BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 N-KOM safely Hopeful completes Messi keen repair of to end 200th LNG Argentina vessel ‘Al Khor’ title drought

published in QATAR since 1978

WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11212 June 12, 2019 Shawwal 9, 1440 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

In brief FM meets Omani minister Sudan protesters to end UN | Approval Kuwait resolution to protect civilians The United Nations Security Council strike, resume talks with has unanimously approved a draft resolution put forward by Kuwait to protect civilians in the midst of armed conflicts. Kuwait sees the generals: mediator resolution, which is the first UN decision on the matter of missing persons in war, as a comprehensive AFP bers for a new ruling body – the key hard by a nationwide internet blackout framework on how to deal with the Khartoum point of dispute between the two sides. on Monday. tragedy of people missing as armed Public buses were operating in some “We are not doing any international conflicts break out. The resolution parts of Khartoum and some neigh- fl ight bookings. I hope it does not con- explicitly states that all parties HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin rotest leaders have agreed to end bourhood vegetable markets were tinue like this.” involved in armed conflicts have the Abdulrahman al-Thani met in Doha yesterday with Oman’s Minister Responsible their civil disobedience campaign open. In the northern district of Bahari, a primary responsibility to safeguard for Foreign Aff airs, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah. During the meeting, they reviewed Plaunched after a crackdown on But the capital’s main business and hotbed of unrest where protesters had civilians, urging them to allow the bilateral relations and means of supporting and developing them, besides issues of demonstrators and resume talks with commercial districts were shut with put roadblocks in the past few weeks, safe and unimpeded access of joint interest. Sudan’s ruling generals, an Ethiopian some companies extending to the end most shops were closed but there were humanitarian aid. mediator said yesterday. of the week the Eid al-Fitr holidays no barricades to be seen. “The Alliance for Freedom and marking the end of Ramadan. Demonstrators declared their na- INDIA | Weather Change agreed to end the civil disobe- The paramilitary Rapid Support tionwide shutdown a success. dience (campaign) from today,” Mah- Forces accused of having played the “This shows clearly what we can do, 300,000 to be evacuated moud Drir, who has been mediating lead role in the June 3 crackdown pa- and also in a peaceful way,” said Ishraga as cyclone nears Gujarat since a visit by Ethiopian Prime Minis- trolled districts in their trademark Mohamed. Almost 300,000 people are set to Autism prevalence ter Abiy Ahmed last week, told report- pickup trucks fi tted with heavy ma- “Such a campaign does not lead to be evacuated in the western Indian ers. chine guns. killing people and at the same time puts state of Gujarat out of the path of “Both sides have also agreed to “We are now getting used to live with pressure on the military council. We a severe cyclonic storm due in two resume talks soon” on a handover of guns as we are seeing so many of these will continue with it until our goal is days, authorities said yesterday. rates higher in power to a civilian administration, he men walking into restaurants with their achieved.” “The weather department’s latest said. weapons,” one resident said as a group Protest leaders vowed to name a new bulletin forecasts that cyclone The protest movement itself said in a of RSF members entered an eatery. ruling body to replace the generals. Vayu will make landfall early in the statement that it was calling on people Fewer people were on the streets “The Alliance for Freedom and morning on June 13,” senior state Qatar: QBRI study “to resume work from Wednesday”. than usual. Change (AFC) will reveal its sovereign off icial JN Singh told reporters. “The TMC (Transitional Military “In the last three days, we have lost council and a prime minister in an an- Page 13 Council” as a goodwill gesture has a lot of money,” said Ibrahim Omar, an nouncement to be made at a suitable two-phase study on the preva- Dr al-Shaban said: “The study is the agreed to release all political detain- employee at one of many tour fi rms hit time,” the Sudanese Professionals As- WORLD | Climate lence of Autism Spectrum Dis- fi rst of its kind that set about to deter- ees,” Drir added, without giving details. sociation, a key member of the um- A order (ASD) in the country by mine the prevalence of autism in Qatar Protest leaders launched a nation- brella protest movement, said late on Emissions rose by Qatar Biomedical Research Institute and the region. It is our hope that the wide civil disobedience campaign from Monday. 2% last year: study (QBRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa outcomes will be used to inform future Sunday after a June 3 crackdown on a The crackdown by the military came Global carbon emissions grew by 2% University, has revealed that 1.14% or studies on autism. weeks-long sit-in had left dozens of after negotiations between protest last year, the highest rate since 2010- one in 87 children suff er from ASD. “Phase 1 of the study involved the people dead. leaders and the generals collapsed late 2011, a closely-watched review by The six-year study was the fi rst of screening of 9,074 primary school Thousands of protesters had camped last month over who should lead the energy giant BP said Tuesday, calling its kind in Qatar and the Gulf region, students aged 5 to 12 years from 93 for weeks outside the army headquar- new governing body – a civilian or a the trend “unsustainable”. “There is a it was announced yesterday. From the public and private schools by using ters in Khartoum demanding that the soldier. growing mismatch between societal results, and based on the 2016 census, the Social Communication Question- ruling generals step down and hand The AFC said the campaign of civil demands for action on climate the study estimates that about 4,791 naire screening tool after translation power to a civilian administration - the disobedience “clearly shows that the change and the actual pace of individuals in Qatar between the ages and validation to the Arabic language. key demand of demonstrators. Sudanese people are rejecting the mili- progress, with energy demand and of one and 20 have ASD with one in Phase 2 extended the study to include The generals seized power after the tary council and its militias and they carbon emissions growing at their 56 boys and one in 230 girls being af- hospitals and special needs centres army ousted longtime ruler Omar al- have lost their legitimacy”. fastest rate for years,” said BP chief fected. off ering services to individuals with Bashir on April 11 following months of Since toppling longtime president executive Bob Dudley. “The world is The results of the study were re- ASD, such as Rumailah Hospital and nationwide protests against his iron- Omar al-Bashir on April 11, the gener- on an unsustainable path,” he said. cently published in the Journal of Al Shafallah Centre for Persons with fi sted rule of three decades. als have resisted demonstrators’ de- Child Psychology and Psychiatry, the Disabilities, the two primary govern- Doctors close to the protest move- mands, backed by Western and most EUROPE | Media offi cial journal of the UK-based Asso- ment centres engaged in the study. ment say at least 118 people have been African governments, to make way for ciation for Child and Adolescent Men- Both phases refl ect similar prevalence killed since the June 3 crackdown. a civilian-led transition. Russian reporter walks tal Health. rates of approximately 1.146%.” The health ministry acknowledges The US assistant secretary of state free as charges dropped The study was carried out by QBRI’s “Although the consanguinity rate is that 61 people were killed on June 3 for African aff airs, Tibor Nagy, plans A Russian investigative journalist Neurological Disorders Research Cen- around 52% across the GCC and Mid- across Sudan, including 49 by “live Sudanese rebel chief and leader of the to meet both the generals and protest walked free late yesterday after tre (NDRC), which focuses on inves- dle East, our fi ndings don’t show a ammunition” in the capital. Sudan People’s Liberation Movement leaders in Khartoum, the State Depart- authorities in Moscow dropped tigating the increasing prevalence of signifi cant correlation between con- The protest strike kept most busi- - North (SPLM-N), Yasir Arman speaks ment said. He is to leave on the trip to- drug charges against him in a rare neurological disorders in Qatar and sanguinity and the prevalence rate of nesses shut and residents hunkered to the media after his deportation day and also visit Addis Ababa to dis- climbdown by law enforcement the region. ASD in Qatar; which is supported by indoors in the Sudanese capital on the from Khartoum, Sudan to South Sudan cuss the Sudan crisis with Ethiopian following a public outcry. Ivan Dr Fouad al-Shaban, a senior sci- the fact that ASD is a multi-genetic third day as a top US diplomat prepared yesterday, in Juba. Arman, who had leaders and the African Union. Golunov, a reporter with independent entist at NDRC, spearheaded the re- disorder with no direct causal link to a visit to press the ruling generals to arrived in Khartoum late last month to The United States has led calls for a media outlet Meduza, walked out of search, to estimate the prevalence of consanguinity. Meanwhile, the study halt a bloody crackdown. take part in the talks, said on June 10 he civilian-led transition even as its Arab the gates of a Moscow police building ASD among Qatari families and other found that consanguinity is related Protest leaders stepped up the pres- and two comrades had been forcibly allies Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Unit- to cheers from waiting journalists. families in Qatar and establish an au- to the severity of ASD,” added Dr al- sure on the generals by announcing deported from Sudan to neighbouring ed Arab Emirates have backed the gen- Page 12 tism database and disease registry. Shaban. To Page 20 they would soon release a list of mem- South Sudan. erals. Page 18 Turkey to receive Russian S-400 missiles in July

QNA Turkish President Recep Tayyip Er- and has set its own deadline of July head of Russian state conglomerate Moscow dogan has confi rmed before, that Tur- 31. If Ankara accepts delivery of the Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, said Moscow key’s retreat from its agreement with S-400s, that would trigger US sanc- would start delivering the S-400s to Moscow to buy the missile defence sys- tions that could prolong Turkey’s Turkey in two months. Turkish offi cials he Kremlin expects S-400 sur- tem is unlikely, despite US pressure. economic recession and prompt a re- have said the delivery could take place face-to-air missile systems to The S-400 supply agreement was evaluation of its 67-year member- as soon as June. Tbe delivered to Turkey in July as signed in Ankara in December 2017. ship of Nato. The US resolution, introduced in planned, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Reuters adds: The announcement of Turkey said that a US House of Rep- May and entitled “Expressing concern Ushakov said yesterday. the delivery of he missiles as planned resentatives’ resolution on Monday for the United States-Turkey alliance”, “Yes, agreements have been reached has set the clock ticking on a US threat condemning the S-400 purchase and was agreed in the House on Monday. and the accords between Russia and to hit Ankara with sanctions if it goes urging sanctions was unacceptably It urges Turkey to cancel the S-400 Turkey in this context are being imple- ahead with the deal that has strained threatening. purchase and calls for sanctions if mented on schedule. ties between the Nato allies. In Moscow, Kremlin aide Yury Usha- Ankara accepts their delivery. That, “There are no problems in the bi- Turkey and the United States have kov told reporters: “The agreements the resolution said, would undermine lateral context,” the Kremlin aide said, sparred publicly for months over An- reached between Russia and Turkey are the US-led transatlantic defence alli- commenting on the present status of kara’s order for the S-400s, which the being fulfi lled on time in the given con- ance. S-400 deliveries, Tass reported. US says are not compatible with the text. There are no bilateral problems.” In response, Turkey’s Foreign Min- Replying to a question about whether transatlantic alliance’s systems. Asked if the surface-to-air missiles istry said yesterday that its foreign the deliveries would take place in July, Washington has threatened to re- will be delivered in July, he said: “Yes, policy and judicial system were being the Kremlin aide said: “Yes, as was move Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet that’s what we plan somehow.” maligned by “unfair” and “unfounded” planned.” programme unless it drops the deal, S-400 surface-to-air missiles. The comments came days after the allegations in the resolution. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 QATAR

Attorney-general meets UN official Qatar participates in inauguration ceremony of El Salvador president

QNA San Salvador

E the Minister of State Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz Hal-Kuwari, represented Qatar at the inauguration cer- emony of Nayib Bukele as Presi- dent of El Salvador. Vice-President of El Salvador Felix Ulloa, and First Lady of the republic, Gabriela de Bukele, met separately with HE al-Kuwari. During the two meetings, they HE the Attorney-General Dr Ali bin Fetais al-Marri yesterday met the Manager of United Nations reviewed issues of joint interest. Institute for Training and Researches (UNITAR) Decentralised Co-operation Programme (DCP) Alex HE al-Kuwari said in an inter- Mejia. The meeting, which took place in Doha, focused on issues of joint interest, and explored ways view with Megavision’s Channel to enhance co-operation in the areas of training programmes, exchange of expertise, and access to 21 on the sidelines of his visit to United Nations centres and programmes on training and capacity development. El Salvador, that Qatar and El Salvador have strong relations, and added that the diplomatic representation of Qatar in El Sal- vador refl ected the depth of ties between the two friendly coun- tries. He also said that Qatar is Medical aid provided by QRCS considering the investment op- portunities available in El Sal- HE the Minister of State Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari with President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele in topped QR7mn last year vador. San Salvador.

he total amount treatment of patients individuals or institu- in 2010, the Patient Ben- of assistance and suff ering from diseases tions, varied to include efi t Fund has achieved Tservices provided of the digestive system, the disbursement of great success. Over the Qatar stresses IAEA role in peaceful use of N-technology by Qatar Red Crescent heart, autoimmune dis- regular benefi ts to as- past years, there has been Society (QRCS) Patient orders, dialysis, rheu- sist 13 orphans of de- a remarkable expansion, Benefi t Fund over the matism, in addition to ceased workers while especially the last three QNA made by Acting Permanent achieving economic and social to support the agency’s techni- last year was more than providing audio aids receiving treatment at years, which have wit- Vienna Mission of Qatar to the UN and progress. cal co-operation programme QR7mn, benefi ting ap- and conducting fi ve op- the transplant centre, nessed a real surge in the International Organisations Qatar expressed its great sat- by paying its full fi nancial con- proximately 12,000 erations for organ and the fund also donated number of benefi ciaries, Abdullah bin Nasser al-Fuhaid isfaction with the co-operation tributions to the programme people directly and in- cochlea transplanta- electronic library com- the quality of services atar has highlighted the at the IAEA Board of Governors provided by IAEA to the na- budget, as well as fi nancing the directly, in co-opera- tion, pointing out that prising seven comput- provided and the total important role the Inter- meeting, currently being held tional institutions, which has development of the agency’s tion with Hamad Medi- among the benefi ciar- ers to the Communi- value of these services. Qnational Atomic Energy in Vienna. resulted in the implementation laboratories in Seibersdorf cal Corporation. ies of these services and cable Disease Center, In this regard, the Agency (IAEA) plays in develop- In its statement, Qatar of a number of projects related for its leading role in training According to a report medical assistance Syr- as well as the dona- number of direct and in- ing the nuclear technology and pointed to the increased im- to human health and agricul- member states’ personnel in by Qatar Red Crescent ian and Yemeni expa- tion of sports equip- direct benefi ciaries dou- delivering it to member states portance and responsibilities ture. food security, water resource Society’s Voluntary and triates who came to the ment to three sections bled from 170 in 2010 to through the technical co-opera- of the technical co-operation In addition to the benefi t that management, human health, Development Sector, country on a visit visa. of the Hamad Medical 12,000 last year, while tion programme. programme in recent years as many experts and technicians radioactivity, environment and the Patient Benefi t Fund In terms of commu- Corporation, and a re- the annual programme Qatar also praised the good it has become a key element in of the country’s training pro- livestock. has achieved outstand- nity health support, the habilitation device for budget increased from co-operation the agency pro- achieving the UN Sustainable grammes have received from Qatar also reiterated its de- ing results in the fi eld of report noted that the Rumailah Hospital. QR1.5mn in 2010 to vides to Qatari institutions in Development Goals by trans- IAEA in the fi eld of nuclear sci- termination to continue to pay therapeutic assistance. activities of the fund in According to the re- more than QR8.5mn in the fi eld. ferring technology to develop- ence. its assessed contributions regu- It has contributed to the this regard, whether for port, since its inception the current year. - QNA This came in a statement ing countries with the aim of Qatar reiterated its keenness larly. No unprecedented rise in current temperatures: Met dept director

bdulla al-Mannai, He explained that the which is being located too public not to have expo- director of the Mete- temperature levels recorded close to the engine. Another sure to sunlight and avoid, Aorology Department so far this month have not factor that impacts the sen- as much as possible, going at the Civil Aviation Au- exceeded those seen in June sor’s accuracy, according to out in the morning. Other thority, yesterday stressed last year, adding that the the offi cial, is its exposure to pieces of advice he gave in- that rumours on social me- highest temperature reg- the car exhaust. cluded wearing comfortable dia regarding a signifi cant istered by the department He said temperature sen- clothes with bright colours, rise in temperatures, which this month was 48.2C. He sors of any kind must follow staying hydrated and avoid- could go up to as high as said the world in general has the guidelines and stand- ing outdoor activities. 80C, were pure speculation. seen a rise in temperatures, ards set by the World Me- He also called on workers He told the offi cial Qatar highlighting that Qatar reg- teorological Organisation to follow the guidelines is- News Agency that the cur- istered temperatures rang- in order to accurately detect sued by the designated au- rent temperatures were at ing between 40C and 42C the temperature. thorities on the matter, and the “natural level” and had back in 1973. Al-Mannai encouraged urged those concerned not not seen any unprecedented Responding to a question the public to rely on offi cial to pressure workers to fi nish increase. The current rise on the accuracy of tem- sources while looking for work that would see them in temperatures was in line perature sensors in cars, information on temperature getting exposed to the sun. with the regular levels seen especially that it always levels. He recommended Al-Mannai also stressed in summer months in the gives a higher recording visiting the department’s the importance of not leav- country, he said, noting that than the department’s of- offi cial website or following ing children alone in the car there was no indication of a fi cial ones, al-Mannai said its verifi ed accounts on var- and ensuring that no one is severe rise in temperatures such sensors are aff ected by ious social media platforms. in the vehicle before clos- in the coming period. a number of factors, one of Further, he advised the ing it.

Meteorology department participates in 18th World Meteorological Congress

QNA is rising because of envi- Geneva ronmental degradation, urbanisation and, above all, climate change,” he added. atar’s Civil Aviation Taalas said that climate Authority, repre- change is altering precipi- Qsented by the mete- tation patterns and so in- orology department, is par- creasing water stress and ticipating in the 18th World food security challenges Meteorological Congress, and aff ecting the intensity which is currently taking and track of tropical storms. place in Geneva. Off icials of Qatar meteorology department attending the Sea level rise is accelerating The conference aims to 18th World Meteorological Congress in Geneva. and by the end of the centu- agree on future strategy and ry may be much higher than tools to help countries in- meet the challenges of a that he hopes for “by 2030, originally forecast. crease resilience to extreme rapidly changing world. a world where all nations, The congress is expected weather, water, climate Other items on the agenda especially the most vulner- to approve a new WMO and other environmental include strengthening the able, are more resilient to Strategic Plan for 2030 that shocks, to strengthen sci- observation network which the socioeconomic impact of sets fi ve long term goals and entifi c observations and underpins all forecasts; im- extreme weather, water, cli- top overarching priorities. predictions and to close ca- proved weather and climate mate and other environmen- Those priorities include en- pacity gap. services in an era of climate tal events; and empowered to hancing preparedness for, The congress takes place change and more extreme boost their sustainable de- and reducing losses of life every four years and decides weather; hydrological serv- velopment through the best and property from hydrom- on the strategy, policies, ices and support of sustain- possible services, whether eteorological extremes, standards, budget and offi ce able water management; over land, at sea or in the air.” supporting climate-smart holders of the 193-mem- integrated Earth systems Demands on the expertise decision making to build ber World Meteorologi- science; facilitating capac- of WMO and national me- resilience and adaptation to cal Organisation (WMO). ity development; engage- teorological and hydrologi- climate risk, and enhanc- This year it will discuss a ment with the private sector cal services have never been ing socioeconomic value of sweeping reform of WMOs and data policy. higher. The socio-economic weather, climate, hydro- governance structures to WMO Secretary-General impact of weather, climate logical and related environ- address major risks and Petteri Taalas said yesterday and water-related hazards mental services Gulf Times Wednesday, June 12, 2019 3 QATAR

Culture minister in Poland

HE the Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali met separately yesterday with Polish First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and National Heritage Piotr Glinski and Polish Minister of Sport and Tourism Witold Banka. This took place during the off icial visit of HE the Minister of Culture and Sports to Poland to promote cultural and sports relations between both countries. During the meetings, they discussed cultural and sports relations between Qatar and Poland and the means to boost them.

IndiGo extends ‘temporary halt’ Indian embassy to of services to two Indian cities ndia’s leading private air- An aff ected passenger said he to the Kerala capital from Doha. line IndiGo has extended was “off ered either a full refund “Fares to the subcontinent, I“temporary suspension” of or rebooking” via another In- South India in particular, are its direct services from Doha diGo destination in India that exorbitant. I cannot think of to Thiruvananthapuram and caters to Doha. buying tickets in another car- present cultural Ahmedabad until October 26. Many Qatar-based passen- rier now, he said. The airline’s online bookings gers were dismayed by the In- On IndiGo’s suspension to Thiruvananthapuram and dian carrier’s decision as it was of direct services from Doha Ahmedabad non-stop are open, “aff ecting their travel plans to Thiruvananthapuram and again from October 27. during the peak season.” Ahmedabad, C Leekha, director On May 1, when IndiGo An Indian expatriate said he (Corporate Communications) halted Thiruvananthapuram had to cancel his family’s travel said, “It is on a temporary basis event on Odisha and Ahmedabad direct services plans to Thiruvananthapuram and, whilst we don’t have any from Doha, the Indian carrier in mid-September due to In- fi rm date as yet, we do expect s part of Qatar-India 2019 team from Lasyakala will be had said these would resume on diGo’s decision to extend sus- to be back in those markets at Year of Culture, the em- performing the classical Odissi August 1. pension” of its direct services some point.” Abassy of India together dance. Saswat has been an ex- with ‘Utkalika’, an Indian com- ponent of Padma Vibhusan Guru munity organisation, will be or- Kelucharan Mohapatra. The ganising ‘Odisha – The Soul of Prince Dance troupe of India’s Incredible India’, a cultural event Got Talent fame, an internation- on June 13 and 14, at Abdul Aziz ally recognised Indian dance Oscar launches 86” 4K Nasser Theatre, Souq Waqif, troupe led by T Krishna Mohan Doha. Reddy will be performing at the The event will have an array of event. classical dances, contemporary The group will present con- Ultra HD Smart LED TV performances, sand animation temporary dances. The troupe art and a special musical com- had performed during the in- position to showcase the cultural augural ceremony of Common- scar has launched the richness of Odisha . wealth Games, Delhi in 2010. ultra-slim frame 86” 4K The performance will also in- A P Pattanaik, renowned fl au- OUltra HD Smart LED TV clude ‘A Tribute to the Mother- tist will render special musical with smart remote, it has been land’, an inspiring treatise – pay- compositions at the event. He has announced. The TV comes with ing tribute through a patriotic been representing India in many a “category-redefi ning” smart classical dance; ‘Two Great Na- cultural meets, organising solo Android operating system with tions’, a colourful representation concerts/workshops on Indian features such as e-share and air of the national colours of India A performance by Saswat Joshi and her team. Music in America and many Eu- play, which lets the user enjoy and Qatar, exquisitely choreo- ropean nations. entertainment on the big screen graphed by using simple props animation art showcasing the Rasarkeli and Chutkuchuta origi- Manas Kumar Sahoo, a sand art direct from the smartphone which will be a spectacular treat masterpiece sculptures of India nating from the western parts of artist, will be enacting ‘Sand Art- or tablet, according to a press to the audience; ‘Flute Compo- and Qatar live on stage. Odisha. ‘Magical Epic – Dasava- A Journey: Qatar and India’. Sand statement. sition – Only You’, a creative and ‘Savour of the folk dances’ tar’, involves storytelling through animation had always been a solo “TV viewing on this new Os- soothing fusion composition will present the folk dances of a dance performance, the central performance until Manas Kumar car 86” UHD smart TV with a highlighting the musical possi- Odisha with the beat of drums, idea is eternal celebration of the Sahoo, for the fi rst time, success- resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 with The smart remote has a smart sensor, touchpad and Qwerty keypad. bilities of the fl ute – the master- the lilting songs, the spectacular triumph of good over evil. fully used group eff ort in his art family and friends is an expe- piece is based on Raag Bhimpalas, and graceful body stances off er a Celebrity performers from work. The Indian embassy invites rience in itself,” the statement slim frame, making it a piece customers to take home a TV Dhani; ‘Sand Art-A Journey: Qa- visual delight for the spectators. India will present the cultural all to the event, showcasing cul- notes, adding that the “top-end of modern art for walls. This is that not only off ers top-of-the- tar and India’, an exclusive sand The team will perform Dalkhai, extravaganza. Saswat Joshi and tural richness of Odisha. product off ers a value propo- complemented with a power- line specs but also an aff ordable sition” of being available at a ful 16W speaker system for an price. With the Oscar 86” UHD price of QR8,999. In addition to in-depth audio experience,” the Smart LED TV, we achieved just being a smart TV, it comes with statement explains. The TV also that. With the ongoing cricket a Digital Video Broadcasting – comes with an ‘Easy Sleep Tim- World Cup, this TV will provide Second Generation Terrestrial er’ that switches off automati- an immersive viewing experi- Volvo Cars deploy in-car cameras Digital Tuner (DVBT2) capable cally according to preset times. ence to all cricket fans,” said C V of receiving local TV channels Unlike other TVs in this cat- Rappai, director & CEO, Video transmitted over radio waves. egory, the Oscar 86” Ultra HD Home & Electronic Centre and It also has built-in smart apps smart TV comes with two re- Jumbo Electronics. and intervention against distraction such as YouTube, Facebook, motes – a regular remote and Oscar smart televisions are Skype and Twitter for endless a smart remote. The smart re- also available in screen sizes hours of full-screen YouTube mote has a smart sensor, touch- of 32”, 43”, 50”, 55”, 65” and 75”. olvo Cars recently re- able SPA2 vehicle platform in the content viewing and social net- pad and Qwerty keypad “to en- The Oscar range of products is vealed a new step in its early-2020s. Details on the exact working. This is backed by a sure the best user experience on available at all Jumbo Electron- Vambitions to end fatalities number of cameras and their po- Quad Core Processor, 1GB RAM a smart TV and easy navigation ics showrooms, leading hyper- in its cars by addressing the issue sitioning in the interior will fol- and 8GB ROM for smooth op- while browsing web pages and markets and retailers, and can of distraction. low at a later stage. eration. social networking sites”. also be shopped online at jum- Apart from speeding, which This announcement should be “All this is packed in an ultra- “This summer, we want our bosouq.com. the company aims to help com- viewed together with the com- bat with a top speed limit, dis- pany limiting the top speed on traction is a primary area of con- all its cars to 180kph from mod- HMC team awarded 4th place in international competition cern for traffi c safety. el year 2021, in order to send a These are among the key areas strong signal about the dangers A group of residents from the that constitute the main ‘gaps’ of speeding. Internal Medicine Residency towards Volvo Cars’ vision of a The company wants to start a Programme at Hamad Medical future with zero traffi c fatalities conversation about whether car Corporation (HMC) recently came and require a focus on human be- makers have the right or maybe fourth in an international competi- haviour in the company’s safety even the obligation to install tion, ‘Doctors Dilemma’, in the US, work as well, according to a press technology in cars that changes featuring 59 teams from the US statement issued in Doha by Do- their drivers’ behaviour. and Canada. The competition was masco, the exclusive distributor Both the speed limit and the held during the American College of Volvo Cars in Qatar. Driver monitoring camera in a Volvo research vehicle. installation of in-car cameras il- of Physicians meeting in Philadel- Faisal Sharif, managing direc- lustrate how car makers can take phia and brought together teams tor of Domasco, said: “Volvo is a sensors that monitor the driver time, drivers who are detected active responsibility for the aim of residents from 60 diff erent inter- world leader in safety technolo- and allow the car to intervene if to have their eyes closed or off of achieving zero traffi c fatali- nal medicine training programmes, The HMC team which won the fourth place in the US competition. gies. They are constantly de- a clearly distracted driver does the road for extended periods of ties by supporting better driver with the team from Qatar being veloping new technologies and not respond to warning signals time, as well as extreme weaving behaviour. the only group competing from had entered the international knowledge required to make them sharing it with other car manu- and is risking an accident involv- across lanes or excessively slow Volvo Cars recently also re- outside North America. event and to come fourth out of into excellent healthcare profes- facturers to make roads safer for ing serious injury or death. That reaction times. vealed the Care Key, which allows “This annual competition is one of 60 incredibly strong teams is a sionals capable of playing leading everyone. intervention could involve limit- A driver monitoring system as Volvo drivers to impose limita- the most established and challeng- remarkable achievement,” added roles in the delivery of clinical The in-car cameras will moni- ing the car’s speed, alerting the described above is an important tions on the car’s top speed on all ing of its kind in the world,” said Dr Dr al-Mohamed. The first stage of care to patients. For our internal tor for behaviour that may lead Volvo on Call assistance service element of allowing the car to cars from model year 2021, before Ahmed al-Mohammed, director, the competition saw all 60 teams medicine residents to perform so to serious injury or death thus and, as a fi nal course of action, actively make decisions in order lending their car to others. The Internal Medicine Residency compete against each other, with well and to be formally recognised achieve the aim of avoiding ac- actively slowing down and safely to help avoid accidents that could Care Key, the monitoring camer- Programme. “Throughout the the strongest six teams then going in this competition is an enormous cidents altogether.” parking the car. result in severe injuries or death. as, the speed limit as well exist- three-day competition, residents through to a final round to decide credit to them and to the standard Volvo Cars believes distraction Examples of such behaviour Introduction of the cameras on ing driver assistance systems all were tested on their competence the winning teams. “Our residency of training we provide at HMC,” should be addressed by install- include a complete lack of steer- all Volvo models will start on the serve one single aim: to support and medical knowledge. This was programmes at HMC provide stated Dr Dabia al-Mohanadi, ing in-car cameras and other ing input for extended periods of next generation of Volvo’s scal- safer driving. the first time a group from Qatar trainee doctors with the skills and deputy programme director. Gulf Times 4 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 QATAR

