QATAR | Page 28 SPORT | Page 1 Serena wins record INDEX DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2-9, 28 COMMENT 26, 27 Over 7,000 join REGION 10 BUSINESS 1–8, 20-24 23rd Grand Color Run in Health 20,012.00 10,989.78 53.17 ARAB WORLD 11 CLASSIFIED 9-19 -39.00 -45.85 -0.61 INTERNATIONAL 12–25 SPORTS 1–12 First campaign -0.19% -0.42% -1.31% Slam title Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978 SUNDAY Vol. XXXVII No. 10348 January 29, 2017 Jumada I 1, 1438 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Emir attends ceremonies at Katara Worldwide In brief chaos, panic ARAB WORLD | Diplomacy Putin, Trump ‘want to co-operate in Syria’ Russian President Vladimir Putin and anger at and US President Donald Trump said in a “positive” phone call yesterday they favoured their two countries co-operating in Syria to defeat Islamic State, the Kremlin said in a statement. In an eagerly awaited phone call, the Trump ban first since Trump’s inauguration, the two men stressed the importance Reuters sends the most visitors to the United of restoring economic ties between Washington States each year – around 35,000 in the two countries and of stabilising 2015, according to the Department of relations, the Kremlin said. US- HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani attended part of conclusion of the Al Mazain Competition, and the honouring- Homeland Security. Russia relations had hit a post-Cold ceremony of the winners of the Marmi Festival 2017, which were held at the Cultural Village Foundation – Katara, yesterday resident Donald Trump’s most The ban extends to green card hold- War low under Barack Obama and evening. The ceremony was attended by HH Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Personal Representative of HH the Emir. It far reaching action since taking ers who are authorised to live and work Trump has made clear he wants a was also attended by a number of their excellencies sheikhs and ministers as well as heads of diplomatic missions accredited Poffi ce plunged America’s immi- in the United States, Homeland Secu- rapprochement with Moscow. to the State, and guests of the country. gration system into chaos yesterday, rity spokeswoman Gillian Christensen not only for refugees but for legal US said. residents who were turned away at air- It was unclear how many legal per- EUROPE | Diplomacy ports and feared being stranded outside manent residents would be aff ected. May eyes Turkey trade the country. A senior US administration offi cial Immigration lawyers and advocates said yesterday that green card holders boost as Brexit looms worked through the night trying to from the seven aff ected countries have British Prime Minister Theresa May help stranded travellers fi nd a way back to be cleared into the United States on a yesterday promised to ramp up Exit permit panel solves home. case-by-case basis. trade between Turkey and Britain Lawyers in New York sued to block Legal residents of the United States ahead of Brexit. On her first visit to the order, saying many people have were plunged into despair at the pros- Turkey as premier and fresh from already been unlawfully detained, in- pect of being unable to return to the meeting new US President Donald cluding an Iraqi who worked for the US United States or being separated from Trump at the White House, May held majority of expat cases Army in Iraq. family members trapped abroad. three hours of talks with President Confusion abounded at airports “I never thought something like this Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then he Exit Permit Grievances travel ban list or they are demanded as immigration and customs offi cials would happen in America,” said Mo- met Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Committee has been able to by the Public Prosecution.” struggled to interpret the new rules, hamed Hossein Ziya, 33, who came to Ankara. Page 19 Tsuccessfully “process” more Brigadier al-Muraikhi said that with some legal residents who were in the United States in 2011 after being than 70% of the applications it had most of the cases were resolved in a the air when the order was issued de- forced to leave Iran for his political ac- received since the formation of the friendly manner and “it turned out tained at airports upon arrival. tivities. AFRICA | Politics panel was announced on December 11 that the persons authorised by com- “Imagine being put back on a 12- Ziya, who lives in Virginia, has a Gambia president plans last year. panies to approve the expatriate work- hour fl ight and the trauma and crazi- green card and planned to travel to Set up in accordance with Law No ers’ exit permits were the main reason ness of this whole thing,” said Mana Dubai next week to see his elderly fa- massive overhaul 21 of 2015 regulating the Entry, Exit behind the delays”. He said communi- Yegani, an immigration lawyer in Hou- ther. “I can’t go back to Iran, and it’s Gambian President Adama Barrow