BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 8 Young Aspire players set INDEX new fair play DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2-10, 28 COMMENT 26, 27 REGION 11 BUSINESS 1-8, 14-20 QNB posts 12% jump 20,651.30 10,411.77 53.27 ARAB WORLD 11 CLASSIFIED 9-13 standards -6.72 -73.27 +0.19 INTERNATIONAL 12-25 SPORTS 1-8 in Q1 profi t to QR3.2bn -0.03% -0.70% +0.36% Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978

WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10421 April 12, 2017 Rajab 15, 1438 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Emir meets South Africa’s president Call to step In brief up drive for QATAR | Offi cial Emir condoles with Saudi king HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, HH the Deputy safe food Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani and HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday sent cables of condolences to Custodian of the HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held a bilateral meeting with South Africa President Jacob Zuma at the packaging Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Presidential Palace in Pretoria yesterday evening. During the meeting, HH the Emir and the South African president reviewed Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, the existing friendly relations between the two countries and ways to promote them in line with the keenness of the two By Ayman Adly should activate an early warning system on the death of Prince Saad bin sides and their eff orts to develop them at all levels, in a way that serves the common interests of both countries and peoples. Staff Reporter for the involved risks of human foods. Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. The two sides also discussed the current developments in the Middle East, especially the Palestinian issue and the situation The tea and herbs sachets that have sta- in Libya, Syria and Yemen. They also discussed developments in Africa and the world in general. HH the Emir and the South ples should be subject to laboratory tests QATAR | Diplomacy African president later held an off icial session of talks. They discussed boosting co-operation in various domains including he Ministry of Municipality and before being released for consumption Emir gets message agriculture, energy, industry, tourism, economy and trade. The two sides agreed to raise the level of trade exchange between Environment (MME) should at the local market to ensure the galva- the two countries to more than $1bn by 2020. Pages 2, 3 and 26 Tintensify its health inspec- nised material in the staples would not from Sultan of Brunei tion campaigns on the local market to be mixed with water or the product and HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin ensure that the plastic bags used for they are safe for health. Hamad al-Thani received a written bread and bakery products are compli- At yesterday’s session, CMC also is- message from Sultan of Brunei ant with the approved standards, the sued some recommendations about Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah Central Municipal Council (CMC) has the design of public gardens and parks, pertaining to bilateral relations recommended. stressing the need for a proper evalua- and ways of enhancing them. The “The MME should intensify its ef- tion of such designs to ensure that the message was received by HE the forts to ensure that the materials used overall construction costs are reduced Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs in wrapping food products, in particu- as much as possible. Similarly, future Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi, during lar bread and other similar items, are designs should consider reducing the his meeting yesterday with the safe for the designated purpose,” the cost of operation and maintenance. Brunei Darussalam ambassador to council urged at its biweekly session Also, the designs should also factor in Qatar Nordin Ahmad. yesterday. the future density of population at the More co-ordination should be main- chosen destinations. ARAB WORLD | Confl ict tained with the other related entities The council praised the co-opera- in the country to ensure more eff ective tion agreement between the Ministry ‘No doubt’ Syria behind enforcement for the offi cial circulars of Culture and Sports, and the Minis- chemical attack: Mattis and regulations in this regard across try of Education and Higher Education The United States has “no doubt” the country. regarding the use of sports facilities at the regime of Syrian President The CMC asked the MME to sup- local independent schools for women Bashar al-Assad was responsible ply all the municipalities with enough to practice sport after offi cial working for last week’s chemical attack on qualifi ed employees and health inspec- hours of the institutions. The project a rebel-held town that left dozens tors to undertake such tasks eff ectively. is still in its experimental phase at a dead, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis Other recommendations in this re- number of schools. said yesterday. Mattis told reporters ‘Duterte visit to boost gard were addressed to the Ministry of The CMC recommended that co- that Washington’s military strategy Public Health (MoPH). The council has ordination with the entities concerned in Syria had not changed even after recommended that the MoPH should should be maintained to make this its retaliatory missile strikes on a work to amend the GCC technical reg- initiative cover all the schools in the Syrian air base, noting “our priority ulations and standard specifi cations country, in particular those in the out- remains the defeat” of the Islamic Qatar-Philippines ties’ regarding plastic bags used for keeping skirts of the country. Future designs State group. “There is no doubt the bread, and the sachets used for tea and of new schools should ensure that exit Syrian regime is responsible for the By Joey Aguilar of Labour and Employment, led by its ation and collaboration in the fi eld of herbal products. and entry points to their sport facili- decision to attack and for the attack Staff Reporter Secretary, Silvestre Bello III, is part of health, culture, and technical – voca- MoPH should also expedite the crea- ties become as independent as possible itself,” Mattis said. Page 11 Duterte’s offi cial entourage, including tional education and training. tion of an entity specialised in food from the main building of the schools other government and business offi - The offi cial said health co-operation safety that covers all the sectors that to ease the further implementation of SPORT | Attacks he bilateral relations between cials. includes joint research; exchanges of requires health control. In addition, it this initiative. Dortmund team bus hit Qatar and the Philippines are Meanwhile, a delegation from Qa- expertise, best practices, health prac- Texpected to soar to new heights tar’s Ministry of Administrative De- titioners, healthcare professionals, by blasts injuring player with the upcoming state visit of Phil- velopment, Labour and Social Aff airs technical information; recognition Hotter-than-usual weather to continue Three explosions rocked the ippine President Rodrigo Duterte to is also currently in the Philippines for and qualifi cation of Philippine medi- Borussia Dortmund bus, injuring Qatar from April 14 to 16. the Joint Bilateral Commission on La- cal degrees; visit of specialist; and The heat seems well and truly on as likely to prevail in the coming period, the Spanish international Marc Bartra, “Duterte’s visit is expected to fur- bour Matters, according to the offi cial. training. the Qatar Met department has said it forecast suggests. The Met department as the German team headed for a ther boost employment opportunities “All these concerns can be possi- In the fi eld of culture, the Philip- will continue to be warmer than usual said weather charts showed that high Champions League game against for Filipino workers and professionals bly raised when a head of state visits pine embassy in Doha has proposed in the country.In a report yesterday, the pressure in the upper levels would Monaco yesterday, police said. who are seeking greener pasture in the a country and it may also include par- to the Qatar government to have a weather office also said there were good continue to affect the country in the Bartra was taken to hospital and the region,” a Philippine government offi - doning of Filipinos who are serving Qatar-Philippines Year of Culture in chances of above-average temperatures coming days. quarter-final match was postponed cial told Gulf Times. diff erent sentences,” she said. “Cases the coming years, hopefully before the prevailing in most parts of the Arabian The winds will be easterly to southeasterly, until Wednesday because of the Labour matters, as well as other related to bank loans may not be in- FIFA 2022 World Cup. Gulf countries until June. which will cause temperatures to continue attack. Other Dortmund players were concerns, could be tackled in a sepa- cluded because it will have implication A possible addition to the agree- The mercury level rose sharply last “rising noticeably above the average levels”, said to be “shocked” but safe. The rate forum during Duterte’s three-day to commercial (and fi nancial) estab- ments is one on visa waiver for hold- Saturday (April 8), touching the 40C ranging between the late-30C to early-40C bus had set off from the team hotel visit. He is set to meet with HH the lishments.” ers of diplomatic passports. Duterte is mark in Abu Samra (42C) and Karana levels in most areas, the department has for the Borussia stadium about 10km Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al- Duterte’s visit is also expected to also set to meet with members of the (40C), both in southern Qatar. Since then, explained. In this context, it could be noted away when “three explosive charges Thani. witness the signing of agreements be- Filipino community on April 15 at the it has been quite warm in most parts of that the average maximum temperature in detonated,” said a police spokesman. A delegation from the Department tween the two countries on co-oper- Lusail Sports Arena. the country and similar conditions are Doha for April is 33C. Qatar fi nds eco-friendly solution to steel slag stockpile

By Santhosh V Perumal environment protection, was yesterday emission associated with imported ma- demonstrate the successful use of steel Business Reporter disclosed by Ashghal president Dr Saad terials, and cost savings,” Qatar Steel slag in the various road construction bin Ahmed bin Ibrahim al-Mohannadi managing director and general manager layers of asphalt base and unbound in the presence of Dr Mohammed bin Ali bin Hassan al–Muraikhi said. sub-base. In addition, pre-cast con- atar has found an environment- Saif al-Kuwari, Assistant Undersecre- Qatar Steel has accumulated large crete elements of crash barriers, soaka- friendly solution to its large tary for Laboratories and Standardisa- quantities of steel slag from its fac- ways, manholes, kerbstone and solid Qstockpile of steel slag, aggre- tion at MME. tory in Mesaieed, exceeding more than blocks were produced to demonstrate gating more than 1.6mn tonnes, by The process includes refi ning the 350,000 tonnes annually with stock- high-value applications in the concrete planning to utilise it in the construction iron from impurities that fl oat on the piles amounting to over 1.6mn tonnes. industry. sector, especially for roads, in view of top of melted steel in the form of slag, To avoid land disturbance and waste In view of the large benefi ts, TRL the fast-paced infrastructure develop- which is then transported, tipped, and accumulation, the Industries Qa- has recommended quality production ment taking place ahead of hosting the quenched with treated water and left to tar subsidiary had appointed TRL to of slag aggregate, certifi cation of slag 2022 FIFA World Cup. air-cool and weathering for one-year. identify a potential market for the use products by the authorities includ- A well-researched move – undertak- After weathering, the slag is processed of steel slag in the construction. It re- ing MME and Ashghal, development en by TRL (the UK Transport Research by crushing and removal of residual viewed local and global information on of case studies and the inclusion in the Laboratory), in collaboration with the metal, by electro-magnets, before use the use of slag products in construc- next update to the Qatar construction Ministry of Municipality and Environ- in construction. tion, development of asphalt and con- specifi cation. ment (MME), Ashghal and Qatar Steel “Qatar is mainly relying on imported crete products made with steel slag, “The implementation plan will pro- – would reduce the dependence on the aggregate… Developing high value ag- and the potential use of fi ne slag aggre- vide more confi dence in the use of slag imported aggregate and hence savings gregate from the steel slag has major gate to replace dune sand in improving in real projects and enhance its eff ective in foreign exchange. environmental, economic and social the properties of unbound sub-base uptake by the construction industry, to The pilot project, marking a forward benefi ts, including reduced depend- materials for road construction. support the government initiatives of step in Qatar’s continuing eff orts to (From left to right) Al-Muraikhi, al-Kuwari and al-Mohannadi after disclosing Qatar’s ence on imported materials, increased The full-scale trial roads were con- sustainable development and green achieving sustainable development and plans to use steel slag in roads construction. PICTURE: Jayaram use of local materials, reduced carbon structed at Qatar Steel site in 2016 to construction,” Qatar Steel said. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 QATAR

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the off icial reception ceremony in Nairobi yesterday. Right: HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani reviews a guard of honour in Nairobi yesterday. Qatar and Kenya sign pacts to boost bilateral relations QNA Nairobi

atar and Kenya signed a number of agreements Qand memoranda of un- derstanding following a round of offi cial talks chaired by HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, in Nairobi yes- terday. At the outset of the session, the Kenyan president welcomed HH the Emir and the accompa- nying delegation and thanked him for accepting the invitation to visit Kenya, stressing that the visit of the Emir is a signifi cant step in developing historic ties between the two countries on all fronts, particularly in invest- HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta chairing off icial talks in Nairobi yesterday. ment and agriculture, and add- ing that his recent visit to Doha ers and heads of major trade and the visit of the Emir to Ken- companies in Qatar and Kenya ya constitute a strong basis for who are taking part in the Qa- boosting bilateral ties. tari-Kenyan Business Forum, HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani being greeted by a In turn, HH the Emir ex- which is organised by the Min- Kenyan child upon arrival in Nairobi yesterday. pressed his delight at visiting istry of Economy and Commerce Kenya, expressing his thanks to and Qatar Chamber of Com- the Kenyan president and the merce and Industry, in co-op- Kenyan people for the warm eration with Kenyan Ministry of hospitality, noting that relations Foreign Aff airs and International linking the region to the African Trade, Kenya Investment Au- continent are historic and it is thority and Kenya Private Sector important to constantly develop Alliance, and takes place in con- and enhance them. The Emir junction with the Emir’s visit to noted that Qatar and Kenya have Kenya. mutual co-operation in many During the welcoming cere- fi elds and there are several op- mony, held at Nairobi’s Kempin- portunities to enhance it, stress- ski, the Emir exchanged views ing in this regard the strategic HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta witness the signing with the participants on general importance of Kenya and adding of an agreement between Qatar and Kenya in Nairobi yesterday. economic topics and opportu- that the visit will help in pushing nities to strengthen trade and ties forward. investment between both coun- The meeting reviewed bilat- tries. eral relations between the two The members of the offi cial countries across all levels and delegation attended the cer- means of developing them in emony. the diff erent areas of co-oper- The Emir left Nairobi yester- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta introduces his services chiefs to ation that could benefi t the two day evening concluding his one- HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Nairobi yesterday. countries and peoples. The two day visit to Kenya, heading to sides also discussed regional South Africa. and international developments, Kenyan President Uhuru Ken- stressing in this regard the need yatta saw the Emir off at Jomo to denounce terrorism in all Kenyatta International Airport. forms and manifestations and Kenyan Foreign Minister reject violence and extremism Amina Mohamed also saw the regardless of their source. Emir off along with Minister The members of the offi cial of Education Fred Matiang’i; a delegation accompanying the number of senior Kenyan offi- Emir attended the session along HH the Emir and President Kenyatta holding talks at the presidential palace in Nairobi yesterday. cials; Qatar’s Charge d’Affaires with a number of Kenyan minis- in Kenya, Ali Abdullah al-Ab- ters and senior offi cials. dullah; Kenyan ambassador to Following the talks, HH the Qatar Galma Mukhe Boru; and Emir and Kenyan president at- members of the Qatari em- tended the signing of a number bassy. of agreements and memoranda HH the Emir sent a cable to of understanding between both President Kenyatta, expressing governments at the presidential his thanks and appreciation for palace in Nairobi. the warm hospitality extended Qatar and Kenya signed a co- to him and the accompanying operation agreement in the fi eld delegation during the visit. of education, higher education, The Emir arrived in Kenya scientifi c research and tech- earlier yesterday. He was wel- nology; a co-operation agree- comed at Jomo Kenyatta Inter- ment in the cultural fi eld; and a national by Vice-President of memorandum of understanding Kenya William Ruto, Kenya’s Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta introduces members of his cabi- in tourism. Secretary for Foreign Aff airs Dr net to HH the Emir in Nairobi yesterday. The members of the offi cial Amina Mohamed, a number of delegation accompanying the high-ranking offi cials in Kenya, Airport in Addis Ababa by the offi cials and the Qatari embassy Emir and several Kenyan min- Acting Charge d’Aff aires of Qa- Prime Minister of Ethiopia staff members were also at the isters attended the signing cer- tar’s embassy in Kenya Ali bin Hailemariam Desalegn. airport to bid farewell to the emony. HH the Emir meeting Kenyan off icials during his visit in Nairobi yesterday. Abdullah al-Abdullah, ambas- Deputy Prime Minister and Emir. The Emir also held a separate sador of Kenya to Qatar Galma Minister of Information and The Emir sent two cables to the meeting with President Uhuru to exchanging views on current Later, HH the Emir Sheikh A number of Kenyan minis- Mukhe Boru and Qatar’s embas- Technology Dr Debretsion Ge- Ethiopian president and prime Kenyatta at the presidential pal- events at the regional and inter- Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani ters and senior offi cials attended sy staff members. bremichael, Minister of State for minister to express his sincere ace in Nairobi. national arenas. attended a luncheon banquet the banquet along with heads of The Emir arrived in Kenya Foreign Aff airs Hirut Zemene, thanks and appreciation for the The meeting reviewed bilat- An offi cial reception ceremo- hosted by President Kenyatta, in Arab diplomatic missions ac- from Ethiopia after a two-day Qatar’s ambassador to Ethiopia warm reception and hospitality eral relations between Qatar and ny was held for the Emir upon honour of the Emir and his ac- credited to Kenya. state visit. Abdulaziz Sultan al-Rumaihi, accorded to him and the accompa- Kenya and aspects of developing his arrival at the presidential companying delegation at the The Emir later met a number The Emir was seen off upon Ethiopia’s ambassador to Qatar nying delegation during the visit. them on all fronts, in addition palace presidential palace. of businessmen, investors, own- departure at Bole International Mesganu Arga Moach, senior Page 26 Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 3 QATAR Emir, Ethiopian PM Saudi invites Emir to camel festival vow to enhance ties

QNA Addis Ababa HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received a written message from the Custodian H the Emir Sheikh of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, inviting the Emir Tamim bin Hamad al- to attend King Abdulaziz Festival for Camels, which will be held in Riyadh. The message was HThani and Ethiopian handed over to HH the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani by Saudi ambassador Prime Minister Hailemariam to Qatar Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Aifan at the Emiri Diwan off ice yesterday. Desalegn held bilateral talks in a friendly and cordial atmos- phere during which they reiter- ated their strong commitment to enhance their countries’ ties of co-operation and friendship, said a joint communique issued PHCC holds Patient Forum yesterday. The two leaders took note with satisfaction of the expand- ing relations between their two at Umm Slal Health Centre countries and between their two peoples. They underscored the need he Primary Health Care to co-operate further on inter- Corporation’s (PHCC) national and regional issues of Tfi fth Patient Forum took common concern. place for the fi rst time at Umm They also highlighted the ne- Slal Health Centre recently. cessity of co-ordinating eff orts A multidisciplinary team, with the international commu- including Umm Slal Health nity in fi ghting terrorism, which Centre management, created represents a threat to peace, sta- a platform of discussion that bility and security in the entire gave the opportunity to en- world. gage patients in a constructive Prime Minister Desalegn dialogue. commended the role of the State Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn sees off HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at The majority of patients of Qatar in resolving confl icts in the airport in Addis Ababa yesterday. were Qataris and actively in- the Horn of Africa, and in the volved in the interactive work- Darfur region in Sudan. He also expressed the readi- for small and medium projects Desalegn expressed his gratitude shop forum that will contribute On his part, HH the Emir ness to fi nance the establishment with the aim of fi nding job op- to the Emir for visiting Ethiopia to the development of the cor- commended Ethiopia’s eff orts of a specialised hospital for kid- portunities for the youth. and for the cordial and fruitful poration and improvement of in bringing peace and stability in ney treatment. They also agreed to strengthen discussions they held. services provided by Umm Slal the Horn of Africa region within The two leaders underlined the political dialogue and consul- On his part, HH Sheikh Tamim Health Centre to the public. the IGAD framework. their desire to enhance their eco- tation between the two countries. thanked Prime Minister De- Key messages and require- The PHCC team at the Umm Slal Health Centre.. He expressed the readiness of nomic co-operation, in both the They further emphasised their salegn, the government and peo- ments, shared by the patients, Qatar to provide a humanitarian private and public sectors. keenness to participate in the ef- ple of Ethiopia, for the warm re- were acknowledged by Umm sign and delivery of healthcare enhancing service user’s partic- assistance to drought victims in In this regard, they encour- forts of the international com- ception and hospitality accorded Slal Health Centre and will be services. ipation. The collaborative part- diff erent parts of Ethiopia, and to aged the private sector of both munity to maintain peace and se- to him and his accompanying considered to promote their The Patient Forum initia- nership between PHCC and the support the eff orts of the govern- countries to increase their co- curity in their respective regions delegation. engagement and empower- tive is part of PHCC Patient patients truly refl ects the voice ment of Ethiopia for the develop- operation. and the world at large. He also extended an invitation ment through patient involve- Consultative Council Project, of the community and its views ment of education, health, infra- HH the Emir also gave instruc- At the conclusion of the visit to Prime Minister Desalegn to ment in the decision-making which aims at providing addi- that are vital in visualising the structure and energy sectors. tions to establish a loan portfolio of HH the Emir, Prime Minister pay an offi cial visit to Qatar. process of the planning, de- tional support to patients and impact on the public opinion. Allergy awareness drive underway

ith statistics indi- of patterns of symptoms washing bedding in very hot sonal allergies, allergies cating that aller- that follow exposure to par- water at least once a week, are linked to other medical Wgic rhinitis aff ects ticular substances or envi- using a dehumidifi er to re- problems. Patients with al- approximately one in three ronments. Knowing what duce excess moisture and lergic rhinitis tend to have adults in the Middle East, you are allergic to and mini- removing carpets and up- higher rates of sleep apnea complaints associated with mising exposure to those holstered furniture, as well because of nasal conges- sneezing, runny nose, nasal allergens are important as stuff ed toys from chil- tion, higher rates of sinus congestion, itchy eyes, cough, steps in combating seasonal dren’s bedrooms, can be very problems and chronic ear and headaches are common- allergies,” said Dr Adeli. helpful. It is also important infections, particularly in place in many clinics. The acuteness of symp- to understand which allergy children. There is also a Hamad Medical Corpo- toms can be infl uenced by medicine works for you so lot of research that sug- ration’s (HMC) Dr Mehdi pollen levels, rainfall, the that you can start treatment gests patients with allergies Adeli, senior consultant, Al- wind and a variety of other as soon as symptoms begin, are more likely to develop lergy and Immunology, said factors. Identifying and or in some cases before peak asthma,” said Dr Adeli. the fi rst step in combating avoiding the things you’re allergy season begins,” added HMC’s Allergy and Im- allergies is education. allergic to is the best man- Dr Adeli. munology Awareness “As we move from winter agement. According to Dr Adeli, Programme is focused on to summer and the climate “Limiting exposure can while many people con- educating the public about changes, it is not uncom- mean closely monitoring the sider seasonal allergies allergies and immunology mon for individuals with weather and ensuring you which generally are not and empowering patients allergies to experience more spend extra time cleaning life-threatening, to be an and their families to in- pronounced symptoms. It your home to reduce indoor annoyance, he stressed they crease patient satisfaction is important to be educated allergens. Indoor allergens should not be dismissed. and confi dence and reduce about one’s family medical are often easier to control “In addition to the symp- emergency room visits for history and to be conscious and simple steps such as toms associated with sea- allergy-related illnesses. Sidra audiology clinic transforms lives of hearing-impaired children

idra Medical and Re- face, resulting in underde- search Center (Sidra) veloped cheekbones and jaw- Shas launched a new bones. Most children also have hearing aid programme to help underdeveloped ear canals and hearing-impaired children. abnormally shaped ears which The programme off ers contribute to hearing loss. The the identifi cation, assess- condition aff ects approxi- ment and rehabilitation of mately one in 10,000 births hearing disorders in chil- worldwide. Approximately dren; the utilisation of 30% of children with the syn- comprehensive behavioural drome have a cleft palate, and and electrophysiologi- half of all aff ected children cal measures to determine suff er from hearing loss. type, degree and severity Osman and his family with Sidra off icials. Osman’s treatment and of hearing loss; the man- care relies on a multidisci- agement of the selection, language development. Sidra, in collaboration plinary approach involving fi tting, and dispensing of “The sooner hearing loss with Cochlear Middle East, the support and expertise of hearing devices; audiologic is identifi ed and eff ectively recently demonstrated a new a number of diff erent health- rehabilitation through a managed, the sooner ver- milestone with a life chang- care teams across Sidra. comprehensive programme bal communication devel- ing moment for a young Dr Patrick Sheehan, di- of assessment services, am- opment for the child can patient born with Treacher vision chief of paediatric plifi cation devices, coun- begin. It is important that Collins syndrome. The child, otolaryngology, recalled Os- selling, and other hearing as a healthcare provider we Osman, was able to hear con- man had a 60 decibel moder- management strategies; work closely with the fami- versational speech and quiet ate to severe hearing loss. “He access to surgical implant- lies to develop treatment sounds for the fi rst time – needed a proven solution that able hearing aid technology and care options that are giving him a renewed chance has successfully helped chil- and follow up and ongoing in the best interests of the towards improving his learn- dren who are born with the monitoring. child’s development. Ul- ing and developmental skills same condition. In his case, Dr Nel Govender, manag- timately, it is about giving to be in line with other it was a Baha 5 sound proces- er of audiology and interim sound back to children – a children his age. sor fi tted with the Softband manager of speech language feat that is now more possi- Treacher Collins syndrome which is manufactured by therapy at Sidra, pointed ble than ever thanks to early is a rare, inherited condition Cochlear. Osman was Sidra’s out that hearing is essential intervention and advances that stunts the growth of the fi rst audiology patient to be to childhood learning and in technology and surgery.” bones and other tissues of the fi tted with the device. Gulf Times 4 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 QATAR Over 330 take part in FameLab contest ameLab, one of the biggest science communication Fcompetitions in the world, has taken place in Qatar for the second consecutive year. Initiated by Cheltenham Science Festivals in the UK, FameLab was brought to Qatar by the British Council in part- nership with Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and sup- ported by the Ministry of Edu- cation and Higher Education, Qatar University and Hamad Bin Khalifa University. FameLab is a competition for scientifi c communication where the participants present a scientifi cally proven idea to a general public audience in just three minutes. The judging is The winners with off icials. based on clarity, scientifi c con- tent and performance on the each category were selected to School, Maryam Nasser from Al- were won by Ahmed Shaaban deputy British ambassador, Pe- had again in Qatar this year, in- the second consecutive year. I stage. Participants are divided participate in the fi nals. Eman School and Toqa Ahmad from Al Karana School and Noha ter Chamberlain. An audience of volving more than 330 partici- take this opportunity to congrat- into two categories: students Participants who made it to Ismail from Al-Eman School, Mohsen from Al Kawthar School, more than 1,500 people attended pants from schools and young ulate the Qatar national winners and adults, including teachers the fi nals received an intensive respectively. respectively. the fi nals, and the winners were researchers.” in both the school student and and researchers. science communication training Youmna Hussein Mousa, who The national fi nal was held on announced at the end of the Dr Abdul Sattar al-Taie, exec- adult categories.” More than 330 people took delivered by international science bagged the fi rst place in the adult March 15 in the framework of the ceremony. utive director, QNRF, said: “We Marwa El-Tanbouly, project part in this year’s FameLab communicators from the UK. category, will represent Qatar in Education Conference sponsored Dr Frank Fitzpatrick, director, are proud of our partnership with manager at British Council, and competition and all applicants The fi rst three places in the the international fi nals at Chel- by the Ministry of Education and British Council Qatar, said: “I am British Council Qatar in organ- Dr Abdulla al-Kamali, special pro- were trained and prepared for student category were won by tenham Science Festival in the Higher Education in the pres- delighted about the overwhelm- ising this international science gramme manager at QNRF, also the fi nals. Six fi nalists from Maryam Jaber from Al-Resala UK. The second and third places ence of the representative of the ing response that FameLab has communication competition for lauded the FameLab initiative. Breast cancer found to be the most common

total of 1,466 new cancer colorectal with 10.23% across all and refl ects a high quality diag- lowing the staging system of the cases were diagnosed in 2015. 2015 and 50% of these cases were uring the effi ciency of treat- cases were diagnosed in nationalities and genders. Pros- nostic and treatment services American Joint Commission on Blood cancer was the most com- related to brain tumours. ment and services provided also A2015, among which 1,417 tate cancer was the third most provided to cancer patients in Cancer. mon and accounted for 46.3% of Dr Salih bin Ali al-Marri, of should be measured,” he said. were malignant and 49 in early common with 6.77%. Qatar. Colorectal cancer still needs all paediatric cancers, followed MoPH, stated that National Dr al-Hareth M al-Khater, stage. There were also 79 cancer Among females of all nation- The incidence of the disease to be worked on preventive and by brain cancer. Health Strategy 2017-2022 is deputy medical director, Na- related deaths among Qataris in alities, breast cancer was the among female Qataris of all ages curative programmes, especially There were 79 cancer related laying the foundations for a new tional Center for Cancer Care the same year. most common malignancy and was found to be 55.3 per 100,000. early detection and screening deaths among Qataris in 2015, phase for better health, better and Research at Hamad Medical The data was published by accounted for 39.41% of all fe- This rate is within international of the disease, as 68% were di- accounting for 30% of all deaths. value and better care. Corporation (HMC), pointed out the Ministry of Public Health male cancer cases, followed by values compared to more eco- agnosed at late stage. Qatar es- Breast cancer was the most com- “We need to intensify eff orts that HMC, being the main pro- (MoPH) with inputs from Qa- thyroid cancer. In males, pros- nomically developed countries tablished in January 2016 the mon cause as it caused 19% of the to understand the burden of the vider of the cancer data, is always tar National Cancer Registry tate cancer was the most com- where the age standardised rate nation-based colorectal cancer- deaths among Qataris, followed disease as well as to continue supportive of the important and (QNCR). mon with 11.96%, followed by reaches 80 per 100,000 cases. screening programme to in- by lung cancer resulting in 16.46% measuring the effi ciency and instrumental work of the QNCR. The most common form of colorectal cancer. Among the cases reported crease early detection. and colorectal with 12.66%. effi cacy of public health pro- QNCR provides comprehensive cancer was that of the breast, Female breast cancer sur- with staging values, 66% were Among paediatric population Cancer related death among grammes and initiatives such as data on cancer cases diagnosed constituting 17.5% of all malig- vival rate during 2013-2015 was diagnosed at early stage of the of all nationalities, up to the age paediatric population of all na- the National Cancer Screening annually and covers all public and nant cancer cases, followed by 82.3%, which is relatively high disease – stages I and II, fol- of 14, a total of 54 new cancer tionalities accounted for 2% in Programme. In addition, meas- private healthcare facilities. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 5 QATAR

Fire hits unused warehouse

A fire broke out in a warehouse on the southwestern side of Wukair, near Wakrah, around noon yesterday. However, no one was hurt, inquiries found. The warehouse was apparently not in use. A number of fire engines and water tankers were rushed to the spot after the Civil Defence was alerted. It was reported that a few portacabins were destroyed in the fire. Though the extent of damage was not known it was reported that the swift intervention by the Civil Defence helped douse the fire in less than an hour after it erupted. Nationals should be incentivised to work in private sector: IMF

By Pratap John The new law replaced the “Kafala” ing developed to further allow for in- Chief Business Reporter system, which has been abolished. The creased participation of the private new law applies to all workers and the sector in economic activity. hours of work are established in the The IMF advised, and the authori- atar’s labour market and civil contract (approved by Minister of In- ties agreed, that the design and im- service reforms should focus terior). plementation of such a framework Qon improving incentives for The report also states that “Qatar should be predicated on clear risk- nationals to work in the private sector, ranks favourably in terms of competi- sharing arrangement principles, particularly in the context of on-going tiveness indicators, though there is transparent and competitive tender fi scal consolidation, the International scope for improvement”. mechanisms, and sound fiscal risk Monetary Fund (IMF) has suggested. IMF economists “underscored the control policies. Building on this reform, address- importance of economic diversifi cation The government has also been im- ing the uncertainty about permanent and private sector development”, in the proving logistics and transportation residency would help retain high skilled context of low oil prices. facilities, which will help to reduce workers to support expansion of in- The authorities noted the progress the overall costs of production and vestment into higher productivity sec- that had been made in gaining a foot- raise productivity. Eff orts have also tors. hold in a number of new sectors, in- been made towards simplifying busi- “Labour productivity will also be en- cluding air transportation, media and ness registration, especially the newly hanced through improvements in the fi nancial services, and investment in introduced single-window that pro- quality of education and training,” the foreign assets. vides centralised registration for new IMF said in its latest country report. These are being complemented with businesses. All these initiatives are The IMF report noted that the main increased access of SMEs to fi nancing, expected to help improve productiv- change introduced by the new labour and developing clusters (particularly ity and further stimulate private sector law in Qatar entails enhanced focus on sports business cluster to make Qatar activity, which in turn would reduce contracts, allowing workers to change the preferred global sports hub). the economy’s dependence on the hy- jobs at the end of the contracted term According to IMF, a new public pri- drocarbon sector and enhance its resil- or after fi ve years. vate partnership framework was be- ience to shocks. Gulf Times 6 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 QATAR

Ooredoo launches Young scientists given new mobile opportunity to shine Internet rojects developed by off er young scientifi c minds Pfrom schools across Qatar have been placed in the spotlight oredoo has announced through a new national com- a new promotion for its petition organised by the Qatar OShahry Unlimited In- National Research Fund (QNRF), ternet Pack customers, off ering a member of Qatar Foundation up to 40% off the user’s total Research and Development (QF charges. R&D), and the Ministry of Edu- With the new off er, which has cation and Higher Education. been designed to ensure every- A total of 2,127 students, 31% one in Qatar has aff ordable ac- of them Qatari, from 130 schools cess to the company’s Supernet, presented the outcomes of their anyone who buys an Ooredoo scientifi c inquiry and innova- Internet device will get a dis- tive thinking at the National count of up to 20% off the total Scientifi c Research Competi- price. tion (NSRC), which took place The promotion will run until recently with the six winners of July 1. its grand awards now preparing It includes a range of Oore- to represent Qatar on science’s doo devices such as the Netgear global stage. Cat 9 enhanced 4G+ device for The competition was held as QR999 (usual price QR1,099), part of the Education Conference Netgear Cat 6 My-Fi device for and National Scientifi c Research just QR799 (usual price QR999), Week, organised jointly by the Huawei Cat 6 device at QR729 Ministry and QNRF under the (usual price QR799), and a Hua- theme “Pioneering and Creativi- wei Car-Fi device for QR330 ty”, and attended by HE the Prime (usual price QR359). Minister and Interior Minister To give Ooredoo custom- Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin The awards winners with HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi, QNRF’s Dr Abdul Sattar al-Taie, and other off icials. ers unlimited access to the en- Khalifa al-Thani, HE the Min- hanced Supernet network via ister of Education and Higher „ Amany al-Rajhy and Abeer spire students to develop the QF R&D executive vice-presi- joint vision of spreading a cul- rials, energy, earth and envi- their new Internet device, new Education Dr Mohammed Abdul al-Harbi from Qatar Second- skills required for scientifi c dis- dent Dr Hamad al-Ibrahim said: ture of scientifi c research in all ronmental sciences, engineer- and upgrading Shahry Internet Wahed Ali al-Hammadi, HE the ary Girls School and Al Kawthar covery and success from a young “We welcome the fruitful col- schools across Qatar, allow- ing, and behavioural and social Pack subscribers will also ben- Minister of Energy and Industry Secondary School for Girls re- age, nurture creativity and criti- laboration between the Ministry ing our students to build their sciences were assessed by a efi t from 20% off their unlim- Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, spectively cal thinking, and enhance Qa- of Education and Higher Edu- knowledge and capabilities in 50-strong panel comprising ited subscription fee for three and other dignitaries. „ Saleh al-Mahazaa and Ab- tar’s human capacity in the fi eld cation and QNRF to promote a this fi eld and develop high- experts from government, the months. The NSRC grand award-win- dullah al-Sulaiman from Al of science and research. culture of scientifi c research and calibre and innovative projects,” education and research sectors, The combined off er can save a ning projects were developed by: Shamal Secondary Boys School It was formed through merg- discovery in Qatar, and build the said QNRF executive director Dr and industry, with key criteria user up to QR200 and will lower „ Thajiba al-Hail and Sharifa „ Ahmad El Iwa and Khalifa ing QF R&D’s Qatar Science, capabilities of our students and Abdul Sattar al-Taie. including students’ capacity Ooredoo’s Unlimited Internet al-Muhannadi from Al Khor In- al-Marri from Ahmed bin Mo- Technology, Engineering, Art, teachers in this fi eld.” The aspiring scientists’ to demonstrate innovation and Pack price to QR400 for the du- dependent High School hammed Secondary Independ- and Math Fair (Qatar STEAM), “QNRF’s partnership with projects in the fi elds of compu- sound research skills. ration of the off er. „ Ahmad al-Asmar and Fahad ent Boys School, and QNRF’s Secondary School Re- the Ministry of Education and ter science and communications The award winners will now To obtain more information al-Mokhlaf from Ibn Taymiyyah „ Sara al-Kaabi from Qatar Al search Experience Programme, Higher Education has enabled systems, biomedicine, animal go forward to Intel International on the new promotion, visit Boys Independent Secondary Masrafi a High School for Girls. and the Ministry’s Scientifi c Re- the development of a national and plant sciences, math and Science and Engineering Fair to Ooredoo’s website at Ooredoo. School NSRC aims to enable and in- search Competition. competition that supports our physics, chemistry and mate- be held in Los Angeles in May. qa/eshop

Diversion in East Industrial area

permanent diversion will be drive directly south from Roundabout This exit will lead road users to a in place from tomorrow on a 52, and continue along the newly con- newly constructed loop ramp that A1.2km stretch of the East Indus- structed ramp bridge before turning will provide direct access towards the trial Street, located to the south of the right onto the service road towards Umm Al Seneem area and Doha (as Industrial Area. Barwa Al Baraha (as shown on the shown on the map). Ashghal said the alternative route is map). Ashghal said there would not be any to become the new permanent access Road users who need to exit Barwa reduction in the number of lanes avail- to Barwa Al Baraha and the surround- Al Baraha and travel towards Doha are able on the new route. ing areas. advised to head north on the East In- The diversion is required to enable South-bound commuters from the dustrial Street and continue along the the completion and connection of a East Industrial Street who need to ac- existing road before turning right at 22km expressway project in Doha’s cess Barwa Al Baraha are advised to their fi rst exit. south. ALF honours festival volunteers

l Faisal Without Borders (ALF) Foundation has honoured 19 Avolunteers of its Al Fazaa Vol- untary Centre for their role in making the fi rst educational festival, held from March 16 to 19, a success. The ceremony was attended by ALF executive director Ali Mar’e along with a number of offi cials, employees, and students who won the competition. Throughout the festival, 54 local independent schools took part in the featured events and competitions, in addition to 18 international schools, with more than 2,000 participants at- tending 80 workshops, and more than The honoured volunteers with off icials at the ceremony. 1,700 students taking part in another educational programme. The winning students expressed siderable turnout of participants, in- Other participants at the festival in- their appreciation for ALF and thanked cluding students, parents, and teach- cluded 300 team leaders and assistant ALF chairman HE Sheikh Faisal bin ers, at the festival refl ected the high team leaders, and 2,500 in various re- Qassim al-Thani for the event. awareness of the value of education lated programmes. HE Sheikh Faisal said that the con- within the Qatari society.