E-notification system for visitors explained Sealine cleanup was on time, says MME offi cial debunking social media

he Ministry of Munici- pality and Environment T(MME) “exerted great ef- forts” to maintain cleanliness in the Sealine area during and after the Eid al-Fitr holidays. Speaking to Arabic daily Ar- rayah, Safar Mubarak al-Shafi , the MME’s Assistant Undersecre- tary for General Services Aff airs, also noted that what circulated on social media regarding garbage Safar Mubarak al-Shafi accumulation alongside the Sea- line area did not refl ect the real tions of the public hygiene law facts and undermined the “great at the spot and photographed the and intensive eff orts” exerted to entire site, including the number maintain cleanliness there and plates of the buses that had trans- protect the environment. ported the workers. Accordingly, Brazilian football star He said the images and vid- inquiries were made and the nec- eo clips that were doing the essary legal procedures were ini- rounds of social media in this tiated against the violators. regard were taken before 5am in The offi cial said after taking a certain limited area at Sealine, all the necessary legal steps, the joins QWSC initiative where hundreds of workers were companies concerned will be is- taken by their companies’ buses sued violation reports in accord- in the late hours on the eve of the ance with the law with fi nes that QNA sports associated with the FIFA ment resulting in the emergence fi rst day of Eid, and they spent can go up to QR10,000. Doha Women’s World Cup. of a large number of the distin- the whole night there. This will be done as these com- The initiative aims to give guished players of diff erent age A large amount of garbage was panies are considered responsible girls in Qatar and the rest of the groups, both at the level of clubs left behind on the beach. for their workforce and should atar Women’s Sport world an opportunity to learn or teams. The images of violations did have raised awareness on the issue Committee (QWSC) from the experience of girls liv- Jessica Duval participated in not refl ect the reality because of public hygiene and instructed Qhosted the joint initia- ing in other countries and their the offi cial opening of the 2019 they were taken before the start them to dispose of garbage in the tive between Qatar Airways and achievements in life and educa- FIFA Women’s World Cup in of cleaning at 5am, he explained. designated areas only. The Ministry of Foreign Aff airs (MoFA) has issued an infographic the ‘Save the Dream’ programme tion, thanks to sport as a means France, where Qatar Airways sup- Al-Shafi said teams were as- He said there is proper dis- explaining the electronic notification system for those wishing of the International Centre for to face diffi culties. ported many interesting events signed to clean up the area in two tribution of garbage contain- to visit Qatar during the summer. The Ministry of Interior, in Sport Security (ICSS) to empow- It is also an opportunity to learn before the opening whistle. shifts, starting at 5am and con- ers in the Sealine area and their co-operation with the Qatar National Tourism Council, recently er girls through sport and with from Jessica’s experience about The opening ceremony was cluding at 7pm, due to the insuf- number was raised from 35 to launched the e-notification system through the portal http:// the participation of Jessica Du- the impact of sport on changing attended by Jessica, whose her fi cient light there. Accordingly, all 65 during the Eid holidays with www.qatarvisaservices.com for those wishing to travel to the val, the Brazilian star of the street her life and the lives of other girls trip from favela in Rio de Janeiro, the garbage left behind by visitors a maximum distance of 15m be- country from June 4 until August 16, as reported in Gulf Times. children’s foundation. living in poor localities. Brazil, to the French capital, Par- was removed within an hour and a tween two containers to ease the The service is open to all nationalities and the Directorate-Gener- Duval participated in the This initiative is part of the is, represented a touching story half during the morning shift. disposal of garbage. al of Passports would check and respond to applications within friendly football match organised various programmes undertaken about her extreme passion for The fi eld teams made up of 100 Al-Shafi stressed that what 24 hours. (Infographic courtesy of the MoFA Twitter page) by the committee on the outdoor by diff erent sectors of the county football and she was able to at- workers managed to clean the happened in Sealine with the grass court at its headquarters, to promote Qatar 2022 World Cup tend the opening match. entire beach and returned it to its workers indicated that aware- between the Qatari women’s team and encourage women’s football. In a statement to Qatar News original condition. The quantum ness eff orts were yet to reach this and Al Sadd academy’s team. Executive Director of the Wom- Agency (QNA), Director Spe- of garbage removed amounted to segment, and there was a need to The match was preceded by en’s Sport Committee, Amna al- cial Projects at the International 10 tonnes, the daily reported. address and instruct them on re- a seminar where the Brazilian Qasimi thanked Qatar Airways Centre of Sport Security, Save The MME’s general cleanliness lated issues to help prevent such player talked about her experi- and the ICSS for their eff orts to the Dream, Siham Alawami said department recorded all viola- unacceptable incidents. US embassy updates its ence in football and the stages develop women’s football in the that Jessica is a player who grew she went through until she be- country by focusing on the na- up in poor localities and was came a star in her country. tional teams and clubs, expanding able to become a celebrity in her visa application forms She expressed her delight at the participation in this game, and country. She participated in the participating in the initiative transferring experience to players Street Child World Cup, which Benefit Cosmetics comes launched by Qatar Airways and and clubs in the country. was held on the sidelines of the he US embassy in Doha uniform screening and vetting the ‘Save the Dream’ programme. She also said that such ini- 2018 World Cup in Russia. Du- to Doha Festival City announced yesterday that standards for visa applications. Jessica is a 16-year-old girl tiatives will have an important val got her country’s title for this Tthe Department of State “National security is our top from Favela (the shantytowns) impact in the development and category and became a star under has updated its immigrant and priority when adjudicating visa in Rio de Janeiro. She is currently sustainability of women’s foot- the age of 17, Alawami said. nonimmigrant visa application applications, and every prospec- participating in an awareness ball activity in the country, At the invitation of Qatar Air- forms to request additional in- tive traveller and immigrant to project with Qatar Airways and which in recent years has wit- ways and “Save the Dream,” Du- formation, including social me- the United States undergoes ex- Save the Dream about women in nessed a remarkable develop- val was able to watch the opening dia identifi ers, from most US visa tensive security screening. We are of the Women’s World Cup cur- applicants. constantly working to fi nd mech- rently held in France, Alawami These changes went into eff ect anisms to improve our screening said, noting that the Brazilian on May 31, 2019. processes to protect US citizens, player came to Qatar to send a A statement, quoting a US em- while supporting legitimate travel message to the world’s girls to bassy spokesperson, explained: to the United States. use sport to achieve their dream. “This update – which we ini- “We already request certain She also stressed that Duval tially announced last year in the contact information, travel his- has now fi nished fi lming her life Benefit Cosmetics, the San Francisco-based makeup brand, has Federal Register – is a result of tory, family member informa- in Brazil, which will be broadcast opened its first boutique in the Middle East, in Doha Festival City. the president’s March 6, 2017, tion, and previous addresses on Qatar Airways to 200mn peo- Known for its creative packaging, one-of-a-kind cult favourite memorandum on implementing from all visa applicants. ple worldwide through the air- products like Benetint, They’re Real Mascara, the POREfessional Face Heightened Screening and Vet- Collecting this additional in- line’s social media channels. Primer, Hoola Bronzer and Gimme Brow+, Benefit has more than 40 ting of Applications for Visas formation from visa applicants The fi lm carries a message for years of experience in brows and award-winning brow products. and other Immigration Benefi ts will strengthen our process for young people to insist on their Benefit is also a part of the world’s leading luxury products group, and Section 5 of Executive Order vetting these applicants and dreams and make sport for de- Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. PICTURE: Nasar K Moidheen 13780 regarding implementing confi rming their identity.” velopment and better conditions. IHG debuts Hotel Indigo

nterContinental Hotel Group such as a spa, a gymnasium and a in a visionary development such as itself form the traditional off erings, (IHG) has signed a management swimming pool. Lusail Marina. The introduction of will be a popular choice among trav- Iagreement with Qatari holding Featuring a three-meal restau- the Hotel Indigo brand in Lusail will ellers visiting the city. company Al Sraiya Hotels & Hospi- rant, a neighbourhood café, a lobby respond to the growing demand for “Through our partnership with tality Group, which is under Al Srai- lounge and an executive lounge, Ho- upscale lifestyle hotels in the mar- IHG for Staybridge Suites Hotel in ya Holding Group, to debut its global tel Indigo Doha Lusail will also off er ket and also demonstrates our com- Lusail, we are benefi ting greatly from “upper-upscale” boutique brand, a variety of dining options and ex- mitment to Qatar National Vision their global distribution system and Hotel Indigo, in Qatar. clusive F&B concepts. 2030.” best-in-class revenue management A newly-built property, Hotel In- The hotel will feature meeting and Rashid al-Kaabi, vice-chairman tools. We look forward achieving digo Doha Lusail, is to open in 2023 banqueting facilities as well. of Al Sraiya Holding Group, added: the same success with Hotel Indigo and will feature 200 rooms, IHG said Pascal Gauvin, managing direc- “We are pleased to partner with IHG Doha Lusail, and together with IHG, in a press statement. tor — India, Middle East & Africa at for the second time to develop Ho- off er a strong portfolio of diff erent IHG is one of the world’s leading IHG, said: “After the success of the tel Indigo Doha Lusail and introduce accommodation options to varied hotel groups. Established in 2004, recently opened Staybridge Suites their popular boutique brand, Hotel guest profi les.” Hotel Indigo now has a presence in Hotel in Lusail, we are delighted to Indigo, to the capital city of Doha, In Qatar, IHG currently operates more than 15 countries with over once again partner with Al Sraiya Qatar. We are confi dent that this de- seven hotels across four brands: In- 100 hotels, and nearly another 100 Hotels & Hospitality Group to open sign-led hotel inspired by the neigh- terContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holi- hotels in the pipeline. another hotel in Qatar, especially bourhood story, which diff erentiates day Inn and Staybridge Suites. “Just as no two neighbourhoods are alike, no two Hotel Indigo prop- erties are the same, taking inspira- tion from the area around each hotel to touch all aspects of the guest ex- perience, from the boutique design to locally-inspired restaurants and cafes,” the statement notes. Hotel Indigo Doha Lusail will be strategically located at Lusail Ma- rina, Qatar’s newest urban centre, which is just 30km from the airport and will feature residential areas, commercial districts, luxury shop- ping and leisure facilities, as well as an entertainment district, according to IHG. “Connected to the spirit of the local neighbourhood, Hotel In- digo Doha Lusail will off er guests a unique boutique hotel experience that combines authentic local fl a- vours and colours, a modern design and intimate service,” the statement explains. On opening in 2023, the hotel will feature an array of leisure facilities Off icials at the agreement-signing ceremony. Gulf Times Wednesday, June 12, 2019 5 QATAR Ooredoo’s 2019 Ramadan charity drive reaches out to communities oredoo Group has con- cluded its 2019 Ramadan Ocampaign, a comprehen- sive programme of charitable initiatives supporting commu- nities across its global network of operating companies. Ooredoo Group companies across the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia rolled out a series of initiatives involv- ing marginalised and unders- erved communities, as well as undertaking a range of events and activities designed to engage the communities in which they operate. As part of the campaign, Ooredoo Group released its an- nual Ramadan commercial with a valuable message. The 2019 video focused on promoting positivity on the Internet, high- lighting the enormous potential of the Internet, but reinforcing Ooredoo Kuwait volunteers celebrate Garangao with children at Ibn Sina Hospital. A volunteer of the Ooredoo Oman Goodwill Journey. the need to ensure this potential is harnessed in positive ways and teers across the network donate schedule of activities through- community projects and support tism in Ramallah, Hebron, Na- roadblocks on main highways in and celebration was held at an underscoring society’s responsi- their time and eff orts to get in- out Ramadan, beginning with existing Ooredoo programmes blus, Tulkarem, and Gaza and Algiers, Oran, and Constantine, orphanage in Hulhumale, while bility to other users of the Inter- volved. the distribution of Iftar meals to and incubators. presented donations to support to ensure everyone had food and teams of volunteers distributed net not to allow it to be used in Ooredoo Qatar organised a hundreds of needy people from They built an outdoor play- them. water with which to break their dates and juice on the roads at negative, harmful ways. schedule of activities designed its Iftar tent, staff ed entirely by ground at Sohar hospital, vis- Volunteers from Ooredoo Tu- fast. Iftar time, and a special Iftar was Ooredoo Group CEO Sheikh to engage the local community, Ooredoo employees. ited Oman Association for the nisia distributed clothes and In partnership with the Min- held for migrant workers to thank Saud bin Nasser al-Thani said, including hospital visits, deliv- The operating company cel- Disabled, helped less fortunate toys to children at Ouled Bouaziz istry of National Solidarity, them for their hard work, in part- “The holy month of Ramadan is ery of special Ramadan gift box- ebrated Garangao with children families in Mudhaibi refurbish School in Sidi Bouzid, a remote Family and the Status of Women, nership with Male City Council. a time for refl ection, connection es to hospital patients and senior across the city, delivering tradi- their homes and set up incuba- village, in celebration of Eid al- volunteers from Ooredoo Algeria Sheikh Saud added: “It gives and gratitude, and time for us to citizens and the distribution of tional Garangao treats at Murouj tors in Rustaq, Mirbat and Yan- Fitr. Ooredoo Algeria partnered visited the elderly in centres lo- me great pleasure to see how the share moments with loved ones, Iftar boxes, dates and water to Ramadan market and in various qul, teaching women vocational with the Algerian Red Crescent cated in diff erent parts of Algiers values of Ooredoo are clearly and be appreciative of what we customers around the country. hospitals with children’s wards. skills such as sewing and soap- (ARC) to provide Iftar each day to off er gifts to the residents demonstrated in practical ways have. Refl ecting Ramadan’s spirit of A fundraising drive was also making and enabling them to to workers living away from their during Eid. during the holy month, across our “It is also a time for us to help sharing and generosity, Ooredoo held in conjunction with Al Na- become fi nancially independent families. The operating company Ooredoo Maldives launched a entire global footprint. those in need and show our cus- Qatar also off ered its customers jat Charity Society, raising some by setting up their own busi- opened dining rooms at its head- special video for Ramadan, en- “I am immensely proud that tomers how much we care. Each the chance to stay connected to KD500,000 for families in need nesses. quarters in Algiers, Oran, and couraging its customers to stay our Ooredoo teams in the Middle year, we take pride in our Ram- their family, friends, and loved around Kuwait. The rebranded Ooredoo Pal- Constantine, where volunteers connected with family, friends, East, North Africa, and Southeast adan campaign, and we are in- ones by off ering a host of sur- Ooredoo Oman undertook its estine focused its contributions from both Ooredoo and ARC and loved ones, and carried out a Asia have given up their time and credibly grateful to be in a posi- prises via its Box Of Joy cam- 15th Goodwill Journey across during the holy month towards served full meals each evening host of initiatives throughout the made such huge eff orts to serve tion where we can reach out to paign, whereby customers were the Sultanate this Ramadan, ar- humanitarian organisations during Ramadan. holy month. the communities in which they our communities and support gifted surprises including free riving to a celebratory event at supporting diff erent segments Partnering with Algerian A blood donation drive was operate, embodying both the spir- those less fortunate.” data, free calling minutes and Muscat Grand Mall. During the of society. Volunteers from the Muslim Scouts and the National held prior to the start of Ramadan it of Ramadan and our corporate As always, Ooredoo Group’s more on a daily basis. two-week journey, 20 volunteers company visited orphans, the Police Force, Ooredoo Algeria to ensure adequate blood reserves social responsibility commitment Ramadan campaign saw volun- Ooredoo Kuwait arranged a visited 11 towns to establish new elderly, and children with au- also distributed food packs at throughout the month. An Iftar at Ooredoo Group.” Gulf Times 6 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 REGION/ARAB WORLD/AFRICA

CONFLICT ALERT UNREST POLITICS HEALTH Boko Haram attack kills at Congo declares measles Liberia president off ers Nigeria parliament backs WHO confirms one case least 26 in Cameroon epidemic after more deaths talks after protests president’s choice of officials of Ebola in Uganda

Militant fighters belonging to the Boko Haram Congo’s government has declared an epidemic of Liberian President George Weah yesterday invited Nigeria’s National Assembly yesterday elected A five-year-old boy is being treated for Ebola in group active in Nigeria killed at least 26 people measles, which the latest health ministry figures opponents to “round table” talks to seek solu- President Muhamadu Buhari’s choice of candi- Uganda, the first case since an outbreak in neigh- in an attack in neighbouring Cameroon that was show has now killed at least 1,500 people, over a tions to the country’s economic woes, four days dates to the top two positions of Senate President bouring Democratic Republic of Congo 10 months one of the bloodiest in recent months, according hundred more than have died of Ebola. While health after thousands protested against rising prices and Speaker of the House of Representatives. ago, the World Health Organisation said yesterday. to a security off icial. “Seventeen soldiers and nine off icials have focused on the far deadlier haemor- and corruption. Weah made his off er to “leaders Nigeria operates a bicameral legislature, in which “The confirmed case is a five-year-old Congolese civilians” were killed in the attack early Monday on rhagic Ebola virus concentrated in Democratic of political parties, civil society groups, elders, the National Assembly comprises of the Senate child who travelled from the DRC with his family on Darak, a Cameroonian island located near Lake Republic of Congo’s lawless east, some 65,000 sus- religious leaders, our traditional leaders, student and House of Representatives. Ahmad Lawal, 60, June 9, 2019. The child and his family entered the Chad, the regional security off icial said. A prelimi- pected cases of measles have been reported across leaders and the business community,” in a speech from northern Yobe state, was elected as Senate country through Bwera Border post and sought nary count, given on Monday, had three Cam- the vast central African country. The health ministry aired on national radio. He suggested “a round President, and by law becomes the chairman of the medical care,” the WHO wrote on Twitter. Uganda’s eroonian soldiers killed along with an unspecified revealed the measles figure when it declared the table discussion to aff ord them the opportunity to National Assembly, making him the second most health ministry and the WHO have sent a team to number of civilians in an attack on a military post epidemic on Monday. Medical charity Doctors present their alternative views, or their sugges- important politician in Nigeria, the most populous the western town of Kasese to trace likely cases, and in the area. The off icial said yesterday that the Without Borders (MSF) said yesterday that 1,500 tions on the economy”. A protest coalition on country in Africa. Femi Gbajabiamila, 57, from the vaccinate those who may have come into contact Boko Haram attack sparked fierce combat with deaths from measles had been recorded in the first Sunday gave Weah a string of demands with a southwestern state of Lagos, was elected as speaker with the patient, the post added. Uganda has been Cameroonian troops. five months of 2019. four-week deadline. of the House of Representatives. on high alert since the outbreak in the eastern DRC. UAE paid businessman to spy on Trump Palestinian medic shot in administration: report

Al-Malik, chairman of the clashes succumbs to wounds AFP Washington investment fi rm Hayah Hold- ings, was interviewed by spe- AFP cial counsel Robert Muller’s Ramallah United Arab Emirates offi ce as part of the probe, ac- businessman linked to cording to the New York Times. Aa probe of illegal dona- The Times cited people fa- Palestinian medic tions to Donald Trump’s polit- miliar with the inquiry as has succumbed to his ical campaign was paid by his saying it focused on whether Awounds a month after country’s intelligence agency people from Saudi Arabia and being shot during clashes along to spy on the US president’s the United Arab Emirates used the Gaza border, Palestinian of- administration, The Intercept straw donors to make contri- fi cials said. reported on Monday. butions in the hope of buying Mohamed al-Jdaili, 36, died Rashid al-Malik received infl uence over US policy. after being hit by Israeli fi re, the tens of thousands of dollars a The report was denied by al- Palestinian health ministry said month for gleaning informa- Malik’s lawyer, who told The on Monday. tion on Trump administration Intercept that his client was The Palestinian Red Crescent policy toward the Middle East “not an intelligence operative.” organisation said in a statement in 2017, the website said, citing “He has never been ‘tasked’ he had been hit in the face by a former US offi cial and docu- to deliver information about a rubber-coated bullet “while ments. the inner workings of the performing his humanitar- He reported back to the Trump administration,” Cof- ian duties” in northern Gaza on UAE’s National Intelligence fi eld wrote in an e-mail to the May 3. Service on topics of interest to website. Since the injury he had been the oil-producing Gulf state — He has, however, “on nu- receiving treatment in Hebron including US eff orts to medi- merous occasions, discussed in the occupied West Bank, it ate a Gulf feud involving Qatar various business ideas for UAE said. — as well as meetings between projects in the US,” the lawyer There was no reaction from US offi cials and Saudi Arabia’s was quoted as saying. the Israeli army. Crown Prince Mohamed bin The Intercept report came Palestinian offi cial news Salman, The Intercept said. after the Justice Department agency Wafa said the father of Late last year, The New York last week said George Nader, four was hurt while treating Times and Wall Street Jour- a well-connected Middle East wounded people near the bor- nal reported that US federal fi xer for the Trump campaign, der fence in Jabalia in northern prosecutors were investigat- was arrested for possessing Gaza. ing whether foreigners ille- child pornography. Palestinians have been gath- gally funnelled donations to Nader was a witness in spe- ering along the heavily-guarded Trump’s inaugural committee cial counsel Robert Mueller’s Israeli border fence since March and a pro-Trump fundraising probe into Russian election 2018, demanding Israel end the Adel, the son of paramedic Mohamed al-Jdaili, who succumbed to his wounds a month after being shot during clashes along the Gaza super PAC. meddling. crippling blockade of the strip. border, chants during his father’s funeral in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, yesterday. The Jewish state accuses the strip’s rulers Hamas of orches- been killed by Israeli fi re in Gaza grabbed global attention. unit that oversees such regu- fi res just yesterday. On June 4, trating the often-violent pro- since March 2018, the majority ISRAEL FURTHER lations, said Gazans would be Israel had restored the limit to tests. in the border clashes, according REDUCES FISHING allowed to fish up to six nauti- 15 miles after a previous reduc- On the day Jdaili was hit two to an AFP toll. ZONE cal miles offshore “until fur- tion in response to fi re balloons Israeli soldiers were injured by Six Israelis have been killed. Israel reduced the fi shing ther notice.” the previous week. It imposed a Iraqi Kurds name gunfi re. According to the World zone it allows off Gaza for the Yesterday, the permitted similar cut on May 23. In the past It sparked a two-day fl are up, Health Organisation three oth- second time in a week, an offi - fishing zone had been taken year, Palestinians have succeed- with hundreds of rockets fi red er Palestinian medics have been cial said yesterday, following a down from a maximum of 15 ed in setting fi re to large areas of president’s cousin from the strip towards Israel killed during the border pro- spate of attacks by Palestinians nautical miles to 10. farmland in southern Israel. and dozens of targets struck by tests. In June 2018 22-year-old using balloons to spark fi res. A spokesman for the Israeli Israel and Palestinian fi ght- the Jewish state in response. medic Razan Najjar died while A spokeswoman for COGAT, fi re service said incendiary bal- ers in Gaza, run by Hamas, have as their new PM At least 294 Palestinians have working on the border. Her case the Israeli defence ministry loons from Gaza caused seven fought three wars since 2008.