and Residency of Expatriates in Qatar, cation with the companies’ manage- ston. “These are people that are com- possible I won’t be able to return here, said yesterday that every aspect the committee is tasked with solv- ment facilitated the immediate ap- ing in legally. They have jobs here and a place that is like my second country,” of his tiny west African state would ing the problems faced by expatriate proval of these permits. they have vehicles here.” he said. need an overhaul after ex-leader workers who are denied permission Law No 21 of 2015 abolished the Ka- The new Republican president on Saleh Taghvaeian, 36, teaches agri- Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule, but by their employers to leave the coun- fala (sponsorship) system, replacing Friday put a four-month hold on al- cultural water management at Oklaho- that its dreaded secret police would try. It comprises representatives of the Brigadier Salim Saqr al-Muraikhi it with a modernised, contract-based lowing refugees into the United States ma State University in Stillwater, said remain. Barrow faces an uphill task National Human Rights Committee employment system. and temporarily barred travellers from he feared his wife would not be able to after taking over from Jammeh, who (NHRC) and the ministries of Labour mation, with up to three meetings a While announcing the formation of Syria and six other Muslim-majority return from Iran after a visit. left behind a dysfunctional economy and Interior. week at times to review the exit per- the committee, Brigadier al-Muraikhi countries. In Cairo, fi ve Iraqi passengers and and allegedly emptied state coff ers In a statement issued yesterday, the mit applications. had said the employer was duty- He said the moves would protect one Yemeni were barred from boarding ahead of his departure. Page 12 Interior Ministry said the Grievances Giving details, the release said of bound to sanction any leave due to Americans from terrorism, in a swift an EgyptAir fl ight to New York yester- Committee had received 498 applica- the 498 applications, the committee the employee which is mentioned in and stern delivery on a campaign day, sources at Cairo airport said. tions until January 25 from expatriates straightaway approved the issuance the contract executed between them. promise. Dutch airline KLM said yesterday who presented diff erent problems in of 20 exit permits, and facilitated the The employer is also liable to grant The ban aff ects travellers with pass- it had refused carriage to the United securing a travel permit. issue of 296 permits after friendly co- leave to his employee in the event of ports from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, States to seven passengers from pre- “The committee has successfully ordination with the recruiters. emergencies, according to Brigadier Sudan, Syria and Yemen and extends dominately Muslim countries. accomplished around 70% of the ap- “However, 177 applications had to al-Murakhi. to green card holders who are legal per- Canada’s WestJet Airlines said it plications that complied with the set be referred to the entities concerned in The committee is able to reach a manent residents of the United States. turned back a passenger bound for the regulations through friendly commu- the country for these being out of the decision on granting travel permits Arab travellers in the Middle East United States on Saturday in order to nication with the recruiters and grant- scope of the committee’s work. These to expatriates within three days after and North Africa said the order was comply with the order. ed immediate exit permit approvals for include 138 applications linked to ab- a request is submitted. Workers have humiliating and discriminatory. A spokeswoman did not say which 29% of the applications .” sconding reports, 22 applications from the opportunity to contest before the It drew widespread criticism from country the passenger had come from. Brigadier Salim Saqr al-Muraikhi, persons who worked for other than the committee any evidence that might US Western allies including France and At least three lawyers from the In- Director of the Legal Affairs De- recruiter, six linked to the Department have been used against them. Work- Germany, Arab-American groups and ternational Refugee Assistance Project partment at the Ministry of Interior of Labour, and 11 referred to the Hu- ers also have the opportunity to ap- human rights organisations. were at the arrivals lounge at New (MoI) and head of the committee, man Rights Department. In addition, peal for clemency, in cases where they Iran condemned the order as an York’s John F Kennedy International pointed out that the panel has held fi ve applications were rejected as the owe debt but need to return home for a “open aff ront against the Muslim world Airport, buried in their laptops and more than 10 meetings since its for- applicants had been included in the medical or family emergency.