel said the artillery fi re The three men were killed on — were fi red at Israel from Gaza Israeli soldier. are a cover for Hamas attacks were not allowed to re-board. The the way Emirates had appeared late Wednesday was in retali- Wednesday by Israeli artillery overnight, including one that Tensions have been mount- aimed at Israeli border com- lack of humanity was really shock- to handle the situation. ation for shots fi red at troops fi re targeting a Hamas military was intercepted by air defence ing between Israel and Hamas in munities.

Pearl diving fest ends Death toll in IS attack on UN tells Bahrain to Syria city touches 250 release jailed activists Reuters tion of political opposition Geneva parties.” AFP The others killed were pro- But it retains a presence, in- The panel’s independent Beirut government fi ghters. cluding in a pocket of the east- experts voiced concern at an “The toll keeps rising as ci- ern province of Deir Ezzor and in nited Nations human increased use of violence by vilians who were wounded are parts of the vast central Badiya rights experts yester- police during peaceful dem- he death toll in co-ordi- dying and people who were un- desert, including in Sweida. Uday called on Bahrain to onstrations “including reports nated Islamic State group accounted for are found dead,” Syrian Foreign Minister Walid release detained activists, end indicating six fatal incidents Tattacks in Syria’s Sweida Observatory head Rami Abdel Muallem yesterday slammed the restrictions on freedom of ex- during demonstrations and 10 neared 250 yesterday, the Druze- Rahman said. attacks as he hosted a delega- pression, and end discrimina- other extrajudicial killings in majority province’s heaviest loss It was the deadliest attack tion of Chinese diplomats in Da- tion against women. 2017”. of life in the seven-year civil war. for the province and one of the mascus, according to state news Demonstrators have clashed The kingdom has used its Sweida, which is mainly gov- highest tolls in IS attacks across agency SANA. frequently with security forc- anti-terrorism act extensively ernment-held, had been largely the country. He said “Daesh (IS) rem- es, who have been targeted in “outside the scope of terror- insulated from the confl ict rag- State television broadcast nants coming from the Badiya several bomb attacks. ism, including against human ing in the rest of the country footage of the funeral proces- committed a brutal, barbaric Bahrain’s delegation, led rights defenders and political since 2011. sions in Sweida. crime that left hundreds dead by deputy foreign minister activists”, they said. But Wednesday’s onslaught At least 56 militants died car- and wounded.” News websites Abdulla bin Faisal al-Do- Authorities “should also shattered the relative calm and rying out the assault, the Ob- in Sweida alleged that some of seri, told a UN panel that his ensure that the rights to a fair showed that IS retains the ability servatory said. the militants who took part in country had adopted poli- trial and access to justice are to mount deadly attacks against IS claimed responsibility in a Wednesday’s attack had been cies aimed at combating hate respected in all criminal pro- civilians, despite being ousted series of statements on its prop- given safe passage out of the speech, strengthening na- ceedings for terrorism”, the from its last remaining urban aganda channels on Wednesday. Yarmuk refugee camp in the tional unity, and creating an panel said. pockets in recent months. It posted gruesome photo- southern outskirts of Damas- environment for civil society It cited cases including that Four suicide bombers struck graphs showing militants be- cus. or trade unions to participate. of Nabeel Rajab, a leading fi g- the city of Sweida, while other heading at least four men it said The last IS fi ghters in the Empowerment of women was ure in pro-democracy protests, IS fi ghters attacked villages to were government fi ghters it had camp were bused out with their a priority. who was sentenced to fi ve its north and east with guns and captured in Sweida. relatives in May to desert terri- But UN panel expert Ol- years in prison in February for explosives. IS has suff ered a series of de- tory still held by the group. ivier de Frouville told a brief- criticising Saudi Arabia’s air The death toll reached 246 feats that saw it ousted from the The Sweida websites posted ing: “Since last year there is a strikes in Yemen and accusing yesterday, 135 of them civilians, last urban pockets of the sprawl- images that purported to show People watch pearl diving boats as they arrive at the main new regression, a fresh assault Bahrain’s prison authorities of according to the Syrian Ob- ing cross-border “caliphate” it IS fi ghters killed in the assault beach in Kuwait City, at the end of the 30th annual pearl against freedom of expres- torture. servatory for Human Rights, a proclaimed in Iraq and Syria in with identifi cation cards show- diving festival, yesterday. Pearl-diving trips are held annually. sion, against civil society that He was already serving a Britain-based monitoring group. 2014. ing they were from Yarmuk. is critical, and a marginalisa- two-year sentence. Gulf Times 4 Friday, July 27, 2018 AFRICA Troubles mount for new S Leone leader

AFP chief Richard Moigbe as saying. Investors are returning, albeit restructuring the economy and To fi ght corruption in one of Freetown “Violators would be expedi- slowly. boosting development, from re- the world’s poorest countries, tiously made amenable to the law. “The new government is doing ducing government spending to fi ve offi cials of the previous gov- You have been warned.” well on tax collection, electricity providing free education. ernment were arrested in the past ierra Leone’s President Ju- The stark notice – which and the fi ght against corruption,” Fulfi lling one of his campaign month. lius Maada Bio has encoun- caused an uproar among cam- said Andrew Lavalie, who heads promises, the straight-talking “This is a war against cor- Stered strong headwinds paigners, journalists and social the research body Institute of retired brigadier declared in May rupt officials,” Francis Ben since he took offi ce in April, buf- media users – comes as authori- Governance Reform. that all primary and secondary Kaifala, the new anti-graft feted by mounting concern over ties have cracked down on a wave A report commissioned by the school-age children would start boss, told reporters in Free- infl ation and freedom of speech. of protests and dissent. government and published last receiving free education in Sep- town in early July. Condemnation has been such During an election campaign month said “rampant corrup- tember. But opposition has grown that on Monday, police bluntly marred by ugly verbal exchanges tion” in the former administra- Easing the fi nancial burden nonetheless, as a rise in fuel pric- cautioned the public against and sporadic violence, Bio prom- tion had led to the “near collapse” on the heavily indebted country, es announced in the new budget making “misleading, disrespect- ised to fi ght graft, to review min- of the country’s economy. the World Bank agreed to fund earlier this month prompted the ful and inciting statements”. ing concession agreements and to While that government pro- $40mn of the programme. fi rst protest since the new presi- These “have the tendency to provide free universal education jected the economy to grow by Sierra Leone also signed a ma- dent came into power – a march create tension, chaos and insta- at the primary and secondary 6.1% in 2018, Bio’s administra- jor agreement to create the Afri- soon aborted by police, who ar- bility in our society,” it said in a levels. tion said the outlook had fallen to can Continental Free Trade Area rested its leader. statement, which was in capital The former British colony is 3.7%, mostly because of the clo- (CFTA) – billed as the world’s The fuel price hike was an- letters. recovering only gradually from a sure of several iron ore mines. largest in terms of participat- nounced on July 13 as part of “The public is advised to desist decade-long civil war and an Ebola In its fi rst months, the gov- ing countries – joining 48 other a wider budget released as Bio from these acts,” it quoted police outbreak which killed thousands. ernment took measures aimed at countries. clocked 100 days in offi ce. Google launches free Wi-Fi project in Nigeria

Reuters tions,” Anjali Joshi, Google’s vice Lagos president for product manage- ment, told Reuters in Lagos. The company said it aimed to oogle launched a network collaborate with Internet serv- of free Wi-Fi hotspots in ice providers to reach millions of GNigeria yesterday, part Nigerians in 200 public spaces of its eff ort to increase its pres- across fi ve cities by the end of ence in Africa’s most populous 2019. nation. It said it would generate cash The US technology fi rm, from the service in Nigeria by owned by Alphabet Inc, has placing Google adverts in the partnered with Nigerian fi bre login portal. cable network provider 21st Google did not disclose the Century to provide its public amount invested in the new Ni- Wi-Fi service, Google Station, geria service. in six places in the commer- The technology fi rm said it cial capital Lagos, including the planned to share revenues with city’s airport. its partners to help them main- Internet penetration is rela- tain and deploy the Wi-Fi serv- tively low in Nigeria. ice but did not disclose the ex- Some 25.7% of the population pected advertising revenue split. made use of the Internet in 2016, Nigeria is the fi fth country to according to World Bank data. launch Google Station. Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo speaks with youths as he prepares to leave the venue of the launch The poor Internet infra- Similar services have been of Google free Wi-Fi project in Lagos yesterday. structure is a major challenge launched in India, Indonesia, for businesses operating in the Mexico and Thailand. to use, are using it,” said Joshi. But many do not disclose that the gap in equality and ex- country, which is Africa’s largest The service is aimed at coun- “In India, we have tens of mil- how profi table the continent’s clusion are bridged,” said Osin- oil producer. tries with rapidly expanding lions of users, and close to a mil- markets are, or if they make the bajo who earlier this month met Broadband services are either populations. lion in Mexico.” companies money at all. Google’s chief executive, Sundar unreliable or unaff ordable to The United Nations estimates Africa’s rapid popula- Nigerian Vice President Yemi Pichai, at the company’s Silicon many of Nigeria’s 190mn inhab- Nigeria will be the world’s third tion growth, falling data costs Osinbajo welcomed eff orts to Valley headquarters. itants. most populous nation, after and heavy adoption of mobile improve Internet connectivity in Last year, Google an- “We are rolling out the service China and India, by 2050. phones has made it an attractive a speech at a Google conference nounced plans to train 10mn in Lagos today but the plan is to “A lot of people who found investment prospect for tech- in Lagos yesterday. Africans in online skills with- quickly expand to other loca- data to be too expensive for them nology companies. “Access to information means in five years.

Farmer-herder confl ict sparks Tenth rhino dead Nigeria stability fears: report in Kenya after

AFP killed by Boko Haram in the same In the deadliest attack, 11 vil- disastrous transfer Lagos period. lages were attacked last month The ICG said some progress in the Barakin Ladi area of Pla- AFP died. Also unfortunately the had been made in tackling the teau state, in which more than Nairobi 11th rhino has been attacked orsening violence be- crisis but more needed to be 200 people from farming com- by lions yesterday. (It) was tween farmers and done ahead of elections, which munities were killed. treated and so far we are mon- Wherders could hit typically heighten the risk of The ICG said “scorched- tenth critically endan- itoring that eleventh rhino,” he Nigeria’s general election and ethnic, religious and political earth” campaigns had made gered black rhino has said. “destabilise” the country, ac- tensions. more than 300,000 people Abeen reported dead “According to the inquiry cording to a new report pub- “It (the confl ict) is exacting homeless, with the displaced after a botched operation to team the cause of all the deaths lished yesterday. an ever deadlier toll and, with forced to stay with family and move the animals to a new re- was multiple stress syndrome The International Crisis elections looming in 2019, could friends or in overcrowded, un- serve in southern Kenya, the intensifi ed by salt poisoning,” Group (ICG) said the long-run- destabilise the country if the sanitary camps. country’s tourism minister he added, admitting there ning battle for land and resourc- government and other actors fail Local aid agencies were over- said yesterday. had been “negligence” by the es, fuelled by pressures from to contain it,” it added. whelmed but there was very The one surviving animal transfer team. an increasing population, was The fi rst half of this year was little help available elsewhere from last month’s attempt to Last week the minister sug- now “Nigeria’s gravest security the deadliest six months since because of the humanitar- transfer 11 rhinos from Nai- gested that the rhinos may threat,” outstripping the peril the crisis worsened in 2014, it ian crisis sparked by the nine- robi and Lake Nakuru national have become dehydrated and from terrorism. said in the report, “Stopping Ni- year Boko Haram insurgency, it parks to Tsavo East is in a died after drinking saline wa- At least 1,500 people have geria’s Spiralling Farmer-Herder added. critical condition and could ter in their new habitat. been killed in clashes between Violence”. Mass displacement has had also die after being attacked Save the Rhinos estimates nomadic herders and sedentary The overstretched police and an aff ect on food production and by lions. there are fewer than 5,500 farmers in central states since military were unable to cope and was likely to drive up prices, as Tourism Minister Najib black rhinos in the world, all September last year, the think- with attacks largely unpunished, farmers were unable or unwilling Balala, who had ordered de- of them in Africa, while Ken- tank said. communities had taken matters to work the land because of fear tectives to investigate the fi as- ya’s black rhino population Of these, more than 1,300 oc- into their own hands. of fresh attacks. co, said at a briefi ng in Nairobi stands at 750, according to the curred between January and June But much of the tit-for- President Muhammadu Bu- that several of the Kenya Wild- Worldwide Fund for Nature. this year, it added. tat violence has become more hari has been accused of failing life Service (KWS) offi cials in- Between 2005 and 2017, 147 This is at least six times higher planned and involved increas- to act against the herders be- volved in the deadly operation black rhinos were transferred than the number of people es- ingly well-armed and organ- cause, like him, they are ethnic had been suspended. to new habitats in Kenya, the timated by the UN to have been ised militia. Fulani and Muslim. “Yesterday the tenth rhino tourism ministry said. Ethiopian Nile dam project manager found shot dead

Reuters “He had a bullet wound be- its impact on the river have been Earlier yesterday, a Reuters pia’s bid to become Africa’s big- Addis Ababa hind his right ear,” Zeinu said, deadlocked for years. photographer observed blood gest power exporter. adding a Colt pistol was found A bone of contention for Ethi- stains along an arm rest inside The country plans to spend inside the car. opia and Egypt is the speed at his car – a Toyota Landcruiser – some $12bn on harnessing its he project manager of a Asked if the gun belonged to which the dam’s reservoir would before an ambulance took away rivers for hydropower in the next $4bn Ethiopian dam was the victim, he said: “That has be fi lled, with Cairo fearing the the corpse. two decades. Tfound shot dead in his car not been confi rmed.” river’s fl ow will be signifi cantly State media also reported the Under a new 2015-2020 de- yesterday, police said. Simegnew project-managed reduced. death, without disclosing the cause. velopment plan, Addis Ababa “We have confi rmed that en- the Grand Renaissance Dam that Zeinu said police had gathered Now around half complete, wants to raise power generation gineer Simegnew Bekele was is being built along the Nile river. forensic evidence and were talk- the dam will churn out 6,000 to 17,346 MW from a current shot dead,” Zeinu Jemal, head of Talks with Egypt, whose main ing to witnesses. megawatts (MW) of power on capacity of just over 4,300 MW Ethiopia’s Federal Police Com- source of water is the Nile, and “Police are undertaking an in- completion. from hydropower, wind and geo- mission, told reporters. Sudan on disagreements over vestigation as we speak,” he said. It is the centrepiece of Ethio- thermal sources. Gulf Times Friday, July 27, 2018 5 AMERICAS US threatens sanctions against Turkey over pastor

Reuters/AFP Pompeo and Turkey’s Foreign Neither Trump nor Pence to Turkey. Gulen has denied any last week, a source in the United Washington/Istanbul Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu elaborated on the type of sanc- role in the coup attempt, in which States familiar with develop- spoke on the telephone yesterday tions that the United States could 250 people were killed. ments told Reuters on Wednes- about the row, a top Turkish of- impose. “You have a pastor as well, day. resident Donald Trump has fi cial said. There was no immediate give him to us,” Erdogan said last US offi cials had been under threatened to slap “large “Our minister spoke with Sec- comment from US lawmakers September, in response to Wash- the impression that the deal was Psanctions” on Turkey un- retary of State Mike Pompeo,” who have threatened to with- ington’s calls for Brunson to be in place, the source said, adding less it freed an American pastor, the offi cial said on condition of hold weapons sales to Turkey released. that when Brunson was not re- prompting an immediate and anonymity, after Trump issued as strains have escalated over Brunson’s detention deepened leased, Pence spoke with Trump angry response from Ankara and his threat. Brunson’s detention. a rift between Washington and and the two agreed harsh new further escalating tensions be- Details were not immediately Brunson, who is from North Ankara, which are also at odds policy measures were needed to tween the two Nato allies. available. Carolina and has worked in Tur- over the Syrian war and Turkey’s force the issue. A spokesman for Turkish Pres- The Trump administration es- key for more than 20 years, has plan to buy missile defences from Addressing Brunson’s daugh- ident Recep Tayyip Erdogan said calated the pressure campaign to been accused of helping the Russia. ter in the audience, Pence said: “I that Washington’s threats were free Brunson a day after a court group Ankara says was behind a On Wednesday, Brunson was promise you, as I told your father unacceptable and damaging to ordered that he be moved to This picture taken on Wednesday shows Brunson in a car while being failed military coup in 2016. escorted out of prison in the yesterday, President Trump and the US-Turkey alliance. house arrest after 21 months in escorted from the prison in Izmir, Turkey. The pastor, who has denied the coastal city of Izmir, and left in a I will continue to fi ght to secure “The United States must re- detention. charges, faces up to 35 years in jail convoy of cars. your father’s full release until consider its approach and adopt He is on trial for terrorism a tweet. “He is suff ering great- I have a message on behalf of the if found guilty. His lawyer said he was ordered he is restored to his family and a constructive position before in- charges. ly. This innocent man of faith president of the United States of Erdogan has in the past linked to wear an electronic monitoring returns to the United States of fl icting further damage to its own “The US will impose large should be released immediately!” America: release Pastor Andrew Brunson’s fate with that of the bracelet. America.” interests and its alliance with sanctions on Turkey for their Shortly before, Vice-President Brunson now or be prepared to US-based Muslim cleric Fethul- United States and Turkish of- The Christian right, an impor- Turkey,” Erdogan’s spokesman, long time detainment of Pastor Mike Pence, a devout Christian, face the consequences,” Pence lah Gulen. fi cials had been working on a tant component of Trump and Ibrahim Kalin, said in a written Andrew Brunson, a great Chris- levelled a similar. said at a religious freedom event Ankara accuses Gulen of mas- deal that would lead to Brunson’s Pence’s voting base, has been statement. tian, family man and wonderful “To President (Tayyip) Erdog- hosted by the US State Depart- terminding the failed coup, and release, and Washington had ex- pressuring the administration on US Secretary of State Mike human being,” Trump wrote in an and the Turkish government, ment. has long sought his extradition pected him to be freed at his trial the Brunson case.