Gulf Times 8 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 QATAR

Doha conference to focus on occupational safety and health

The Occupational Safety and Social Aff airs (MADLSA), and Addressing the press meet, al- and establishments to ensure Health Conference will be held at Dr Ali Hamid al-Mulla, assistant Meer stressed that the MADLSA suitable measures to protect Sheraton Doha on April 29 under secretary-general for Goic, considered the occupational workers’ health. In order to the patronage of HE the Minister Industrial Projects Sector. safety and health of workers as implement these conditions, the of Administrative Development, Also in attendance were a number part of its key agenda. He noted ministry increased the number of Labour and Social Aff airs Dr of off icials from the ministry, that the labour law obliged all inspectors and engineers, al-Meer Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi. Goic and Hawkama Centre, as establishments to implement said, adding that the department This was announced by the well as representatives of several preventive measures to ensure concerned carried out inspection Gulf Organisation for Industrial companies and corporations occupational safety and health tours to ensure compliance and Consulting (Goic) and Hawkama sponsoring the conference. These in all workplaces and provide a monitor violations. PR Centre at a press conference in included the Primary Health Care healthy working environment. Dr al-Mulla said the conference Doha yesterday morning. Corporation — main sponsor, These measures pertained to fell within the framework of the Present on the occasion were Qatar Petrochemical Company lighting, ventilation, potable consultative role played by the Mohamed Ali al-Meer, director (Qapco)— golden sponsor, the water and dust, among others, organisation to promote the of the Inspection Department at Islamic Da’wa Organisation as well as necessary precautions culture of occupational safety and the Ministry of Administrative — silver sponsor, and Aspire against fire. He further said health in the industrial projects Off icials during yesterday’s press conference. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil Development, Labour and Logistics — silver sponsor. the law obliged companies implemented in the GCC states.

Ezdan Hotels bags Gold Circle Award zdan Hotels, a subsidiary of Ezdan Holding Group, has won the Gold Circle Award from Agoda.com, one Eof the leading online hotel booking sites worldwide, in recognition of its active role in Qatar’s hospitality and hotel sector. The award also recognises the Ezdan’s “out- standing performance” in the fi eld of hotel services off ered in past period, and for being an “excellent accommodation partner.” Ezdan Hotel West Bay general manager Wael el-Telba- ny, who represented Ezdan Hotels Company, received the award from representatives of Agoda in a ceremony held at Ezdan Hotel West Bay. Ezdan Hotels Company general manager Hasib Kayali said: “The company is committed to continuously developing its hospitality services by imple- menting well-thought out plans aimed at raising the qual- ity of hotel services we provide to our guests so they can enjoy a super experience during their stay in the group’s hotels. “Ezdan Hotels is keen to adopt international standards in all hotel services it provides, especially since it recently received the internationally recognised ‘Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points’ (HACCP) certifi cation in the fi eld of food safety from the Bureau Veritas Group. Such achievements emphasise the company’s commitment to- wards meeting all the needs of its guests, paying special at- tention to their comfort and safety in a healthy and sound environment.” He added: “What distinguishes Ezdan Hotels is the ex- tensive experience it has gained over the past period in hosting various sport delegations of international tourna- ments and competitions. This was a clear evidence of trust and confi dence these events organisers have in Ezdan Ho- tels. “Ezdan Hotels are fully equipped with advanced facili- ties and high-quality services, in addition to the best mod- ern technologies to serve world championships properly. In this context, the company recently sponsored the men’s and women’s FIDE World Chess Rapid & Blitz Champion- ship, in co-ordination with Qatar Chess Association and Qatar Olympic Committee.” Ezdan Holding Group is gearing up to launch two projects in the hospitality sector, the 24-storey Curve Hotel, which occupies a 6,788 sq m area in the West Bay area and con- sists of 600 multi-space hotel apartments, in addition to Ezdan Palace, a hotel that features a luxurious architectural design with 194 prestigious hotel rooms and suites, located along Al Shamal Road, which is near major educational es- tablishments like Qatar Foundation and Qatar University. Established in 2005, Agoda.com launched the ‘Gold Cir- cle Awards’ in 2009 to recognise outstanding hotels that meet guests’ needs.

Ezdan Hotel West Bay general manager Wael el-Telbany receiving the award from an Agoda off icial.

Two expat women face jail for jewellery theft

Two expatriate women have been sentenced in absentia to six months in jail by a Doha Criminal Court for stealing some gold and jewellery items from a shop at Souq Waqif. Local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported that the court has also ordered their deportation upon serving their sentence. The two were spotted on the video recording of the surveillance camera of the shop, stealing some pieces of gold and leaving. According to the file of the case, the two entered the shop claiming they wanted to buy some jewellery and started to try on items. While the saleswoman was attending to them, they hid some of the pieces in their handbags and left the shop. The two were given a light sentence because the victim renounced his claims in the court. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 9 QATAR

Community College gathering Arab Future Cities Summit accelerates demand for Ooredoo 5G innovations

he recent Arab Future chief operating offi cer Yousuf Cities Summit has ac- Abdulla al-Kubaisi. Tcelerated demand for Industry experts agree that Ooredoo’s latest 5G solutions, Ooredoo is at the cutting-edge which can transform Qatar’s of developing future cities in- businesses and daily lives. novations. Advanced ICT infrastructure At the Summit, visitors ex- and 5G mobile networks, with perienced the latest Ooredoo mobile network speeds roughly innovations across smart cit- 10 times faster than the current ies, smart Wi-Fi for connected 4G networks, will provide the stadiums and transport, and The Community College of Qatar (CCQ) yesterday held the first gathering of its graduates in the presence of HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and technological foundation for a smart irrigation. Social Aff airs, Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi, CCQ president Dr Ibrahim al-Nuaimi, dean Dr Abdullah Hazaimeh, members of the teaching staff and students. wide range of future cities in- Ooredoo exhibited with part- novations and digital services. ners Aruba, Honeywell, Iden- Showing the strong poten- tigy, and Schneider Electric. tial, Middle East mobile opera- Additional transformative tors are investing $50bn in ad- 5G use cases include connected vanced network infrastructure healthcare with tele-medicine to 2021, according to a recent diagnoses, using algorithms report by Deloitte. to predict emergencies and Al-Malki highlights importance of ITS “From autonomous vehi- drones to help coast guards cles to connected stadiums, rescue people, 3D match the kinds of future city dig- broadcasts, and highly-ad- he National Traffi c Safety Com- al-Thani, who is also the chairman of results, where it showed a decline to ital services will depend on 5G vanced cybersecurity. mittee (NTSC) secretary general the NTSC. 7.5 in 2015, which indicated signifi cant mobile networks to transmit, As one of the region’s lead- TBrigadier Mohamed Abdulla al- While stressing the necessity of progress made by the country in re- store, and analyse massive ing ICT providers, Ooredoo has Malki has highlighted the necessity building more road networks, Brigadier ducing fatal road accidents. amounts of data in real-time. already provided the Ooredoo of intelligent transportation systems al-Malki highlighted the need of im- The offi cial said as many as 114 Since serving as title spon- Supernet ICT infrastructure (ITS) and need for advanced mainte- proving transport services and traffi c projects have been implemented out sor for the Arab Future Cit- for Qatar’s most prominent nance methods in traffi c applications safety across the country. The NTSC is of 166 projects of the operational plans ies Summit, Ooredoo has seen future cities projects, such as in the country. also dealing with such issues as urban under specifi ed authorities during strong demand for the latest the connected airport at Ha- He was addressing a forum of agen- planning, mass transport, traffi c con- 2013-2016. Future Cities and Internet of mad International Airport, cies involved in implementing the Na- gestion and traffi c safety. The remaining projects have been Things innovations. We are connected shopping at Souq tional Traffi c Safety Strategy (NTSS) The NTSS has specifi ed two phas- given a timeline of July 2017 to be com- continuing to exchange best Waqif, and the technology in- on Monday. es, each with a fi ve-year time frame, pleted and some of them have been practices with leading future frastructure at the under-de- With the theme “Evaluation of the aimed at reducing the mortality rate transferred to the 2017-2022 plan. cities experts,” Ooredoo Qatar velopment Lusail City. operational plan 2017-2022,” the event from 14 per 100,000 individuals to six Al-Malki also outlined a number was held under the auspices of HE the by 2022. of topics of the next phase, including Prime Minister and Interior Minister, In the fi rst half of the fi rst phase, the adopting a vision for each institution, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa strategy achieved more than expected follow up to be made by their offi cials Brigadier al-Malki speaking at the forum.

and implementation, obstacles in their implemen- tation, evaluation of the benefi ts, and priorities of the next plan. Friendly ties NTSC’s National Road Safety Offi ce manager Kim Jraiw, the General Directorate of Traffi c’s Traf- fi c Safety Engineering director Brigadier Mohamed Marafi a, Traffi c Awareness and Media Department director Lt Col Mohamed Radhi al-Hajiri and traffi c awareness experts David Healey, Sonia Fordord, and Henrietta Werner also spoke. The Ooredoo booth at the Arab Future Cities Summit.

Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs met Hamid Ali Rao, Deputy Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), currently visiting Qatar. They discussed ways to strengthen mutual co-operation between Qatar and OPCW.

Porsche recalls models

he Ministry of Economy and TCommerce (MEC), in collaboration with Al Boraq Automobiles Com- pany, has announced the recall of Porsche Box- ster 718 and Carrera 911 models of 2017 because the fastening screws for the fuel collection pipes can shear off due to stress corrosion cracking. The MEC said the recall campaign comes within the framework of its ongo- ing eff orts to protect con- sumers and ensure that car dealers follow up on vehi- cle defects and repairs. The MEC will co-or- dinate with the dealer to follow up on the mainte- nance and repair works and communicate with customers to ensure that the necessary repairs are carried out. The MEC has urged all customers to report any violations to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Com- mercial Fraud Department through the following channels: Hotline: 16001, e-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @MEC_Qatar, Instagram: MEC_Qatar, MEC mobile app for An- droid and IOS: MEC_Qatar Gulf Times 10 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 QATAR Motor show unveils schedule

he seventh edition of Qa- edition cars and also feature egy in designing the three upcom- To attract visitors from the contributed to enriching this tar Motor Show will off er some of the rarest classic cars in ing editions and turning them region, Qatar Motor Show 2017 year’s programme and ensuring Tautomotive enthusiasts the world, the organisers have into true experiential events. In is off ering special promotions in a smooth and memorable experi- and visitors exclusive regional said in a press statement. addition to witnessing reveals by collaboration with hotel, airline ence for our fans as they live the and local reveals from 20 global Spread over the 12,000sq m global brands fi rst-hand, visitors and transportation partners. evolution of the automotive in- brands, organisers Qatar Tourism hall, exhibitors will include Dodge, will experience the future of the Qatar Airways, the offi cial air- dustry.” Authority (QTA) and Fira Qatar Jeep, Ford, Lincoln, Hyundai, automotive industry.” line, will off er visitors coming to Starting from April 19, Doha have confi rmed. Nissan, Toyota, Lexus, Chevro- Interactive fan zones will be see the show discounted fares will experience a parade of Held under the patronage of let, Genesis, Jaguar, Land Rover, packed with performances and that can be accessed by visit- “unique and exciting” cars in HE the Prime Minister and Min- Maserati, Mini, BMW, Mercedes- activities, including the inaugu- ing the Qatar Airways website, West Bay at the DECC at 5pm ister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah Benz, Mitsubishi, BAIC and Harley ral XRebels extreme sports per- the statement notes. Discounted daily. Social media competitions bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, Davidson. The Classic Car exhibi- formance by Xtork at the ‘Xtreme bookings will also be available at will be running throughout the the event will open its doors from tion will showcase a line-up of 20 Sports Park’, which will be open Shangri-La, QMS’ offi cial hotel. show, giving visitors the chance April 18 to 22 at the Doha Exhi- cars provided by Sheikh Faisal Bin to the public at DECC. In addition, Careem, the offi cial to win prizes such as gadgets, bition and Convention Centre Qassim Al Thani Museum, Al- Skateboarding, BMX Best transportation partner, will be branded merchandising and ABB to showcase (DECC). fardan Group and Mawater. Runs and Longboard Sprint Race off ering visitors 20% off on rides weekend test drives. True to its theme of ‘Driv- “Qatar Motor Show’s long- competitions will be running to and from the event during the The organisers have encour- ing to Innovation’, Qatar Motor term vision is to become a plat- from April 19 until the end of the fi ve days of the show. aged visitors to register online new Lexus lineup Show 2017 will take visitors on a form and hub for industry in- event. Visitors can register online “We are delighted to welcome on http://www.qatarmotorshow. “thrill-fi lled ride” to discover the novation and technology, while in advance for these activities to Qatar Airways back and join gov.qa/ and follow the show’s latest hybrid and tech-advanced reinforcing Qatar’s position as a eliminate waiting time, the or- hands with new partners such as social media channels on Twitter bdullah Abdulghani and booth,” the statement noted. vehicles that are paving the way premium business events desti- ganisers have said. Additionally, Shangri-La Hotel and Careem,” and Instagram on @Qatarmotor- Bros Co (AAB)-Lexus Vehicles will be displayed to the future of the automotive nation,” said Ahmed al-Obaidli, the park will host fun games such said Ahmed al-Mulla, COO of show and on Facebook on face- Awill participate in the across four zones. These are industry. director of exhibitions at QTA. as parkour, MTB and Aggressive entertainment at Elan Group. book/qatarmotorshow for latest seventh edition of Qatar Motor the ‘F Zone’, which will feature The show will unveil limited- “This goal has guided our strat- Inline Skate. “Our partners and sponsors have updates and more information. Show, which takes place at the the RCF and GSF; the ‘F Sport Doha Exhibition and Conven- Zone’, which will include the tion Centre from April 18 to 22. IS 200t, GS 200t and NX 200t; In a press statement, AAB- the ‘Hybrid Zone’, which will Lexus said it was planning to feature the RX 450h & GS 450h; “surprise” visitors to the mo- and the fourth zone, where the Mena preview of Paul Andrew’s women’s shoe collection tor show with a showcase of LC 500 will be launched. the new line-up of the Lexus Lexus International arrived brand. in Qatar in 1991 through its ifty One East has celebrated received as I presented my col- stacked cuoio heels, the state- Various aspects of the brand partnership with AAB, the sole renowned designer Paul lection. My aim is to ensure that ment explains. would be highlighted during distributor for Lexus vehicles FAndrew’s fi rst preview every piece I design creates a de- Much like the work of Brân- the event at a 356sq m luxury in the country. “The two com- show in the Mena region fol- sirable eff ect for women to feel cusi, the Romanian sculptor, booth set up at the venue, panies’ ‘customer fi rst’ policy lowing his successful launch at elegant and confi dent, embracing painter and photographer who is along with recent updates and made Lexus the most trusted the New York and Paris fashion the ease and simplicity of dress- considered a pioneer of modern- the newest products in the brand for Qataris because of shows. ing without losing that feeling of ism and one of the most infl uen- region. “To view and explore the great service AAB provides The English designer has made shoes that are unique. tial sculptors of the 20th century, all the latest models, make for its customers,” the state- his debut in Qatar at the luxury “I was truly honoured to there is “an ease and simplicity sure you visit the AAB Lexus ment added. department store in Lagoona present my fi rst collection in the to Andrew’s designs, which rely Mall with his Autumn/Winter region at a distinguished fashion on pure, elegant forms and mod- 2017 women’s shoe collection, department store such as Fifty ernist details rather than glitzy which “embodies and celebrates One East, whose commitment to embellishments alone to create simplicity in all forms, taking his quality and style is a true testa- visual impact”. Concert at Pearl inspiration from the sleek mini- ment to their mandate of being Among the “more striking op- malism of Constantin Brâncusi”, Qatar’s leading retailer of premi- tions” on display are asymmetric according to a press statement. um products.” leather booties on gold mirrored When it comes to the red car- Andrew’s collection is charac- block heels, marbleised patent pet, Andrew’s pieces have been terised by a “range of sleek, archi- leather stiletto pumps and caged worn by top celebrities and fash- tectural silhouettes and the lineup sandals that appear to be cast in ion industry power players such is punctuated by a juxtaposition pure gold, and sling-backs fi n- as Brie Larson, Olivia Wilde, of various shapes and textures”, ished with a rounded, crystal- Anna Kendrick, Amal Clooney Footwear from the collection. including combinations of suede embellished heel. Subdued styles and Emmy Rossum. and polished calf, silk velvet with range from black leather to kitten Speaking on his Middle East “Following New York and Paris, for the fi rst time. I have been metallic gold specchio and hand- heels and pointed toe slippers in and Qatar debut, Andrew said: it is fantastic to come to Qatar overwhelmed by the response I painted python with vertically every colour of suede.

Doha Bank launches 14th edition of Al Dana scheme

oha Bank has announced with one winner for QR100,000, is a chance to win; the more sav- ple as that,” said Doha Bank head Visa International Debit Card, the launch of this year’s 15 winners for QR10,000, and a ings, the higher are the chances of Retail Gul Khan. access to online, SMS and mobile DAl Dana savings scheme, QR25,000 scholarship for one Al of winning cash prizes. For those He added: “Doha Bank is com- banking services, easy fund re- which awards one winner QR1mn Dana Young Saver. who keep a minimum balance mitted to changing customers’ lives mittance across all countries with every month in 2017. Doha Bank said Al Dana has of QR25,000 in their Al Dana and this year won’t be any diff erent. the best exchange rates, utility United Development Company, master developer of The Now in its fourteenth edition, become a household name in account for six months, their Every month, 15 lucky customers bill payment management option Pearl-Qatar, will be hosting a concert by the Qatar the Al Dana savings scheme is Qatar. The popular savings pro- chances of winning will triple . will be happy to receive QR10,000 through Al Dana account, and im- Philharmonic Orchestra’s (QPO) brass section. The concert promising another year of excit- gramme had created 51 million- “We are proud to welcome Al each, one will be more fortunate mediate pre-approved loan of up led by Bob Ross on April 14 at Qanat Quartier from 4pm to ing rewards and life-changing aires, awarded more than 3,000 Dana Savings scheme back. This to carry home QR100,000 and the to 90% value of each customers’ 5pm will feature a variety of well-known musical prizes. This year, the product will local and expatriate customers unique product off ers a win-win really lucky one will become a mil- deposits, among others. performances. QPO is a member of Qatar Foundation for feature the biggest cash prize, with over QR120mn in cash priz- situation for all our loyal savers in lionaire. Ten millionaires will be To open an Al Dana account, Education, Science and Community Development. The the highest individual prize value es, and given away more than 40 Qatar. While saving, our custom- pronounced this year and we are customers can visit the near- event reflects the island’s growing reputation as a tourism and the highest number of win- kilograms of gold. ers are given the opportunity to sure no one wants to miss this great est Doha Bank branch or send an and entertainment hub. Qanat Quartier counts more than ners. To qualify for Al Dana, cus- win life-changing cash and non- opportunity.” SMS to 92610 with the keyword 50 stores including a variety of restaurants, cafes and retail Al Dana Savings scheme will tomers should keep QR5,000 in cash prizes in regular monthly Doha Bank’s Al Dana custom- ‘AL DANA’, or fi ll out an online boutiques, boasting a view over Venetian-like water canals. award a lucky winner every their account to win millions. draws. The more savings, the ers can also avail a wide range of application form at www.dohab- month a QR1mn prize, along Each QR1,000 in their account more chances to win; it is as sim- additional benefi ts such as a free ank.com.

Harman House opens at Doha Festival City

arman House has expanded timber acoustic fl ooring, concrete market is personal audio, an area go. It has a legacy of developing its footprint in the country panel at the higher level, beech where Harman leads with award- premium-quality products known Hwith the opening of a new timber panelling and orange ac- winning designs and innovations, for their unmatched sonic perform- boutique showroom at Doha Festival cent colours that provide for a more the statement points out. ance, ease of use, elegant design and City. natural, true-to-ear listening ex- Harman House off ers home and technology leadership.” Located on the fi rst fl oor of Qa- perience”. personal entertainment products Video Home & Electronic Centre tar’s new entertainment, fashion The store has an acoustic home and solutions by Harman Kardon, is the sole distributor of all Harman and dining destination, the Har- theatre demo room that off ers an JBL, Infi nity and AKG. products in Qatar. man House outlet “brings to audio “immersive experience” to help Speaking on the occasion, Sajed “Harman is dedicated to raising enthusiasts the best in premium customers choose the right prod- Jassim Mohamed Sulaiman, vice- home entertainment to higher levels lifestyle audio, home theatres/ uct before purchase. Live surround chairman and managing director of of technical sophistication and ease Blu-Ray systems, music systems, sound experience in the showroom Video Home & Electronic Centre, of use. With award-winning self- sound bars, portable speakers and eff ectively shows the depth in sound said: “The passion for music and powered speaker designs that bring headphones”, according to a press of each of its products. cutting-edge technology by Har- movies, video games or music to statement. The country is witnessing rapid man has made it the leading manu- life, Harman off ers market-leading The 200sqm showroom features growth in the audio category and facturer of premium audio systems personal audio solutions,” the state- a mixture of “high-impact Amtico the fastest-growing category in the – at home, in the car and on the ment adds.

Off icials and dignitaries at the opening of the showroom. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 11 REGION/ARAB WORLD

CURBS ENDORSEMENT OPINION ALLEGATION LEGAL EU prolongs Iran human Egypt parliament approves Sadr warns Syrian leader Libya PM accuses Europe of Woman facing ‘destabilising rights sanctions state of emergency could share Gaddafi’s fate reneging on migrant pledges security’ charge goes on trial

The EU prolonged sanctions against Iran over its Egypt’s parliament yesterday unanimously Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr yesterday warned Syrian The European Union has reneged on pledges The trial has begun in Saudi Arabia of the first human rights record for another year yesterday, approved a three-month state of emergency President Bashar al-Assad that he risked suff ering to help Libya fight migrant smuggling to woman accused of involvement in protests in a amid tensions over Tehran’s support for Syrian declared by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after the same fate as slain Libyan leader Muammar Europe, UN-backed Libyan Prime Minister Shia-majority area of the kingdom, a newspaper President Bashar al-Assad. The sanctions include deadly church bombings, state-run Nile News Gaddafi if he did not step down. The maverick cleric Fayez al-Sarraj charged yesterday in a German reported yesterday. The Okaz daily did not an asset freeze against 82 individuals and one television reported. The measure was published had last week condemned the suspected deadly newspaper interview. “Unfortunately Europe name the accused, but gave her age as 43. It entity, plus a ban on exports to Iran of equipment in Egypt’s official gazette on Monday and said use of chemical weapons by Assad’s forces against did not help us but made just empty promises,” said she is “the first woman accused of being “which might be used for internal repression and to have come into effect at 1:00pm (1100 GMT) civilians, becoming a rare Shia leader to openly chal- Sarraj told Bild newspaper, referring to EU offers involved in terrorist activities” in Qatif. The ac- of equipment for monitoring telecommunica- the same day, after 45 Coptic Christians were lenge the Syrian president’s legitimacy. Sadr issued a of aid to build up a Libyan coast guard. “We cused has been identified as Naimah Almatrod, tions”. The names will be published today in the killed in Sunday’s twin bombings. The Islamic new statement yesterday that reiterated his position. need urgently more professional help in order a nurse. At a hearing in Riyadh on Monday, EU’s Off icial Journal, a statement said. State group said it was behind the bombings at “I have urged him to step down to preserve the to protect and control the coast,” Sarraj was prosecutors accused her of offences including The European Council of member states said it churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria, reputation of the Mumanaa and to escape a Gaddafi quoted as saying. “Furthermore, the internation- “destabilising security, negatively affecting the decided to extend the sanctions in response “to and threatened further attacks against Egypt’s fate,” he said, using a word that refers to a so-called al community must do more to help stabilise social fabric, wreaking havoc, (and) inciting serious human rights violations in Iran”. Christian minority. anti-Western “resistance front.” the country.” sectarian sedition”, Okaz said.

IS now controls less than 7% of Iraq: military US squeezes Moscow over The Islamic State group now con- trols less than 7% of Iraq, down from the 40% it held nearly three years ago, a military spokes- man said yesterday. Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and other support are now battling Assad support ahead of talks IS inside second city Mosul, after retaking much of the other terri- AFP tory the militants had seized. Moscow “Daesh controlled 40% of Iraqi land” in 2014, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told reporters, us- ecretary of State Rex Till- ing an Arabic acronym for IS. erson fl ew into Moscow “As of March 31 (this year), they Syesterday to confront the only held 6.8% of Iraqi territory,” Kremlin over its support for said Rasool, the spokesman of Bashar al-Assad as the US ques- the Joint Operations Command tioned if Russia was complicit co-ordinating the anti-militant in an alleged chemical weapons eff ort. Various members of the attack. forces, Iraqi and foreign, battling Tillerson is the fi rst senior US the militants have disagreed in offi cial to visit Moscow since the past on figures about control President Donald Trump took of territory, but IS has been losing offi ce promising to seek closer ground steadily for close to two anti-terrorist cooperation with years. The most brutal organisa- Russia, but as he arrived rela- tion in modern militancy shocked tions were already tense. the world when it took over Mo- Last week, the US fi red a vol- sul in June 2014 and then swept ley of cruise missiles at a Syrian across much of the heartland. airbase in response to an alleged Its reach in Iraq peaked in August regime attack using a suspected the same year when a second nerve agent that killed at least off ensive saw it take over areas of 87 civilians in a rebel-held northern Iraq that were home to town, many of them children. various minorities and had been Russia, which along with Iran under the control of forces from has deployed forces to help As- the country’s autonomous Kurd- sad in the six-year-old civil ish region’s forces. war, reacted with fury to the Iraqi forces with the backing of US strike and continues to cast the US-led coalition — which has doubt on the regime’s involve- thousands of military personnel ment in the chemical attack, to deployed in Iraq and carries out Washington’s disgust. daily air strikes — began a major Tillerson did not cancel his US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson disembarks from an airplane upon A Syrian woman with her child sits on the pavement in the Ismetpasa neighbourhood in the Turkish capital offensive to retake Mosul in visit, however, and he will hold his arrival at the Vnukovo II Government airport in Moscow yesterday. Ankara yesterday. October 2016. talks with his counterpart For- They retook control of the eign Minister Sergei Lavrov to- prepared and carried out this evidence against Damascus ap- only repeated his defence of confl icting statements from to agree on whether fresh sanc- eastern side of the city, which day. chemical weapons attack at the peared to mount. Assad but suggested the Syrian senior offi cials in Trump’s ad- tions should be imposed on Da- is divided by the Tigris River, in It is not yet clear whether an same installation and did not Assad foe Turkey said blood leader’s rebel opponents were ministration about Assad’s fate. mascus — or Russia itself. January and have since mid- expected meeting with Presi- have foreknowledge?” said the and urine samples taken from preparing future faked attacks Tillerson said the US goal of “At the moment there is no February been battling diehard dent Vladimir Putin will go offi cial, speaking on condition victims of the alleged attack in order to encourage US inter- defeating the Islamic State ex- consensus on new sanctions as militants holed up in their last ahead. of anonymity. confi rmed that the banned sarin vention. tremist group in Syria remains an eff ective instrument,” Italy’s west Mosul redoubts. At the talks, Tillerson will “We do think it is a question nerve agent was used. Putin said Moscow also want- a priority, but that Washington Foreign Minister Angelino Al- The full recapture of Mosul, challenge Russia to distance it- worth asking the Russians.” Britain, France and the United ed to see a “thorough” probe of hopes a UN-led peace process fano said, after his British coun- the de facto capital of the self from Assad and his Iranian Speaking to reporters before States later presented a new UN the incident conducted through will allow the Syrian people to terpart Boris Johnson had raised “caliphate” that IS proclaimed backers and to work with Wash- he left a G7 foreign ministers’ draft resolution demanding an the UN and slammed US ac- oust their own leader. the issue. nearly three years ago, would ington’s Western and other al- meeting in Italy for Moscow, investigation of the suspected cusations as reminiscent of the “To be clear, our military ac- In a show of defi ance as it came end the militants’ dreams of a lies to fi nd a political solution Tillerson said: “Russia has re- chemical attack in Syria after weapons of mass destruction tion was a direct response to the under fi re for its ties, Moscow cross-border state. to the confl ict with Syria under ally aligned itself with the Assad the Security Council failed last claims that led to the invasion of Assad regime’s barbarism,” Till- said it would host the foreign Speaking at the same press new leadership. regime, the Iranians, and Hez- week to agree on a response. Iraq in 2003. erson told the G7, insisting that ministers of Syria and Iran for conference in Baghdad yes- As the top diplomat landed, a bollah. Russia has remained un- In Italy, Tillerson attempt- the missile strikes were not the three-way talks after Tillerson’s terday, the spokesman for the senior US offi cial accused Mos- “Is that a long-term alliance moved by the international cho- ed to rally the world’s leading start of a military eff ort aimed at visit. Washington’s threat to car- US-led coalition vowed that Iraq cow of carrying out a misinfor- that serves Russia’s interest?” rus of outrage. economies behind fresh sanc- regime change. ry out more punitive strikes if As- would not be abandoned after mation campaign to “confuse he asked. The foreign ministry called tions against Assad’s regime As G7 ministers urged a new sad is once again accused of using the recapture of Mosul. the world” and said Washington “Or would Russia prefer to Tillerson’s comments “muscle but, despite much outrage over diplomatic push to end the con- chemical weapons will likely top “Once that task is accomplished, was investigating whether Rus- realign with the United States, fl exing ahead of the talks” and the Khan Sheikhun killings, he fl ict and create a lasting peace their agenda. the coalition will be here to sia was complicit in the alleged with other Western countries he is likely to face a chilly recep- failed to win consensus. for a unifi ed Syria, Tillerson Several rounds of UN-backed support our Iraqi partners as chemical weapons attack. and Middle East countries who tion whether or not he meets He did go some way towards said: “Our hope is Bashar al- peace talks have failed to end the they eliminate IS from every “How is it possible that their are seeking to resolve the Syrian Putin. clarifying the US position on Assad will not be part of that Syrian confl ict, which has killed corner of Iraq,” Colonel John forces were co-located with crisis?” The Russian leader in tel- Syria, however, which had be- future.” more than 320,000 people since Dorrian said. the Syrian forces that planned As Tillerson fl ew to Russia, evised comments yesterday not come muddled by apparently The ministers however failed March 2011.