CURBS AFP 1946 and remains dominated by Arbil the Barzani clan. US imposes sanctions on Syrian mogul Its main rival, the Patriotic Fresh catch Union of Kurdistan (PUK), boy- The United States yesterday imposed sanctions on one of Syria’s most raqi Kurdistan’s parliament cotted Nechirvan’s election as prominent industrialists, Samer Foz, known for high-end holdings named Masrour Barzani as president but at least some of its including the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus, for allegedly enriching Ithe region’s new premier MPs took part in Tuesday’s ses- President Bashar al-Assad. “This Syrian oligarch is directly support- yesterday, a day after his cousin sion. ing the murderous Assad regime and building luxury developments was sworn in as its president. Born in Arbil in 1969, Masrour on land stolen from those fleeing his brutality,” Sigal Mandelker, the Masrour Barzani, 50, is the son joined the Kurdish security forc- undersecretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, of longtime Iraqi Kurdish leader es, known as the peshmerga, as a said in an announcement. The US Treasury Department also black- Masoud Barzani and had been 16-year-old. listed properties of Foz and his Aman Holding Company including the serving as national security ad- He attended school in neigh- Four Seasons, the plush hotel that has stayed operational viser for the autonomous region bouring Iran, then returned to during the war. since 2012. Iraqi Kurdistan to take part in He won the votes of 87 of the the 1991 uprising against then- 97 members present in the re- dictator Saddam Hussein before ESPIONAGE gion’s 111-seat chamber — more travelling to the US to complete Iran frees Lebanese businessman than his cousin received when his graduate studies. he was elected president late last During his tenure as national A Lebanese businessman detained in Tehran since 2015 on charges month. security adviser, Barzani had a of collaborating against Iran arrived in Beirut yesterday, after his PM-elect Barzani will have major role in the region’s fi ght- government secured his release. Nizar Zakka, an information technol- one month to form the autono- back against the Islamic State ogy specialist who holds US residency, was sentenced to 10 years in mous region’s cabinet. group, which swept across a jail and fined $4.2mn in 2016. He denied the charges, while Iranian The cousins hail from the third of Iraq in 2014. media have described him as a US spy. Lebanon’s President Michel Kurdistan Democratic Party He succeeds his cousin Yemeni fishermen sell their catch in a market in the embattled Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Aoun had lobbied for Iran to grant him an amnesty, and off icials in (KDP), which was founded by Nechirvan who had served as yesterday. Tehran said his release was partly due to the country’s close ties with their grandfather Mustafa in prime minister since 2012. Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.

Iran press slams German FM’s defence of EU on nuclear deal

Agencies fective mechanism to enable its the weakest Europe in history,” it have apologised to Iran and re- economic benefi ts Tehran hoped watchdog’s 35-nation Board of International Atomic Energy Tehran fi rms to continue doing busi- said in an accompanying edito- considered its policy instead of for from the nuclear deal were Governors, the United States Agency, which is policing the ness following the reimposition rial. expressing concern over Iran’s now “more diffi cult to obtain” also said Tehran’s acceleration deal, last month said Iran had in- of US sanctions has left Tehran The European Union “sent its defensive capabilities,” it said. but urged Iran to fully respect of uranium enrichment would stalled up to 33 IR-6 centrifuges, ran’s conservative press increasingly frustrated. envoy to Iran to say ‘Europe can- Since 2015, Iran has contin- the agreement. not lead to Washington backing although only 10 had been tested yesterday mocked the EU’s And strong criticism by the not implement without Ameri- ued developing and testing bal- It is in Iran’s “political and down in its policy of trying to with uranium hexafl uoride feed- Iposition on a 2015 nuclear EU last month of Iran’s decision ca’s approval but cannot accept listic missiles, which it says are strategic interest to maintain isolate Iran. “Attempting to gen- stock so far. deal abandoned by Washing- to retaliate by declaring itself Iran’s refusal to deliver on some for defensive purposes only and this agreement and the dialogue erate negotiating leverage 1kg of The deal allows Iran to “test” ton, accusing Germany’s foreign no longer bound by some of its of its commitments’”, the paper completely within the term of with Europe”, he said. uranium at a time will not bring up to 30, but only after 8-1/2 minister of exhibiting both inef- commitments has sparked fur- complained. the nuclear deal. US REPEATS sanctions relief,” US ambassador years have passed. fi ciency and high-handedness ther anger. Leading ultraconservative But the EU has echoed US TALKS OFFER Jackie Wolcott said in her state- How many Iran can currently during talks in Tehran. The ultra-conservative Javan daily Kayhan recalled the in- criticism of the tests and has Meanwhile, the United States ment to the board. test and how is a “grey area”, Since US President Donald newspaper ran a front-page car- volvement of German fi rms in called for restraint from Tehran. said that Iran’s work with ad- The landmark 2015 deal be- Western diplomats say, adding Trump quit the agreement in toon depicting Foreign Minister providing materials used by The conservative Resalat vanced centrifuges is a breach of tween Iran and major powers that it would be crossing a red May last year, the European Un- Heiko Maas wearing a swastika Saddam Hussein’s regime to de- newspaper mocked Europe’s the nuclear deal Washington has allows Tehran to operate thou- line if it fed uranium feedstock ion has repeatedly renewed its armband, sporting a toothbrush velop weapons of mass destruc- repeated promises to rescue the already pulled out of, expressing sands of fi rst-generation IR-1 into all of them. own commitment and pledged moustache and performing a tion it deployed in the 1980-88 nuclear agreement, saying “the its concern while repeating that centrifuges — machines that The IAEA has declined to say to reward Iran’s compliance with Nazi salute. Iran-Iraq war. powerless cannot perform mira- it is open to holding talks with enrich uranium — but puts much whether Iran is complying with the sanctions relief promised “The stinking leftovers of “Germany, as one of the main cles.” Tehran. stricter limits on more advanced its obligations, adding that it is under the deal. Nazism and fascism have mani- suppliers of weapons of mass During his visit on Monday, In a statement to a quar- models. up to the parties in the agree- But its failure to fi nd an ef- fested themselves in the spirit of destruction to Saddam...should Maas acknowledged that the terly meeting of the UN nuclear A quarterly report by the ment to decide that. Gulf Times Wednesday, June 12, 2019 7 AMERICA Biden, Trump to battle it out for blue collar votes in Iowa By Sebastian Smith, AFP don’t. I think this country was built by to lessen eff ect of 25% Tariff . So far, lit- Washington you, by the working people of this na- tle eff ect to consumer. Companies will A Fire Department of New York twitter account photo of firefighters working at the scene of a helicopter crash on top of a tion, by America’s great middle class,” relocate to US,” he tweeted. high-rise in midtown Manhattan in New York. Biden says in the text of the speech. Trump offi cially kicks off his re- onald Trump and his leading A real estate developer who has al- election campaign next week at a Democratic challenger Joe Bi- ways burnished his image as a high- Florida rally. In reality, he has never Dden were yesterday to deliver living tycoon, Trump relies heavily on stopped campaigning since he entered duelling speeches across the impor- blue collar voters buying into his na- the White House after a shock win over Investigators probe deadly helicopter tant 2020 battleground state of Iowa tionalist slogan of “America First.” the widely predicted winner of the in a foretaste of what promises to be a In his trip to Iowa, the president will 2016 race, Hillary Clinton. bad tempered and volatile presidential visit an ethanol plant to tout his back- Backed by the incumbency and a crash atop Manhattan skyscraper election. ing for the biofuel, supplied by Iowa’s booming economy, Trump should be a Biden, 76, called his presence in the politically important farmers. heavy favourite in 2020. Reuters through rain and low clouds on Monday The Port Authority of New York & midwestern state on the same day as Later, he will address a Republican But his presidency has so polarised New York afternoon. New Jersey, the state agency that man- Trump, 72, a coincidence. party dinner. the country and energised opponents The crash stirred memories of the ages the airport, did not respond yes- But his speech will aim at the core of Somewhere along the trail, he will that previous electoral patterns could September 11 attacks and sparked re- terday to questions about the incident. the Republican president’s narrative, almost certainly lay into the man he be upended. nvestigators from the National newed calls for tightening restrictions The Federal Aviation Administration branding Trump “an existential threat likes to insult as “creepy” and “sleepy Biden, meanwhile, holds a strong Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for New York City’s airspace. said on Monday that controllers “did to America.” Joe.” lead in the Democratic nomination Iwere yesterday sifting through the US Representative Carolyn Maloney, not handle” the fl ight, but it remained Far from championing American According to Trump, Biden and the contest, but that is partly due to over- wreckage of a helicopter atop a Man- who represents parts of Manhattan, unclear whether there was any com- blue collar workers and farmers, as he nearly two dozen other Democrats vy- whelming name recognition — an ad- hattan skyscraper as they sought to de- said she wanted all “nonessential” munication at all between the helicop- repeatedly claims, Trump has made ing for their party’s nomination to seek vantage that will steadily erode. termine why the aircraft crashed on the fl ights banned. ter and air traffi c authorities. them “pawns” in tariff wars with the presidency next year, are the ones He is also struggling to maintain his roof a day earlier, killing the pilot. McCormack was an experienced pi- A spokesman for the NTSB, a federal countries ranging from rival China to out of touch with left-leaning eco- centrist platform when the most active Tim McCormack, the pilot, was the lot who had taken off from a heliport on agency that determines the causes of close trading ally Mexico, Biden is due nomic and social policies. section of the Democratic Party veers only person aboard when he crashed Manhattan’s east side to head to Linden major transportation accidents, did not to say. And far from regretting his bruising strongly to the left, boosting the likes of onto the roof of 787 Seventh Avenue Airport in New Jersey, according to Paul respond to questions yesterday about “He thinks he’s being tough. Well, trade war strategy, the president is on Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. with enough force to jolt workers at Dudley, the airport’s director. the status of the investigation. it’s easy to be tough when someone something of a high after Mexico said An issue facing both Trump and Bi- the fi nance and law fi rms inside the He would have needed clearance The crash site is less than a half mile else is feeling the pain,” Biden says of it was agreeing to his demand for more den is their age. Trump revels in boast- 50-fl oor tower in midtown Manhattan. from the air traffi c control tower at New from Trump Tower, where US President Trump, according to the advance text action against migrants fl ocking to the ing about his energy. “I am a young, Police and other offi cials believe it York City’s LaGuardia Airport to fl y Donald Trump maintains an apart- of the speech he will deliver during an United States in order to avoid threat- vibrant man,” he said in April, baiting was an accident, but have yet to say over that part of Manhattan, but it was ment. The area has been under extra- intense tour of the state. ened tariff s. the slightly older Biden. why McCormack was fl ying over one unclear if that happened, Mayor Bill de tight fl ight restrictions since Trump’s Biden, who spent decades in Con- Calling himself “very happy” with But Democratic candidates in their of the country’s densest urban districts Blasio told reporters late on Monday. election in 2016. gress and served as vice president un- the deal, Trump tweeted yesterday that 40s and 50s — and even 37-year-old der Barack Obama, describes Trump as his far bigger tariff s war with China Pete Buttigieg — could yet seize the an out-of-touch “rich guy.” would be equally successful. momentum and make their youth an “Trump may think Wall Street and “China is similar, except they deval- issue in a country where many Demo- the super rich built this country. I ue currency and subsidize companies crats yearn for radical change.

Nasa mulls non-toxic fuel for its spacecraft

he US space agency Nasa an- nounced that it would test for Tthe fi rst time a kind of “green” fuel on a test satellite developed by the US Air Force Research Labora- tory this month. Nasa pointed out that the non- toxic fuel is denser than hydrazine so it can off er nearly 50% better per- formance. It means a spacecraft can travel farther or operate longer with less propellant on board. Also, there is potential for this technology to be used for lunar mis- sions as Nasa plans to land humans on the Moon by 2024 and establish a Representative Adam Schiff (second right) is joined by (from left) sustainable presence by 2028. Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representative Dwight Evans (D-PA) during a news conference to 133mn bees on the discuss the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, yesterday. The Congressional Democrats’ loose in Montana legislation ‘seeks to end the gun industry’s blanket liability shield,’ and would repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. driver error led to a truck overturning and its cargo of Aan estimated 133mn bees es- caping in the US state of Montana, local media reported yesterday. Mayor and police focus Fuel was leaking from the truck, mandating a quick response by res- cue workers, who used “self-con- on Chicago gun violence tained breathing apparatus packs (to) minimise and reduce the risk of being stung,” assistant fi re chief Bri- DPA movement for police accountability an Nickolay was quoted as saying by Chicago reform and campaigned on a promise broadcaster KBZK. to reduce violent crime — frequently NBC news said local offi cials put declaring that the city’s other prob- out warnings amid concerns for ollowing yet another chaotic lems can’t be addressed without that people with bee allergies. Chicago weekend, Mayor Lori happening. No one was hurt in the crash, the FLightfoot again met with po- Since taking offi ce, she’s made com- media outlets reported. lice brass on Monday and said the city bating gun violence a key priority. Nev- A beekeeper was called in to assist the sees “levels of violence that no other ertheless, Lightfoot’s administration rescue crews and NBC reported that the major city does.” hasn’t been able to stop the endemic owner of the cargo may give whatever Lightfoot held her second “Ac- crime that has made Chicago a national bees are recaptured to local residents. countability Monday” meeting with target for criticism from leaders includ- top police offi cials, gatherings that ing President Donald Trump. Macron to send a she has said will be a regular occur- At least 43 people were shot, seven rence in her administration. fatally, in Chicago over the Memorial new tree to Trump Police Superintendent Eddie John- Day weekend despite an additional son joined Lightfoot before the ses- 1,200 police offi cers on the street and rench President Emmanuel sion outside her offi ce as she took a focus on more than 100 youth pro- Macron yesterday downplayed questions from reporters. grams set up throughout the city. Fthe death of an oak tree he had “What we’re trying to do is build Then, at least 52 people were shot, off ered US President Donald Trump a foundation to really move the vio- eight fatally, during the fi rst weekend last year, saying he would send the lence number down fairly dramati- of June, according to the Police De- American leader a new tree. cally,” Lightfoot said. partment. The two men had planted the oak At least 45 people were shot in Chi- Asked his reaction to the meetings, sapling on the grounds of the White cago over the weekend. The violence Johnson said: “There’s nothing wrong House in April 2018. It was put in included a spurt on Sunday morning with having another set of eyes look- quarantine because of fears parasites in which seven people were shot, one ing at what we’re doing. Certainly, the on the tree could spread to others on of which was a homicide. mayor’s the mayor of the city. At the the White House property. When she was sworn in as mayor on end of the day, she’s accountable for “We will send him another, it is May 20, Lightfoot inherited a city with this entire city. not a tragedy,” Macron told Switzer- persistent violence and shootings that “There’s nothing wrong with us land’s RTS network on the sidelines occur with astonishing frequency. briefi ng her on what’s going on across of an International Labour Organi- A former federal prosecutor, Light- the city. She deserves to know that and sation meeting in Geneva. foot has been heavily involved in the quite frankly we enjoy talking to her.” Gulf Times 8 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 ASIA Nepal to seek Thai junta chief Prayut jail for former UN offi cial convicted made PM in royal decree of child abuse AFP Bangkok AFP “He was found guilty Kathmandu of paedophilia by unta chief Prayut Chan-O- the district court on Cha formally became Thai- Monday and remanded Jland’s 29th prime minister epali prosecutors said into custody until his yesterday after a royal endorse- yesterday they will sentence is fi xed” ment, completing a long trans- Nseek a 13-year jail term formation from soldier to civil- for a former United Nations The next hearing has been ian leader and vowing “love, offi cial from Canada found set for July 8. unity and compassion”. guilty of sexually abusing Dalglish, who in 2016 was But critics may doubt the divi- two boys. awarded the Order of Canada sive leader’s pledge after his pre- Peter John Dalglish, a – the country’s second-high- vious stint in power which was 62-year-old former high- est civilian honour – made marked by a ban on political gath- profi le humanitarian worker, his name as a humanitarian erings, a clamp down on the me- was found guilty by a court worker advocating for street dia and the muzzling of dissent. on Monday and is due to be children, child labourers and The 65-year-old ex-army sentenced next month. those aff ected by war. chief led the 2014 coup, the last Dalglish was arrested in He co-founded Street Kids of at least a dozen since 1932 by April last year in Kavrepal- International in the 1980s a military woven deeply into the anchowk district, near Kath- but it merged with Save the country’s turbulent politics. mandu, by Nepal’s Central Children. Thailand’s fi rst parliament Bureau of Investigation. In the last decade, Dalglish since the coup was stacked with Two boys aged under 14 has held key positions in UN 250 hand-picked senators who were at the house where agencies, including a chief helped vote Prayut in as prime police detained Dalglish, for UN Habitat in Afghani- minister over the charismatic investigators said. stan in 2015. In Nepal, Dal- and embattled leader of the Fu- “He was found guilty of glish was an adviser in a child ture Forward party. Prayut Chan-O-Cha, left, attending the royal endorsement ceremony appointing him as Thailand’s new prime minister at Government House paedophilia by the district programme for the Interna- But he holds a razor-thin in Bangkok yesterday. court on Monday and re- tional Labour Organisation in majority in the lower house manded into custody until the early 2000s. in a country frustrated by the he knelt before a portrait of King to become the third largest in He was unable to attend the has been rocked by violent pro- his sentence is fi xed,” Sharm- Weak law enforcement has military’s infl uence on politics, Maha Vajiralongkorn, clasping Thailand. vote for prime minister even tests and takeovers in a broad ila KC, a Kavrepalanchowk made Nepal notorious for with the hashtag #RIPThailand his hands together in a wai and But analysts say Thanathorn’s though he was the only other split between supporters of the district court offi cial, said. sexual predators, with sev- trending on Twitter after the bowing several times. magnetic appeal has made him candidate. powerful Shinawatra clan and an Dalglish denied the charges. eral arrests and convictions in vote. Prayut faces a rocky tran- and the party a target. Police are also probing a com- arch-royalist elite backed by the Lok Bahadur Katwal, gov- recent years. “I will promote a peaceful sition trailed by questions of The Future Forward leader plaint against party spokeswom- military. ernment attorney in the case, In 2015 a Canadian orphan- environment for a unifi ed so- legitimacy. and his deputies are facing more an Pannika Wanich for allegedly Yingluck Shinawatra’s ad- said prosecutors presented age volunteer, Ernest Mac- ciety based on love, unity and His challenger in the vote was than a dozen legal complaints breaching the country’s royal ministration was toppled in the statements by the victims, Intosh, 71, was sentenced to compassion,” Prayut said after billionaire and auto parts scion that they say are politically defamation law. She denies the 2014 coup and her brother Thak- their medical reports, and seven years in prison for sexu- the royal decree was read out at Thanathorn Juangroongruang- motivated. claim. sin was ousted by the military photos to the hearing. ally abusing a 15-year-old Government House. kit, who has captured millen- Thanathorn was suspended Observers say Future Forward in 2006. “We have sought a maxi- disabled boy. He also promised to “listen nial hearts with his slick social from parliament while one of the off ered a fresh alternative for Both siblings live in self-exile mum jail sentence of 13 years In 2010, French charity to the voices of the people” and media presence and withering cases plays out and could face a voters tired of familiar political but their main political machine and necessary compensation worker Jean-Jacques Haye was protect the monarchy. anti-junta salvos. ban from politics and jail time if camps. Pheu Thai backed Thanathorn as for the victims in the case,” he convicted of raping 10 children Moments before his remarks The party scooped up 81 seats convicted. For the past 13 years Thailand candidate for prime minister. said. at a Kathmandu orphanage. Thailand Lanka MPs defy president to resume probe tycoon AFP not call the routine weekly meeting was not held. An Islamic State-inspired emergency which gives sweep- Sirisena said he will not allow Colombo cabinet meeting to discuss Sirisena had militantly op- local jihadist group has been ing powers to the police and any current public servants to found guilty the day-to-day running of the posed public questioning of blamed for the suicide attacks security forces to arrest and testify before the hearing, but administration. military, police and intelligence against three churches and detain suspects for long periods parliament warned Sunday that ri Lanka’s parliament yes- The opposition Sri Lanka offi cials, saying it would com- three luxury hotels. Among the of time. any offi cial refusing its sum- of bribing terday defi ed President People’s Front said the stand- promise national security. The dead were 45 foreign nationals, Sirisena has insisted that as mons could face up to 10 years SMaithripala Sirisena and off between the president and PSC maintains that witnesses while nearly 500 people were minister of defence and law and in jail. resumed investigations into the cabinet, controlled by were free to give evidence in injured. order he was unaware of pre- It was not immediately clear wildlife security lapses surrounding Prime Minister Ranil Wick- camera. One of the badly damaged cise intelligence warnings from if the PSC had asked any of- the Easter suicide bombings remesinghe’s party, meant the President Sirisena last week churches, St Anthony’s, was India over the attacks. fi cial to testify since Sirisena’s that killed 258 people, offi cials government was at a standstill. asked his coalition cabinet to scheduled to reopen for regular He sacked his defence minis- remarks on Friday. offi cials said, as a political crisis in the “The current standoff ef- stop the hearings, which have services Wednesday, church of- try secretary, Hemasiri Fernan- The president also ordered country deepened. fectively means that there is no already revealed senior offi cials fi cials said in a sign of normality do, and suspended police chief live broadcasts of the PSC pro- The Parliamentary Select government in Sri Lanka from directly under him had ignored returning to the otherwise tense Pujith Jayasundara after blam- ceedings to be halted. DPA Committee (PSC) began hear- today,” Sri Lanka Freedom Party repeated intelligence warnings. capital. ing them for the catastrophic New Delhi said it shared de- Bangkok ing testimony from Muslim (SLPF) leader Gamini Laksh- Sirisena sacked his intelli- Two of the luxury hotels security failure. tailed information about the leaders who claimed they re- man Peiris told reporters in gence chief over the weekend which were attacked have reo- Both have denied respon- Sri Lanka attack with Colombo peatedly alerted the authorities Colombo. after he told the hearing that pened, while the Shangri-La sibility while the police chief as early as April 4 - two and a Thai tycoon once listed to dangerous radicalisation, a There was no immediate the April 21 attacks could have was also due to reopen on has mounted a legal challenge half weeks before the bomb- among the country’s parliamentary offi cial said. word either from the presi- been avoided if police had been Wednesday. against his suspension. Ja- ings - following information Arichest people was found In what appeared to be a dent or the prime minister on allowed to arrest the ringleader Since the attacks, the coun- yasundara has testifi ed before gleaned from a jihadist in Indian guilty yesterday of attempting tit-for-tat move, Sirisena did why the scheduled cabinet as early as last year. try has been under a state of the PSC. custody. to bribe park offi cials after be- ing caught poaching protected animals. Vietnamese sue Premchai Karnasuta, presi- dent of construction giant Taiwan company Italian-Thai Development, was US man to face death over 2016 spill sentenced to one year in prison. Yesterday’s verdict came on Lawyers in Taiwan launched top of a 16-month sentence penalty trial in Vietnam a multi-million dollar lawsuit handed down by a court two and against the industrial a half months ago, for charges AFP His trial is set for June 24- conglomerate Formosa yesterday, related to poaching protected Hanoi 25 in the southern commercial on behalf of thousands of animals including a black leop- hub of Ho Chi Minh City, his Vietnamese whose livelihoods ard, as well as illegal posses- family and a lawyer said. were ruined by a toxic spill that sion of carcasses of protected Vietnamese-American The two activists arrested devastated fish stocks. animals and fi rearms. man charged with “at- with Nguyen – Huynh Duc Formosa’s huge steel plant in Ha Wildlife rangers arrested the Atempting to overthrow Thanh Binh and Tran Long Phi Tinh province was fined $500mn 65-year-old tycoon, along with the state” will go on trial in Ho – will also go on trial with him, by the Vietnamese government four other people, in Thungyai Chi Minh City on June 24, his along with Binh’s father, who in 2016 for pouring chemicals – Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, family said, and could face the is accused of failing to report including cyanide – into the ocean, a world heritage site in western death penalty if found guilty. “criminal activity”, said Binh’s sparking one of the country’s worst Thailand, in February 2018. Michael Nguyen has been lawyer Nguyen Van Mieng. environmental catastrophes. The rangers said they heard held for nearly a year in the “They were just simply in Rohingya men are seen at Rawi island, part of Tarutao national park in the province of Satun, The spill devastated fishing gunshots and followed the one-party communist state, contact with each other, they Thailand, bordering with Malaysia. communities along swathes of sound, only to fi nd the carcasses which has tightened its grip on didn’t set up a political party, coastline and prompted months of of a black leopard, a barking power since a new administra- they didn’t intend to try to rare protests in the one-party state. deer and Kalij pheasants. tion came to offi ce in 2016 and replace the current party,” Dozens of local and Vietnamese The black leopard – a vul- took a harder line on dissent of Mieng said. activists rallied outside the nerable species – was found any kind. A US State Department offi - Rohingya Muslims found district court in Taipei this week dissected and scalped. Nearly 130 prisoners of con- cial said it was aware of reports as lawyers lodged their claim. The rangers, who said they science are currently behind that a US citizen has been de- “I saw with my own eyes dead fish were off ered bribes but turned bars in the country, where in- tained since July 2018 and the floating in the sea. There are no them down, also found by the dependent media is banned safety of its citizens abroad is a stranded on Thai island fish in the ocean to catch now... campsite two rifl es, a double- and protests are illegal. top priority. we are forced to leave our home barrelled shotgun and various Nguyen was detained in Michael Nguyen left Viet- Reuters gine trouble, a park offi cial the offi cial who declined to be to go to other countries to find bullets. July last year while travelling nam in 1975, settling in the US Bangkok said. named. work,” said Nguyen, a former The incident caused wide- with two activists on a visit to alongside more than a mil- Scores of Rohingya Mus- More than 700,000 Ro- fisherman who asked to be spread public outrage, with Vietnam. lion people who fl ed when lims have boarded boats in hingya crossed into Bangla- identified only by his family name. many taking to social media to The father of four young the communist regime took fi shing boat carry- recent months to try to reach desh in 2017 fl eeing an army “I hope Taiwan’s independent express their scepticism at the daughters could face the death over after the long, bitter ing more than 60 Ro- Malaysia, part of what au- crackdown in Myanmar’s Ra- judiciary will seriously handle capability of the country’s jus- sentence if convicted. Vietnam War. A hingya Muslims was thorities fear could be a new khine state, according to UN the case to return justice to the tice system to bring the tycoon His family said he has been Many war refugees mobi- found beached on an island in wave of people smuggling by agencies. victims and I hope Formosa will to justice, saying the system denied access to lawyers dur- lised against the communist southern Thailand yesterday, sea after a 2015 crackdown on The unrest prompted tens give Vietnam back a clean ocean often lets the rich and powerful ing his detention and insisted government from afar, but offi cials said. traffi cking. of thousands of Rohingya so the fish will return,” he added. walk free. he is innocent. Nguyen’s family have said The passengers – 28 A Satun government offi cial to fl ee Myanmar by sea. The Some 7,875 people from the aff ected Premchai and his sister Ni- “He is severely disadvan- he is not involved with any men, 31 women and fi ve said the passengers would be exodus peaked in 2015, when areas have joined the group lawsuit japorn Charanachitta were taged and unable to prop- dissident groups. children – were stranded transferred to the mainland. an estimated 25,000 people initially seeking at least Tw$140mn listed by Forbes magazine in erly defend against any ac- Vietnam routinely jails its on Rawi island in Tarutao “Everyone will be investi- crossed the Andaman Sea for ($4.46mn) in compensation, 2016 as Thailand’s 35th rich- cusations against him,” said a critics and is accused of tight- National Park in Thailand’s gated in order to see whether Thailand, Malaysia and Indo- according to Taiwan’s Environmental est people, with a net worth of statement from his family in ening its grip on activism in southern Satun province they are victims of traffi cking nesia, many drowning in un- Rights Foundation which is assisting $630mn. the US. recent years. after the boat suff ered en- or illegal immigrants,” said safe and overloaded boats. the victims. (AFP) Gulf Times Wednesday, June 12, 2019 9 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