Thousands told to fl ee California Republicans launch bid wildfi re

Reuters Los Angeles to impeach deputy A-G Reuters bag for supporters of President Earlier, Rosenstein’s boss, At- Committee, said on Twitter that n “out of control” Cali- Washington Donald Trump for appointing torney General Jeff Sessions, ex- the articles of impeachment fornia wildfi re has Mueller to investigate whether pressed confi dence in the career “were fi led in bad faith and show Aprompted offi cials to or- Trump’s campaign colluded civil servant and took a swipe at extraordinary lengths to which der thousands of residents to group of Republican law- with Russia in his race against the lawmakers pushing for his House Republicans will go to fl ee as fi refi ghters struggled to makers has introduced Democrat Hillary Clinton. ouster. protect Trump”. contain the blaze in a mountain- Aarticles of impeachment The president has denied such “My deputy, Rod Rosenstein, House of Representatives ous area near the city of Redding. to remove Deputy US Attorney collusion took place. is highly capable. I have the Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi The Carr Fire, about 150 miles General Rod Rosenstein, esca- “The DOJ is keeping infor- highest confi dence in him,” Ses- noted that Rosenstein is a Re- (240km) north of Sacramento, lating a fi ght over Special Coun- mation from Congress,” Jordan sions said during an appearance publican appointee and said the had blackened about 20,000 sel Robert Mueller’s investiga- said, referring to the Depart- in Boston. Republican lawmakers were un- acres (8,100 hectares) early yes- tion of alleged Russian meddling ment of Justice. “Enough is “What I would like Con- dermining the judicial system terday, three times its last-re- in the 2016 US presidential elec- enough. It’s time to hold Mr Ro- gress to do is to focus on some with a politically motivated ac- ported size a day ago. tion. senstein accountable for block- of the legal challenges that are tion. Crews contained just 10% of Representatives Jim Jordan ing Congress’s constitutional out there”, including illegal im- “The attack on Rosenstein of it, the California Department and Mark Meadows, who belong oversight role.” migration, the attorney general course is an attack on the Muel- of Forestry and Fire Protection to the conservative House Free- A Justice Department offi cial added. ler investigation,” Pelosi said at a said. dom Caucus, joined nine other said the agency had no com- The former US senator rec- news conference yesterday. The confl agration is one of House members in accusing ment. used himself from matters that Republicans in the House have Rosenstein: appointed by Trump, but the Republican president has about 75 major wildfi res burning Rosenstein of hiding investiga- Yesterday US House Speaker involve the Trump campaign, been discussing possible im- repeatedly criticised him on Twitter for his oversight of the Russia in the United States in an unu- tive information from Congress, Paul Ryan said he rejected the including the Russia investiga- peachment action against Ro- probe, which he calls a witch hunt. sually active fi re season that has failure to comply with congres- move. tion, last year because of his role senstein for some time. already scorched about 3.98mn sional subpoenas and other al- “Do I support impeachment as a top adviser to the Trump Rosenstein was appointed which he calls a witch hunt. Senate must convict him on a acres, mostly in western states. leged misconduct. of Rod Rosenstein? No, I do not,” campaign. by Trump, but the Republican For Rosenstein to be removed two-thirds vote. That is above the 10-year Rosenstein, the No 2 offi cial said Ryan, whose stance could Representative Adam Schiff , president has repeatedly criti- from offi ce, a majority of the Republicans control both average for the same period of at the Justice Department, has make it easier for other Republi- the top Democrat on the House cised him on Twitter for his House must vote for the articles chambers but have only a 51-49 3.54mn acres, according to the become a frequent punching cans to oppose the measure. of Representatives Intelligence oversight of the Russia probe, of impeachment and then the edge in the Senate. National Interagency Fire Cen- tre. The Carr Fire is currently in a sparsely inhabited area, but Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean warned in a phone interview that Twitter is restricting White House bars CNN reporter from it was heading toward Redding, a city of about 90,000 people. “If you live in West Redding Republicans: Trump start packing and be prepared!” event due to ‘inappropriate’ questions the California Highway Patrol said on Twitter. “This fi re is out Reuters of control!” Washington AFP House is uncomfortable with a The western fi res were being Washington question regarding the news of supercharged by extreme tem- day doesn’t mean the question peratures above 100° Fahrenheit S President Donald isn’t relevant and shouldn’t be (37° Celsius), erratic winds and Trump has accused he White House was un- asked.” low humidity. UTwitter Incorporated der fi re on Wednesday for Meanwhile, other journalists Further south, the Cranston of restricting the visibility of Tbarring a CNN reporter – including from rival networks Fire, believed to have been start- prominent Republicans on its from attending an event with – came to Collins’ defence. ed by arson, had charred 4,700 platform, without providing the president, allegedly for hav- “As a member of the White acres east of Los Angeles in the evidence, and he promised to ing asked questions that offi - House Press pool – @FoxNews San Jacinto Mountains. investigate. Trump: promised to look into cials objected to. stands fi rmly with @CNN on It was just 5% contained, Cal “Twitter ‘SHADOW BAN- the alleged ‘shadow banning’ Reporter Kaitlan Collins was this issue and the issue of ac- Fire offi cials said. NING’ prominent Republi- quoted by CNN as saying that cess,” tweeted Bret Baier of Fox That blaze had forced 3,200 cans. Not good. We will look on,” McDaniel wrote on Twit- White House communications News. people to evacuate in resort into this discriminatory and ter. offi cials told her she could not White House press secretary communities including Idyll- illegal practice at once!” the Twitter did not have a com- attend an event with US Presi- Sarah Sanders – one of the two wild, Mountain Centre, and Republican president wrote in ment on Trump’s tweet but a dent Donald Trump and Euro- offi cials whom Collins said told Lake Hemet as it destroyed fi ve a Twitter post. spokesperson said the compa- pean Commission chief Jean- her of the ban – issued a state- structures and threatened 2,100 The practice involves limit- ny does not “shadow ban”. Claude Juncker because she had ment alleging that the reporter homes, the agency said. ing the visibility of a user in “We are aware that some ac- asked “inappropriate” ques- refused to leave when asked. A suspect was arrested on search results, specifi cally in counts are not automatically tions earlier in the day. “At the conclusion of a press Wednesday and accused of the auto-populated dropdown populating in our search box, She was barred from a Rose event in the Oval Offi ce a re- starting multiple fi res including search box on Twitter. and shipping a change to ad- Garden event for asking ques- porter shouted questions and the Cranston Fire, fi re offi cials Trump’s comments followed dress this,” the spokesperson tions at an earlier event about refused to leave despite repeat- said in a statement. a Vice news report on Wednes- said in a statement. an audio recording of Trump edly being asked to do so,” Sand- A third major blaze, the al- day that Republican National Twitter said the technology purportedly discussing with his er said in a statement. “Subse- most two-week-old, 43,300- Committee chairwoman Ron- used is based on user behav- former lawyer, Michael Cohen, quently, our staff informed her acre Ferguson Fire, forced much na McDaniel and other Repub- iour not political views. a fund being established to pay CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins: barred from a White House n event she was not welcome to partici- of Yosemite National Park to licans including Donald Trump Twitter instituted a policy a former Playboy model, Karen because she had asked ‘inappropriate’ questions earlier. pate in the next event, but made close on Wednesday, as it poured Jr’s spokesman were being change on July 12 to increase McDougal, for keeping quiet clear that any other journalist thick smoke into the valley in the “shadow banned”. the service’s credibility and re- about an alleged aff air with White House’s misguided and “This type of retaliation is from her network could attend.” Sierra Nevada Mountains some “The notion that social me- duce suspected fraud. Trump. inappropriate decision today to wholly inappropriate, wrong- The Trump White House has 170 miles east of San Francisco. dia companies would suppress That change cost its 100 Collins asked about the audio bar one of our members from an headed, and weak. It cannot a contentious relationship with A fi refi ghter died and seven certain political points of view most popular users about 2% recording in a picture-taking open press event after she asked stand,” it said. the press, and the president has others have been hurt combating should concern every Ameri- of their followers, on average, session in the Oval Offi ce as questions they did not like,” the CNN also condemned the termed leading media – includ- the blaze, which was 27% con- can. Twitter owes the public according to social media data Trump met with Juncker. White House Correspondents’ White House’s decision, say- ing CNN – the “enemy of the tained as of yesterday morning. answers to what’s really going fi rm Keyhole. “We strongly condemn the Association said in a statement. ing: “Just because the White American People”.

No evidence that Islamic State is responsible for Toronto attack, say police Fan saved by bucket on his head after tile falls off US stadium

Canadian police have said that they had Hussain, buried by his family on Wednesday “At this stage, we have no evidence to A Chicago baseball fan attending a game at a historic instance of such an accident involving the 81-year- no evidence so far to support claims by morning, died of a self-inflicted gunshot support these claims,” said Toronto Police stadium in the mid-western US city has a plastic old scoreboard, which is something of a relic at a the Islamic State (IS) militant group that it wound, a source close to the family said. Chief Mark Saunders. “We will continue to bucket to thank for saving him from serious injury. time when most parks have huge high-definition was responsible for a weekend shooting in The Special Investigations Unit, an explore every investigative avenue including The 19-year-old fan of the city’s Cubs was wearing video scoreboards. Toronto that left two people dead and 13 independent body looking into his demise, interviewing those who knew Mr Hussain, the bucket on his head on Tuesday at a night game The stadium itself is more than 100 years old, wounded. would not confirm a cause of death. reviewing his online activity, and looking into against the visiting Arizona team when a metal the second oldest in the country after Boston’s Faisal Hussain, 29, was identified by police Islamic State said through its AMAQ news his experiences with mental health.” tile fell off of the manually operated scoreboard at legendary Fenway Park – the only other major- as the gunman who opened fire on a busy agency that Hussain “was a soldier of the Hussain’s family said he worked in a grocery Wrigley Field, according to the Chicago Tribune. league park with a hand-turned scoreboard. Toronto street, killing 10-year-old girl Julianna Islamic State and carried out the attack in store but spent much of his time at home, The fan was mostly shielded by the bucket, though A recent renovation project left the Wrigley Kozis and 18-year-old Reese Fallon. response to calls to target the citizens of the and the struggled with severe mental illness. he needed five staples to close a gash on his head, scoreboard untouched. He was found dead shortly afterwards, coalition countries”. Police said it was not known how Hussain the newspaper said. The team off ered no explanation as to why the fan authorities said. It did not provide evidence for its claim. obtained a gun. A team spokesman said this was the first known had a bucket on his head. Gulf Times 6 Friday, July 27, 2018 ASIA

Endangered pygmy elephant shot dead

AFP Kuala Lumpur

pygmy elephant was shot dead on Borneo island after it destroyed villagers’ crops, a AMalaysian wildlife offi cial said yesterday, the latest of the endangered creatures to be killed. The male elephant, believed to be about four years old, was found Monday by the side of a road in the state of Sabah, on the Malaysian part of Bor- neo, local wildlife department director Augustine Tuuga told AFP. He said the “merciless” killing was carried out near a remote settlement, and authorities were in- vestigating who was responsible. “(The elephant) was killed out of revenge for de- stroying crops,” he said, adding the crops included palm oil trees. He said the creature’s tusks remained intact, in- dicating the elephant was not killed by poachers seeking to sell its ivory on the black market. It was the latest case in Malaysia of human- animal confl ict, which happens when human set- tlements or agricultural plantations expand into a species’s natural habitat. Malaysia is home to vast tracts of rainforest and a kaleidoscope of exotic wildlife, from elephants to orangutans and tigers, but the numbers of many rare species have fallen dramatically in recent dec- ades. As well as human-animal confl ict, many en- dangered animals are hunted for their body parts which fetch a high price for use in traditional med- icine in China, and elsewhere in Asia. At least 18 pygmy elephants have been killed in Malaysian Borneo since April, The Star newspaper reported. Causes of death included elephants being tar- geted by poachers and poisoning. Pygmy elephants are baby-faced with large ears, plump bellies and long tails that sometimes drag on the ground, according to environmental group WWF. Rainforest-clad Borneo is the world’s third- largest island and is shared between Malaysia, In- People use a makeshift ferry to cross the swollen Xe Khong river due to flash flooding in Sanamxai, Attapeu province. donesia and Brunei.

5 killed in Nepal landslide ive people were killed and four others were missing yesterday after landslides struck a Fsmall town in north-central Nepal near the Chinese border, police said. Laos scrambles for food, The landslides hit the highway that connects Nepal’s capital Kathmandu with China. Most fatalities were drivers staying in hotels in Timure, a border town, said Dilip Chhetri, a police inspector in Rasuwa district. “Twelve people have been wounded. Two of them are in critical condition,” he said, adding that medicines and coffi ns survivors were being treated at a local hospital. Three trucks and two hotels were buried in the Reuters them on trees and the rooftops of Sanamxai, Reuters saw trucks car- build the dams under commercial Laos and its neighbours are in the landslide, which stretched about 30 feet, he added. Khokong, Laos submerged houses. rying aid, including fresh water and concessions that involve the export middle of the monsoon season that The area is about 60km north-west of Kath- In the village of Khokong, a sea of blankets, for those made homeless. of electricity to more developed brings tropical storms and heavy mandu. mud oozed around the stilt houses The government put their number neighbours, including power-hun- downpours. On Wednesday, a 22-year-old construction roops yesterday searched that were still standing and dead at 3,060. gry Thailand. In Cambodia’s northern Strung worker was buried to death after a landslide struck for survivors in the remote animals fl oated in the water. Phra Ajan Thanakorn, a Bud- Laos has fi nished building 11 Treng province, nearly 1,300 fami- his hut in Darchula district in the country’s west. Tsouthern tip of Laos, three “Seven villages were hit, two very dhist monk returning from San- dams, says Thai non-government lies that were also aff ected by the More than 100 people have been killed in land- days after the collapse of a hydro- badly. There were 200 houses and amxai, said he had delivered food group TERRA, with 11 more under fl ooding from the dam in Laos were slides and fl oods triggered by monsoon rains in power dam sent a torrent of water only about 10 are left standing,” said and medicine in four pick-up trucks construction and dozens planned. moved to higher ground. recent months in Nepal, according to the Home charging across paddy fi elds and a medical offi cial, who declined to that had come from Vientiane, the Rights groups have repeatedly “These people will be aff ected for Ministry. through villages, as rescuers rushed be named because he was not au- capital some 800km (500 miles) to warned against the human and en- about seven to 10 days and once all aid to thousands of homeless. thorised to speak to the media. the north, and he was heading back vironmental cost of the dam drive, the water fl ows into the Mekong, we The scale of the disaster was still “We retrieved one body today. there to load up with more. including damage to the already will be fi ne,” said Keo Vy, a spokes- 2 pilots die in Vietnam jet crash unclear, in part because of the inac- I suspect there will be more as the “The situation is really bad,” he fragile ecosystem of the region’s riv- man for the National Centre for Dis- cessibility of the area but also be- water goes down and the road be- told Reuters. ers. aster Management. wo pilots were killed in Vietnam yesterday cause reports from the communist comes easier to access.” “All the relief eff orts are at San- The dam that collapsed was part An offi cial at SK Engineering & when their training jet crashed into thick country’s state media have been He said villagers were warned amxai. There are volunteers distrib- of the $1.2bn Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Construction said fractures were Tjungle in heavy rains, police told AFP from scant and sketchy. about three to four hours before the uting food and medicine for survi- power project, which involves Lao- discovered on the dam on Sunday the central mountainous region where the acci- The offi cial Laos News Agency dam burst, but few had expected the vors every day there. They are still tian, Thai and South Korean fi rms. and the company ordered the evac- dent occurred. said that 27 people were confi rmed water to rise as high as it did. lacking food, medicine, and coffi ns.” Known as “Saddle Dam D”, it was uation of 12 villages as soon as the The pilots were on a training drill when their air- dead and 131 were missing following The UN Offi ce for the Coordi- Rescue and relief teams from part of a network of two main dams danger became clear. craft crashed around midday in Nghe An province, the failure of the dam on Monday, nation of Humanitarian Aff airs around Asia have headed into At- and fi ve subsidiary dams. Laotian Minister of Energy and a local police offi cer told AFP. a subsidiary structure under con- said roads and bridges were dam- tapeu, a largely agricultural province The project’s main partner, South Mines Khammany Inthirath told a “The two pilots were killed,” the offi cer said, re- struction as part of a hydroelectric aged, and boat and helicopter were that borders Vietnam to the east and Korea’s SK Engineering & Con- news conference in the capital that fusing to be named. project in the province of Attapeu. the only means of transport in the Cambodia to the south. struction, said part of a small sup- the company could not deny re- He added that bad weather was hampering ef- Earlier reports had suggested the worst-aff ected areas. Laos, one of Asia’s poorest coun- ply dam was washed away and the sponsibility for the destruction of forts to recover the victims’ remains. death toll would be much higher, Schools in safe areas were be- tries, has ambitions to become the company was co-operating with the livelihoods and property. Images on state media showed a large plume of and on Wednesday the Vientiane ing used as evacuation centres, and “battery of Asia” through the con- Laos government to help rescue vil- The Vientiane Times cited him as smoke rising from dense mountain jungles where Times had said more than 3,000 about 1,300 families needed tents struction of multiple dams. lagers. saying that all compensation would the plane — a Russian-made Sukhoi SU-22 that people were waiting to be rescued for shelter, it said. Its government depends almost The fi rm blamed the collapse on be “borne by the project developer belonged to Vietnam’s Air Defence Force — went from swirling fl oodwaters, many of On a road to the small town of entirely on outside developers to heavy rain. 100%”. down. Peace law granting Muslim self-rule signed: Duterte

AFP As the country’s fi rst presi- began pledging allegiance to the The new region is to keep 75% Manila dent from the southern region of Islamic State group soon after- of taxes collected in the area as Mindanao, Duterte pressed con- wards and last year attacked the well as receive an annual fund gress to pass the law — the far- southern city of Marawi sparking allocation worth 5% of national hilippine President Rod- thest the peace process with the a fi ve-month battle that killed revenues, or about 60bn pesos rigo Duterte said yesterday Moro Islamic Liberation Front 1,200 people. ($1.12mn). Phe has signed a law which (MILF) has gone. Muslim rebels have long been The region is also to have a grants expanded autonomy for The law aims to enforce a his- battling for independence or au- parliament and Shariah courts the mainly Catholic nation’s toric but fragile 2014 peace deal tonomy in Mindanao, which they exclusively for cases involving Muslim south, a key step to end- where the MILF vowed to give regard as their ancestral home- Muslims. ing one of Asia’s longest and up its quest for an independent land dating back to when Arabic Under the peace agreement, deadliest confl icts. homeland and lay down weapons traders arrived there in the 13th the law also needs to be approved The measure has for years been of its 30,000 fi ghters in return for century. in a regional referendum, which a crucial missing element to a self-rule in the south. In 1996, another major rebel is widely expected to pass after languishing peace pact with the Both sides believe creating the group, the Moro National Lib- years of struggle for more au- country’s largest Islamic rebel area will head off the lure of vio- eration Front (MNLF), signed a tonomy. group which, along with other lent extremism as well as attract peace deal with the government Despite criticism that the new guerrillas, has waged a rebellion investments to a region where that created a Muslim autono- law was weaker than the 2014 in the southern Philippines that brutal poverty and perennial mous area in the south. peace deal, the MILF said it was has claimed about 150,000 lives bloodshed has fuelled recruit- But critics, including the largely satisfi ed with the measure. since the 1970s. ment by radical groups. MILF, said it had failed to bring “Although we still have more “In every confl ict, the victims The initial peace accord was peace and development. challenges ahead but after sur- are the innocents, the children, signed under Duterte’s predeces- Under the law Duterte signed, a passing the challenges for more the women so try to think it over sor, Benigno Aquino, but law- new political entity known as the than 40 years, we are confi dent because I already signed the BBL makers then refused to pass the Bangsamoro would replace the that we can surpass the next (autonomy law),” Duterte said in supporting legislation. current autonomous region, gain- challenges,” MILF chairman Mu- A signage of ‘I love Marawi’ is seen in front of damaged houses, buildings and a mosque inside a war-torn a speech. Rebel factions and militants ing more power and resources. rad Ebrahim Murad said. Marawi city. Gulf Times Friday, July 27, 2018 7 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA

‘MISUNDERSTANDING’ JUSTICE CHILL PILL FIREWORKS DIPLOMACY S Korea firm apologises Two jailed in Hong Kong Snoozing workers get Blast rattles US embassy in Aussie agriculture minister for treasure ship claim for rigging bridge tests hit by cold AC blast Beijing, suspect held hails ‘good friend’ China

A South Korean company that said it had found a Two technicians charged with rigging tests Japanese off ice workers hoping to nod A bomb exploded yesterday outside the US Australia is working to increase its meat exports long-lost Russian “treasure ship”, causing a stock on concrete used to build a multi-billion- off on the job may need to sleep with one embassy in Beijing, wounding the lone assailant, to China, its agriculture minister told Reuters in an market flurry, apologised yesterday admitting it dollar bridge connecting Hong Kong with eye open thanks to a new system that can the embassy said in a statement, although police interview, describing the Asian giant as “a good had not gleaned any riches from the wreck. Shinil China and Macau have been jailed for 22 detect snoozers and blast them with cold air. described the weapon merely as a “firework device”. friend” despite recent trade tensions between the Group announced last week it had discovered the and 32 months respectively, reports said Air conditioning manufacturer Daikin and The explosion happened on the street outside two nations. Australian Agriculture Minister David imperial vessel Dmitri Donskoi off South Korea’s yesterday. Billed as the world’s longest sea electronics giant NEC said yesterday they have southeast corner of the embassy compound. Beijing Littleproud said he had sent specialist agricultural east coast, saying the ship was believed to contain bridge, the project has been touted as an begun trialling the system, which monitors police said the suspect, a 26-year-old man from envoys to China in a bid to advance a 2016 free gold bullion and coins worth $130bn. But financial engineering wonder by its supporters but the movement of the employee’s eyelids China’s Inner Mongolia region whom they identified trade agreement on Australian imports and set regulators launched an investigation into the firm slammed as a “white elephant” by its critics. with a camera attached to a computer. The only by the surname Jiang, had injured his hand and aside technical barriers around meat exports after news of the discovery caused the stock price Senior lab technician and supervisor Mak computer can automatically lower the room’s had been taken to hospital. Police did not provide to China. “I’m hoping to travel to China towards of Jeil Steel — a company in which Shinil’s founder Pui-shing was sentenced to 32 months in temperature if it detects dozing at desks. “We a motive but said in a statement via their off icial the end of the year to be able to meet with my had acquired a large stake — to jump fivefold. Shinil prison yesterday, while former assistant hope to introduce this system commercially account on the Chinese social networking service counterpart there and to be able to demonstrate said yesterday it may have gone overboard on the Kwong Fu-yin was jailed for 22 months, local in 2020,” a Daikin spokesman told AFP, adding Weibo that the suspect had a history of mental that we are good friends and we have a beneficial claims and apologised for the “misunderstanding”. media reports said. that a trial had began this month. illness and was once hospitalised for treatment. relationship,” he said.