PLEDGE Palestinians vow to disband extremist group Candidates register for Iran’s presidential vote Palestinian leaders said yester- day they would break up an Reuters a news conference on Monday ing a 2013 campaign promise, armed hardline group involved London as to whether he would seek a Rouhani unveiled a “Bill of in clashes with security forces second term in what analysts Rights” last year to safeguard inside the volatile Ain el-Hilweh believe will be a tight race with freedom of speech, improve refugee camp in southern andidates began reg- Raisi. The lifting of sanctions access to the Internet and pro- Lebanon. At least seven people istering yesterday for in January 2016 provided a tect citizens’ privacy. have been killed since Friday as CIran’s May 19 presiden- short-term boost to the econ- However, critics wonder combatants have exchanged tial election with the clerical omy as inflation dropped to whether the bill could be im- machine gun, rocket and mortar establishment hoping for a high single digits and real GDP grew plemented, given likely resist- fire in the crowded camp near turnout to shore up its legitima- by as much as ance within a hardline judici- the coastal city of Sidon. The cy amidst widespread instabil- 7.4 %. But for sustained ary that lies beyond his direct situation was calmer yesterday ity in the Middle East. recovery, structural reforms authority. though gunfire could still be The Islamic Republic regards will be needed to liberalise the Moderates and some influ- heard in the camp, witnesses the election in part as a show economy, something Rouhani ential leading conservatives, said. The battles have pitted a of defi ance against renewed US could not deliver in his first including parliament speaker joint security force including the pressure under President Don- term. Ali Larijani, have endorsed Fatah party of Palestinian Presi- ald Trump, particularly after Recovery will also require Rouhani’s candidacy, while dent Mahmoud Abbas and allied his missile attack last week on significant foreign invest- Raisi emerged as the main factions against the Badr group. Iran’s regional ally Syria. ment but that has been slow conservative challenger on Fighting broke out after the President Hassan Rouhani, a to resume in part because Sunday. security force sought to deploy moderate who engineered Iran’s many investors have hesitated Analysts say Raisi, thanks throughout the camp and met 2015 nuclear deal with world for fear of incurring penalties to the support he enjoys from resistance from the Badr group. powers that secured a removal from lingering US sanctions. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Fatah’s head in Lebanon said of international fi nancial and Unemployment stood at Khamenei, could pose a real the security force would deploy trade sanctions against Tehran, 12.4% in the last fiscal year, challenge to Rouhani’s bid for in all areas of the camp with is expected to seek re-election according to the Statistical a second term. the aim of disbanding the Badr but faces a stiff challenge from Centre of Iran, up 1.4% from Among other presidential group and arresting its leader, hardline conservative Ebrahim the previous year. candidates, former culture Bilal Badr. “Wherever the security Raisi. About 3.2mn Iranians are minister Mostafa Mirsalim find him, they must arrest him, Discontent has risen over jobless out of a total popula- promised to invigorate the present him to justice and steep rises in consumer prices Iranians arrive to the Interior Ministry’s election headquarters as candidates begin to sign up for the tion of 80mn. economy in a nod to frustra- hand him over to the Lebanese and stubbornly high unem- upcoming presidential elections in Tehran yesterday. Rouhani retains consider- tion among working- and state,” Fathi Abu al-Aradat told ployment, with many Iranians able electoral strength, how- middle-class Iranians. a televised press conference in struggling to make ends meet, will last fi ve days after which More than 100 candidates past elections. Rouhani won ever, especially among Iran’s Hassan and Hossein Seyed- Sidon. The incident has raised despite the lifting of interna- entrants will be screened for have registered so far for the election by a landslide in 2013 large bloc of young, urban vot- Hadi, twins in their late 20s, fears of spiralling violence in tional sanctions that Rouhani their political and religious vote. on a platform of ending the Is- ers attracted to his vision of registered their names togeth- Ain el-Hilweh, which has seen had said would revive the econ- qualifi cations by a hardline vet- The Guardian Council has lamic Republic’s international greater social freedoms and an er, promising to create jobs intermittent clashes in recent omy. ting body, the Guardian Coun- stopped hundreds of candi- isolation. end to clerical interference in for the country’s burgeoning months. Registration for the election cil. dates from participating in He sidestepped questions at their personal lives.Honour- youth population if elected. Gulf Times 12 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 AFRICA

HOSTAGE DRAMA DETAINED POLITICS EXCESS RAINS BUSINESS AS USUAL Somalia arrests 10 Congo police arrest dozens Zambian opposition leader El Nino linked to cholera Trump set to move ahead pirates in stand-off at banned protest rallies held for ‘treason’ outbreaks across Africa with Nigeria planes sale

Somali forces, who have surrounded pirates Police have detained several dozen people Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Heavy rainfall linked to the El Nino weather US President Donald Trump’s administration is holding hostages taken from an Indian ship, accused of violating a ban on Monday on Hichilema has been detained and questioned pattern can push up cholera cases in Africa, pushing forward with plans to sell up to a dozen yesterday secured the surrender of 10 members protests against DR Congo President Joseph by police for committing “treason”, his lawyer according to a study published on Monday aircraft to Nigeria’s air force for the fight against the of the band and enlisted the parents of the other Kabila, police sources said yesterday. “Police said yesterday. Hichilema, a wealthy economist that could help health workers prepare for extremist group Boko Haram in a deal that could be three to persuade them to give up, off icials said. have arrested and detained 34 people in known as “HH”, was defeated by President outbreaks. El Nino is a warming of ocean worth up to $600mn. The Super Tucano A-29 aircraft, Regional security forces rescued the Indian cargo Kinshasa,” said national police spokesman Edgar Lungu in an election last August, which surface temperatures in the eastern and central an agile, propeller-driven plane with reconnaissance dhow Al Kausar on Monday but pirates who Pierre-Rombaut Mwanamputu. “Some wanted he described as fraudulent. His attempts to Pacific that occurs every few years, with global and surveillance as well as attack capabilities, is seized it earlier this month escaped beforehand to breach the ban on a march, the others were mount a legal challenge have so far been consequences. In Africa it often brings excessive made by Brazil’s Embraer. Former president Barack with nine crew members as bargaining chips preparing acts of vandalism. Their fate will be unsuccessful. His lawyer Jack Mwiimbu told rains to the east while the southern cone gets Obama’s administration originally agreed on the sale, to try to force the release of pirates jailed in known during the day.” Mwanamputu said he Reuters: “They have detained him for having parched. By mapping and comparing cholera but delayed it after incidents including the Nigerian India. Hirsi Yusuf Barre, mayor of Galkayo in had no details of arrests in other parts of the committed treason along Limulunga road by outbreaks in Africa with previous occurrences of Air Force’s bombing of a refugee camp in January Somalia’s Galmudug state, said 10 of the pirates country. The call by the main opposition party obstructing the presidential motorcade. He El Nino, researchers at Johns Hopkins University that killed 90 to 170 civilians. “We’ve been told that surrendered after they were surrounded, leaving for nationwide protests Monday appeared to has not yet been formally charged. We are saw a clear link between rainfall caused by the the administration is going to go forward with that just three holding the nine dhow crew. have been ignored in Kinshasa. definitely challenging the police action.” weather pattern and the number of cholera cases. transaction,” a congressional aide said.

Kenya wants to Risk of mass starvation become tourism and banking hub ‘rising rapidly’ in Africa for Muslims By Kennedy Abwao, DPA Reuters “There’s acute malnutrition, Nairobi Geneva very high rates, if you don’t help people with worsening rates of malnutrition, people die.” he majority Christian nation Kenya wants to he risk of mass starvation in In all, 7mn people in northeast become a hub for Islamic tourism, banking and four countries — northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad basin Tother services, experts said yesterday at an East TNigeria, Somalia, South Su- are suff ering from food insecurity, African Islamic Economy Summit held in Nairobi. dan and Yemen — is rising rapidly Edwards said. The meeting attended by bankers, investors and due to drought and confl ict, the Food security in four countries is other experts was organised by the private sector to UN refugee agency said yesterday. expected to continue to deteriorate explore how the region can best target a market of About 20mn people live in hard- until at least mid-year, he said. 1.6bn Muslims worldwide by off ering goods and serv- hit areas where harvests have failed UNHCR is scaling up its opera- ices in line with Islamic principles. and acute malnutrition rates are tions but has a funding shortfall, The Islamic economy encompasses not only a food increasing, particularly among with some country programmes industry with dietary requirements, but also sectors children, it said. only funded at between 3% and 11 such as tourism, banking, insurance and capital mar- In South Sudan, where the %, he said. kets. United Nations declared famine in Overall the United Nations has Kenyan tourism offi cial Najib Balala said the Tour- some areas in February, “a further appealed for $4.4bn for the four ism Ministry planned to publish guidelines for hotels 1mn people are now on the brink of countries but has received less and lodges that would seek to comply with Shariah in famine”, UNHCR spokesman Adri- than $984mn to date, Jens Laerke order to attract Muslim travellers, whose spending is an Edwards said. of the UN Offi ce for the Coordina- expected to reach $230bn in 2020 worldwide. “We are raising our alarm level tion of Humanitarian Aff airs said. Kenya has also created a team of experts to identify further by today warning that the In northeast Nigeria, especially policies that would make the country’s capital mar- risk of mass deaths from starvation Borno state, aid workers had “al- kets compliant with Shariah banking laws, said Paul among populations in the Horn of most zero access” a year ago, due Muthaura, chief executive of Kenya’s Capital Markets Africa, Yemen and Nigeria is grow- to Boko Haram militants, Laerke Authority. ing,” Edwards told a news briefi ng. said. Some participants at the meeting, however, warned “This really is an absolutely “Now that access is opening up. that catering to the Muslim market also implied chal- critical situation that is rapidly That is one of the reasons why the lenges. unfolding across a large swathe of numbers have grown. Because as we “It is very diffi cult to develop concepts that are ac- Africa from west to east,” he said. have pushed into these areas we have ceptable to the governments in countries with liberal People are on the run within simply discovered more and more populations such as Italy,” said Anna Maria Tiozzo, their countries and greater num- need of an extreme nature including president of the Italian organization World Halal De- bers of South Sudanese refugees extreme food insecurity so that there velopment. are fl eeing to Sudan and Uganda, is a risk of famine,” he said. Tiozzo said her organization needed 10 years to push the UN High Commissioner for The International Committee through the certifi cation of halal food products, with Refugees (UNHCR) said. of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned in governments wary of being seen as favouring any par- A preventable catastrophe, pos- late March that the world had three ticular religion. sibly worse than that of 2011 when to four months to stop starvation Hotels could meanwhile face complaints of segrega- 260,000 people died of famine in in the four countries. tion or invasion of privacy if they requested that Mus- the Horn of Africa, half of them David Hermann, ICRC opera- lim couples must be married, children, “is fast becoming an in- tions co-ordinator for Somalia, experts said. evitability”, Edwards said. told the briefi ng: “If it doesn’t Chris Nader from Shaza Hotels, based in the United “Always the problem that we happen now, there will be no es- Arab Emirates, said his company had diffi culties se- have with humanitarian crises in caping a situation that this coun- curing fi nancing from Shariah-compliant investors sub-Saharan Africa is that they try already experienced a few who did not want non-married couples to stay at ho- tend to get overlooked until things years ago, meaning probably peo- A March 15, 2017, file photo of a malnourished child being weighed by an aid worker for a Unicef- funded health tels. are too late,” he said. “A repeat ple are going to die from starva- programme catering to children displaced by drought, at a facility in Baidoa town, the capital of Bay region of More than 80% of Kenyans are Christians, while must be avoided at all costs.” tion and disease.” south-western Somalia. Muslims make up nearly 12%.

In the dock! Gendarmes sit in front of Court to hear case for secret ballot on Zuma defendants, mostly soldiers, during their trial in Yopougon, Ivory Coast, yesterday, Agencies tion party Democratic Alliance, believe a makers to set aside political affi liation dur- accused of kidnapping and Johannesburg recent cabinet reshuffl e that led to the dis- ing next week’s vote. In an article that ex- killing four men from the missal of respected fi nance minister Pravin tensively quoted the country’s constitution, Novotel hotel in Abidjan in Gordhan may have angered enough ANC Mbeki said it is “obvious and logical” that April 2011. The prosecution outh Africa’s top court said yesterday members to desert Zuma. lawmakers “must act in parliament as the called for life sentences to it will consider whether a motion of “We only need 65 to 70 people from the voice of the people, not the voice of the po- be handed down to the main Sno confi dence against President Jacob ANC, and the secret ballot can deliver the litical parties to which they belong.” defendants in the case on Zuma should be taken by secret ballot. votes to remove Zuma,” Bantu Holomisa, “It may be that the current controversy has’ the abduction and murder The rand extended its gains to 1% against head of the smaller United Democratic at last, imposed on our country the oppor- of the hotel’s manager, along the dollar after the announcement, and op- Movement (UDM), which is also backing the tunity and obligation the better to defi ne the with the head of Ivory Coast’s position parties said there could be a better no-confi dence vote against Zuma, said. constitutional and moral relationship between largest agro-industrial group chance that the motion, when taken, would He earlier posted a court document on his the people and their elected representatives,” and two other businessmen succeed, if it was held by secret ballot. Twitter feed showing the chief justice of the he said in an article published by The Star daily. in an unexplained crime, The ruling African National Congress Constitutional Court had given the go-ahead Mbeki, who succeeded Mandela as presi- while bloodshed raged in party, which has a majority in parliament, for the parties in the case to give their written dent in 1999, was himself recalled by the Abidjan between rival political has said it will vote against the motion, which submissions by April 21 — days after the no- ANC in September 2008 before the end of factions. is due on April 18. A secret ballot, however, confi dence vote is scheduled to take place. his second term and Zuma took over. would allow for anonymous dissent. Ex-leader Thabo Mbeki yesterday waded Anti-Zuma demonstrations are planned But opponents, led by the main opposi- into a no-confi dence debate, urging law- for today in the capital Pretoria.

Kenya learns to cook with solar power sans sunlight

By Justus Wanzala, Reuters has been using a solar cooking sys- and wood stoves, and also found of the usual time to cook food or the homes in her neighbourhood Busia, Kenya tem since last year. a platform to promote use of solar heat water — a big savings of wom- now use them. The insulated basket “conserves energy appliances such as lighting en’s time. Nyapola said her 32-mem- enough heat to cook food even equipment” said Didacus Odhia- Julius Magero, an offi cial in the ber organisation has worked in n this sunny part of Kenya, so- when there is no sunshine” — and is mbo, the organisation’s chief ex- Ministry of Energy and Petroleum schools, churches and homes to lar cookers — which trap sun- aff ordable and easy to use, he said. ecutive offi cer. in Busia County, said that besides train community members on the Ilight to heat food — have surged In Busia County, in western He said the clean energy eff ort protecting increasingly scarce for- new technologies, and that men in popularity in recent years. Kenya, as many as 1,500 house- has faced signifi cant challenges, ests, the stoves also are helping have backed women switching to But a big problem remains: holds have turned to solar cooking, including as many as 60 % of buy- women spend less time searching new cooking technology, not least How to cook when the sun doesn’t mostly over the last four years, ac- ers defaulting on loans for equip- for fuelwood. because food can be cooked faster shine? cording to county Ministry of En- ment -a problem the organisation Lilian Nyapola, a member of and rarely burns, and children Communities are now starting ergy fi gures. is still trying to sort out. Farmers with a Vision, said the aren’t injured in fi res. to sort out solutions, from insu- Other families have adopted Many households struggle to new technologies — most of which Box cookers — designed with lated baskets that hold onto heat more effi cient charcoal or fi rewood fi nd the upfront money to buy the cost on average $25 to $60 — have help from the Free University of after the sun disappears to use of stoves. more effi cient cooking technology, led to a decline in use of fi rewood Amsterdam — trap sunlight that back-up fuel-effi cient charcoal The changes in large part have he said. and paraffi n, which are costly and shines through the box’s glass top, and fi rewood stoves. been driven by Farmers with a Vi- The switch to more effi cient emit smoke. using it to heat food placed inside. “Fluctuations in sunshine can sion (FWA), a local community or- cooking aims to cut deforestation “The uptake of solar cookers The device “can cook when hinder cooking using the solar ganisation based in Bumala Town- in Kenya, and health problems re- and energy saving wood stoves and the sunshine is low and when not (system) but with the basket we ship. lated to cooking over smoky fi res. thermos baskets is high,” she said. much light is available. nowadays prepare tea during the Over the last four years, “we Those who have bought the new She sells around 14 clean cook- It retains heat and can cook for day and can drink it after sunset,” have sold thousands of solar cook- systems say another attraction is ing devices a month, she said — additional three hours,” Odhiambo said Peter Wanga, whose family ers and energy saving charcoal that they require only about a third enough that now virtually all of said. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 13 AMERICAS

MEDICAL AVIATION SECURITY ENVIRONMENT EMPLOYMENT New guidance on prostate Canada boosts security for Criminal prosecutions of Florida declares emergency Trump clears Montenegro cancer screening some air travellers migrants may increase because of wildfires accession to Nato

A US government panel has reversed its Canada has implemented new security The US Justice Department, Attorney General The governor of Florida declared a state US President Donald Trump signed off on opposition to a controversial prostate cancer measures for air travellers from certain Jeff Sessions travelled to the US-Mexico border of emergency yesterday as more than 100 Montenegro’s accession to Nato yesterday, screening test for men aged 55 to 69, according countries, its transport minister said yesterday, to speak with Department of Homeland Security wildfires burned large swathes of land in the removing a potential hurdle to the Balkan nation to recommendations published in the Journal but he would not say what the measures are, nor personnel yesterday to make the case for southeastern US state. The measure by Rick becoming the alliance’s 29th member. “Today, of the American Medical Association. Patients whom they would aff ect. “I did put in place some increased prosecutions of migrants. Sessions, Scott frees up more resources to fight the President Donald J Trump signed the United are now advised to discuss the benefits and measures to increase security for flights coming told customs agents at the Port of Nogales in fires and distribute supplies to people aff ected States instrument of ratification of the Protocol harms of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based from certain countries where the destination Arizona that more illegals should be prosecuted by them. “Today I am declaring a state of for Montenegro’s accession to the North Atlantic screening with their physicians and then decide was Canada,” Transport Minister Marc Garneau as criminals. “Why are we doing this?” he said. emergency in Florida to ensure we are ready to Treaty Organization (Nato),” the White House individually whether it’s the best route, the US told reporters. “I am not in a position to tell you “Because it is what the duly enacted laws of the respond to and prepare for these fires,” Scott said in a statement. Preventive Services Task Force said. PSA-based from where, for obvious security reasons, and US require.” Sessions announced that each US said. The Florida Forest Service said 105 fires The decision had largely been expected, despite screening tests for a protein in the blood that I’m not in a position to tell you, specifically, the attorney would be required to designate a point are now burning in the state, with 23 of them Trump’s sometimes mercurial decision-making is produced by the prostate gland. An elevated measures, either. And you will understand, for person on security prosecutions by April 18. burning more than 100 acres. The blazes have and harsh words for the military alliance. level can indicate a cancerous tumour but also security reasons, we do not talk about these The person in that position, known as a border torched more than 8,000 hectares of land. It will further strain US relations with Russia, signal benign conditions. A normal PSA level things.” Garneau said Canada has no current security co-ordinator, will co-ordinate with the Since January, fires have blackened around which has described Montenegro’s accession as does not always rule out the presence of cancer. plans to restrict laptop computers. Department of Homeland Security. 28,000 hectares in the southeastern state. a “provocation.”

Meeting with CEOs Trump moves to end feuds in White House Infighting is creating bad And then there’s the infi ghting. tration moderates such as ex- press and eroding support During last year’s campaign, Goldman Sachs executives Gary diff erences between Trump Cohn and Dina Powell. AFP supporters — Republican mod- Their emergence has coin- Washington erates and hardliners, globalists cided with slow pedalling on and nationalists — were pa- some of Trump’s more pro- pered over by the common goal tectionist trade promises such onald Trump has moved of defeating Hillary Clinton. as withdrawing from NAFTA, to end infi ghting that But from day one in the imposing far-reaching tariff s Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, President Donald Trump and Stephen A Schwarzman, CEO of the Blackstone Group, at a Dhas pitted his son-in- White House, those ideologi- and branding China a currency meeting with CEOs in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus. law against his chief strategist cal factions have engaged in manipulator. in an internecine battle over the backbiting and leaking that is For many Bannon support- soul of the White House. threatening to stall the whole ers, the Kushnerites are inva- For the briefest of moments administration. sive “Democrats” in a Repub- on Monday morning, members Trump recently decided lican White House, thwarting of his staff looked like they were enough was enough, order- Trump’s promise to aggres- having fun when smiles and ing Bannon and his son-in- sively fi ght for the white work- backslapping briefl y replaced law Jared Kushner — who have ing class. the tension, chaos and exhaus- come to represent the two cen- Bannon and Kushner’s feud Munoz defends staff over tion of 80 days in Trump’s pres- tres of White House power — to has become increasingly public sure-cooker White House. patch up their diff erences, ac- in recent weeks, with Bannon’s The president’s senior aides cording to offi cials. allies accusing the young real — including Reince Priebus, In a meeting late last week, estate heir of leaking stories to Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer and the pair tried to reconcile Ban- make the 63-year-old Bannon man ejected from fl ight Kellyanne Conway — were mill- non’s nationalist and populist look bad. ing around the White House policies with Kushner’s more Meanwhile, Bannon’s former Guardian News and Media happened but that he supported the fl ight”, and that at one point staff and his use of the euphe- Rose Garden awaiting the his- globalist and reportedly mod- media outfi t, Breitbart, has Washington his employees. the passenger “continued to resist mism “reaccommodate” to de- toric swearing of Trump’s fi rst erate outlook.It will be tough launched scathing criticism of “The situation was unfortu- — running back on to the aircraft scribe passengers booted off the Supreme Court Justice under going. Both men have garnered Kushner, questioning his failure nately compounded when one of in defi ance of both our crew and Chicago fl ight. gentle spring sunshine as the enormous infl uence inside to separate himself from busi- he chief executive of Unit- the passengers we politely asked security offi cials”. United Airlines An online petition calling for Marine Band off ered strains of Trump’s White House. ness interests and describing ed Airlines has described to deplane refused and it became said on Monday that after no- his resignation has received more Delibes. As the president’s chief strat- his “thin resume in diplomacy”. Tthe passenger who was necessary to contact Chicago body agreed to voluntarily give up than 2,000 signatures. “I’ve always heard that the egist, Bannon built up power Addressing Trump’s view of forcibly removed from an over- aviation security offi cers to help,” their seats, airline representatives Chicago aviation department most important thing that a by helping orchestrate Trump’s what he called the two sides’ booked plane as “disruptive and Munoz wrote in the letter ob- chose four passengers to leave the said one of the offi cers involved president of the United States shock electoral victory. “policy” diff erences, White belligerent”, and told the air- tained by CNBC and other news plane at random based on ticket in the removal did not follow does is appoint people,” Trump Such was the value of his House spokesman Sean Spicer line’s employees that they “fol- outlets. class, frequent fl ier status and protocol and had been placed on said of the major political vic- stock that he privately boast- said “I think that he recognises lowed established procedures”. “Our employees followed es- check-in time. leave pending a review. tory of getting Neil Gorsuch ed early in the administration that sometimes some of it spills The airline has been vilifi ed after tablished procedures for dealing Chicago police said the man Federal transportation offi cials on the bench.”Hopefully great about virtually handpicking over.” aviation police offi cials violently with situations like this. became “irate” after he was asked said they were reviewing wheth- people like this appointment Trump’s cabinet. Still, some of the White removed a man from a plane at While I deeply regret this situ- to disembark and that he “fell” er United Airlines had complied to the United States Supreme He even won a place on the House tensions are by Trump’s O’Hare international airport in ation arose, I also emphatically when aviation offi cers “attempt- with overbook rules. Court.” National Security Council — own design. Chicago on Sunday, in an inci- stand behind all of you, and I ed to carry the individual off the Passengers from the fl ight re- “And I got it done in the fi rst which decides issues of war, For years as a businessman, dent captured on video by several want to commend you for con- fl ight … His head subsequently ported that the man was eventu- 100 days.” peace and foreign policy — al- he favoured a kind of Spartan passengers. tinuing to go above and beyond to struck an armrest causing inju- ally allowed back on the plane, But during that time, life in- though that rare privilege for a survival-of-the-fi ttest ap- In one clip, posted by Audra ensure we fl y right.” ries to his face”. In a statement to face bloodied and looking con- side Trump’s administration political advisor was recently proach to management, some- Bridges to Facebook, guards Munoz added that when crew media, Munoz said: “This is an fused, although the reason is un- has been far from idyllic. rescinded. thing he has extended to his could be seen aggressively grab- members fi rst approached the upsetting event to all of us here at clear. But just 5% of the way into Meanwhile, Kushner’s famil- time in the White House. bing then dragging the passen- passenger to tell him to leave, he United. I apologise for having to According to Bridges, the man Trump’s four-year term, staff - ial advantage — he is married to “The reason the president ger down the aisle of the plane, “raised his voice and refused to reaccommodate these custom- is a doctor and told fl ight offi cials ers already appear exhausted Trump’s daughter Ivanka — has has brought this team together which was bound for Louisville, comply”, and each time they asked ers. Our team is moving with a he was due for a hospital shift. from near-constant fi refi ghting been boosted by high-profi le is to off er a diverse set of opin- Kentucky, as other passengers “he refused and became more and sense of urgency to work with the The airline’s contract of car- and drama. portfolios from reaching Mid- ions,” Spicer said. shouted, “Oh my God”, and, more disruptive and belligerent”. authorities and conduct our own riage — an agreement that all Tears and anger greet each dle East peace to reforming the “He doesn’t want a mono- “Look what you did to him”. In He said crew members “were left review of what happened.” customers assent to when book- new staff reshuffl e, such as the federal government. lithical kind of thought proc- a letter to United Airlines staff , with no choice but to call Chicago Footage provoked an angry re- ing — gives United the freedom to recent rapid departure of dep- Kushner has also been helped ess going through the White CEO Oscar Munoz said he was aviation security offi cers to assist sponse on social media that was deny ticketed passengers travel if uty chief of staff Katie Walsh. by the ascendancy of adminis- House.” upset to see and hear about what in removing the customer from exacerbated by Munoz’s letter to a fl ight is overbooked. Shooting of women by partners ‘a daily occurrence’

Guardian News and Media death by former or current part- ing behind her were also shot, of- 64% of the victims in these mass repeatedly during their marriage. violent guys in general — that The difference is that we arm Washington ners each month — more than fi cials said. shootings were women and chil- John Russell Houser, who might be the issue,” she wrote. our abusers.” one a day, according to national With two victims killed and dren, even though women usual- murdered two women in a movie Sorenson suggested that Mon- Elaine Smith’s mother, Irma police department statistics. one injured, the North Park el- ly represent 15% of all gun homi- theatre in Lafayette, Louisiana, day’s school shooting in San Ber- Sykes, told the Los Angeles Times n Monday, a husband “Domestic gun violence is a ementary school shooting does cide victims and children 7%. and injured nine other people nardino should be understood the couple had been friends for murdered his wife, an el- crisis in this country,” said Shan- not meet the defi nition of a mass A separate New York Times before killing himself, also had a as part of the broader trend of four years before they married Oementary school teacher, non Watts, the founder of Moms shooting according to the Gun analysis of mass shootings in history of violent behaviour, in- domestic violence that targets in January and that her daugh- and an eight-year-old child, Demand Action for Gun Sense Violence Archive, a not-for- 2015 looked at a broader category cluding accusations of domestic women while they are working, ter “decided she needed to leave opening fi re on them in a class- in America, a gun control group profi t group that produces a con- of shooting incidents, examin- and family violence. not just inside their homes. him” after just a month. room in San Bernardino, Cali- founded after the 2012 school tinuously updated public tally of ing all shootings that left four or Robert Lewis Dear, who killed A 2012 study of American “She thought she had a won- fornia, before turning the gun on shooting in Newtown, Connecti- shootings. more people injured, at least one three people in an attack on a women murdered while at work derful husband, but she found himself, offi cials said. cut. There are multiple, contested fatally, and in which offi cials had Planned Parenthood in Colorado, found that they were only slightly out he was not wonderful at all,” A nine-year-old student was In all, an average of at least 760 defi nitions of what should be identifi ed at least one perpetra- also had a record of domestic more likely to be killed as part of Sykes was quoted as saying.”He also injured in the attack. Americans are shot to death by counted as a mass shooting. tor. Only about one in 10 of these violence. a crime, such as a store robbery, had other motives. A shooting with three deaths current or former partners each The Gun Violence Archive clas- mass-injury shootings involved Elliot Rodger, who shot and than they were to be targeted by She left him, and that’s where does not meet most definitions year, a 2016 Associated Press sifi es them as shootings with at domestic violence, the Times stabbed six people to death and at work “personal relation”, most the trouble began.” She declined of a mass shooting, though analysis of national and state law least four victims injured or killed, found. left more than a dozen injured often an intimate partner. to elaborate, the newspaper said. how such a shooting should be enforcement data found. not including the perpetrator. But the domestic violence in the college town of Isla Vista, “Intimate partner violence Anderson was reported in local defined — and the precise nu- These numbers are prob- By at least two diff erent tallies, shootings were more deadly than California, in 2014, described a spills into the workplace and to- media to have served in the mili- merical definition of the loss of ably an undercount, since not all though, domestic violence ac- the other attacks. Domestic vio- previous incident in which he day it sounds like it spilled into a tary for eight years, though police life required — is sharply con- agencies provide data. counts for a substantial number lence shootings represented only angrily tried to push two women workplace that happened to be a said they are still seeking to con- tested. Nearly 75% of the victims in of mass shooting incidents and 11% of the incidents, but 31% of off a 10ft ledge at a party. school,” Sorenson wrote. fi rm that. The multiple-victim shooting domestic violence shootings are mass shooting victims. the victims who died. Susan Sorenson, a University Watts, the Moms Demand Ac- Police said Anderson was wel- in an elementary school drew a the current wives or girlfriends One updated analysis by Eve- Even when domestic violence of Pennsylvania public health tion founder, said gun control comed into the school as a le- strong response from local law of the men who killed them, the rytown for Gun Safety, a gun does not play a direct role in expert who studies domestic advocates were working across gitimate visitor who stopped by enforcement, and nationwide Associated Press found. control group, found that 54% of high-profi le mass shootings, the violence and guns, wrote in an e- the country to advance tougher to “drop something off with his media coverage. Shooting deaths of men are mass shooting incidents involved perpetrators of these attacks are mail that the “the idea of domes- domestic violence gun laws at the wife”, Burguan said. But the kind of violence that much less frequent. Law en- the killing of a current or former often found to have records of tic violence perpetration some- state level. Since 2013, 22 states He kept his weapon concealed claimed the life of eight-year- forcement offi cials said Smith’s partner or family member. domestic violence and abuse of how being the training ground, if have enacted bills to keep guns until opening fi re in the class- old Jonathan Martinez and Elaine estranged husband, 53-year-old That analysis looked at multi- women. you will, for men who then com- away from domestic abusers. room without saying a word, Smith, a 53-year-old teacher in Cedric Anderson, said nothing as ple-casualty shootings over sev- The ex-wife of Omar Ma- mit mass shootings” was “in- “This is an issue that red and then reloaded and shot himself a special needs classroom, is a he opened fi re on her in a class- eral years that left four or more teen, who killed 49 people and triguing”, but that there was not blue lawmakers can agree on: to death. Police and school offi - daily occurrence. room of fi rst- through fourth- people dead. wounded 53 others at the Pulse yet any research on the topic. domestic abusers shouldn’t cials said Anderson checked in at Advocates say that nearly 50 grade special needs students. A Huffi ngton Post analysis of nightclub in Orlando in 2016, told “Men who are violent toward have guns,” she said.”All coun- the school’s front offi ce and even American women are shot to Two students who were stand- the Everytown data found that reporters that he had beaten her their female partners often are tries have domestic violence. showed his identifi cation. Gulf Times 14 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 ASEAN

STORM FRONT INTERNALLY DISPLACED NEW ATTRACTION COURT ORDER MONEY LAUNDERING Myanmar begins to shut Vietnam’s King Kong film Jakarta Christian governor’s Thai junta lifts control on down three Rakhine camps set to be opened to public blasphemy trial adjourned influential Buddhist temple

Myanmar has started shutting down three Film sets from the 2017 Hollywood action movie An Indonesian court yesterday adjourned the Thailand’s junta yesterday lifted restrictions on displacement camps in strife-torn Rakhine state, a Kong: Skull Island are set to be soon opened blasphemy trial of Jakarta’s Christian governor movement at the country’s biggest Buddhist temple, senior off icial said yesterday, although it was not up to the public and tourists at their remote until after the city’s April 19 election, a contest a month after police ended a siege of the complex immediately clear where the inhabitants would Vietnamese locations, state media reported pitting him against a Muslim rival that has divided whose former abbot is accused of money laundering. go. Tens of thousands of people from Rakhine’s yesterday. The former shooting location, in the the city and fanned religious tension. The trial A three-week standoff at the Dhammakaya temple Muslim and Buddhist communities ended up mountainous northern province of Ninh Binh, of Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, Jakarta’s first between thousands of police and saff ron-robed in internal displacement camps after sectarian includes the set of a tribal village used as a ethnic Chinese and Christian leader and an ally monks became one of the biggest challenges to violence ripped the impoverished region apart backdrop for the film’s protagonists as they hide of President Joko Widodo, has raised questions government authority since a 2014 coup. Police failed five years ago. National Security Advisor Thaung from King Kong and other monsters, the Vietnam about the role of religion in politics in the world’s to find the monk. “Restriction on the Dhammakaya Tun said the government had begun with News Agency said. As the local authorities didn’t biggest Muslim-majority nation. Purnama temple is revoked,” Prime Minister Prayuth Chan- three camps, including the largest that houses charge the film production company any fees for has been allowed to campaign in the election ocha told reporters after a meeting between the junta Rohingya Muslims. “We have initiated the process using the site, they were permitted to preserve despite his trial. Judges agreed to a request by and the cabinet. The junta had used an emergency An electrical storm passes as the sun sets in to close down three IDP (internally displaced the film set to attract tourists. The site will open to prosecutors to postpone the hearing to April 20, a law to declare the temple a restricted area and allow Bangkok yesterday. persons) camps,” Thaung Tun told a briefing. the public from Saturday. day after the election for city governor. security forces to search for Phra Dhammachayo. Junta rejects conditional talks with Thai Muslim rebels

Reuters talks were an internal matter and re- “In the long term if the government Bangkok quired no international mediation or wants lasting peace in the region observation. they must include BRN in any nego- “Why do they need to come me- tiations,” said Srisompop Jitpiromsri, hailand’s military junta yes- diate? Can we not fi x these prob- director of Deep South Watch. terday rejected a conditional lems ourselves? And if they do come There has been an upsurge of vio- Toff er from the main Muslim what guarantees do we have that they lence this month, including what po- separatist group fi ghting in southern would understand the issues?” Pray- lice described as the biggest attack in An elephant sprays tourists with water in celebration of the Songkran Water Festival in Ayutthaya province yesterday. Thailand to enter into formal peace uth said. years and 23 coordinated attacks on talks. The insurgency in the largely eth- Friday, a day after Thailand adopted a Painted elephants spray tourists with water to banish bad luck The Barisan Revolusi Nasional nic-Malay, Muslim-majority south- new constitution. (BRN) said on Monday that it would ern provinces of Yala, Pattani and No group has claimed responsibil- Colourfully painted elephants in the an- Ayutthaya, a Unesco World Heritage on each other under the scorching sun. be willing to enter into formal negoti- Narathiwat has claimed more than ity for those attacks and there were cient Thai capital of Ayutthaya yesterday city, is home to one of the country’s most Everyone is fair game and tourists flock ations on the decades-old insurgency 6,500 lives since it escalated in 2004, no reports of fatalities. sprayed people with water in a water fight popular elephant camps. to join in the fun along with the locals. if certain conditions were met by the says independent monitoring group Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat were that has become tradition to mark the This year, Thailand celebrates the Traditional Thais believe water washes Thai government. Deep South Watch. part of an independent Malay Mus- country’s New Year festivities. annual water festival, called Songkran, away bad luck and helps usher in prosper- Among its demands were media- Prayuth said negotiations would lim sultanate before being annexed by “It’s indescribable, it’s amazing. You from tomorrow to April 15, to mark the ity. tion by a neutral third party and the continue in Malaysia with a diff er- Thailand in 1909. come out, you get in the tuk-tuk and you traditional New Year. Apart from the big splash, the New Year participation of international ob- ent group, Mara Pattani, but regional Voters in the most heavily Muslim start having a water fight with the el- The annual Songkran festival is often is also a time for family gatherings, pray- servers. experts said that faction of largely ex- parts of Thailand were among the few ephants,” said David Gray, a British tourist referred to as the world’s biggest water ing, and paying respects to ancestors and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan- iled insurgents had no real power on to reject a military-drafted constitu- sporting a bright Hawaiian shirt. fight — a time when revellers splash water dead relatives. ocha rejected the off er and said peace the ground. tion at a referendum last year.