New Zealand quashes China extradition over torture fears

AFP be tortured breached New Zea- which will resonate throughout After a lengthy legal process away from torture in the PRC criminal justice system and the The Chinese judicial system ef- Wellington land’s international obligations. the Common Law world, it is not that included two ministerial re- (People’s Republic of China) is harassment of defence lawyers. fectively protects the legitimate The 99-page judgement, just important in New Zealand,” views, New Zealand in 2015 de- under way”, it gave little weight Beijing defended its human rights and interests of criminal which included a damning as- he said in a statement. Kim, a cided to extradite him — the fi rst to Chinese assurances Kim would rights record in the wake of the suspects.” New Zealand court yester- sessment of Beijing’s justice sys- South Korean national who has time it had agreed to a suspect be- receive a fair trial. ruling. “In order to ensure justice Kim spent fi ve years in jail after day stopped a murder sus- tem, comes amid huge protests lived in New Zealand for 30 years, ing sent to face trial in a Chinese “Torture remains widespread to victims, we hope that New Zea- his arrest and is currently on bail Apect from being extradited by Hong Kong residents against is accused of murdering 20-year- court. and confessions obtained through land can handle the case fairly and in Auckland. His case will now go to China, saying it could not send a proposed law to allow extradi- old Chinese woman Pei Yun Chen But yesterday’s ruling halted torture are regularly admitted in extradite the suspect to China as back to Justice Minister Andrew him to a country where torture tions to mainland China. Kim’s while he was visiting Shanghai in that process and ordered a third evidence,” the judgement said. “It soon as possible,” foreign minis- Little for review, although Kim’s was “widespread” and “systemic”. lawyer Tony Ellis said the decision 2009. Kim was arrested in New ministerial review, while raising logically follows, we consider, that try spokesman Geng Shuang said lawyer Ellis argued there was lit- The Court of Appeal quashed was a precedent-setting human Zealand in 2011 and Beijing asked questions about the Chinese legal there are inadequate systems in during a regular press briefi ng tle chance of extradition given the a ministerial decision to extradite rights victory. for his extradition after giving as- system. the PRC to prevent torture.” Other in Beijing. “China attaches great “profound and important” ques- Kyung Kim to China, saying to do “It is a judgement that has pro- surances that he would not face While the three-judge appeal issues identifi ed by the judges in- importance to the protection tions posed by the Court of Ap- so when there was a risk he would found human rights importance the death penalty if convicted. panel conceded “a cultural shift cluded political infl uence on the and promotion of human rights. peal judgement. Thousands stage fresh protest against Hong Kong

extradition bill People stand outside the Legislative Council as they protest the extradition bill with China in Hong Kong.

Reuters Hong Kong protesters want extradition bill scrapped; bill could raise questions about go-slows were also announced pro-democracy “Occupy” dem- Hong Kong Lam’s ability to govern eff ective- for today as businesses, stu- onstrations did in 2014, heaping Say it undermine freedoms guaranteed to ex-UK colony; ly. Protesters remained defi ant dents, bus drivers, social work- pressure on Lam’s administra- Bill also opposed by some Hong Kong business groups; late yesterday, rallying peace- ers, teachers and other groups all tion and her offi cial backers in housands braved thun- fully just a stone’s throw from vowed to protest in a last-ditch Beijing. Nearly 2,000 mostly derstorms in Hong Kong HK chief executive vows to press ahead with legislation the heart of the fi nancial cen- eff ort to block the bill. small retail shops, including res- Tyesterday for a fresh wave tre, where glittering skyscrapers The Catholic Diocese of Hong taurants, grocery, book and cof- of protests against a proposed house the offi ces of some of the Kong called on the government fee shops, have announced plans extradition bill that would allow world’s biggest companies, in- not to pass the bill “hurriedly”, to strike today, according to an people to be sent to mainland cluding HSBC. and urged all Christians to pray online survey, a rare move in the China for trial, but the Chinese- Security was tight in and for the former British colony. staunchly capitalist economy. ruled city’s leader said she would around the legislature building, Embattled leader Lam, who Eaton HK Hotel, which is not back down. with riot police deployed in some warned against “radical action” owned by Langham Hospital- Hong Kong Chief Executive areas. Protesters stood under at the latest protest, is herself a ity Investments and operated Carrie Lam said she would press umbrellas in heavy rain, some Catholic. by Great Eagle Holdings, said ahead with the bill despite deep singing “Hallelujah”, as police Britain handed Hong Kong it respected workers’ “political concerns across vast swathes of conducted random ID checks. back to China 22 years ago under stances” and would allow them the Asian fi nancial hub that on Plainclothes offi cers, in jeans a “one-country, two-systems” to rally. Many residents of the Sunday triggered its biggest po- and sneakers and carrying batons formula, with guarantees that fi nancial centre, both expatriate litical demonstration since its and shields, were also deployed, its autonomy and freedoms, in- and local, are increasingly un- handover from British to Chi- with other reinforcements gath- cluding an independent justice nerved by Beijing’s tightening nese rule in 1997. ering behind barricades. system, would be protected. grip over the city. “When the fugitive extradition An online petition has called But many accuse China of Human rights groups have bill is passed, Hong Kong will be- for 50,000 people to surround extensive meddling since then, repeatedly cited the alleged use come a ‘useless Hong Kong’,” said the legislature building over- including obstruction of demo- of torture, arbitrary detentions, Jimmy Sham, convenor of Civil night into today. Scores of cratic reforms, interference with forced confessions and prob- Human Rights Front, the main young passersby had their bags local elections and of being be- lems accessing lawyers in China, organiser of Sunday’s demon- searched by police and some hind the disappearance of fi ve where courts are controlled by stration. “We will be deep in a were detained briefl y in a nearby Hong Kong-based booksellers, the Communist Party, as reasons place where foreign investors metro station. A police offi cer starting in 2015, who specialised why the Hong Kong bill should are afraid to invest and tourists on the scene who declined to be in works critical of Chinese lead- not proceed. are afraid to go. Once the ‘Pearl named said they were searching ers.Beijing rejects those accusa- China denies accusations that of the Orient’, (it) will become Police off icers stand guard outside the Legislative Council building as people protest the extradition bill with for weapons to try to stave off tions and offi cial Chinese media it tramples on human rights. nothing.” China in Hong Kong. any violence. this week said “foreign forces” Yesterday, New Zealand’s Court In a rare move, prominent The Civil Human Rights Front were trying to damage China by of Appeal, citing human rights business leaders warned that erode its competitive advan- second round of debate today in Sunday’s protest, which organ- condemned the searches, say- creating chaos over the extradi- risks, ordered the government to pushing through the extradition tages. The bill, which has gener- Hong Kong’s 70-seat Legislative isers said drew more than a mil- ing authorities had made people tion bill. Sunday’s protest rally reassess its decision to extradite law could undermine investor ated unusually broad opposition Council. The legislature is con- lion people, and a snowballing afraid to participate in peaceful plunged Hong Kong into po- a man to China to face murder confi dence in Hong Kong and at home and abroad, is due for a trolled by a pro-Beijing majority. backlash against the extradition gatherings. Strikes and transport litical crisis, just as months of charges.

Indonesian suspects China-Fiji diplomacy N Korea detail alleged plot to demands kill top offi cials US ends

Reuters aide to the opposition leader. hostility Jakarta Prabowo’s campaign team de- clined to comment on yester- day. The suspects alleged Zen AFP ndonesian police yesterday had picked the targets they Seoul aired video testimony from were supposed to assassinate Ithree suspects who alleged during several meetings, in- a retired soldier backing the cluding one at a mosque. orth Korea yesterday political opposition had off ered Police have charged Zen called on the US to them money and, in one case, a with illegally possessing weap- N“roll back its hos- family vacation to join a plot to ons and he is currently being tile policy”, a day before the kill government offi cials. detained and unavailable for fi rst anniversary of a his- Last month, police arrested comment. Zen’s lawyer said the toric summit between its six people suspected of plot- allegations against his client leader and president Donald ting to assassinate four security were politically motivated and Trump. offi cials and a pollster during the retired soldier had given The fi rst-ever meeting be- chaos surrounding protests money to the suspects to stage tween a North Korean leader against the confi rmation of a peaceful rally. and a sitting US president President Joko Widodo’s elec- One of the alleged hitmen took place on June 12 last tion victory. said he was paid 55mn rupiah Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) shakes hands with Fiji’s Foreign Aff airs Minister Inia Seruiratu before their meeting at the Diaoy- year in Singapore, where Kim The targets included Indo- ($3,866) to kill the four offi - utai State Guesthouse in Beijing yesterday. Jong-un and Trump signed nesia’s chief security minister, cials. Another said in the video a vaguely-worded deal to the head of the intelligence testimony “after executing achieve “complete denu- agency, chief maritime minis- those people, Kivlan said he clearisation”. ter and a special presidential would guarantee his wife and Australia PM to meet national broadcaster after police raids But a second meeting in security adviser, police said. children’s livelihood, and they Vietnam in February ended At a news conference yes- would also be able to vacation Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said protection when he meets ABC chairperson drag on, analysts say. He wants parliament to abruptly as the two failed terday, police aired video testi- anywhere”. Police also showed he will meet with executives from the national Ita Buttrose and managing director David approve promised tax cuts when legislators to agree on what the North mony from the suspects, whose videos of some of the weapons broadcaster as he sought to calm tensions Anderson. “If there is a suggestion or evidence return after last month’s election, but some would be willing to give up in faces were partly obscured and they had seized, including an following two police raids against prominent or any analysis that reveals there is need for lawmakers want to prioritise amendments to exchange for sanctions relief. with some details of their testi- M4 assault rifl e, being tested at media organisations. Police last week raided the further improvement of those laws, then the protect press freedoms. The government does The joint statement from mony bleeped out. a range. head off ice of the government-funded Austral- government is always open to that,” Morrison not hold a majority in the upper house Senate the Singapore meeting “of The suspects claimed the Indonesia has seen a spike in ian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) and the home of a told reporters in Sydney. and Morrison will probably need the support of great historic signifi cance is mastermind behind the plot political tensions since Widodo News Corp editor amid investigations into two Australia has no underlying safeguards for free several independents to pass his signature tax now on the verge of turning was retired major general Kiv- was confi rmed the winner of alleged national security leaks. speech in its constitution. When the govern- cuts. “We should move that protection across to into a dead document as the lan Zen, a vocal supporter of last month’s presidential elec- The raids, which police said were unrelated, trig- ment ratcheted up counter-espionage laws in any investigation of journalists in the conduct US shuns its implementa- opposition leader and former tion, a result contested by the gered complaints of assaults on press freedom. 2018, it added a provision to protect whistle- of their role,” said independent senator Rex tion,” said the North’s of- general Prabowo Subianto. opposition which claims there Under mounting pressure, Morrison said he blowers. Morrison, who was overseas during Patrick, referring to the provision for whistle- fi cial Korean Central News He was also once a military was widespread cheating. will consider any proposals to improve media the police raids, can ill aff ord to have the issue blowers. Agency. Gulf Times 10 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 BRITAIN/IRELAND Villagers say gas well application is ‘a joke’, as inquiry opens

Guardian News and Media Councillors in Rotherham have plication. Councillors have raised con- diffi culties caused by stress and application by Ineos, which is Dawn Norman, 71, who lives London twice refused planning permis- Steele said Ineos was only cerns that the proposed drilling noise, and worried that the pro- owned by Sir Jim Ratcliff e, the across the road from the proposed sion for Ineos to carry out test seeking permission at this stage site is next to a sheltered housing posed development would seri- UK’s richest person. drilling site, said she suff ers from drilling on the green belt land, to drill an exploratory core well development for the elderly and ously aff ect her health. Jack Parker, barrister for serious lung and heart conditions illagers have accused Brit- citing concerns about highway for a “very limited timescale”. seriously ill, including residents “We don’t ask for much, just Woodsetts Against Fracking, and was worried about the impact ain’s richest man of mak- safety and a lack of information “This does not include frack- with dementia, epilepsy and peace and quiet. This will all told the inquiry that the proposal on her health. “We live in a beau- Ving “a joke of local de- about any environmental im- ing,” he told the planning inspec- post-traumatic stress disorder. be lost, maybe forever if drill- would have an “unacceptable tiful spot. The eyesore, the noise, mocracy” after his petrochemical pacts. tor Katie Peerless. “Accordingly, Three weeks ago Ineos sub- ing goes ahead,” she told the in- impact” on the residents of the we’re not going to be able to get fi rm applied to overturn a coun- But yesterday the multination- any objections which are based mitted an application to build a quiry. “Please put people fi rst for sheltered housing estate. in and out of our gateway for the cil’s decision to stop it from drill- al fi rm argued for those decisions on a concern about, or opposi- 270-metre-long, three-metre once, not profi t. I cannot express “It just makes a joke of lo- lorries. The mud, the diesel emis- ing a shale gas well in the York- to be overturned as a planning tion to, fracking are simply not high fence as an “acoustic sound strongly enough how worried I cal democracy,” said Shontelle sions,” she said. shire countryside. inquiry got under way in Rother- relevant at this inquiry.” barrier” to shield the Berne am about this plan. It is my hu- Gavins, another resident. “We “It’s just going to ruin so many Residents in the village of ham. Amid demonstrations from The tiny village of Woodsetts, Square estate – an idea met with man right to enjoy peace and qui- voted twice, we’ve beaten them people’s lives. All the wildlife will Woodsetts, in South Yorkshire, dozens of local residents, Gordon home to just 1,700 people, is the incredulity by residents who et and fresh air. Please do not let twice, and because they didn’t be destroyed. I could go on forever, said the plans by Ineos to carry Steele QC, representing Ineos, latest frontline in the shale gas called it “the Great Wall of Ineos”. them build on it.” get the result that they wanted, there’s so many things. We’ve got out test drilling would “ruin so told the planning inquiry that industry’s faltering attempts to Helen Clarke, who lives on Residents of Woodsetts have they took it to government, so a beautiful community and such a many people’s lives” and “devas- concerns about fracking were make a success of fracking in Berne Square, said she suff ered crowdfunded £10,000 to pay there is no democracy. It’s just a delightful little village and it’s just tate” the local community. “simply not relevant” to the ap- Britain. from sleep apnoea and breathing a lawyer to help them fi ght the really, really sad day.” going to totally devastate it.”

Woo Irish PM to get better Johnson Brexit deal: Harper criticised Reuters London

ebuilding diplomatic ties with Ireland is the key to Rgetting a better Brexit deal for avoiding from the European Union, says Mark Harper, the self-styled “serious underdog” in the con- test to be Britain’s new prime minister. The future of the land border between EU-member Ireland and British province Northern scrutiny Ireland proved to be the down- fall of outgoing Prime Minister Reuters tion: why not?” he told BBC ra- limelight because the contest Theresa May, causing a deep London dio. “I’ve got nothing to hide and is his to lose — a stray word or rupture in her Conservative that’s why I am here.” poorly placed joke could deprive Party that culminated in three A spokesman for Johnson did him of his best chance at getting crushing defeats in parliament oris Johnson, the favourite not immediately respond to re- Britain’s top job. on her proposed Brexit deal. to succeed Prime Minister quests for comment. Johnson originally made his Now the party is choosing BTheresa May, was yester- Johnson left his home in Lon- name as an European Union- a new leader to take on the job day criticised by a rival who said don yesterday morning without bashing journalist in Brussels, of plotting a course to Brexit the former foreign minister was comment, a Reuters reporter at then entered politics in the Con- through a divided parliament avoiding public scrutiny in the the scene said. He is due to begin servative Party. He also raised his with no consensus on what it contest. his campaign today. profi le through a series of ap- wants — except that it does not After three years of political “Time to come out of your pearances on a television com- want May’s deal — and an EU deadlock over Brexit, the ruling bunker, Boris” the Daily Mail, edy. that is adamant it will not rene- Conservative Party is picking a Britain’s second-most-read Known in Britain and beyond gotiate. new leader from 10 diff erent can- newspaper, said in an editorial. for his clownish persona and di- “The most important thing didates and hopes to have a new “Usually he positively craves me- shevelled mop of platinum hair, we’ve got to do is to get Brexit prime minister in place by the dia attention...Yet for weeks now Johnson upset some Europeans done, and I think the person end of July. he has been stuck in his trench, before Britain’s Brexit referen- that is most important to get- Johnson, who led the offi cial dribbling out vague policy ideas,” dum by comparing the goals of ting Brexit done — it’s building a Brexit campaign in the 2016 ref- the newspaper said. the EU with those of Adolf Hitler relationship with the Taoiseach, erendum, is the frontrunner to Rivals say he is avoiding the and Napoleon. the leader of the Irish republic,” replace May despite a long record Harper told Reuters. of scandals and gaff es. Ireland, and its Prime Minis- Betting markets give him a New PM will not change Brexit deal: Juncker ter Leo Varadkar, has taken on an 60% probability of winning the outsized role in the Brexit talks top job. The stalled EU-UK divorce that the interest for the British because Britain and the EU can- But rivals have turned on John- treaty will not change with the political society is how to not agree on how to make sure son over his pledges to cut taxes arrival of a new prime minister replace PM May, not how to goods keep fl owing freely be- for the wealthy, deliver Brexit in London, the outgoing head of find an agreement with the EU,” tween the two countries without with or without an exit deal and the European Union’s executive Juncker said seven months a need for border checks that his apparent desire to keep a low said yesterday. European after May sealed a deal with could re-ignite a violent sectar- profi le. Commission president Jean- the bloc but then failed to get ian past. When asked about Johnson, Claude Juncker reiterated the it ratified by parliament at Harper, a square-jawed rival Matt Hancock said: “I cer- EU’s refusal to renegotiate home. “It’s not a treaty between 49-year-old whose friendly, tainly think that everybody who as many of the Conservative May and Juncker, it’s a treaty measured tone belies his back- puts their name forward to be Party candidates vying to between the EU and the UK. ground as an enforcer of party prime minister should be open to replace Prime Minister Theresa It has to be respected by discipline under ex-prime min- scrutiny, should be accountable. May said they would seek a whomsoever will be the next ister David Cameron, is the “Everybody should participate new agreement. “I have the prime minister... There will be bookmakers’ least-fancied can- in the proposed TV debates. And impression for months now no renegotiation.” didate to get the job. Conservative MP Boris Johnson leaves his home in London yesterday. I think we’ve got to ask the ques-

Labour draws up Sturgeon chides UK govt plan to block no-deal

Reuters for the top job has a credible plan over Brussels trip stance for how to break the deadlock be- London fore the end of October.” Reuters er and European Commission If Brexit happens, Sturgeon Labour said it would use an Brussels president Jean-Claude Juncker said, Scots, who voted heavily he opposition Labour Par- opposition day debate today to yesterday to explain her nation- against it, should be given a new ty yesterday said it would vote on a motion, supported by alist government’s eff orts to have say on breaking from England Ttry to take control of the lawmakers from several parties cottish First Minister Britain remain in the European and joining the EU as an inde- parliamentary agenda on June including the Scottish National Nicola Sturgeon accused Union or at least in its economic pendent country. 25 to give lawmakers the chance Party, the Liberal Democrats and Sthe British government of area — both in opposition to cur- Scots rejected independence to introduce legislation aimed at a member of May’s Conserva- lacking “maturity” by withhold- rent British government policy. by a 55%-45% majority in a 2014 preventing a no-deal Brexit. tives, to seize parliamentary time ing diplomatic support for her She was also outlining her referendum. Several of the candidates vying on June 25. trip to visit EU offi cials in Brus- plans to hold a new referen- Sturgeon’s government is pre- to replace Prime Minister There- If successful, MPs could then sels, and suggested it was part of dum on Scottish independence paring legislation for another sa May have said they would not use that time to introduce leg- Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s — again in defi ance of London’s vote, which she suggested might be willing to delay Britain’s Eu- islation to try and avoid Britain campaign to lead the Conserva- position. be held later next year. ropean Union beyond the end of leaving on October 31 without a tive Party. Sturgeon said denying support She dismissed objections from October, even if it meant leaving deal, Labour said. Asked about the denial of lo- was “absurd” and showed Lon- London as unsustainable, al- without a deal. “MPs cannot be bystanders gistical help, Sturgeon told an don was “trying to undermine a though polls show about half of A majority of lawmakers op- while the next Tory prime min- audience at Brussels’ European devolved government’s eff orts Scots also oppose a referendum pose leaving without a deal and ister tries to crash the UK out of Policy Centre yesterday that it to protect the interests of our in the near future. other leadership contenders have the European Union without a was among “issues that tell you country”. She added: “There’s Sturgeon said the Conserva- warned parliament will block deal and without the consent of everything you need to know probably more about the foreign tive leadership race, mostly any attempt to do so. the British people. That’s why we about the current maturity of secretary playing to the audience among fi gures strongly favouring One, former Brexit minister are taking this latest measure to governance in the UK”. of Tory party members in the Brexit, showed that “increasingly Dominic Raab, has even raised end the uncertainty and protect Hunt asked Scotland’s de- leadership election.” Scotland and the UK are on dif- the possibility of suspending communities across the coun- volved executive to run the visit Hunt is among contenders to ferent political paths”. parliament until after October 31 try,” Starmer added. itself because UK diplomats succeed Prime Minister Theresa Scotland’s contrasting com- to prevent it happening. Earlier this year, MPs used could not support “activities in- May. May, who will hand off the mitment to the European Union “The debate on Brexit in the a similar process to pass a law, tended to campaign for policies premiership next month once had, she said, earned it support Tory leadership contest has de- despite government opposition, contrary to (the British govern- her successor is chosen, resigned in Brussels and other EU capitals, scended into the disturbing, the that mandated May to seek more ment’s) position”, a government the leadership after failing to get which had been cool in 2014 to ludicrous and the reckless,” said time from the EU. This alone spokesman said. parliamentary support for her Scotland’s push for independ- Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon delivers a speech on the Labour’s Brexit spokesman Keir would not have prevented a no- Sturgeon was meeting EU withdrawal deal from the Euro- ence — a factor exploited during future relations between Scotland and the EU after Brexit, in Brussels, Starmer. deal, as the EU has to agree to any Brexit negotiator Michel Barni- pean Union. the campaign by unionist parties. Belgium, yesterday. “None of the likely candidates extension. Gulf Times Wednesday, June 12, 2019 11

BRITAIN Security services could get Facebook-style data analysis tools

Guardian News and Media telligence and behavioural analy- mation render it cost-eff ective, concerns have the potential to the increasingly sophisticated Anderson continues: “Behav- late last year MI5 formally took London sis tools, similar to those used would be the use of such general damage the perceived legitimacy use of artifi cial intelligence and ioural analytics is here to stay, the lead from police in address- by Facebook, to assess masses of indicators across the population of vital bulk capabilities. Apart behavioural analytics to extract and its techniques may be eff ec- ing the biggest threats posed by data. as a whole, or signifi cant por- from a strong internal compli- information from bulk datasets, tive not just in refi ning the as- the far right. Anderson’s fi rst re- he security services may Anderson warns that greater tions of it, with a view to identi- ance and ethics culture, the best alone and in combination) will sessment of risk from existing port in December 2017 called for soon be able to scan sensi- use of artifi cial intelligence and fying possible future threats.” response to public concern is require continuing legal and eth- leads and (existing suspects) but the same eff ort and tools to be Ttive data from a signifi cant behavioural analytics needs to The barrister warns of a pos- maximum possible transparency, ical review. in discovering new leads who used against the extreme right- proportion of the British popula- be ethical. Areas where it could sible row and damage to trust consultation and strong ethical “The most sophisticated de- would not otherwise have come wing threat as against religious tion for signs of terrorism, an of- be used include buying a fl ight, in state agencies, as when the oversight.” ployments of such techniques to the attention of the authori- terrorism. fi cial report reveals. fi nancial data and the hiring of Guardian revealed the evidence The report says the security are not practised by intelligence ties.” Anderson writes that there is David Anderson QC examined vehicles. In three of the 2017 at- from whistleblower Edward services want to learn advanced agencies or police but by private In his update, Anderson says “far greater interest” in weapons reforms put in place by MI5 and tacks, at Westminster Bridge, Snowden about wide-ranging techniques used to comb through sector operators including tech MI5 and the police have made and military culture among ex- counter-terrorism policing after London Bridge and Finsbury surveillance powers. masses of data for information companies and major retailers. good progress in enacting rec- treme rightwingers than among the 2017 attacks in Britain. His Park, terrorists hired vehicles to Anderson wrote: “As UKIC about people, already used by The world depicted in the fi lm ommendations meant to limit other militants. He says police report for the government on use as weapons. (the United Kingdom intelligence companies such as Facebook. Minority Report remains strictly the chance of any errors and “had been less likely than MI5 to progress so far reveals that coun- In his report yesterday, Ander- community) came to acknowl- “It is obvious however that de- fi ctional. However, UKIC aspires boosting their chances of catch- see such interest as an indicator ter-terrorism investigators may son says: “More controversial, edge in the wake of the Snow- velopments in data-sharing and to learn from the private sector, ing terrorists before they strike. that the terrorism threshold had soon have powerful artifi cial in- however, should increasing auto- den aff air, strongly held public in discovery techniques (notably and if possible to catch up.” The report also reveals that been reached”. Outcry as Royals visit sheep farm BBC cans over-75s free TV licence