Clean dream Japan executes last sarin attack cult members on death row

By Sara Hussein, AFP authorities discovered a plant capable of pro- Tokyo ducing enough sarin to kill millions. Aum members, including those executed this month, were also convicted of crimes in- apan yesterday executed the last members cluding an additional sarin attack in the town of the cult sentenced to death for their role of Matsumoto the year before the Tokyo at- Jin the fatal 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo tack, and the murder of an anti-cult lawyer subway, weeks after the group’s leader was and his family. hanged. Many of the group’s members remain in The execution of the six Aum Shinrikyo prison. members, years after they were put on death The 13 cult members spent years on death row, draws a line under the horrifi c attack row as prosecutors investigated their crimes, which shocked the world and prompted na- and some activists opposed the executions, tional soul-searching over the group and its fearing the members would be elevated to the crimes. status of martyrs. “Today the state executed six people,” Jus- But victims of the group’s attacks welcomed tice Minister Yoko Kamikawa said at a press the execution of Asahara and six other Aum Elementary school students look at a public toilet on display with a one-way glass during a special interactive class with students about conference. members earlier this month. sanitation in Tokyo, following the launch of a partnership between Unicef and Japanese household products firm Lixil aimed at helping “I ordered the executions after extremely One man who was injured in the subway sa- hundreds of millions of people gain access to clean and safe toilets. Lixil has developed a latrine that sells for just a few dollars and careful consideration.” rin attack told AFP he felt “the world had be- features a self-sealing trapdoor to keep out disease-spreading insects, and seal in unpleasant odours. In all, 13 Aum members, including the cult’s come slightly brighter”. near-blind leader Shoko Asahara, were on Japan is one of the few developed nations to death row for crimes including the 1995 sarin retain the death penalty, and public support for attack on Tokyo’s subway. it remains high despite international criticism, Local media said authorities wanted the including from rights group Amnesty Interna- death sentences against the Aum members to tional. be carried out before Japan’s emperor abdi- “The taking of a life in retribution is never ‘Super Saturday’ vote trial-run for Australia govt cates next year, when a new imperial era will the answer,” the group’s East Asia researcher begin. Hiroka Shoji said in a statement yesterday. Since the Aum’s crimes were committed But Kamikawa said it was “not appropriate Reuters elections could tempt Turnbull to election is called, sources close to senior lecturer in Australian poli- during the Heisei era of the current emperor, under the current circumstances to abolish the Sydney call an early poll. the lawmaker say. tics at Monash University in Mel- authorities wanted the executions complete death penalty.” Polls indicate the ruling centre- But under a barrage of attack bourne. before the new era begins, local media report- “I think we can’t avoid capital punishment right government has a strong from the opposition Labour Party, Of the 10 seats that were won ed. for those who have committed extremely hei- ustralian Prime Minister chance of winning the Labour- she is leaning towards recom- by less than 2,000 votes in 2016, Some of the Aum’s victims said it would be nous crimes,” she said. Malcolm Turnbull is vying held seat of Longman, in the state mending preference, or second- Queensland was home to half of hard to simply move on. Asahara developed his cult in the 1980s, Ato secure a 100-year fi rst of Queensland, after Pauline ary, votes for the government, the them, data from Australia’s Elec- “With the 13 members executed, perhaps the and at one point the wild-haired “guru” had this weekend by winning a seat Hanson’s far-right One Nation sources say, an arrangement that toral Commission shows. case is closed from the point of view of crimi- at least 10,000 followers, including the doc- from the opposition at a by-elec- Party encouraged its supporters to would leave the result of the next Although home to several large nal justice,” Shizue Takahashi, whose husband tors and engineers who produced the group’s tion and with it a possible path- preference Turnbull ahead of the federal election in the balance. cosmopolitan cities, Queensland’s was killed in the subway attack, told reporters. chemical agents. way to victory at the next national country’s opposition Labour Party Australians mark ballot papers electorate is heavily dominated by “(But) the damage done to the victims con- Despite the crackdown on the Aum, it was election due by May 2019. on their ballot papers. in order of candidate preference. rural voters, a demographic that tinues even after the executions. I fi nd it very never formally banned. Turnbull’s personal popularity Picking up at least one of the fi ve If no candidate wins more than has not taken to Turnbull, a social hard.” It offi cially disowned Asahara in 2000 and is at its highest level in two years, seats contested will double Turn- 50% of the vote, the candidate liberal who made his fortune in The Aum gained international infamy with renamed itself Aleph, but experts say the according to the latest opinion bull’s parliamentary majority to with the fewest votes is eliminat- banking before entering politics. the 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway former guru retained a strong infl uence before poll, but his conservative govern- two and make him less beholden to ed and their votes are given to the Hanson by contrast is a blue- during rush hour, which killed 13 people and his execution. ment badly trails the Labour op- his backbench. second preference candidate. collar hero, a former fi sh and chip injured thousands more. Asahara’s execution set off a battle among position. Three prime ministers have This continues until one candi- shop owner, who is riding a wave Members of the group released the chemi- his surviving family members for his remains, In what is being called “Super been ousted by their own parties date wins. of support on her platform of ban- cal in liquid form at fi ve points throughout the with his wife and several children who are in Saturday”, voters in fi ve seats will since 2010 after their popularity Turnbull must win marginal ning Muslim migration and limits subway network, and soon commuters began successor cults to the Aum seeking to obtain go to the polls after a handful of waned and the party believed they seats in the state of Queensland if to acquisitions of Australian assets struggling to breathe, staggering from trains them. opposition lawmakers were forced could not win re-election. he is to be re-elected. by foreign companies. with their eyes watering. He was cremated days after his execution, from offi ce after falling foul of the A victory in Longman could also “There are a lot of marginal seats Unemployment in the fi ve mar- Others keeled over, foaming at the mouth, and his youngest daughter, who has broken country’s constitution that bans provide a possible blueprint to se- in Queensland, where Hanson has ginal Queensland seats was at least with blood streaming from their noses. with the Aum’s successor cults, said she would politicians from elected offi ce if curing re-election at the next fed- sway. She delivered the election 1.5% higher than the national av- The attack plunged the capital into chaos, receive his ashes, which will reportedly be they are dual citizens. eral poll. to (conservative prime minister) erage, data from the 2016 national and prompted a crackdown on the cult’s head- scattered at sea to avoid creating a pilgrimage Some political analysts believe Hanson is unlikely to formally John Howard in 1998, she could census shows, boosting Hanson’s quarters in the foothills of Mount Fuji, where site for Asahara’s followers. a very strong showing in the by- endorse Turnbull when the next do it again,” said Nick Economou, appeal.

Acting NZ PM tells Australia to change its fl ag New Zealand off ers paid leave to

ew Zealand’s Acting Prime Minister domestic violence survivors Winston Peters yesterday called on Nneighbouring Australia to change its fl ag, saying it had pinched the Kiwi banner’s By Beh Lih Yi, Reuters The group’s chief executive then we wring our hands, squeeze design and was causing confusion. Kuala Lumpur Katie Ghose told the Thomson in another hospital bed and build “We designed it and they borrowed it Reuters Foundation women of- another prison,” she said, accord- and if we wanted to clear the matter up they ten lose their jobs when they fl ee ing to a transcript of her speech. should change their fl ag,” Peters told report- ew Zealand has become domestic abuse, while many stay “No wonder gender-based ers in Wellington. one of just two countries with abusive partners due to “fi - violence has become entrenched. “It must be patently obvious that all over Noff ering paid leave to do- nancial concerns.” This bill is a commitment to early the world people are confused. I’ve been mestic violence survivors, after “We believe that this will help intervention and prevention.” in places like Turkey and elsewhere where approving a law aimed at pro- give more women the confi dence The bill was approved by par- they’ve confused our countries on the basis tecting victims. to speak out about the abuse and liament late on Wednesday in a of those fl ags. It’s not helpful.” New Zealand has one of the seek support when taking the narrow 63 to 57 vote, with op- Both the New Zealand and Australian worst records for domestic vio- brave step to leave an abusive ponents raising concerns of its fl ags are dark blue with the Union Jack em- lence among developed nations. partner and rebuild their lives economic impact on businesses. blem of former colonial power Britain in the Nationwide, police respond to free from abuse,” she said yes- New Zealand is only the sec- top left corner. a family violence incident every terday. ond country in the world to put The only major diff erence is that the Aus- four minutes and many cases go New Zealand’s new policy is in place such policy. tralian version has six white stars, fi ve rep- unreported, according to the ad- set to take eff ect from April next A similar measure was adopted resenting the Southern Cross, while New vocacy group Shine. year. by the Philippines in 2004. Zealand depicts the constellation with four Under the new legislation, “This bill is a win for victims, a The Wellington-based advo- red stars. A man walking past a window displaying New Zealand’s national flag (right) and Australia’s employers must grant victims up win for business, and, ultimately, cacy group Women’s Refuge said Peters, who is temporarily leading the national flag in Wellington. to 10 days leave to give them time a win for all of us,” said lawmaker it was “delighted” with the new country while Prime Minister Jacinda Ar- to escape abusive situations, Jan Logie before the measure was law. dern is on maternity leave, feels strongly man’s Donald Trump”. Bridges said New while Australia’s was not offi cially recog- which could include moving out passed in parliament. “The idea that there will now about the fl ag issue. Zealanders he had spoken to were con- nised until 1954. However, the Australian of their homes or attending court Logie, a Green Party politician be a legal requirement for work- The 73-year-old also raised it earlier this cerned about topics such as the economy version had been used informally since 1901 hearings. who has spearheaded the initiative places to support for victims in week, complaining “we got there fi rst with and healthcare. and both countries say similar designs were The new law was hailed by for years, said the new protections the workplace shows that we are this design”. “They never raised with me changing the common throughout the late 1800s. anti-violence groups worldwide, would allow early intervention in committed to making signifi cant Opposition leader Simon Bridges ridi- Australian fl ag. That’s weird by even his (Pe- New Zealand held a referendum on including the UK-based Wom- domestic violence cases. progress in eliminating family vi- culed Peters’ fl ag preoccupation, accusing ters’) standards,” he told parliament. changing its fl ag to a silver fern design in en’s Aid, which vowed to push for “We wait until things get re- olence,” chief executive Ang Jury him of populism and labelling him “a poor New Zealand adopted its fl ag in 1902, 2016, with the proposal defeated 43 to 57. similar legislation in Britain. ally bad, or someone is killed, and said in a statement. Gulf Times 8 Friday, July 27, 2018 BRITAIN

CLAIM DECISION TRAGEDY MUSIC OBITUARY Children ‘assaulted at BBC agrees to pay singer’s Dozens evacuated Arctic Monkeys lead World War II female Aston Hall hospital’ legal fees in privacy case after fire in building Mercury Prize nominations pilot dies aged 101

A doctor had vulnerable children stripped, put in The BBC agreed to pay within 14 days the legal A huge fire broke out in a five-storey residential Arctic Monkeys became the joint second most- One of the last surviving British female World War a straitjacket and injected with a “truth serum” costs of pop star Cliff Richard, after it last week lost building in London’s West Hampstead in the early nominated act in the Mercury Prize’s history as II pilots, Mary Ellis, has died at the age of 101 on the so he could sexually assault them, police have a privacy case he pursued. But the broadcaster also hours of yesterday, forcing rescuers to evacuate the prestigious British album award announced Isle of Wight, the media reported yesterday, citing been told. Kenneth Milner, who died in 1976, is reported that it is seeking permission to appeal dozens of people, and it took nearly four hours its 2018 shortlist. The band, nominated for its the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) Association. Ellis, thought to have carried out the abuse at Aston the court ruling over its live television coverage of to douse the blaze, the London Fire Brigade sixth record Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino, who died on Tuesday, served from 1941 in the ATA, Hall psychiatric hospital in Derbyshire. Police a 2014 police raid on the singer’s home. A judge said. About 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines are joined by Florence and The Machine and a civilian organisation that transported aircraft said that if he were alive today, there would awarded Richard £210,000 after deciding the BBC tackled the blaze on Inglewood Road. Firefighters Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in the lineup from factories to the front lines, until the end of the be “suff icient evidence” to interview him for infringed his privacy in its reporting of the police evacuated residents from the top floor due to of 12 shortlisted albums. Indie rockers Everything war. She delivered more than 1,000 aircraft to the off ences including rape, indecent assault and operation. The raid was part of an investigation concerns that the roof could collapse inward, fire Everything and London ensemble Wolf Alice were Royal Air Force, according to the ATA Association, a child cruelty. Fourteen allegations of rape were into historical child sex allegations, but Richard was brigade said. “The fire is believed to have started both shortlisted for the second time, while first- body that seeks to promote knowledge of the ATA’s made against him. At least 65 children were never charged or arrested. The corporation said it in a flat on the fourth floor,” fire brigade station time nominees included singers Lily Allen and history. Ellis was one of 168 female pilots serving in abused while Milner was medical superintendent will pay the singer £850,000 to cover his legal fees, manager Clainton Murray said. The fire brigade King Krule. A pair of debut albums also featured: the ATA, out of a total 1,320 pilots, according to the at Aston Hall from 1954 until the 1970s, a report and pay £315,000 to South Yorkshire Police, which was called in at 0104am and the fire was under Novelist Guy by grime act Novelist and Lost and body. There are now only three surviving British by Derbyshire police claims. carried out the search, to reimburse its court costs. control by 0501am, a statement said. Found by R and B artist Jorja Smith. female World War II pilots. NHS facing May at Royal Welsh Show deepening staffi ng crisis, data reveals

Guardian News and Media and claimed that widespread London workforce shortages were com- promising the safety and qual- ity of care. “The government’s he NHS is facing a deepen- total mismanagement of the NHS ing staffi ng crisis as hospi- workforce has left huge numbers Ttals report growing short- of posts unfi lled and unaccept- ages of doctors, nurses, midwives ably puts patients at risk. A series and therapists, offi cial fi gures of poor decisions from unfair pay have revealed. Vacancies across restraint, cuts and incompetence the NHS in England for those key from ministers have created these groups of health professionals are enormous staffi ng shortages,” said running at the highest level since Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow records began three years ago, ac- health secretary. cording to NHS Digital statistics “The cuts to bursaries (for released yesterday. trainee nurses and midwives) have NHS care providers, mainly driven down the numbers of stu- Prime Minister Theresa May visits the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd, Wales, yesterday. The Royal Welsh Show is the largest agricultural show in Europe. hospital trusts, tried to recruit dents applying for health degrees 69,408 nurses and midwives in the while the government’s chaotic six months between October 2017 handling of Brexit has put off in- and March this year, the latest creasing numbers of desperately NHS vacancy fi gures show. That needed medical staff from coming was up on the 64,127 for the same to the UK to care for our sick and six-month period in 2016-17 and elderly,” he added. a big increase on the 57,964 in the Janet Davies, the chief executive same six months in 2015-16. of the Royal College of Nursing, Similarly, the number of vacan- said: “It’s very worrying that the cies for doctors and dentists has number of vacant posts for nurses Heatwave sparks travel risen from 18,105 between October and midwives has increased more 2015 and March 2016 to 20,339 in than those for any other type of the same six months in 2017-18, clinical staff , with almost 35,000 though the latter number of un- vacant posts for nurses and mid- fi lled roles is fewer than the 21,278 wives advertised in the fi rst three that were advertised in that period months of this year, an increase of in 2016-17. 1,800 on the previous year. chaos, toxic air warning The number of vacancies for al- “They bear out what patients, lied health professionals – includ- their families and our own surveys The Daily Mail wave as Mayor Sadiq Khan issued “When I fi rst got on it felt like I it’s a hellhole train fi rst thing. in the capital as it turns into an ing physiotherapists and occupa- repeatedly tell us – that there just London a toxic air warning and suburbs could barely breathe.” What a nightmare.” Student Joe “urban heat island”. The most tional therapists – also rose from aren’t enough nurses to provide were put on red alert for high lev- Luca Azzani, 30, who works Gaspero, 19, said: “I have lived in vulnerable may be elderly people 16,159 in 2015-16 to 18,328. The safe care. But with the number els of ozone. in fi nance recruitment, was at Colombia. I thought that was bad living at home, often alone, or in number of healthcare scientists of applications to nursing degree trike action and overcrowd- Temperatures of 37.6C were re- Lancaster Gate station at 4.34pm but this is just crazy hot.” nursing and residential homes, has also risen signifi cantly over the courses having dropped by almost ing on the transport net- corded on Wednesday night on a when humidity was 48%. He said: Emma Pyle, 42, who took a slow the MPs said in the report. same period, from 3,109 to 4,044. a third in the two years since the Swork yesterday piled misery Southeastern train from Victoria “It’s like the Sahara down here.” train to Waterloo from Teddington The Commons environmen- However, vacancies for admin- government removed funding for on Londoners battling with one of that had no air conditioning. Pas- Passengers on South Western as her usual route was axed by the tal audit committee said that in a istrative and clerical staff have nursing students, the serious risk the hottest July days on record. senger Martin Langdon said: “I’m yesterday morning expressed strike, said: “The heaters that run heatwave in 2003 the number of not changed. There were 35,465 in is that we will soon see fewer nurs- As temperatures soared to- not sure you transport livestock in their anger at the industrial ac- along the bottom of the carriages “excess” deaths in London was 2015-16 and 35,552 in the most re- es on wards and in the community, wards 35C, rail passengers suf- these temperatures.” tion, which will result in another had been left on and the tempera- 40% higher than normal. cent six months, according to NHS not more,” she added. fered “hellhole” conditions as The Evening Standard recorded seven days of action until the end ture was crazy. Having heaters on The Mayor’s pollution alert was Digital’s latest quarterly fi gures for NHS Digital’s fi gures showed more than 500 trains were can- temperatures of 36.1C on the Cen- of next month. during the hottest day of the year sparked by the combination of posts that health service organi- that 87,478 vacancies were adver- celled in a walkout on South tral line as passengers complained Some commuters brandished so far is just irresponsible.” toxic air, extreme high tempera- sations tried to fi ll by advertising tised in the NHS between Janu- Western Railway. As packed serv- of “unbearable” conditions dur- fans, while others doused them- At Paddington, First Great tures, emissions from the Con- them on NHS Jobs, the main web- ary and March this year. In March ices went through Clapham Junc- ing the evening rush hour. selves with water. Anita Springer, Western handed out ice lollies. tinent and a lack of cloud cover. site they use when seeking new alone some 28,998 posts were ad- tion to Waterloo at 8am, one pas- Air humidity on the Tube peak- 38, a human resources worker, Sorbets were given to patients at Khan said: “This is the second recruits. vertised, though that was down on senger shouted: “It’s blinking hot, ed at 57%, with travellers com- said: “It’s appalling. We pay a lot Epsom and St Helier hospitals. time in six months that we have Labour blamed the govern- the 30,613 NHS bodies sought to I’m frying.” paring the stifl ing heat to a sauna. of money for our tickets and are A report from MPs stressed that had to use the high alert system ment’s handling of the NHS for fi ll in the same month a year ear- MPs warned that London was Federica Bison, 24, who was squashed on like sardines. I didn’t the death toll from soaring tem- and shows just why air pollution the rising number of unfi lled posts lier. most at risk from the killer heat- on the train at Queensway, said: sleep because of the heat and then peratures was likely to be greater is a public health crisis.”

Royals at polo match UK’s largest gold nugget MP accused of lying over speeding charge found in Scottish river The Daily Mail showdown which destroyed his po- London litical career. Onasanya was elected to the House of Commons last year Guardian News and Media is off the Richter scale.” in my lifetime.” He has stored after she defeated Conservative London The unnamed man, who is in the nugget in a safety deposit Labour rising star faces Stewart Jackson. She served in the his 40s, found the nugget two box. Found gold and silver is ruin after she was accused powerful party whip’s offi ce and years ago, but the exact location usually classed as belonging to Aof perverting the course was quickly welcomed into Jeremy n amateur prospector had been kept secret to avoid a the crown, and it is not clear of justice by trying to escape a Corbyn’s inner circle. has discovered the UK’s gold rush. whether the fi nder has received speeding charge. Fiona Onasanya, Onasanya faces two charges as Alargest gold nugget while permission to remove it. 34, who holds the marginal seat of part of a tangled web of claims sur- lying face down in a Scottish “I would say it is worth The largest gold nugget pre- Peterborough, allegedly attempted rounding alleged attempts to ma- river. at least £50,000 but, as viously found in British waters to blame someone else for the of- nipulate the speeding fi ne system. The man, who has chosen to it’s rarer than an Aston was discovered in Cornwall in fence. The former lawyer, who She is accused of attempting to remain anonymous, described Martin or a Faberge egg, 1808 and weighed 59g. scraped in by just 607 votes, is pervert the course of justice dur- how he found the 85.7g (3.02oz) a billionaire could easily Interest in Scottish gold is also accused of trying to help her ing an inquiry into a speeding of- lump of gold through a proc- come along and pay a lot booming, according to Kirk, brother avoid another ticket just fence she committed on July 24 last ess known as sniping, in which more for it” who runs gold panning courses weeks later. year. Prosecutors claim she falsely a snorkel is used to search the at the Museum of Lead Mining Onasanya, whose win was one of informed Cambridgeshire police riverbed. “I was following a crack in in Wanlockhead, Dumfi es and the biggest upsets of the 2017 elec- that another man had been behind Named the Douglas Nugget, the bedrock and found around Galloway, one of Scotland’s three tion, will appear at the Old Bailey the wheel. it is thought to be the biggest 2g in fi ne gold,” he said. “This “gold belts”. Hundreds of people next month. Her brother, gospel According to the charge against discovered in British waters for then led to a pocket, where I attended the recent Scottish and singer Festus Onasanya, 33, is ac- her, this put the other man ‘at risk 500 years. uncovered the nugget. I called British gold panning champion- cused of the same two off ences, of prosecution and punishment’ Leon Kirk, a gold panning over my friend to have a look ships in the village. which took place within months of while allowing her to avoid it. The expert based in Dumfries and and we both assumed it to be Amateur prospectors also her taking offi ce. crime is alleged to have taken place Galloway, said the fi nd was un- around 5-7g in weight. It wasn’t head to Tyndrum in Perthshire The maximum penalty for per- between the date of the speeding precedented and that the nug- until I removed it that we real- and Helmsdale in Sutherland. verting the course of justice is life off ence and September 29. get’s rarity made it hard to put ised just how big it was. The fi rst commercial gold imprisonment. The allegations A second charge claims she in- a price on it. “I would say it is “I took off my glove and mine in Scotland received full echo the case of former Cabinet terfered with a second speeding of- worth at least £50,000 but, as picked it up, jumped out of the planning permission earlier this minister Chris Huhne who per- fence committed by her brother on it’s rarer than an Aston Martin water and screamed ‘bingo!’ year. The company Scotgold suaded his wife Vicky Pryce to ac- August 23. In both cases the pair are or a Faberge egg, a billionaire to my friend. We were both hopes to extract an estimated Prince Harry and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex arrive at a cept points on his behalf. alleged to have falsely told police could easily come along and pay stunned and couldn’t believe it. 5,700kg of gold from Cononish charity polo match in Windsor yesterday. The pair were jailed for eight that a man named Aleks Antipow, a lot more for it. Historically, it I’ve never seen anything like it mine near Tyndrum. months after an ugly crown court from Cambridge, was driving. Gulf Times Friday, July 27, 2018 9 EUROPE

Sweden prepared to seek Nato assistance Greeks seek answers DPA Lofven told journalists. Stockholm The Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) would be author- ised to seek help from the North weden’s government has Atlantic Treaty Organisation authorised the civil de- (Nato) and Nato partners until Sfence agency to request August 10, the government said. assistance for fi refi ghting air- The weather service forecast as wildfi re toll rises craft from the Nato, if needed, cooler weather at the weekend to tackle raging forest fi res, the with some rainfall. Reuters Outside the coroner’s service prime minister said yesterday. Sweden has received assist- Mati, Greece in Athens, the mood was grim Speaking after the cabinet’s ance from several EU members as relatives of victims arrived to weekly session, Stefan Lofven and neighbouring Norway, in- submit information and blood said that fi refi ghting resources cluding fi refi ghting aircraft. rief became tinged with samples which could assist iden- within the European Union are EU member Sweden is not anger in Greece yester- tifi cations. stretched due to wildfi res in sev- a member of the Nato, but has Gday as rescuers searched “This is a diffi cult process, eral countries. since 1994 co-operated with the scorched land and the coastline more diffi cult than other mass Sweden has experienced a se- military alliance in the Partner- for survivors, three days after a disasters we have dealt with,” ries of large forest fi res that broke ship for Peace programme. wildfi re destroyed a small town said coroner Nikolaos Kalogrias, out earlier this month and have The main fi res were in central outside Athens and killed at least adding that the bodies of most spread quickly due to extremely Sweden, a few hundred kilome- 83 people. of the victims were completely dry and hot weather conditions. tres north of the capital in the In a nation numbed by the charred. The risk for new fi res in Swe- counties of Gavleborg, Jamtland, scale of devastation, desperate About 500 homes were de- den “remains very serious”, and Dalarna. relatives appeared on television stroyed, and the fi re brigade said to plead for information on those that there were still closed-up missing, while questions mount- homes that had not yet been ed why so many were trapped by checked. a wall of fl ame in streets with no The left-led government an- Man held for starting exit route at Mati. nounced a long list of relief “This shouldn’t have hap- measures including a one-off pened, people perished for no €10,000 payment and a job in the fi re in Spain last year reason,” a tearful woman shouted public sector for victims’ spouses at Defence Minister Panos Kam- and near relatives. menos as he visited the town and However, for many, that was AFP The blaze charred over 9,000 nearby fi re-ravaged areas. “You not enough to ease the pain. Madrid hectares (22,000 acres) of pas- left us at God’s mercy!” “A drop in the ocean,” read the ture, pine, oak and shrub land, It was unclear why there was front page of newspaper Ta Nea. and saw more than 100 people no evacuation order, with the The fi re broke out on Monday panish police said yester- evacuated from 11 hamlets before fi re brigade, local administra- at 4.57pm and spread rapidly day that they have arrested it was put out on September 3. tion, and central government through Mati, which lies fewer Sa man suspected of caus- “The damage caused by this each saying that the other was An aerial view shows a burnt area following a wildfire in the village of Mati, near Athens. than 30km (17 miles) east of Ath- ing a wildfi re that raged for two fi re alarmed the public, aff ected a responsible. ens and was popular with local weeks and forced the evacuation large area of forest, caused seri- With the toll from Greece’s “My father was the last per- multaneously from three diff er- “How is it possible to have so tourists. of more than 100 people. ous soil erosion, damaged wells deadliest wildfi re in decades son to talk to him on Monday ent locations and the way it was many lives lost and not investi- Firefi ghters described a rapid The unidentifi ed man is be- ... and endangered the lives of expected to rise further, about evening,” Katerina Hamilothori handled. gate who is responsible for such change in the direction of the lieved to have deliberately started people, local residents as well as 300 fi refi ghters and volunteers told Skai TV. “We have had no Haphazard and unlicensed town planning chaos?” said In- wind, which also picked up the fi re that broke out on August those who worked to put it out,” combed the area for the missing. news at all.” building – a known feature of frastructure Minister Christos speed, and some suggested the 21 last year in the county of La the statement said. One woman was looking for The cause of the fi re is still many areas across Greece – was Spirtzis. thick covering of pine trees and a Cabrera in the northern region Police said the man faces a her brother, who had been re- unclear, but authorities, includ- also blamed. Adding to the misery, an area mood of panic was a deadly com- of Leon, the Guardia Civil police possible jail term of up to fi ve turning from work when the ing an Athens prosecutor, were Many routes to the beach were Athens was hit by fl oods yester- bination that would have been force said in a statement. years in jail for arson. fl ames took hold. investigating how it started si- walled off . day, damaging scores of cars. hard to combat.

600 migrants storm Morocco-Spain border fence Scientists confi rm

AFP Some were caught by Spanish Einstein theory Madrid police between the double bar- rier or stuck on top, and returned to Morocco. Reuters near the supermassive black ore than 600 African Spain’s new Interior Minister Berlin hole 26 years ago. migrants reached the Fernando Grande-Marlaska said The black hole is 26,000 MSpanish territory of last month that he would “do light years away from Earth Ceuta yesterday after storming everything possible” to remove team of international and has a mass 4mn times that a double border fence with Mo- barbed wire from border fences scientists observing a of the Sun. rocco and attacking police with that surround Ceuta and Melilla, Astar in the Milky Way The scientists selected one caustic quicklime and excre- another Spanish territory on Mo- have for the fi rst time con- star, S2, to follow. ment. rocco’s northern border. fi rmed Einstein’s predictions With an orbit of 16 years, The scramble over the barbed Both territories have the Eu- of what happens to the motion they knew it would return wire-decked barrier is the big- ropean Union’s only land borders of a star passing close to a su- close to the black hole in 2018. gest in Ceuta since February 2017, with Africa, drawing migrants permassive black hole. Over 20 years, the accu- when more than 850 migrants trying to reach the bloc. Einstein’s 100-year-old racy of their instruments has entered the overseas territory The migrants scrambled over general theory of relativity improved and so in May this over four days. the fence “all of a sudden”, some predicted that light from stars year, they were able to take ex- The incident further increas- pelting offi cers with “plastic would be stretched to longer tremely precise measurements es pressure on Spain, which containers full of excrement and wavelengths by the extreme in conjunction with scientists has now surpassed Italy as the quicklime ... stones and sticks”, African migrants cheer in this still image taken from video, after they crossed the border from Morocco to gravitational fi eld of a black from around the world. number one destination for mi- the Guardia Civil police said. Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta. hole, and the star would ap- This showed the star’s orbit- grants crossing the Mediterra- They also set spray cans on pear redder, an eff ect known as al velocity increasing to more nean by boat. fi re, using them as miniature showed some migrants strad- the union said in a statement. ships rescuing migrants at sea. gravitational red shift. than 25mn kph (15.5mn mph) More than 19,580 people have “fl ame-throwers”. dling the top of the barrier. “Today demonstrated that these He insists the country is over- “This was the fi rst time we as it approached the black hole. landed on Spanish shores so far Fifteen police offi cers were in- One of them was seen stuck in problems are going to worsen if whelmed even if arrivals have could test directly Einstein’s The star’s wavelength this year, according to the Inter- jured in the violence, some sus- barbed wire, with Spanish police more Guardia Civil and anti-riot dropped by 80% compared to theory of general relativ- stretched as it sought to escape national Organisation for Migra- taining burns to their face and using cutters to release him be- and protection equipment fail to the height of the migration crisis, ity near a supermassive black the gravitational pull of the su- tion (IOM). arms. fore helping him down. arrive when the barbed wire is which erupted in 2015. hole,” Frank Eisenhauer, senior permassive black hole, shift- A spokesman for the Guardia Red Cross spokeswoman Isa- The Guardia Civil’s AEGC removed.” Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep astronomer at the Max Planck ing its appearance from blue Civil police force in Ceuta told bel Brasero said that 30 migrants union called on the government Italy used to be the fi rst entry Borrell on Wednesday criticised Institute for Extraterrestrial to red, Odele Straub from the AFP that close to 800 migrants also needed medical treatment, yesterday to clarify its “plan B” point for migrants taking boats Italy for closing that migration Physics, told journalists. Paris Observatory said. had stormed the double barrier, many of them cutting their hands to maintain security if the barbed from Libya, an unstable coun- route in a “questionable manner”. “At the time of Einstein, he The scientists now hope to which is also covered in small and legs as they scrambled over wire was removed. try where armed factions vie for He warned that more migrants could not think or dream of observe other theories of black blades, early yesterday morning the barbed wire. “We’re one of the main en- power and human traffi ckers would take the western Mediter- what we are showing today,” he hole physics, she said. from Morocco. While 16 were taken to hos- try points from the third world proliferate. ranean route to Spain as a result added. “This is the fi rst step on a Moroccan police stopped pital, the rest were sent to a mi- into Europe and none of those However, new far-right Inte- of Rome’s actions, calling on Eu- A team of scientists at the long road that the team has around 100 of them, while 602 grant arrival centre, the Guardia in charge at the interior minis- rior Minister Matteo Salvini has rope to draw up a viable, long- European Southern Observa- done over many years and managed to climb over into Civil said. try have wanted to see or resolve taken a tough stance on migra- term action plan or be faced with tory started monitoring the which we hope to continue in Spain. Local television footage the problems this is causing,” tion and denied entry to NGO “very serious problems”. central area of the Milky Way the next years,” MPE’s Rein- using its Very Large Telescope hard Genzel, who led the inter- to observe the motion of stars national team, said. Macron calls bodyguard scandal a ‘storm in a teacup’

AFP He was fi nally fi red last week. aides over the scandal. Paris Macron sought to downplay “The only person responsible the aff air yesterday. for this aff air is me,” he said, while “I’ve said what I had to say, describing Benalla’s actions as “a rench President Emmanuel which is that I think it’s a storm disappointment and a betrayal”. Macron has dismissed the in a teacup,” he told AFP on a “If they’re looking for some- Fscandal surrounding a top visit to the village of Campan in one to hold responsible, he’s security aide who roughed up southwest France. right in front of you. They can protesters as a “storm in a tea- Christian Jacob of the right- come and get me,” he added. Taxi drivers argue with the driver of a private taxi, who stopped cup”, as furious criticism from wing Republicans, who like many Two parliamentary commit- after an egg was thrown at his car, during a strike in Barcelona. his opponents showed no sign of opponents has charged Macron tees have been interrogating top abating. with displaying arrogance in his Macron aides, with the presi- Barcelona cabbies in ‘go slow’ protest The former bodyguard in response, accused the president dent’s chief of staff Alexis Kohler question, Alexandre Benalla, de- of “monarchical leanings”. the latest to take the stand before Taxi drivers tried to block access to Barcelona yesterday, the nounced what he said was a “de- This picture taken on April 12 shows Macron with Benalla as they “We’re facing a very serious the Senate yesterday. second day of a strike marked by violence against Uber and Cabify sire to get at the president” using arrive at a school in Berd’huis, northwestern France. incident – the president must Kohler acknowledged that of- drivers, who suspended their services in the Spanish city. the scandal, the most damaging explain himself before the peo- fi cials’ initial decision to punish Hundreds of taxis gathered at Barcelona’s El Prat airport, Spain’s since Macron took offi ce over a sault and impersonating a po- in Macron’s offi ce knew about ple, he cannot do it with the dis- Benalla with a two-week suspen- second busiest, and drove slowly to the port, causing a traff ic jam year ago. lice offi cer after videos emerged the incident but did not report dain and provocation with which sion may “appear insuffi cient” stretching several kilometres in the south of the Mediterranean Benalla, who was fi lmed man- last week showing him hitting a Benalla to prosecutors have he has done so thus far,” Jacob but at the time it seemed “pro- seaside city. handling May Day demonstrators protester and wrestling another prompted accusations of an at- told Franceinfo radio. portionate”. The taxi sector called a 48-hour strike after the Spanish in Paris while wearing a police to the ground during the May 1 tempted cover-up, which the Opposition lawmakers have Macron’s offi ce director government appealed a ruling approved by Barcelona authorities helmet and armband, admitted demonstration. government denies. repeatedly called on Macron to Patrick Strzoda told lawmak- that limited the number of VTC licences for Uber-style services however that he had “made a Benalla, who has said he mere- Benalla was suspended for two address the nation over the aff air. ers on Tuesday that he decided given to professional, non-taxi drivers. mistake”. ly wanted to help police bring weeks – supposedly without pay, After days of silence, he gave a there were not enough elements The ruling, which has been suspended pending a decision, “I feel like I have done some- violent protesters under control, although it emerged on Wednes- defi ant speech to members of his to justify turning Benalla over to stipulated that one VTC licence could be awarded for every 30 taxi thing really stupid,” the 26-year- insisted that he did not commit a day that he continued to draw his LREM party on Tuesday which prosecutors, not least because licences in Barcelona. old told Le Monde newspaper. crime. salary – and stripped of some of appeared to take aim at parlia- no criminal complaint had been During the first day of the strike on Wednesday, some taxi drivers Benalla was charged with as- Revelations that top offi cials his responsibilities. ment’s relentless grilling of his fi led against him. threw stones at the vehicles of Uber-style licensed private drivers. Gulf Times 10 Friday, July 27, 2018 INDIA

INVESTIGATION HONOUR CRIME CONTROVERSY COMPLAINT SC seeks report of probe Students win award at Fake cement makers Jio Institute given only AAP accuses chief secretary in Kerala priest rape case Microsoft Imagine Cup arrested in Ghaziabad ‘letter of intent,’: minister of abusing SC/STs

The Supreme Court yesterday sought a status An app to fight fake medicine has helped a Police have busted a gang of counterfeit The controversy over granting ‘Institute of A lawmaker of Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party report of police investigation into rape allegations team of Indian students from Bengaluru win a cement manufacturers and recovered Eminence’ status to Jio Institute figured in the Rajya yesterday filed a petition in a court against against five Kerala priests. The court asked police to special award at the annual Microsoft Imagine some tools, a truck and bags of fake Sabha yesterday as many members questioned the Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash for allegedly file the report within two weeks. Two of the priests Cup world championship held at the tech giant’s cement bearing the names of big brands wisdom behind ranking the yet-to-come-up institute making derogatory remarks about SC/STs at had filed petitions in the court seeking anticipatory headquarters in Redmond, US. The awards in Ghaziabad, off icials said yesterday. Two with the likes of IITs and others that have a proven a meeting convened by Chief Minister Arvind bail. Sony Abraham Varghese and Father Jaice K announced on Wednesday saw “Team DrugSafe” men were arrested from the fake cement record for decades. Human Resource Development Kejriwal. Prakash Jarwal, who represents George had approached the top court after the from R V College of Engineering win the award manufacturing site. However, two others Minister Prakash Javadekar said that Jio Institute Deoli constituency in south Delhi and himself Kerala High Court denied anticipatory bail to them under Big Data category. Microsoft Imagine Cup managed to escape. According to the police, has “only been issued a letter of intent” and not belongs to Scheduled Caste community, gave and another priest. A woman, who regularly visited is a technology competition where students from the suspects were running a factory which given the tag of Institute of Eminence. The minister’s a detailed account of how Prakash used a the Malankara Orthodox Church, has accused the around the globe team up to solve some of the brought discarded bags of cement from statement failed to convince opposition MPs. The derogatory term when asked about a solution five priests of sexually abusing her for a decade. world’s biggest problems. The team encountered Delhi, Haryana and Ghaziabad markets, minister clarified that while the three public sector to the ration distribution problem in Delhi. “I Meanwhile, former nuns, who have quit the Catholic the issue of fake medicines when one of their mixed ash and the repacked “cement” was Institutes of Eminence – IIT Delhi and Mumbai and stood up and humbly appealed to the chief ministry, have given a clean chit to a bishop accused friends showed no signs of recovery after weeks sold under big brands names, including ACC, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore – would be secretary that the Deoli constituency is facing of sexually abusing a nun, police said. According of taking a prescribed medication. Learning that JK Cement and others. Buyers were happy given Rs10bn each, none of the private institutes a severe problem of ration distribution and to the Kottayam police, the former nuns, who had nearly half of all medicines sold in India were to get the cement at lesser rates, the police would get any such funds. “The government was that the people are so poor, they depend on worked under Franco Mulakkal, the bishop of the fake, they decided to create an app that could added. The police recovered a truck, some not directly involved in the selection process and government for basic commodities,” Jarwal Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar in Punjab, authenticate medicines and trace them back to tools used for making cement, and 198 bags (monitored it) from an arm’s length. The selection said, adding that Prakash ignored his request have said he was “not a trouble-maker”. their source. of half-made and ready cement. was done by an expert panel,” Javadekar said. and refused to reply.

Protest against Rafale deal Court orders raise hopes for survivors of traffi cking

Reuters han Kapur and Joymalya Bagchi of New Delhi the Calcutta High Court cancelled the bail of a hotel owner who said she was unaware of traffi cked series of speedy legal or- girls and women being sexually ders in human traffi cking exploited on the premises. Acases in India has raised In their order, the judges ac- hopes for thousands survivors knowledged that the “menace of facing drawn-out court battles, traffi cking of women and minors but experts warn that justice re- had assumed alarming propor- mains elusive for most victims. tions,” and excoriated police for Over the past few months, failing to take action. Activists of the youth wing of the Congress Party scuff le with policemen during a protest demanding that the government disclose the details of Rafale fighter planes deal courts have handed rare life sen- “We note with grave concern with France, in New Delhi yesterday. tences to traffi ckers, denied bail the lackadaisical manner in which to another person facing charges, off ences involving commercial and ordered compensation to be sexual exploitation of women and paid to a victim even though her children like the present one are trial was still ongoing. investigated (and) prosecuted,” In a country where traffi cking Kapur and Bagchi wrote. cases are often stalled – if they They added that police must make it to court at all – some see alert anti-traffi cking units within those legal decisions as signs that 24 hours of cases being reported. judges are pushing for reform. In March, two brothel owners “The judiciary is paving the were jailed for life for the traffi ck- Three young sisters die way for a better shot at justice for ing, rape and sexual abuse of chil- survivors,” said Saji Philip of the dren in Gaya in the eastern state anti-traffi cking charity Interna- of Bihar – a rare sentence in such tional Justice Mission. cases. “Recent judgments have set In another case this month, the precedents, emphasising the Calcutta High Court said it would need to strengthen investigation, be “gross inhumanity” to delay of ‘starvation’ in Delhi denying traffi ckers easy bail and compensation for a traffi cking awarding compensation to survi- survivor, and ordered state au- Agencies wali area on Saturday with their The Delhi government has or- details of “people living in each Aam Aadmi canteen which was vors,” he said. thorities to pay up within 10 days New Delhi parents after they were forced to dered a magisterial inquiry into and every lane of the city.” promised wherein the poor Investigations, prosecutions even though her trial was not over. leave their earlier residence as the incident. Meanwhile, the Delhi Com- were supposed to get a meal for and convictions for human traf- The court’s motto now is that they could not pay the rent, po- Sisodia, who met the moth- mission for Women (DCW) Rs10?” fi cking are low in India. this “illegal business should be n autopsy showed that lice said quoting neighbours. er, said the Delhi government called the incident “extremely Maken said if people living Less than half of the more than stopped”, said Prodipto Ganguly, a the cause of death of The father was a rickshaw would take care of the woman, shocking and tragic” and asked in Sisodia’s constituency could 8,000 human traffi cking cases re- public prosecutor in West Bengal, Athree young girls in the driver whose rickshaw had re- and would ensure the best pos- the police to provide details of meet such a fate, “imagine what ported in 2016 were fi led in court which record the most cases of hu- Indian capital two days ago was portedly been stolen a few days sible treatment for her. the case by today. would be the everyday challeng- by the police, and the conviction man traffi cking of any Indian state, malnutrition and starvation, ago, leaving him unemployed, He also promised fi nancial Congress leader chief Ajay es faced by people living in other rate in those that did go to trial according to government data. police said yesterday. police said. help of Rs25,000, adding that Maken, who met the family, ex- areas”. was 28%, according to govern- He applauded recent “land- The three sisters, aged 8, 4 “The father had gone for work when the father returns, more pressed shock over the “malnu- The issue was also raised in ment data. mark” judgements, but warned and 2, were brought dead to before the incident and has not help will be provided. trition deaths” in the national the Lok Sabha with East Delhi Campaigners said the reported that fi ghting traffi cking cases in a hospital in eastern Delhi on returned since. The mother is “The death of three girls in the capital, which has the highest MP Maheish Girri calling it a cases represent only a small frac- court remains challenging. Tuesday by their mother. mentally unstable,” Delhi Dep- national capital due to whatever per capita income in the coun- failure of Kejriwal and demand- tion of incidents of traffi cking “The accused often get bail eas- “The autopsy report suggests uty Chief Minister Manish Siso- reason – poverty or starvation try. ed the removal of AAP-led Delhi throughout the country. ily, victims are threatened and the children died due to health dia said in a Twitter post. – is a matter of great concern “Despite being here for such government. Likewise, the recent court forced to change their testimonies complications related to mal- “The postmortem indicates for all of us,” Sisodia said after a long time the family did not Girri also wrote to President judgements should be kept in and this makes getting a conviction nourishment and starvation,” the children died 12-18 hours meeting the mother. have a ration card. How could Ram Nath Kovind requesting perspective, said Sarfaraz Ahmed diffi cult,” Ganguly said by phone. said Pankaj Kumar Singh, a dep- before they were brought to “If the deaths happened due the elder daughter who went to him to immediately dismiss the Khan, author of Sex Traffi cking Khan noted that victims who uty police commissioner. the hospital. The postmortem to poverty or if it happened due school die of malnutrition and “incompetent and ineffi cient” and the Law. recently received justice were Singh said that were no injury showed no trace of food in their to starvation or any other dis- starvation despite midday meals Delhi government as it “has “These verdicts give us con- backed by advocacy groups. marks on the children’s bodies stomachs... they had likely not ease, it is the failure of our sys- being provided in the school?” completely failed to discharge fi dence but they are 0.1% of the “In all other cases, the victim is and the police did not suspect eaten for seven to eight days,” tem,” he said. he asked. its responsibility”. total cases,” he told the Thomson an outsider in the judicial process, any foul play. Amita Saxena, medical super- Sisodia asked the Planning Slamming Chief Minis- Delhi BJP president Manoj Reuters Foundation. unaware and often revictimised, The children had moved into a intendent at the Lal Bahadur Department to have all the data ter Arvind Kejriwal’s govern- Tiwari also demanded the dis- This month, judges Ravi Kris- he said. slum in eastern Delhi’s Manda- Shashtri Hospital said. on education, health and other ment, he said: “Where was the missal of the government.

Magsaysay award for Indian Truckers’ strike hits commodity supplies doctor, education reformist Ganatra, adding “traders are not Reuters Mumbai able to move the cotton sold and IANS ers, and referrals. Shraddha’s students pass the national college payments are stuck due to non- Manila free custodial care and treatment matriculation exams. movement of yarn”. ranges from personal hygiene, In 1988, after earning his en- nation-wide truckers’ China, Bangladesh, Vietnam medical check-ups, psychiatric gineering degree, Wangchuk strike in India entered its and Pakistan are the main buyers Mumbai-based doctor, treatment, to appropriate medi- founded the Students’ Educa- Aseventh day yesterday, of Indian cotton. who set up a rehabilita- cation – all done in the open, tion and Cultural Movement of disrupting movement of essen- Supply of vegetables like on- Ation foundation to rescue healing environment of the Kar- Ladakh (SECMOL) and started tial commodities such as grains ions and potatoes has fallen in big mentally-ill persons living on jat facility,” the board of trustees coaching Ladakhi students, 95% and vegetables, and hurting cot- cities including the fi nancial cap- the streets and a widely known noted in a statement. of whom used to fail the govern- ton trade in the world’s biggest ital Mumbai and national capital Ladakhi engineer and education Sonam Wangchuk, who in- ment exams. In 1994, with Wang- producer of the fi bre, industry Delhi. reformist are among the six per- spired actor Aamir Khan’s char- chuk in the lead, “Operation New offi cials said. Some vegetables such as pota- sonalities named for this year’s acter in Three Idiots, has been Hope” (ONH) was launched to All India Motor Transport toes have become costlier, but the Ramon Magsaysay Award. recognised for “his uniquely sys- expand and consolidate the part- Congress (AIMTC), a leading rise is modest for now as traders Bharat Vatwani, who has been tematic, collaborative and com- nership-driven educational re- truckers’ body, began an indefi - have left-over stock, said a Mum- recognised for “his tremendous munity-driven reform of learning form programme. nite strike from July 20 demand- bai-based trader. courage and healing compassion systems in remote northern India, “Taking a life of its own, to date ing reduction in central and state “That inventory is now deplet- in embracing India’s mentally- thus improving the life opportu- ONH has trained 700 teachers, taxes on diesel by bringing the ing. If the strike continues for a affl icted destitute”, started an nities of Ladakhi youth, and his 1,000 VEC leaders, and dramati- fuel under the ambit of the na- few more days, then prices will informal operation of bringing constructive engagement of all cally increased the success rate of tionwide Goods and Service Tax. rise sharply,” the trader said. mentally-ill street persons to sectors in local society to harness students in matriculation exams “The shipment of cotton has Potato prices in Delhi have their private clinic for treatment. science and culture creatively for from just 5% in 1996 to 75% by stopped, leading to non-fulfi l- risen 29% in a week, according Vatwani established the Shrad- economic progress, thus setting 2015,” the board of trustees said in ment of obligations by the ex- to data compiled by the National dha Rehabilitation Foundation in an example for minority peoples the statement. porters resulting in the problems Horticulture Research and Devel- 1988, aimed at rescuing mentally- in the world”. The Ramon Magsaysay Award, of cancellation and delayed ship- opment Foundation. ill persons living on the streets; Wangchuk was a 19-year-old recognised as Asia’s premier ment,” said Atul Ganatra, presi- A top offi cial said the govern- providing free shelter, food, and engineering student at the Na- prize, is now in its 60th year of dent of Cotton Association of ment shared the opinion that psychiatric treatment; and reu- tional Institute of Technology in “honouring greatness of spirit India. fuel prices should be included niting them with their families. Srinagar when he went into tu- and transformative leadership in Cotton ginning factories were in GST but added that truckers “Their rescue work has been toring to fi nance his schooling selfl ess service to the peoples of A truck driver cleans the windscreen of his truck at Fulbari truck on the verge of closure because cannot hold the government to aided by the police, social work- and help woefully unprepared Asia”. terminus, on the outskirts of Siliguri in West Bengal yesterday. of the lack of raw material, said ransom. Gulf Times Friday, July 27, 2018 11

LATIN AMERICA

TRAGEDY CRIME DISCLOSURE DECISION OFFBEAT Paraguay minister, Gunmen in Mexico shoot Chile reports hack of Brazil activist group’s Water frog in lovelorn deputy die in plane crash six dead at funeral 14,000 credit cards Facebook pages removed race against clock

Paraguay’s agriculture minister and a deputy Gunmen burst into a funeral parlour in Mexico Hackers gained access to some 14,000 credit Facebook has taken down a network of Romeo the water frog, a social media star whose minister were among four people killed in and opened fire on mourners, killing six and card numbers in Chile and published them pages and accounts used by a right-wing desperate need to mate has not been met, is an airplane crash, rescuers said yesterday. wounding four, authorities said. No arrests were on social media, the government said. The Brazilian activist group, cracking down on now staring down extinction as stoically as an The four were travelling in a light aircraft immediately made after the assault in the town government’s bank regulatory agency said what it called a misinformation network amphibian can. Romeo is the last known frog of that crashed Wednesday evening near the of Uruapan in western Michoacan state, which the hack was carried out by a mysterious ahead of elections in October. Facebook said his kind — a Sehuencas water frog. And he has Argentine border. The dead were identified is situated along a Pacific coast drug traff icking group called the Shadow Brokers, known in a statement that it deactivated 196 pages been fruitlessly calling for a mate from his tank as Agriculture Minister Luis Gneiting, deputy route to the US. Police set up checkpoints for hacking the NSA in the US in 2016. In and 87 accounts in Brazil for their part in “a at the Cochabamba Natural History Museum for livestock minister Vicente Ramirez, civil around the city, the state government said. this case the hackers published the credit co-ordinated network that hid behind fake years on end. Unable to hook him up with a local, servant Luis Charotti and pilot Gerardo Lopez. Local media said the people shot had been card numbers, expiration dates and security Facebook accounts and misled people about his minders in February launched a global call Gneiting was returning to the capital Asuncion mourning the death of a young man whose codes. Banks scrambled to cancel the cards. the nature and origin of its content, all for the for help finding a Juliet for the little guy with a after visiting his terminally ill mother, who body was found in a park earlier Wednesday. The banks affected by the attack included purpose of sowing division and spreading purposeful, gold-specked stare. About $25,000 died on Thursday just hours after her son. Michoacan used to be the turf of a powerful Santander, Itau, Scotiabank and Banco de misinformation.” The statement did not was raised to help with the campaign — but so The twin-engine plane had taken off from the drug cartel called the Caballeros Templarios, Chile. They notified clients of the intrusion. identify the pages or users involved, and a far, months have come and gone without so southern fishing town of Ayolas on Wednesday and is now a theatre of operations for smaller The government did not say what the Facebook representative declined to identify much as a solid lead. So his lonely croak goes afternoon but crashed soon afterward. drug traff icking cells. potential financial loss was. them. unanswered. Anti-Maduro paper clings on as pressure intensifi es

Reuters coverage for public criticism. Caracas Maduro’s supporters have as- sailed the paper as biased and ac- cuse it of trying to precipitate his hree hours before Vene- ouster. El Nacional denies this zuela’s El Nacional news- and says it accurately covers the Tpaper goes to print, a current crisis. bare-bones staff of 20 journalists The paper says the report it toils in its vast newsroom, sur- published in January 2015 was rounded by empty desks. correct. A poster on a wall warns em- In May, the US Treasury sanc- ployees not to steal toilet paper tioned Cabello, freezing his as- while another asks for medicine sets and imposing a travel ban, for a reporter’s mother, as the and said in a statement he had scarcity of basic goods that has organised drug shipments from forced over a million people to Venezuela to Europe and shared leave Venezuela also takes its toll the profi ts with Maduro, who is on the country’s last independ- also under US sanctions. ent national newspaper. A suit brought by Cabello Printing the paper has become against the Wall Street Journal a daily struggle, its editors say. in 2015 for reporting his alleged Currency controls imposed links to drug traffi cking was dis- by the Venezuelan government missed by US courts. are strangling imports, mean- A spokeswoman for Dow President Nicolas Maduro holds a bank note of the new Venezuela’s currency Bolivar Soberano (Sovereign Bolivar) as he speaks during a meeting with ministers at Miraflores ing newsprint, ink and printing Jones, which publishes the Jour- Palace in Caracas, Venezuela. equipment are scarce. nal, said the newspaper did not Now, however, El Nacional face any legal action in Venezuela fi nds itself at a potentially per- related to that reporting. ilous juncture after President In June, a tribunal in Cara- Nicolas Maduro’s top lieutenant cas ordered El Nacional to pay successfully sued for defamation Cabello the 1bn bolivars he de- in a Venezuelan court. manded in 2015 for libel for Diosdado Cabello, head of publishing the ABC story. Due Venezuela’s powerful Constitu- to hyperinfl ation, that is worth Caracas to lop fi ve zeroes ent Assembly, sued El Nacional just $300 today but the court in 2015 after it re-published an said it should be adjusted for article from Spanish newspaper price rises. ABC reporting he was under in- As the central bank has not vestigation by US authorities for published infl ation data for three drug traffi cking. years, it is unclear how high the from ailing currency Cabello has denied any in- fi nal award might be but accord- volvement in the drug trade. He ing to Cabello it could potentially Reuters provided lavish subsidies while backed cryptocurrency called the The country’s high infl ation was not ready for the measure. says there is no proof against him amount to hundreds of millions Caracas enforcing strict price controls. petro, without off ering details. rate has made it nearly impossi- Maduro has now proposed an and the accusations are aimed at of dollars. Annual infl ation in June Cryptocurrency experts have ble to obtain cash. overhaul to the currency crimes tarnishing his reputation. “I swear to you I will make you topped 46,000%, according to said the petro suff ers from a lack Venezuela’s minimum wage is law in order to improve the fl ow While pro-government news- pay,” Cabello said on his weekly enezuela will remove fi ve the opposition-run Congress. of credibility because of a lack of now about the equivalent of $1 of foreign investments. Econo- papers like Ultimas Noticias state TV show in June, referring zeroes from the bolivar The IMF said this week it confi dence in Maduro’s govern- a month, which has left citizens mists routinely identify the ex- operate freely in Venezuela, El by name to El Nacional’s owner Vcurrency rather than the could hit seven digits this year, ment and the mismanagement across the country unable to eat change controls as a major hin- Nacional often fi nds itself in the Miguel Henrique Otero, who re- three zeroes originally planned, putting it on par with the crises of the country’s existing nation- properly or obtain basic medi- drance to economic growth. crosshairs of Maduro’s ruling cently emigrated to Spain. President Nicolas Maduro said of Zimbabwe in the 2000s and al currency. cal care — fuelling an exodus of The issue will be taken up by Socialist party. Cabello showed a mocked-up in an eff ort to keep up with infl a- Germany in the 1920s. The government has said it is Venezuelans seeking to escape the country’s all-powerful Con- El Nacional’s independent front page of El Nacional enti- tion projected to reach 1mn per- “The monetary reconversion the victim of an “economic war” the economic crisis. stituent Assembly, Maduro said. reporting and headlines docu- tled “The Wall Street Furrial”, cent this year. will start on August 20,” Maduro led by opposition leaders with The government had been He also said he was transfer- menting power cuts, allegations named after his hometown of El The Opec nation’s economy said in a televised broadcast, the help of Washington, which prepared to cut three zeroes off ring a concession bloc of the of electoral fraud and strikes by Furrial, fuelling speculation by has been steadily collapsing since showing new bills that are to be last year levied several rounds of the currency in June but post- vast Orinoco heavy oil belt to desperate workers have prompt- pro-government legislators that the 2014 crash of oil prices left it released next month. He said the sanctions against Maduro’s ad- poned the measure at the re- the central bank, which he said ed senior government leaders to he would seize the newspaper if unable to maintain its socialist overhaul would tie the bolivar ministration and a group of top quest of banking industry lead- would help shore up the bank’s regularly single out El Nacional’s it could not pay the fi ne. economic system that for years to the recently launched state- offi cials. ers who said the fi nancial system international reserves.

US curbs on left-wing Subdued celebrations Latam govts attacked for Fujimori birthday AFP hostility towards the left had “re- Santiago de Cuba, Cuba awakened euphoria among our enemies who dream of destroying AFP shocks of political life, the enor- 25-year sentence for graft and the Cuban example.” Lima mous satisfactions and the pro- crimes against humanity, will be ormer Cuban president Dressed in military uniform, found regrets,” he wrote. published this year by the Planeta Raul Castro yesterday ac- Castro was speaking at an event Since gaining his freedom publishing house, his family said. Fcused the US of tightening marking the 65th anniversary eruvian ex-president Al- seven months ago after a pardon The charge of crimes against “the noose” around his country, of a guerrilla attack on a mili- berto Fujimori turns 80 to- by then-president Pedro Pablo humanity stemmed in part from Venezuela and Nicaragua but tary barracks seen as the start Pmorrow – his fi rst birthday Kuczynski, Fujimori, an engineer the killings or disappearances of vowed to “respond to every chal- of the Cuban revolution against in 12 years out of prison – with his and mathematician by training, scores of civilians — allegedly lenge.” US-backed dictator Fulgencio children, and the nation, sharply has retired to write, to tend to his by a shadowy squad of military “For us, the same as for Ven- Batista. divided over his political legacy. garden – a special passion – and offi cers — during Peru’s bloody ezuela and Nicaragua, it’s very Raul Castro, who is 87, as- “Let history judge my suc- to spend time with his four chil- struggle against Maoist rebels. clear that the noose is tightening, sumed the Cuban presidency af- cesses and my errors,” Fujimori dren and two granddaughters. The son of Japanese immi- and our people need to be ready to ter Fidel stepped down for health wrote in a message sent ahead of “In the few years I have left,” grants, Fujimori was born 80 respond to every challenge with reasons in 2008. his birthday. Fujimori explained in his hand- years ago in Lima on July 28, the unity, resolve, optimism and un- He in turn handed over the Fujimori said he was com- written text, “I will dedicate my- day Peruvians celebrate their in- wavering faith in the victory,” presidency to Miguel Diaz-Canel forted by the conviction that he self to three objectives: bringing dependence in 1821 from Spain. Castro said. in April. had laid a solid foundation for a my family together, improving “Taking a long-term view, it Those three countries – all cur- Bilateral US-Cuban relations country that would “fi nally reach my health to the extent possible, seems he is one of the most in- rently subject to US sanctions – had improved since Raul came to its destiny, which is to be a leader and striking a serene and bal- fl uential presidents of the 20th are among the last bastions of far power, with full diplomatic rela- in Latin America.” anced equilibrium in my life.” century — not one of the best but left governance in Latin America tions restored in 2015 — they had His birthday, which he said The few photos he or his family one who left the biggest mark,” amid a general trend to the right been dissolved in 1961 after Cuba would be austerely celebrated, have posted on social networks journalist Luis Jochamowitz in recent years. fostered close ties with the com- will fi nd him living alone in a show a tired and fragile-looking writes in Citizen Fujimori, an un- Since Donald Trump’s election munist Soviet Union. rented house in Lima. Fujimori, possibly depressed — authorised biography. as US president, relations with Cuba has been run as a single- He has been working on a far from the image of the pow- “Unlike other successful Cuba have deteriorated after a party socialist or communist memoir about his decade in pow- erful autocrat he projected while politicians, Fujimori actually historic rapprochement under his state since Batista was ousted in er (1990-2000), a period marked ruling Peru with an iron hand. has something to show: having predecessor Barack Obama. January 1959. by corruption but also by a fi ght He does not socialise. solved problems dealing with Cuban former president and first secretary of the Cuban Castro, the brother of late rev- Castro said the US-led block- against guerrillas and terrorism. Fujimori’s memoirs, which he terrorism and the economy,” so- Communist Party, Raul Castro (left) attends the celebrations of the olutionary hero Fidel, said the re- ade of Cuba had “intensifi ed...in “I have reached 80 bearing the began writing out by hand in his ciologist and political analyst Moncada Barracks assault’s 65th anniversary, in Santiago de Cuba, turn of right-wing governments particular the persecution of our marks of the years, with all the Lima jail while serving part of a Carlos Melendez said. eastern Cuba, yesterday. in the region and Washington’s fi nancial transactions.” Gulf Times 12 Friday, July 27, 2018 PAKISTAN Thousands of expatriates fl ew home to cast votes

Internews vote from all these regions were port base because of a number of in London, which local PML-N relatives in Pakistan to vote for The PPP UK leader Mohsin be greater in number than those Islamabad supporters of the Pakistan Te- factors. leaders from all over the UK at- the PTI. Bari said he was personally aware followers of other parties, but the hreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pa- Most of its key leaders left for tended. PML-N UK’s acting president of “more than 50 activists” from PML-N has caught up fast in the kistan Muslim League – Nawaz Pakistan months ago to be in Nearly 400 attended the event Shakoor Khan said that “hun- the UK have gone to Pakistan. last four years. housands of overseas Pa- (PMLN), with a small number their constituencies, while PML- where Sharif announced his plan dreds of PML-N activists from “Our activists have gone to Followers of both parties have kistanis fl ew home to cast backing other parties such as the N UK leader Zuabi Gull has been to return to Pakistan. the UK are in Pakistan to support Sindh and Punjab to campaign been bitterly opposing each other Ttheir votes – mainly from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and in Pakistan for Senate elections, The PTI’s London president the PML-N in elections”. for the PPP candidates. I know and supporting narrative of their Middle Eastern countries, Eu- religious groups. which he narrowly lost. Mian Waheedur Rehman said He added: “I returned to Paki- many activists who are from Po- parties round the clock. rope, and North America – for Election activity was seen in Former prime minister Nawaz that “hundreds” of activists re- stan with Nawaz Sharif myself, tohar, and they campaigned for A clear division of ideas and the bitterly fought contest that the UK, where the PTI held many Sharif and his daughter Maryam turned to Pakistan in their home and since then I have been cam- Raja Pervaiz Ashraf … many have narratives has been on display, has divided Pakistanis like never events to raise funds and to or- Nawaz were in London prior to constituencies to vote. paigning in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa gone for Yusuf Raza Gilani and mainly on social media. before. ganise awareness events. the election, and most of the He said that PTI supporters (KP) for the PML-N. majority have gone to Sindh.” Followers of Imran Khan have The biggest number of Paki- These events were held in Lon- PML-N supporters in the UK saw the July 25 elections this as “We have faced huge diffi cul- The general elections saw a been seen as condemning “cor- stanis returning was from Mid- don, Birmingham, Manchester, were seen coming to the Harley the “last opportunity” to change ties running the election cam- clear division between Pakistanis ruption” and calling for “Naya dle Eastern countries, followed Luton, Glasgow, and other small- Street Clinic on daily basis to the fate of Pakistan. paign, and it started (going) overseas as “battles” were fought Pakistan”, while PML-N sup- by European countries, led by the er cities. meet their leader. Rehman said that those who against us months ago, but we online. porters countered by pointing United Kingdom. The PML-N did not hold any Prior to Sharif’s return to Pa- were not able to return to Paki- came to Pakistan to play our role The PTI’s overseas supporters out failings of the PTI govern- Most of those who returned to event abroad to mobilise its sup- kistan, a major event was held stan convinced their friends and for democracy.” on social media are believed to ment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Twitter fl ooded 2018 poll better than with voters’ selfi es and experiences

Internews “#ECP has failed to invest in Karachi any training – Presiding Offi cers in 2013: EU mission and APOs (assistant presiding offi cers) seem to be clueless. In Internews He said that according to his witter was fl ooded on 45 C it’s taking 30 mins to cast ur Islamabad assessment, the army was de- Wednesday with people vote once inside with a wait out- ployed under a code of conduct Tfrom across the country side of 2-3 hrs. No water to drink. and was strictly following it. sharing selfi es outside polling Unfair to put people through this he chief observer of the Gahler also visited a polling stations or while grabbing free ordeal to exercise their right to European Union Election station and posed a number of coff ee, mocktails and cupcakes. vote.” TObservation Mission to questions to presiding offi cer Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Pakistan, Michael Gahler, has Muhammad Yousuf, a faculty chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zard- (PTI)’s Asad Umar tweeted: “Pa- said that apart from a few inci- member at the Federal Urdu Uni- ari shared a selfi e from his of- kistanis have won the toss and dents of terrorism, the overall versity. fi cial Twitter account and said: elected to bat.” situation of the general election Earlier, while visiting Is- “Voted! Every vote counts.#Dem Inter-Services Public Rela- was satisfactory. lamabad Model College for Girls ocracyistheBestRevenge.” tions director general Major “Our observers visited as F-6/2, the EU offi cial said that as His sisters, Bakhtawar and General Asif Ghafoor praised the many as 300 polling stations in many as 60 EU observers were Aseefa, posted a selfi e with their people of Pakistan and the armed 87 constituencies and I have per- working across the country, apart father Asif Ali Zardari in front forces for their work on polling sonally visited four polling sta- from Baluchistan and the Feder- of a portrait of their mother and day: “Thank you fellow Pakista- tions. Though we will release our ally Administered Tribal Areas former prime minister Benazir nis. World has seen your love and preliminary report on Friday and (Fata). Bhutto. respect for Pak Armed Forces and a detailed report will be released “We have observed smooth Bakhtawar tweeted: “Pres LEAs (law enforcement agencies) later after assessing the overall polling and many of our rec- #Zardari just voted in #Nawab- today. U hv rejected all kinds of situation, there is improvement ommendations seem to be im- shah – once victorious will be- malicious propaganda. We are as compared to the previous plemented and the security come a member of the National strong because we have your election held in 2013,” he told re- situation seems improved. How- Assembly of Pakistan and will unfl inching support. Our lives porters in Islamabad. ever, we condemn the incident of be joining @BBhuttoZardari in are dedicated to Pakistan and its He said that as many as 50 rec- Quetta where people who were #Parliament inshAllah.” People. Pakistan wins again!” ommendations were given by the electing their future leadership Former Punjab chief minister Kashmiri leader Mirwaiz Umar mission after the 2013 polls, out was attacked,” he said. and Pakistan Muslim League – Farooq tweeted about how the of which 36 were implemented or “This is a deplorable and cow- A resident reads morning newspapers on display at a newsstand in Islamabad yesterday, a day after the Nawaz (PML-N) president She- Kashmiris were following elec- included in the electoral law. ardly attack on a day when voters general election. hbaz Sharif shared a photo of his tions in Pakistan: “Elections in When asked about complaints across Pakistan should be casting mother who had come to cast her #Pakistan being keenly followed from some political parties that their ballots in a peaceful envi- lies, and the people of Pakistan,” a polling station in Quetta on “This attack must not under- vote supporting one son while in Kashmir in spite of Govt’s they were not given a level play- ronment, without fear or hin- he said. Thursday, in which at least 31 mine the democratic exercise the other is currently in prison. recent ban on Pakistani News ing fi eld, Gahler said that the drance,” Gahler added. Meanwhile, the chairman of people were killed and many oth- currently under way in Pakistan. He tweeted: “The beauty of channels here. People in #Kash- mission could not get access for “Violence must not under- the Commonwealth Observer ers were injured. We continue to stand in solidar- democracy, exercising power of mir wish and pray for a strong a month, due to which it was mine the elections and the dem- Group, General Abdulsalami A He off ered condolences to the ity with the people of Pakistan the ballot, it was a moving mo- and stable Govt there.” mostly depending on media re- ocratic process. Our thoughts are Abubakar, condemned the sui- grieving families and hoped for today as they exercise their [right ment to see my esteemed mother Senator Sherry Rehman of ports. with the victims and their fami- cide attack that occurred near quick recovery of the injured. to] franchise,” he said. going all the way to cast her vote the PPP tweeted: “Really good in a wheel-chair. Her prayers are to see sisters coming out in big- Former wife hails a source of strength to all of us in ger numbers to vote than before! the family, particularly in these This is the fi rst most crucial step Khan’s ‘tenacity’ trying times.” to becoming stakeholders in de- Transgender community ‘faced pushback’ Former foreign minister Hina mocracy. Hope they can all get The British ex-wife of former Rabbani Khar took to Twitter to in to vote before deadline shuts Pakistan cricket captain Imran share her polling experience. down polling. Appealed to ECP Khan hailed his “incredible lesson Activist says that transgender Commission of Pakistan (ECP) were not allowed inside polling people could get national iden- “My salute to the people of to accommodate all voters in in tenacity” after he declared community members who hired transgender observers for stations despite having offi cial tity cards as a “third sex”. #Pakistan saw old women un- long lines. victory in the country’s elections. were hired to help out at the fi rst time. identifi cation. The transgender community able to walk properly, younger “At the PPPCentralElection “Twenty-two years later, after polling stations were not While Pakistan is deeply con- “We, as observers, were given was counted in the national cen- women carrying their infants Cell we r fl ooded with over 250 humiliations, hurdles and allowed into the premises servative and homosexuality is identity cards by the election sus for the fi rst time last year, standing under scorching sun, complaints from all the provinc- sacrifices, my sons’ father is illegal, the country has approved commission, but we were still recording 10,418 in a population disabled men walking towards es about irregularities in polling. Pakistan’s next PM,” tweeted By Roli Srivastava and laws giving transgender people not allowed inside,” Riaz told the of about 207mn, although many the polling station. They r fulfi ll- The biggest worry at this hour is Jemima Goldsmith, who was Meka Beresford, Reuters better rights than in many other Thomson Reuters Foundation. said this was too low. ing their duty. My salaam to their the large numbers of voters left Khan’s wife from 1995 to 2004. Mumbai/London nations including issuing its fi rst She said that no transgender Charity Trans Action Paki- commitment #Election2018.” out of polling stations, especially “It’s an incredible lesson in passport with a transgender cat- people were allowed to vote in stan estimates there are at least Khar earlier tweeted: “Just women, where the turnout is tenacity, belief and refusal egory last year. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – one of 500,000 transgender people in cast my vote for #NA183 – things high but polling too slow.” to accept defeat,” Goldsmith akistan’s transgender com- However, transgender turnout Pakistan’s four provinces where the country. looking superb for #PPP candi- Journalist Benazir Shah tweet- wrote. “The challenge now is munity faced pushback at remained low at Wednesday’s there was a spate of transgender Qamar Naseem, founded of date #RRK- but shocked at gross ed something she overheard at to remember why he entered Pthe country’s general elec- poll and observers faced diffi cult attacks in 2016 – because their the transgender organisation mismanagement complete lack a polling station: “Overheard politics in the first place. tion on Wednesday as fi ve trans- work environments which the All identity cards did not match the Blue Veins that trained the elec- of following legal requirements a voter complaining about not Congratulations.” gender candidates failed to win Pakistan Transgender Election gender they presented them- tion observers, told the Thom- by presiding offi cers. fi nding his polling station: ‘Vote Goldsmith’s tweet was backed by offi ce and transgender observers Network blamed on the Election selves as. son Reuters Foundation that the “Our #polling agent was ko izzat dene gaya tha bezzat hou Geoff Boycott, one of England’s and voters were blocked from Commission’s “failure to under- “However, we do not wish to country needed better educa- thrown outside saying they are ke ageya’.” most famous cricketers, who polling stations, campaigners stand the unique obstacles”. just sit back. We want to partici- tion on transgender people to not allowed in. Was asked to Earlier, she tweeted: “My played against Oxford-educated said. The ECP did not respond to a pate in the electoral process. This improve attitudes towards the speak to someone – apparently mother has been to three poll- Khan in the English league and in The transgender commu- request for comment. is our democratic right,” said community. the RO (returning offi cer). Ex- ing stations already. Since no international matches. nity had hoped the July 25 ballot Transgender observer Farzana Riaz. “The struggle has to continue, plained that legally they r al- address was provided, and two “Brilliant tweet @Jemima_Khan, would be a step towards greater Riaz said she and about 25 other Transgender rights became the learning has to continue and lowed in. Point being – where r separate polling stations named I agree,” Boycott said. “Great acceptance after 13 transgender colleagues hired to make sure prominent in Pakistan in 2009 society has to learn to accept the the instructions coming from? in her 8300 message, she just captain, great cricketer, great candidates fi led papers to run polling station staff treated disa- when the Supreme Court of Pa- transgender community,” Na- And why is the LAW not being gave up and went home. Thank man. I hope he does well.” in the election and the Election bled and women voters with care kistan ruled that transgender seem said. followed. you ECP.”

Highest number of mountaineers Islamabad the cheapest, Quetta most ascend K2 peak last weekend expensive city in Pakistan: report Internews cluding Japan, China, Ireland, A US team comprising 22 Islamabad the US, and Poland. members, headed by Garrett Internews The main consumer price and non-food infl ation of 9.8%. 2.1% in the same period of 2017. However, one of them did not Madison, has also ascended the Karachi index infl ation for the country Analysts attribute increas- Infl ation in Lahore rose to survive. peak. rose to 5.2% in June, compared ing cost of living in the major 5.2% from 4.9%. record-breaking number Nazir Sabir, head of a tour In a message posted by the with 3.9% in the corresponding cities to sustained increment In Peshawar, the infl ation re- of climbers have ascended company, said that Japanese leader of the USA International slamabad has been ranked month of last year. in the weighted contribution of corded at 4.8%, compared with Athe world’s deadliest peak, climber Kojiro Watanabe, 41, had K2 Expedition 2018, Madison as the cheapest city among The State Bank of Pakistan food group and non-food group, 3.2% in June last year. K2, over the weekend. died while descending the peak. said: “We reached the summit Ifi ve major cities in Pakistan, (SBP), in its infl ation monitor, which is comprised of cloth- The State Bank expects the As of Tuesday, a total of 63 He fell around 8,300m during of K2 today!! Second highest where the consumer price index published on Tuesday, stated ing and footwear, housing, wa- average CPI infl ation to be in the mountaineers scaled the peak, of descent about 6pm in the Bot- mountain in the world! We had a infl ation (CPI) was recorded at that consumer price index in- ter, electricity and other fuels, range of 6-7% in the current fi s- which 31 had ascended on Satur- tleneck, a well-known challeng- beautiful day. We left high camp 4.5% year-on-year in June 2018, fl ation on year-on-year basis in transport, education, and oth- cal year. day while 32 climbers summitted ing area. about 9pm and got to the summit compared with 5.0% a year ago, federal and provincial capitals ers. Higher fi scal defi cit, food in- K2 on Sunday. The climber was accompanied about 6.30-7am. All members according to the central bank. of Pakistan showed mixed trend Nonetheless, the prices of fl ation reverting to its normal The number of mountaineers by fi ve Japanese teammates, but were on top.” Quetta emerged as the costli- during June 2018. food and non-food items wit- behaviour, unfavourable trend to summit the peak is expected to his body has not yet been recov- Renowned mountaineer Alan est city of the country with re- Food infl ation for Islamabad nessed a declining trend in the in international oil prices, and rise as more climbers are on their ered. Arnett said July 22 saw another gard to cost of living. was 3.1% and non-food was least expensive city listed above. lagged pass-through of rupee way. According to Nazir Sabir, it is 32 summits on K2, taking the The highest infl ation was ob- 5.5%. The State Bank’s report also depreciation will contribute to The 63 climbers, who were the highest record of climbers to total for 2018 to 63, adding that served in the provincial capital The State Bank’s report revealed that infl ation for the higher consumer price index on four diff erent expeditions, summit K2 so far and the number it was the biggest year for the of Baluchistan at 9.3%. It was showed that Quetta saw the biggest and port city, Karachi, infl ation in FY19 (fi nancial year belong to various countries, in- will increase. world’s second highest peak. 2.7% in June 2017. highest food infl ation of 8.5% was 4.8% in June compared with 2019). Gulf Times Friday, July 27, 2018 13 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH A duty mankind owes to Allah