Political restrictions will not end quickly in Thailand Malaysian minister Restrictions on Thai political parties A date has not yet been fixed for a urges probe of fund will only be lifted after royal ceremo- general election, which had initially Graft investigator injured in acid attack transfers to N Korea nies that will not happen before late been promised by the junta for 2015. this year, Prime Minister Prayuth According to the new constitu- alaysia should investigate the Chan-ocha said yesterday. tion, it could take another 19 months AFP attack and said they would not back The investigation is being led by the possible transfer of funds to Parties have been banned from before the vote happens. Jakarta down in their fi ght against corruption. KPK. MNorth Korea’s leadership, the meeting or campaigning since a The Pheu Thai Party of former “We believe that the fi ght against Senior politicians, including the deputy home minister said yesterday, 2014 coup, but a military-backed prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, corruption eradication must not stop justice minister and ex-interior min- after Reuters reported that the head of constitution was signed last week in whose government was overthrown prominent Indonesian cor- due to any sort of threats, intimida- ister, have been implicated in the a Malaysian conglomerate had for years a step towards restoring democracy in the 2014 coup, said some restric- ruption investigator had acid tions or attacks,” the body said in a scandal, with investigators alleging funnelled cash to Pyongyang. after the 12th successful coup in little tions should be lifted. Athrown in his face yesterday by statement. they were among many who received Reuters on Monday cited a North Kore- over 80 years. “We understand that there may motorbike-riding assailants in an at- Presidential spokesman Johan Budi, kickbacks from funds earmarked for an defector as saying that Han Hun Il, the Political parties have urged the be caveats and boundaries due to tack activists believe is linked to a graft who visited Baswedan in hospital, gave a government project to issue new ID North Korean founding chief executive of government to allow them to oper- the sensitive timing, but we want case that has implicated senior politi- details of the attack, telling AFP the in- cards. Malaysia Korea Partners (MKP), had fun- ate freely. the government to understand us cians. vestigator had injuries on his forehead Parliament speaker Setya Novanto, nelled money to Pyongyang’s leadership, Prayuth said restrictions would too,” said party lawmaker Amnuay Novel Baswedan, a member of the and blurred vision in his left eye. who has been implicated in the case, the central committee of the ruling Work- remain until after the cremation Klangpha. offi cial Corruption Eradication Com- Anti-graft investigators in Indone- was late Monday hit with a six-month ers’ Party, for the past two decades. of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, The Democrat Party, the other mission (KPK), was being treated in sia, one of the world’s most corrupt ban on travelling outside Indonesia, The reports risk damaging Kuala tentatively set for October, and the main political party, has also said hospital after the attack which hap- countries, have been targeted in the said immigration authorities. Lumpur’s reputation as a fi nancial cen- coronation of King Maha Vajiralong- it wants the government to lift the pened in Jakarta as he walked home past and have reported having cars Such a step is usually taken in Indo- tre, deputy home minister Nur Jazlan korn, for which no date has been set. restrictions sooner. from a mosque in the early hours fol- driven at them and receiving threats. nesia when people are under investiga- Mohamed told Reuters, and called on “Campaigning should happen The army seized power in the lowing morning prayers in the Muslim It was not immediately clear who was tion. the central bank to investigate if there after,” Prayuth told reporters. name of ending political turmoil nation. behind the latest assault but anti-graft Indonesia was ranked 90th out of had been any misuse of the country’s King Bhumibol’s death last Octo- and the junta’s critics say the new “It is a brutal act, I strongly con- NGO Indonesian Corruption Watch 176 countries and territories in Trans- banking systems. ber after more than seven decades constitution will allow the generals demn it,” said President Joko Widodo, said they suspected it was linked to Bas- parency International’s Corruption “We have to investigate if, among on the throne sent Thailand into to keep a strong grip even after an urging the police to track down the as- wedan’s role in probing a corruption Perceptions Index last year. A number other things, North Korea was using mourning. election. sailants. scandal that allegedly saw about $170mn one ranking represents the least cor- the friendship with Malaysia as a con- The KPK condemned the “barbaric” pilfered from government coff ers. rupt. duit for illicit activities,” he said. Taggers’ delight: Vietnam city turns into graffi ti canvas

By Jenny Vaughan, AFP in the authoritarian nation. edly occupied by the CIA during censorship for sure,” said Dan Ho Chi Minh Cityb7 Yet many artists like him be- the Vietnam War. Nguyen, a California-born Viet- lieve there is something almost The walls are bursting with namese artist and DJ who moved political in the very act of spray- colour and plastered with art — to Ho Chi Minh City about fi ve hrouded by fumes and sur- ing a wall — and rejecting parents’ including Kong’s wide-eyed pri- years ago. rounded by spray cans, expectations to fi nd a stable job. mate and a massive rooster wear- But perhaps the biggest threat SVietnamese graffi ti artist Kong fell into graffi ti as a teen- ing sunglasses — luring tourists to the artwork today is a con- Kong conjures his latest mas- ager, bored with online gaming taking Instagram-worthy selfi es. struction boom, which some terpiece, a monkey clutching an and looking for a creative outlet. Though not technically allowed, public pieces have already fallen aerosol, a colour-splashed act of But his parents didn’t approve, police tend to turn a blind eye. victim to. rebellion in a communist country hoping instead he might fi nd a And residents have come to love “Now the city is growing up, where the youth are expected to steady offi ce job. the free art for the most part, said development with a lot of build- follow strict social mores. “They still don’t like it...they Danny Daos, a local graffi ti artist. ing, a lot of security, so it’s really “Young people want to break think it’s a dangerous game and “The government doesn’t like hard for us to paint masterpiec- the rules,” said the 21-year-old, it’s bad for my health because of us...They (used to say) that we make es,” said Daos. his fi ngers speckled with paint. the spray paint,” he said with a the walls dirty, but the people like Hemmed in by towering high- “We want to see more interest- chuckle. us so we do our graffi ti,” he said. rises on all sides, the colonial ing things on the street or on the Ho Chi Minh City is now a graf- Yet even some seemingly tame properties home to ‘3A Station’ wall, so we do graffi ti to express fi ti hotspot, thanks to pioneering images have been subject to van- have been sold to developers ourselves.” artists — both local and foreign — dalism. hungry to get their hands on the Kong belongs to the growing eager to fi ll blank wall space. One mural promoting environ- valuable downtown land. ranks of graffi ti artists in Ho Chi “It has become a part of Sai- mental safety was defaced in the Occupants have been told it Minh City, where subcultures — gon, you can’t imagine Saigon central city of Danang, though will be demolished within weeks. BMX biking, skateboarding and without graffi ti,” said independ- the artist doesn’t know who took Though heartbroken, 3A’s co- breakdancing — jostle for space ent curator Nguyen Nhu Huy, issue with it. ordinator Mai Do believes Ho Chi on the hipster scene. using the city’s former French Acts like these may deepen the Minh’s graffi ti culture will grow, For many the spray can is a A biker rides past a work of graffiti at 3A Station, a graffiti hub and street art area in Ho Chi Minh City. colonial name. reluctance of some young artists even after her space is gone, as tool of rebellion — illicit spray- Today, the city has several hubs to take on controversial topics. artists are fi nding new spots painting is a way of defying re- their work approved before exhi- troversial are replaced by a black dabble in politics, opting instead for graffi ti and street art, such as “In school they’ve been taught showcase their work. strictions in an authoritarian bitions, shows are routinely shut ‘X’ on gallery walls. to paint playful images less like- ‘3A Station’, a collection of colo- how to think and what to think, She added: “That’s a good way country where artists must have down, and works deemed con- But Kong knows better than to ly to incur the wrath of censors nial buildings that were report- so I think there’s some ingrained for them to survive.” Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 15 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA Carrie Lam offi cially accepts role as Hong Kong chief executive

AFP vote outright. Lam received an offi cial tion” last year — the harshest punish- Beijing certifi cate of appointment from Chinese ment yet over the unrest. An activist in premier Li Keqiang at a ceremony in the the 2014 rallies was last month also sen- Zhongnanhai leadership compound, tenced to three months in prison, while ong Kong’s new leader Carrie then met with President Xi Jinping. nine more campaigners face charges. Lam offi cially accepted her ap- In her 36-year-long career, she had Lam, whose Cantonese name is Lam Hpointment as chief executive demonstrated “a fi rm stance in loving Cheng Yuet-ngor, pledged to uphold the yesterday in Beijing, state media said, the country and Hong Kong, a diligent, “one country, two systems” principle in after she won an election dismissed as a pragmatic and responsible work style, a recent interview with Xinhua, pub- sham by the region’s democracy activ- as well as rich administrative experience lished Tuesday. ists. and ability to handle complicated situa- “The chief executive must play well The former career civil servant was tions,” Xi said, according to Xinhua. the ‘bridge’ role between the special ad- chosen in late March as the next head of Hong Kong was handed back to China ministrative region and the central gov- the semi-autonomous city by a mainly by colonial ruler Britain in 1997 under a ernment,” she said. pro-China committee, and was widely “one country, two systems” formula de- At his meeting with Lam, Li was cited seen as Beijing’s favourite candidate for signed to protect its freedoms and way by Xinhua as as saying: “Hong Kong’s the post. of life for 50 years. development is of need to both itself and It was the fi rst leadership vote since But 20 years on, there are serious con- the nation.” the mass Umbrella Movement rallies in cerns Beijing is undermining the agree- He referenced initiatives that would the fi nancial hub in 2014, which called ment. “inject new energy” into Hong Kong’s for fully free elections but failed to se- A Hong Kong technician was jailed for development, such as the establishment cure reforms. Pro-democracy activists four years and nine months on Monday of a bond market connecting the special said none of the candidates truly rep- for rioting and arson during anti-China administrative region and the mainland resented Hong Kong and rejected the protests dubbed the “fi shball revolu- some time this year. Hong Kong chief executive-elect, Carrie Lam (left), shaking hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing. N Korea warns of nuclear retaliation

Reuters intensify monitoring and to en- to mark the day. North Korea of- rea, the North’s offi cial name. Pyongyang sure close communication with ten also marks important anni- The North’s foreign ministry, in the United States. versaries with tests of its nuclear a statement carried by KCNA, “It is possible the North may or missile capabilities in breach said the US navy strike group’s orth Korean state me- wage greater provocations such of UN Security Council resolu- approach showed America’s dia yesterday warned of as a nuclear test timed with vari- tions. “reckless moves for invading had Na nuclear attack on the ous anniversaries including the Groups of men and women reached a serious phase”. United States at any sign of a US Supreme People’s Assembly,” in colourful outfi ts were singing “We never beg for peace but we pre-emptive strike as a US Navy said Hwang, acting leader since and dancing on street corners in will take the toughest counterac- strike group led by a nuclear- former president Park Geun-hye Pyongyang, which was illumi- tion against the provocateurs powered aircraft steamed to- was removed amid a graft scan- nated by better lighting than in in order to defend ourselves by wards the western Pacifi c. dal. previous years, apparently prac- powerful force of arms and keep A general view of an annual central report meeting in this photo released by Korean Central News Agency Tension has escalated sharply The North convened a Su- tising for the parade planned for to the road chosen by ourselves,” in Pyongyang earlier this week. on the Korean peninsula with talk preme People’s Assembly session later in the week. Syrian President an unidentifi ed ministry spokes- of military action by the United yesterday, one of its twice-yearly Bashar al-Assad sent a message of man said. said non-military action appears strike group Carl Vinson was di- China ordered its trading com- States gaining traction following sessions in which major appoint- congratulations to mark the event, North Korea and the rich, to be at the top of the list. Russia’s verted from planned port calls panies to return coal from the its strikes last week against Syria ments are announced and na- lambasting “big powers” for their democratic South are technically foreign ministry, in a statement to Australia and would move to- isolated state to curb coal traffi c, and amid concerns the reclusive tional policy goals are formally “expansionist” policy. still at war because their 1950-53 ahead of a visit by US Secretary wards the western Pacifi c Ocean sources with direct knowledge of North may soon conduct a sixth approved. “The friendly two countries confl ict ended in a truce, not a of State Rex Tillerson, said it was near the Korean peninsula as a the trade said. nuclear test. It did not immediately release are celebrating this anniversary peace treaty. The North regularly concerned about many aspects of show of force, a US offi cial told The order was given on April North Korea’s offi cial Rodong details. But South Korean of- and, at the same time, conduct- threatens to destroy the South US foreign policy, and particular- Reuters over the weekend. US of- 7, just as Trump and Xi were set Sinmun newspaper said the fi cials took pains to quell talk in ing a war against big powers’ wild and its main ally, the United ly concerned about North Korea. fi cials said it would still take the for the summit where the two country was prepared to respond social media of an impending ambition to subject all coun- States. “We are really worried about strike group more than a week to agreed the North Korean nuclear to any aggression by the United security crisis or outbreak of war. tries to their expansionist and North Korea is emerging as one what Washington has in mind for arrive near the Korean peninsula. advances had reached a “very se- States. “We’d like to ask precaution so as dominationist policy and deprive of the most pressing foreign pol- North Korea after it hinted at the Trump and his Chinese counter- rious stage”, Tillerson said. “Our revolutionary strong not to get blinded by exaggerated them of their rights to self-de- icy problems facing the admin- possibility of a unilateral military part, Xi Jinping, met in Florida Following repeated missile army is keenly watching every assessment about the security termination,” the North’s KCNA istration of US President Donald scenario,” a statement said. last week and Trump pressed Xi tests that drew international move by enemy elements with situation on the Korean peninsu- news agency quoted the message Trump. It has conducted fi ve nu- “It’s important to understand to do more to curb North Korea’s criticism, China banned all im- our nuclear sight focused on the la,” Defence Ministry spokesman as saying. clear tests, two of them last year, how that would tally with collec- nuclear programme. ports of North Korean coal on US invasionary bases not only in Moon Sang-kyun said. “The two peoples of Syria and and is working to develop nucle- tive obligations on de-nuclearis- China and South Korea agreed February 26, cutting off the South Korea and the Pacifi c op- Saturday is the 105th anniver- the DPRK are as ever struggling ar-tipped missiles that can reach ing the Korean peninsula, some- to impose tougher sanctions on country’s most important export eration theatre but also in the US sary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, for their rights to self-determi- the United States. thing that is underpinned in UN North Korea if it carried out nu- product. mainland,” it said. the country’s founding father nation and national sovereignty The Trump administration Security Council resolutions.” clear or long-range missile tests, The North is seen ready to South Korean acting Presi- and grandfather of current ruler, and the security and prosperity is reviewing its policy towards Russia slammed US cruise mis- a senior offi cial in Seoul said. conduct its sixth nuclear test at dent Hwang Kyo-ahn warned of Kim Jong-un. of their countries.” North Korea and has said all op- sile strikes on a Syrian air base, Yesterday, a fl eet of North Korean any time, with movements de- “greater provocations” by North A military parade is expected in DPRK stands for the Demo- tions are on the table, including calling them an illegal attack on cargo ships was heading home, tected by satellite at its Punggye- Korea and ordered the military to the North’s capital, Pyongyang, cratic People’s Republic of Ko- military strikes, but US offi cials a sovereign state. The US Navy the majority of it fully laden, after ri nuclear test site.

Oxfam urges Australia to take more Syrian refugees Repairs on track China tops the world The Australian government should take in more refugees from Syria after it was announced that 12,000 visas were successfully provided to Syrian and Iraqi refugees in a resettlement programme, refugees in executions: report advocacy group Oxfam said yesterday. “Oxfam welcomes the Australian government’s announcement that visas have been provided to all of the 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees AFP Although local media reports to be resettled under the 2015 commitment,” Nicole Bieske, the hu- Beijing estimated that at least 931 indi- manitarian policy advisor of Oxfam Australia, said in a statement. The viduals were executed between civil war in Syria, which was highlighted last week with alleged use of 2014 and 2016, only 85 of them chemical weapons on civilians by the Syrian military, has seen more hina executed more were found in the online data- than 5mn people forced to leave their homes. people last year than the base, Amnesty said. Estimates The successful one-off resettlement programme aimed to settle Crest of the world com- from other rights groups also 12,000 of Syrian and Iraqi refugees was first announced by then-prime bined, Amnesty said yesterday, puts the number of annual ex- minister Tony Abbott in September 2015, in addition to the country’s defying a global decline with ecutions in China in the thou- annual humanitarian intake of 13,750. Bieske said that “considering thousands of killings that have sands. the success” of the resettlement, as well as the ongoing conflict and disproportionately targeted From arrest to execution, humanitarian crises in the both the countries, Australia should resettle poor citizens. the process is characterised by more Syrian and Iraqi refugees. She also warned against “the increas- Even as executions have secrecy and speed: a 2016 re- ingly restrictive policies being enacted towards refugees in the United dropped by more than a third port from US-based Dui Hua States, United Kingdom and European Union.” globally, China’s death pen- Foundation said China’s aver- “I would like to see Australia doing much more to accept Syrian alty rate is “shockingly high” age death row prisoner waits refugees that have been assessed as such and provide more support although the full extent of the only two months before being in local communities to assist their settling into Australia,” Bob Bowker, secretive practice is unknown, executed. Dui Hua estimates Australia’s former ambassador to Syria, told Guardian Australia. “Our re- Amnesty International said. that there were approximately sponse needs to be based on our common humanity, not on the basis While President Xi Jin- 2,000 executions in China in of religious affiliation.” The programme has faced some controversy ping’s much-hyped corrup- 2016, down from 2,400 in 2013 because while identifying persecuted minorities for resettlement, it tion crackdown has seen many and some 4,000 in 2010 —fol- was alleged that Australia had preferenced Christians over refugees of high-ranking fi gures sent to lowing legal reforms that im- other religions or sects. jail, their death sentences have proved oversight. often been commuted. Concerns over wrongful Meanwhile ordinary people convictions have grown in re- Platypuses decapitated in caught in the crosshairs of the cent years, fuelled by police law have not been so lucky, it reliance on forced confessions ‘despicable’ NSW killings said. Farmers were more fre- and the lack of eff ective de- quently sentenced to death fence in criminal trials. Chi- Two platypuses have been found decapitated in Australia, with wildlife than any other group in China, nese courts have a conviction off icials yesterday saying they were deliberately killed in “despicable” acts Amnesty said in a report that rate of 99.92%. The nation’s of cruelty. Three of the rare mammals were discovered dead at a botani- sought to lift the veil on the top judge, Zhou Qiang, apolo- cal gardens in the rural town of Albury in New South Wales (NSW), two workings of the system. gised in 2015 for past miscar- with their heads cut off . Local wildlife rescue provider Hazel Cook, who China’s ruling Communist riages of justice, saying: “We had the bodies inspected by a vet, told the Border Mail newspaper the Party regards execution fi gures feel deep remorse for wrongful deaths were “definitely” not caused by another animal. “You can actually as a state secret, meaning that convictions”. see where they’ve tried to cut into the vertebrae,” she said, adding that hundreds of death sentences Public anger has mounted there was no way to tell if they were alive when they were decapitated. are omitted from the public da- over miscarriages of justice, in- “We have no idea why anyone would do that, especially to something as tabase of court verdicts. “China cluding a high-profi le case that gentle as a platypus.” is really the only country that saw a teenager in Inner Mon- The New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Services said the platy- has such a complete regime golia wrongfully convicted and puses had been found over the past five weeks. “These animals appear of secrecy over executions,” executed for rape and murder in to have been deliberately killed in a despicable act of cruelty to one of Amnesty’s East Asia direc- 1996. Hugjiltu was put to death Australia’s most loved animals,” a spokeswoman said. The duck-bill platy- tor Nicholas Bequelin said at a two months after the woman pus, a timid and nocturnal animal that lives in deep waterside burrows, is Workmen repair a section of the Goonyella rail system, that services coal mines in the Bowen Basin, press conference in Hong Kong. was killed and was fi nally ex- one of only two egg-laying mammals. It is found only in eastern Australia. after a landslide damaged the tracks as a result of heavy rain associated with Cyclone Debbie, at a “Probably the reason is the onerated nine years later when Harming native animals in Australia can result in fines of up to A$11,000 section called Black Mountain located near the Queensland town of Mackay in Australia. numbers are shockingly high”, a serial killer confessed to the (US$8,200) or six months in jail. he added. crime. Gulf Times 16 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 BRITAIN

Bullying, violence make Guys Marsh jail unsafe, say inspectors

Guardian News and Media lence are so high at HMP Guys Peter Clarke, the chief inspec- concerns, and in some respects lished yesterday, confi rms that a permissive culture has devel- some cases organised off enders” London Marsh, near Shaftesbury, Dor- tor, said the last inspection of the prison had got worse. the supervision of many prison- oped in which prisoners were – but he said they were “very set, that one of the wings has Guys Marsh, a category C train- Guys Marsh was the scene of a ers is inadequate. “For example, able to break or undermine so- disappointed” that some things become a permanent sanctuary ing prison holding 550 men, rooftop protest in March, when a prisoners walked around in their cial and prison rules, the inspec- had got worse since the previous risoners are walking around for prisoners fearing for their in 2014 found it was in crisis drunk prisoner set fi re to the roof dressing gowns or just shorts, tors added. inspection. in their dressing gowns or own safety, a report by the chief “where managers and staff had after stripping off and torch- smoked outside their cell, Clarke said he acknowledged The report said: “Guys Marsh Pjust shorts, smoking out- inspector of prisons said. all but lost control”. ing his clothes. Last November, pushed ahead and received extra many of the diffi culties facing remained unsafe. A quarter of side their cells and pushing ahead Some prisoners on other Despite giving the jail six pictures of prisoners partying, food in dinner queues and dis- the prison – including that it was prisoners told us in our survey in dinner and medicine queues at wings are “self-isolating” – months’ notice of the inspectors’ drinking, using drugs and eat- played intimidatory behaviour in a relatively remote location, that they felt unsafe at the time a jail where inspectors say staff spending less than an hour a decision to return last December, ing takeaway fi sh and chips were in medicine queues without be- staff resources were stretched of the inspection and about half have all but lost control. day unlocked outside their cells, they found that too little had been posted on Facebook. ing challenged by staff ,” it said. and many of the prisoners were had felt unsafe at some point Levels of bullying and vio- sometimes for many months. done too late about their serious The inspectors’ report, pub- Lack of staff pushback meant “serious, challenging and in during their stay”.

Pink moon Stroke patients Parents lose set to get radical new treatment high court

Guardian News and Media London fi ght to keep housands of stroke pa- tients will be saved from Tlifelong disability af- ter NHS England decided to invest millions of pounds in a new treatment hailed as a “gamechanger”. baby alive About 8,000 people a year who have a stroke will benefi t Guardian News and Media cannot be in Charlie’s best inter- better off than he is now, which is from a massive expansion in the London ests unless there is a prospect of a condition that his parents be- number of hospitals off ering benefi t for him.” lieve should not be sustained?” mechanical thrombectomy. The judge added: “Charlie’s Charlie’s parents were devas- Currently only a few hundred octors can withdraw life- parents have sadly but bravely tated by the court decision and patients a year receive the treat- support treatment from acknowledged and accepted that struggled to understand why ment and just a handful of hospi- Da sick baby boy against the quality of life that Charlie the judge had not “at least given tals in England off er it, despite its his parents’ wishes, a high court has at present is not worth sus- Charlie the chance of treatment”, proved eff ectiveness. Stroke ex- judge has ruled. taining, for he can only breathe their solicitor, Laura Hobey- perts say the procedure can pro- Specialists at Great Ormond through a ventilator, and al- Hamsher, said. duce remarkable results, with pa- Street hospital (GOSH) in cen- though they believe that he has Hobey-Hamsher said the cou- tients who would otherwise have tral London had told the court a sleep/wake cycle and can rec- ple wanted to look carefully at ended up in a wheelchair instead they believed it was time to stop ognise them and react to them the decision and consider what able to walk out of hospital within providing life support for eight- when they are close, they re- they can do now. “This court has 48 hours of having it. month-old Charlie Gard, who alise that he cannot go on as he had to face one of the most fun- “Thrombectomy is a real has a rare genetic condition. is lying in bed, unable to move, damental issues for any court. gamechanger which can save Doctors treating the infant say fed through a tube, breathing It has not been easy. Lessons lives and reduce the chances of he has brain damage and should through a machine. do, however, need to be learned someone being severely disabled be moved on to a palliative care “When Chris started his evi- about how medical professionals after a stroke,” said Juliet Bouv- regime. His parents, Chris Gard dence he described himself as face decisions such as this, how erie, the chief executive of the and Connie Yates, of Bedfont, ‘Charlie’s proud father’. I am in no they act with suffi cient speed, Stroke Association. west London, wanted to take him doubt at all that he and Connie are and how they communicate with “This decision by NHS Eng- to a hospital in the US for a treat- Charlie’s proud parents.” He said the families of desperately ill land could give thousands of ment trial. Charlie’s condition was extremely children such as Charlie.” critically ill stroke patients an Yesterday Justice Francis said: rare. At the outset of the hearing it She added: “Connie and Chris increased chance of making a “It is with the heaviest of hearts seemed there was a “lone voice” want me to make clear how pro- better recovery. It could also but with complete conviction in the US off ering what had been foundly grateful they are for all mean more stroke survivors liv- for Charlie’s best interests that described as “pioneering treat- of the help and generosity they ing independently in their own I fi nd it is in Charlie’s best inter- ment” in some reports. have received throughout this homes, returning to work and ests that I accede to these appli- “Understandably, Charlie’s time. This has been a diffi cult and taking control of their lives again cations and rule that GOSH may parents had grasped that pos- painful case, and the support and as a result,” she added. lawfully withdraw all treatment sibility, they have done all they phenomenal kindness of count- A thrombectomy is used to save for palliative care to permit could possibly have done, they less people has been a source of remove a blood clot in some- Charlie to die with dignity.” have very publicly raised funds. strength. They want me to pass one’s brain which has not dis- As he spoke, Gard buried his What parents would not do the on their thanks, and have asked solved despite the patient head in his hands and cried “no” same? But I have to say, having that they now be allowed some receiving clot-busting throm- as other family members broke heard the evidence, that this case time to consider what they need bolytic drugs. It involves a doc- down. The judge praised Char- has never been about aff ord- to do next. Their immediate pri- tor putting a thin tube into a pa- lie’s parents “for their brave and ability, but about whether there is ority is returning to, and spend- tient’s artery and then feeding it dignifi ed campaign on his be- anything to be done for Charlie.” ing time with, Charlie” up through their body to where half” and “their absolute dedi- The therapy in the US was Francis had fi nished hearing the clot is in their brain. Once cation to their wonderful boy “unknown territory “ and there evidence in the family division there, a wire mesh tube called a from the day that he was born”. was unanimity from among ex- case on Friday. stent – usually used in heart or He stressed funding was not perts he had heard from that Charlie’s parents raised vascular surgery – on the top of an issue in the case. He said of structural brain damage could more than £1.2mn over two the tube is wrapped around the the therapy off ered in the US: not be reversed, Francis said. months through an appeal on clot and it is then pulled out by “I dare say that medical science “But if Charlie’s damaged brain a GoFundMe website for the a doctor called an interventional April’s pink moon lived up to its name as it was in full bloom over London at 6am yesterday. may benefi t objectively from the function cannot be improved, as US treatment after more than neuroradiologist. experiment but experimentation all agree, then how can he be any 80,000 people pledged money.

Plant visit Wife ‘poisoned husband’s Chef’s relative admits food after divorce threat’ hacking computer Guardian News and Media the pair ended up in a high court London battle, with Ramsay alleging his London Evening Standard “She was agitated and she had health problems. “I generally computers had been hacked and London clearly been drinking,” he said. did most of the things in the blaming Hutcheson amid claims Maasdorp, a mental health house, so it was unusual for her ordon Ramsay’s father- that e-mails between Ramsay nurse, said he initially feared to prepare food, but I accepted in-law and two of his and Tana had been read by a woman laced her hus- the food had been spiked with it,” he said. Gbrothers-in-law have third party. band’s chilli con carne weedkiller because a bottle was He added that she had “be- admitted hacking computers at The Hutchesons were charged Awith drugs after he on a kitchen worktop. come quite paranoid towards the celebrity chef’s restaurant under Operation Tuletta, one threatened to divorce her and Tests showed the meal con- me” in the weeks before the and business empire during a of several investigations that fi ght for custody of their three tained 1.4mg of anti-histamine alleged poisoning at 10pm on time of bitter dispute in the fam- followed revelations of phone children, a court heard. promethazine, 4.8mg of anti- August 11, 2015. ily. hacking involving the media. Its When Peter Maasdorp re- psychotic drug quetiapine, 1.1mg The court heard that Chris Hutcheson and two of main focus was the illegal inter- turned to their home in Mot- of insomnia medication zopi- Maasdorp was questioned by his sons – Adam and Chris Jr – ception of messages on comput- tingham after a shift at the clone and traces of nicotine. An police for assaulting his wife pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey ers, which can be done in several Princess Royal University Hos- expert said the drugs could have the day before the alleged poi- yesterday to charges of conspir- ways, including the installation pital in Orpington as a psychi- caused drowsiness, dizziness, soning, but the investigation ing to cause a computer to access of spyware. atric nurse, his wife Roberta headaches and blurred vision. ended after he said he was on programmes and data without The judge, Gerald Gordon, told him she had left him his Maasdorp told jurors he met a training course on the day of authority. adjourned sentencing to June 2. dinner in the microwave. his wife in 1990 while they were the alleged attack. Hutcheson, 68, the father of The defendants were released on He heated up the chilli con training to be nurses in South Af- Prosecutor John Evison said Ramsay’s wife, Tana, and his bail and face a maximum possible carne with baby potatoes and rica. They were married in 1994 Maasdorp suggested to police sons hacked the computer sys- sentence of two years in prison. told Croydon court: “When I and moved to the UK in 1999. that her husband had sprinkled tem at Gordon Ramsay Hold- The court heard Hutcheson took a mouthful of the food, By 2013, the marriage was drugs into his own food in order ings between October 23, 2010, was due to go into hospital this there was quite a distinct chem- failing and he attempted to di- to frame her. “She accepted she and March 31, 2011. Hutcheson’s month for a hip replacement op- ical taste. It had a very acidic vorce her. Two years later, after had made the chilli con carne daughter, Orlanda Butland, de- eration. taste to it, very chemical. I spat a doomed attempt at recon- and bought the ingredients, nied the charge but the prosecu- Hutcheson has a home in the food out on to the plate, then ciliation, he resolved to end the but denied lacing the food with tion off ered no evidence in her Druillat, France, but gave his went to the bathroom to go and marriage. “I had made it clear I drugs,” he said. case, in eff ect withdrawing pro- address as Earlsfi eld, south- wash my mouth out.” would proceed with the divorce Maasdorp, 46, of Forest Hill, ceedings. west London. Chris Hutcheson When Maasdorp confronted and I would fi ght for custody of denies administering a poison Prince Charles, Prince of Wales wears a hard hat as he talks In October 2010, Hutcheson Jnr, 37, lives in Welwyn Garden his wife, she initially denied the children,” he told the court. with intent. She has chosen not with employees during his visit to BAE Systems’ Submarines’ was sacked by Ramsay as chief City, Hertfordshire, and Adam doing anything before admit- He said his wife had had to to give evidence. The trial con- site in Barrow in Furness, north-west England. executive of Gordon Ramsay Hutcheson, 46, lives in Seven- ting she had “laced the food”. give up work because of mental tinues. Holdings. The following year oaks, Kent. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 17 BRITAIN/IRELAND

PEOPLE CRIME DISCOVERY PLAN JUSTICE ‘Diabetic’ girl found safe Probe launched as man Two bodies found at Govt grant to help build Author jailed for raping and well after police appeal stabbed to death in street missing woman’s home electric vehicle batteries woman and daughter

A nine-year-old girl who doctors believed was in A murder inquiry has begun after a man in his One of two bodies discovered at a house in The government yesterday awarded millions of An author who raped a woman and her daughter need of urgent medical treatment has been found twenties was stabbed to death in the street. The Lincolnshire is believed to be that of a woman who pounds to help boost manufacturing of electric has been jailed for 11 years. Peter Logan, 45, from safe and well after an appeal by police. The Metro- victim was attacked in a street in Plumstead on went missing more than two weeks ago. Bernice vehicle batteries, including a project to build the Glasgow, committed the rapes over 18 years at ad- politan police were contacted by staff at St Mary’s Monday. Neighbours said his family “screamed Williams, 50, from Lutton, was last seen on March country’s second purpose-built electric battery dresses in Glasgow and Carnoustie. He was found hospital in Paddington, west London, after the girl with grief” at the scene in Bournewood Road. 25. Lincolnshire Police said two bodies were found plant and another to make the technology more guilty of two rape charges, one of indecent assault attended with a man and woman believed to be Doctors from London’s Air Ambulance gave at her home in the Lutton area on Monday. The powerful. Williams Advanced Engineering, the and two of assault at the High Court in Glasgow. her parents on Sunday. The family left before the emergency treatment but the man was pro- force said it is treating the deaths as “unexplained” technology arm of Formula 1 team owner Wil- Logan was finally brought to justice after the child could receive treatment. The girl appeared nounced dead. Resident Caroline Juby said: but is not seeking anyone else in connection with liams Group, received funding from the Advanced daughter told her mother that Logan had raped her to have type 1 diabetes with a high blood sugar “There were police everywhere. There were some its inquiry. Williams is understood to be a teacher Propulsion Centre (APC) and will make batteries when she was aged between 15 and 18. The mother, count and could fall into a diabetic coma if not youths at the scene in distress and the family of at Sutton Bridge Westmere Community Primary for the likes of luxury carmaker Aston Martin. “The who cannot be named for legal reasons, confronted treated immediately, the Met said. Yesterday, the the boy. They were screaming with grief.” Another School and a church warden at St Nicholas Parish project will further develop and make available Logan and both women went to the police. Logan, Met said she had been located. “The family has neighbour said: “I spoke to the father of the Church in Lutton. A force spokesperson said: “The battery systems in order to overcome significant whose science fiction novel Pen was published in been located by police and the child is safe and stabbed boy at the police line. He was in shock. bodies of a male and female were found at a supply chain gaps in the UK,” said the APC’s direc- 2015, claimed the women were liars and denied all well,” a statement said. He just kept saying, ‘My boy has been stabbed’.” house in the Lutton area.” tor of technology and projects Jon Beasley. the charges against him.