Guardian News and Media closures’ to services and chan- London nels. Although 900,000 households are on pension credit another he BBC is facing a furious 600,000 do not take advantage backlash for stripping mil- of the benefi t – either through Tlions of over-75s of their stigma or fear of excessive paper- free TV licences. work. Were they to start claim- An estimated 4.6mn house- ing – allowing them a free licence holds currently escape the – the Treasury’s £5.4bn bill for £154.50 annual charge. pension credit could soar. But from next June the ex- Under the new rules elderly Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (left), walk along footpaths during their visit to Deepdale Hall Farm, a traditional fell emption will be available only to women will be particularly at sheep farm, in Patterdale, north-west England, yesterday. those on pension credit, a ben- risk of being dragged through the efi t claimed by 900,000 low- courts – and potentially to jail – income households. MPs said the because they are convicted of li- most vulnerable now faced being cence fee evasion more frequently dragged to court if they did not than men. realise they had to buy a licence – According to the most re- or could not aff ord one. cent data, 184,595 Britons were Former prime minister Gor- charged with non-payment of don Brown said: “We have to ask the TV licence in 2016. Around whether the BBC can justify tak- 140,000 were taken to court, ing a frail, housebound, elderly 21,300 of which were found not Jobs growth slows amid pensioner to court for not pos- guilty and 90 people were jailed sessing a TV licence that for years for failing to pay court-issued she has had for free? fi nes. “And then not only having the A jail sentence is a last resort power to ask for a fi ne of £1,000 for those who refuse to pay the with legal costs on top, but also to fi ne, rather than for not buying have the power if she doesn’t pay the licence itself. uncertainty over Brexit or can’t pay, to ask the courts to Scottish National Party MP send her to prison?” Hannah Bardell said: “It’s a shock- Guardian News and Media continued to show that the UK diff erent story,” he said. said the number of job vacancies the three months to April, up from The department for work and ing fact that dozens of people, London jobs market was defying the worst Britain’s economy has con- in Britain dropped to 837,000, 3.3% in March. pensions used to shoulder the many of whom are women, are fears over Brexit. tinued to generate new jobs, falling from 861,000 at the start Total earnings, including bo- bill for free TV licences, but the sent to prison every year for non- John Hawksworth, chief econ- sending the employment rate to of the year. nuses, rose by an annual 3.1% in responsibility was handed to the payment of their licence. As if this obs growth in the economy has omist at PricewaterhouseCoop- record levels. Unemployment has Yet, the jobs market has per- April, down from a rate of 3.3% in BBC in 2015. is not bad enough, to potentially cooled after months of em- ers, said: “The rate of increase in also fallen, dropping by 34,000 formed much better than the wid- March but still stronger than fore- This had saddled the broad- prosecute people in their 80s and Jployers appearing to shrug off the latest three months was slow- to 1.3mn in the three months to er economy over recent months, cast by City economists. The rise in caster with a bill of at least 90s and send them to prison for not Brexit concerns. er than in most previous quarters, April. The jobless rate remained after fi gures on Monday showed wage growth also comes as infl a- £745mn from 2021, rising to more being able to aff ord a TV licence is Employment in Britain in- which may be a sign that Brexit- at its lowest level since the mid that factory stoppages and cool- tion has cooled, further helping to than £1bn by 2029. In return, the absolutely unacceptable.” creased by 32,000 to reach a related uncertainty is beginning 1970s, at 3.8%. ing levels of stockpiling ahead of strengthen households’ fi nances. government gave the BBC per- Caroline Abrahams, director record high of 32.75mn in the to make companies more cautious But, some economists believe Brexit sent economic growth slid- Alok Sharma, the employment mission to either limit or remove of Age UK, said the thought of three months to April, according about new hiring.” that businesses have continued ing by 0.4% in April. minister, said: “With wage growth the entitlement. jail was ‘amazingly scary’ for the to the Offi ce for National Statis- John Philpott of the Jobs Econ- to hire workers to meet demand The lowest unemployment rate increasing pace on last month, The BBC announced on Mon- elderly. Paul Edwards, director of tics, fuelled by a rise in the num- omist consultancy said the rise rather than invest for the long since the mid-1970s and high lev- outstripping infl ation for the 15th day that it had decided to restrict clinical services at Dementia UK, bers of self-employed people and in employment masked a drop of term in productivity-boosting els of vacancies has helped Brit- month in a row, and record high free TV licences to poorer pen- said the removal of free TV li- women entering the workforce. 38,000 in the number of work- technology amid the uncertainty ish workers to start repairing the female employment, the govern- sioners – a move that will still cences would add another layer of The rise was the weakest since ers employed by a company, with over Britain leaving the EU. damage from a decade of sluggish ment’s focus on pro-business cost it £250mn a year. The corpo- bureaucracy for dementia suff er- August and signifi cantly down self-employed people accounting In a potential sign that the wage rises since the 2008 fi nan- policies and balanced economic ration said the change was needed ers who already “fi nd it diffi cult to on the average 167,000 recorded for the entire net rise. “A closer country’s jobs boom could be cial crisis. Annual growth in aver- management is delivering oppor- to avoid ‘profoundly damaging keep on top of bill payments.” in the fi rst quarter, although it look at the fi gures off ers a slightly running out of steam, the ONS age weekly wages reached 3.4% in tunity for all.”

Official visit Heavy rains fl ood Triple child killer roads, hospitals

Guardian News and Media network and urged people avoid released from prison travelling in the south London London area if possible. Guardian News and Media fi rst became eligible for release Urry, then known as Dorothy Flash fl oods forced the closure London in 1993. But Urry said that taking Ralph, went to work in a pub and eavy rain has caused of dozens of roads, including into account all three children, her then husband was out. Paul widespread disruption in Wymondham in Norfolk and the minimum term should have was strangled, Dawn was found Hin England, including Bromsgrove in Worcestershire. notorious child killer who been 60 years. She said the fact with her throat cut and Samantha fl ooded roads, railways and a Overnight the M25 was closed murdered three infants he that he would be barred from cer- died from a compound fracture to hospital, and forecasters have for several hours in both directions Awas babysitting has been tain exclusion zones, including the skull. warned of more to come. after a sinkhole opened up on the released from jail, the victims’ where she lives, “gives me a bit of Robin Walker, the Conserva- The environment agency is- carriageway near Sevenoaks in mother has said. peace of mind but it is still not fair tive MP for Worcester, has repeat- sued dozens of fl ood alerts across Kent. After emergency repairs the David McGreavy spent 46 years he has been released after what he edly written to successive justice England and a fl ood warning, road was fully reopened in time for in prison for the murder of sib- has done”. ministers and home secretaries which is more serious, for Wok- the morning rush-hour. lings Paul Ralph, four, Dawn, two, A Parole Board report from objecting to McGreavy’s release. ingham, Berkshire. In West Kingsdown, near and nine-month-old Samantha the end of last year recorded a He said: “Frankly, I don’t think One of the worst-hit areas was Sevenoaks, a woman in her 80s in 1973 at their home in Worces- personal statement from Urry in someone who carried out such Lincolnshire, where fl oodwater and her dog were rescued after ter, where McGreavy was a lodger. which she described the devas- crimes should ever be let out. It is had to be pumped out of Pilgrim her home was fl ooded to waist He impaled their bodies on the tating eff ect the deaths had on her a great shame.” Announcing the hospital in Boston. height. iron railings of a neighbour’s “and still do have”. decision of an independent panel There were so many emergen- The Met Offi ce has extended fence. The only explanation he It said, however, McGreavy had at the end of last year, the Parole cy in calls in the county that fi re a yellow “be prepared” warning gave was that Samantha would changed considerably since 1973 Board said: “We can confi rm that crews said they could only deal for heavy rain until Thursday. not stop crying. and took full responsibility for a panel of the Parole Board has with fl ooding incidents if water It now stretches from parts of The children’s mother, Elsie what he had done. A psycholo- directed the release of David Mc- had entered people’s homes. north Wales in the west to the Urry, who lives in Hampshire, told gist identifi ed a number of factors Greavy following an oral hearing. In the south-east, railway lines Wash in the east and all the way BBC Hereford and Worcester yes- that made it less likely he would “Parole Board decisions are near Orpington in Kent and Mit- to Edinburgh in the north. terday that a support worker had reoff end, including “his improved solely focused on whether a pris- cham Junction in London were Another warning covers Dev- called to tell her the news. “All self-control and the fact that Mc- oner would represent a signifi cant fl ooded as the network struggled on and Somerset, where similar she has told me is that he’s been Greavy has learnt to remain calm risk to the public after release. to cope with a month’s worth of conditions were expected. released, he’s got a tag and he’s in stressful situations”, the report “The panel will have care- rain in 24 hours. Forecasters predict that some got to obey by certain rules that said. fully looked at a whole range of The rail operator Southern areas of the UK could be inun- they’ve given him,” she said. McGreavy, then 21, was a fam- evidence, including details of the Prime Minister Theresa May meets Nepal’s Prime Minister K warned passengers to expect dated with up to 100mm of rain McGreavy who was given a ily friend and lodger. He had been original evidence and any evi- P Sharma Oli outside 10 Downing Street in London yesterday. delays and cancellations across this week, twice the monthly av- minimum sentence of 20 years, babysitting the children while dence of behaviour change.” the Southern and Thameslink erage for June. Gulf Times 12 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 EUROPE

TRAGEDY LIMITED EDITION INFESTATION TRANSPORT LOCAL HERO First electric scooter user Majorca activists, locals Worst locust invasion for End of the line for paper Kosovo honours Bill Clinton killed in Paris accident demand fewer cruise ships 70 years hits Sardinia tickets on Paris metro with a ‘freedom medal’

A 25-year-old man on an electric scooter has died Activists and locals in the Spanish holiday island Swarms of locusts have destroyed crops They are synonymous with the Paris metro: the Kosovo yesterday decorated former US after being hit by a van in Paris in the first deadly of Majorca yesterday launched a campaign asking and infested houses on the Italian island of small, rectangular tickets with a magnetic strip president Bill Clinton with an “Order of Freedom” collision with a vehicle since they appeared on the for fewer cruise ships just days after thousands Sardinia in the worst such invasion in 70 years, down the middle that become embedded in medal in gratitude for his support for the streets of the French capital a year ago. Paris has in Venice called for an outright ban in the Italian agricultural association Coldiretti said yesterday. tourists’ pockets after a trip to the French capital. former Serbian province as it cleaved away seen a string of accidents involving the rentable city. In a manifesto published on campaign The locusts have devastated animal grazing Now the city’s transport system will phase out the from Belgrade 20 years. Clinton had ordered US motorised stand-up scooters, prompting pushes website You Move Europe, some 20 associations pastures covering some 2,500 hectares of paper tickets with the introduction of a rechargeable troops to join the 1999 Nato intervention. The from authorities to limit their use and speed. A police asked local authorities to limit arrivals in Palma land in the central province of Nuoro, between card — called Navigo Easy — aimed at tourists and move made him a hero in Pristina, where he spokeswoman said the man was hit in the Goutte de Majorca, the island’s capital, to one a day the small towns of Ottana and Orani. “We are occasional users. “It’s over — the days of tickets landed yesterday ahead of the 20th anniversary d’Or neighbourhood of the 18th arrondissement late and 4,000 visitors. “Three or four cruise ships walking on locust carpets”, Coldiretti said in a which become demagnetised in your pocket,” of June 12 — the day when Nato troops entered on Monday. He died in hospital just after midnight. accumulate at a time and unleash 15,000 people statement. Locusts are often seen in Sardinia said Valerie Pecresse, the head of public transport Kosovo. In a ceremony broadcast on TV, Clinton Radio Europe 1, which first reported the accident, on the city,” Jaume Garau, head of environmental during the summer months, but farmers said it in Paris, referring to a particular scourge of metro was handed the medal by President Hashim said the scooter had been removed by the time platform Palma XXI, told AFP. The number of was the worst outbreak since the end of World users whose tickets become unusable. After the Thaci. “No prize can award your contribution, police arrived on the scene, hence it was not known cruise passengers descending on Palma has lept War II and was mainly due to odd weather introduction of the card today, the end of paper the highest decoration you can receive is the which operator was involved. from 545,000 in 2009 to 1.19mn last year. patterns over the past two years. tickets for metro, bus and tram will come gradually. freedom of Kosovo itself,” Thaci told Clinton.

Outcry forces Russia Moldova president scraps to drop charges against investigative reporter

By Anna Smolchenko, AFP The case sparked outrage in Moscow Russia and abroad over what parliament’s dissolution critics slammed as the impu- nity and corruption of law en- By Ionut Iordachescu, AFP ussian police said yes- forcement agencies. Chisinau terday they would drop After Golunov’s arrest, Rdrug charges against an hundreds of supporters pro- investigative journalist and tested outside a court and the oldova’s President Igor free him from house arrest, in Moscow police headquarters. Dodon yesterday an- a rare climbdown by law en- Supporters had organised Mnulled a decree to dis- forcement following a public a march in Moscow for today solve parliament, enforcing a outcry. to call for his freedom, with standoff between two govern- Ivan Golunov, a 36-year- nearly 24,000 people replying ments that both insist on their old reporter with independ- as attending or interested on claim to lead the eastern Euro- ent media outlet Meduza, was Facebook. pean country. arrested last week on charges The international media The poor ex-Soviet state, supporters said were trumped watchdog Reporters Without nestled between Romania and up to punish him for his inves- Borders hailed what it called Ukraine, has been in political tigative work. the “historic mobilisation of chaos since February when a “Today he will be released the Russian civil society”. general election failed to give a from house arrest and charg- “Now those who tried to set clear majority to any party. es lifted,” Interior Minister him up must be judged,” the At the weekend, parliament Vladimir Kolokoltsev said in a NGO wrote on Twitter. approved a new government built statement. “We are happy that the au- on an unprecedented coalition of Kolokoltsev said he would thorities listened to society,” pro-Russian and pro-European seek President Vladimir Pu- the editorial team of Meduza forces, which came together to tin’s permission to sack the and several other prominent freeze out the party of an infl u- head of a Moscow police de- journalists said in a statement. ential oligarch. partment and another senior “This is just the beginning, a But the Constitutional Court offi cial in charge of drug con- lot of work lies ahead.” had already ordered fresh elec- trol in Moscow. In an unprecedented ges- tions and it eff ectively blocked Journalists and activists re- ture of solidarity, three ma- the new coalition by suspending acted with joy to the surprise jor newspapers Kommersant, Dodon and appointing the former announcement, which came Vedomosti and RBK had pub- prime minister as interim leader. as thousands of supporters lished the same front page on Ex-premier Pavel Filip, from planned to rally in Moscow af- Monday with the headline “I the Democratic Party led by oli- ter days of smaller demonstra- am/we are Ivan Golunov” in garch Vlad Plahotniuc, used his tions. giant letters. short time as acting president to Meduza editor-in-chief Even some staunchly pro- dissolve parliament and call snap Ivan Kolpakov said “this is Kremlin television journalists elections for September. victory...I’m crying,” while expressed support for the in- But back in offi ce Dodon can- opposition leader Alexei Na- dependent reporter. celled the order. valny called it “an inspiring Golunov’s lawyers argued “We consider the decision of and motivating example of that numerous legal violations the Constitutional Court illegiti- what simple solidarity...can accompanied the journalist’s mate and arbitrary — it is against achieve”. arrest. the fundamental laws of the Golunov had been charged Golunov has investigated country and poses a threat to the with attempting to deal a everything from Russia’s security of Moldova,” Dodon said “large amount” of drugs and shady funeral industry to cor- after a National Security Council was placed under house arrest ruption at Moscow city hall. meeting. at the weekend, facing up to 20 His release comes a month Dodon is from the pro-Russian years in prison if convicted. after days of protests forced Socialist Party, which said on The reporter said he was authorities to backtrack over Saturday it was willing to join the beaten in detention while his plans to build a controversial pro-European ACUM alliance to lawyers insisted drugs had new cathedral in the Urals city run the country. Supporters of the Democratic Party of Moldova attend a rally outside the government house in Chisinau yesterday. been planted on him. of Yekaterinburg. The previously ruling Demo- Moscow police admitted that During his two decades cratic Party has refused to recog- Nevertheless they “share the litical course towards closer inte- vided, half and half, with some ain, France and Germany on photographs published on its in power, Putin has silenced nise the new government. same goal: to kick out the gov- gration with Europe. wanting closer ties with Russia Monday threw their support be- website describing drug para- most of his critics and sought Dodon told AFP in an inter- erning party from state institu- “Our position is very clear: all while others with EU, the only hind the coalition. phernalia found at a crime scene to muzzle the media. view yesterday that there will tions and to turn a page,” he said. agreements with the European solution to satisfy everybody is a Moscow also congratulated the were not taken at Golunov’s fl at. The few opposition and in- be no talks with the Democratic “And I think this will happen.” Union will stand, nothing will be balanced foreign policy,” he said. coalition and said it was “ready The offi cers who arrested dependent media that still op- Party until it agrees to a “peace- Both parties have said in a cancelled,” he said. While saying he has “very good to work with the democratically Golunov last week have been erate in Russia are under huge ful transition of power.” statement to parliament that Yet he also said the new gov- relations with Russia and Presi- elected authorities”. suspended pending an inves- pressure, Kremlin critics say. Dodon acknowledged that the Moldova was “wallowing in cor- ernment would take into ac- dent (Vladimir) Putin,” Dodon Moldova, once part of Ro- tigation, Kolokoltsev said. The Meduza website is Socialist Party and the ACUM al- ruption” and “captive” to oli- count the views of Moldovans complained his opponents have mania before it became a Soviet “I believe that irrespective of based in EU member state liance that make up the new coa- garchs. who want to maintain ties with “used this (pro-Russian) label to republic then independent, con- any citizen’s professional activ- Latvia to circumvent censor- lition government have “abso- Dodon insisted that the new former Soviet master Moscow. scare off the West”. tains a Russian-backed breaka- ities his rights should always be ship, but some of its journal- lutely diff erent political visions”. government will continue a po- “Giving that our country is di- Five EU states including Brit- way region called Transnistria. protected,” the minister added. ists live in Russia. More bodies found as Hungary lifts sunken tourist boat

By Peter Murphy, AFP Mermaid’s Hungarian captain. current in the river, which is Budapest, was to “acquire more Budapest Early on in the operation, swollen from weeks of rain. evidence...and to gain wider divers removed four bodies from The salvage crew instead fo- context of the accident”, said Gal. the vessel. cused on fi xing wire harnesses Its 64-year-old Ukrainian ungarian police yesterday “It is presumed that the only underneath the vessel to prepare captain was arrested by Hungar- recovered more bodies af- child victim and the captain are it for hoisting by a powerful crane ian police days after the incident Hter raising a sightseeing two of the four victims recov- mounted on a barge. on suspicion of “endangering boat that sank in the river Danube ered today,” a police spokesman Hungarian police, who led the waterborne traffi c resulting in in Budapest last month, an accident Kristof Gal told reporters later. team of divers and experts, ini- multiple deaths”. that has claimed at least 24 lives. “The identifi cation process is tially estimated the lifting would According to Hungary’s as- Police removed four bodies still ongoing,” said Gal. take around six hours, but work sociation of passenger shipping from the Mermaid tourist boat. Only seven of the 35 people on was delayed several times. companies, the sinking of the Another four people are still board are known to have survived Temperatures soaring above Mermaid is the fi rst such acci- missing some two weeks after the the accident, with the prospect of 30 degrees Celsius and strong dent to cause mass fatalities in tragedy, the worst such incident fi nding any more passengers alive river currents slowed the divers’ Hungary for 75 years. in Hungary in 75 years. considered to be practically zero. work, while an extra wire rope For many in South Korea the The operation to lift the vessel The Mermaid was to be trans- was needed to support the dam- tragedy has brought back memo- out of the river onto a waiting barge ported to a dock later yesterday in aged part of the Mermaid after it ries of the 2014 Sewol ferry sink- began at around 6am and took more southern Budapest, said police. surfaced. ing, which claimed more than 300 than six hours to complete. “Four people are still missing, “This operation was greatly lives in one of the deadliest mari- Several dozen rescue work- and while it is still possible that taxing physically and mentally,” time disasters in the country. ers took part in the operation, further bodies will be found on Peter Kolozsi, a spokesperson The Mermaid accident hap- including members of a diving the boat on later examination, for emergency services members pened on a popular part of the team sent from South Korea. the forces deployed in the search of the salvage team, told a Hun- Danube river for pleasure trips, The Mermaid was carrying operation of the southern sec- garian public media news pro- from where passengers can view mostly South Korean holiday- tions of the Danube have been gramme. the city and parliament building makers when it capsized and doubled,” Gal told AFP. During the operation, divers illuminated at night. sank on the evening of May 29, Several of the victims found be- periodically entered the vessel to The Mermaid which sank in the Danube river near Margaret bridge is moved away during a salvage Dozens of small sightseeing seconds after colliding with a fore yesterday were discovered along search for bodies of any victims operation in Budapest yesterday. boats ply the river through Buda- bigger river cruise boat on a busy the Danube, dozens of kilometres still inside. pest every day. Larger river cruise stretch of the river. south of the Hungarian capital. At one point, a member of the away. launched a criminal probe into fore returning to Hungary ac- boats travelling on the Danube Those on board included a six- Since the accident, divers had rescue crew fell into the fast- On Monday, river cruise boat the cause of the accident. cording to its schedule. between Germany and the Black year-old girl travelling with her been unable to enter the sub- fl owing water and had to be res- Viking Sigyn was again searched After the incident, the boat The investigation, at a river Sea typically spend several days mother and grandparents, and the merged boat due to the strong cued after almost being swept by Hungarian police who have had travelled on to Germany be- port in Visegrad 50km north of moored in the capital. Gulf Times Wednesday, June 12, 2019 13 INDIA

SC orders release of journalist arrested over social media

Agencies Farasat told reporters. Pradesh government to show its vation of liberty,” the court said. judge Indira Banerjee as saying Kanojia has been charged with A journalist in northeastern New Delhi The judges criticised the high- magnanimity and the principle “We direct that the peti- during court proceedings. off ences under Indian law relat- Manipur state was jailed last handed manner of Kanojia’s ar- of forgiveness, and criticised the tioner be immediately released The head of a local news chan- ing to defamation and publish- year for allegedly criticising the rest, calling it “illegal” and “un- state’s lawyer. on bail on conditions put by the nel that broadcast the video shared ing obscene material on digital state’s BJP chief minister and journalist jailed for mak- constitutional”. “We live in a country which trial court. It is also to be clear by Kanojia has also been arrested media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ing derogatory comments The court however said its has a Constitution, and it is one that this order should not be along with one of the editors, for India ranks 140 out of 180 In Thiruvananthapuram Aon social media against order should not be seen as ap- of the best in the world,” said construed as an approval of his operating without a license. countries in the global press free- meanwhile, Congress leader Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister proval of Kanojia’s social media the court, rubbishing the Uttar tweets/posts on social media. We A fourth person was arrested dom index of Reporters Without Ramesh Chennithala said 149 Yogi Adityanath was ordered posts and that legal proceedings Pradesh government lawyer’s do not appreciate harsh action.” on Monday for allegedly upload- Borders. cases were registered against released by the Supreme Court against him would continue ac- arguments justifying Kanojia’s Charges against Kanojia also ing altered images of Adityanath In recent years, laws have fre- various people for posting re- yesterday. cording to law. arrest. included earlier allegedly infl am- on Facebook. quently been deployed by politi- marks against Kerala Chief Min- Prashant Kanojia, a freelance Kanojia’s wife Jagisha Arora The lawyer argued that Kano- matory tweets about Hindu gods The Editors Guild of India had cians from all parties seeking to ister Pinarayi Vijayan on social journalist, was arrested on Sat- moved the court on Monday jia, through his social media and other political fi gures, ac- slammed Kanojia’s arrest, call- stifl e social media criticism. media, while nothing happened urday after he uploaded and challenging her husband’s arrest. posts, has infringed on some- cording to legal reporting website ing the police action “arbitrary” Last month, a Bharatiya Ja- to complaints lodged by other commented on a video of a wom- A bench comprising Justices body’s right, but the court said Bar&Bench. and “an authoritarian misuse of nata Party activist was arrested political leaders. an claiming to be in love with Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi it cannot be justifi ed by putting a “A citizen’s right to liberty has laws”. for posting a meme on opposi- “What is happening in Kerala Adityanath. said: “We disapprove deprivation person behind bars. been infringed. We have gone “The Guild sees it as an eff ort tion West Bengal Chief Minister is similar to the developments in “The judges have directed (the) of liberty of the journalist by the “The question is that he is through the records. These sort to intimidate the press, and stifl e Mamata Banerjee. Uttar Pradesh ruled by Yogi Adi- immediate release of Prashant state’s action to arrest him.” behind the bars... and we disap- of tweets should not be made, freedom of expression,” it said in She was later released on bail tyanath,” Chennithala said in the today,” defence lawyer Shadan The court asked the Uttar prove of any act leading to depri- but arrest?” Bar&Bench quoted a statement on Sunday. by the Supreme Court. state assembly. Maharashtra farmers vow to fi ght ban on GM seeds

IANS cally fall and the doors of new Akola, Maharashtra technology and prosperity will be opened to farmers,” Narade said. armers yesterday warned A strong opponent of GM they will “strongly oppose” foods, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Fany attempt by the Mahar- Samiti (VJAS) president Kishore ashtra government to stop them Tiwari said that since over a year from using new technology a day the Central Bureau of Investiga- after they defi ed a ban on GM tion (CBI) is probing from where cotton seeds. these banned cotton seeds were “The farmers of Maharashtra being illegally procured. will not remain mute like their “According to reports, they Haryana counterparts. They will originate from Gujarat and Telan- fi ght all measures by the govern- gana, but there is no action taken ment if they are prevented from against anybody so far. In view of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel check emergency and rescue material at a camp in Chiloda (also called Naroda), some 40km from Ahmedabad yesterday. using GM cotton seeds,” Ajit Na- the severe impact GM seeds can rade of the Shetkari Sanghatana cause to environment and human farmers’ organisation told IANS. health, this should be treated as At a high-profi le event on seriously as illegal supply of drugs Monday, over 1,000 farmers or arms,” Tiwari told IANS. gathered in a village in Akot and However, Tiwari said he is sowed the banned GM cotton on open to gradual introduction of a two-acre plot. advanced technology provided Addressing them, Shetka- it has no ill-eff ects and does not 300,000 to be evacuated ri Sanghatana president Anil lead to monopoly of any particu- Ghanwat labelled the opponents lar multinational corporation for of GM crops as ‘eco-terrorists’ supplying the seeds. who have failed to show a single On Monday’s Akola devel- scientifi c evidence of the ill-ef- opments, Tiwari – who is the fects of GM crops. chairman of the Vasantrao Naik as cyclone nears Gujarat He said the Genetic Engineer- Shetkari Swavalamban Mis- ing Approval Committee, the sion, enjoying a cabinet minister Agencies on the southern coast of Kerala necessary precautions are being The storm is likely to dam- plies aff ected by the cyclone are regulatory authority in India, status – questioned the claims Ahmedabad was already about a week late put in place including evacua- age thatched houses, blow away restored as soon as possible af- had also given reports favouring made by the organisers and urged this year. tion of staff if the need arises,” rooftops and metal sheets, dis- terwards. GM cultivation, and asked when the government to investigate Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay the spokesman said. rupt power and communication At a meeting yesterday, Shah India consumes all kinds of im- from where they acquired the uthorities are prepar- Rupani told reporters he had India’s biggest oil refi nery, lines and cause major damage to reviewed preparedness of the ported GM foods, why should seeds illegally since India per- ing to evacuate 300,000 asked for help from the mili- owned by Reliance Industries, is roads and crops, the IMD said. state and central ministries and only farmers be deprived of this mits only bollworm protected Bt Apeople along the west- tary and the National Disaster also based in Gujarat. In May, Cyclone Fani killed at agencies to deal with the situa- advanced technology. gene cotton seeds. ern coast as a severe cyclone is Response Force for rescue and A Reliance executive said the least 34 people on India’s east- tion. Narade added that presently Ghanwat has claimed that expected to make landfall on relief work in cases the storm cyclone is expected to weaken by ern coast, destroying houses and The meeting was attended by Maharashtra has among the farmers across India, including Thursday morning in Gujarat. causes large scale disruption. the time it reaches the Jamna- ripping off roofs. the Home Secretary, Secretary highest rain-fed area – around in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Storm Vayu, which formed Gujarat is also home to large gar-based refi nery. Two decades ago, a super-cy- in Ministry of Earth Sciences, 4mn hectares – under cotton Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, in the Arabian Sea, is likely to refi neries and sea ports that lie “But in case the course chang- clone battered the coast of Odi- and senior offi cers of IMD and cultivation. Haryana and Madhya Pradesh cross the Gujarat coast with gust near the storm’s path, offi cials es or intensifi es, the refi nery is sha for 30 hours, killing 10,000 Ministry of Home Aff airs. He admitted that some farm- are clamouring for GM crops and speeds as high as 135kmph, the said. ready for any contingency,” the people. The Cabinet Secretary has ers have been using GM cotton would plant them in the upcom- India Meteorological Depart- A spokesman for Adani Ports executive said, declining to be The government plans to start also convened a meeting of the seeds acquired from grey markets ing sowing season. ment said in a statement. and Special Economic Zone Ltd named because he was not au- moving some 300,000 people National Crisis Management at exorbitant prices – around Narade said that its members It also warned the cyclone said it was preparing to move thorised to speak to journalists. from the most vulnerable areas Committee to review the situa- Rs1,200 for a 450g packet, com- have been advised to exercise could further delay the progress employees at two ports it runs in Nayara Energy, which is con- from today morning into shel- tion. pared to Rs800 for the same in caution while sourcing the GM of the annual monsoon rains the state to safer areas. trolled by Russia’s Rosneft and ters. The Home Ministry said it is the regulated market. seeds and ensure they are from over the rest of India, as the “Our Mundra and Tuna ports also operates a refi nery near Re- Federal Home Minister Amit in continuous touch with the “If the ban is removed after reliable sources. The farmers storm was drawing rain clouds will be closest to the path. The liance’s unit, said it was moni- Shah asked offi cials to ensure Gujarat government, the Diu ad- taking all the necessary precau- should also upload their photos from over the sea. disaster management plan has toring the situation and taking any power, telecommunica- ministration and central agen- tions, the prices will automati- and videos on social media. The arrival of the monsoons been put into action and all the precautionary measures. tions and drinking water sup- cies.

Four passengers die in WhatsApp threatens ‘unbearable’ heat on train action against claims Reuters of an ability to abuse its platform. New Delhi The company said this “serves as Agencies ready dead.” A fourth person died risen above 50 degrees Celsius in notice that we will take legal action New Delhi later in hospital. Rajasthan. against companies” for such abuses. Temperatures have hovered A number of deaths from heat- hatsApp has threatened A WhatsApp spokeswoman did around 45 degrees Celsius in stroke have been reported. legal action against not specify what sort of legal ac- our people died in ‘unbear- Jhansi, in northern Uttar Pradesh Temperatures touched 50.3 Wthose who publicly tion it could take. able’ heat while travelling state, in recent days. degrees Celsius in the Rajasthan claim the ability to abuse its mes- Reuters in May reported What- Fby train in northern India, Singh said the Kerala Express town of Churu recently, just be- saging platform, after the emer- sApp was being misused ahead of which has been in the grip of a train had no technical problems, low India’s record of 51 degrees. gence of a raft of companies ad- India’s general election through heatwave for two weeks, offi cials but the tourists were not in air- However, heatwave conditions vertising products to bypass usage the use of free clone apps and via and passengers said yesterday. conditioned coaches. in Delhi are set to end today fol- restrictions. a $14 software tool that allowed The four died on Monday while A passenger who was a part of lowing rains yesterday evening, A Reuters investigation found users to automate delivery of bulk travelling from Agra – the city of the group that boarded in Agra bringing a much needed respite in May that WhatsApp clones and WhatsApp messages. the Taj Mahal – to Coimbatore in said the train was stifl ingly hot. from the scorching heat. software tools were helping Indian Tools purporting to bypass the country’s south. “Shortly after we left Agra, According to the India Me- digital marketers and political ac- WhatsApp restrictions have also “Heat seems to be a factor,” the heat became unbearable and teorological Department, light tivists bypass anti-spam restric- been advertised in videos and Indian Railways spokesman Ajit some people started complain- rains are expected today evening tions in the run-up to India’s gen- online forums aimed at users in Kumar Singh said. “It is really ing of breathing problems and owing to a cyclonic circulation eral election. Indonesia and Nigeria, both of unfortunate”. uneasiness,” the passenger was over Rajasthan and moisture- Until now, WhatsApp has fo- which held elections this year. “When the train was ap- quoted as saying by News18 tel- laden winds from the Arabian cused legal action on abuses for Some fi rms in India also off ered proaching Jhansi, we got a call evision. Sea. which it had found internal evi- the chance to send bulk WhatsApp from the on-board staff that “Before we could get some Yesterday, the maximum tem- dence. messages from anonymous num- one of the passengers is uncon- help, they collapsed.” perature was 44 degrees Celsius, Vehicles pass by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President House However the Facebook-owned bers via a website, Reuters found. scious,” Singh said. One of the dead was 81 years a substantial dip from 48 degrees as dust covers the skyline in New Delhi yesterday. Much of India company said in a post titled “Un- Fighting spam has been a ma- “We rushed medical staff to old, the channel said. on Monday when Delhi broke the has been sweltering in temperatures. However, the Indian capital authorised usage of WhatsApp” jor issue for WhatsApp, especially the station but they found that Much of India has been swel- previous record of the hottest received rains yesterday evening, bringing a much needed respite that it would take action even if an in India, where it has more than three of the passengers were al- tering in temperatures that have day in the month of June. from the scorching heat. entity merely made public claims 200mn users. Gulf Times 14 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 INDIA

AGREEMENT POLITICS INFRASTRUCTURE EDUCATION French Railway to develop Virendra Kumar to be Varanasi’s Manduadih rail Madhya Pradesh to follow Indian railway stations temporary LS speaker station resembles airport S Korean education model

India and France have signed an agreement Former minister and seven-time MP The newly revamped Manduadih railway Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath under which the French Railways will help Virendra Kumar will be the pro tem speaker station in Varanasi is of world-class level – it has announced that the education system develop Indian railway stations. The Indian of the new Lok Sabha which will have can easily be mistaken for a swank corporate in the state will be revamped on the lines of Railway Station Development Corporation its first session from June 17. Kumar, a off ice or an airport terminal. Varanasi, also that in South Korea. Education Department (IRSDC) entered into a tripartite agreement senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader from called Banaras and Kashi, is the parliamentary off icials said that in South Korea, students with French Railways on Monday, it was Madhya Pradesh, will administer the oath constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. completing Class 12 get employed because announced yesterday. Under this pact, French to the newly-elected members of the 17th The railway station has various passenger- there is an attempt to enhance the creativity development agency AFD will provide grants Lok Sabha. In the first term of the Modi friendly amenities including LED lights, an air- of children through education. To study this, a of up to €7,00,000 through French National government, the 65-year-old leader was conditioned waiting lounge and stainless steel team of experts from Madhya Pradesh toured Railways-Hubs and Connexions as a technical minister of state for Women and Child benches. According to reports, the government South Korea from June 1-6. The team visited partner to IRSDC to support the railway station Development. The pro tem speaker is a plans to rename the station as ‘Banaras’ railway two government schools, one university and development programme in India, according to a temporary arrangement till the regular station. Fountains have been set up to beautify two vocational training centres and reviewed statement. “This will impose no financial liability speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha. the areas which now have a spacious waiting their education system. On Monday, the team on IRSDC or Indian Railways,” the statement President Ram Nath Kovind will address a area, circulating area, booking/reservation members briefed state Education Department added. Minister of State of Railways Suresh joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya off ice, cafeteria, food court, waiting rooms head Rashmi Arun Shami about the education Angadi and French Minister of State for Europe Sabha on June 20. The new government and more. The station also has AC and non-AC system in South Korea and told her about the and Foreign Aff airs Jean Baptiste Lemoyne were will present its first budget on July 5. The retiring rooms as well as dormitories. The innovative ways in which students there are present when the agreement was signed. parliament session will continue till July 26. architecture reflects the spirit of Kashi. taught. Assam Rifles to train with Coast Guard Protests erupt after toddler pulled out dead from borewell

Agencies Sangrur, Puinjab

two-year-old boy stuck in a narrow well for more than Afour days was pulled out Cadets of Assam Rifles perform a drill on board the ICG (Indian Coast Guard) ship Shaunak during an aff iliation programme between dead yesterday, triggering protests ICGS Shaurya and 3rd (Naga Hills) battalion of the Assam Rifles in Chennai yesterday. As part of the aff iliation, a combat battalion of the over delays in reaching the toddler. Assam Rifles will soon be training onboard the ICGS Shaurya. In due course of time, arrangements will be made for sending personnel The case of Fatehveer Singh of the Assam Rifles for overseas deployment on board ICGS ships. captured national attention after he fell into the 110ft deep borewell in Sangrur while playing on Thursday. The disused well was just 23cm wide, complicating desperate ef- forts by dozens of rescue workers and volunteers as locals and televi- Will return to India if top court sion cameras looked on. “The child is not alive anymore. He was pulled out at 5 in the morn- ing by the NDRF (National Disas- ter Response Force) personnel,” ensures my safety, says Zakir Vijay Inder Singla, a state law- maker, said. IANS Knowing this record of the In- free trial in India. him twice in two years. The toddler, who had oxygen Mumbai dian agencies, I would not like Against this backdrop, Naik Despite pressures from India, supplies but no food or water, was to take chance of ruining my wondered what was the rea- the Interpol has not issued an fl own in an air ambulance to a hos- life and my unfinished work,” son behind the desperation RCN, and now the agencies are pital in Chandigarh where he was ontroversial Islamic Naik said in a statement. of the Indian agencies, that is trying their luck with money- declared dead. preacher Zakir Naik He was responding to the “shameful and keep shifting laundering to get them to com- He had no pulse, no respiration A rescue team launches an operation to recover the body of Fateh- Cyesterday expressed latest developments in India focus from terror to money- ply, Naik added. and no cardiac activity when he veer Singh, 2, in Sangrur. The boy was pulled out dead yesterday. willingness to return to India if where the Enforcement Direc- laundering” to make some- He said the Indian agencies was brought to the Postgraduate the Supreme Court gave him in torate (ED) – which has charged thing stick to him. even tried to seize his legally- Institute of Medical Education and Ghanshyam Thori said it was one nical assistance,” resident Kultar writing that he will not be ar- him with a Rs193 crore money- “I want to hasten up clearing acquired properties, but on two Research. of the toughest operations carried Singh said. rested and jailed till he is actu- laundering case – is planning my name from fictitious charg- occasions – in early-2018 and Postmortem fi ndings suggest out by the NDRF. The borewell was dug by the ally convicted. to get a Mumbai court to issue es by the Indian agencies, they in March 2019 – the Appellate death occurred a few days back, Authorities had dug a hole child’s family in 1984. They used In a statement, Naik – who a non-bailable arrest warrant. continue an exercise steeped in Tribunal stayed their actions the hospital said. parallel to the well and inserted to draw water from it to irrigate is currently living in Malay- If the warrant is issued, the injustice and unfairness and are as they could not prove that the As the child was retrieved, a 36-inch wide pipe into it, in an the fi elds but stopped using it af- sia – said while he has trust in ED will send a petition to In- trying to put in jail irrespective properties were acquired ille- his grandfather Rohi Singh said: attempt to reach the trapped tod- ter 1991. the Indian judiciary, he had no terpol seeking a red corner of whether I am guilty or not... gally. “Why was he taken to the hospital dler. Punjab Chief Minister Ama- faith in the prosecution system. notice (RCN) to all member- without trial and without hear- “Any rational mind will see when he is no more.” Villagers angry about the failed rinder Singh has ordered a crack- “Despite allegations and countries, including Malaysia, ing,” Naik alleged. that the Indian agencies are not He claimed that the body of the rescue mission gathered at the down on open wells across the complaints, there is not a single demanding he be extradited Accusing Indian agencies of being driven by their duty of child had grievous wounds. site yesterday and shouted slo- state. “Very sad to hear about the verdict against me in any court to India as per the extradition “trying to pin something, some solving a crime but by the will of “He was pulled out (of the gans against the state govern- tragic death of young Fatehveer,” anywhere in India or the world. treaty between the two nations. charges, any charges” on him, he their political bosses. Fortunate- borewell) by using strings.” ment. Protesters also blocked a he tweeted yesterday. The recent history of India is On Monday, Malaysian pointed out that when the terror ly for me, Interpol is not driven A health worker in the PGI’s main road briefl y before police “Have sought reports from all replete with cases of Muslims Prime Minister Mahathir charges did not work with Inter- by Indian politics. Somehow mortuary told reporters that the were deployed to prevent further DCs (deputy commissioners) re- being arrested and put in jail Mohamad said his country pol, they moved to money-laun- they are not convinced about my child’s body was badly decom- trouble. garding any open borewell so that for 8-20 years before being de- “has a right not to extradite” dering, but the Interpol refused ‘crime’ the way Indian agencies posed. The rescue operation was “de- such terrible accidents can be clared innocent by the court. Naik if he is not going to get a to accept India’s charges against have been claiming,” Naik said. Sangrur Deputy Commissioner layed due to lack of required tech- prevented in the future.”

Panic grips Bihar families as Wreckage of missing 53 children die of encephalitis IAF plane spotted Agencies fi cers. Military aircraft, helicop- Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh ters and ground teams have been IANS Some 53 deaths have been to fi x responsibility of lapses in searching for the aircraft but Muzaff arpur/Patna reported in the past 10 days, treatment and referral. “We have were hampered by the diffi cult though the Bihar Health De- a standard operating procedure for he wreckage of a military terrain and bad weather. partment has confi rmed only 11 treatment of AES,” said an offi cial. aircraft that went missing Indian Space Research Organ- hahbano’s tears refuse to deaths of suspected AES dur- The Health Department has also Ta week ago with 13 people isation satellites and unmanned stop. Three days ago, the ing this period. Offi cial fi gures issued an advisory urging parents on board has been found, the In- drones were also used in the SBaruraj village resident ad- put the number of reported AES to prevent their children from dian Air Force said yesterday. search operations. mitted her eight-year-old daugh- cases this year at 48, up from 40 playing under the sun when tem- The wreckage of the aircraft The terrain in northeastern In- ter Farida at Muzaff arpur’s Shri last year. perature is between 42 to 43 degree was spotted by an air force heli- dia where the aircraft was found Krishna Memorial College Hospi- The state government has Celsius. copter during an aerial search has dense high altitude forests tal (SKMCH) with high fever. Her asked offi cials to control the situ- AES is a severe case of encepha- mission in Siang district of Aru- and unpredictable rains. world came crashing down yes- ation. But Bihar Health Minister litis transmitted by mosquitoes. It nachal Pradesh at a height of Desperate authorities last terday, when doctors declared her Mangal Pandey stated that most is characterised by high fever and around 3,657m. week announced a cash reward daughter dead. deaths were caused due to hy- infl ammation of the brain. “Eff orts are now continuing to of Rs550,000 for any informa- Farida’s death hasn’t just broken poglycaemia (loss of sugar in the AES outbreaks are a routine in establish the status of occupants tion about the plane. her own family. It has also made blood) and only one child died of summer in areas in and around and establish survivors. Further They also urged village chiefs East Champaran’s Srinivas Rai Japanese Encephalitis (JE). fl ood-prone north Bihar districts, details will be communicated as to organise search parties to nervous about his son, Sonu’s life. Principal Health Secretary where the disease is locally known the recovery actions progress,” scour the Mechuka jungle in the The fi ve-year-old occupies the Sanjay Kumar, on the other hand, as “Chamki Bukhar” or “Mastishk a statement from the Indian Air mountainous region. bed next to Farida’s at the SKMCH said that 11 children died of AES Bukhar”. The epidemic mostly af- Force said. The Russian-made AN-32 is a and his condition is far from sta- this year. One death each was re- fects children from poor families, The Antonov AN-32 aircraft twin-engined turbo-prop mili- ble. ported in April and May and nine below 10 years of age. lost contact with ground forces tary transport aircraft. Extreme anxiety and panic grip were reported in the fi rst week of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar 30 minutes after taking off on It is a workhorse of the Indian SKMCH and Kejriwal Hospital in June due to hypoglycaemia. He said the Health Department was June 3 from the Jorhat airbase in Air Force which has about 100 of Muzaff arpur, where dozens of se- said so far 27 cases of AES and JE keeping a close watch and had the northeastern Assam state. them in service, according to The riously ill children with symptoms have come to light. directed people about the pre- It was fl ying to the Mechuka Hindu newspaper. of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome According to Health Depart- ventive measures. “Ahead of rains military landing strip in neigh- Most of them are four decades have been admitted. The hospitals ment offi cials, after reports of (monsoon), every year this dis- bouring Arunachal Pradesh, near old and are undergoing a major are reverberating with the cries more deaths of children from AES, ease creates havoc. It is a matter of India’s border with China. upgrade process to extend their and wailing of helpless parents as the state government has intro- concern that every year children A woman sits near her daughter being hospitalised for Acute It had 13 people on board in- life, IAF sources were quoted as children continue to die of AES. duced the verbal autopsy form die due to it.” Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in a hospital in Muzaff arpur in Bihar. cluding the crew and several of- saying. Gulf Times Wednesday, June 12, 2019 15 LATIN AMERICA

Mexico minister reveals border infrastructure plan

Reuters Trump, who yesterday reiterated Mexico and the US signed goods, which Trump had vowed “The reality is that a very big were eff ective in reducing fl ows on catching mainly single, adult Mexico City that parts of last week’s deal were an agreement on Friday, with to impose unless Mexico did eff ort needs to be made,” he told of migrants. Mexicans trying to cross. When yet to be revealed. Mexico agreeing to take steps to more to curb migration. reporters, noting that the in- If not, Mexico would have to migrants express fear of return- Speaking at a regular govern- control the fl ow of people from Taking questions alongside frastructure along the southern talk with the US about a long- ing to their home countries, that exico must signifi cantly ment news conference, Ebrard Central America, including de- President Andres Manuel Lopez frontier with Guatemala had for standing US asylum demand, he triggers a US immigration court improve border infra- said not enough priority had been ploying 6,000 members of a new Obrador, Ebrard said Mexico was years been neglected while Mex- said on Monday. process, which can take months Mstructure on its south- given to Mexico’s southern border national guard along its border accelerating deployment of the ico’s northern border was being US authorities say they have or years to resolve due to back- ern frontier with Guatemala to and that the state needs to have a with Guatemala. National Guard, a militarised po- modernised. been overwhelmed by a shift in logs in the system. succeed on its deal with the US to stronger presence across the fron- Over the weekend there was no lice force, along the border with While Trump has not revealed the type of migrants turning up Many asylum seekers are re- reduce migration, Mexico’s for- tier to deal with migrant fl ows. sign that Mexico had started to Guatemala and that migrants en- what undisclosed details of the at the border in recent years. leased in the US to await their eign minister said yesterday. “You go to the south and the harden the border, with migrants tering Mexico would have to reg- agreement he is referring to, Increasing numbers of Central court hearings, which Trump has Over the past few days, fi rst thing you ask yourself is and locals crossing a river on rafts ister with authorities. over the past two days Ebrard American families and unaccom- decried as “catch and release.” In Marcelo Ebrard has gradually ‘Right, where’s the border?’ in sight of a busy offi cial port of To meet its commitments to has admitted that as well as the panied minors seeking asylum January, the Trump administra- announced more commitments There’s nothing. The idea is to entry. Washington, Mexican migration published text, Mexico agreed to from violence at home have been tion began sending thousands of made to stave off a threat of make the south like the north as The deal averted escalating facilities in the south need to be a 45-day timeline to show that turning themselves in to border migrants back to Mexico to wait tariff s by US President Donald far as possible.” import tariff s of 5% on Mexican revamped, Ebrard added. increased enforcement eff orts agents who have long focused there instead. Cubans left frustrated by slow and costly Internet rollout

AFP rest of the world,” he said. Havana Rodriguez said the Havana government also banned any news sites critical of the govern- ix months on from the eu- ment. phoria that greeted full “The government has blocked SInternet access for mobile all media websites with content phones on the communist-run they dislike.” island, frustrated Cubans com- The ongoing US embargo plain it is too expensive, too slow means sites like Google, Apple and crippled by government cen- and Amazon cannot be accessed sorship. from Cuban IP addresses, said Hundreds have joined a Twit- Rodriquez. ter campaign to call for aff ord- The government recently able rates. greenlighted the importation of “We are hungry, hungry for routers to allow private Wi-Fi information, hungry for on- networks, albeit using state-mo- line surfi ng, hungry for knowl- nopoly Etecsa servers. edge and intellectual freedom,” Critics say the dollar-an-hour summed up one user. cost makes it too expensive. “It’s not possible that the In- Before the roll-out of 3G tech- ternet is a luxury in the 21st Cen- nology in December — opening Common Alternative Revolutionary Force (Farc) party member Jesus Santrich (centre), wanted by the US for drug-traff icking, flashes the “Victory” sign after swearing in as tury,” said another campaigner up the online world to the coun- congressman in Bogota yesterday. using the hashtag #BajenLos- try’s 5.3mn smartphone users PreciosDeInternet — “drop In- — the internet was available to ternet prices” in Spanish. the general public only via Wi-Fi Another accused state-owned hotspots, payable by the hour. telecommunications company Last year, Abraham Jiminez Etecsa of spying on the popula- discovered that his online maga- tion. zine, El Estornudo, was blocked. Etecsa “is spying on us and “Readers started to write to Farc’s ex-commander censoring us with full impunity.” me saying they couldn’t access “Cubans’ purchasing power is it, and when I realised I couldn’t one of the lowest in the American either, I thought it was a server continent, so is the minimum problem,” he says. wage and access to the internet Sixteen months later, the site is not among the cheapest,” said — which off ers an independent Norges Rodriguez, who runs a view of the news — remains in- takes congressional seat technology blog, Yucabyte.org. accessible in Cuba. Mobile packages run from $7 He never received an offi - Reuters possible extradition to the US. 2026 by the peace deal, which leaders for alleged war crimes. said the case against Hernan- for 600 megabytes to $30 for 4 cial explanation over why it was Bogota Hernandez was indicted more was inked in 2016 and led thou- Because the JEP has juris- dez is a setup that threatens the gigabytes. blocked. He says the Havana than a year ago by a US grand sands of guerrillas to demobi- diction over crimes committed peace deal. Those prices put it out of reach government is scared about the jury for conspiracy to export lise. during the confl ict, Hernandez’s President Ivan Duque was for the vast majority of Cubans reach of social networks, espe- former commander of the 10 tonnes of cocaine, worth “I want to work to the extent extradition can only go ahead elected on a promise to change who subsist on a wage of around cially since the arrival of 3G. Marxist Farc rebel group $320mn in street value. I can to strengthen the peace if the alleged conspiracy took parts of the accord, but has $30 a month paid by public sec- “This has generated a diff erent Atook his seat in congress Last month he was released agreement,” Hernandez said af- place after the deal. been unable to get congres- tor jobs. discourse from the offi cial dis- yesterday, 11 days after being re- from prison in Bogota under ter being sworn in. In its ruling, the JEP said the sional support for his modifi- Uptake is poor for home internet. course, with real life eff ect,” says leased from prison on drug traf- the orders of a special tribunal, Hernandez, 52, was arrested evidence did not allow it to eval- cations. Only 79,000 homes have Jiminez. fi cking charges that prevented before being immediately re- before being sworn in, but be- uate whether or when Hernan- The US embassy referred re- signed up to the service, — out of “Now, once they organise on- him from being sworn in last arrested on what the attorney cause he is recognised as a law- dez committed the crime. porters to a May 16 statement a population of 11.2mn. line, Cubans can demonstrate year. general’s offi ce said was fresh maker, his case must be heard by The country’s beleaguered it released after the JEP’s deci- “If you want to connect to the against animal abuse, for the The Supreme Court ordered evidence in the case. the Supreme Court. attorney general, beset by sion, in which it said that rul- Internet at home 24 hours a day, rights of the LGBT community, the release of Seuxis Paucias Hernandez was one of 10 The first body to order Her- questions over ties to the Latin ing was “regrettable” and that seven days a week, you have to protests like that would have Hernandez, better known by his members of the former Revolu- nandez’s release last month America-wide Odebrecht cor- no judicial back-and-forth pay the equivalent of $800 a been unthinkable in the past.” nom de guerre, Jesus Santrich, tionary Armed Forces of Colom- was the Special Jurisdiction for ruption scandal, resigned in changed the fact Hernandez month. There is no fl at rate on “That’s what the government is in the latest development in a bia (Farc) set to take up congres- Peace (JEP), a tribunal created protest over the JEP’s decision. has been indicted by a grand that service, as you have in the afraid of.” legal saga over his detention and sional seats guaranteed through to prosecute Farc and military The Farc’s political party has jury.

Border crossing Clashes in Haiti demanding Anti-Ortega protest leaders released Moise ouster continue AFP deadly crackdown. Managua Opposition economist Juan DPA to Herard’s home in Delmas 31 another offi cer looked on. Sebastian Chamorro said 56 Port-au-Prince and surrounded it. Petionville police commis- prisoners were freed yesterday, A police source said Herard, sioner Paul Menard, who had ini- he leaders of months of following a batch of 50 released who runs the General Security tially told the Miami Herald that protests last year against the day before. ensions continued to fl are Unit of the National Palace, was the footage was old and not near TPresident Daniel Ortega “It is very exciting, we are very on the streets of Haiti’s not taken into custody. the president’s Pelerin 5 resi- were released yesterday under a happy, we hope that there will Tcapital as protesters again But the inspector general’s of- dence, later said he looked into controversial new amnesty law never again be political prisoners barricaded roads with burn- fi ce of the Haiti National Police the incident and found the video approved at the weekend, oppo- in Nicaragua,” said Chamorro. ing tyres, set a Port-au-Prince has launched an investigation to was in fact real. sition sources said. Among those released were broadcast station’s vehicles determine his involvement. “The person isn’t dead,” said Video uploaded on social me- peasant activists Medardo ablaze, and chased down a presi- Herard is the third Haiti Na- Menard, who only recently ar- dia showed several leaders being Mairena and Pedro Mena, a Nic- dential police backup unit they tional Police offi cer in 24 hours to rived at his post. “But still, the taken from prison aboard an In- araguan-Belgian student Amaya accused of fi ring on a crowd and come under investigation over al- behaviour of the police isn’t ac- ternational Red Cross minibus, Coppens, and journalists Lucia killing a motorcycle driver. legations of using excessive force ceptable.” waving the Nicaraguan fl ag and Pineda and Miguel Mora. Three of the individuals who following protests that erupted Gedeon has ordered that the shouting “justice.” Many were “We will continue reporting,” allegedly set fi re to vehicles be- Sunday over corruption and de- two offi cers be fi red and jailed greeted by family members wait- said Pineda, who also holds Cos- longing to Radio Tele Ginen were mands that Haitian President Jo- pending prosecution. ing outside the prison. ta Rican nationality. arrested by the Haiti National venel Moise step down from offi ce On Monday, House Commit- The Central American coun- The government made no Police, who also opened an in- over new corruption allegations. tee on Foreign Aff airs Chairman try plunged into crisis in April comment on the releases. ternal probe into the death of the He was implicated in a govern- Eliot Engel, Democrat of New 2018 after widespread opposi- Relatives and neighbours re- motorcyclist after the head of ment audit on the misuse of bil- York, said, “I stand with the Hai- tion protests broke out, and a joiced when the prisoners were the presidential guards, Dimitri lions of dollars from Venezuela’s tian people as they call for justice brutal crackdown over the next brought to their homes. Herard, was accused of fi ring the PetroCaribe oil programme. and increased transparency to four months by Ortega’s troops “I greet with immense joy the fatal shot at the intersection of On Sunday, police chief Michel- address corruption. left 325 dead, 800 in prison and news that so many Nicaraguans Delmas and airport roads. Ange Gedeon ordered an investi- “I’m concerned by reports of thousands in exile. are out of prison that should After the incident, a crowd of gation into alleged police brutality violence and urge the country to Lawmakers last weekend never have been there,” one of motorcycle drivers followed the after a video circulated on What- engage in peaceful dialogue to People cross the Colombian-Venezuelan border over the passed a law that grants amnesty the country’s leading clerics, presidential police backup unit sApp of an offi cer stoning a man address the population’s con- Simon Bolivar international bridge in Cucuta, Colombia. to hundreds of protesters but Managua auxiliary bishop Silvio allegedly involved in the incident on the ground with a rock while cerns.” also the police involved in the Baez, said on Twitter. Gulf Times 16 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 PAKISTAN Cost of war against Govt vows to collect more terror glossed over Internews reported that Pakistan’s cumu- Islamabad lative losses from war on ter- rorism mounted up to $126.8bn. There was a downward trajecto- he Pakistan Tehreek-e- ry in the yearly additional losses taxes, slash expenditure Insaf (PTI) government because of marked improvement Thas omitted the cost of in the overall security situation. AFP cannot prosper,” said Azhar. war against terrorism in its fl ag- Despite sustaining huge fi nan- Islamabad Pakistan has struggled for ship offi cial publication and also cial losses and rendering numerous decades to collect taxes with shied away from disclosing the sacrifi ces, the US has remained re- estimates suggesting that only current situation of poverty dur- luctant to acknowledge the coun- akistan Prime Minister around 1% of the 200mn strong ing its fi rst year of rule. try’s contributions and accused its Imran Khan’s government population fi led a return in 2018. The Economic Survey 2018-19 non-Nato ally of deceit. Pvowed to collect more Ahead of the budget presen- that Adviser to the Prime Min- After 9/11, Pakistan had start- taxes and make cuts in spending tation, Khan took to the coun- ister on Finance Abdul Hafeez ed including the cost of terror- in a closely watched budget pre- try’s airways on Monday for the Shaikh unveiled during a press ism in its annual economic per- sented to parliament yesterday, second time in recent weeks conference did not carry the formance presentations as the weeks after reaching a deal with to plead with Pakistanis to de- chapter of cost of war against country heavily suff ered on ac- the IMF for a $6bn bailout. clare their assets in the latest terrorism. count of loss of lives, economic Before a rowdy parliamen- scheme aimed at increasing tax Shaikh said, “There are no opportunities and damages to tary session, the government revenues. more signifi cant losses because infrastructure. announced plans to slash civil The budget session was domi- of terrorism in Pakistan.” The cost of war on terrorism expenditure and freeze mili- nated by a vocal opposition fol- However, the government has used to be worked out by an inter- tary spending while promising lowing a string of arrests of their once again disclosed the terms of ministerial committee, having to substantially raise revenues leaders this week, with members the Chinese loans in the survey representation of ministries of fi - to stem a yawning fi scal defi cit, of the Pakistan People’s Party that it had dropped from the offi - nance, interior, foreign aff airs and as it pledged to collect Rs5.5trn and Pakistan Muslim League cial publication a few months ago. a Joint Ministerial Group. This ($36bn) in taxes. – Nawaz chanting throughout China Development Bank time the joint ministerial com- “We have slashed the civil the proceedings, drowning out has provided $2.23bn worth of mittee did not hold a meeting. budget by 5% while the military Azhar. commercial loans on six-month Compared with $126bn previ- budget will remain the same,” The presentation of Khan’s fl oating Shanghai Interbank ously published losses, an inde- said Hammad Azhar, minister fi rst budget comes just a day af- Bank Off ered Rate plus 2.5%, pendent economist claimed that of state for revenue, as he an- ter the government released the which at the current rate trans- Pakistan’s economy sustained nounced the details of the plan. latest round of bleak economic lated into over 5.5%. a colossal loss of $252bn owing “The fi nancial year 2019- fi gures for the cash-strapped Pakistan Minister of State for Revenues Hammad Azhar speaks as he presents the budget for the year The Industrial and Commer- to the US-led war against ter- 2020 will be a year for economic country, showing growth for the 2019-20 in the National Assembly, in Islamabad yesterday. cial Bank of China gave $300mn rorism, which was nearly eight stability. We will make some current fi scal year falling to 3.3% on six-month London Interbank times more than the fi nancial tough decisions and will try to - well below the 6.2% target. The agreement eked out with the country is forced to tighten ger automatic sanctions, further Off ered Rate plus 2.75%, accord- assistance given by Washington save the poor public from the ef- Discontent is simmering in the IMF still needs fi nal ap- its purse strings. weakening an already-faltering ing to the new survey report. to Islamabad. fects of those tough decisions,” Pakistan following repeated de- proval by the fund’s board, and Pakistan’s increasing econom- economy. But the biggest surprise was The $252bn price has been he added. valuations of the rupee, soar- it is widely believed the body ic woes also come as the country To add to its troubles, the the exclusion of the cost of war estimated by economist Hafi z Azhar went on to highlight a ing infl ation, and increasing was waiting to see details of the is facing possible sanctions from United States has warned it chapter. A similar attempt had Pasha in his book titled ‘Growth range of new taxes and increas- utility costs. budget before giving the fi nal the Financial Action Task Force will be watching closely to en- also been made in the past due and Inequality -Agenda for es in existing levies in the new The economic pain follows sign-off . - a money-laundering monitor sure Pakistan does not use IMF to the pressure from the United Reforms’. budget, saying raising revenues months of failed eff orts by Khan’s Analysts have warned the based in Paris - for failing to rein money to repay debts to China, States, but subsequently the The PTI government has also was pivotal to stabilising the administration to stave off bal- IMF deal would likely come with in terror fi nancing. which has poured billions into then government had decided to dropped a chapter on poverty, country’s economy. looning fi scal and balance of pay- myriad restrictions that could The organisation will decide the country for infrastructure publish the chapter. which is feared to have increased “As long as we do not im- ments defi cits, along with low tax bridle Khan’s grand promises to soon whether to add Pakistan projects under its Belt and Road In the Economic Survey 2017- during the last almost one year prove our tax system Pakistan yields and mounting debt. build an Islamic welfare state, as to a blacklist that would trig- Initiative. 18, the PML-N government had due to offi cial policies. Literacy rate up by Punjab opposition leader held

Internews 1.6%, says survey Lahore unjab opposition leader Internews to 55.3%), Punjab (61.9% to ment of 22.9mn students, Hamza Shahbaz was yes- Islamabad 64.7%) and Balochistan (54.3% an increase of 5.5pc from the Pterday arrested by the to 55.5%) except in Sindh (63% previous year. National Accountability Bureau to 62.2%) where marginal de- There were 46,800 mid- (NAB) after the Lahore High he literacy rate in Pakistan crease has been observed.” dle schools in 2017-18, with Court (LHC) rejected his interim has increased by 1.6% to The survey said that ex- 438,600 teachers and enrol- bail in Ramzan Sugar Mills and T62.3% in 2017-18, from penditure on education was ment of 7.3mn, an increase of money laundering cases. 60.7% in 2014-15, according estimated at 2.4% of GDP in 4.3% from the enrolment level A two-member bench com- to the Economic Survey. 2017-18, compared to 2.2% in in 2016-17. Enrolment is esti- prising Justice Mazhar Naqvi The survey stated, “Paki- 2016-17. mated to increase by another and Justice Shahid Khan heard stan social and living stand- Education experts have 3.7% to 7.6mn in 2018-19. petitions of the Pakistan Muslim ards measurement (PSLM) called for at least 4% of the There were a total of 30,900 League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader survey could not be conducted GDP to go towards education. high schools with 556,600 as he appeared before the LHC in 2016-17 and 2017-18 on The survey said the govern- teachers functioning in the following the expiration of his account of ‘Population and ment is “committed” to in- country in 2017-18. High interim bail. Housing Census in 2017’. creasing fi nancial resources for school enrolment, at 3.9mn, Hamza’s arrest comes a day However, according to La- education. It said education represents an increase of 7.4% after former president Asif bour Force Survey 2017-18, lit- expenditure has risen gradually from the enrolment level of Zardari was arrested by NAB. eracy rate trends shows 62.3% since 2013-14. 3.6mn in 2016-17. During the hearing, NAB ad- in 2017-18 (as compared to While discussing enrolment High school enrolment is esti- ditional prosecutor general Ja- 60.7% in 2014-15), males (from at the school and college level, mated to increase by another 6.6% hanzeb Bharwana told the court Hamza Shahbaz, centre, the son of Shehbaz Sharif, waves to the supporters after being detained by 71.6% to 72.5%) and females the survey said that an increase to 4.1mn in 2018-19.They survey that Hamza’s assets were not National Accountability Bureau (NAB) outside district court in Lahore yesterday. (from 49.6% to 51.8%).” of 7.3% was observed in pre- said there were a total of 5,200 according to his income and that An area-wise analysis sug- primary enrolment at the na- higher secondary schools and in- the son of former Punjab chief in several places in Lahore and Sugar Mills case on April 9. rested to divert attention from gests that the literacy rate in- tional level, which increased termediate colleges with a teacher minister Shahbaz Sharif and his blocked traffi c. NAB in February had fi led a the failure of economic survey creased in both rural (51.9% 12.27mn in 2017-18 compared population of 121,900 in 2017-18. family are involved in money According to NAB sources, reference against the two alleg- and the budget. to 53.3%) and urban (76% to to 11.4mn in 2016-17. It said the overall enrolment laundering. Hamza will be presented in an ing that the former Punjab chief Maryam in a post on Twitter 76.6%) areas. It said there were a total of of 1.75mn in these schools was The court after hearing NAB’s accountability court today to minister misused his author- said, “To divert attention from “It is also observed male- 172,200 functioning primary a healthy increase of 9.8% from arguments rejected Hamza’s seek his physical remand. ity by using public funds for the historical failures like economic female disparity narrowing schools - grades one to fi ve in the enrolment level in 2016-17. plea for an extension for his Hamza, along with his father construction of a bridge to help survey and budget, arrests are down with time span. Literacy 2017-18, with 519,000 teach- Enrolment is expected to rise interim bail. Shahbaz Sharif, opposition Ramzan Mills, owned by his sons. being made. These arrests will rate increases in all provinces, ers across the country. These to 1.84mn, by another 5%, in Following the arrest, PML- leader in National Assembly, PML-N vice president Mar- not save you from the anger of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (54.1% schools had an overall enrol- 2018-19. N workers started protesting was indicted in the Ramzan yam Nawaz said Hamza was ar- people.” 10-day remand for Zardari MQM leader arrested in London Reuters Lahore Internews Islamabad ritish police arrested Pa- kistani politician Altaf n accountability court BHussain in London yes- in Islamabad yesterday terday as part of an investiga- Agranted the National Ac- tion into speeches he gave as countability Bureau (NAB) a 10- founder of a political party that day physical remand of former ruled the megacity of Karachi president Asif Ali Zardari. for decades, media in Pakistan NAB offi cials had requested reported. the court for 14-day physical London’s Metropolitan Po- remand of the Pakistan People’s lice said in a statement a man Party (PPP) leader. in his sixties had been arrested Zardari appeared before ac- after a joint investigation with countability court judge Mu- Pakistani authorities. In this file photo, MQM founder Altaf Hussain reacts during an hammed Arshad. During proceed- It did not identify the per- interview at the party’s off ices in London, Britain. ings, NAB requested the court for son but said the arrest was “in the remand of the ex-president. connection with an investiga- down on the party in the 1990s, cal corruption in Pakistan and NAB prosecutor Muzaff ar tion into a number of speeches Hussain sought asylum in the there have been a string of high Abbasi informed the court that PPP supporters chant slogans to condemn the arrest of former president Asif Ali Zardari by National made by an individual associ- United Kingdom. profi le cases. fake bank accounts were opened Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Islamabad, during a protest in Peshawar, yesterday. ated with the Muttahida Qaumi Even from exile in London, Opposition parties say the with the help of bank offi cials. Movement (MQM) in Pakistan”. Hussain controlled the city government is using corrup- Abbasi added that Zardari had informed the court that evidence Zardari was informally speak- countries, adding that former Hussain’s representa- through a powerful network. tion as a pretext to silence its been arrested and his remand for Zardari’s arrest would be pre- ing to media personnel outside military ruler Pervez Musharraf tives could not be reached for Karachi police and his oppo- opponents while it also cracks was necessary for investigation. sented, adding there were eight the accountability court, where wasn’t an elected ruler, hence, he comment. nents have accused him of ex- down on groups such the Pash- Zardari requested the court grounds for this. According to the he said that his arrest is a part of is unwilling to face prison. MQM has dominated the horting his supporters to vio- tun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), for further facilities in NAB prosecutor, Zardari did money pressure tactics on his party. He said that in tenure of his sweltering metropolis of Ka- lence, charges he has denied. an ethnic Pashtun rights group. prison. He also requested for an laundering through his frontman. The former president said party between 2008 and 2013, rachi, Pakistan’s largest and Prime Minister Imran Khan Hussain’s arrest in London attendant and medical facilities. The court has ordered Zardari to be that arresting politicians is “the there was not a single political wealthiest city, since the 1980s. came to power last year vow- followed other detentions of op- The NAB prosecutor further presented before the court on June 21. beauty of politics” in third world prisoner in the country. When security forces cracked ing to attack rampant politi- position politicians in Pakistan. Gulf Times Wednesday, June 12, 2019 17 PHILIPPINES Palace concerned over Chinese warship off shoal

By Catherine S Valente discussed, definitely… they held Pagasa (Thitu) Island. Manila Times have to state their position on Malacañang has said that any this,” he said. Panatag Shoal, reclamation on Panatag Shoal also known locally as Bajo de constitutes a “red line.” alacanang is “con- Masinloc, is located around 120 In a related development, cerned” over the re- nautical miles west of Luzon Defence Secretary Delfin Mported presence of a — well-within the Philippines’ Lorenzana called for caution Chinese warship near Panatag 200-nautical mile exclusive after US and Russian warships (Scarborough) Shoal, a tradi- economic zone. nearly collided in the Philip- tional Filipino fishing ground It is being claimed by both pine Sea last week. off the coast of Zambales. Manila and Beijing. A conflict arising from a Palace spokesman Salvador Beijing seized control of the “miscalculation” could draw Panelo made the admission af- shoal in 2012, prompting Ma- the Philippines in a conflict ter the Philippine Coast Guard nila to seek — and subsequently given a mutual defence treaty on Monday reported that it win — an international arbi- (MDT) between Manila and President Rodrigo Duterte talks to off icials of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as he conducts a surprise inspection at the had spotted a Chinese warship tral ruling dismissing China’s Washington, he told reporters. NAIA Terminal 2 in Pasay City. among the vessels circling the claims. “What I am saying is that… disputed area. President Rodrigo set aside America might get engaged “Of course, we are always the ruling when he assumed with a shooting war… that may concerned on any intrusion to the presidency in 2016, choos- automatically involve us be- our sovereignty,” Panelo told ing to seek closer ties with the cause (of the MDT),” he added. reporters. “I will let Foreign regional superpower even as “So, that is what I was talking Duterte wants alternative Secretary (Teodoro) Locsin Jr it continued to build facilities about… I just hope that ships make the necessary responses,” and station missiles in disputed will not get near with each oth- he added. areas in the South China Sea er because it might cause mis- The matter, Panelo said, (West Philippine Sea).He has calculation,” he added. could be discussed under become more critical since, Lorenzana last year called for airport to open by November the Bilateral Consultation recently warning of “suicide a review of the MDT, saying the Mechanism between Manila attacks” after Chinese vessels pact was unclear about disput- and Beijing. “That should be also surrounded Philippine- ed areas in the South China Sea. DPA fast-track the plan to open the meeting on Monday after he or cancelled due to a techni- Manila airport in Sangley Point, a naval inspected one of the terminals cal glitch caused by lightning station and airbase in nearby at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino In- during a thunderstorm. Cavite province, for domes- ternational Airport following Thousands of passengers hilippine President Rod- tic fl ights or general aviation, reports of multiple flight de- were stranded at the airport. rigo Duterte wants an al- presidential spokesman Salva- lays or cancellations. The Manila airport was Pternative airport south of dor Panelo said yesterday. The president “expressed once rated as the worst airport Dialysis centre owner the capital to be operational by “The target date was De- his dismay” over what he saw in the world in an online sur- November in a bid to decongest cember, but the president said during the unscheduled in- vey by the website Sleeping in the country’s main interna- that was too far away and that spection and hinted that he Airports. tional airport, once voted as the is should be November,” he would revamp the manage- Its ranking has since im- worst in the world. told reporters. ment at the airport, Panelo proved, but it was still among faces fraud charges Duterte directed transpor- Duterte discussed the new said. Over the weekend, doz- the top 10 worst airports for a tation and airport offi cials to timetable during a cabinet ens of flights were delayed layover in 2017. By William Depasupil Manila Times

stafa and falsifi cation of public documents charges Presidential approval likely Ehave been fi led against one of the owners of WellMed Dialysis and Laboratory Centre, the clinic at the heart of a scam that has led to the sacking of for new PhilHealth chief top Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) offi cials. Charged and detained by the Manila Times tative; the report is not yet with us,” he said. National Bureau of Investigation Manila Philhealth allegedly lost some P154bn (NBI) was Brian Christopher Sy, since 2013 due to overpayments and fraud, said to have violated Articles 315 a newspaper claimed last week. Panelo dis- and 171, in relation to Article 172, doctor-businessman with ties to puted this, saying the amount involved was of the Revised Penal Code. President Rodrigo Duterte could be around P300mn. Also named as respondents Athe next chief of state-owned Phil- “I think it’s better for us to wait for the were WellMed Medical Direc- ippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth), full-scale investigation of the National tor John Ray Gonzales; Claro Sy, whose top executives have been ordered to Bureau of Investigation(NBI), so we will chairman; Alvin Sy, corporate resign in the wake of a dialysis scandal. not be speculating or guessing,” he said. treasurer; Therese Francesca Tan Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo told In a related development, Sen. Panfilo Sy, purchasing offi cer; Dick Ong, reporters yesterday that Duterte was con- Lacson on Tuesday urged Malacanang to administration offi cer; and phy- sidering Jaime Cruz as PhilHealth president go after those involved in PhilHealth fund sicians Porshia Natividad and Roy Ferrer’s replacement. irregularities. Joemie Soriano. Cruz had yet to accept the off er, Panelo “Corrective and punitive [action] Detained along with Sy were added. should be the order of the day,” he said in whistleblowers, Edwin Rob- Malacanang was unable to provide more a text message. erto and Liezel Aileen Santos de details about Cruz, but reports identifi ed “Considering such humongous amount Leon, former WellMed employ- him as the president of the JTC Group of of money squandered either deliberately ees, who said they were ordered Brian Christopher Sy, owner of the WellMed Dialysis Centre (right), Companies that owns the Dohtonburi res- Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo. or through sheer negligence, Malacanang to process fraudulent dialysis listens to a personnel of the National Bureau of Investigation before taurant chain, among others. cannot simply ‘call it quits’ and just let treatment claims. he was taken to the Department of Justice for inquest proceedings. A Philippine Center for Investigative the frauds are systematically committed by go,” The NBI said the arrests were Journalism report earlier this year also unscrupulous persons in and out of Phil- Lacson added. “Otherwise, whoever legal despite the lack of warrants, edly directed them to forge the for 80 sessions was also eventu- tagged Cruz as one of several businessmen, Health. There will be criminal prosecutions will be appointed to replace those who noting that the Rules of Court signatures of dead patients. ally settled, he added. who had partnered with the Duterte family of all those involved. No one will be spared.” were asked to resign may just treat Phil- allow for such “when an off ence De Leon was formerly a billing The NBI said the affi davit was in a number of business ventures. A clean slate was needed at PhilHealth, he Health funds as ‘business as usual.’” has just been committed” and offi cer and cashier at WellMed suffi cient ground to arrest Sy. Cruz was not immediately available for claimed, given the looming implementation Outgoing Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th, when the arresting offi cer “has handling PhilHealth claims. President Rodrigo Duterte on comment. of the recently signed Universal Health Care meanwhile, said the PhilHealth fund mess probable cause to believe based Roberto, meanwhile, was an Sunday ordered the NBI to arrest Panelo, who a day earlier said Ferrer con- Law. showed that Duterte’s much-touted anti- on personal knowledge of facts assistant manager. “the idiot” Sy, following reports of tinued to enjoy the president’s confi dence, Duterte could still reappoint the sacked corruption drive was nonexistent. or circumstances that the person In his affi davit, Roberto fraud at PhilHealth. announced that Duterte had asked all in- PhilHealth offi cials if an investigation clears “There’s no anti-corruption drive. to be arrested has committed it.” claimed that before he resigned Malacanang initially said the cumbent PhilHealth offi cials to resign. them of involvement in an alleged fund There’s still corruption,” he said in a press Both Roberto and de Leon, in March 2018, PhilHealth paid president still had confi dence in This shows “zero tolerance on corrup- mess, Panelo said. briefing. who Sy claims were solely re- WellMed a total of P600,600 for PhilHealth management, but an- tion under this administration,” the Palace “He mentioned something about giving “Some are found out, some are not. sponsible for the fraud, said they 200 sessions involving patients nounced that they had been asked spokesman added. them new positions or reappointing them, Those who are not found out continue to were ordered to do so. who were already deceased. to tender their resignations fol- “There will be an in-depth study on how whatever. The president, of course, is ten- be happy.” Among others, Sy also alleg- An unpaid claim of P208,000 lowing a meeting yesterday.

Veteran actor Garcia on life support Audit report reveals navy projects

By Iza Iglesias cia given his roots — have also Manila Times visited. “I am here with my two worth millions ‘yet to be implemented’ friends to wake Tito Eddie,” Go told reporters, noting that Gar- eteran actor Eddie Gar- cia was a stepfather of one of By Ma. L Tolentino solidated Annual Audit Report tempo of the PN (Philippine pliers who failed to comply cia is unable to breath his close friends and was sup- Manila Times on the Philippine Navy for 2018. Navy), which may hinder the with their obligations are ter- Von his own and remains portive of his Senate run. “Analysis showed that accomplishment of its mission,” minated to prevent the accu- in a coma three days after sus- “He frequently asked me P154,648,440.00 pertains to CoA said. mulation of idle funds which taining a serious neck injury in about the campaign and I am he Commission on Audit DLCs that were opened in fa- can be used for other beneficial an on-set accident. thankful for his support. Let us (CoA) said the Philippine vour of defaulting suppliers,” the “Projects worth purposes.” CoA said the Philip- “Mr Garcia continues to be Eddie Garcia pray that he continues to have a TNavy failed to implement commission added. P154,648,440 payable pine Navy reported that Talon in critical condition. He is in long life,” he added. projects payable through Depos- Based on the audit report, the through DLCs were not Security had delivered the comatose state with minimal leagues from show business, Padilla also appealed to the it on Letters of Credit (DLCs), DLCs were opened in 2010, 2016 implemented; thus, goods, but only six of the eight spontaneous respiration,” the including newly-elected sena- public to refrain from spread- which caused the Navy’s idle and 2017, and pertained to Talon resulting in accumulated items were tested. Makati Medical Center said in tor Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr ing rumours about Garcia’s funds to balloon to P1.2bn as of Security Consulting Ltd; a joint idle funds and depriving Based on the audit report, a statement. and wife Lani Mercado, Jaime condition. Dec 31, 2018. venture of Propmech Corp. and the government of the the Philippine Navy also com- A source who was able to vis- Fabregas, and action stars Rob- “Let us not make unfounded “Projects worth P154,648,440 SAAB; and “JV of Korporacija benefi t that could be mented that the contract with it the 90-year-old said, “he’s in Padilla and Philip Salvador, statements. In times like this payable through DLCs were not Krusik Ad Valjevo and Stone of derived therefrom” the JV of Koporacija Krusik being helped by machines,” but who accompanied senator- it is better to let the true news implemented; thus, resulting in David Tactical,” respectively. Ad Valjevo and Stone of David added that his heart remained elect Christopher Lawrence out,” he said. accumulated idle funds and de- “It must be noted that the de- It urged the Philippine Navy Tactical Equipment Company strong. Only close family and “Bong” Go to the hospital. Garcia fell after tripping on priving the government of the layed or non-delivery goods and to “demand the deliveries of was “undergoing deliberation friends are being allowed to Ako Bicol representatives — a cable while shooting a televi- benefi t that could be derived services is a breach of contract goods and services and/or en- at the PN Contract Termina- visit Garcia, many of them col- a party list group close to Gar- sion series. therefrom,” CoA said in its Con- and can aff ect the operational sure that contracts with sup- tion Review Committee.” Gulf Times 18 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 COMMENT

CHAIRMAN Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka 12 - 06 -2019 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 Oil market balance calls for stable prices, investments

Global oil prices climbed 35% in the fi rst four months of 2019 as major producers reined in output and countries from Iran to Venezuela suff ered involuntary cutbacks in supply. Yet crude has since dropped more than 10% amid concerns that demand will ebb. The main culprits: Rising shale production, a slowing global economy and the prospect of a deepening trade war between US and China. The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for economic growth in China – the engine of demand for commodities – to 6% next year, the lowest since 1990 and The princes who want less than half the peak of 14.2% in 2007. A global recession could start within nine months if US President Donald Trump imposes 25% tariff s on an additional $300bn of Chinese exports and Beijing retaliates, according to Morgan Stanley. JPMorgan Chase & Co has said the probability of a US recession in the second to destroy any hope for half of this year had risen to 40% from 25% a month ago. A full-blown tariff confl ict could cut about $600bn off global growth by 2021, according to Bloomberg Economics. The shale boom keeps booming. US supplies will Arab democracy Shale boom, dominate oil markets for years to come, satisfying slowing global By Iyad el-Baghdadi the strings in Sudan. Before and after with Crown Prince Mohamed bin Saudi Arabia and the United Arab 80% of global demand the Rabaa massacre, Egypt received Salman of Saudi Arabia and reaffi rmed Emirates claim that their interventions economy and growth to 2020, according diplomatic support and billions of dollars his commitment to a close alliance with have been aimed at staving off Islamist to the International Energy ince the Arab uprisings of 2011, of fi nancial assistance from two wealthy the kingdom. General al-Burhan met extremism and promoting regional deepening trade Saudi Arabia and the United Arab monarchies: Saudi Arabia and the al-Sisi in Cairo and the United Arab stability. But Sudan’s uprising against Agency. Production from Arab Emirates have used their United Arab Emirates. Emirates’ de facto ruler, Mohamed bin al-Bashir is an uprising against political war weigh on oil the prolifi c Permian Basin Sconsiderable resources to General al-Burhan and General Zayed, in Abu Dhabi. They seemed to Islamists; the protest leaders who have will double over the period promote authoritarian governments Hamdan have had a close working return home emboldened: They declared been negotiating with the military council demand growth and the country’s total run by military strongmen in the relationship with the Saudi and Emirati the breakdown of negotiations with the are not Islamists. Saudi Arabia and the region. They helped crush Bahrain’s leadership since at least 2015, having Sudanese opposition, rejected calls to United Arab Emirates are instead driven liquid hydrocarbon output uprising, bankrolled a return to been directly involved in the Saudi-led hand over power, declared the sit-in by their own fear that should a major Arab will rise to 17mn bpd from 13.2mn in 2017. military dictatorship in Egypt, armed war on Yemen. General al-Burhan has camps to be “a threat to the national country transition to democracy, it would Russia now has voiced concerns that falling oil demand a rogue military leader in Libya and been overseeing Sudan’s more than security of the state,” and banned Al lead to upheavals at home. could send prices below $40 a barrel. “Today there are big mismanaged a democratic transition in 10,000 ground troops in Yemen. These Jazeera from reporting in Sudan. With Sudan’s Arab neighbours under Yemen before launching a destructive troops include thousands of militiamen Then came the June 3 attack on the Saudi and Emirati sway, with the United risks of oversupply,” Energy Minister Alexander Novak said war there. from the Rapid Security Forces headed protesters, which carried echoes of States doing little beyond expressing in Moscow this week. A ghastly new chapter in the Saudi by General Hamdan. the assault on Bahrain’s Pearl Square concern, it has fallen to Ethiopia’s There’s now an emerging threat: The prospect of a and the Emirati counterrevolution When al-Bashir was besieged protest camp in 2011 and the Egyptian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, to take the widespread retreat from funding by multilateral lenders against democratic movements in the by popular protests in early April, massacre. Videos uploaded on social lead in mediation between the military region is unfolding in Sudan, whose Sudanese military leaders thought it media by citizen journalists clearly council and the opposition. And and sovereign wealth funds amid rising global concerns generals have unleashed terrible was time to sideline him. A delegation showed Emirati-manufactured military outraged at the killings in Sudan, the over climate change. violence on supporters of democracy. travelled to Cairo to secure political and gear deployed by Sudanese militias. African Union has suspended Sudan’s Norway’s SWF has said it plans to drop oil and gas stocks On the morning of June 3, Sudanese fi nancial support from Egypt, Saudi Infl uential Saudi-controlled accounts membership and called for a civilian-led from its $1tn fund to cut its exposure to the sector. The armed forces attacked sit-ins in the Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, on Twitter expressed their support for transitional government. capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere, which disapproved of al-Bashir’s ties Sudan’s military leaders and warned But as long as the military junta has World Bank said in December 2017 it will cease to fi nance killing more than 100 people and to Islamists and his outreach to Turkey against the “folly” of popular uprising. political and fi nancial support from upstream projects after 2019 to bring its lending in line injuring over 500. Even though the and Qatar. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the The Saudi and Emirati reactionary the Saudis and the Emiratis, it have with the Paris climate agreement goals. internet has been largely blocked, United Arab Emirates followed up by role in Sudan and their infl uence over little reason to back down. The protest Here’s the fl ip side of the Catch-22 situation. reports and videos have trickled out: reaching out to General al-Burhan and the Transitional Military Council’s leaders continue to be committed to bloodied protesters being carried General Hamdan. actions was highlighted by the reaction nonviolence despite another round Closer to 2023, global markets will start to tighten and away to makeshift fi rst-aid stations; After the Transitional Military from the United States. After the of attacks by the Sudanese forces on the IEA has warned that more investment is needed to meet heartbreaking accounts of gang rapes of Council assumed power, the Saudis and killings, the under secretary of state Sunday to thwart a general strike. growth in consumption and to make up for production lost doctors; disfi gured bodies of protesters the Emiratis made their infl uence soon for political aff airs, David Hale, called Sudan’s opposition is embattled, to natural declines. By 2023 the level of spare production pulled out of the Nile; protesters burned felt: On April 21, they approved $3bn the Saudi deputy defence minister hurting but defi ant. — Courtesy The in their sit-in tents. in aid to Sudan, in a bid to strengthen Khalid bin Salman and the United Arab New York Times capacity that could be used in the event of a disruption will The two men ultimately responsible the council. Yet in the weeks after, Emirates’ foreign minister, Anwar be the lowest since 2007. The increasing risk: Prices will for the troops who committed these protesters continued to increase the Gargash, to express concern over the z Iyad el-Baghdadi, founder and become more volatile. atrocities are Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al- pressure, as the number at sit-in camps crackdown and to note “the importance president of the Kawaakibi Foundation, a Falling prices, for sure, aren’t a single-edged sword. Burhan and Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan, swelled even as tense negotiations of a transition to a civilian-led nonprofi t working on the future of liberty known as Hemeti, who are heading continued. government in accordance with the will in Arab and Muslim societies, is co-host of Cheap oil can cut investments to develop new oil and gas the Transitional Military Council that In late May, General Hamdan met of the Sudanese people.” the podcast “The Arab Tyrant Manual.” fi elds. Through 2050, the value of potentially uneconomic replaced the ousted longtime president, projects by private oil companies would reach a mind- Omar Hassan al-Bashir. General boggling $21tn, according to a 2014 report by the Carbon Hamdan leads the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary force created by Tracker Initiative. rebranding the Janjaweed militias that True, few analysts realistically would expect oil prices conducted the genocide in Darfur. to return to the sustainable $100-plus levels in the The crackdown came after weeks of near future. But oil companies say global energy future negotiations between protest leaders and the military council reached an envisages rising demand and population growth, making impasse. The protest leaders wanted crude an important fuel for decades to come. the military to immediately hand The world is in need of a stable oil market with price over power to civilians; the council equilibrium. insisted on military rule until elections, promised to be held within nine months. Protesters feared that elections under To Advertise the military council would neither be free nor fair, but simply a cover to [email protected] legitimise the appointment of a new Display military dictator — essentially repeating what happened in Egypt in 2014 when 44466621 44418811 Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won by 97%. Al-Sisi rose to power after Classified the Egyptian Army killed up to 1,000 44466609 44418811 largely unarmed protesters at a sit-in at Rabaa Square in Cairo in 2013. Parallels Subscription to Egypt were not lost on the Sudanese protesters, who had been chanting, [email protected] “Either victory or Egypt.” Sudan’s democracy advocates also feared that the very forces that catapulted Sudanese women walk past closed shops in a deserted street in Khartoum’s twin city Omdurman on the first day of a civil © 2019 Gulf Times. All rights reserved al-Sisi to power in Egypt would be pulling disobedience campaign across Sudan on June 9. Gulf Times Wednesday, June 12, 2019 19 COMMENT ‘Frightening’ number of plant extinctions found

By Damian Carrington grazing, regular fires and people Environment editor growing rice.” Vorontsova’s search for spiny wild aubergines in Tanzania and Kenya ended the same way. “We uman destruction of the found a coastal forest completely living world is causing a destroyed. I was shocked.” “frightening” number of Among the other plants lost are the Hplant extinctions, according Chile sandalwood, exploited into oblivion to scientists who have completed the for its aromatic wood, and the Saint fi rst global analysis of the issue. Helena olive, the last two specimens of They found 571 species had defi nitely which succumbed to a termite attack and been wiped out since 1750 but with fungal infections in 2003. knowledge of many plant species still The database of plant extinctions very limited the true number is likely to is the result of years of scouring be much higher. The researchers said scientifi c journals and fi eldwork the plant extinction rate was 500 times reports. The scientists expect it will greater now than before the industrial help conservation in the future by revolution, and this was also likely to highlighting what types of plants are be an underestimate. particularly vulnerable to extinction. “Plants underpin all life on Earth,” For example, location is a more said Dr Eimear Nic Lughadha, at the important factor than type of plant: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, who those on small islands or in areas with was part of the team. “They provide a Mediterranean climate are more at the oxygen we breathe and the food risk, whether they are roses, orchids we eat, as well as making up the or palms. backbone of the world’s ecosystems “Millions of other species depend – so plant extinction is bad news for on plants for their survival, humans all species.” included, so knowing which plants we The number of plants that have are losing and from where will feed disappeared from the wild is more back into conservation programmes,” than twice the number of extinct said Nic Lughadha. birds, mammals and amphibians Other scientists said the analysis combined. The new fi gure is also four was important and robust. Bjorn times the number of extinct plants Robroek, an ecologist at Southampton recorded in the International Union for University, said: “The fi nding that Conservation of Nature’s red list. extinction rates are highest in “It is way more than we knew and biodiversity hotspots that are at risk way more than should have gone due to land-use change is alarming.” extinct,” said Dr Maria Vorontsova, Alan Gray, of the UK’s Centre also at Kew. “It is frightening not just for Ecology and Hydrology, said: because of the 571 number but because “Scientists have not studied the vast I think that is a gross underestimate.” majority of the world’s plants in any She said the true extinction rate detail, so the authors are right to think for plants could easily be orders of the numbers they have produced are magnitude higher than that reported large underestimates. To address in the study, published in the journal this extinction crisis, humanity will Nature Ecology and Evolution. There need to devise solutions that target are thousands of “living dead” plant funding towards conservation research species, where the last survivors have Maria Vorontsova: ‘We take them for granted and I don’t think we should.’ PICTURE: Kew Gardens and action. It’s time to ask not what no chance of reproducing because, biodiversity can do for us but what we for example, only one sex remains or some plant species may have gone Earth’s natural life-support systems, Brazil, India and Madagascar also fi elds for farming. Vorontsova saw can do for biodiversity.” the big animals needed to spread their extinct before ever being discovered. with 1mn species of plants and animals among the top regions. However, this fi rsthand in Madagascar when Vorontsova said: “We suff er from seeds are extinct. Botanists fi nd about 2,000 new species at risk of extinction. there may well have been as many searching for an unusual-looking plant blindness. Animals are cute, It takes many years to be sure a plant a year. One in fi ve of world’s plant species extinctions in places that have been grass, Sartidia perrieri, that was important and diverse but I am has been wiped out, meaning there A sixth mass extinction of life on at risk of extinction. less well studied. collected just once, in 1914. absolutely shocked how a similar level are many species awaiting formal Earth is under way, according to some The plant analysis found Hawaii The main cause of the extinctions “We scoured the hills and of awareness and interest is missing for confi rmation. “How are you going to scientists. A landmark report in May had the most recorded extinctions is the destruction of natural habitats mountains … but it was not there,” plants. We take them for granted and check the entirety of the Amazon for said human society was in jeopardy (79), followed by the Cape provinces by human activities, such as cutting she said. “In the places where it I don’t think we should.” - Guardian your lost plant?” Vorontsova said. And from the accelerating decline of the of South Africa (37), with Australia, down forests and converting land into would be growing, there are cattle News and media Gulf Times 20 Wednesday, June 12, 2019 QATAR WCM-Q students gain physicianship through experiential learning

tudents from Weill Cornell of diagnosis, disease, drugs and cine. The title of his study was servership, she had seen and Medicine – Qatar’s (WCM- therapies. Each student, major- ‘Interdisciplinary Teamwork in come to understand that there is SQ) Foundation Programme ity of them Qataris, chose one of the Medical Field’. no exclusive characterisation of presented research posters of fi ve themes to concentrate on: Alsabbagh said, “I worked on professionalism. Rather, the trait their experiences observing doc- teamwork, leadership, empathy, the idea of observing teamwork manifests itself in various ways tors and other healthcare profes- emotional intelligence and pro- in the medical sector and exam- depending on the doctor and the sionals at work. fessionalism. ining how it benefi ts patients’ circumstances of the patient. As part of the English course Throughout the semester, stu- health, outcomes and satisfac- Dr Bendriss said it had been a curriculum taught by Dr Ra- dents explored and refl ected on tion. My conclusion was that valuable learning experience and chid Bendriss, assistant dean for these themes in research litera- teamwork, and most importantly that the fi ve themes chosen were student recruitment, outreach ture, engaged in face-to-face and multidisciplinary teamwork, in central to excellence in health- and foundation programmes, online discussions, and visited the medical fi eld is crucial in im- care. WCM-Q, this experiential learn- Sidra Medicine to observe phy- proving patient health outcomes “Foundation students already ing initiative involved students sicians at work. They then pro- and satisfaction. I also observed have the opportunity to partici- from the Foundation Programme duced a research poster using a that a medical team has no hi- pate in the Clinical Observer- shadowing doctors at Sidra Med- multimodal approach based on a erarchy; everyone works as one ship Programme where they can icine and watching how they in- literature review, their observa- team, there is no leader, every- experience what being a doctor teract with patients, each other tions, an inquiry graphics analy- one takes responsibility both for involves, but this experiential and colleagues from other medi- sis, and their inferences. themselves and others.” learning initiative encourages cal disciplines. Khalid Alsabbagh opted to Latifa Mahmoud was assigned them to take a critical and spe- The aim was to give students a focus on teamwork and leader- to the Department of Obstetrics cifi c approach, allowing them to greater understanding of what it ship and was assigned to shadow and Gynaecology to examine focus on attributes of healthcare means to be a doctor and the at- doctors and other medical pro- professionalism in the medical professionals that are outside of tributes that are required, aside fessionals in the Department of profession. the traditional medical curricu- from an academic understanding General Surgery at Sidra Medi- She said that through her ob- lum,” Dr Bendriss added. Dr Rachid Bendriss with WCM-Q’s foundation students.

Mahaseel veggies arrive at Al Meera

A total of 15 NU-Q graduates received Latin honours. Latin Honours conferred on 15 NU-Q graduates

total of 15 recent gradu- ing student, Amina Niksic was to those in the top 10% of their were also active members of the ates from Northwest- named 2019 valedictorian. Along graduating class. NU-Q community, receiving Aern University in Qatar with two other graduating sen- Additionally, eight graduates, several media awards for their (NU-Q) have had Latin Honours iors, Asmaa Benkermi and Oma Alia Alkhater, AlJawhara al- projects, taking part in service Locally-produced vegetables from Mahaseel, the marketing arm of Hassad Food, are now conferred on them. The honours Seddiq, she graduated summa Thani, Asmahan Qarjouli, Hissa learning trips, and participat- available in Al Meera stores, it was announced yesterday. Mahaseel, which was established by are conferred to students based cum laude. al-Hitmi, Sana Ansari, Shaikha ing in student-run initiatives. In Hassad with the aim of supporting the private agricultural sector in achieving self-suff iciency, on their academic performance This honour is typically Alderbesti, Syed Muhammad addition to Latin honours, the aims to contribute to achieving self-suff iciency in the vegetables sector and ease the burden over their entire undergraduate awarded to graduates in the top Erzum Naqvi, and Younes Mana, class included a number of other on local farmers in order to focus on enhancing the quality and quantity of local produce. Last career. 5% of their class. Niksic, who were designated as cum laude, achievements. week, Mahaseel launched the first phase of marketing local produce. More than 124 productive “Each student has right- speaks three languages, also re- graduating in the top 25% of their The highest number of minors farms have now registered with Mahaseel to benefit from the company’s marketing services. fully earned their Latin hon- ceived the Dean’s Highest Scho- class. and certifi cates were awarded to This is equivalent to around 16% of the total number of the 800 local productive farms across ours for continuously dem- lastic Honours and earned a Latin honours designated at the graduates, including seven the country. onstrating the highest level certifi cate in Strategic Commu- summa, magna and cum laude in Middle East studies, seven of academic excellence, while nication. date back to the 19th century and in media and politics, and two actively participating in the Receiving magna cum laude are commonly used in American in gender and sexuality stud- University’s research and extra- recognition were Bothayna Talal universities to recognise stu- ies. Eighteen certifi cates were curricular programmes,” said Ev- al-Mohammadi, Nada Bediar, dents of the highest academic awarded in Middle East studies, erette E Dennis, dean and CEO. Noof al-Subaie, and Noor Own. distinction. and 10 were awarded in strategic As the class’s highest-rank- The magna cum laude is awarded All of the students recognised communication.

Autism prevalence rates higher in Qatar

From Page 1 will pave the way for advance- cymakers to work towards ad- study. The screening has revealed ments in healthcare.” equate healthcare planning and fascinating insights that will make Overall, the study found the These fi ndings have enabled make provisions for specialised tremendous contributions to the prevalence of ASD in Qatar to researchers, in collaboration with healthcare centres, and the nec- future provisions of adequate be higher than the World Health the Ministry of Public Health, to essary capacity building for indi- healthcare for those with autism Organisation average of 0.6-1% create and complete Qatar’s fi rst viduals with autism. and other neurological disorders.” although the study variables and autism registry using the data Amal bint Abdullatif al-Man- “The fi ndings of the study will methodology may vary. of 1,300 individuals with ASD, nai, chief executive offi cer of Qatar provide valuable data, which will Dr Omar El-Agnaf, execu- which will be made available to Foundation for Social Work, said: help us develop a personalised and tive director of QBRI, said: “The researchers with a particular in- “It was an honour for Al Shafal- sustainable healthcare strategy to success and fi ndings of this terest in neurological disorders. lah to be able to participate in the address the specifi c needs of those study is testament to what can The results of the study also groundbreaking study, providing individuals with autism,” added Dr be achieved through a collective provide crucial data that will researchers from QBRI with ac- Saleh bin Ali al-Marri, assistant vision to spearhead research that enable the country and its poli- cess to invaluable data to drive the minister at the health ministry.

Edutainment, sports events planned for second week of Summer in Qatar

By Joey Aguilar one-day performance will start have a unique Balloon Drop show Foundation’s Recreation Centre Staff Reporter at 8pm and ticket prices start at on June 15 at 7.30pm. Al Mirqab from June 16 to August 8 (7.30am QR50, available through https:// Mall will feature ‘Fitness Fridays’, to 2pm); and Education City (until www.q-tickets.com. also from June 14 and extends August 17). n array of live shows, edu- Families and children will have until August 8, and the ‘The Hu- Some SiQ activities, which cational entertainment the chance to watch Star Wars man Body Exploratorium Tour’, an started early June, are still under- A(edutainment), sports Roaming Act at participating edutainment event, from June 14 way such as the ‘Name of Allah’ events, and summer camps across malls from tomorrow (June 13/ to July 19 (4pm to 9pm). and ‘Line’ exhibitions, being held the country will mark the sec- Thursday) to June 15 to entertain DHFC will set up a live screen- at the Katara – the Cultural Vil- ond week of Summer in Qatar mall-goers between 4pm and ing of the Copa America matches lage (10am to 10pm) and conclude (SiQ) programme, Qatar National 10pm. Those who are fans of pop- and pre-match shows from June on June 28. Tourism Council (QNTC) has an- ular cartoon characters Tom and 14 to July 7. It will also give mall- The Entertainment City at the nounced. One of India’s leading Jerry can catch the duo at Mall of goers an opportunity to ‘meet Doha Exhibition and Convention stand-up comedians, Zakir Khan, Qatar (MoQ), Doha Festival City and greet’ Angry Birds roaming Centre will continue to provide a will take the centre stage during (DHFC), Lagoona Mall, Gulf Mall, characters on June 15 from 2pm. variety of Virtual Reality and vid- the Doha Comedy Night tomor- Landmark Mall, Al Khor Mall, Cricket fans and enthusiasts can eo games, as well as several enter- row (June 13/Thursday) at the Qa- Hyatt Plaza Mall, Al Mirqab Mall, watch the ‘Doha Workers Cricket tainment options for diff erent age tar National Convention Centre. Tawar Mall from (June 13/Thurs- Cup’ at the Mesaieed Stadium groups, from 12.30pm to 10pm Khan, also a writer, presenter day) to June 19 for free, also be- every Thursday, Friday, and Sat- except Fridays (1.30pm to 11pm), and actor born and raised in In- tween 4pm and 10pm. urday from June 13 to July 31 (8pm until July 13. dore, Madhya Pradesh, became Meanwhile, Tawar Mall will to 12midnight). Regular entry at the City is famous when he bagged the third host indoor sports activities for According to QNTC, other ac- QR15. Both Gold Pass and Gam- best stand-up comedian con- families and children dubbed tivities with fees such as summer ing Pass cost QR150 while Sea- test dubbed as ‘Comedy Central’ as Sports Mania from tomor- camps will be held at ACS Doha son Pass is pegged at QR999, and The Entertainment City continues to provide a variety of options for diff erent age groups, from 12.30pm in India. He has more than 3mn row (June 13/Thursday) to June International School from June 16 the Gaming Season Pass costs to 10pm except Fridays (1.30pm to 11pm), until July 13. PICTURE: Ram Chand subscribers on YouTube. Khan’s 14 (2pm to 10pm) while MoQ will to August 8 (8am to 1pm); Qatar QR1,250.