ilgrims to Makkah have begun fi lling the sky with talbiyyah (declaration of answering the call to Haj) and takbeer (declaring Allah’s greatness). They Pcome from all corners of the earth, east and west, to fulfi l this awesome obligation. Allah the Most High says: And Haj to the House (Al-Ka’aba) is a duty mankind owes to Allah, those who can aff ord the expenses and whoever disbelieves, then Allah is not in need of any of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn, and all that exists). [Ale-Imraan 97] Also His statement: And perform properly the Haj and the ‘Umrah for Allah. [Al-Baqarah 196] And fi nally: And proclaim to mankind the Haj. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant mountain highway. [Al-Haj 27]. Dear Muslims, Haj is one of the fi ve pillars of Islam. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: Islam is founded upon fi ve pillars: The declaration that there is no true deity worthy of worship besides Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, the performance of prayer (salaah), giving zakaat (due alms), fasting in the month of Ramadan, and pilgrimage (Haj) to the inviolable House of Allah for whoever has the means. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Is a duty for every Muslim who is able to hurry to the fulfi l the Haj before falling into sin. The Messenger of Allah stated: Hasten to the Haj because none of you knows what will happen to him. [Ahmed]. It is narrated from Abdur-Rahman Ibn Saabit: Whoever dies without having performed the Haj and there was no debilitating illness as an obstacle nor unjust ruler or some overwhelming necessity preventing him, would die in the state of either a Jew or a Christian. [This statement is considered a da’eef (weak) hadith but it is supported by a similar statement by ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattaab and therefore known to have a sound origin according to Al-Haafi z Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaani in Talkhees Al-Kabeer] It is narrated by Sa’eed ibn Mansour that Umar Ibn al- Khattaab (radiallahu ‘anhu) said: I have considered sending a man to the various cities to see whoever has the means but has not made the Haj to then impose the jizyah (a tax imposed upon non-Muslim subjects in an Islamic state). They are not Muslims. They are not Muslims. Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: There is not a expenditure is a means to get closer to Allah. The Prophet is unacceptable.”’ Al-Mundhri says: “This is reported by It is therefore a duty for you my brother or sister day when more slaves are freed from the Hellfi re than on the (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: Verily deeds are judged At-Tabarani in Al-Awsat, and also by Al-Asbahani in a Muslim to fulfi l this great obligation when it is easy at Day of Arafah. [Muslim] and motivated by intention and verily every person shall get mursal hadith from Aslam, the freed slave of ‘Umar bin al- this time for you to do so, and all praise is due to Allah. Be happy and fi nd comfort and prepare for the meeting what they intended. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Khattaab.” Don’t let the Shaitaan cause you to sit and be overtaken with Allah the Glorifi ed and Majestic, and benefi t from 3. Learn The Rites of Haj And ‘Umrah And Related by procrastination and be distracted by some desire. Ask your time by doing that which will benefi t you in the next Issues: Learn the conditions of Haj and its obligations, It is said in a poem: yourself...How long will you delay it? Till next year? Who life and it will then be cause for joy at the time when no its pillars and sunnah or supererogatory aspects to the When you make Haj with wealth whose origin is unlawful knows what condition you will be in next year? Think of the amount of wealth nor progeny will avail you. The Day when point that you can worship Allah with insight clarity and You have not made a Haj but a Haj of no consequence generations and how they used to trek to the Haj for months the records will be made to fl y and hearts will be trembling knowledge and you will also avoid errors which may spoil Allah accepts not except all that is virtuous. Not all who to reach the Ancient House! and transformed and you will see people as though they your Haj. Books on Haj are plentiful and easy to obtain. Your make the Haj to the House of Allah are successful The benefi ts of Haj are tremendous and its reward is are drunken however they will not be ... rather it will be the local mosque may have preparatory classes as well. 7. Choose Righteous Companions: They will be good glorious. It combines both physical and material forms of intense punishment from Allah. 4. Leave Plenty Of Provisions For Your Family And for you during travel for they will remind you of what you worship. The former due to the undergoing any hardship, Dear brothers and sisters, work for this world to the extent Advise Them To Have Fear Of Allah (Taqwaa): It is may have forgotten and inform you of what you may not exertion, fatigue, strain, harsh conditions and travel. The needed to live in it, but work also for the Hereafter in order obligatory for whoever intends to make Haj that they leave know and look out for you and show you brotherly love. latter is due to the expenditure the pilgrim makes for and to live in it. Don’t put things off when death is indeed before adequate provisions for those whose maintenance they are They will consider all of that as an act of worship gaining during the Haj. you and sickness stops you or you become engulfed in work. responsible for of money, food, and drink. One should be them nearness to Allah the Mighty and Majestic. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) Instead, escape from all that and seek Allah’s aid and depend confi dent that their family is safe and sound and not left in 8. Adhere To The Etiquette Of Travel: Make those said: From ‘Umrah to ‘Umrah is an expiation for what occurs upon Him and be among those who are answering the call to a situation of trial or danger. It is highly recommended (and supplications that are well known, such as the supplication between the two (i.e. sins), and there is no reward for the Haj and remembering Allah’s greatness this year. many scholars say obligatory) to have one’s will prepared of travel and the takbeer when ascending to a high point and accepted Haj other than Al-Jannah. Also he (sallallaahu My brother or sister Muslim: If Allah has already opened before travelling. the tasbeeh (Subhaanallah – glorifi cation of Allah as free ‘alaihi wa sallam) stated: Whoever makes Haj and neither your breast and you have decided to perform the Haj for His 5. Sincere Repentance To Allah For All Sins And of all perfection) when descending in a valley, along with quarrels or commits indecency will return home like the day sake and the reward of the Hereafter, I remind you of the Disobedience: Allah, Who is free of all imperfections, supplications when stopping at places along the road etc. his mother gave birth to him. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] following matters: states: And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, 9. Mentally Prepare For The Haj: Just as important The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) strongly 1. Ask Allah For Guidance And Advice (Al- that you may be successful. [An-Noor 31] True repentance as preparing physically you should prepare to make urged increasing one’s obedience and adherence between Istikhaarah and Al-Istishaara): The one who seeks (At-Taubah) is when one renounces all his or her sins and psychological adjustments to deal with the hardships, toils the Haj and the ‘Umrah for he said: Make the Haj and the guidance will not fail, nor will the one who seeks advice disobedience to Allah and His Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alaihi and inconvenience of traveling and Haj and consider all of it ‘Umrah follow each other closely, for they remove poverty regret it. Seek the guidance of Allah regarding the wa sallam) and discontinues doing them and feel truly as good to be added to your scale of deeds. There are those and sins as a blacksmith’s bellows remove impurities from appropriate time, transportation and companions for remorseful for those past ill deeds and is determined not to who just complain and mumble about the heat, the food, iron, gold and silver; and Haj which is accepted gets no less your journey. The Istikhaarah prayer is to perform two return to them. If someone else’s rights have been violated the long trip... Haj is not a vacation or recreational activity! a reward than Paradise. [Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2524 Narrated units (rak’atain) of prayer and afterwards supplicate to they must be given back their rightful possessions or made Know that the highest type of patience, and the type that by Abdullah ibn Mas’ud ; Umar ibn al-Khattaab. Tirmidhi Allah saying the supplication of Al-Istikhaarah which is as amends with no matter what the violation may have been. is most greatly rewarded, is patience in the obedience of and Nasa’i transmitted it, and Ahmad and Ibn Maajah follows: O Allah, I consult You as You are All-Knowing and 6. Use Only Lawful (halaal) Funds: Funds that were Allah. Even with all the transportation and road facilities, transmitted it from Umar up to “from iron.”] I appeal to You to give me power as You are Omnipotent, I lawfully earned so that nothing sinful may touch your some hardship and toil will remain. Don’t nullify your deeds He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) also said in a hadith ask You for Your great favour, for You have power and I do Haj. It may be that you Haj is accepted but tainted with dear pilgrim by mentioning all you have done or irritations that enlivens the feelings and hurries you on: From ‘Umrah not, and You know all of the hidden matters . O Allah ! If you some sin from some other way. It is stated in a hadith and petty annoyances and driving away other Muslims by to ‘Umrah is expiation for all that occurs between them (of know that this matter (then he should mention it) is good of the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) your hand or your tongue. You must apply kindness and sins) and the accepted Haj has no reward other than Al- for me in my religion, my livelihood, and for my life in the where he said: As soon as a pilgrim sets out for Haj with a compassion. Jannah. [Muslim] Hereafter, (or he said: ‘for my present and future life,’) then provision which is lawful, and puts his foot in the stirrup 10. Lower The Gaze From What Allah Has Made Along with this great reward is the fact that the days of make it (easy) for me. And if you know that this matter is not (rides his mount) and calls out: ‘O, Allah! Here I am in Haraam To Look At: Be conscious and fear Allah regarding Haj are few. So don’t hesitate and undervalue this chance good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my life in the response to Your call,’ an announcer answers him from those things which are unlawful. You will be in holy places while the means to travel are much easier compared to Hereafter, (or he said: ‘for my present and future life,’) then the heavens above, saying: ‘Your call has been heard; you of tremendous religious signifi cance, so hold your tongue past days and you live a life of relative plenty. Favors call keep it away from me and take me away from it and choose are a happy one; your provisions are lawful, your mount is and control your limbs so that your Haj is not a sinful or for gratitude and life is for the purpose of worshipping what is good for me wherever it is and please me with it.” lawful and your pilgrimage is free of sin and acceptable.’ false one that will be a burden upon your back on the Day of Allah. Don’t delay further or procrastinate and receive the [Al-Bukhari] But, if his provisions are unlawfully gained, and he puts Resurrection. good tidings as one of the delegations of Ar-Rahmaan (the 2. Purify Your Intention To Perform The Haj For his foot in the stirrup and calls out: ‘O Allah! Here I am in May Allah accept our obedience and adherence and Most Merciful), Allah, who has called them and they have Allah Alone: It is incumbent upon the person undertaking response to Your call,’ an announcer from the heavens above excuse us of our shortcomings and make for us and our answered Him and He has given to them. the Haj to intend their Haj and ‘Umrah for the sake of answers him back, saying: ‘Your call is not accepted; nor Muslim parents those through whom forgiveness is granted Receive the glad tidings of a great day in which there will pleasing Allah alone and attaining the reward of the are you welcome; your food is unlawful; your provisions from among the pilgrims answering the call this year and in be many false steps and slips of the tongue forgiven for the Hereafter. This, so that all one’s actions and speech and are unlawful; and your pilgrimage is not free of sin and the years to come. A history of Haj aj literally means ‘to set out for a present themselves before Allah in the same after this long period, the time came for the achievements were all stopped. Instead, Allah through the Qur’an was that of setting off for Haj place’. Islamically, however, it refers to condition they were born. Their prayer became supplication of Ibraaheem to be answered: told them: without taking any provisions for the journey. the annual pilgrimage that Muslims devoid of all sincere remembrance of Allah “Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger “And when you have completed your rites In the pre-Islamic period, some people who Hmake to Makkah with the intention of and was instead reduced to a series of hand of their own, who shall recite unto them your [of Haj] then remember Allah as you remember claimed to be mutawakkiloon (those having performing certain religious rites in accordance clapping, whistling and the blowing of horns. aayaat (verses) and instruct them in the book and your forefathers; nay with a more vigorous complete trust in Allah) would travel to perform with the method prescribed by the Prophet Even the talbiyyah* was distorted by them the Wisdom and sanctify them. Verily you are remembrance.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:200) Haj begging food the whole journey. They Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). with the following additions: ‘No one is Your the ‘Azeezul-Hakeem [the All-Mighty, the All- Competitions in generosity were also considered this form of behaviour a sign of piety Haj and its rites were fi rst ordained by Allah partner except one who is permitted by you. Wise].” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:129) prohibited. Of course, the feeding of the poor and an indication of how much faith they had in in the time of the Prophet lbraaheem [Abraham] You are his Master and the Master of what he Sure enough, a man named Muhammad ibn pilgrims was still encouraged as this was done Allah. However Allah told mankind that to have (‘alaihi-s-salaam) and he was the one who was possesses’. ‘Abdullaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was in the time of Ibraaheem but Allah commanded suffi cient provisions for the journey was one of entrusted by Allah to build the Ka’aba – the Sacrifi ces were also made in the name of God. born in the very city that Ibraaheem (AS) had that the slaughtering of the animals which was the preconditions for making Haj. He said: House of Allah – along with his son Ismaa’eel However, the blood of the sacrifi ced animals was made this supplication centuries earlier. For done for this purpose should be done seeking the “And take a provision [with you] for the [Ishmael] at Makkah. Allah described the Ka’aba poured onto the walls of the Ka’aba and the fl esh 23 years, the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu pleasure of Allah rather than fame and the praise journey, but the best provision is at-Taqwaa and its building as follows: was hung from pillars around the Ka’aba, in the ‘alaihi wa sallam) spread the message of of the people. He said: (piety).” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:197) “And remember when We showed Ibraaheem belief that Allah demanded the fl esh and blood Tawheed [true monotheism] – the same message “So mention the name of Allah over these In this way, all the pre-Islamic practices, which the site of the [Sacred] House [saying]: Associate of these animals. that Ibraaheem and all the other Prophets came animals when they are drawn up in lines. Then, were based in ignorance, were abolished and Haj not anything [in worship with Me and purify Singing, drinking, adultery and other acts with – and established the law of Allah upon when they are drawn on their sides [after the was once more made a model of piety, fear of My House for those who circumambulate it of immorality were rife amongst the pilgrims the land. He expended every eff ort into making slaughter], eat thereof and feed the beggar who Allah, purity, simplicity and austerity. Now, when [i.e. perform tawaaf] and those who stand up and the poetry competitions, which were held, the word of Allah supreme and his victory over does not ask, and the beggar who asks.” (Surah the pilgrims reached the Ka’aba, they no longer for prayer and those who bow down and make were a major part of the whole Haj event. In falsehood culminated in the smashing of the al-Haj 22:36) found the carnivals and the frolic and frivolity prostration [in prayer, etc.].” (Surah al-Haj 22:26) these competitions, poets would praise the idols inside the Ka’aba which once again became As for the deplorable practice of spattering that had once occupied the minds of the pilgrims After building the Ka’aba, Ibraaheem would bravery and splendour of their own tribesmen the universal centre for the worshippers of the blood of the sacrifi ced animals on the walls of there before. Now, there was the remembrance come to Makkah to perform Haj every year, and and tell exaggerated tales of the cowardice and one True God. the Ka’aba and hanging their fl esh on altars, then of Allah at every step and every action and every after his death, this practice was continued by miserliness of other tribes. Competitions in Not only did the Prophet rid the Ka’aba of Allah clearly informed them that: sacrifi ce was devoted to Him alone. It was this his son. However, gradually with the passage of generosity were also staged where the chief of all its impurities, but he also reinstated all the “It is neither their meat nor their blood that kind of Haj that was worthy of the reward of time, both the form and the goal of the Haj rites each tribe would set up huge cauldrons and feed rites of Haj which were established by Allah’s reaches Allah, but it is Taqwaa (piety) from you paradise, as the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa were changed. As idolatry spread throughout the pilgrims, only so that they could become Permission, in the time of Ibraaheem. Specifi c that reaches Him.” (Surah al-Haj 22:37) sallam) said: “The reward for an accepted Haj is Arabia, the Ka’aba lost its purity and idols were well-known for their extreme generosity. injunctions in the Qur’an were revealed in order The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) nothing less than paradise.” [Saheeh al-Bukhari] placed inside it. Its walls became covered with Thus the people had totally abandoned to eliminate all the false rites which had become also put a stop to the practice of circling the May Allah grant us all the ability to visit His poems and paintings, including one of Jesus and the teachings of their forefather and leader rampant in the pre-Islamic period. All indecent Ka’aba in a state of nudity and the argument that House and perform the Haj in the manner of his mother Maryam and eventually over 360 Ibraaheem. The House that he had made pure and shameful acts were strictly banned in Allah’s the pagans put forward to justify this ritual was the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa idols came to be placed around the Ka’aba. for the worship of Allah alone, had been totally statement: sharply rebutted in Allah’s question: sallam). During the Haj period itself, the atmosphere desecrated by the pagans and the rites which “There is to be no lewdness nor wrangles “Say: Who has forbidden the adornment [i.e. Footnote: Labbaik Allaahumma labbaik... around the sacred precincts of the Ka’aba was he had established were completely distorted during Haj.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:197) clothes] given by Allah which He has produced (Here I am present, O’ Allah, I am present...) like a circus. Men and women would go round by them. This sad state of aff airs continued for Competitions among poets in the exaltations for His Slaves?” (Surah al-A’raaf 7:32) This is the chant which the pilgrims say when the Ka’aba naked, arguing that they should nearly two and a half thousand years. But then of their forefathers and their tribesmen’s’ Another custom which was prohibited they are going around the Ka’aba. Gulf Times 14 Friday, July 27, 2018 COMMENT

CHAIRMAN Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka 27-07-2018 Deputy Managing Editor K T Chacko P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar [email protected] 44350478 (News), 44466404 (Sport), 44466636 (Home delivery) 44350474 facebook.com/gulftimes twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar GULF TIMES Fear-mongering on immigrants is un-American

Two recent stories about heinous crimes allegedly committed by people living in America illegally have again prompted immigration hard-liners to mischaracterise such migrants as a menace to public safety. The crimes at issue are indeed serious, but the suspects’ immigration status has little to do with their criminal acts. One man in San Francisco stands accused of posing as a Lyft driver to rape female ride-hailers, and another man in Whittier has been charged with taking a chainsaw to his wife, who somehow managed to survive the horrifi c attack. The alleged Stress testing China’s rapist is from Peru; the alleged chainsaw-wielder is from Mexico, and had been deported back there 11 times since 2005, Immigration and Customs Enforcement offi cials told reporters. To suggest that these men refl ect the threat posed by people living in America illegally, however, is just as ridiculous as suggesting that Timothy McVeigh (who perpetrated the system reform approach 1995 Oklahoma City bombing) illustrates the threat posed by US Army veterans. A number of studies have found that By Andrew Sheng and Xiao Geng of systemic corruption and, second, industries, and addressing the large local and global market conditions. immigrants – whether in America legally or not – commit Hong Kong structural reforms to address social volume of non-performing loans – all Competition among fast-growing crimes at lower rates than do native-born Americans. In fact, imbalances that threatened stability while continuing the fi ght against cities tapping their own comparative one study of people living in Texas found that immigrants who and growth. corruption. advantages – for example, those are undocumented commit fewer crimes than legal immigrants. he historian Wang Gungwu So President Xi Jinping launched It also means tapping the massive of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay recently observed that, an anti-corruption campaign, and consumption potential of China’s Area, including Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Some hardliners shrug off that reality and argue that an whereas the West thinks in the government invested in areas internal market, which includes the Guangzhou, Foshan, and Dongguan – individual crime would not have occurred if the perpetrator Tterms of ideologies, China has like infrastructure, research and world’s largest and highest-saving has generated system-wide resources in had been kept out of the country. But that argument doesn’t long thought in terms of systems. development, technological education middle class. capital stock, income fl ow, know-how persuade. It echoes the death penalty advocates who say In today’s age of rapid and profound and re-skilling, and the social safety Critically, because the external trade and institutional innovation, which executions might not deter others from killing, but executing change – characterised, in particular, net. challenge aff ects the coastal areas were used to address legacy problems in by a fundamental shift in America’s Such reforms were intended to more than the inland areas, structural the less dynamic regions. a convicted killer deters attitude toward the rest of the world protect China’s own systemic stability, adjustment policies need to be tailored In this age of complex and dynamic that particular person from – China’s system reform approach is while contributing to the growth of the to accommodate diff erent local change, China needs to sustain the America’s killing again. That’s no way being put to the test. entire global system. conditions. systemic but localized approach that to frame policy. Under President Donald Trump, the Unfortunately, China’s eff orts are Contrary to the dictates of has enabled its unprecedented growth identity and Violent criminals living in United States seems to have abandoned now increasingly being characterised neoliberal ideology, a one-size-fits- and development, and that means America illegally shouldn’t its seven-decade-old commitment as “mercantilist” and “predatory,” all “best practice” approach cannot continuing to promote constant economy are to the rules-based multilateral order, providing an excuse for punitive bring better results than localised adaptation at the national, provincial, be in the country, and the embracing bilateral deal-making measures, like Trump’s tariff s. “best fit” policies. and municipal levels. inextricably tied government is right to track instead, guided by an “America First” These new external pressures This is confi rmed by history: globally, The one proven systemic response them down and seek their agenda. prompted China to adjust its reform the best-performing economies, like to development challenges has been to immigration deportation. But holding up This includes a willingness to make momentum in order to reduce its the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, and to allow internal competition across individual violent crimes just about any excuse for unilateral economy’s vulnerability to disruptions many Scandinavian economies, have regions and enterprises to boost as a broad indictment of immigrants does nothing to suggest action, such as large trade tariff s, in the supply of critical technology, been those that adapted universal external competitiveness. against other countries, in order to resources, and fi nance. principles to develop policies that That will remain true, no matter how a solution for the problem of illegal immigration. That the please domestic constituencies. But China’s adjustment faces a refl ect national, regional, and local unpredictable US policy becomes. chainsaw assailant had been deported nearly a dozen times is This approach adds a new layer of dilemma. conditions. Andrew Sheng is Distinguished evidence that border enforcement needs to be more eff ective uncertainty to any negotiation, not least A slowdown in reforms may This is also true of China during its Fellow at the Asia Global Institute at (and no, a wall running the length of the border will not help). because the Trump administration’s negatively infl uence the economy and reform era, where development has the University of Hong Kong and a It is not evidence that people living in America under the radar decision to change the global rules of escalate the lose-lose trade war. been driven largely by local-level policy member of the UNEP Advisory Council pose a public safety risk. The vast majority of immigrants, the game is not particularly promising To withstand the current stress test, innovation and gradual adaptation to on Sustainable Finance. – Project for the US itself. China may instead need to accelerate its global standards and rules. Syndicate regardless of their legal status, are in America trying to improve After all, US-owned companies, reforms to reduce internal imbalances, Chinese provinces and cities have their lives and those of their families. which have long extracted the most increase consumption, and contribute been empowered to experiment with zXiao Geng, President of the Hong Kong But such facts do not deter the hardliners from using one- value from global supply chains, will be to global demand and stability. diverse approaches to development and Institution for International Finance, is off criminal acts to tar immigrants, part of a continuum of the biggest casualties of a trade confl ict. This means eliminating excess to adjust bureaucratic structures and a professor at Peking University HSBC xenophobia that helped propel Donald Trump to the White Moreover, as the US has discovered capacity, closing down polluting government interventions to address Business School. during its long history as the world’s House. biggest market, consumption and soft The reality is that America’s identity and economy are power go hand in hand. inextricably tied to immigration. Yet, today, the US faces severe Immigrants have founded some of America’s most successful constraints when it comes to and highest-employing companies. Six of last year’s Nobel stimulating domestic consumption, Prize winners in physics, chemistry and medicine are rooted in factors like massive inequality, fi scal and debt constraints, political immigrants living and working in the United States. Since 2000, polarisation, and the imperative to at least 33 of the 85 American Nobel winners were immigrants normalise monetary policy. to this country. But immigrants exert infl uence far beyond For China, the situation is also the ranks of Fortune 500 executives and Nobel laureates. challenging, not least because the West They include the people who plant and harvest crops, staff now regards virtually all of its domestic assembly lines, build and maintain houses, and work in or policies as geostrategic machinations. But China’s leaders do have the tools own restaurants. In short, they are crucial cogs in America’s to overcome the obstacles ahead. economic engine. The most important tool is precisely A country has the right, of course, to determine who gets the systemic mindset that has shaped to cross its borders and how long they may stay. But the fear- decision-making for millennia, mongering propelling the anti-immigrant attitudes from the protecting the country’s complex White House not only rises from a blinkered sense of what economic, social, and political arrangements from internal corrosion America is as a country and a society, it imperils both. – and external threats. Tribune News Service Consider the reforms undertaken since 2012. At the Communist Party of China’s 18th National Congress, To Advertise China’s leaders recognised that the demographic dividend was fading, [email protected] owing to population ageing, and that Display the “opening up” dividend (arising from increased external trade and 44466621 44418811 investment) was losing value as well. Addressing this challenge required Classified giving the market a more decisive role 44466609 44418811 in resource allocation. After all, according to neoliberal Subscription ideology, all other things being equal, the market would naturally optimise [email protected] economic processes. All the state had to do was ensure that those other things were indeed equal. Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched an anti-corruption campaign, and the government has invested in areas like © 2018 Gulf Times. All rights reserved This demanded, fi rst, the eradication infrastructure, research and development, technological education and re-skilling, and the social safety net. Gulf Times Friday, July 27, 2018 15 COMMENT Summing up the Trump summits

By Richard N Haass take, but the potential for surprise is Future administrations will feel New York kept to a minimum. less bound by agreements they knew Summits have mostly been nothing about, making the United occasions to formalise what has States less consistent and reliable over S President Donald Trump’s already been largely agreed. time. summits with North Korean But Trump has turned this sequence This last set of risks is exacerbated leader Kim Jong-un in around. by Trump’s penchant for one-on-one USingapore and Russian Summits for him are more engine sessions without note takers. President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki than caboose. This was the case in both Singapore are history, as is the G7 summit in The summits with both Kim and Helsinki. Quebec and the Nato summit in and Putin took place with minimal Interpreters in such meetings are no Brussels. preparation. substitute. But already there is talk of another Trump prefers free-flowing Interpreters must translate not only Trump-Putin summit in Washington, sessions in which the written words, but also nuances of tone, to DC, sometime later this year. outcome can be vague, as it was in communicate what is said. Some 30 years after the end of Singapore, or non-existent, as it was But they are not diplomats the Cold War, a four-decade era in Helsinki. who know when an error requires often punctuated by high-stakes, This approach holds many risks. correction or an exchange calls for high-level encounters between The summit could blow up and end clarifi cation. American presidents and their Soviet in recrimination and no agreement. The absence of any authoritative, counterparts, summits are back in This has been a consistent mutually agreed record of what was fashion. characteristic of Trump’s meetings said and agreed to is a recipe for It should be noted that the word with America’s European allies. future friction between the parties “summit” is imprecise. Moreover, a summit that ends without and mistrust among those not It can be used for high-level a detailed written accord may initially present. meetings of friends as well as foes. seem successful, but with the passage of To be clear, the problem is not with Summits can be bilateral or time proves to be anything but. summits per se. multilateral. Singapore falls under this category: History shows they can defuse crises And there is no widely accepted claims that the summit achieved North and produce agreements that increase rule about when a meeting becomes a Korea’s commitment to denuclearise co-operation and reduce the risk of summit. are increasingly at odds with a reality confrontation. More than anything, the term that suggests Kim has no intention There is a danger, though, in conveys a sense of signifi cance that of giving up his country’s nuclear expecting too much from summits, exceeds that of a run-of-the-mill weapons or ballistic missiles. especially in the absence of suffi cient meeting. Helsinki has the potential to be even preparation or follow-up. The principal reason summits are worse, as there is no written record of In such cases, summits merely back is that they constitute Trump’s what, if anything, was discussed, much increase the odds that diplomacy will favoured approach to diplomacy. less agreed, during Putin and Trump’s fail, in the process contributing to It is not hard to explain why. two-hour, one-on-one discussion. geopolitical instability and uncertainty Trump views diplomacy in personal A third risk of summits that produce rather than mitigating it. terms. Trump and Putin at the recent Helsinki summit. vague or no agreements is that they At a time when the risks to global He is a great believer in the idea breed mistrust with allies and at home. peace and prosperity are numerous (however debatable) that relationships Trump embraces summitry for a what he wanted in small meetings with ranking offi cials have narrowed or South Korea and Japan saw their enough, such outcomes are the last between individuals can meaningfully number of related reasons. partners or rivals. eliminated disagreements. interests compromised in Singapore, thing we need. – Project Syndicate shape the relationship between the He is confident that he can Trump has also introduced The summit itself tends to be a and Nato allies fear theirs were set countries they lead, even transcending control, or at least succeed in, such several innovations into the tightly scripted aff air. aside in Helsinki. zRichard N. Haass is president of sharp policy diff erences. a format. summit formula. Agreements and communiqués have With members of Congress and even the Council on Foreign Relations He is of the world of stagecraft more Much of his professional career Traditionally, summits are been mostly or entirely negotiated, and the executive branch in the dark about and author of A World in Disarray: than statecraft, of pageantry more than before entering the White House was scheduled only after months, or even are ready to be signed. what was discussed, eff ective follow- American Foreign Policy and the Crisis policy. in real estate, where he apparently got years, of careful preparation by lower- There is room for some give and up is all but impossible. of the Old Order. The economic benefi ts of family planning Three-day forecast reproductive health services, $2.20 is The Reproductive Health Supplies of consequence or cost. TODAY By Natalia Kanem Maximum Temperature : 450c New York saved in pregnancy-related healthcare Coalition, a global research and But we cannot do this alone. costs. advocacy group, estimates that Leaders in government, the private Minimum Temperature : 350c Moreover, the longer a woman waits developing countries face a $793mn sector, and civil society must join us in SATURDAY he decision to start a family to have children, the longer she can funding gap for contraception supplies working toward this ambitious goal. Maximum Temperature : 410c is one of the most important participate in the paid labour force, over the next three years. Developed countries could solve Minimum Temperature : 320c choices a person can make. thereby boosting the economic health For poor women in particular, the global family-planning funding SUNDAY It is also a fundamental and prosperity of poor communities. government-funded services are often shortfall for a mere 20 cents per person Maximum Temperature : 400c T Minimum Temperature : 320c human right; only individual adults Some governments have already the only option for safe and eff ective per year, a bargain given the projected recognised these benefi ts and are family-planning solutions. returns for individuals, families, and should have the power to decide Fisherman's forecast whether, when, or how often to allocating funds accordingly. When public programmes are not economies. conceive. In Thailand, for example, the available, the ability to plan for a In addition to increased WARNING family is weakened and the rate of spending, new policies, laws, Inshore : Expected strong wind And yet, for millions of people Ministry of Health has increased and poor horizontal around the world, this right remains its family-planning budget on the unintended pregnancies increases. and implementation of existing visibility at places unrealised. grounds that the added spending now Investment in human capital, when regulations will be needed to help Offshore : Strong wind and high More than 200mn women in will reduce healthcare costs later. accompanied by sound economic protect women and to empower young sea developing countries who want to The Thai authorities’ assessment policies and robust labour markets, couples. WEATHER delay or avoid pregnancy are not using is correct; when developing countries produces signifi cant gains for Eff orts to broaden access to family- Inshore : Hot daytime with slight modern contraception. make investments that empower developing economies. planning services and care are not new. dust to dusty at places at times Women who are poor, less young people to start a family only Fully funding the family-planning Fifty years ago, at the International Offshore : Slight dust with scat- educated, or live in rural areas can when they are ready, birth rates fall needs of poor countries would lift Conference on Human Rights held tered clouds face signifi cant economic, cultural, and the share of the working-age millions out of poverty, improve rates in Tehran, the global community WIND and institutional barriers to birth population increases relative to the of educational attainment, and help declared that “parents have a basic Inshore : Northwesterly 10-20/27 control, and often turn to dangerous dependent population. close the gender pay gap in the Global human right to determine freely KT forms of pregnancy prevention out of These so-called “demographic South. and responsibly the number and the Offshrore : Northwesterly 05-15/22 KT desperation. dividends” are forecast to be For these and many other reasons, spacing of their children.” At the Visibility : 4-8 KM If women had universal access particularly high for countries in Sub- the United Nations Population time, that idea was visionary; we now to voluntary family-planning Saharan Africa, where roughly a third Fund (UNFPA) is fully committed know that realising it is a condition Offshore : 2-4 FT, Rises to 7 FT at information and services, maternal of the population is between the ages to supporting countries’ eff orts to of successful development. – Project times Syndicate deaths could be reduced by as much as of ten and 24. uphold the right of individuals – and Around the region three-quarters and infant deaths by as Still, despite the many advantages especially women – to choose whether Weather much as a fi fth. associated with family-planning and when to have children. zNatalia Kanem is a United Nations Weather tomorrow Max/min But family planning does more than services, too many countries continue By 2030, UNFPA aims to ensure Under-Secretary-General and today Max/min Cloudy 41/28 save lives; it also saves money. to underfund this vital portion of their that women everywhere can access Executive Director of the United Baghdad Cloudy 43/28 Cloudy 44/32 For every dollar invested in healthcare systems. family-planning services without fear Nations Population Fund, UNFPA. Kuwait City Cloudy 46/33 Manama Cloudy 40/33 Cloudy 39/32 Muscat Sunny 38/32 M Sunny 39/32 Tehran M Sunny 40/27 Sunny 38/26 Live issues Mediterranean diet might help ease psoriasis

By Linda Carroll quality of life because of discomfort has been linked to heart disease as well and is provocative,” said Dr Jonathan Reuters Health and appearance. If there’s red fl aking, as conditions like psoriasis. Silverberg, an associate professor of scaling skin on the face and hands it After taking into account other dermatology, preventive medicine really gets in the way of life.” lifestyle and health factors that can and medical social sciences at the he Mediterranean diet might About 2% of the US population has raise the risk of psoriasis, researchers Northwestern University Feinberg Around the world do more than help ward off psoriasis, Ferris said. found that severe cases of the disease School of Medicine in Chicago and Weather Weather heart disease, it may also Phan and her colleagues tapped into were less likely in people whose director of the Eczema Centre at today Max/min tomorrow Max/min Thelp improve psoriasis, a new a large ongoing French health study eating habits were more similar to the Northwestern Medicine. “Other studies Athens I T Storms 29/22 M Sunny 32/23 study suggests. that had collected dietary information Mediterranean diet. have suggested a connection. So this Beirut M Sunny 29/26 P Cloudy 29/26 “Psoriasis is a chronic infl ammatory on 158,361 volunteers over two years. Compared to people whose eating would be confi rmatory of those studies.” Bangkok S T Storms 33/27 T Storms 33/26 disease triggered by environmental The researchers sent all of the habits scored lowest by Mediterranean What an observational study like Berlin P Cloudy 31/21 I T Storms 33/20 factors,” said lead author Dr study participants a link to an online diet standards, those who scored this one cannot show is whether Cairo Sunny 37/24 Sunny 36/24 Celine Phan, a dermatologist at psoriasis questionnaire. highest on Mediterranean diet the Mediterranean diet is causing Cape Town S Showers 15/09 P Cloudy 16/09 Hopital Mondor, in Creteil, France. Of the 35,735 who fi lled out the adherence were 22% less likely to have improvement or whether there’s some Colombo S T Storms 29/26 T Storms 29/26 “The Mediterranean diet, which is questionnaire, 3,557 reported they severe psoriasis, and those whose diets factor shared by people who eat this Dhaka T Storms 30/27 T Storm 30/26 characterised by a high proportion of had psoriasis, with 878 saying it was were moderately Mediterranean were way that is helping with psoriasis, said Hong Kong P Cloudy 31/28 P Cloudy 31/28 fruits, vegetables, cereals, fi sh, extra- severe. 29% less likely. Silverberg, who was not involved in Istanbul M Sunny 29/23 S T Storms 29/23 virgin olive oil, etc., could reduce Along with information on food The study found no association the new research. Jakarta Sunny 33/23 M Sunny 33/24 chronic systemic infl ammation thanks consumption, the original study also between diet and the onset of But it takes studies like this to spur Karachi P Cloudy 32/27 M Cloudy 31/27 to the anti-infl ammatory properties of collected information on lifestyle psoriasis. other researchers to do the randomised London S T Storms 29/17 S T Storms 23/16 these foods,” she said in an e-mail. and health factors, such as gender, The researchers did, however, controlled clinical trials that could Manila T Storm 29/24 T Storm 29/25 Some people seem to inherit a age, smoking habits, body mass fi nd an association between answer that question, Silverberg said. Moscow P Cloudy 30/19 P Cloudy 31/19 susceptibility to developing psoriasis, index (BMI), physical activity levels, psoriasis severity and several other Even if it’s shown that the New Delhi T Storm 30/26 S T Storm 30/26 noted Dr Laura Ferris, an associate cardiovascular disease and depression factors, including BMI, smoking, Mediterranean diet can help improve New York S T Storms 29/23 M Cloudy 29/21 professor of dermatology at the symptoms. activity levels, heart disease, high symptoms, “I doubt it would be Paris M Sunny 36/20 P Cloudy 27/17 University of Pittsburgh, who wasn’t The researchers rated volunteers’ triglycerides, high blood pressure, eff ective enough to replace the myriad Sao Paulo M Sunny 27/14 M Sunny 28/16 involved in the study. eating habits according to how closely diabetes and depression. treatment options we now use in Seoul M Sunny 35/27 S T Storms 34/26 “It’s a condition characterised by they followed the Mediterranean diet. While the study doesn’t prove clinical practice,” Silverberg said. Singapore S T Storms 31/27 T Storms 31/26 areas or patches of skin that is red and Previous studies have found the that consuming a Mediterranean diet But doctors might be able to use it Sydney Sunny 20/09 P Cloudy 21/12 thickened and scaly,” Ferris said in an diet is associated with a lower risk of will lessen the severity of psoriasis, as an add-on treatment strategy, he Tokyo Cloudy 31/23 Rain 27/22 e-mail. “It can really impair a patient’s chronic systemic infl ammation, which “it raises some interesting questions noted. Gulf Times 16 Friday, July 27, 2018 QATAR Indonesian families benefi t from

QC food aid Tamuq and Oxy Qatar off icials. atar Charity (QC) has said its offi ce in Indonesia has distributed food baskets Qto benefi t more than 3,000 families in the city of Tangerang. Qatar student team takes The distribution was carried out in co-or- dination with local authorities as part of QC’s “continuous eff orts to support vulnerable fami- lies and fi ght poverty”, the organisation said in a press statement. fi rst prize at summer school The underprivileged benefi ciary households were selected in 13 districts and 104 neighbour- hoods in the city in co-ordination with relevant team of high school stu- were always spending extra time social welfare departments. dents from Qatar designed — which shows that they loved Arief Wismansyah, the mayor of Tangerang, A and developed a digital this programme and really want to said the distribution of foodstuff s to more than road navigation system to win commit to engineering.” 3,000 Indonesian families in the city “is a gift” the award for Best Engineering The Future Engineers High Fly- for the benefi ciaries after the holy month of Ra- Research Project at the fourth ers programme was also run si- madan. annual Summer Engineering multaneously alongside SEA for He added that QC’s assistance will not stop at Academy (SEA), organised by 30 high school students in grades this point, hoping for the organisation’s support Texas A&M University at Qatar 9, 10, and 11 from Qatar. for sustainable development projects as the city (Tamuq) and sponsored by Oc- Students learned about aero- has a population of around 2mn people. cidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd nautical engineering, assembling A number of benefi ciaries expressed pleasure (Oxy Qatar). their own radio-controlled air- at getting the food aid provided by philanthro- SEA is a 10-day enrichment craft through computer-aided pists in Qatar. Food basket distribution by QC. initiative that aims to encourage design software and designing Umm Hassan, the mother of an orphaned girl young high school students to their own indoor gliders. sponsored by QC, expressed her thanks to Al- humanitarian — came in response to the needs choose educational pathways in Some of the participants of the programme. Mahmoud Esameldin Osman, lah the Almighty for the food basket that would expressed by benefi ciary communities, civil science, technology, engineering who won the Outstanding Partic- help feed her family for 25 days. society organisations and government depart- and mathematics (STEM). This will be very helpful for our amined improving fl uid fl ow for ipation Award, said: “Participat- She said that earlier she had got an Eid dress ments. More than 24 top grade-12 stu- future and applying to university.” enhanced oil recovery. ing in this programme helped me for her daughter sponsored by the charity, and He stressed that QC is always keen to co- dents, known as ‘Qatar National Mariam Alkaabi, another mem- Dr Nayef Alyafei, assistant determine what I am really inter- this was the second assistance received within operate with various stakeholders, especially to Vision Scholars’, worked with Ta- ber of the electrical engineering professor in the petroleum engi- ested in.” a month. co-ordinate with the Ministry of Health, Minis- muq on real-life research projects, group, said: “The fi rst part of the neering and instructor of the pe- The awards were presented with Further, she said the aid has come on time as try of Education and Ministry of Social Aff airs. learning important problem- programme was hard. There were troleum engineering team said: the help of Oxy Qatar president she lives in a village with no fi xed income. The QC offi ce in Indonesia completed 280 solving skills. codes and numbers that I didn’t “This programme is the perfect and general manager Andrew H “Although the place of distribution was 6km development projects in the fi rst fi ve months of Yazan Saleh, a member of the understand at fi rst but it was a re- opportunity for the students to Kershaw, who said: “Every one of away from my village, the need made me forget 2018 to benefi t thousands of people in the coun- winning electrical engineering ally good challenging experience see engineering in action and it the students in these programmes the distance, hardship and fatigue,” said Umm try, the statement pointed out. group, said: “I feel really excit- and I am so proud that we won.” gives them a taste of how it feels has been so incredibly impressive Hassan. The initiatives, which included educational ed and happy for what we have The Outstanding Technical to be an engineer. I am sure that and so knowledgeable and each Karam Zeinhom Aly, director of QC’s offi ce and income-generating projects, social housing achieved. The hard work and ef- Communication Award went to our students delivered because of them is a winner. I’m sure that in Indonesia, said Qatar Charity’s interven- units, mosques and water wells, were imple- fort we have put in has helped us the petroleum engineering group they simply enjoyed this expe- there are future engineering lead- tions in the country — both developmental and mented at a cost of QR12mn. to realise our dreams and goals. and a team of students that ex- rience, were always happy and ers among them today.”

Qatar guarantees Sidra off ers world class treatment to children rights, freedoms,

From Page 1 reiterates offi cial

Dr al-Kharazi was supported by a From Page 1 multidisciplinary team of children’s specialists, including visiting paedi- The conference focused on the atric neurosurgeon Dr Noor ul Ow- importance of promoting religious ase Jeelani from Great Ormond Street freedom around the world and help- Hospital in the UK who was named one ing those in need to overcome the of the top British surgeons in 2011 by challenges they face in their coun- The Times magazine. tries, and identify concrete ways to Dr Noor said: “I have had the pleas- combat religious persecution and ure of working with an extraordinarily discrimination and to ensure greater talented team, having the latest tech- respect for the religious freedom of nology and best talent by my side to all. help ensure the success of highly com- Among the topics discussed were plex brain surgery. As the work fl ow religious freedom and women’s builds up, we are undertaking more rights, combating extremism and and more complex operations success- terrorism, economic prosperity, ad- fully here. I would not hesitate to rec- dressing the legal challenges to re- ommend Sidra Medicine to some of the ligious freedom, advocating equal children that have travelled about pre- rights for all, preserving cultural viously to UK from the region.” heritage and providing support and The Sidra Medicine surgeons have care to victims of religious violence established a reputation for pioneering or persecution. cases and are considered leaders in their Many religious fi gures and indi- fi elds across many surgical sub-special- viduals from diff erent countries and ties. They have made landmark contribu- religions spoke at the event. Repre- tions to the way rare and complex diseases sentatives of governments, civil soci- are treated around the world. Among ety organisations and institutions also them is Dr Joao Pippi Salle, Sidra Medi- expressed their support in promoting cine’s division chief for urology, who has religious freedom and diversity. recently published a paper in the pres- The conference was attended tigious Journal of the American Medical by participants from more than 80 Association on a pioneering procedure Baby Mona with her father and Dr al-Kharazi. countries around the world, with a to treat bladder exstrophy – a congenital clear record of progress in religious anomaly that most notably involves pro- anomaly and the creator of the Pippi by the American Bladder Exstrophy As- their home country when they return at keeping the focus on the needs of women freedom, committed to promoting trusion of the urinary bladder through a Salle procedure that corrects urinary in- sociation with Dr Pippi Salle performing the completion of the programme. and children in Qatar. To that eff ect, we Article 18 of the Universal Declara- defect in the abdominal wall. continence in children. As a result, Sidra the surgeries in Qatar. Working beside Sidra Medicine’s Peter Morris added: have also opened the Children’s Emer- tion of Human Rights, or countries Dr Pippi Salle is one of the world’s few Medicine is now the referral centre for the him are two colleagues from Sudan who “I am immensely proud of what we have gency Department that adds capacity to recently taking meaningful steps to experts who specialise in treating this treatment of this anomaly recommended will take their new skills to patients in accomplished in such a short time, always the care of true emergencies in Qatar.” start doing so.

Mars will be closest to Earth in 15 years today

he red planet, Mars, will nomical telescopes, according to sky at midnight before continu- in almost 60,000 years, and this reach its nearest point to Dr Marzouk. ing to move towards the western record will not be broken until TEarth today, Qatar Calen- During the ‘opposition’, the horizon. August 28, 2287. dar House (QCH) has said. centres of three celestial objects The setting time for Mars to- The red planet was last at ‘op- QCH astronomy expert Dr (Sun, Earth and Mars) will be morrow will be 4.58am, Dr Mar- position’ with the Sun on May 22, Beshir Marzouk has explained aligned on a straight line, with zouk adds. 2016, and it will happen again on in a statement that the celestial Earth coming between Sun and According to information October 13, 2020, QCH adds. phenomenon – known as ‘op- Mars. available online, this is the clos- Sky watchers and astrono- position’ — is important because Residents of Qatar will be able est that Mars will come to Earth mers are in for a double treat as Mars will be reaching its nearest to view Mars as a red point from in 15 years – a distance of around they can also view the longest point to Earth today and will ap- sunset today until sunrise to- 57.6mn km. lunar eclipse of the century this pear brighter and bigger than on morrow. According to Nasa, Mars was evening. other days. The rising time of Mars over 55.8mn km from Earth during the The total lunar eclipse will be Moreover, it will be the “best the eastern horizon today will be ‘opposition’ in 2003. visible throughout much of Asia time” to see the red planet with 7.09pm in Doha, with the planet This was the closest the two (including Qatar), Africa, Europe, Mars at ‘opposition’. the naked eye or through astro- reaching its highest point in the planets had come to each other Australia and South America.