Queen visits Whipsnade Zoo Half of young adults in UK do not feel European: poll

Guardian News and Media tunities are better shared,” said London Wybron. Demos surveyed 1,994 young adults from England, Scotland, nly half of the UK’s young Wales and Northern Ireland to test adults see themselves as the feelings of national identity in Ohaving a European iden- modern multicultural Britain. tity and one in fi ve do not iden- They found that one in fi ve 18- tify as being British, a survey has to 30-year-olds did not feel Brit- found. ish, while those that did feel Brit- The poll also found that ex- ish seemed to tally with the parts posure to diff erent nationalities of the country that voted in favour among 18- to 30-year-olds in the of Brexit. UK was low, with just 13% ever Feelings of Britishness were having worked abroad and just strongest in the north-east, where one in three profi cient enough 93% said they felt “to some ex- to speak Spanish, French or any tent” or “to a great extent” British. other foreign language at a “sim- In Northern Ireland, which vot- ple” level. ed 55.8% to remain in the EU, that According to the study, com- feeling of Britishness dropped to missioned by thinktank Demos 62%, while in Scotland, which Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip feed an elephant during a visit to Whipsnade Zoo where the queen opened the new Centre for Elephant Care, in Dunstable yesterday. and supported by the British also voted to remain, just 59% say Council as part of the Next Gen- they feel British. eration research series, young Being European is a trait that is people were also less well travelled strongest in London and North- than reports on student gap years ern Ireland (59%), but weakest in would imply. Wales with just 35% saying they Only one in 10 travelled abroad felt European. Wales voted to exit for three months, with just 11% the EU by 52.5%. saying they had ever campaigned The study found that the atti- to raise funds for an overseas tudes diff ered across the classes, cause. with young adults in lower so- House prices see slowest “Living, working and study- cioeconomic groups likely to be ing abroad off ers clear benefi ts more negative about their global for young people, helping them to place. secure better jobs, as well as build- They also found that young ing confi dence and intercultural voters in Labour and Ukip heart- understanding, said Ian Wybron, lands were less likely to feel posi- increase in fi ve years head of social policy at Demos. tive towards Europe than their “But our research found that a Conservative or Liberal Democrat substantial number of young counterparts. London Evening Standard digit growth — the norm for much the average rise was 6.3%. price growth. “Both have con- came as government data showed adults are currently being ex- There was also a north/south London of London last year — is now con- Russell Quirk, founder and siderably higher average house that the offi cial rate of infl ation cluded from these opportunities divide, with positive attitudes to fi ned to Havering (up 11.8%) and chief executive of online agents prices than the rest of the UK and remained unchanged at 2.3% last – particularly those from lower internationalism more likely to be Kensington & Chelsea (up 10.1%). eMoov.co.uk, said: “Although what we are currently seeing is month, raising hopes that the ac- socioeconomic backgrounds.” held in the latter. ondon’s property market The biggest falls were in Tower many have been quick to attribute the property market in these areas celeration in price rises that fol- Wybron said the government The NHS came out as a slight has slowed dramatically Hamlets, where they dropped a slowdown in the market to fears realigning itself with the rest of lowed the Brexit vote may not be needed to address the issue if the unifi er, with more than half of all Lwith prices rising at their 2.9% in a year, Brent, where they of Article 50 and buyer uncertain- the country, having seen an ab- as bad as feared. But Jane Tully, UK was going to leave the EU and voters citing it as one of the top slowest rate for nearly fi ve years, fell 2.3%, Islington with a 1.9% ty, the latest data from the Land normal level of infl ation over the from the charity Money Advice instead plough a furrow as a glo- three things that made them feel according to latest offi cial fi g- fall and Hammersmith & Fulham, Registry would suggest a more last year.” Trust which runs National Debt- balist country seeking bilateral most “proud to be British”. ures. which dipped 0.2%. natural adjustment is currently However, the number of sales line, said that even this level of trade deals around the world. Ranking second and third on The average cost of a home The data suggests that the happening to the market. remains depressed with just infl ation could be enough to hurt “Government, employers, and a list of 12 items was “our his- in the capital rose just 3.7% to slowdown that started in the most “Prices across the board have 6,665 in December down almost a many overstretched families civil society must do their part in tory” and “our culture and arts” £474,704 in the year to February expensive central areas follow- generally continued an upward third on the 9,700 recorded in the She said: “Many people will opening up these valuable oppor- with British business languishing and actually slipped slightly in ing sharp increases in stamp duty trend despite a slower start to the same month in 2015. The number struggle to cope with this small tunities to a much larger number at the bottom of the “proud to be January, the latest data from the is now fi nally spreading out to year than usual, but it is no co- of properties going on the market but signifi cant erosion, and our of Britons. The aspirations for a British” table with “charities, our Land Registry reveals. the suburbs. Unusually prices in incidence that both London and — already at historically low levels concern remains for a minority ‘global Britain’ will ring hollow volunteering culture” and “British In four boroughs prices are now London are now rising less rapidly the South East have seen some of — slumped after the referendum who are at risk of tipping over into unless its benefi ts and oppor- sports teams” not far behind. falling year on year and double than the rest of England, where the only falls in monthly property in June. The Land Registry fi gures problem debt as a result”.

Dancing championships Brexit discount sought on 900 social care staff £12.2mn divorce payout ‘quitting jobs daily’ Guardian News and Media care workers was employed London on a zero-hours contract. London Evening Standard Canterbury, in 1996. dence, that was not considered. The figures come as the UK London Mansfi eld Snr had formed his Turner also said the fam- Homecare Association wrote farming business in the Sixties ily judge’s ruling did not refl ect ore than 900 adult a letter to the prime minister but by the time of his death in the “very great” input of Buddy social care workers warning of the crisis facing fruit farmer who claims 2011 it was in his son’s hands Mansfi eld. Ma day quit their job social care. his fortune may have and worth millions. Its value His gifts of four farms had in England last year, figures Mike Padgham, the chair Abeen hit hard by Brexit was mainly in the more than allowed “very substantial reveal, as homecare provid- of the UK Homecare Associa- is fi ghting his ex-wife over her 2,000 acres of land it comprises wealth” to be brought into the ers warn the adult social care tion, said: “My biggest fear £12.2mn divorce payout. at Broad Oak Farm, together marriage. And in ordering that system has begun to collapse. is that we will soon run out Paul Mansfi eld, 56, from with a cold storage and packing almost £5mn be paid by June Analysis by the BBC of data of capacity to provide care to Kent, was ordered to hand over operation. and another £7.7mn by next released by a charity, Skills for those who cannot fund them- the cash to his former wife of 26 After their separation, Mans- March, the family judge had or- Care, shows that in 2015-16 selves. I agree wholehearted- years, Jane, from a family for- fi eld moved out, leaving his dered “too much too soon”, he about 338,520 adult social care ly with Age UK’s warning that tune worth about £30mn. But wife at the farmhouse with the added. workers left their roles, equal the social care system will be- he is appealing, claiming the children. He off ered her £6mn Mansfi eld’s barrister, Jonath- to 928 people leaving their job gin to collapse this year, but I award took no account of the to settle their divorce, but she an Southgate QC, said Buddy’s every day. There were more would go further and say that impact of Brexit on his premi- refused and the case went to the part in the family’s success had than 1.3mn people employed the system has already begun um fruit farming business. High Court in November 2015. been “grossly exaggerated” and in the adult social care sector to collapse.” He also said it was wrong However, almost a year it was the couple’s “hard work in England in the period. The Skills for Care figures that his ex-wife should benefi t passed before family judge Jus- over 26 years which created the Of those leaving a job, 60% show that the industry has from the part of the family for- tice Parker delivered her fi nal business.” left the adult social care sec- a staff turnover rate of 27%, tune which came from gifts and ruling and ordered the £12.2mn Giving judgement, Justice tor altogether, the figures which is nearly twice the av- inheritances from his father, be paid. In that time, the coun- Moylan said the argument showed, while there was an erage for other professions in Buddy. try had voted in the referen- about Brexit would not be likely estimated shortage of 84,320 the UK, according to the BBC Now in a hearing at the Court dum, but the impact of Brexit to succeed on appeal and re- care workers, meaning about report. of Appeal, Mansfi eld has been on the family fortune was not fused permission for it to go one in every 20 care roles re- The government has said granted permission to challenge known. forward. But Mansfi eld’s claims mained vacant. it will spend an extra £2bn the size of the payout before top James Turner QC, for Mans- about his father’s contribu- The average full-time on the social care system and judges. The couple, who have fi eld, argued that leaving the EU tion to the success of the fam- frontline care worker earned permitted local authorities to two children, married in 1988 could “potentially undermine” ily business were “arguable”, he A dancer performs onstage during the World Irish Dancing £7.69 an hour, or £14,800 a raise council tax bills in order and moved from London to the valuation of the family’s continued. No date was set for Championships in Dublin, Ireland, yesterday. year, according to the data, to fund the gap in social care Buddy Mansfi eld’s farm, near assets, but without expert evi- the full appeal hearing. and one in every four social budgets. Gulf Times 18 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 EUROPE Stockholm attack suspect admits to ‘terrorist crime’ Off icers secure the entrance to AFP request to have the rest of the that he had expressed “sym- the Stockholm District Court Stockholm hearing held behind closed doors pathies for extremist groups, where Akilov appeared for his due to the classifi ed nature of in- including IS”, but disclosed no hearing. formation in the investigation. other details. he suspected Stockholm After about an hour, journal- The Aftonbladet newspaper Left: Photographers and truck attacker Rakhmat ists were readmitted to the court- reported that Akilov told investi- cameramen work while Uzbek TAkilov, a 39-year-old Uz- room and the judge remanded gators he was “pleased with what national Rakhmat Akilov (not in bek and a militant sympathiser, Akilov in custody. he had done”. picture) is heard at Stockholm admitted yesterday to commit- The four people killed in the “I mowed down the infi dels,” District Court yesterday. ting a “terrorist crime” by mow- attack were a 41-year-old Brit- Aftonbladet quoted him as say- ing down pedestrians on a busy ish man, a 31-year-old Bel- ing, citing sources close to the procedure, and that a confession street, killing four people and gian woman, and two Swedes investigation and describing him alone would not lead to a convic- injuring 15 others. – a 69-year-old woman and an as a father of four whose family tion. Arrested just hours after Fri- 11-year-old girl. had stayed behind in Uzbekistan. “A confession is not enough day’s attack, Akilov appeared in Eight people were still in hos- “The bombings in Syria have to to be convicted of a crime, other a special heavily-guarded high- pital yesterday, including two in a end,” he was quoted as saying. evidence is needed to back this security courtroom. critical condition. Deputy chief prosecutor Hans up,” Ihrman told reporters at the Handcuff ed and wearing a Akilov, a construction worker Ihrman refused to comment on courthouse. thick green hoodie, he kept his refused permanent residency in the suspect’s motive, while law- Police have previously said head bowed. Sweden in June 2016, went un- yer Eriksson would only say that they are sure the suspect is the “Akilov confesses to a terror- derground last year after receiv- his client had told police why he driver of the truck, citing tech- ist crime and accepts his custody ing a deportation order, police committed the attack. nical evidence and video camera detention,” his state appointed said. The investigative news maga- surveillance. lawyer Johan Eriksson said at a Friday’s attack resembled pre- zine Expo, which specialises in Prosecutors also said the ar- custody hearing in Stockholm. vious rampages using vehicles in monitoring far-right activity, rest warrant against a man de- Judge Malou Lindblom ordered Nice, Berlin and London, which said Akilov’s Facebook account tained on Sunday had been lifted Akilov to remove the hoodie and were all claimed by the Islamic before it was taken down on Fri- but he would not be released due he complied, revealing dark hair State (IS) group. day refl ected a “contradictory to a previous deportation order with streaks of grey. IS has not claimed responsi- image”. video condemning Islamist ter- to achieve its goals by peace- quested that Eriksson be replaced against him. Akilov, a Russian speaker, had bility for the Stockholm attack, It said Akilov had “liked” Bud- ror, but shared IS propaganda ful means, aims to establish a by a Sunni Muslim, saying “only “We will continue to investi- an interpreter to help him follow but Swedish media reports on dhist and Mormon websites, fi lms and repeatedly expressed caliphate in Muslim regions of a lawyer of this faith could assert gate if Akilov had other people the proceedings. Monday said that Akilov had told and supported both Russian op- support for the radical group Russia and ex-Soviet Central his interests in the best way”. around him” who may have been He did not address the court investigators that he received an position politician Alexei Nav- Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned Asian states. The court refused the request. accomplices, Ihrman said. directly. “order” from IS to carry out the alny and Prime Minister Dmitri in Russia. Court documents seen by AFP Eriksson said the court had Police have earlier said the in- After Eriksson’s statement, the attack against “infi dels”. Medvedev. The group, which claims to be showed Akilov, who is facing a ordered Akilov to undergo a psy- vestigation could “take up to a judge agreed to the prosecution’s Swedish police have confi rmed In March 2016, he posted a non-violent and says it wants lengthy prison sentence, had re- chiatric evaluation as a standard year to fi nish”.

African migrants Serbia detains 20, relocates 200 seeking Europe sold Reuters The police action in the north- Serbia earlier this year to deter Belgrade ern town of Sid, which is only a migrants, asylum-seekers are few kilometres from EU member now attempting to enter the EU as ‘slaves’ for $200 Croatia’s border, was launched across the less protected border erbian authorities have de- after municipal authorities com- between Serbia and Croatia. tained 20 migrants in the plained about incidents involv- Rados Djurovic, the executive By Nina Larson, AFP $500 a head, he said. Snorth of the country while ing the migrants, local Sremska director of Asylum Protection Geneva While some migrants sold this up to another 200 were round- TV reported yesterday. Centre, said that the tensions be- way managed to escape, many ed up and sent to a camp in the The so-called Balkan route for tween locals and migrants were wallowed in captivity for months south, a government offi cial said migrants trying to reach western on the rise. frican migrants trying to before being bought free or sold yesterday. Europe was shut last year when “We now have both local pop- reach Europe are being on. “Twenty people have been Turkey agreed to stop the fl ow ulation and migrants that are Asold into slavery in Libya, The UN agency could not pro- This picture taken earlier this month shows Gambian migrants who taken in for questioning,” the of- in return for EU aid and a prom- nervous and exhausted ... this including for sex, for as little as vide statistics over how many voluntarily returned from Libya queuing with plastic bags from the fi cial who asked not to be named ise of visa-free travel for its own will become more pronounced $200, international monitors people were aff ected, but relied International Organisation for Migration (IOM) as they wait for told Reuters without elaborating citizens. as the crisis continues,” Djurovic said yesterday, citing testimony on accounts provided to its staff registration at the airport in Banjul. further. But people mainly from the said. from victims. on the ground. The offi cial added that the Middle East, Africa and Asia Last year Serbia deployed joint Having paid human traffi ckers In one case, a Senegalese mi- S C described being bought confi rmed the risks of being sold other migrants were taken away continued to arrive to Serbia, military and police patrols to pa- in the hope of fi nding a better life grant identifi ed only as S C, told and taken to a private home as slaves in squares or garages” from in and around Sid in three mainly from Turkey, via neigh- trol its borders between Bulgaria many instead were held hostage IOM staff that he had been held where more than 100 migrants once in Libya, it said. buses to a camp in Presevo, lo- bouring Bulgaria. and Macedonia. and their families extorted for captive for months after he made were held as hostages. Some migrants, mainly Nige- cated near the Macedonian bor- After Hungary began reinforc- There are over 8,000 migrants ransom. the perilous journey to Libya. They were forced to call their rians, Ghanaians and Gambians, der in the south. ing its second border fence with in Serbia. The International Organisa- After paying a traffi cker more families back home, and were were also “forced to work for tion for Migration (IOM) said than $300 to arrange for him to beaten while on the phone, to try the kidnappers/slave traders as Germany sees big drop in asylum applications in early 2017 that “slave market conditions” be driven through the desert, he and make sure they would get the guards in the ransom houses or in and detention were increas- was apparently conned when money demanded for their free- the ‘market’ itself”, the IOM staff The number of people applying for asylum in January and March, mostly from Syria, Iraq and ingly common as criminal gangs he arrived in Libya, with a truck dom. member said. Germany has dropped steeply, figures showed on Afghanistan, while 60,000 applied for asylum in that sought to cash in. driver saying the traffi cker never “When somebody died or was One migrant, whose name was Monday, a sign that a deal between the EU and period, down two-thirds from the same period a year “Selling human beings is be- paid him the money. released, kidnappers returned not given, told the IOM that he Turkey to stem the flow of migrants is working. ago, the interior ministry said. coming a trend among smug- The driver had taken S C and to the market to ‘buy’ more mi- and 25 other Gambians were tak- The huge influx of migrants to Germany in the past The off ice for migration and refugees ruled on glers as the smuggling networks other migrants to a parking area grants to replace them,” the en to a “prison” in Libya, and was two years has eroded the popularity of Chancellor 222,395 asylum applications from January to March. in Libya are becoming stronger,” where a “slave market” was tak- statement said. “Women too beaten every day for nine months Angela Merkel ahead of national elections in Migrants who arrive in Germany are first registered Othman Belbeisi, the IOM’s chief ing place, an IOM statement said. were bought by private individu- before his father paid for his re- September and fuelled the rise of the anti-immigrant at reception centres where they have to wait for of mission in Libya, told report- “Sub-Saharan migrants were als ... (and) were forced to be sex lease by selling the family home. Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. months before they can file an asylum application, ers in Geneva. being sold and bought by Liby- slaves.” When he was freed he weighed But the AfD has seen its support plunge in polls since creating a huge backlog. “Migrants ... are being sold in ans,” the statement said, citing An IOM staff member in Ni- just 35kg and was suff ering from the slowdown in the flow of migrants after the deal At the end of March, there were still around 278,000 markets as a commodity” at a staff in Niger who took the man’s ger had spoken with a number of severe malnutrition and numer- between the EU and Ankara was reached a year ago. outstanding applications to process, the ministry going rate of between $200 and testimony. migrants in recent days who “all ous torture wounds. Around 47,300 people arrived in Germany between said. Huge fi re blamed on migrant brawl destroys camp

AFP March 2016 over the objections cussions with Britain again on said that there had been several camp near Calais, 40km away. Grande-Synthe, France of the central government, which the situation which leaves us bouts of fi ghting that culminat- According to several wit- announced plans to close it in acting as border guards for this ed in a massive brawl involving nesses, disagreements arose af- March. country,” the secretary general of around 600 people at 9.30pm ter an increase in the number of huge fi re has gutted one of For more than a decade Macron’s party, Richard Ferrand, (1930 GMT) on Monday. Afghans who arrived from the France’s biggest migrant France’s northern coast has been told the LCI channel. Lalande said six people had “Jungle”. Acamps housing 1,500 peo- a magnet for refugees and mi- As politicians discussed solu- been injured with knife wounds. “I thought it was normal that ple, which started after a brawl grants trying to reach Britain, tions in Paris, local authorities Local association Auberge the Kurds were here, it was their involving hundreds of Afghans causing tension between the two and police were investigating the des Migrants and the mayor camp, and we (Afghans) had Cal- and Kurds, offi cials and police neighbours. cause of the brawl and whether of Grande-Synthe, Damien ais,” Emal told AFP. “But Calais said yesterday. Ahead of the presidential elec- the fi re was started deliberately, Careme, said that strains from doesn’t exist anymore.” The Grande-Synthe facility, tion in two weeks’ time, the fi re as alleged by some local offi cials. overcrowding were the underly- Interior Minister Bruno Le near the northern French port quickly became a campaign is- One camp resident, Emal, told ing cause of the violence. Roux announced plans to close of Dunkirk, was the only one in sue, with far-right leader Marine AFP that the fi ghting had start- Europe has faced its biggest the camp in March, citing public the area and provided migrants Le Pen saying that it underlined ed after a football game among migrant crisis since World War II order problems after a spate of with hundreds of wooden huts the need to control immigration. Afghans when the ball struck a over the last few years as millions fi ghts and stabbings. for shelter, as well as cooking and A woman from a local charitable association distributes flowers to “This chaos must stop,” she Kurd from Iraq “who insulted the of people have fl ed war and pov- The government also believes shower facilities. children, including Kurdish migrants, outside a gymnasium in said. “All migrants’ camps will Afghan people”. erty in the Middle East, Africa the camps encourages people to Michel Lalande, a senior local Grande-Synthe where they have taken refuge yesterday after a fire be dismantled after my election The Afghans tried to catch him and South Asia. travel to northern France where offi cial in France’s Nord region, destroyed one of the biggest migrant camps in France on Monday. if the French people elect me as but he managed to escape before “Our volunteers were telling us they seek to break into trucks told reporters that the authori- head of state.” returning with a gang of armed that there had been tensions for heading to Britain or pay smug- ties were working to fi nd alter- people were injured in the infer- buildings were still intact yester- Her main rival for the presi- friends, Emal said. weeks linked to the overpopula- glers to help them get across the native accommodation for the no overnight, which was visible day morning. dency, Emmanuel Macron, has A Kurdish man, Kawan, told tion of the camp,” Auberge des Channel. migrants, most of whom want to several kilometres away. The others were smouldering pledged to scrap a treaty with AFP that some Afghans had Migrants vice-president Fran- Migrants have been encour- travel to Britain. It followed an outbreak of embers or burned beyond repair, Britain under which France has kicked a Kurd “and in the evening cois Guennoc said. aged to register asylum appli- “Three gymnasiums have been fi ghting that required riot police along with their contents. secured its northern border to Kurdish people, all coming, and The number of mostly male in- cations in France, but many are put to use to provide shelter,” he to intervene. The camp, built by the hu- stop migrants crossing the nar- starting to fi ght again”. habitants in the Grande-Synthe determined to fi nd their way to said. Only around 70 of 300 huts manitarian group MSF (Doctors row Channel sea. A police source, speaking to camp swelled after the destruc- Britain for family, language or Firefi ghters said at least 10 and a handful of communal Without Borders), opened in “We will need to take up dis- AFP on condition of anonymity, tion in October of the “Jungle” work reasons. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 19 EUROPE Erdogan hails ‘amazing’ voter turnout abroad Turkey to build museum to remember failed coup, says state media Reuters Ankara A man waves a flag with a portrait of Erdogan yesterday during a ‘Yes’ campaign event in Istanbul’s The Turkish culture ministry has readied designs for a gruntled army off icers launched a botched attempt to Eminonu district. major new museum outside Ankara to remember the remove Erdogan, bombing Ankara from war planes defeat of the failed July 15 coup that tried to unseat and opening fire around Istanbul’s main bridges. urks living overseas are A high turnout abroad is likely Erdogan founded more than a as 56% if the turnout is lower in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state media said. The coup was put down when thousands of Erdogan turning out in greater to boost Erdogan, pollsters say, decade ago. Turkey. Work will start on the museum – to be called the “Mu- supporters surged into the streets in his support and Tnumbers to vote in a ref- citing past elections, but at home Polls show a close race days The referendum has polarised seum of the July 15 Martyrs and Democracy” – from the Turkish authorities see its defeat as a triumph of erendum on changing the con- it could hurt him as opposition before the referendum, putting the nation of 79mn. June and it will open its doors to visitors at the end of democracy. stitution to create an executive voters traditionally make up a the “Yes” vote slightly ahead, Erdogan’s opponents fear in- 2018, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The off icial narrative has since become a cornerstone presidency, President Recep bigger proportion of those who but indicate that nearly half the creasing authoritarianism from a It will be built on a 10,000sq m area in Kahramankazan of modern Turkish history and referred to by Erdogan Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday, tend to shun the polls on an elec- country could reject the pro- leader they see as bent on eroding outside Ankara with a modern cuboid design, it said. at every rally ahead of the Sunday, April 16, referendum a development that pollsters say tion day. posed constitutional changes. modern Turkey’s democracy and The coup erupted on the night of July 15 when dis- on expanding his powers. could benefi t him. “There is an amazing explo- Foreign vote results will be an- secular foundations. 19 suspected Islamic State supporters planning ‘poll sabotage’ arrested Voters in Turkey will go to the sion of votes abroad. Around nounced once the actual referen- Erdogan argues that the pro- polls this Sunday, April 16, to 1.42mn votes have been cast,” dum is held on Sunday. posed strengthening of the Turkish authorities have detained 19 suspected Islamic The detentions came after Izmir police launched an decide on the referendum that Erdogan said at a ceremony in the One polling company, Mak presidency will avert instability State (IS) supporters in the Aegean city of Izmir, ac- investigation into planned attacks aimed at stopping would give Erdogan sweeping southeastern city of Sanliurfa, Danismanlik, seen as close to Er- associated with coalition gov- cused of planning to “sabotage” voting in the weekend people from going to vote, Anadolu said. new powers. calling on his supporters to fl ood dogan, said that initial exit polls ernments, at a time when Turkey referendum on boosting President Recep Tayyip It added the suspects were planning to “sabotage” vot- Voting for expatriate Turks be- the ballot box with “Yes” votes in from abroad showed the “Yes” faces security threats from Is- Erdogan’s powers, state media reported. ing, without specifying how. gan as early as late March in some the referendum. vote at 62%. lamist and Kurdish militants. Ten Turks and nine Syrian citizens connected to IS The agency said several “organisation documents” and countries and is due to run until The fi gure the Turkish presi- It said the only country where It was not immediately clear were picked up during raids by police and intelligence “vests” were found as well as “digital material”. Sunday. dent cited suggests a turnout the “No” vote had prevailed was what the turnout in specifi c off icers in the city, state-run news agency Anadolu There was no indication that any arms or explosives The referendum campaign has of around 50%, based on the the United States. countries was, but in the Novem- said. had been found. brought a rapid deterioration in 2.88mn voters registered abroad It did not say how many peo- ber 2015 election, around 40% of 380,000 security forces personnel to be deployed for referendum relations with some of Turkey’s in the last general election in No- ple it had polled or where the re- the Turks in Germany cast their European allies over the ban- vember 2015, according to data search was conducted. votes while the fi gure was around Turkey will deploy 380,000 members of the security police off icers and 128,445 military personnel will take ning of some rallies by Turkish from the High Electoral Board Pollsters Gezici, whose re- 45% in the Netherlands. forces for voting this weekend in a key referendum on part in the operations. ministers in the Netherlands and (YSK). search has tended to overes- Germany’s Sueddeutsche Zei- presidential powers, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu Additionally, 70,000 village guards – a form of militia Germany on security grounds, In that election the turnout timate opposition support, tung newspaper said Turks living said on Monday. in the mostly-Kurdish parts of the country – will be something that the Turkish pres- was around 40% among expatri- forecast voter participation of there had cast 696,863 votes for Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Soylu said 251,788 mobilised. ident has denounced as “Nazi- ates, with 56% of those votes be- between 82% and 83% domes- the referendum, bringing turn- like” tactics. ing cast for the AK Party, which tically and a “Yes” vote as high out in Germany to 48.73%. US, EU criticise Cypriot leaders Hungary over new resume talks

AFP But during the hiatus the university law Nicosia climate of trust between the sides has deteriorated, with each side blaming the other Reuters their home countries and secure ival Cypriot leaders have over the stalled process. Budapest/Brussels a bilateral agreement between rebooted stalled UN- There are other obstacles Hungary and their governments. Rbacked reunifi cation too. The CEU, which is accred- talks for the island and agreed The leaders are still far apart ungary faced criticism ited in New York state as well as to pick up lost momentum af- on core issues such as power- from Washington and Hungary, has said that both rules ter a two-month suspension. sharing, territorial adjust- HBrussels yesterday over a were prohibitive as costs would The leaders agreed to sched- ments, security arrangements new law that they believe targets be too steep and Washington had ule four new meetings, in a new and property rights. a Budapest university founded by no jurisdiction over it. phase of talks, with the fi rst Added into the mix are Greek US fi nancier George Soros that is “The United States is con- beginning on April 20. Cypriot presidential elections viewed as a bastion of independ- cerned by this legislation ... be- “I hope this new round of next February and the repub- ent thinking in eastern Europe. cause it targets (the CEU) very negotiations will take us to a lic’s search for oil and gas. The top US diplomat in the clearly and threatens ... this im- point where we can say there New off shore drilling is ex- region said the impact of the leg- portant American Hungarian in- are convergences that lead us pected in June, which Ankara islation on the Central European stitution,” US State Department to a Cyprus solution,” Greek wants to see stopped until University (CEU) was a concern, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Protesters take part in a demonstration late on Monday against the new higher education legislation Cypriot leader Nicos Anasta- peace talks have reached an while the European Union’s European and Eurasian Aff airs, outside the Presidential Palace in Buda Castle of Budapest. siades told reporters after yes- outcome. executive Commission said it Hoyt Yee, said in Budapest. terday’s three-hour session. “I Anastasiades said natural would be the subject of a debate Orban has for years criticised government did not want to close tion and energy policy, as well as mained a key US ally. welcome the resumption of di- gas was not discussed at Tues- today. Soros, a Hungarian-born Holo- down any university and sought moves by Orban to put independ- Asked whether it pushed Bu- alogue during which there was day’s meeting. Domestic opponents of the caust survivor and philanthro- only to protect students against ent media, NGOs and the judici- dapest closer to Moscow, he said a fruitful exchange of views.” “What we have repeatedly new law, which on Sunday trig- pist who has spent billions of unverifi ed institutions issuing ary under more state control. the departure of the university He said there was no time said ... is that natural wealth gered some of the largest demon- dollars campaigning for an open fake diplomas. “These are issues that have would be a loss fi rstly to Hungar- frame for a when a settlement belongs to the people of Cy- strations against Prime Minister society at odds with the more au- The CEU has rejected similar a certain degree of connection ians. should be reached but any so- prus,” he said. Viktor Orban’s seven-year rule, thoritarian social model that the claims by Orban that the univer- amongst themselves,” the Euro- “We are of course ... quite vigi- lution could not “ignore the The two sides have been consider it part of a wider crack- prime minister favours. sity “cheated” with its diplomas. pean Commission’s spokesman lant about what Russia is doing in fears” of either community. engaged in fragile peace talks down on dissent and a political Speaking in Brussels after talks Grievances between Brussels, said yesterday. the region ... in terms of the trend Anastasiades and Turkish since May 2015 that observers drift towards Russia. with Commission offi cials, Hun- some EU capitals and Budapest Yee told Reuters that, while the in Hungary, we’re still very close Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have seen as the best chance in The law requires foreign uni- gary’s State Secretary for Edu- go beyond the higher educa- new law hurt the university and allies ... I expect that is going to resumed the talks in the UN- years to reunify the island. versities to maintain a campus in cation Laszlo Palkovics said his tion law to issues such as migra- academic freedoms, Hungary re- continue.” controlled buff er zone that Much of the progress un- divides the island, under the til now has been based on the guidance of UN envoy Espen strong personal rapport be- Barth Eide. tween Anastasiades and Ak- UN-facilitated Cyprus talks inci, leader of the breakaway came to a standstill in Febru- Turkish Republic of Northern Poll: Nearly half of young ary in a row over Greek Cypriot Cyprus. schools marking the anniver- The eastern Mediterranean sary of the 1950 “Enosis” ref- island has been divided since erendum in support of union 1974 when Turkish troops in- Germans back chancellor with Greece. vaded the northern third in re- In mid-February Akinci sus- sponse to an Athens-inspired pended his participation in the coup seeking Enosis. Reuters The elder stateswoman of election campaign manager, 22-month process in protest After a failed peace ref- Berlin western European politics, Mer- adding that the SPD had similar after the Cyprus parliament erendum on a UN blueprint kel has come under fi re at home arrangements. backed a move for schools to in 2004, the Cyprus Repub- for initially opening Germany’s Measured by party, the Forsa commemorate the vote. lic now headed by President lmost half of Germany’s doors to more than 1mn refugees. poll – conducted for Stern maga- He returned to the nego- Anastasiades joined the Euro- fi rst-time voters back Ahead of what is likely to be zine and broadcaster RTL – put tiation table after a majority pean Union as a divided coun- AChancellor Angela Mer- a close-fought ballot, she has Merkel’s CDU and their Bavar- The Forsa poll showed that ‘especially young people are looking for of Greek Cypriot lawmakers try, while the Turkish-held kel, a poll by the Forsa Institut toughened her stance on immi- ian sister party (CSU) at 36%, six stability and continuity in these uncertain times’, something they see amended the legislation on north remains recognised only showed yesterday, providing a gration in recent months. percentage points ahead of the in Merkel, the elder stateswoman of western European politics. Friday. by Turkey. strong backbone of support as The chanceloor faced criticism SPD of former European Parlia- she prepares to bid for a fourth yesterday from the SPD, the jun- ment president Schulz. term in September. ior partner in her coalition gov- A second survey by INSA for Newly-freed Putin critic Navalny vows to keep organising protests Among all potential voters, ernment, after giving her chief the mass-circulation Bild news- conservative Merkel had 43% of staff , Peter Altmaier, a leading paper ahead of the September 24 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny since the 1990s. Despite the fact that the Putin, who has dominated Russia’s political support, compared to 32% for role in drafting the election pro- national election gave the CDU/ said yesterday that he would press authorities tried to frighten everyone ... tens landscape for the last 17 years, has not yet Martin Schulz, the chancellor gramme for her Christian Demo- CSU a 1.5-point lead. ahead with organising more anti-Kremlin of thousands took to the streets. We need to said whether he will run for what would be candidate for the centre-left So- crats (CDU). In the Forsa poll, the anti- demonstrations despite being jailed after continue.” a fourth presidential term next year but is cial Democrats (SPD). The appointment of Altmaier, immigrant Alternative for Ger- orchestrating the biggest protests against The demonstrations buoyed the liberal widely expected to do so. However, that lead extended who co-ordinates policy on mi- many (AfD) party, which had the authorities in years. opposition’s morale a year before a For now, opinion polls suggest Navalny has to 47% against 29% among those grant issues within the coalition, seen its support weaken in recent Navalny, who wants to run against Vladimir presidential election, but angered the little chance of unseating the Russian leader, aged 18 to 21, the poll showed. “violates the established politi- months, was steady at 8%. Putin for president next year, was speaking Kremlin which dismissed them as an illegal who enjoys high ratings. “Young people know Chancel- cal rules”, SPD general secretary The AfD added one point to a day after being freed from jail where he provocation. There is also a question mark over whether lor Merkel, with whom they grew Katarina Barley told the RND 10% in the INSA poll. spent 15 days for his role in big nationwide They were awkward for Prime Minister Navalny will be allowed to run in the up,” said Manfred Guellner, who newspaper chain. Both Merkel and Schulz are protests last month which ended with over Dmitry Medvedev with many protesters election after a court in February gave heads the Forsa institute. Altmaier said on Twitter that, hoping to form new govern- 1,000 arrests. calling for his resignation after Navalny him a suspended prison sentence for He said the poll showed that while he looked forward to help- ments with smaller partners, but “I of course assess the March 26 action to be accused him of amassing a fortune that embezzlement in a case Navalny said was “especially young people are ing shape the CDU’s programme, the two polls suggested another very successful,” said Navalny, addressing outstripped his salary. politically-motivated. looking for stability and continu- the party’s general secretary “grand coalition” of their parties his supporters in an online broadcast. “It Medvedev says the allegations are politically- Navalny says he is still entitled to run ity in these uncertain times”. Peter Tauber would remain its is likely. was the first simultaneous action in towns motivated “nonsense”. however and intends to do so. Gulf Times 20 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 INDIA

JUDICIARY INVESTIGATION DECISION ALLEGATIONS EDUCATION HC dismisses Delhi govt’s Lawmaker surrenders Eight modern abattoirs AAP blames BJP for Kerala to make Malayalam plea against ACB chief in murder case to be set up in Jharkhand outbreak of diseases compulsory till Class 10

The Delhi High Court yesterday dismissed Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Sanjiv Singh The Jharkhand government will build eight new The Aam Aadmi Party yesterday said the Malayalam will have to be taught an Aam Aadmi Party government’s plea for surrendered yesterday in Dhanbad district modern slaughterhouses in the state, including Bharatiya Janata Party’s “misrule” in the civic compulsorily at all schools till Class 10 in contempt of court proceedings against the of Jharkhand after an arrest warrant was one in the state capital Ranchi, an off icial said bodies has led to the outbreak of dengue Kerala irrespective of the syllabus, Kerala city’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) chief issued against him, police said. Singh was yesterday. The slaughterhouses, which will be set up and chikungunya very early this year. Citing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said yesterday. Mukesh Kumar Meena. “... it is not necessary wanted in connection with the murder of in Ranchi, Dumka, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Deoghar, news reports that fresh cases of chikungunya An ordinance has already been inked by for this court to go into the correctness of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation’s former Medninagar, Hazaribagh and Chas, will be run under and dengue were reported in the city in Kerala Governor P Sathasivam. The new the allegations in the contempt case and to deputy mayor Neeraj Singh. Neeraj Singh the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The the last three months, the AAP leader Dilip law also states that strict action will be return a finding as to whether the conduct of was killed along with two others when they government has asked off icials to identify the land for Pandey alleged that the BJP-ruled municipal taken against school authorities if this is the respondents (ACB chief Meena and police were returning home in his car on March building the slaughterhouses. All the norms laid down corporations were playing with the lives of not implemented. The syllabuses being off icer) would amount to wilful disobedience 20. The killers had fired indiscriminately at by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India residents. “MCDs failed to take preventive followed in the state include those of the of the order of this court. Accordingly, the Neeraj Singh’s car and pumped more than (FSSAI) will be followed, an off icial said. The state’s steps for vector borne diseases. Earlier, CAG in Kerala Education Board, the Central Board of contempt case is dismissed,” Chief Justice 20 bullets in his body. Six people, including Urban Development Department has sought from its report had also held the municipal bodies Secondary Education and Indian Certificate G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath said. The four close associates of the BJP legislator, the municipalities a list of licensed and unlicensed responsible for failing to prevent the outbreak of Secondary Education Board. Currently, government had accused Meena of hindering were arrested. The Jharkhand government shops. The urban bodies have been asked to submit of the diseases,” Pandey said. He also accused students in Kerala have the option to study ACB functioning and violating the High Court’s has constituted a Special Investigating Team their report within a week on the action taken on the BJP of fighting the municipal elections with Special English if not Malayalam. Some June 29, 2015, order. (SIT) to probe the murder. the illegal slaughterhouses in their area. the support of money “looted from the people.” schools also provide French as an option.

Government Defence ties get boost did everything for Mahija, Tendulkar, says Vijayan

IANS Thiruvananthapuram Rekha ‘worst’ reaking his silence for the fi rst time since a woman Bwent on a fi ve-day hunger strike demanding justice for her dead son, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan yesterday said in parliament the state government had done everything it could for the family. He was referring to the hun- ger strike by Mahija in protest against the death of her son Jish- nu Prannoy under mysterious circumstances. attendance “We do not know what they gained by this hunger strike, as IANS the government did everything New Delhi possible for them. It’s for them to say what else they wanted,” Vijayan told reporters here. ormer cricketer Sachin “The emotional state of Ma- Tendulkar and Bollywood hija was exploited and there were Factress Rekha are the worst some who did not want their performers in attendance in the hunger strike to end. I do not Rajya Sabha among the 12 nomi- know who all Sreejith (a relative nated members, according to an of Mahija) was in touch with. If analysis by Factly.in, a data jour- their claims are true that they nalism portal. Tendulkar and Rekha: worst performers are a hardcore CPM family, how While Tendulkar has attended could the SUCI (Socialist Unity 23 of the 348 days since his nomi- Each MP is entitled to the fol- Das Gupta; actress Roopa Gan- Centre of India) break into their nation in 2012, Rekha has attended lowing: Salary (Rs50,000 per guly; economist Narendra Jadhav; midst,” he asked. 18. Further, Rekha has not attended month); constituency allowance sportsperson M C Mary Kom; On Sunday night, Mahija and more than a single day in any ses- (Rs45,000 per month); offi ce ex- actor Suresh Gopi and politician Sreejith ended their fi ve-day sion since her nomination in 2012. pense allowance (Rs15,000 per Subramanian Swamy. hunger strike at the Medical Col- While the actress attended the month); travel and daily allow- These members are nominated lege Hospital after they received least number of days compared ance (variable). by the president based on the ad- a written assurance to their de- to those who were nominated There are 12 nominated mem- vice of the government of the day. mands from the state government, along with her, the expenditure bers in the upper house of par- Article 80(3) of the Constitution which included the arrest of the incurred on her is the highest till liament. While two other MPs authorises the president to nomi- remaining accused responsible date: Rs6.5mn as salary and ex- were nominated in 2012 along nate a maximum of 12 members to for the death of her son and action penses. Expenditure incurred on with Tendulkar and Rekha, one the Rajya Sabha. against the police offi cials who Tendulkar is Rs5.88mn, according was nominated in 2014 and the Samajwadi Party MP Naresh roughed them up on Wednesday. to Rajya Sabha data. remaining seven were nomi- Agarwal had raised the issue of Vijayan also opened up on This translates to an expendi- nated in 2016. Four of the nomi- Tendulkar and Rekha’s attend- the arrest of K M Shahjahan, a ture of Rs360,000 per day in- nated members joined the ruling ance, lamenting that they hardly former staff of V S Achuthanan- curred on Rekha and Rs256,000 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and attend the house. dan, who was picked up by the on Tendulkar. are counted as BJP members in Rekha has not asked a single police on Wednesday after he The diff erence in the expendi- the house. A member can join a question in her nearly fi ve years arrived to express solidarity with ture is only because of the allow- political party within the fi rst six in the Rajya Sabha. Tendulkar Mahija who were on the way to ances, since all other components months of being nominated, ac- fared better by asking 22 ques- meet the state police chief. are fi xed for every member. If a cording to the rules. tions. Industrialist Anu Aga, who “I have nothing against him British Defence Minister Michael Fallon and Indian Flag Off icer Commanding-in-Chief Western particular MP attended the house Apart from Tendulkar and was nominated along with Ten- and even if one was to assume Naval Command Vice Admiral Girish Luthra pose for a photograph on board the Indian Naval more often than others and has Rekha, the nominated Rajya dulkar and Rekha, has also not that I had a grudge against him, ship Kolkata in Mumbai. Fallon will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Arun Jaitley during travelled more extensively than Sabha MPs are: industrialist Anu asked a single question till date. then did we have to wait for 10 the first India-UK Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi. Fallon’s visit is expected to further cement others, the expenditure incurred Aga; lawyers K Parasaran and K T Lawyer Tulsi has asked the most months to do this? It could have the bilateral defence and international security partnership. on him/her would be high. In S Tulsi; social worker Sambhaji questions among the nominated been done earlier too. Rekha’s case, it is the opposite. Chhatrapati; journalist Swapan members. Is Modi losing his grip over saff ron goons?

I get so angry at those who Indians. It was hoped that those the demonetisation of high value Much of the same plus some- looked headed in that direction. are into the gau-rakshak behind the vigilantism would pay currency notes. The opposition thing more was in evidence in Then came speculation in both “(cow protection) business. heed to the prime minister and was up in arms against the dra- the recent meeting between BJP Gandhinagar and Delhi that the A gau-bhakt (cow devotee) is dif- keep the lumpen elements at bay. Delhi Diary conian step. After the Congress president Amit Shah and leader 77-year-old Vaghela himself ferent, gau seva (serving the cow) For some time thereafter it in- Party’s Manmohan Singh laid into of the Congress opposition in the could be planning to cross over is diff erent. I have seen that some deed looked like Modi’s words By A K B Krishnan the government describing de- Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh to the BJP. If S M Krishna, at 84, people are into crimes all night had the desired impact. Except monetisation as a “monumental Vaghela. could switch from Congress to and wear the garb of gau-rakshaks for a couple of minor skirmishes Gulf Times Correspondent disaster”, it was Agrawal’s turn to It could have been described the BJP, why not Vaghela who in the day.” in Haryana there was no serious speak. as just another meeting between continued to maintain his friend- When Narendra Modi said incident involving the so-called The Uttar Pradesh veteran gave two senior leaders but what set ship with many BJP veterans? these words at his fi rst-ever saff ron “fringe”. Then came the beings? By the way, Rajasthan is words, Modi’s words seem to an account of the serious issues the tongues wagging was the fact Modi was perhaps the only thorn townhall with the capital’s citi- murder of Pehlu Khan in Rajas- ruled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata carry no weight with his ministers faced by farmers in his state and that Shah was accompanied by in his fl esh but every injury heals zens in August last year, there was than’s Alwar district. His crime, Party (BJP). or party when it comes to saff ron highlighted the travails of the state Chief Minister Ajay Rupani over time and political injuries are much appreciation of the prime transporting cows. It was no use Modi’s own junior minister agenda. ordinary Indian who was spend- and his state party chief Jitu Vah- known to heal faster. minister’s earnestness and frank- telling the mob that killed Khan Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had the te- He can travel the world any ing several hours at the bank try- gani. That was as high-powered The rumours were so strong ness in calling a malaise for what that he was a dairy farmer whose merity to tell parliament that such number of times canvassing for ing to exchange the few old notes as it can get for a meeting with an that Vaghela, in a bid to scotch it is. His words came in the af- job it was to look after cows and a killing never happened. “Naqvi India’s economic growth, host in her possession. He wondered opposition leader in a state and a them, had to fl y to Delhi to meet termath of the beating up of four that he had legally bought the says this didn’t happen” was the world leaders every other day if he what had prompted the govern- mere “courtesy call”, as the BJP party vice-president Rahul Gan- lower-caste Hindu youths in Una cows he was transporting. What main headline next day in The In- so wished and win any number of ment to take such a drastic meas- would have us believe, did not dhi and reiterate his allegiance. in Gujarat for allegedly skinning a is more, like the mob in Una, the dian Express which also published elections, but if Modi cannot con- ure when the economy was on the warrant such entourage. But it is diffi cult to discount dead cow. thugs in Alwar also videotaped three video grabs of Pehlu Khan trol the moral police and the mur- road to recovery. He said he had It was Shah’s fi rst visit to Gu- anything as long as Amit Shah is A year earlier, elderly Mohamed the beating and killing of Khan being kicked and beaten with iron derous goons of his party, there is heard that only fi ve people were jarat after his party’s massive involved. The departure of Modi Akhlaq was lynched by a Hindu and put it out for the world to rods by the Alwar mob. In Naqvi’s no way India is going to achieve involved in the demonetisation victory in Uttar Pradesh and Ut- from the Gujarat scene has left mob in Dadri on the outskirts of watch. world seeing is defi nitely not be- any progress in real terms. decision and those fi ve did not tarakhand and he was calling on the state unit of the party in a the national capital for storing In a large country like India lieving. include Finance Minister Arun Vaghela at his offi ce in the state quandary. Modi’s replacement what was believed to be beef in his such incidents may happen once As I said before, in a multi-cul- Jaitley. assembly. It could not have been Anadiben Patel had to resign in fridge at home. The Una mob not in a while, so you brace yourself tural society of a billion-plus peo- Shah-Vaghela meet With Modi and Jaitley listen- for a photo-op or to share a pot of ignominy and the revolt of the just attacked the four Dalit youths for the unpleasant headlines. But ple, stray incidents can happen has tongues wagging ing and much to the amusement tea. There must have been some- Patidars has not helped matters but videographed the incident what was most unpardonable and that could paint the whole popu- of the entire house, Agrawal said: thing more to it. either. Anti-incumbency is said and uploaded it on social media to most unpleasant was the political lace barbaric. It is for the govern- Political rivals, in general, have “I have reason to believe that it is Soon reports emerged that to be weighing down the BJP more declare their nonchalance. reaction from Modi’s underlings. ment and the law enforcers to see a habit of going at each other’s true because if Mr Jaitley had been Shah had off ered to accommodate than ever before. There was much criticism Rajasthan’s Home Minister Gu- to it that swift and deserving pun- throats in public forums but at aware of it, he would have whis- Vaghela’s son, Mahendrasinh, in The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of the Modi government let- lab Chand Kataria, whose job it is ishment is meted out to the per- the end of the day, when the tel- pered it in my ear because we are the BJP’s list of candidates for the of Arvind Kejriwal is reportedly ting loose a reign of terror on the to protect people from criminals, petrators of such crimes. Instead evision cameras are switched off , good friends.” assembly elections later this year. gaining in strength in the state minority communities through went on record to say that “both what we get is a government in they fi nd time for each other and Although said in jest, it revealed Vaghela himself was the undis- and the Nationalist Congress Par- vigilantes of one sort or the other sides” were at fault. Pray, where denial more or even worse trying even lend a helping hand when- another side of high table politics puted leader of the BJP in Gujarat ty (NCP) of Sharad Pawar as well against people’s choice of food or are two sides in a murder? Did to justify what had happened. ever the occasion permits. which everyone knew existed but until Modi came along and dis- as the Shiv Sena are gearing up drink or clothes or general social he mean that transporting cows If Prime Minister Modi is get- A classic example of this was nobody acknowledged it as such placed him. He then joined the for the polls with renewed vigour, behaviour. to a dairy farm is a crime? And it ting “angry” for such wayward- what Samajwadi Party leader - that there is a lot of camaraderie Congress Party. It is not unknown leaving Shah to look for support So when Modi spoke against is punishable by death? Is India ness on the part of the “gau-rak- Naresh Agrawal told the Rajya and back-slapping even among that members of the same family from any quarter. There is no bad such vigilantism it was music to going to be a country where cow shaks” that anger has not rubbed Sabha in November last year. The political rivals with apparently ir- have footholds in diff erent parties time for checking with old friends the ears of the silent majority of will be protected but not human off on those below him. In other occasion was the discussion on reconcilable diff erences. and the Shah-Vaghela meeting where they stand. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 21 INDIA

SC stops Adani Power, Tata Power from charging higher prices

Agencies 20% yesterday, to its lowest level from plants they each operate in coal imported from the country. jarat and Haryana from its plant Bhushan among others, was judges said in yesterday’s rul- New Delhi since the company went public Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Adani and Tata appealed for is in Mundra. then escalated to the country’s ing. in 2009. home state of Gujarat. relief, arguing that they had to be Following a legal battle that top court by the state distribu- CERC will now look at the The court did, however, allow The companies also entered compensated for an unforeseen stretched over half a decade, tion companies. matter afresh and determine he Supreme Court ruled the utilities to claim relief for coal supply agreements with change in economic conditions the Central Electricity Regula- The top court ruled in favour what relief should be granted to yesterday that Adani the higher costs, which resulted domestic and foreign miners which made the terms of the deal tory Commission (CERC) ruled of the distribution companies, the companies to make up for TPower Ltd and Tata Power from a shortage in domestic in the latter part of the last with distribution companies un- in December last year that the saying the agreements did not the shortage in domestic coal cannot charge their customers supplies at state-run Coal India decade to fuel their plants in viable. companies could charge their state that “coal is to be procured supplies. more to cover a surge in the cost Ltd. Gujarat, which each have over Tata Power is supplying pow- customers more to compensate only from Indonesia at a partic- Adani Power’s shares recov- of imported coal, overturning a Both Adani Power and com- 4,000 megawatt (MW) of ca- er under the Power Purchase for higher costs. ular price.” ered some losses on the day decision by a power regulator in petitor Tata Power struck long- pacity. Agreement to Gujarat, Rajas- The case, which was argued “The price payable for the to close about 16% lower at December. term deals in the middle of the In 2010, Indonesia adopted than, Maharashtra, Punjab and by former minister and lawyer supply of coal is entirely for the Rs37.20. The ruling sent Adani Power’s last decade with distribution new benchmark coal prices lead- Haryana and Adani Power under Kapil Sibal and renowned an- person who sets up the power Shares in Tata Power closed share price down as much as companies to supply power ing to an increase in the price of PPA is supplying power to Gu- ti-corruption lawyer Prashant plant to bear,” the top court’s down 1.8% at Rs85.45. Police widen traffi cking probe after death of 12-year-old maid

Reuters datory time off is still awaiting Bengaluru cabinet approval. Nimbalkar said the dead girl had been traffi cked from the he discovery of the body eastern state of Assam and that of a 12-year-old girl who her salary was paid directly to the Twas traffi cked to work as agency by her employers, a char- a maid in southern city of Ben- tered accountant and dentist. galuru, has raised fresh concerns The couple said they thought about other children trapped in she was 18 and an orphan, add- domestic servitude, police said ing that they had not done any yesterday. background checks but put their Preliminary investigations trust in the placement agency, suggest the girl had fallen to her the police said. death from the ninth fl oor apart- “As it turns out, the girl’s fa- ment where she had worked for ther was looking for her for nearly two years after being sent to two years,” said Geeta Menon of work for a couple in Bengaluru Stree Jagruti Samiti, a Bengaluru Activists of the Lok Janshakti Party stage a demonstration in front of Pakistan High Commission against the capital punishment to former Indian Navy off icer Kulbhushan by a New Delhi-based agency, charity which works to promote Jadhav, in New Delhi yesterday. police said. the rights of domestic workers. The child’s death has prompt- “It took days to track him and ed police to launch an investiga- when he came to take his daugh- tion across the southern state of ter’s body back home, he was Karnataka to fi nd other girls who just heart-broken.” may have been recruited by the Rights activists say traffi ckers same agency to work as maids, target poor villages in states such senior police offi cer Hemant as West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Nimbalkar said. Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, India warns Pakistan “She was traffi cked and our convincing vulnerable families probe suggests that the place- to send their daughters away for ment agency that sent her to employment. Bengaluru also sent many other But the girls and young wom- young girls,” Nimbalkar told the en are often passed on to unreg- Thomson Reuters Foundation. ulated placement agencies and “There appears to be a big net- transported in groups to cities over Jadhav verdict work operating.” where a growing middle class is There are an estimated 50mn looking for cheap live-in labour. Sushma Swaraj condemns government to consider the “Pakistan has said a valid In- “We will defend our country has also stalled the release of 12 domestic workers in India, most “With many northern states farcical trial consequences for our bilateral dian passport has been found at all costs,” he said and insisted Pakistani prisoners who were of them women and girls, who framing laws to regulate people relationship if they proceed on from Jadhav. If he was having a that Jadhav’s trial followed due due to be repatriated today, are often exploited in the ab- being hired as domestic work, Agencies this matter,” she said. valid passport, how can he be a legal process. NDTV network reported citing sence of any legal protection, south India seems to have be- New Delhi Home Minister Rajnath Singh spy?” Congress MP Shashi Tharoor offi cial sources. women’s rights campaigners say. come a safe haven for agents,” claimed Jadhav, who was en- Opposition Congress lead- slammed Pakistan. The sentencing has aggravat- A bill to improve working con- Menon said. gaged in a business in Iran, was er Ghulam Nabi Azad urged “What Pakistan is doing is ed tensions that were triggered ditions for domestic workers by “This case has come as a wake- ndia yesterday warned Pa- abducted by Pakistani secu- the government to appoint a not only an assault on India, it is by an attack by militants that introducing a minimum salary, up call and we hope other girls kistan of “consequences” rity agencies in March 2016 and “strong lawyer” who can fi ght an assault on international laws, killed 19 soldiers in Jammu and social security cover and man- will be rescued before they die.” Ifor bilateral relations if it branded a spy. Jadhav’s case in the Supreme international conventions that Kashmir in September. executed an alleged Indian spy, Calling Jadhav a “son of In- Court of Pakistan. aff ect everybody. Anti-Pakistan protests were as tensions over the issue esca- dia,” Swaraj said the Indian gov- Pakistan justifi ed the death “There are certain countries also reported from several cit- Students protest against fee hike lated between the neighbours. ernment “will go out of the way sentence and said it was capable that fi nance and arm the Paki- ies, including outside the Paki- A Pakistani military court on to save him.” of defending itself against ex- stani military. Those countries stan High Commission in New Tension prevailed on the Panjab the off ices and damaged other Monday handed the death sen- She said New Delhi would ternal aggression. must be told by us that if this Delhi. University campus yesterday university property. Later, a tence to Kulbhushan Jadhav, take up the issue with Pakistan “We cannot remain oblivious can be done to an Indian today, Maharashtra Navnirman as students clashed with few students, who were being a retired Indian naval offi cer, at the highest levels. to defending our sovereignty it can be done to one of their Sena supporters took out a pro- police in protest against hike chased by the police, entered convicting him of spying and “There is no evidence of any and protecting our independ- nationals tomorrow,” Tharoor cession in Mumbai to condemn in fees. Police sources said that a gurdwara on the campus fomenting unrest in the prov- wrongdoing by Jadhav. This is ence,” Prime Minister Nawaz said. Islamabad and demand Jadhav’s some students were injured and took refugee there. Police ince of Balochistan. an act of premeditated murder,” Sharif said. Ruling Bharatiya Janata Par- immediate release. when the police used batons off icials were reported to be Following uproar in the par- Swaraj said, adding that Is- Pakistan was “fully ty MP Subramanian Swamy Carrying placards and ban- water cannons to disperse the negotiating with them to come liament, External Aff airs Minis- lamabad had repeatedly blocked equipped” to deal with all such said India must recognise Ba- ners with anti-Pakistani slo- protesters who had gathered out. Teaching was aff ected ter Sushma Swaraj condemned consular access to him. “elements with an iron fi st”, its lochistan as an independent gans, MNS leaders and workers near the vice chancellor’s off ice. in several departments on the “farcical” trial, saying there Singh accused Pakistan of ig- Defence Minister Khawaja Asif country if Pakistan went ahead said Jadhav was innocent. The students threw stones at the Sector 14 campus of the was no evidence against Jadhav. noring “basic norms of law and told the Senate in an obvious with Jadhav’s execution. The Indian fi lm industry also the police and broke windows of university due to the protest. “I would caution the Pakistan justice” in sentencing Jadhav. reference to Indian warnings. Meanwhile, the government slammed Pakistan. Taking the web to children PAC absolves ex-PM living in remote salt desert Singh in CWG scam IANS ister, decisions were taken, New Delhi and when the minutes (of AFP even the most basic learning “The Internet and these tab- the meeting) came, the then The Little Rann of Kutch supplies. lets have made learning much Sports Ministry said the spirit Bringing the web to this iso- more fun and engaging for all he Public Accounts of the decisions was not car- lated region is no small feat, the children. They now have so Committee (PAC) of ried in the minutes.” heltered beneath a canvas with communities scattered much to learn and explore,” Pan- Tparliament has virtually “There is nothing that sheet to escape the blister- over thousands of square kilo- kti Jog of Agariya Heethrakshak absolved former prime minis- Manmohan Singh or the PMO Sing desert sun, miles from metres. Manch said. ter Manmohan Singh and the has done out of the way,” he any roads or power lines, a group The crew from NGO Agariya The youngsters are not the then Prime Minister’s Offi ce of added. of children huddle around a tab- Heethrakshak Manch, one of the only ones discovering the joys of any wrongdoing in the Com- Thomas said there was una- let and experience the Internet stakeholders in the project, fi rst the web. monwealth Games held here nimity on the fi ndings and for the very fi rst time. erected a powerful digital tower This mobile service has also in 2010. conclusions of the report, The remote Wi-Fi connection on the outskirts of the desert helped their parents - migrants PAC chairman K V Thomas and pointed out that in the is powered by a van bringing the capable of sending a signal up to who make the annual journey to yesterday said the committee 24-member PAC, only four digital world to around 10,000 60km away. the salt plains for work - access has found “nothing that the members were from the Con- families living on the inhospita- Then they fi xed an antenna to government welfare schemes then prime minister Manmo- gress while the ruling Bharati- ble salt fl ats of western Gujarat the top of their van and hit the online, Jog said. han Singh or the PMO did out ya Janata Party (BJP) had 12 state, where they work eight road armed with laptops, tablets The crew hopes to increase of the way”. members. months a year in extreme condi- and printers. the frequency of school visits to The PAC will present its re- On the delay in presenting tions. They visit each of the region’s once every three days once they port to parliament today. the report on the Common- The salt desert known as the 14 makeshift schools approxi- get more vans. “You will get the entire re- wealth Games, Thomas said it Little Rann of Kutch, is rough- mately once per week, teaching Currently their single van port tomorrow. One important was due to the large number of ly 180km from state capital the students how to use technol- speeds between three schools a point is that there is nothing reports that the PAC had to go Ahmedabad. ogy to access the Internet and day, spending about two hours at against the then prime minis- through. The workers mining the land learn digital skills. each, Jog said. ter in it... Everything is black In the last three years, the for salt live without electricity The students are eager to “We have connected around Anand Solanki (right), facilitator of the ‘Zero Connect’ programme and white,” Thomas told re- PAC under Thomas held 157 and other amenities while their learn, crowding around to watch 800 students to Internet and with a group of children of salt pan workers during a tent school porters. meetings and presented 73 re- children attend school in mud online videos about maths and digital learning in this remote workshop using an Internet-connected van, in the Little Rann “There was a meeting ports. The 74th report will be huts or tin sheds where they lack science. region”, she said. of Kutch. chaired by the prime min- tabled today. Gulf Times 22 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 LATIN AMERICA

Chile’s students return to streets to demand education overhaul

Reuters student union, told journalists. Santiago The action demonstrates the diffi culties Chile’s next round of leaders will have in maintain- housands of students ing popular support in a nation marched in Chilean cities where confi dence in politicians Tyesterday to demand im- is low. provements to the nation’s high- In November, Chile holds er education system, as lawmak- presidential elections. ers prepared to debate planned The current frontrunner, con- reforms. servative Sebastian Pinera, has The demonstration was the indicated that he will roll back fi rst of the southern hemisphere recent educational reforms if academic year, and there were elected, preferring a system of isolated skirmishes with police scholarships to free tertiary edu- in the downtown area of Chilean cation for poorer students. capital Santiago. That will likely put him on a Student protesters argue that collision course with the student attempts by centre-left Presi- movement. dent Michelle Bachelet to im- Pinera served as president prove quality and access to from 2006 to 2010 but saw his higher education have been in- approval ratings plummet after suffi cient. Reforms by her gov- a series of massive student-led ernment to date do not provide demonstrations against Chile’s enough Chileans with free uni- highly privatised education sys- versity education, they say. tem. They also complain that the The education committee in government did not seek their Congress’ lower chamber is due advice when drafting legislation. to vote later Tuesday on a bill “I don’t know if the govern- that would lower costs for some ment is playing stupid. students and limit profi t-making You can’t legislate without in education. listening to the social move- However, its chances of be- Students demanding the government to speed up a long-awaited reform to guarantee universal access to free public education in Chile are dispersed by the riot police with water ments,” Daniel Andrade, head coming law in Chile’s divided cannons, in Santiago. Students have been appealing for the past decade to change the current system dating to the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. of the University of Chile parliament are tenuous.

Captured Mexican governor could be Maduro gets support extradited to US

Reuters a request for Yarrington’s ex- Mexico City tradition to Mexico, where he faces up to 20 years in prison, from allies in Cuba but noted he could also be sent former state governor to the United States. The leftist bloc has rallied duro as the United States voiced “We urge President Maduro for Mexico’s ruling par- “It’s a decision the Italian behind an embattled Maduro “grave concern” over moves to to reconsider the decision to bar Aty arrested in Italy at the authorities will have to evalu- stifl e one of his main opponents. Capriles and ensure Venezuelans weekend could be extradited ate and make,” Alberto Elias Reuters In the latest clashes in the can exercise their right to elect to his homeland or the United Beltran, a senior offi cial at the Havana once-booming oil exporter, riot their representatives in free and States, where he faces a string attorney general’s offi ce, told a police in Caracas fi red tear gas at fair elections,” the US State De- of criminal charges linked to news conference. stone-throwing demonstrators partment said in a statement. drug traffi cking, authorities Yarrington, who has not enezuela’s leftist, regional — whose leaders vowed not to let The European Union earlier said on Monday. made any public statement allies pledged to support up the pressure on Maduro. added to the international pres- Tomas Yarrington, a former since his arrest in Florence, Vits embattled government “This is a battle of resistance. sure, raising alarm over the “on- governor of Tamaulipas state for faces the prospect of two life at a summit in Havana on Mon- We will see who gets tired fi rst: us going escalation of tensions and the Institutional Revolutionary sentences if convicted in the day, where President Nicolas of fi ghting, or them of repress- violent confrontations”. Party (PRI), was accused in 2013 United States, Elias said. Maduro accused the opposition ing,” said the deputy speaker of The opposition is planning by a federal grand jury in Texas Yarrington governed Tama- of resorting to violence to lay the the opposition-majority con- what Guevara called the “mother of taking millions of dollars in ulipas between 1999 and 2005, groundwork for a foreign inva- gress, Freddy Guevara. of all protest marches” on April bribes from the Gulf Cartel and and is one of several politicians sion. The streets of Caracas and sev- 19 against Maduro. His support- other traffi ckers. in the PRI facing prosecution The show of solidarity comes People walk in a cloud of tear gas during a rally against Venezuela’s eral other Venezuelan cities have ers announced they too would Yarrington is also wanted on for suspected corruption. as Maduro faces intensifying President Nicolas Maduro’s government in Caracas, Venezuela. seen running battles in recent stage a major march that day in traffi cking charges in Mexico, He was suspended from the criticism abroad, as well as the days as protesters have rallied central Caracas. where his lengthy avoidance of PRI in 2012. The PRI, which has fi rst sustained wave of anti-gov- Venezuela’s Supreme Court Venezuela has come under in- demanding elections. The opposition demands, capture led to frequent opposi- also been dogged by accusa- ernment demonstrations in three decided in late March to take over creased pressure over the past Police fi red water cannons, among other things, that author- tion accusations that President tions of corruption under Pena years, fuelled by an economic the functions of the opposition- weeks not just from the OAS, tear gas and rubber bullets at ities set a date for gubernatorial Enrique Pena Nieto’s govern- Nieto, faces an uphill strug- crisis and erosion of democracy. led Congress before an outcry but also American and European demonstrators, who hurled rocks elections that have been post- ment was not trying hard to gle to retain the presidency in “We reject the aggressions and forced it to retreat. countries that have condemned and Molotov cocktails. poned indefi nitely. catch the former PRI grandee. 2018. PRI lawmakers say pri- concerted manipulations against On Friday, Maduro banned op- its crackdown on the opposition. On Monday, several patients Maduro said Sunday he was The Mexican attorney gener- vately the party needs to go af- our ally,” read the statement pub- position leader Henrique Capriles During a 1-1/2-hour speech, including a newborn baby had “eager” for the elections to go al’s offi ce said the government ter corrupt offi cials to boost its lished by the leftist ALBA bloc of from political offi ce for 15 years. Maduro said he was open to dia- to be evacuated from a medical ahead so he could “hand a defeat would in coming days submit credibility. 11 Caribbean and Latin American “We condemn the interven- logue but the opposition was not. clinic in the Las Mercedes dis- to those people...so that they will countries. tionist, illegal and pro-imperi- “The only way to reach peace trict after it was struck by tear stop the rioting and violence.” The association was founded alist behaviour of the OAS secre- is through words, through dia- gas canisters, a doctor there, Luis Guevara called the president a Sao Paulo train strike strands hundreds by Communist-ruled Cuba and tary general,” the statement read. logue,” he said. “But the reality is Montanes, told reporters. One “liar”. its top ally Venezuela 13 years ago To preserve Venezuela’s inde- the order has come from Wash- protester was killed on Thursday. “He knows he would lose” any Hundreds of thousands of commuters in Sao Paulo were stranded as a counterpoint to US infl uence pendence was to “preserve the ington for zero dialogue in Ven- Maduro is fi ghting eff orts to election, the senior opposition as a train strike hit the suburbs of Brazil’s biggest city. The train in Latin America. independence, unity, and de- ezuela, to make our country ex- force him from power over an lawmaker told AFP. workers’ union said in a statement that the strike, announced only It singled out the Washington- velopment of the region”, said plode and give way for a foreign economic crisis marked by severe Demonstrator Carolina late on Monday and starting at the morning rush hour, would run based Organization of American Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno intervention”. shortages and the world’s highest Moreno, a 39-year-old unem- “indefinitely”. Two heavily used lines have been paralysed by the States, which has been bitterly Rodriguez. Opposition leaders slammed infl ation. ployed woman, said she was sim- action, which seeks to pressure the company into giving workers critical of Maduro, for what it “This is the time of unity, the government for arbitrary use Pressure rose on him last week ply protesting for food. bonuses. One line serves 370,000 passengers daily and has called attempts to undermine peace and hope,” said Rodriguez. of force in breaking up Monday’s after two supreme court rulings She referred to the govern- stopped functioning, while another serving 430,000 people a day Venezuela’s sovereignty. Latin America has shifted demonstrations, pointing to tear that stripped the legislature’s ment’s subsidised food pro- has only partial service, the train company CPTM said. CPTM called The OAS chief, Luis Almagro, away from leftist populism to- gas being fi red into one Caracas power. The court later reversed gramme for poor neighbour- the strike “irresponsible” and asked workers “to be sensible and to called for elections to restore full ward more centrist policies in re- clinic. the rulings amid an outcry. hoods. provide the service on which 800,000 people depend each day.” democracy in Venezuela, given cent years and so the ALBA bloc Venezuela erupted Monday The United States on Monday “They give you one miserable Strikes and street protests are becoming increasingly common the political and institutional has lost heavyweight regional al- in a fi fth day of violent protests expressed “grave concern” about bag of food a month,” she told across Brazil as it faces its third straight year of recession. crisis roiling the country. lies, such as Argentina and Brasil. against President Nicolas Ma- Capriles’s ban. AFP. Brazil submarine plan navigates turbulent waters

AFP The plan is to phase out the fi ve Brazilian construction giant Ode- fi rst section of the fi rst hull is trans- Itaguaí, Brazil submarines built with Germany be- brecht, which has been targeted by ported to the shipyard for fi nal as- tween 1980 and 1990 and give the prosecutors over its central role in sembly, using a 2,230-foot tunnel navy a boost in its main job of patrol- fl eecing state oil company Petrobras that has been cut through the moun- n a vast hangar, Brazilian tech- ling Brazil’s 8,500km coastline. and making illegal payments to po- tainside to link the factory hangar nicians work on the enormous But for all the ambition and for- litical campaigns. And Odebrecht and new base. Icylindrical hulls of two subma- eign help, Brazil’s submarine-build- is DCNS’s partner in the submarine The enormous scale of the project rines, but in a country buff eted by ing voyage is falling behind schedule. project. Currently some 1,650 work- and expense is all worth it for Brazil, economic crisis and corruption the The fi rst conventional vessel was ers in Odebrecht overalls are working the admiral said. vessels already face stormy waters. meant to have been launched this year at the site. “Brazil’s riches attract a lot of The hangar at a naval facility in while the nuclear sub — being built Back in 2014 there were more than envy and we don’t know what will Itaguai, south of Rio de Janeiro, is 125 exclusively with Brazilian technology 6,000, said Admiral Gilberto Max happen in 50, 100 years,” he said. feet (38m) tall, an impressive struc- — is fi ve years behind schedule. Hirschfeld, who oversees the con- He also downplayed the problems ture where the future submarines, Although the planning stage for struction. of delays, pointing out long waits in lying in separate sections, are being that submarine is completed, con- Odebrecht’s involvement in the DCNS’s construction of a new Bar- equipped before eventual assembly. struction will not start until 2021, submarine project has also been racuda line of nuclear subs in France. In all, fi ve submarines are planned, with launching in 2028. caught up in the corruption scandal, “The country is going through dif- one of them nuclear-powered, with The base and new shipyard are just but Hirschfeld said “the investiga- fi culties, but it’s entirely manage- the fi rst scheduled for launching in over 60% fi nished. tion does not aff ect the shipyard”. able,” said Eric Berthelot, director of July 2018. The bid to transform Bra- Latin America’s biggest country The problems with keeping up DCNS Brazil. zil’s small submarine fl eet was won is into its third year of recession and to schedule are caused by “having “It’s a strategic development for by French group DCNS in a $7.1bn a huge embezzlement and bribery to slow down as a result of budget the country. contract signed in 2009 to bring in scandal has turned politics upside shortages,” he said. “But we’re fo- We’ve seen the economy’s evolu- its technological know-how and also down, while exacerbating the eco- cusing all our eff orts on the fi rst tion these last few years and today to build a new naval base and ship- nomic woes. launch taking place in 2018.” there are signs of improvement,” yard at the site. At the heart of that scandal is A big moment will be when the Berthelot said. The naval submarine shipyard in Itaguai, some 70km south from Rio de Janeiro. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 23 PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN

UN chief appoints Malala as messenger of peace Islamabad justifi es death Reuters Other current Messengers of The Pakistani education ac- United Nations Peace include actor Leonardo tivist came to prominence when di Caprio, for climate change, a Taliban gunman shot her in the sentence for actor Charlize Theron, whose head in 2012 as she was leaving nited Nations Secretary- focus is prevention of HIV and school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, General Antonio Gu- elimination of violence against northwest of the country’s capi- Indian spy Uterres appointed Nobel women, and actor Michael tal Islamabad. laureate Malala Yousafzai a UN Douglas, whose focus is disar- She was targeted for her cam- Messenger of Peace on Monday mament. paign against eff orts by the Tali- IANS to promote girls education, more ban to deny women education. Islamabad than four years after a Taliban “The extremists tried all “The extremists tried all their gunman shot her in the head on their best to stop me, they best to stop me, they tried to kill her school bus in 2012. tried to kill me and they me and they didn’t succeed,” akistan yesterday justi- At 19, Yousafzai is the young- didn’t succeed, Now this is a Yousafzai said on Monday. “Now fi ed the death sentence est Messenger of Peace, the new life, this is a second life this is a new life, this is a second Pawarded to alleged Indian highest honour given by the and it is for the purpose of life and it is for the purpose of spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and said United Nations for an initial pe- education” education.” it was capable of protecting itself riod of two years. She now lives in Britain, where against external threats. She was also the youngest Yousafzai has become a reg- she received medical treatment Pakistan was “fully equipped” person to win the Nobel peace ular speaker on the global stage after she was shot. to deal with all such “elements prize in 2014 when she was 17. and visited refugee camps in Yousafzai said that when she with an iron fi st”, Defence Min- “You are not only a hero, but Rwanda and Kenya last July to fi nishes secondary school in ister Khawaja Asif told the Sen- you are a very committed and highlight the plight of refugee June, she would like to study Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai (L) of Pakistan speaks as United Nations Secretary-General ate. generous person,” Guterres told girls from Burundi and Soma- philosophy, politics and eco- Antonio Guterres listens during a designation ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York on April 10, And in an obvious reference to Yousafzai. lia. nomics at university. 2017. Yousafzai was designated as UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on girls’ education. Indian warnings of consequenc- es if Jadhav was hanged, he add- ed: “We will defend our country at all costs.” Asif insisted that the trial of Jadhav, accused of espionage and waging war against Paki- stan, followed due legal process. “There was nothing in the (le- gal) proceedings that was against Pakistan-India the law,” he was quoted by the Urdu media as saying. “The trial went on for three months,” he said, adding that Pakistan would not grant con- cessions to elements working against the country. talks likely in India has warned Pakistan that bilateral ties would be hit if it went ahead with the death sentence awarded to Jadhav, who Islamabad says was arrested in Balochistan in March 2016. India denies he was a spy and US this month says he was abducted from Iran. Yesterday, Indian External Internews dates proposed by the World the countries to develop a con- Aff airs Minister Sushma Swaraj Islamabad Bank. sensus either on mechanism of reiterated that if Jadhav was However, talks on the two neutral expert or of court of ar- hanged, it would amount to pre- projects on the said dates are bitration mentioned in the treaty meditated murder. An Afghan refugee woman climbs onto a truck at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees n a new development, not being held as consultations for the resolution of issues per- (UNHCR) repatriation centre on the outskirts of Peshawar yesterday as they prepare to return to their Pakistan and India sec- between Pakistan and India taining to the said projects. TRANSPORTATION home country after fleeing civil war and Taliban rule. Pakistan resumed its mass repatriation of Afghan I retary-level talks for de- with the help of World Bank are And in case of failure, both refugees despite past accusations of coercion in the supposedly voluntary UN programme to return veloping a consensus in the still underway to finalise the the countries need to develop an Motorists told not hundreds of thousands to a war-torn nation. light of Indus Waters Treaty dates. agreement on the middle way to to use ‘fancy’ (IWT) on the mechanism for resolve the issues. resolution of ‘faulty designs’ The World Bank wants In case of secretary of water number plates of 300MW Kishenganga and both the countries to and power level meeting held 850MW Ratle hydropower develop a consensus between both the countries, A number of off ices and depart- Nearly 55,000 Afghans displaced projects may now be held ei- either on mechanism of one of the top men of the World ments along with off icials and ther by end of the current neutral expert or of court Bank would also be the part of legislators are involved in using month or in the first week of of arbitration mentioned in the meeting and they would try to improper number plates on their by confl ict in 2017, says UN report next month in Washington, a the treaty persuade both the parties to reach vehicles in violation of the law, senior official said. consensus to any of the mecha- especially in Pakistani capital of Minister for Water and Pow- “And we are hopeful that be- nisms or fi nd out the middle way. Islamabad. The off ices and the DPA displaced due to the fi ghting ing to the report. er Khawaja Asif on March 20, lated talks will take place by the Pakistan wants the World departments included the Prime Kabul between the radical Islamist UN spokesman Mohamed while addressing a news con- end of current month,” the of- Bank to constitute court of ar- Minster House, National Assembly, Taliban movement and security Malikzai said that the organisa- ference, had given breaking ficial said. bitration to resolve the dis- Senate Secretariat, ministries of forces, the report adds. tion is trying to verify the fi g- news, saying that Indo-Pak The official said the World putes, but India wants the solu- interior, foreign aff airs and finance, orsening confl ict has More than 16,000 civilians ures. secretary-level talks were go- Bank’s repute is at stake and it tion through the mechanism of the Cabinet Division, Election forced nearly 55,000 may have been displaced in the The report says displacement ing to take place in Washington is trying its best to arrange the neutral experts, which is why Commission of Pakistan and the WAfghans to leave their northern Badakhshan province occurred in 25 of the country’s from April 11-13, not knowing talks between the two nuclear the World Bank announced a CDA. Besides, the central police homes so far in 2017, a United in the past week alone. 34 provinces. that the World Bank had just states of India and Pakistan ‘pause’ on December 12, 2016 till off ice, the chief commissioner Nations report revealed yester- Clashes in the southern region In 2016, more than 660,600 proposed the dates for talks over selection of a mechanism the agreement on procedure or off ice, off ice of the SSP Diplomatic day. may have caused the displace- civilians fl ed their villages and which were yet to be finalised for resolution of the dispute mechanism between the parties Enclave, the excise and taxation These are the verifi ed num- ment of thousands in Kandahar, homes. with India and Pakistan. of both the projects being to the dispute. off ice (ETO), Chamber of Com- bers. Uruzgan and Helmand and a fur- This year, the UN expects to Pakistan was already pre- built on Chenab and Jhelum India is also keen to resolve the merce and Industry and others However, almost 28,000 ther 7,000 individuals in embat- see another 450,000 displaced pared for the talks, but In- rivers. issue through out-of-court set- are also using such number more individuals may have been tled Helmand province, accord- persons inside the country. dia was not ready on the The World Bank wants both tlement. plates. A letter issued from the off ice of the senior superintend- ent of the Islamabad Traff ic Police (ITP) carrying the list of the off ices stated: “On the directions of the federal minister for interior, the ITP is going to launch a campaign Pakistan to set Remittances from overseas against those working in diff erent organisations and driving their vehicles with improper or fancy number plates which is against up early fl ood the legal parameters.” After April Pakistanis up 19% in March 15, legal action would be taken against all vehicles having im- proper number plates, it added. warning system Internews same month of the previous year. that the kingdom deported more $209.14mn from $202.37mn. Karachi Remittances play a major role than 39,000 Pakistanis in the past Declining exports and a grad- AVIATION in stabilising Pakistan’s exter- few months due to low oil prices ual slowdown in remittances Three airports Internews how much it can hold or absorb nal sector, as they make up al- and growing security concerns. have been a major concern for Islamabad water,” she added. verseas Pakistani work- most half the import bill and Meanwhile, funds from the economic stakeholders of in Pakistan to She said based on this data Pa- ers sent remittances cover the defi cit in the trade of other Gulf countries — exclud- Pakistan. be privatised kistan would easily predict about Oamounting to $1.69bn goods account. ing the UAE — also declined to The country received remit- or the fi rst time, Pakistan fl oods and their intensity, when in March, an increase of 19% Nevertheless, in recent times, $197.21mn from $212.47mn in tances amounting to $19.9bn in will have an updated and they would hit the country and from February when it stood at they have come under pressure the March-on-March com- the fi scal year 2015-16, up 6.4% The federal cabinet of Pakistan is Fwell-equipped fl ood early would be able to take preventive $1.42bn, according to data re- due to global economic slow- parison. from the previous year. likely to take critical decision on warning system at the upper measures earlier. leased by the State Bank of Pa- down on the back of low crude Similarly, remittances from Analysts have warned that giving the managerial control of Indus basin, which will help the The Japan International Co- kistan (SBP) yesterday. oil prices. the UAE dropped to $363.24mn the country’s foreign reserves three prominent airports to the country prevent fi nancial, hu- operative Agency’s (JICA) chief However, cumulatively, the Country wise details for the from $396.35mn in the same might deplete fast in the coming private sector in its upcoming man and property losses caused representative Yasuhiro Tojo fi gure fails to convey the whole month of March show that the period under review. months unless its policymakers meeting scheduled to be held by fl ooding each year. said Pakistan was one of the picture as remittances during the infl ow of remittances from Under the same March-on- take serious steps in increasing today, sources said. Unesco — with the fi nancial 10 countries most aff ected by fi rst nine months (July-March) of Saudi Arabia — the country March comparison, remittances exports on sustainable basis. “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assistance from the government extreme weather events dur- the current fi scal year declined to that hosts the largest diaspora from the European Union coun- However, the SBP is con- directed the relevant authorities of Japan — is collaborating with ing 1995-2014, according to the $14.06bn from $14.39bn in the of Pakistanis (about 2.2mn) tries increased to $38.85mn from fi dent that the country faces to come up with complete report the Pakistan Council of Research Global Climate Risk Index. same period of previous fi scal in the world — came down $26.61mn and infl ows from no immediate threat from the in the upcoming federal cabinet in Water Resources (PCRWR) “Three major fl oods in 2010, year — a fall of 2.29%. to $504.6mn, compared to the United States increased to slowdown in remittances and meeting on the issue of hand- and the Pakistan Meteorologi- 2011 and 2014 aff ected more than Additionally, the country re- $514.8mn in the same month of $213.29mn from $202.73mn. it is in a much better position to ing over of managerial control cal Department (PMD) to fur- 30mn people in Pakistan and re- ceived $1.69bn in March, down the previous year. Similarly, infl ow from the repay debts in the next four to of three airports to the private ther improve and strengthen the sulted in loss and damage worth 1.1% compared to $.171bn in the A chief reason for this could be United Kingdom increased to fi ve years. sector. The sources said the fl ood early warning system and more than $14bn,” he said while objectives of outsourcing func- management capacity of Paki- speaking at a two-day workshop, tions of these airports include stan. which aimed at use of strategic improved customer facilitation, Under its project ‘Strategic data for reliable modelling in the reduction in financial burden, Strengthening of Flood Warning context of fl ood forecasting. greater capital private invest- and Management Capacity of “Japan is also one of disaster ‘US agency hacked Pakistani mobile system’ ment in aviation facilities and in- Pakistan’, Unesco has so far im- prone countries. We, therefore, frastructure, higher tax revenues plemented two phases. have suffi cient experience and ex- for governments and increased “For the fi rst time, Pakistan pertise for disaster management. Internews kistan, it was learnt yester- nications around the world. Mobilink’s GSM network. competition between airports to has tested all kinds of soil in We want to enhance co-operation Karachi day. Since the latest release, a In reply to a question, Mo- attract more traffic. According to the upper Indus Basin [for this for disaster management sector in In a tweet, the whistleblow- number of security researchers bilink’s chief technical Offi cer the official record, Civil Aviation purpose],” said the PCRWR Pakistan,” Tojo added. er website referenced a new have made use of the password Khalid Shehzad said: “Sub- Authority published a request spokesperson Dr Lubna Naheed An offi cial who is working on ikiLeaks has given set of decrypted data leaked to decrypt and make sense of scriber privacy is our top prior- for proposal to outsource the Bokhari. this project, said currently Japan weight to a claim by notorious hacker group some documents. ity. We have a state-of-the-art operation, management and “The result of this testing will is the only country that is fi nan- W that the US Na- ShadowBrokers, which re- One such researcher that goes security mechanism in place to development of New Islamabad help Pakistan to have accurate cially supporting Pakistan’s Met tional Security Agency (NSA) portedly leaked a large tranche by the Twitter name ‘x0rz’ has ensure data protection and are International Airport, Allama data on the nature of soil we have offi ce for upgrading its weather had compromised telecom- of alleged spy tools used by the claimed that part of the docu- constantly testing and upgrad- Iqbal International Airport and in the upper Indus Basin, such as forecasting system. munication networks in Pa- NSA for intercepting commu- ments show NSA’s access inside ing it.” Jinnah International Airport. Gulf Times 24 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 PHILIPPINES Manpower shortage at airports still unsolved

By William Depasupil sences. The problem was Manila Times again highlighted on Monday as the number of travellers lining up at NAIA doubled he manpower prob- because of the Holy Week lem that has led to long break.Immigration spokes- Tqueues at the Ninoy man Antonette Mangrobang Aquino International Airport said 22 of the 116 immigra- (NAIA) and other major air- tion officers assigned for first ports has not been settled be- shift duty at the NAIA did not cause offi cials of three agen- report to work. cies have failed to resolve the Mangrobang said the man- issues that prompted immi- power shortage was addressed gration offi cers to resign or go after an equivalent number on leave. of personnel were pulled out Justice Secretary Vitaliano from a temporary pool of im- Aguirre on Monday confi rmed migration offi cers temporarily that he met with Budget Sec- assigned to the airport. A soldier runs after retrieving the rifle of a colleague after clashes in the village of Napo, Inabanga town, Bolo province, in the central Philippines, yesterday. retary Benjamin Diokno and The Immigration bureau Immigration Commissioner had earlier deployed an addi- Jaime Morente on Friday but tional 170 immigration offi cers they did not reach any agree- to the NAIA and other interna- ment on how to resolve the tional airports as a temporary problem. measure to address manpower “We have many points shortage. which we have not completely Morente had cancelled all agreed upon. So we would approved leaves of BI employ- Nine dead as militants like to seek the good offi ces ees during the month. of the Offi ce of the President. The issue on overtime pay of So we’ll be meeting again and immigration offi cers stemmed hopefully make a palliative from the president’s veto of the solution to our problem at the express lane fund (ELF), which immigration at the airport,” in the past had been the source Aguirre said. of funding to pay for the serv- attack tourist island The unresolved issue in ices of the bureau’s confi den- overtime pay has resulted in tial agents, overtime pay and AFP at tiny primates called tarsiers, mass resignations and ab- contractual employees. Manila go on cruises aboard boats on crystal-clear rivers and lounge on its beaches. ine people including Three soldiers and one police- four Philippine secu- man were killed in the fi ghting, Nrity offi cials were killed according to a joint statement EU denies it has frozen yesterday during clashes with from the region’s military and suspected militants on a popular police. resort island as millions prepare “We are doing our best to Philippine trade to travel for the Easter holiday. make sure the confl ict will not The incursion allegedly by spread out,” regional army the Abu Sayyaf kidnap group on spokesman Colonel Medel Agui- talks over human rights Bohol island would be the fi rst lar said by telephone. on a key Philippine tourist des- “We are clearing the area,” tination in recent years by mili- said Aguilar but did not give a Reuters almost 20 trade negotiations, tants who pledged allegiance to timetable. “We have deployed Brussels not all of them can advance as Islamic State fi ghters and often enough forces to accomplish the quickly,” he said, adding that targets foreigners in the lawless mission.” the EU was focusing on talks south. Bohol provincial governor he European Commis- with Japan, Mexico and the Five gunmen were killed while Edgar Chatto said the violence sion said yesterday the Mercosur bloc. four assault rifl es and an impro- was isolated in one village, TPhilippines’ human The Philippines derided vised explosive device were re- where he said hundreds of resi- rights record could infl uence the European Parliament last covered in the fi ghting, offi cials dents had already fl ed to safety future trade ties, but denied month for interfering in its af- said. in nearby areas. reports that it had suspended fairs after it issued a resolution Just days earlier the US and Residents take their belongings as they ride on a wooden boat to a safer place in the village of Napo, “I am very disappointed that free trade negotiations with calling for the release of a lead- Australia warned their citizens Inabanga town, Bolo province, in the central Philippines yesterday, after security personnel clashed with these elements coming out of Manila. ing critic of the president’s war about possible “terrorist” kid- the Abu Sayyaf group on the popular resort island. nowhere are trying to destroy The GUE/NGL left-wing on drugs. nappings in Bohol or nearby the lives of people living in grouping in the European More than 8,000 people Cebu island. picious activity, according to copter, said the photographer, part of the Abu Sayyaf group peace,” Chatto said. Parliament said yesterday it have died in President Rodrigo Britain yesterday issued a Guimalan. who asked not to be named. from Mindanao,” he said on The Abu Sayyaf, also blamed welcomed the Commission’s Duterte’s war on drugs since he similar travel advisory. Local offi cials said the mili- He added that residents said ABS-CBN television. The armed for deadly bombings, has decision to pause the trade took offi ce last June. “We’re quite worried...we are tants had used fast boats Mon- they saw two uniformed soldiers men sailed upriver from Inaban- pledged allegiance to the Islamic talks, referring to two media Human rights groups say afraid of hostage situations,” day to reach a village where they who looked to be either dead ga, a farming and fi shing coastal State movement that holds large reports. thousands of deaths of drug said Khent Guimalan, who works squared off against security or wounded being evacuated community some 780 kilome- swathes of Iraq and Syria. But the Commission said users and peddlers were extra- at the upscale Bohol Beach Club. forces early yesterday. aboard a military helicopter. tres away from the Abu Sayyaf Over the past year the Abu there had been no such sus- judicial killings by security “The mayor and police have A Filipino photographer in the Security forces have been on stronghold of Jolo in the south- Sayyaf has been expanding its pension. forces. tightened security. area saw a hut burning and about alert for “potential activity on ern Philippines, local police said. activities, boarding commer- “The negotiations are at a The Commission spokes- There’s a checkpoint every- 20 soldiers armed with a ma- the part of some lawless ele- Bohol, about 600 kilometres cial and fi shing vessels off their very early stage. The second man said yesterday it was very where,” Guimalan said by phone chine gun and automatic rifl es ments” during the peak Easter south of Manila, is a mere 30 southern island stronghold of and latest round took place in concerned about the killings from the Panglao tourist area, trading intermittent fi re with tourist season, military spokes- minutes’ boat ride away from Jolo, near Malaysia, and abduct- February, and for the moment and was monitoring whether where she said hotels were fully unseen snipers all afternoon at man Brigadier-General Resti- the major port of Cebu on Cebu ing dozens of foreign crew mem- the next round has not been the Philippines was meeting booked until next week. a cornfi eld near the Inabanga tuto Padilla said. island, which is also among the bers. scheduled,” a Commission conditions, such as on rights Following the clash authori- river. “Our forces who were acting country’s top tourist draws. They beheaded a German spokesman said. and the environment, required ties distributed photos of sus- At one point, loud blasts rang on this information were able The island is famous among tourist in February and two Ca- The fi rst round was held last for the removal of tariff s on pected Abu Sayyaf members out as a military plane fl ew over to engage these lawless armed foreign tourists who swim with nadian tourists last year. May. “The EU is involved in many of its exports to the EU. asking locals to report any sus- the area followed later by a heli- groups that are believed to be docile whale sharks and marvel All three were snatched at sea.

Duterte likely to bring home pardoned OFWs Call to probe cops aiding

By Catherine S Valente ‘illegal gambling’ operators Manila Times

By Eugene Y Adiong “Jesus Clavecillas,” “Boy Agong,” resident Rodrigo Duterte Manila Times/Bacolod City “Bongbong Negro” and “To- on Monday said he may likoy.” Chiong said they received Pbring home some over- the tipster and list on their mail seas Filipino workers (OFWs) on n anti-crime and corrup- box on Monday morning. death row in the Middle East. tion group on Monday But he refused to reveal the In a news conference before Acalled on the local police names of the two police offi c- his departure for the Middle here to take action on reported ers as alleged protectors of the East, Duterte said he plans to fl y proliferation of illegal gambling numbers game pending submis- home Filipinos who have been after receiving a handwritten list sion of their report to Philippine granted clemency by the Gulf of alleged operators and protec- National Police Chief Ronald de states. tors led by two top ranking police la Rosa. “I will fly them home. When offi cers in Negros Occidental. “I will refer this to the offi ce of I return, I’ll be bringing some John Chiong, deputy national PNP chief De la Rosa for him to of them home,” he told report- commander of Task Force Cru- order an independent investiga- ers. saders on Monday presented tion to determine the validity of “Those who are given the to members of the local media the link of the two police offi cers permission of clemency to here several copies of a “tipster” named on the list as protectors which is about 5,000 of them, printed by Meridien Vista Gam- of illegal gambling,” Chiong said. we’ll start bringing them ing Corporation of Sitio Racal, He added that the police back,” he added. Barangay Rapuli, Santa Ana, “should welcome this as it in- Duterte is now in Saudi Cagayan with title “Helping forms them that there is still the Arabia, and will next visit the Hands.” existence of illegal gambling in Kingdom of Bahrain from to- A tipster is a piece of paper Negros and Bacolod City.” day until April 14, and the Saudi Arabia’s King Salman welcomes Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a reception ceremony in Riyadh yesterday. printed with a daily guide for “The president has called for State of Qatar (April 14-16). bettors in choosing numbers to an eradication of illegal gam- He will meet with King Sal- Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al- are about 760,000 Filipinos in members of the Filipino com- support for our efforts to bet on. bling and that only the govern- man in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Thani in Doha, Qatar. Saudi Arabia, 60,000 in Bah- munity during his trip. bring reform and change in our Among the names of gam- ment sanctioned-Small Town King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa According to the Depart- rain, and 250,000 in Qatar. “I am excited to see them country,” the president said in bling operators mentioned by Lottery will be recognised,” in Manama, and HH the Emir ment of Foreign Affairs, there Duterte will meet with and will thank them for their his departure speech. Chiong on the list are a certain Chiong pointed out. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 25 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL Nepal proposes charter change ahead of key polls The new bill proposes to nearly two decades – have to recommend changes to the brought an end to the violence, passed in September 2015 on a set up a commission to left Kathmandu’s already di- country’s proposed provinces. transforming the country from wave of national solidarity after recommend changes to vided political establishment “We decided to withdraw the a Hindu monarchy to a federal the deadly earthquake of April the country’s proposed in turmoil. previous amendment bill as it state. that year, but sparked bloody provinces Parties representing the was unlikely to be endorsed from The local elections will pave demonstrations from the Mad- Madhesi ethnic group – who the parliament and even ruling the way for provincial and na- hesi ethnic group who said it left AFP have long complained of be- parties were against it,” Hit Raj tional elections, which need them politically marginalised. Kathmandu ing marginalised at the ballot Pandey, a member of the ruling to be held by January 2018 The government registered an box – have refused to take part Maoist party, said. according to the constitution. initial bill to amend the consti- in elections without an amend- “The move of the government Laxman Lal Karn, a Mad- tution last November but failed epal’s government yes- ment to the constitution, while to register the new amendment hesi leader, said they had not to pass it. terday registered a new the largest opposition party bill is aimed at holding the local made any decision whether they “This amendment bill is a Namendment bill to its has refused to back any charter poll in the stipulated date and would now participate in the signal that we might be heading controversial constitution in a changes. ensuring the participation of ag- local elections. towards solutions. All parties Apu Biswas and Shakib Khan ... the star pair bid to persuade all political par- The new bill skirts the con- itated Madhesi parties as well.” “We will take a decision only want the election so this bill has ties to take part in long-delayed tentious issue of redrawing fed- Nepal emerged from a bloody after the government passes the a better chance of getting ap- local elections. eral boundaries – the central civil war in 2006 and the local new amendment bill from the proved and paving way for the The May elections – the Madhesi demand – instead pro- elections are a key step in the parliament,” Karn said. polls,” Guna Raj Luitel, editor of fi rst at the local level for posing to set up a commission drawn out peace process that The new constitution was the Nagarik newspaper. Stars’ secret Hasina: India marriage visit a success sparks web

IANS On the sharing of Teesta’s riv- Dhaka er waters, she said Indian Prime sensation Minister Narendra Modi “has pledged to sign the agreement. angladesh Prime Minister We can wait with patience for AFP gence to me anymore, so I’m Sheikh Hasina said yester- signing it”. Dhaka sharing everything.” Bday that her India visit was “They have to release the Bangladesh’s movie idols a success and that she had gone water, they’ll have no option have been known to con- to seek friendship, which she got during rainy days, so they’ll ne of Bangladesh’s ceal their marriages before to from her neighbour. have to. And we have to fi nd biggest fi lm stars maintain the illusion of avail- Answering queries about her methods to retain it,” she said, Ocaused an Internet ability to their adoring fans. April 7-10 state visit to India, bdnews24 quoted her as sensation yesterday when she But the decision appeared Hasina also said there was noth- saying. revealed she had wed her on- to backfi re as thousands in the ing to hide in the agreements and She also spoke about West screen lover, but kept the mar- conservative Muslim-majori- MoUs signed with India and eve- Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaking during a news conference as Awami League leader Obaidul riage secret for nine years to ty nation took to social media rything was open to the public. Banerjee’s alternative proposal Quader looks on in Dhaka yesterday. protect his career. to condemn the 38-year-old “I did not return empty- on giving Bangladesh water from Apu Biswas told a Bang- superstar. handed. I got something. Some- four smaller rivers instead of raise a question over the deal Malice to None,’ is the “guiding frustration. There’s nothing ladesh television station she Khan initially denied the times I jokingly say – I wanted Teesta. signed with India. factor of our foreign policy”. frustrating.” had a seven-month-old child marriage had taken place, at- water, but got electricity,” Hasi- She said she was ‘pleasantly “No anti-state agreement will “I’m trying to comply with Her comments come as Civil with Shakib Khan, whom she tacking Biswas as a failure. na told reporters at her offi cial surprised’ that Narendra Modi be signed as long as I am alive,” the policy word by word and es- Aviation and Tourism Minister had married in secret in 2008, He later admitted the pair residence Ganabhaban. came to receive her at the airport she said. tablish good relations with every Rashed Khan Menon on Tues- and was only going public now were married and had a child, “I went there to seek friend- in New Delhi. She slammed the opposition country,” she said, Prothom Alo day blamed West Bengal Chief because of his neglect. but accused Biswas of trying ship. And I got that friendship,” Hasina said 11 deals and 24 Bangladesh Nationalist Party for quoted her as saying. Minister Mamata Banerjee for She has starred in at least to bring down his career with Hasina replied when a newsman memoranda of understanding alleging that Bangladesh was be- She said that India and China “spoiling Prime Minister Sheikh 40 movies alongside her now her revelations. asked her what Bangladesh got (MoU) were signed between the ing “sold out” to India through might have problems in their bi- Hasina’s India visit”. estranged husband, known as “It is a plan to destroy from her India visit. neighbours during the visit. her visit. “I am a daughter of lateral relations but Bangladesh Referring to Mamata’s refusal to King Khan in Bangladesh for Shakib Khan. If Shakib Khan The prime minister said noth- Hasina said all agreements Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur would maintain good ties with change her stance on Teesta water his dominance of the silver is destroyed, the Bangladesh ing happened during her India with foreign countries are signed Rahman. All will have to under- every country. sharing, Menon said “Teesta is an screen. fi lm is destroyed,” he told the visit that could make people after approval of the cabinet. stand that I am not a person who This was Hasina’s fi rst tour to international river. Its water is our “I kept the marriage secret NTV news website. pessimists. “So, these are open documents,” can sell out the country to any- India after the Narendra Modi gov- right. It is not up to anyone’s pity for his welfare. I’ve sacrifi ced Biswas disappeared from “I am satisfi ed with the visit. she said. one,” she declared. ernment came to power in 2014. to give us the water. It is our right,” a lot,” the 33-year-old told the silver screen last year. The visit is a success. It’s a mat- “There is no hide and seek To a question on her govern- She also stayed at the Rashtrapati he told the Daily Star. News24 in a tearful television Khan is known as a one- ter of satisfaction that India has regarding the agreements and ment’s policy to maintain rela- Bhavan, in a sign of the importance “Mamata has besmirched interview that has been end- man fi lm industry in Bangla- treated Bangladesh as a sovereign MoUs,” she said. tions with both India and China, India attached to her visit. the Prime Minister’s otherwise lessly replayed and shared on desh, where he has featured state. We have got the honour of a Asked about the defence deal, Hasina said the policy of Banga- Hasina said: “The trip was successful tour to India,” the social media in Bangladesh. in scores of hits, most of them sovereign state,” Hasina said. Hasina said there is no scope to bandhu – ‘Friendship with all, hugely satisfying. There’s no minister said. “But I can’t take his negli- romance or action movies. Indian, Bangladeshi fi rms Chinese official meets Sirisena ink MoUs worth over $9bn

IANS at Meghnaghat, near Dhaka, Adani Power (Jharkhand) cubic ft per day LNG termi- New Delhi worth $1bn, out of a total and the Bangladesh Power nal at Kutubdia Island near proposed investment of $3bn. Development Board signed a Chittagong. A facility agreement was deal entailing an investment of The MoUs signed include ndian and Bangladeshi fi rms signed between Bangladesh $2bn. Adani Power also signed those on LNG terminal use be- have signed memoranda India Friendship Power Com- a power purchase agreement tween India’s Petronet LNG and Iof understanding (MoUs) pany (BIFPCL) and Exim and Power Grid Company of Petrobangla. worth over $9bn designed to Bank of India for debt fi nanc- Bangladesh. Addressing the gathering deepen co-operation in vari- ing of $1.6bn for construc- State-run NTPC Vidyut earlier, Sheikh Hasina invited ous sectors, including power, tion of the 1,320MW Maitree Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) and Indian businesses to invest in oil and gas. Power Project in Rampal in Bangladesh Power Develop- her country, assuring all facili- Among the major MoUs, Bangladesh. ment Board signed an agree- ties for business. Reliance Power executed The MoUs’ signing event ment for supply of power Indian Petroleum Minis- project agreements with Bang- here, also attended by visit- from Nepal that envisages an ter Dharmendra Pradhan said ladesh Power Development ing Bangladesh Prime Minister investment of $3.15bn. Indo-Bangla relations go be- Yu Zhengsheng, left, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Board (BPDB) for phase I of Sheikh Hasina, was organised Reliance Power has also yond mere trade numbers and Conference (CPPCC), meets with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Colombo. Yu visited the the 750MW liquefi ed natu- by industry chambers Ficci, CII signed an MoU with PetroBang- consists of “shared memories, island country last week at the invitation of Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. ral gas (LNG) power project and Assocham. la to set up a 500mn standard experience and history”. Nepal’s rhinos on road to recovery with cross-country move Finding suitable rhinos for has seen the population stead- More than three hours later, an lumbering strides gradually slow tially appears reluctant to budge. ment repopulates Shuklaphanta By Annabel Symington, AFP the ambitious relocation pro- ily climb over the past decade to excited whisper goes around as an- until he falls to his knees about But lumbering out of the crate, and another reserve in Bardia Chitwan gramme is a marathon eff ort for around 645. other rhino is spotted: a huge male. 100m away. he suddenly springs to life and with new rhinos. the 100-strong team. But new blood was needed in The elephants encircle it, The vets attach a satellite col- charges the truck, butting it a The growing population of Atop elephants they set off at Shuklaphanta National Park, slowly encouraging him towards lar around his neck and take few times with his horn before greater one-horned rhinos – ll hell broke loose as the dawn in Chitwan National Park, currently home to about eight a marksman waiting perched in a blood samples before a dozen turning his attention to three el- found only in Nepal and India – one-horned rhino stepped communicating in brief shouts rhinos, to protect the country’s tree with a tranquilliser dart gun. men roll him onto a sledge. A ephants standing nearby. prompted the International Un- Aout of the crate, the pow- and hand signals as they fan out population against threats, said It is a painstaking process: one tractor is needed to shift him Ploughing headlong into the ion for Conservation of Nature erful male charging elephant- across the plain and into the Dr Kanchan Thapa, a biologist wrong move could startle the into a crate before the convoy trio, the rhino leaves a deep gash to remove the species from its mounted mahouts relocating dense jungle. from conservation group WWF. 2-tonne male into charging the begins a 15-hour overnight jour- on the backside of one elephant, endangered list in 2008. him to a new home in Nepal’s far Thousands of one-horned A young female is the fi rst rhi- elephants or slipping back into ney to his new home. panicking the beasts as the ma- But the illegal trade of rhino west in the hope of shoring up the rhinos once roamed the south- no spotted – a prime candidate the forest. It is midmorning by the time houts on top try to regain calm. horns, which are prized in Chi- vulnerable species. ern plains of Nepal but rampant – but as she emerges from the He moves slowly towards the the truck reaches Shuklaphanta The rhino stormed into the na and Southeast Asia for their The male – whose single horn poaching and pressures of hu- dense bush, a young calf of about open plain where the marks- National Park in the far south- forest and out of sight, leaving a supposed medicinal properties, keeps him in the crosshairs of man encroachment reduced nine months follows her out. man waits, almost veering out western corner of Nepal. cloud of dust in its wake. remains a real threat. wildlife poachers – is the fi rst their numbers to around 100 in Her calf – which will stay with of range before coming to a stop Anticipation builds as the The arduous task of relocating Only three rhinos have been to be relocated to Shuklaphanta the later part of last century. its mother until it is around two within striking distance. crate is opened, revealing the these rare animals will be repli- killed by poachers in Nepal in the National Park but will be joined A successful anti-poaching years old – counts her out of the The dart hits the rhino in its vast backside of a sleeping rhino. cated at least 30 times over the last four years – the most recent by four females of breeding age. and conservation initiative move. The search continues. fl ank. It breaks into a run but his Despite the long journey, he ini- next few years, as the govern- on Saturday. Gulf Times 26 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 COMMENT

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Deputy Managing Editor: K T Chacko Emir’s visit to Kenya opens

P.O.Box 2888 new chapter in relations Doha, Qatar [email protected] Telephone 44350478 (news), QNA 14th session, and was emphasised by Doha Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Aff airs 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) and president of UNCTAD Amina Fax 44350474 Mohamed. atari-Kenyan relations The minister of foreign aff airs of enjoy mutual respect and Kenya also expressed her country’s appreciation and developing offi cial support to Qatar’s candidate Qco-operation at all levels. for the Unesco and said that Kenya HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin will seek to ensure the success of this Hamad al-Thani’s visit to Kenya aims candidacy. GULF TIMES at strengthening and developing the Qatar also backs Kenya against existing relations between the two criminal acts targeting innocent countries and enhancing co-operation people on its territories as Doha has and co-ordination in issues of joint on many occasions condemned and interest. denounced all criminal acts against Brexit needs to open The visit also consolidates the the stability of Kenya. agreements signed during the visit Qatar is also keen to help the Kenyan paid by the President of Kenya Uhuru people, especially those aff ected by the Kenyatta to Doha in 2014, and will drought by launching emergency relief healthy race for the contribute to broadening co-operation appeals and sustainable development in new areas. projects in the worst-hit areas, such as Kenya considers HH the Emir’s visit RAF International University, which an opportunity to open new horizons is the largest educational project City’s coveted crown of mutual co-operation and promising adopted by a charity, not only in Qatar economic and investment chances, but also in the Arab world, and the under the country’s investment “Educate A Child”, which is one of the The UK’s offi cial request to the European Union to protection laws that attract investors HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Kenyan President Uhuru programmes run by Education Above start negotiating the fi ner terms of Brexit in a two-year from all countries and ensure the Kenyatta at the off icial reception ceremony hosted at the presidential Palace in All Foundation in co-operation with fl ow of their business and the success Nairobi yesterday. the United Nations Children’s Fund run has added fuel to another race: For the coveted of their investments in all sectors (Unicef) to accelerate the provision crown of London’s role the global fi nancial hub. without exception. financial markets, banking and operation, and an agreement for the of education to 300,000 children in The “City”, home to over 250 foreign banks and the Kenya seeks through its promising capital markets, and the various avoidance of double taxation and the remote areas in this country. Lloyd’s of London insurance market, now faces a crisis investment climate and its new laws to types of tourism. prevention of fi nancial evasion with ‘Food and Light’ is another attract foreign investment and provide Kenya also enjoys promising respect to income taxes. initiative, aimed at enabling as fi rms debate whether to shift jobs to continental the largest possible employment opportunities in mining and mineral The two sides also signed an MoU thousands of children to be educated Europe to keep serving customers there after Britain opportunities. exploration, as well as investment for co-operation in mining, an MoU and providing the necessary support leaves the EU in 2019. The country’s economy is stable opportunities in the fi eld of between Qatar Chamber and the for their families at a total cost of and growing, and it has become communications and information Kenyan Chamber of Commerce and QR60mn in 20 Asian and African Amid many a doomsday prediction, an EY report an economic force in the African technology, and in the various energy Industry, and another MoU on the countries, including Kenya. forecasts a loss of 232,000 jobs fi nancial jobs in Britain continent thanks to its stable domains. development of a power plant in the Economic Empowerment is a as result of Brexit. Goldman Sachs is planning to move environment. In addition to its wide-range of Republic of Kenya. project implemented by Qatar Charity The tourism and agriculture promising business opportunities, In April 2015, the two sides signed in the northeast of Kenya to help up to 1,000 people to Frankfurt, while Morgan Stanley sectors are the most promising Kenya is distinguished by its strategic a memorandum of understanding the residents of that area to cope has set its eyes on both Frankfurt and Dublin. areas for Qatari investors and geographical location, which makes it for the development of the fi nancial with the severe drought that hit the A central theme of the grant Brexit narrative is businessmen, supported by a an important gateway to the Middle sector aimed at identifying future region, leaving very diffi cult economic package of measures and facilities, East and Africa, in addition to its cooperation between them in this eff ects on the people who lost their the “passporting rights,” that entitles companies labour availability and a good modern ports which serve many of the fi eld. livestock, which is their only source of authorised in one country of the European Economic investment climate. neighbouring countries that do not The MoU included the exchange livelihood. Area – currently comprising the 28 EU states plus Kenya also seeks to attract Qatari overlook the Red Sea. of best practices relevant to the Kenya was praised by the Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – to sell their investors in the fields of agro- In 2014, Qatar and Kenya signed development of the fi nancial sector. international community for its processing, livestock, fisheries, seven agreements in the fi elds of Since the establishment of development and relief eff orts amid products and services throughout the bloc, accessing leather and poultry products as economy, trade, , the promotion and diplomatic ties between Qatar and diffi cult circumstances. a $19tn integrated economy with more than 500mn well as infrastructure development, protection of investments, legal co- Kenya on December 28, 2003, the two In early March, UN Secretary- citizens. countries have been working towards General Antonio Guterres expressed Emir’s visit strengthens ties: envoy greater support on issues of mutual his full solidarity with the Kenyan Close to 87% of US investment banks’ EU staff live in concern. government in light of the drought the UK, which also boasts 78% of the region’s capital The ambassador of Kenya to Qatar an important visit to strengthen the Qatari diplomacy is highly aff ecting the country and hoped that markets activity, says New Financial, a research group. Galma Mukhe Boru stressed the relations of co-operation between the respected by the Kenyan side and is the international community would importance of HH the Emir Sheikh two countries in all fields and push receiving constant commendations support Kenya as reward for the its According to consulting fi rm Oliver Wyman, around Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s visit to economic relations towards wider for its interaction with the most generosity, especially with regard to a fi fth of the UK banking sector’s annual revenue – his country yesterday as part of his prospects. prominent regional and international refugees. between £23bn and £27bn – is based on passporting African tour, saying that this is an The ambassador aff irmed the interest issues, and for its steadfast and solid Guterres also said that Kenya is access. important opportunity to develop and keenness of Kenya to open the position in the Middle East and in the a model in all aspects, not only on relations between the two countries way for Qatari businessmen and international community. the African continent, but around The Financial Conduct Authority estimates that and support areas of co-operation in investors to establish vital projects The Kenyan appreciation has the world proving that in today’s about 5,500 UK fi rms use passporting to do business on all fields. in his country. Therefore, he said, HH emerged for the Qatari role in peace international community there the continent, and that In a statement to Qatar News Agency the Emir’s visit to Nairobi constitutes and development on more than are countries that are moving in (QNA), the Kenyan ambassador said a strong impetus in this direction, one occasion, including Qatar’s order to make sure that the three London’s allure 8,000 companies based that the government and people of especially as the Kenyan government presidency of the 13th session of the pillars of the UN can be fully met in Europe use it to access Kenya welcome the visit of HH the will facilitate the procedures of Qatari United Nations Conference on Trade peace and security, sustainable and as the global the UK. Emir to their country, considering it as investments in Kenya. and Development (UNCTAD XIII), inclusive development and human fi nancial hub is For sure, a hard Brexit currently chaired by Kenya at its rights. deal with the loss of not going to fade passporting rights will that easily tempt cities such as Qatar, S Africa fi rm up strategic partnership Frankfurt, Dublin and Paris – after decades of falling behind – to challenge QNA as policing, arts and culture, which In South Africa, the candidate met schedules three fl ights daily to each other for the City’s business. Doha showed the depth of trust between with senior offi cials in Pretoria and Johannesburg, Cape Town, and the two countries and keenness on presented his campaign platform Durban. Make no mistake, London’s allure is not going to fade boosting it. at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, The banking system in South that soon, that easily. It enjoys several big advantages atari-South African The visit of South African President which calls for forgiveness and Africa is modern and developed and is over its European rivals, including a lightly regulated ties are based on strong Jacob Zuma to Doha in 2012 was renounces racism and violence. considered one of the biggest in Africa. pillars of fruitful strategic a major milestone in the march of Qatar and South Africa work towards It is also a gateway and home for labour market and a legal system that (by EU standards) Qpartnership, mutual trust bilateral relations as it witnessed lifting all obstacles facing joint and many international companies’ off ers clarity and certainty, according to a Bloomberg and diverse co-operation to serve the signing of several agreements mutual investments as well as granting headquarters, making it an column. bilateral relations between the two in diff erent fi elds, including water, facilitations to attract investors and encouraging and attractive investment countries and the interests of Africa energy, construction, agriculture prosper relations between Qatari and environment. Europe’s rival centres should keep their hopes and the Arab region, culminating in and infrastructure, embodying the South African businessmen to succeed As an example, Doha Bank has in check, too. Some banks may use Brexit as an an economic diplomacy that plays a keenness of both countries on building in their diff erent investments such as opened a branch in South Africa, opportunity to downsize their European operations, constructive role in boosting ties of sustainable strategic partnerships of foodstuff s. while several Qatari businessmen have shifting work to Hong Kong and New York instead. common concern. mutual benefi t. Co-operation in the fi elds of energy investments there. HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin President Zuma’s visit was not the and liquefi ed natural gas between both South Africa invests in Qatar through London has retained the mantle as the world’s top Hamad al-Thani’s visit to South Africa fi rst by a South African head of state countries is also well developed. Sasol Oryx GTL to convert Qatari gas fi nancial centre, though Brexit uncertainty saw its lead assumes a historic dimension as it is to Doha though; historic leader Nelson Qatar is the seventh trade partner to diesel, and Qatar Chamber hosted a over Asian rivals narrow, according to Z/Yen Group’s his fi rst since assuming power in 2013 Mandela and President Thabo Mbeki to South Africa in the Middle East, South African businessmen delegation and will, in turn, enhance the ties being the others, which shows the where trade volume is valued at nearly to develop trade and economic latest Global Financial Centres Index published in via a set of fruitful agreements and strength of ties throughout the years. $500mn. co-operation between businessmen March. Frankfurt and Dublin are ranked 23rd and 33rd favourable channels to explore the Relations between the two countries South African exports to Qatar from both countries, especially in the respectively, while Paris came in at 29. prospects of investment and economic date back to 1994 after South include chemicals and basic metals for agriculture, industry and food security opportunities in diff erent sectors such Africa was liberated from apartheid plant products, medical equipment sectors. Brexit is the greatest disaster to strike the EU in its as infrastructure, and the possibility segregation system. and devices, vehicles, aircraft, ships Nearly 6,000 South Africans 60-year history and the UK capital perhaps felt the of setting up a variety of projects, Diplomatic ties developed, with and transport equipment. live in Qatar, working in diff erent greatest shock of modern times with the vote to leave. in addition to new agreements that South Africa opening its embassy in On the other hand, South Africa sectors such as education, nursing, are notably related to waiving visa Doha in 2003, while offi cials exchanged imports mineral products from Qatar engineering, banking and physical But when service providers jostle for lead in a healthy requirements for holders of diplomatic visits in diff erent sectors so as to unite as well as chemicals and plastics. training. race, customers stand to benefi t, mostly. and special passports and exchanging visions on issues such as international The joint investment volume South Africa’s population of more While Europe should embrace this competition, the expertise in the health sector. security and peace, which refl ected on between both countries is valued at than 54mn come from several origins, EU needs to ensure a level playing fi eld and the existing Qatar Investment Authority will the stability of Africa. $13.5bn. making it one of the most diverse have a presence during the visit in The last of these visits came in In addition, Qatar Airways African nations. rules on fi nancial stability aren’t undermined. order to learn about investment March this when HE the Foreign London’s loss may not be Paris’ gain. opportunities in ocean economy, Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin which include fi shing, shipping and Abdulrahman al-Thani visited South Emir’s visit of great importance: envoy infrastructure projects along South Africa. Africa’s coasts. South Africa is keen on the success The visit of HH the Emir Sheikh countries in the political, economic At the political and economic of Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to South fields, and as an active country that To Advertise levels, the past few years witnessed Cup, where on many occasions it has Africa is of great importance and is contributes to settle many disputes a noticeable progress in relations expressed willingness to pass on its closely followed by the international and issues between countries both [email protected] between Qatar and South Africa experience with organising the event, political, economic and social circles, in its region and outside it through Display that saw diversity in the fi elds of especially considering the ongoing said Qatar’s ambassador to South peaceful and diplomatic means. Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 trade, economy and services through talks with the Supreme Committee Africa Abdullah Hussein al-Jaber. He pointed out that the two regulating agreements for co- for Delivery and Legacy in order to In a statement to Qatar News countries have excellent economic Classified ordination and co-operation such as exchange expertise on keeping the Agency (QNA), al-Jaber said that the relations, characterised by co- Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 agreements on establishing diplomatic spectators safe during the event. reason why the visit of HH the Emir to operation in many fields and ties, economic co-operation, In addition, South Africa was an South Africa is important and followed investment, adding that co- Subscription encouraging and mutual protection important stop for HE Dr Hamad bin by various international circles at all operation between the two countries [email protected] of investments, avoidance of double Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, adviser at the levels is due to the status and excellent goes beyond this to include taxation and fi nancial evasion, Emiri Diwan and Qatar’s candidate for reputation that Qatar has gained education, health, security, sports bilateral air services, and enhancing the director-general post at the United internationally over the past years as and food as well as the financial and 2017 Gulf Times. All rights reserved two-way investments, in addition Nations Educational, Scientifi c and one of the most prominent regional banking sectors. to agreements in other fi elds such Cultural Organisation (Unesco). Gulf Times Wednesday, April 12, 2017 27 COMMENT Trump’s tomahawks won’t help

Military action alone will army. In the past, the fund has quelled than 120 retired generals signed a unforeseen crises in South Sudan, letter to Trump arguing that funding do little to solve Syria’s Mali, and Cote d’Ivoire, and other the State Department and the USAID problems. Even the countries. is “critical to preventing confl ict and Furthermore, Trump wants reducing the need to put our men and generals on whom Trump steep cuts to the US Agency for women in uniform in harm’s way.” relies say that his budget International Development’s Food for Congress should reject Trump’s Peace programme, which has helped budget proposal unanimously. But cuts are folly to feed 3bn people in 150 countries it probably won’t. In the House of since President Dwight D. Eisenhower Representatives, the Republican By Gregory A. Maniatis created it in 1954, and to eliminate majority is hopelessly divided. Fiscal New York the US Department of Agriculture’s conservatives prefer a balanced budget McGovern-Dole Food for Education to international aid, and the far-right Program. He also wants a one-third Freedom Caucus wants to limit the here is a tragic inconsistency cut in funding to Unicef, which scope of government every way it can. in US President Donald provides clean water for children. And In the Senate, a majority seems to Trump’s response to Syrian he seeks to reduce the United States’ understand the recklessness of the TPresident Bashar al-Assad’s $2bn contribution to the World Food Trump administration’s approach. use of sarin gas against his country’s Program. “America being a force is a lot people. Trump said that he was moved Such cuts could hardly come at a more than building up the Defence to act by images of innocent children worse time. The UN has declared a Department,” Senate Majority Leader in Idlib province who had been killed famine for the fi rst time since 2011, Mitch McConnell said. “Diplomacy by the deadly nerve agent. Yet Trump’s as 20mn people face starvation in is important, extremely important, administration stands behind a Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and I don’t think these reductions at proposed budget that will cause even and Yemen. Unicef estimates that the State Department are appropriate, greater harm to people in Idlib and almost 1.4mn children are already because many times diplomacy is around the world. at imminent risk of death from a lot more eff ective – and certainly For starters, Trump wants to slash severe acute malnutrition, and urges cheaper – than military engagement.” overall funding to the United Nations concerted action to save them. But, despite such strong words, no – a move that would undermine Moreover, many fragile states concerted opposition to the proposed the entire global humanitarian-aid are at risk of becoming failed ones, budget cuts has emerged in the Senate. system. Last year, the US contributed exacerbating the ongoing refugee Preparing a budget is both about $10bn to UN eff orts that crisis. As the new state of South Sudan challenging and important. But the support refugees, feed the poor, has gradually collapsed into starvation arcane details of that process must protect human rights, vaccinate and chaos, more than 600,000 people not be allowed to obscure the reality children, and uphold peace. Trump have fl ed into Uganda alone. Globally, that the world is facing a serious not only wants to cut that spending 65mn people have been forced from humanitarian crisis. The US has a by nearly 30%; he also plans to gut their homes in recent years; 23mn of long tradition of providing relief to or even eliminate US government them are international refugees. populations worldwide. To break with programmes that help prevent Yet Trump is also set to undermine that tradition – or, worse, to play an starvation and provide essential already-strained refugee programmes. US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Ross fires a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea at a Syrian air active role in creating a humanitarian services in Idlib and elsewhere. The UN Refugee Agency receives force airfield last Friday. crisis – would amount to a repudiation Even seeming minor cuts can have $1.5bn of its $4bn budget from the US. of the values America claims to an outsize impact. For example, Trump wants to slash its contribution Trump expressed his horror at the 5mn last week. This has destabilised the generals on whom Trump relies uphold. Yet that is the path that the the State Department is scrapping by more than $500mn. As if that recent chemical attack in Syria. Of neighbouring countries, where nearly say that his budget cuts are folly. “If Trump administration seems set to Emergency Refugee and Migration were not enough, Trump has signed course, Trump is right to be horrifi ed 4mn refugees now reside, as well you don’t fund the State Department take. – Project Syndicate Assistance, a small but crucial fund executive orders that could reduce US by the situation in Syria. Nearly a as the European Union, which has fully, then I need to buy more that has been deployed in Idlib to refugee admissions by more than half, half-million people have died there received most of the rest. ammunition ultimately,” Defence zGregory A. Maniatis is a senior provide emergency food aid to Syrians to just 50,000 this fi scal year. since 2011. The number of Syrian But military action alone will do Secretary General John Mattis said European policy fellow at the Migration driven from their homes by Assad’s It is against this background that refugees outside the country topped little to solve Syria’s problems. Even in February. That same month, more Policy Institute. ‘Forgotten’ rural France seethes over big city bias Weather report Three-day forecast

TODAY By Clare Byrne/AFP Christophe Guilluy to contain 60% of looking after their interests in town,” Citing the closure of many village High: 39 C Varzy, France the population. he said. post offi ces, the silver-haired Traditionally rural areas in France A shortage of doctors, which aff ects physician said: “Before, there was a Low : 27 C Inshore: Hazy at places at first have voted for candidates on the right, parts of Paris also but is most acute in very strong bond between the state becomes hot daytime with some ith its deserted streets, but many are now leaning towards the central France, has come to symbolise and the population. clouds and slight dust at times. “For Sale” signs and far-right. the malaise of the rural dweller. That has been lost.” weeds pushing through For Pascal Perrineau, a political Situated in the Nievre department, In Nevers, the region’s THURSDAY the pavement, the scientist at Sciences Po university, the which has lost over a quarter of its administrative centre where he now High: 37 C W Low: 24 C village of Varzy symbolises the plight French election, like the US vote which general practitioners since 2007, practises, Gleitz manages to see all of the depressed French hinterland, a brought in President Donald Trump, Varzy has struggled to attract young urgent cases within 24 hours. M Sunny key theme in the presidential race. has revealed a rift between rural physicians, put off by the isolation and But the longtime Socialist Standing at the counter in one of communities and the cosmopolitan large caseloads of the country doctor. stronghold of 37,000 people also two bars left in the central village cities. From four a decade ago, the number struggles to attract doctors and other FRIDAY of around 1,300 people, truck “If you go 20km north, south, east of GPs in Varzy has fallen to two. professionals. High: 38 C driver Michel Cadour counts off the or west out of Paris you will fi nd Patients also complain of long The population of the picturesque Low: 25 C restaurants that have closed in recent yourself in another France, which is far delays to consult ophthalmologists, town on the Loire river has fallen by Sunny years. more immobile, hit by unemployment, gynaecologists and other specialists. more than 10,000 in the past 20 years “There is nothing left here,” the worried about identity and marked by “The politicians don’t realise how and the once buzzing centre has been ruddy-faced 58-year-old said with social and cultural divisions,” he told people live. People here can’t get abandoned by shoppers for out-of- Fishermen’s forecast town supermarkets and malls. a resigned air. “Young people don’t a group of foreign correspondents in proper care,” said Antoine, a 52-year- OFFSHORE DOHA want to start anything because there Paris. old former soldier who gave up trying On a walkabout of the town, estate Wind: SE-NE 03-12 KT are no customers. Nowadays the only Far-right presidential candidate to see a cardiologist about a heart agent Jerome Coquin pointed out the Waves: 1-3 Feet restaurant that opens in the evening is Marine Le Pen, who is running neck- problem after being told he would have fake storefronts depicting thriving INSHORE DOHA Wind: SE 05-15 KT the kebab shop.” and-neck with centrist Emmanuel to wait four months. businesses painted by the city over Waves: 1-2 Feet The fate of provincial towns and Macron for the fi rst round vote, “We don’t just have a medical desert shuttered shops. villages looms large over France’s April according to opinion polls, has in France. We have a real political While acknowledging that there Around the region 23-May 7 election, with voters in areas campaigned as the champion of desert,” said the burly security guard, was “no miracle solution” for towns Weather Weather scarred by population decline and the “forgotten French” against the expressing tentative support for the lacking the attractions of big cities or today Max/min tomorrow Max/min shrinking public services threatening “globalist” elite. “clearsightedness” of the maverick the country, he expressed frustration Abu Dhabi Sunny 37/25 M Sunny 37/25 to take revenge on mainstream “I support Marine. She is the only Macron. at the lack of decentralisation in Baghdad P Cloudy 32/21 P Cloudy 35/23 Dubai politicians. one we haven’t tried,” Cadour said, Pascal Gleitz, a doctor who worked France. Sunny 39/24 M Sunny 39/24 Kuwait City P Cloudy 39/24 Sunny 36/27 France’s countryside, provincial sipping on a beer. for 20 years in Varzy, blamed the sense “There’s Paris and the big cities – Manama Sunny 38/25 Sunny 36/24 towns and the area between town and “Mainstream politicians don’t care of abandonment in rural areas on and there’s the rest,” the 39-year-old Muscat Sunny 33/26 Sunny 34/27 country are estimated by geographer about rural voters. They’re too busy cutbacks in public services. local grumbled. Riyadh M Sunny 39/24 Sunny 39/24 Tehran Rain 20/13 M Sunny 26/17 Live issues How to cope with stress and anxiety

Tribune News Service improve your mood and help you stay sculpture to express you inner thought zJoin an anxiety support group. Washington healthy. Start out slowly and gradually and emotions when talking about Remember that you aren’t alone. increase the amount and intensity of them is diffi cult. The creation and Support groups off er compassion, your activities. interpretations of art is thought to understanding and shared tress is something that just zQuit smoking and cut back or therapeutic. experiences. about everyone knows well quit drinking caff einated beverages. To cope with an anxiety zLearn time management and experiences often. It’s that Both nicotine and caff eine can worsen disorder, here are things to techniques. You can reduce anxiety by Sfeeling of pressure, typically a anxiety. consider: learning how to carefully manage your result of too much to do and too little zDiscuss your concerns. Talking zLearn about your disorder. Talk to time and energy. time to do it in. with a trusted friend helps relieve your doctor or mental health provider. zSocialise. Don’t let worries In a busy life, stress is almost stress and may provide a more positive Find out what might be causing isolate you from loved ones or Around the world unavoidable. Stress is caused by perspective on your situation. This your specifi c condition and what activities. Weather Weather events that are positive – new job, may lead to healthy plan of action. treatments might be best for you. zBreak the cycle. When you feel today Max/min tomorrow Max/min vacation or marriage – as well as zUse stress management and Involve your family and friends and anxious, take a brisk walk or delve into Athens P Cloudy 22/11 Sunny 24/12 negative – job loss, divorce or death relaxation techniques. Visualisation ask for their support. a hobby to refocus your mind away Beirut S T Storms 27/23 S T Storms 24/17 P Cloudy 35/26 in the family. Stress is not the event techniques and meditation are zStick to your treatment plan. from your worries. Bangkok 36/27 M Sunny Berlin Showers 13/06 Showers 12/05 itself but rather, your psychological or examples of relaxation techniques that Take medications as directed. Keep Prevention: Cairo P Cloudy 33/17 P Cloudy 27/15 physical reaction to the event. can ease anxiety. therapy appointments and complete zThere’s no way to predict for Cape Town P Cloudy 19/13 Cloudy 15/12 Anxiety is a tense feeling that often zLearn to relax. Your goal is to any assignments your therapist may certain what will cause someone Colombo T Storms 31/26 T Storms 31/26 accompanies stress. It’s typically lower your heart rate and blood give you. Consistency can make a big to develop an anxiety disorder, Dhaka Sunny 35/23 Sunny 35/24 Hong Kong Rain 22/20 Rain 22/21 directed toward the future – toward pressure while also reducing muscle diff erence, especially when it comes to but you can take steps to reduce Istanbul P Cloudy 16/07 P Cloudy 16/06 something that may happen soon. tension. taking your medication. the impact of symptoms if you’re Jakarta T Storms 32/24 S T Storms 32/24 Some anxiety can motivate you or help zMake sleep a priority. Do what zTake action. Learn what triggers anxious: Karachi Sunny 38/24 Sunny 38/24 you respond to danger. However, if you you can to make sure you’re getting your anxiety or causes you stress. zGet help early. Anxiety, like many London M Cloudy 17/05 M Cloudy 15/06 Manila Sunny Sunny 36/24 have ongoing anxiety that interferes enough sleep to feel rested. If you Practise the strategies you developed other mental health conditions, can be 36/24 Moscow Showers 07/02 Showers 08/05 with daily activities and makes it hard aren’t sleeping well, see your doctor. with your mental health provider harder to treat if you wait. New Delhi Sunny 40/23 Sunny 41/23 to enjoy life, then anxiety can be a zEat healthy. Healthy eating – such so you’re ready to deal with anxious zStay active. Participate in New York I T Storms 24/08 P Cloudy 18/08 problem. as focusing on vegetables, fruits, feelings in these situations. activities that you enjoy and that Paris M Sunny 19/08 Cloudy 16/07 Lifestyle and home remedies: whole grains and fi sh – may be linked zKeep a journal. Keeping track of make you feel good about yourself. Sao Paulo Showers 21/17 Cloudy 21/17 Seoul Sunny 15/03 Sunny 18/07 zKeep physically active. Develop to reduced anxiety, but more research your personal life can help you and Enjoy social interaction and caring Singapore T Storms 31/26 T Storms 31/25 a routine so you’re physically active is needed. your mental health provider identify relationships, which can lessen Sydney Showers 21/13 M Sunny 21/11 most days of the week. Exercise is zArt therapy can be helpful. You what’s causing you stress and what your worries. – Mayo Clinic News Tokyo Clear 19/10 Cloudy 17/06 a powerful stress reducer. It may can use drawing, painting, clay and seems to help you feel better. Network Gulf Times 28 Wednesday, April 12, 2017 QATAR

Ai Weiwei at MIA Tamuq symposium addresses renewable energy technologies ore than 80 professionals working in the area of renew- able energy attended a recent symposium held by Texas MA&M University at Qatar (Tamuq) in Education City. The event on “Recent Advances in Renewable Energy Technol- ogies,” featured leading experts from Qatar and Germany. According to Qatar National Vision 2030, the country aims to be at the forefront of the development of renewable energy tech- nologies, with solar energy as the main source of renewable en- ergy in the country’s electricity mix. The symposium brought together experts who specialise in sci- ence, technology, business and policy related to renewable energy. The Bavarian Energy Campus Nuremberg and Tamuq organised the event, with additional presentations by experts from other Qatar-based universities, research centres and industry, includ- ing Qatar Foundation, Hamad Bin Khalifa University and the Qa- tar Environment and Energy Research Institute. “This symposium is important and timely,” said Dr Cesar O Malave, dean of Tamuq. “Texas A&M at Qatar is proud to work with academic and in- dustry collaborators such as our friends from Germany and our partners here in Qatar. Through these partnerships, we can help realise sustainable solutions to real-world challenges and encour- age the exchange of knowledge, ideas and expertise that is essen- tial to fuel innovation and new thinking.” The day concluded with a roundtable discussion that aimed to identify priority areas for future collaborative research related to renewable energy technologies. Dr Ioannis G Economou, professor in the chemical engineering A large public audience visited programme at Tamuq and the symposium’s organiser, said, the the Museum of Islamic Art symposium is a clear message that industry-academia collabora- (MIA) yesterday evening to tions can have benefi cial results for Qatar. attend a public talk by leading “Bavaria is one of the most socially and technologically ad- contemporary Chinese artist vanced regions in Europe. We aim to develop long-term collab- Ai Weiwei (centre). Organised oration with them in research and education through joint R&D by Qatar Museums under the activities, exchange of students and faculty and other initiatives,” patronage of its chairperson, he said. HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Ai Weiwei appeared alongside Swiss businessman, diplomat and art collector, Uli Sigg and art expert and curator Tom Eccles, executive director of the Centre for Curatorial Studies and the Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College. They engaged the audience on topics including the transformation of Ai Weiwei’s artistic production and the importance of collectors and museum donations. PICTURES: Jayan Orma Dr Ioannis G Economou speaking at the symposium. Huawei P10 and P10 Plus launched in Qatar

By Joey Aguilar era 2.0 Pro Edition (for the P10 Plus), switches to wide-angle mode. Co- Staff Reporter which feature artistic portraits with developed with GoPro, the two smart- precise 3D facial detection, dynamic phones also feature Highlights, a mo- illumination, portrait enhancements, bile editing tool which creates a video uawei’s latest fl agship mod- natural bokeh eff ect and hybrid zoom. of users’ images and videos complete els, the P10 and P10 Plus, have It also features the world’s fi rst Leica with transitions and music tracks. Hbeen launched in Qatar by the front camera with a new, brighter sen- Highlights can be shared with friends Intertec Group. Packed with unique sor and larger aperture for outstanding and family in a few taps. features, the new addition to Huawei’s self-portraits. Compared to competitor devices P Series combines elegant hardware With a 20-megapixel monochrome with protruding cameras, the P Series’ and the latest advances in software. sensor, a 12-megapixel RGB sensor signature camera window is fl ush with Huawei’s CBG Middle East multi- and enhanced fusion algorithms, the the back of the device. Both its 5.1-inch country director Yu Zhaoyuan and In- new P Series deliver superior technical and 5.5-inch models feature the latest tertec Group divisional manager Asraf and artistic photography features on a Corning Gorilla 5 Glass protection and NK led the unveiling of the P10 and P10 smartphone. narrow bezel edges, while the P10 Plus Plus at an event on Monday. The devices’ portrait features in- has a 2K display for more detail. “It is our pleasure to associate with clude a precise 3D facial detection The P10 and P10 Plus’ fi ngerprint Intertec and we are expecting a good technology that leverages 190 detailed sensor is on the front of the phone and growth of Huawei business in Qatar. identifi cation nodes for quicker, more under one continuous pane of glass. Globally, Huawei’s growth is also very accurate feature recognition. The fi ngerprint sensor replaces the promising and expecting the same in “Facial detection is the foundation navigation bar making the screen view this region,” Zhaoyuan said. of Huawei’s dynamic illumination bigger, while also making smart touch Asraf thanked Intertec’s partners and portrait enhancement features,” navigation gestures faster. in Qatar for their support in growing Zhaoyuan said. Using the new depth- Layered on top of the machine learn- Huawei business in the Qatar mar- of-fi eld algorithm, a natural bokeh ef- ing algorithm is Huawei Ultra Memory. ket. He also announced the opening fect creates sharper, clearer and more First, the machine learning algorithm of Huawei’s fi rst and only showroom vivid colours in the foreground, while learns how users use their phones. in the Middle East in Doha’s Al Nasr the background remains elegantly Then, its Ultra Memory anticipates Street today at 4.30pm. Huawei’s blurred. The natural bokeh eff ect is app usage and manages RAM, so the channel manager Rao bin Xiang, de- available in the RGB and monochrome apps and services used most often load vice retail manager Hanish Hamza modes, and can be refocused after the faster and outperform in multitasking. and Intertec Group marketing man- image is taken. With 3,200 and 3,750 mAh batteries, ager Midhun Joseph also attended the Portrait features are also available the smartphones support the Super- launch event. with the 8-megapixel front camera Charge technology. The low voltage, The P10 and P10 Plus introduce the for exceptional selfi es. The P10 and low temperature fast charging solution new Leica front and back cameras with P10 Plus automatically detect whether comes with a 5-gate protection mech- cutting-edge portrait features. The a user is taking a selfi e or an adap- anism, which off ers real-time voltage, smartphones use a Leica Dual-Camera tive selfi e with multiple people. If the current and temperature monitoring 2.0 (for the P10) and Leica Dual-Cam- device detects an adaptive selfi e, it to make charging not only fast but safe.

Huawe’s Yu Zhaoyuan and Intertec’s Asraf N K display the P10 and P10 Plus in Doha. PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam