BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 Wenger braced for knife-edge INDEX DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2, 16 COMMENT 14, 15 Qatar’s bank assets ARAB WORLD 3 BUSINESS 1-5, 7, 8 Arsenal 21,914.22 9,313.49 48.66 INTERNATIONAL 4-12 CLASSIFIED 6, 7 jump 11.6% y-o-y to -134.98 -156.10 -0.90 ISLAM 13 SPORT 1-8 season -0.61% -1.65% -1.82% QR1.32tn in June: QNB Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978

FRIDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10542 August 11, 2017 Dhul-Qa’da 19, 1438 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Emir greets president of Ecuador Hotels will benefi t In brief from visa waiver: Katara Hospitality

QATAR | Offi cial By Joey Aguilar include the UK, the US, Seychelles, FM congratulates Staff Reporter New Zealand, Canada, Australia, India, and South Africa. Japanese counterpart Al-Mulla also lauded the policy ini- HE the Foreign Minister Sheikh otels in Doha are expected to tiated by the Qatar government to ex- Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al- benefi t from the Qatar govern- pand the e-visa services to citizens of Thani yesterday held a telephone Hment’s latest decision to grant 242 countries, describing it as a good conversation with Foreign Minister citizens of 80 countries visa-free entry, step to activate tourism and attract of Japan Taro Kono. HE the Foreign a move that Katara Hospitality is fully more foreigners. Minister congratulated Kono on his supporting. “We are certain that the QTA is con- selection as foreign minister of Japan “With the recent policies of granting sistently planning to increase tourism and wished him success in carrying visa on arrival to 80 nationalities, peo- opportunities, and its contributions to out his new mission. The two sides ple are fi nding it simpler to visit Qatar. the wider national economy,” he said. discussed bilateral relations and means This is a huge advantage for our busi- Upon activation of this policy, the of enhancing them. They also reviewed ness and to the Qatari economy in gen- CEO said, their hotels witnessed a issues of common concern in addition eral,” Katara Hospitality CEO Hamad surge in demand, and expects this to to the Gulf crisis. Abdulla al-Mulla told Gulf Times. grow in the coming months. His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, His Highness the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani and He said such initiatives will further As the hospitality investment arm HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani have sent cables of congratulations attract more tourists to visit and expe- of Qatar, he explained that they are in- QATAR | Import to President of Ecuador Lenin Moreno on the anniversary of his country’s Independence Day. rience Qatar’s exceptional hospitality volved in various offi cial visits to devel- No contaminated and the rich cultural heritage. oping countries to explore investment eggs in Qatar Citing the country’s various tour- opportunities and strengthen bilateral ism off erings, the offi cial said plans to ties. The Ministry of Public Health yesterday open the National Museum of Qatar by “Any initiative that drives tourists to announced that local markets are the end of 2018 will also further entice Qatar benefi ts our economy and there- free of table eggs produced in a foreign visitors to experience Qatar’s fore the hospitality industry,” he said. European country that has been national treasures. Katara Hospitality works closely the subject of a global alert due to The desert rose-inspired project, with QTA to increase the country’s at- possible contamination with pesticide Citizens of 242 designed by Pritzker Prize-winning ar- tractiveness as a tourist destination residues. The ministry said Qatar does chitect Jean Nouvel, is one of the most through supporting citywide events not import eggs from the country signifi cant cultural projects in Qatar and co-exhibiting in leading interna- mentioned in the report. Off icial and also among the most ambitious tional exhibitions to promote the des- statistics showed that 1,550,920kg of museum projects of its kind anywhere tination. table eggs were imported from May in the world. Al-Mulla said Qatar’s hospitality to July this year from 10 countries, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior, Qatar sector is one of the country’s most dy- including six Arab countries, three countries eligible Tourism Authority, and Qatar Airways namic and competitive industries as European countries and one country announced the new visa-free entry ini- new concepts are continuously being from East Asia. The ministry confirmed tiative on Wednesday. The 80 countries developed to meet increasing guest de- that all imported eggs are under mands. periodic analysis and inspection The company is now developing at the central food laboratories of nine properties, which are scheduled to the ministry, and that all the tests for Qatar e-visa open between 2017 and 2020 in Qatar conducted recently proved that the and abroad. table eggs comply with the approved “In Qatar, we are focused on the con- standards. ationals of 242 countries are tem based on the applicant’s length of struction of our award-winning Katara eligible to apply for a visa on- stay in the country as per the traveller’s Towers development in Lusail Marina REGION | Measures Nline to visit Qatar, according itinerary, nationality and country of District, which is set to be a major at- to www.qatarvisaservice.com, the re- residence. traction for residents and visitors given Kuwait taking steps cently-launched e-visa platform. For eligible GCC residents, an appro- its architectural signifi cance and un- against North Korea The e-visa facility, which features priate visa type (GCC residents entry rivalled mix of hotels, residential and Kuwaiti authorities have begun a more efficient and transparent visa permit, GCC residents companion en- leisure facilities,” al-Mulla said. “We taking measures against North Korea, application system, was aimed at fur- try permit, or GCC nationals compan- are also scheduled to open two hotels including stopping direct flights to ther easing foreigners’ access to Qa- ion entry permit) will automatically be under Murwab Hotel Group in the next and from Pyongyang, state news tar. off ered by the system. Al-Mulla: ‘boost for hospitality industry’ two years.” Page 2 agency KUNA cited an off icial source On Wednesday Qatar said citizens of “Applications can be made a maxi- in Kuwait’s foreign ministry as saying 80 countries are eligible for visa-free mum of 90 days or a minimum of four yesterday. The off icial source said the entry into the country. working days prior to travel. Qatar Meteor shower visible in Qatar measures included stopping entrance According to the Qatar Tourism Au- Airways, Qatar Tourism Authority and visas for North Korean workers and thority (QTA), the e-visa service was VFS Global recommend you to apply as Qatar Centre for Space Sciences like a fireball show, is clearer and more stopping the issuance of commercial expanded to accept applications from early in advance as possible,” the web- and Astronomy said yesterday beautiful in places far from lighting. licences. travellers to Qatar aboard all airlines, site said. Qatar’s skies will witness a stunning Meteors start to burn at an altitude of as well as from tourism and hospitality Applicants are required to present astronomical event as Perseid meteor 120km from the Earth surface before establishments in the country. their machine readable passports, shower become visible today with turning into ashes at 60km. Hence, ARAB WORLD | Crisis Such changes come as the result which are valid for at least six months more than 100 meteors possibly they rarely reach the Earth and when Half a million children in of the Qatar National Tourism Sector from the proposed date of entry to Qa- seen per hour. The centre’s president they do, it is only small parts that no Libya need help: Unicef Strategy review process, in partner- tar. Sheikh Salman bin Jabor al-Thani said one realises, Sheikh Salman said. He ship with stakeholders and partners Children who are endorsed on par- the meteors can be seen until the noted that Comet SwiftTuttle is the United Nations children agency from the public and private sectors. entry but they can also choose to apply ents’ passport cannot apply using the early hours of Sunday. The peak will source of Perseid as astronomers Unicef has warned that more than It explores all of the elements needed for a pre-approved visa online to save online platform. be today, tomorrow and on Sunday discovered that it leaves a river of half a million children in Libya need to create a smooth and enticing expe- time on arrival. Applicants are also required to send and the phenomenon can be viewed dust around the sun as it approaches help and called on warring parties rience that can attract visitors from Citizens of 242 countries can apply “clear coloured electronic scans” of from 11pm until dawn the following it every 130 years. The earth crosses to end the violence and negotiate a around the world. for a tourist visa online by paying a visa passport information, passport-size day towards the northeast. The this river between August 11 and 13 political solution to the crisis. Libya Tourist visa applications can be fee of $27.78 and service charge of $14, photo, airline ticket (Qatar Airways meteor shower can be seen with the every year, so the meteors appear has spiralled into turmoil after a civil completed on the new e-visa platform which are non-refundable even if the passengers are not required to submit naked eye and doesn’t need telescope intensively during that period. The war ousted longtime leader Muammar at www.qatarvisaservice.com application is rejected. their ticket copy), and hotel confi rma- or other equipment, he said, adding showers are named after the part of Gaddafi in 2011. Rival brigades of According to the website, citizens of The website says the visa type will tion voucher/relevant documents for that the viewing experience is better the constellation that the meteors former rebels backed by competing 80 countries are eligible for visa-free be automatically selected by the sys- place of stay in Qatar. To Page 16 and the meteor shower, which looks appear from its side in the sky. political factions have turned against each other in a fight for control. A UN- backed government in Tripoli is trying to extend its influence, though it is facing resistance from armed rivals.

ARAB WORLD | Confl ict Qatar helps family stranded due to blockade 19 migrants feared drowned off Yemen: UN AFP They could not aff ord the $6,000 to the family for free,” Simonian added. Buenos Aires buy new tickets. Marsili and the three girls landed back About 180 Ethiopian and Somali After AFP reported their plight, the in Buenos Aires late Wednesday on a migrants, many weakened by hunger family received an off er of help from the Qatar Airways fl ight from Doha via Sao and drought in their home countries, n Argentine family landed home son of Marcelo Simonian, a football agent Paulo. were forced from a boat into rough late Wednesday after the Qatar- representing Argentina and Paris Saint- Aguero stayed on in Doha. seas off Yemen by smugglers yesterday Aowned French football club PSG Germain (PSG) star Javier Pastore. “We’re tired but content,” Marsili told and 19 were presumed drowned, paid for their fl ights following weeks The Simonians contacted the Qa- AFP at the Ezeiza International Airport the UN migration agency said. stranded in Doha, according to people tari authorities and Nasser al-Khelaifi , after more than 20 hours of travel. The International Organisation for involved. chairman of Qatar Sports Investments, “Fortunately this has been resolved Migration (IOM) had earlier estimated Valeria Marsili, 42, and her three the group that owns PSG. and we’re back home again.” the death toll higher, at 55. It was the daughters had their fl ights cancelled “My son told me what was going on, I Marsili and her daughters Bernadita second such deadly incident in as without reimbursement on June 5 after told the story to Nasser,” Marcelo Simo- and Renata – 13 year-old twins – and many days off Shabwa province in Qatar’s neighbours imposed a blockade nian told AFP by e-mail. eight-year-old Emilia were welcomed southern Yemen, where 50 teenage on the country. “He automatically told me that he will at the airport by friends and relatives. African migrants were “deliberately They had been visiting Marsili’s hus- take care of the problem and he will re- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emir- drowned” on Wednesday by a band and father of the girls, Gabriel solve it.” ates, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplo- smuggler who forced 120 passengers Aguero, 41, who works as a chef in After Nasser’s intervention the Qatari matic ties and imposed the blockade on Valeria Marsili, wife of Gabriel Aguero, an Argentinean chef who works in Doha, and off his boat, the IOM said. Doha. government “gave the new tickets for Qatar in June. their daughters arrive at Ezeiza international airport in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. Gulf Times 2 Friday, August 11, 2017 QATAR

Pakistani community honours Belgian envoy Qatar-Bulgaria ties reviewed

A number of prominent members of the Pakistani community hosted a farewell dinner in honour of the outgoing Belgian ambassador Christophe Payot. Present on the occasion were ambassadors of Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, Palestine, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Canada’s charge d’aff aires, and business professionals. Longtime Qatar resident and 105-year-old Pakistani national AlHaj Mohamed Din was the guest of honour. Pakistan’s Olympic gold medal winning hockey legend Khalid Hamid and renowned Filipino artist Gordon Lee were special guests. Pakistani community leaders Rana Anwar Ali (chairman, Sohni Dharti, Al Khor Pakistani Community), Dr Tariq Masud (chairman, Pakistani Community Dukhan), engineer Arshad Hussain (Pakistan Welfare Forum) and HE the Minister of State for Foreign Aff airs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi met the Deputy Prime Mohamed Atiq (chairman, Majlis e Frog-e-Urdu Adab Qatar) attended. The event was organised by community leader Saleem Bangash Minister for Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Aff airs of Bulgaria Ekaterina Zaharieva in Sofia and Pakistani journalist Ashraf Siddiqui. Ambassador Payot congratulated the Pakistani community on its 70th Independence Day falling yesterday. They discussed bilateral relations and ways of developing them, as well as matters of on August 14. He recalled his first posting of his career as a junior diplomat in Pakistan, which he regarded as most memorable. mutual interest.

Event to shed light Visa-free entry to highlight on role of youth in Qatar on tourism map confl ict prevention z Leading hoteliers in Qatar the facilities in Qatar,” he said. have lots of possibilities here,” ama Centre for Social of which will be challenging the praise the government’s “This is a long term strategy to Heidari said. Development (Nama) – siege crisis and the role of Qatari initiatives to open up the put Qatar on the map for tourism About the opening of National Nin co-operation with the youth in tackling it, in addition country to international and opening up to host diff erent Museum of Qatar in December Best Buddies Qatar initiative – to discussing other issues of high tourists nations here.” next year, he pointed out that has invited all citizens and resi- importance. Heidari noted that they are anything with culture will defi - dents to attend the International Nama was established by Her By Joey Aguilar now working with their sales nitely attract diff erent types of Youth Day celebration tomorrow Highness Sheikha Moza bint Staff Reporter offi ces around the world to at- people and “this is one unique at the Drama Theater at the Cul- Nasser in 1996, with the aim tract more guests from these 80 thing you can’t fi nd anywhere tural Village Foundation-Katara. of providing a stimulating en- countries. else.” The event is meant to high- vironment that contributes to ranting citizens of 80 Hotels like Sheraton are tar- Marcus Sutton, general man- light the various youth issues investing in the potential and countries a visa-free en- geting places such as Europe and ager of Crowne Plaza Doha and and their pivotal role in confl ict creativity of youth, as well as Gtry to Qatar will further China, Russia, and India, three the upcoming Holiday Inn Doha, and war prevention, as well as to meet their needs and aspira- accelerate the process of open- of the biggest markets and most echoed the same view saying encouraging them to contrib- tions as partners in civil work, ing the country to the world and populous countries in the world. they welcome all steps that pro- ute eff ectively to building peace while exploring the best oppor- position it as a top tourist des- As part of their eff ort to at- mote Qatar as a destination both and security through their social tunities and innovating to lead tination, leading hoteliers have tract more business travellers for business and leisure. integration, including access the renaissance of their com- said. to Qatar, Heidari said they will “It is pleasing to see that the to adequate education, health- munities. Speaking to Gulf Times, Sher- soon have a Scandinavian del- Marcus Sutton Saeid Heidari government continues to devel- care, empowerment and skill Since 2013, Nama has been aton Grand Doha general man- egation familiarisation trip from op ways of making Qatar more development to enable them to working under the umbrella ager Saeid Heidari described the September 30 to October 2, in- Qatar Airways to get the peo- want the delegation to see what accessible to international visi- achieve their goals, all the way to of Qatar Foundation for Social Qatar government’s decision “a volving 12 of the biggest travel ple and show them the country. opportunities are available in tors,” he said. their participation in decision- Work. fabulous one,” which is expected agencies in Finland and the sur- These are the travel agencies, the Doha, and for them to explore Sutton vowed to continue making. Nama is a member of the Unit- to further attract more visitors rounding countries. big bookers to make them aware new places. developing their off erings and The event’s agenda will also ed Nations Economic and Social from these countries. “We are working on such a what facilities we have in Qatar,” “We want them to see not only services to meet the require- address several topics through Council, and the Arab Network “I am very excited. This will be programme to bring them along the general manager pointed out. leisure and business but also in ments of these countries. seminars, lectures and video for NGOs, and the World Family a big advantage for us, we have and also we have partnered with He stressed that they also medical, sport, and culture, we presentations, at the forefront Organisation. Fidget spinner craze: stress reliever or health hazard?

By Peter Alagos sign and material may vary. A merchandiser at a major However, despite its popu- schools in Qatar have reportedly Business Reporter According to merchandisers hypermarket in Doha attests to larity, many consumer watch- banned or imposed sanctions on in Qatar, fi dget spinners hit the the popularity of the toy, saying: dog groups were quick to tag students caught playing with market in the fi rst quarter of the “When we started selling fi dget fidget spinners as having fi dget spinners inside the cam- idget spinners have been year. Their popularity peaked spinners, we initially displayed “health or choking hazards”. pus. regarded as among the soon after mainly among young- around 1,000 pieces on our Because the toys are produced Don John A Vallesteros, F“must have toys of 2017” er children, pre-teens and even shelves and half of the stock was by different manufacturers moderator of The Link, the of- but many people, including with some adults. sold in just a few days. abroad, some organisations ficial school publication of the some experts, remain divided Since the toy made its Qatar “But at the same time, we also also claimed that fidget spin- Philippine School Doha, told over whether they are benefi cial debut, diff erent types of dgetfi suff ered losses of about 50% of ners contain “deadly amounts” Gulf Times that as a general or harmful, especially to chil- spinners are sold in the lo- the initial display because the of lead. policy any toy or electronic dren. cal market and the prices range fi dget spinners were exposed and One video posted on a popu- gadget is prohibited inside the A fidget spinner is made from as high as QR165 to as low customers can easily take them lar social media site showed a campus. of either plastic or metal as QR5 depending on the mate- out of the packaging. Today, we group of people (presumably “These items, including fi dget and has a ball bearing in the rial, design and the store selling place them inside a plastic box the parents of a child) struggling spinners, are distractions, espe- middle, allowing the toy to the product. with an RFID (radio-frequency to saw off the ball bearing that cially during class hours. Hence, spin when held between the Some of the popular but ex- identifi cation) tag.” the child inserted on his fi nger. the school prohibits them. In thumb and middle finger. pensive fi dget spinners such as Initially, the fi dget spinner Another video showed a young case a toy or similar item is con- Aside from the ball bearing, a those made of die-cast metal or was marketed as a stress reliever Fidget spinner continues to be a popular toy among children and man whose fi ngers and palm fi scated, the school immediately typical fidget spinner usually those with special or novelty de- and a tool to help people with at- even some adults. PICTURE: Peter Alagos sustained deep cuts from a DIY informs the student’s parents. contains two or more weights signs are now selling at slightly tention defi cit hyperactivity dis- fi dget spinner made out of metal Also, the confi scated item will be (or additional ball bearings) lower prices in toy shops and hy- order, anxiety and autism. But it that many people have posted on “how to make your own fi dget blades. returned at the end of the school on the sides although the de- permarkets, it is found. has become so popular over time DIY (do it yourself) videos online spinner”. Many public and private year,” he said.

New batch of cows E-Sports, Arabic scrabble join MSA Mindsports World Championships

-Sports and Arabic scrab- skills,” MSA said. “E-sports is Battle for two titles ble will make their way to an extremely popular mindsport Ethe 4th Mindsports World amongst younger players and we IFA Tournament. number of entrants. Championships, marking sig- are pleased to be running these Groups of eight players. Call of Duty. Teams will be nifi cant fi rsts for the upcom- tournaments.” FEach match will be a “1 split into groups of four teams. ing edition of the international E-Sports are a form of com- vs 1” across a single game (so a Each match will be a “best of competition, Mindsports Acad- petition that is facilitated by player should get seven match- 3” using the ‘CWL’ map list emy (MSA) has announced. electronic systems, in particular es if his/her group is full). and format. The top two teams Scheduled to be held between video games, and in which play- The top 4 players from from each group will qual- August 19 and 27 at the Doha ers participate as individuals or each group will qualify for ify for the knockout stages. Exhibition and Convention as part of a team. the knockout stages. Knock- Knockout stage will be a dou- Centre, MSA said in a statement Over the course of four days out stage will be a single ble elimination knockout with that these exciting additions to at the championships, e-Sports elimination knockout with 3 three games per match and the the competition are expected to gamers will battle it out for Fifa games per match. Group sizes grand fi nal moving to a “best of make for a unique edition being and ‘Call of Duty’ titles and a to- will be adjusted based on the 5” series. Baladna Farm has released images, as well as a video, of the latest shipment of cows being hosted by Qatar Tourism Au- tal prize pool of $20,000. transported to Doha from Germany by a Qatar Airways Cargo aircraft. This, along with earlier thority (QTA). Later on during the nine-day shipments of Holstein cows, is a part of a 4,000-head herd that is expected to give a huge boost to “Mindsports such as scrab- championships, word game scrabble champion and MSA Ar- the second day to play in knock- dairy production in Qatar. Last month, Qatar Airways Cargo had announced that it transported the ble supports the teaching of enthusiasts of all levels are in- abic junior scrabble champion. out rounds and ultimately be country’s first two shipments of 330 Holstein cows from Europe on a Boeing 777 freighter. teamwork, improves confi - vited to take part in the Arabic Participants will play in seven crowned champion and win Picture courtesy of Baladna Farm, Facebook page dence and attention span and scrabble events and a chance rounds and those who make it a share of the dedicated prize helps to sharpen and strengthen to become the fi rst MSA Arabic to the top eight will return on pools. Gulf Times Friday, August 11, 2017 3 REGION/ARAB WORLD

SONG FEST CRACKDOWN BLOCKED PUNISHMENT HELPING HAND Police kills 3 militants over Libya navy bars foreign Israel demolishes homes of Disabled Egyptians make attacks on Egypt’s Coptics ships from migrant zone Palestinian attackers prosthetic limbs for poor

Egypt’s interior ministry said yesterday its forces The Libyan navy yesterday ordered foreign Israeli authorities have demolished three homes An Egyptian development organisation that had killed three militants suspected of involvement vessels to stay out of a coastal “search and rescue and sealed off a fourth of Palestinians who carried manufactures products for the disabled has in deadly attacks against the country’s Coptic zone” for migrants headed for Europe, a measure out attacks that killed a soldier and a policewoman, opened a workshop in Cairo to make prosthetic Christian minority. An off icer also died in a it said targeted NGOs. “We want to send out a the army said yesterday. Israel regularly carries out limbs for the poor, staff ed by workers with shootout in the southern province of Qena on clear message to all those who infringe Libyan such demolitions, which it says act as a deterrent, disabilities who could otherwise struggle to earn Tuesday, security off icials said. Egypt is battling sovereignty,” Libyan navy spokesman General but human rights groups and Palestinians say they a wage. The Coptic Evangelical Organization for a local aff iliate of the Islamic State militants, who Ayoub Qassem told a news conference in Tripoli. punish families for the actions of relatives. Two Social Services aims to foster social and cultural have claimed attacks that have killed more than General Abdelhakim Bouhaliya, commander houses were demolished in Deir Abu Mashaal, development in Egypt and has been given 100 Copts since December. The shootout occurred of the Tripoli naval base where the conference near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and a $91,000 in funding by the Japanese government. after a suspected militant guided police to an was held, said: “No foreign ship has the right to third was sealed off , an army spokeswoman said. Its prosthetic limbs department aims to produce Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram performs during alleged hideout in Qena, the ministry said. The enter” the area without authorisation from the Village mayor Emad Zahran told AFP Israeli soldiers 200 limbs this year. The workshop is part of a the 53rd session of the international Festival of shootout led to the killing of the detained suspect, Libyan authorities. Libya has “off icially declared a entered the area around 2am with bulldozers. On programme through which the organisation aims Carthage at the Roman Theatre of Carthage in a policeman who was guarding him, and two other search and rescue zone”, said Bouhaliya, without June 16, three villagers carried out an attack outside to help disabled people into work, enabling them Tunis on Wednesday night. suspected militants, the ministry said. specifying the scope of the exclusion zone. Jerusalem’s Old City that killed a policewoman. to earn an income and contribute more to society. Israel starts Mass marriage building an anti-tunnel Gaza wall

Reuters “I think the other side will have to re- Jerusalem evaluate the situation in view of the barrier’s construction,” Haaretz newspaper quoted the chief of Israel’s southern command, Major- srael yesterday warned Gaza’s Hamas rul- General Eyal Zamir, as saying in the media ers not to try to foil its construction of a briefi ng. Iborder wall designed to stop tunnels be- “If Hamas chooses to go to war over the tween the two sides. It said it had mapped barrier, it will be a worthy reason (for Israel) militant emplacements hidden under civilian to go to war over. But the barrier will be built.” sites in the Palestinian enclave that may be The military also published aerial photo- attacked in any new war. Hamas accused Is- graphs and co-ordinates of two Gaza build- rael of belligerence. ings that it said Hamas was using as cover for Palestinian couples attend a mass wedding ceremony for 65 couples at Al Fara refugee camp in the Israeli occupied West Bank yesterday, The unusually detailed Israeli threat fol- tunnel networks. organised by the Fatah movement. lowed a rocket launch on Tuesday which One of these, it said, is a Hamas member’s caused no damage in Israel and went un- family home, linked to a mosque by a secret claimed by Gazan groups. passage. Israel responded with an air strike on a Ha- “These two targets, as far as I’m concerned, mas facility that medics said wounded seven are legitimate military targets, and in the people. event that a new war begins, anybody in them Such fl are-ups have been relatively rare is endangering himself, his family, and the re- 4 killed as Syrian regime bombs safe zones since the last Gaza war, in 2014, with Hamas sponsibility (for their well-being) will fall on mostly holding fi re and reining in smaller Hamas,” Zamir said in a separate briefi ng to militant factions. foreign journalists. AFP Ghouta zone, a rebel bastion near in May by opposition backer Tur- that six strikes hit his hometown But as Gaza’s poverty and political drift A Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called Beirut Damascus, the Observatory said in key and regime allies Iran and Rus- by late afternoon yesterday. “We deepens, both sides worry another confl ict the Israeli statements “lies and fabrications a statement. sia after talks in Kazakhstan. have our fi rst casualty, killed in an could erupt. that aim to damage the image of the Palestin- “The shelling hit the town of Three of the zones have been air strike in Tal Dahab” near Al- In September, Israel went public with a ian resistance and justify the mass killing of yrian government bombard- Hammuriyeh early yesterday, kill- agreed so far: in Eastern Ghouta, Houla, he said. sensor-equipped underground wall being thousands of Palestinians civilians”. ment on two areas included ing a woman, a man, and a child,” the northern parts of central Homs Abdel Rahman confi rmed that a planted on its side of the 60km long border, More than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them Sin fragile “de-escalation said Observatory head Rami Abdel province, and in Syria’s south. man was killed in a raid but could a counter-measure developed after Hamas civilians, were killed in the 2014 war, accord- zones” in the country killed four Rahman. The fourth zone, in northwest- not specify whether he was a rebel fi ghters used tunnels to blindside its troops ing to the Gaza health ministry. people yesterday, a monitoring The attack came a day after gov- ern Idlib province, has yet to be fi ghter or civilian. during the war. Sixty-seven Israeli soldiers and six civilians group said. ernment shelling killed fi ve civil- implemented. More than 330,000 people have Israeli media published new disclosures by in Israel were killed. One person was killed in air ians and wounded 10 more in the Syrian government air strikes been killed since Syria’s confl ict the military on Thursday about the project, A new buff er zone within Israel’s territory, strikes on a safe zone in central nearby town of Kfar Batna, the yesterday killed a man in the cease- erupted in March 2011 with pro- costing $1.1bn and to be completed within dozens of metres in width, will aff ord it extra Syria, and another three died in Britain-based Observatory said. fi re zone in Homs, the Observatory tests against Syrian President two years under an accelerated schedule. time to respond by depriving Hamas tunnel- shelling on a zone near the capital, Air strikes have also pummelled and a resident said. Bashar al-Assad. Israel has described it as a territorial coun- lers of targets on the frontier. according to the Syrian Observa- rebel-held parts of the Jobar dis- The raids were the fi rst since The confl ict has drawn in inter- terpart to its Iron Dome short-range rocket Israeli media said yesterday that the mili- tory for Human Rights. trict of Damascus and the adjacent that truce was announced one national powers, including Russia, interceptor, capable of blunting Hamas’s lim- tary also planned to build an underwater bar- Seven others were wounded in district of Ain Tarma. week ago. which has carried out bombing ited means of challenging its superior armed rier in the Mediterranean to prevent infi ltra- the regime shelling that killed three Eastern Ghouta is one of four Abbas Abu Osama, a resident raids in support of Assad’s forces forces. tion from Gaza by sea. civilians in a town in the Eastern “de-escalation zones” announced of the town of Al-Houla, told AFP since September 2015.

UN chief ‘heartbroken’ by forced drowning of migrants off Yemen Cash crisis pushes Libyans into the world of virtual payments UN chief Antonio Guterres said yesterday he was “heartbroken” after smugglers pushed migrants off boats heading for Yemen twice in two days. By Ibrahim Abdallah, AFP The crisis has destroyed public At least six migrants died yesterday when Benghazi confi dence in the fi nancial sector. smugglers pushed a total of 180 from a boat off the “People don’t trust the banks any southern coast of Yemen, the second such drown- more,” one bank employee told AFP, ing in the same area in two days. hen a cash crisis struck speaking on condition of anonym- Secretary General Guterres is “heartbroken by the war-torn North Af- ity. this continuing tragedy,” according to a statement Wrican country of Libya, “They want to be sure they can read by spokesman Stephane Dujarric in New York. many people were forced to queue get enough cash in case anything Guterres reiterated his message to the interna- for days to withdraw their savings. happens and the banks close, or if tional community to prevent and resolve situations But electronic payments systems they can’t leave their houses.” which generate mass movement and expose those set up to tackle the dearth of cash Employees of Libya’s vast public already on the move to significant danger. have struggled to gain credibility service still have their salaries paid He also encouraged the creation of legal path- amid accusations of abuse. directly into their accounts. ways for migration. Said Fayez Fadlallah, 35, uses a Many have turned to electronic Twelve people are still missing after the drown- mobile phone app to pay for a trol- payment systems to access their ings yesterday, the International Organization for ley-full of groceries at a large super- money. Migration (IOM) said. market in second city Benghazi. Such services allow buyers to They were forced off the boat as it drifted near “Now I don’t have to spend hours credit the seller’s account. Shabwa province in the Gulf of Aden. or even days queueing at the bank to They then receive an SMS mes- The incident comes some 24 hours after smug- withdraw cash,” he said. “They re- sage confi rming that the transaction glers pushed 120 migrants off a boat near the coast ally solved a problem for us.” has been completed. of Shabwa, resulting in the drowning of about 50 Years of violence and political Wahda Bank’s spokesman al-Mo- migrants. In both cases, most migrants were from chaos since a 2011 Nato-backed up- tassem al-Fitouri said transactions Ethiopia and Somalia, the IOM said. rising that toppled and killed long- via MobiCash are “very secure”. On Wednesday, the UN body said a smuggler time dictator Muammar Gaddafi “It is not even necessary to have a “deliberately drowned” dozens of migrants after have left Libya’s state institutions in smartphone to make payments, nor which IOM staff found the shallow graves of 29 crisis — including the central bank. does the merchant have to have a people on a beach in Shabwa during a routine In 2014 it split into two, with the point-of-sale device,” he said. patrol. diff erent branches overseen by rival The banks are aware that the They also provided medical care to 27 surviving governments in the west and east. services are open to abuse, however. migrants who had stayed on the beach. The resulting cash crisis, fuelled On its website, the BCD encour- The migrants on this route were heading to by spiralling infl ation, caused huge ages customers to report price hikes countries in the Gulf via war-torn Yemen. queues to form at the banks and left on payments via Edfali. Most of them seek work in the oil-rich states. many people unable to access their And many businesses that were Around 55,000 migrants have left the Horn of salaries. In response, the banks have enthusiastic at fi rst have since Africa for Yemen since January 2017, more than launched electronic payment sys- dropped the service. 30,000 of whom were under the age of 18, accord- tems. Salah al-Agouri, a businessman ing to estimates from the IOM. In Benghazi, the Bank of Com- A Libyan uses a mobile phone app in Benghazi to pay at a store that accepts electronic payment systems. whose clients pay him using Edfali, The journey through the Red Sea and the Gulf of merce & Development’s ‘Edfali’ is critical. Aden is particularly dangerous during the current (Arabic for “pay me”) and Wahda permarket, his arms full of produce, “But we saw a 40% increase on tering heat in the summer, they “The bank did not respect its windy season in the Indian Ocean. Bank’s MobiCash allow users to buy Ayman al-Obeidi, 46, said the new payments with Edfali.” rushed to the banks on hearing ru- commitments,” he said. Yemen hosts more than 255,000 Somali refu- goods, pay restaurant bills and ac- payment systems were not working. Many Libyans have not had free mours of cash deliveries and queued “It assured us that we would be gees, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, cess pharmacies and hospitals. “We were told...that prices would access to their bank accounts since for hours without any guarantee able to withdraw cash to the value though many foreigners attempt to escape the But not everyone is happy. remain unchanged” compared with 2014. they would be able to access their of 25% of sales via this service, but conflict and the worsening situation in Yemen. At the exit of the same Benghazi su- cash prices, he said. Braving cold in winter and blis- own money. that wasn’t the case.” Gulf Times 4 Friday, August 11, 2017 AFRICA Kenyan opposition demands Odinga be ‘declared president’ AFP/Reuters lous” and not based on credible Right: NASA’s Mudavadi at the Nairobi data, a senior offi cial in the elec- news conference with Odinga. tion commission told Reuters. “They have done their own ad- Left: This picture taken on enya’s main opposition ditions and they think Raila has Tuesday shows Kenyatta greeted coalition has demanded 8mn (votes), which is ridiculous, by supporters after casting his Kthat its candidate Raila there is nothing,” Abdi Yakub vote in his hometown of Odinga be declared president, Guliye said yesterday. “As far as Gatundu in Kiambu county. claiming it had evidence he had we are concerned, we don’t be- won an election that has already lieve they have any credible data.” led to angry protests over fraud The IEBC public website, claims. which is publishing results as The latest allegations by the they stream in electronically National Super Alliance (NASA) from polling stations, shows are likely to further ratchet up Kenyatta with 8.1mn votes ahead tensions a day before offi cial re- of Odinga with 6.7mn. validated and that a fi nal deci- elsewhere as the country held its sults are expected from Tues- According to the website, re- sion would be announced “soon breath, with memories still fresh day’s vote. sults are in from 98% of polling thereafter”. of post-election violence in 2007 President Uhuru Kenyatta has stations, however the IEBC has Odinga, 72, who claims elec- that left 1,100 people dead. an unassailable lead in provi- urged patience as it cross-checks tions in 2007 and 2013 were “We fi nd ourselves at a cross- sional results, but Odinga claims results with scanned forms. stolen from him, on Wednesday roads once again,” the Daily Na- these are a “sham” result of a “Evidently, the accurate and charged that hackers broke into tion newspaper warned grimly. massive hacking attack on the lawful results in the presiden- the IEBC’s systems and rigged “The nation is sitting precarious- electronic vote tallying system. tial election is the transmission the count using the log-in details ly on the precipice. The dispute Heads of foreign observer mis- received from the polling sta- of top IT offi cial Chris Msando, over poll results is creating need- sions from the European Union, tions and contained in the IEBC found murdered and tortured last less anxiety.” African Union, Commonwealth, servers and not the unverifi ed month. The IEBC insists its electronic and Carter Centre urged party displays,” said Mudavadi. “We “You can only cheat a people voting system – seen as key to leaders to be patient and refrain demand that the IEBC chairper- for so long,” Odinga said. avoiding fraud – had not been from infl aming tensions, ex- son announce the presidential His allegations sparked iso- compromised, despite apparent pressing confi dence in the elec- election results forthwith and lated protests in his strongholds attempts to do so. tion commission (IEBC). declare Raila Amolo Odinga ... as in several Nairobi slums and “Hacking was attempted but However, shortly after they the duly elected president.” the western city of Kisumu on did not succeed, that is our posi- A protester pushes a tyre – past writing on the road calling for peace in Swahili – to add to a burning spoke, one of NASA’s leaders Mudavadi however urged Wednesday, where protesters en- tion,” said Chebukati. barricade on a road in Kibera Slum in Nairobi. Musalia Mudavadi gave a tele- Kenyans to “remain calm at this gaged in running battles with riot Former US secretary of state vised press conference unveiling point in time”. police. John Kerry, leading an observer Nairobi, which are showing up in by many parties on the paper to be calm, to be resilient and to new claims from “confi dential IEBC chief Wafula Chebukati The capital’s police chief said team from the Carter Centre, ex- real time on a public website, but balloting process and therefore be peaceful,” she said. sources” within the IEBC that had earlier urged parties to “ex- offi cers shot dead two men who pressed confi dence in the integ- these need to be backed up with on the outcome,” he said. Ghanaian former president their servers showed Odinga was ercise restraint” as results were had allegedly attacked them with rity of the electronic system. forms signed by them and party Some 400 international ob- John Mahama, who is leading the true winner. being fi nalised. machetes. “We believe the IEBC put in agents in each of the 40,883 poll- servers were present to monitor the Commonwealth delegation, Mudavadi said that he would “We are working hard to en- In the southeastern Tana River place a detailed, transparent ing stations. Tuesday’s voting process. also urged Kenyans to give the provide data and screenshots sure that we get the fi nal results region, police killed two alleged process of voting, counting, re- Kerry said his observer team Marietje Schaake, head of the IEBC “proper time and space to showing that on the IEBC serv- within the shortest time possi- knife attackers who stormed a porting and securing the vote, all had witnessed party agents EU mission said elections com- complete the results process with ers, Odinga was shown to have ble. We expect that all the presi- vote-tallying centre and stabbed of which lends signifi cant cred- counting ballots and deciding mission (IEBC) offi cials were necessary due diligence”. 8.04mn votes against Kenyatta’s dential results ... will reach the one person. ibility and accountability,” Kerry together which were valid or not “working around the clock. It’s “It is vital that all political tally of 7.75mn votes. national tallying centre by 12pm Yesterday many businesses told a press conference. before signing off on final tallies. important they have the time to leaders maintain peace and calm, The claims that Odinga is lead- tomorrow (Friday).” remained closed and the streets Polling offi cers have been “All of this provides an exten- do these procedures well”. exercise patience and not stam- ing the vote count are “ridicu- He said the results would be were very quiet in the capital and sending results electronically to sive traceable trail of agreement “We continue to urge everyone pede the process,” he added.

S African Qaeda UN: Mali ex-rebels hostage tells of hold child prisoners AFP in Kidal, eight are children.” Bamako United Nations investigators six-year ordeal had carried out seven diff er- ent missions to the north and ormer rebels are holding discovered evidence of mass AFP “I didn’t want to come out child prisoners in their graves and rampant rights Johannesburg an angry person and be a bigger Fstronghold city of Kidal abuses, he added. burden on my family,” he said. following clashes with a rival These included “summary “Sometimes you are miserable armed group in northern Mali, executions, kidnappings and outh African hostage and you want to fi ght everyone the United Nations said yes- torture, destruction of prop- Stephen McGown, who was (but) I did not want to become a terday. erty and theft,” he said, elabo- Sheld by Al Qaeda in Mali for mess. I want to come home a bet- Fighting between the ex- rating on Saturday’s statement nearly six years, said yesterday ter person.” rebels of the Co-ordination of of the discovery of the mass that he had been well treated but He paid tribute to his mother Movements of Azawad (CMA) graves. was distraught to have not been who died in May, saying she was and the pro-government Plat- The number of bodies and freed before his mother died. “an amazing lady and I can im- form group has worsened in the cause of death of those Speaking just 10 days after agine the diffi culties she went recent weeks in northern Mali, buried remains unknown. being released, he said he had through”. in repeated violation of a 2015 Ngefa also raised the possi- converted to Islam in the Sahara He said he built a simple hut ceasefi re. bility of compensation for the desert, and added that he was of grass and sticks to survive the The CMA said in late July it victims of the abuses. determined to be positive after cold desert nights when he often was holding dozens of prison- The UN would support his ordeal. had only one blanket, adding that McGown leaves with his wife Catherine after the news conference at the Gift of the Givers foundation ers in Kidal, a city it controls, families wishing to lodge legal McGown, 42, sat next to his he feared for his life three times headquarters in Johannesburg. after dismantling a base of the cases against the perpetrators, wife as he spoke for an hour with in the fi rst three months after he GATIA militia – part of Plat- while continuing to investigate reporters, saying that he had no was captured in 2011. which was completed on July 29, and dismissed reports of the very good character, a very strict form – and killing several of its 33 outstanding complaints, he idea if any ransom was paid, and McGown was kidnapped at but some reports have suggested $4.2mn payment. character.” fi ghters. said. telling how he was sometimes a hotel in the historic trading $4.2mn was handed over. McGown said he had been bet- He added that his captors But Guillaume Ngefa, direc- The US State Department held in handcuff s and chains at city of Timbuktu in Mali’s north Imtiaz Sooliman, head of the ter treated after converting to Is- thought that US President Don- tor of the human rights divi- said on July 31 it was “greatly night with two other hostages. along with Swede Johan Gustafs- Gift of the Givers charity which lam, being given better clothing ald Trump would draw more sion of the UN mission to Mali, disturbed at reports of reprisal “I did my best to see the best in son and Dutchman Sjaak Rijke, helped to free McGown, said the and food. Muslims to fi ght the West. said yesterday that eight of killings of civilians and the a bad situation,” McGown said, both of whom were subsequently kidnappers at fi rst demanded “Before the desert, I was a McGown admitted to being “in those being held were children discovery of unmarked grave looking in good health and smil- released. €10mn ($11.7mn) for each hos- Christian. I entered (Islam) of my the dark” over world events in the and possibly child soldiers. sites”. ing regularly despite recently The South African government tage. own accord,” said the ex-hostage last six years as the hostages had And he detailed what he said If the allegations proved suff ering from a severe fever and has insisted that no ransom was But Sooliman said he was not with a heavy beard. “I see many only had a radio for a short time were human rights abuses per- founded, it added, “the per- meningitis. paid to secure McGown’s release, involved in any ransom payment good things in Islam. It requires a and no books in English. petuated by both sides. petrators must be brought to “We were able to establish justice”. that the armed groups had The confl ict dates back to minors in their ranks,” Ngefa 2012, when key cities in north- said in a statement. “What is ern Mali fell under the control extremely concerning is that of groups linked to Al Qaeda, Thousands shelter in hospital after refugee camp attack among the 33 people current- who exploited an ethnic Tuar- ly held prisoner by the CMA eg-led rebel uprising.

Reuters weeks after fi ghting broke out and that health services were and killing a baby being held by across Central African Repub- Dakar between rival groups, according running as normal after being its mother, MSF said. lic this year as splinter groups Reuters reporter forced to quit Congo to the charity. disrupted by the fi ghting. Six Red Cross volunteers were clash over control of land and The camp for the displaced “Much of the general popu- killed last week in an attack on resources, sparking fears of a re- A Reuters correspondent has been forced to leave the Democratic housands of people up- was attacked and several aid lation is in a state of complete a health centre in southeast- turn to the large-scale chaos that Republic of the Congo (DRC) after failing to get his visa renewed, rooted by violence in Cen- groups were looted during two helplessness,” Francisco added. ern Gambo, the aid group said, gripped the country at the peak the news agency said. Ttral African Republic are waves of violence which left 24 “Imagine what the situation adding that civilians and health of a 2013 civil war. “Reuters’ correspondent in Kinshasa, Aaron Ross, had to leave the taking refuge in a hospital after people dead and 17 injured as of must be like when people think workers may have also died. United Nations aid chief country because he was unable to renew his visa, which expired armed groups looted and burned the start of August, MSF said. that the only safe option left to Thousands have died and a Stephen O’Brien on Monday told on August 5,” a Reuters spokesman told AFP. “Reuters is working a camp for the displaced, medical “The people taking refuge in them is a hospital ... knowing fi fth of Central Africans – nearly a UN briefi ng that the “warning inside and outside Democratic Republic of the Congo to rectify the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres the hospital ... are still unable that not even hospitals are safe.” 1mn – have fl ed their homes in signs of genocide are there”. situation as quickly as possible.” (MSF) said yesterday. to rebuild their shelters in the Hospitals in the southeastern an ethnic and religious confl ict O’Brien last month told the Communications Minister Lambert Mende said that a government At least 10,000 people are camp,” MSF project co-ordinator towns of Bangassou and Zemio that broke out after mainly Mus- Thomson Reuters Foundation commission is evaluating visa requests from journalists. staying on the grounds of the Carlos Francisco said. have been targeted by militants in lim Seleka rebels seized power in that the country has “the worst “We will respond with either a yes or a no. There will be no hospital in the town of Batan- The medical charity said it was recent months – with armed men 2013, provoking a backlash from level of humanitarian needs per reason given for our decision,” he said, adding that countries do gafo – 400km (250 miles) north providing basic water and sani- abducting two patients who were Christian militias. capita’, as about one in two peo- not have to say why a visa has been accepted or refused. “We of the capital Bangui – nearly two tation services for the displaced, later found dead, and shooting Militia violence has intensifi ed ple – 2.2mn – need aid. will not be the first.” Gulf Times Friday, August 11, 2017 5 AMERICAS Trump’s new Twitter target: Senate leader McConnell

AFP presidential campaign, together things happen in the democratic McConnell to also work on loom- put Repeal & Replace, Tax Reform Washington with building a wall on the Mexi- process,” he said. ing tax reform and other bills that & Cuts and a great Infrastructure can border. McConnell may have further the president will need the Sen- Bill on my desk for signing. You The Republicans control the irked the president by sniping at ate leader’s help to push through. can do it!” Trump said in a sec- onald Trump has vented White House, the Senate and the his penchant for Twitter. “Mitch, get back to work and ond tweet about McConnell. his anger against any House of Representatives for the “I’ve been and I will be again Dnumber of political op- fi rst time since 2006. today, not a fan of tweeting and ponents on Twitter, but the latest But the party’s eff orts to dis- I’ve said that to him privately,” he target of US presidential scorn mantle a law that they have railed said. “I think it would be helpful is the top senator in his own Re- against since its inception in if the president would be a little publican Party, Mitch McCon- 2010 still ended in a spectacular more on message.” nell. collapse last month. Trump shot back on Wednes- The president took to Twitter Three Republican senators day, saying: “McConnell said I yesterday to denounce the Senate voted with Democrats to doom had ‘excessive expectations’, but majority leader’s failure to push the draft – a major legislative I don’t think so. After 7 years of through a replacement for Barack slap in the face for Trump who, hearing Repeal & Replace, why Obama’s healthcare law, widely after six months in offi ce, has not not done?” known as Obamacare. won any signifi cant battles on He then rammed the point “Can you believe that Mitch Capitol Hill. Trump: Mitch, get back to work and put Repeal & Replace, Tax Reform home yesterday, lambasting the McConnell, who has screamed The party is riven by inter- & Cuts and a great Infrastructure Bill on my desk for signing. You can veteran Republican playmaker. Repeal & Replace for 7 years, nal ideological divisions, and do it! When asked about the fraught couldn’t get it done. Must Repeal Trump’s own popularity poll relationship, White House & Replace ObamaCare!” tweeted numbers are slumping, reducing billionaire lacked experience in tor said in response to earlier spokeswoman Sarah Sanders the president from his summer his ability to sway his own party offi ce and had set his expecta- criticism of the failure to scrap said: “Obviously there’s some retreat at a golf course he owns in faithful. tions too high. Obamacare, offi cially known as frustration.” New Jersey. The president’s latest outburst “Our new president, of course, the Aff ordable Care Act. Later on, Trump struck what McConnell: Our new president, of course, has not been in this line Trump had put overhauling was triggered by McConnell’s has not been in this line of work “I think he had excessive ex- appeared to be a slightly more of work before ... I think he had excessive expectations about how Obamacare at the forefront of his comments that the Republican before,” the Kentucky sena- pectations about how quickly conciliatory tone, encouraging quickly things happen in the democratic process. Canadian pastor detained in N Korea on his way home US expels Cuban

DPA Montreal

Canadian pastor sen- tenced by North Korea to Ahard labour for “hostile diplomats over acts” has been released and is on his way home. Prime Minister Justin Tru- deau confi rmed yesterday as he thanked Sweden for its role in helping to secure his freedom. Lim Hyeon-soo, a 62-year- old Canadian citizen born in mystery illness South Korea, was released after a Canadian government delega- AFP/Reuters personnel who were working at reporting what I will just call tourism fi rm and reaffi rmed the tion travelled to Pyongyang to Washington/Havana our embassy in Havana, Cuba ... symptoms, it took time to fi gure existing US trade embargo. discuss his case. reported some incidents which out what it was, and this is still But he has left in place many He was released on bail on have caused a variety of physical ongoing. So we’re monitoring it.” of the changes, including the re- Wednesday on health grounds ashington has expelled symptoms.” Later on Wednesday, Cuba opened US embassy in Havana. following a decision by the two Cuban diplomats “We don’t have any defi ni- confi rmed the report. Cuba said it was investigating North Korean Central Court in Wafter a number of US tive answers about the source or It said it had objected to the allegations by the United States. Pyongyang, state-run news site embassy staff were forced to leave the cause of what we consider to expulsion of its offi cials, while “Cuba has never, nor would it Korean Central News Agency Havana because of unspecifi ed be incidents,” she said. “We take also urging the United States to ever, allow that the Cuban ter- (KCNA) reported. This file photo taken by North Korea’s off icial Korean Central News medical symptoms that were fi rst those incidents very seriously, work together to shed light on ritory be used for any action “Today, I am pleased and re- Agency (KCNA) on December 16, 2015 shows Lim at the North reported last year, the State De- and there is an investigation cur- the incidents earlier this year in against accredited diplomatic lieved to confi rm that pastor Korean Supreme Court in Pyongyang. partment said on Wednesday. rently under way.” Havana. agents or their families,” the for- Lim has been released from jail The Cuban diplomats were She added: “We had to bring Relations between the US and eign ministry said in a statement in North Korea and that he will she was glad Sweden could as- his national security and intel- asked to leave their embassy some Americans home or some Cuba were restored in 2015 after late on Wednesday. “It reiterates soon be reunited with his fam- sist. ligence adviser, to the North on May 23, State Department Americans chose to come home a half-century break by then US its willingness to co-operate in ily and friends in Canada,” Tru- Canada has no diplomatic Korean capital to discuss the spokeswoman Heather Nauert as a result of that. And as a result president Barack Obama and his the clarifi cation of this situa- deau said. “The government of representation in Pyongyang pastor’s case. said at a briefi ng, without speci- of that, we’ve asked two Cubans Cuban counterpart Raul Castro. tion.” Canada was actively engaged and Sweden acts as its “pro- Jean’s mission to Pyongyang fying the number of Americans to leave the United States and But the rapprochement was Havana said it had started a on Mr Lim’s case at all levels. In tecting power” when it comes was an exceptional step given aff ected by these symptoms or they have.” partially rolled back by Obama’s “comprehensive, priority and particular, I want to thank Swe- to consular issues aff ecting Ca- the state of diplomatic relations detailing their nature. “What this requires is pro- successor Donald Trump who in urgent investigation” into the al- den, our protecting power in nadians in North Korea. between Canada and North Ko- “We fi rst heard of these inci- viding medical examinations June announced tightened rules leged incidents after it had been North Korea, for assisting us.” Offi cials in the Prime Minis- rea, and the escalating tensions dents back in late 2016,” Nau- to these people,” Nauert said. for Americans traveling to Cuba, informed of them by the embassy Lim, who had travelled to ter’s Offi ce did not confi rm any between the North and the US. ert said. “Some US government “Initially, when they’d started banned ties with a military-run in February. North Korea dozens of times additional details about Lim’s Pyongyang’s already strained since 1997, was on a humani- release or when he is expected relations with Washington tarian aid mission when he was to be back on Canadian soil. spiked to new levels of hostility arrested in January 2015 shortly “Pastor Lim’s health and on Tuesday after US President after entering the country. well-being remain of utmost Donald Trump threatened to He was subsequently sen- importance to the Government unleash “fi re and fury” if North Hurricane weakens after striking Mexico tenced to life in prison and hard of Canada, and we are working Korea continued its provoca- labour. to ensure that he receives any tions. The Lim family spokesperson required medical attention,” The North responded on Reuters were no reports of casualties. fl oods and mudslides in the der, but it was on the periphery Lisa Pak told CBC News that the Trudeau said. Wednesday with its own Veracruz, Mexico Franklin landed in the early mountainous terrain. of the storm’s path. family is grateful to the Cana- “Operational security con- threats, saying that it had been hours of yesterday as a Category The state of Veracruz, a major The storm is located about dian government and the Swed- siderations prevent us from drawing up plans for a missile 1 hurricane and later weakened oil producer and home to two im- 95km east-northeast of Mexico ish embassy in North Korea for discussing the matter further,” strike against the Pacifi c island emnants of this year’s into a tropical storm over the portant petroleum ports, showed City with sustained winds of working behind the scenes to he added, asking the media to of Guam, which is home to US fi rst Atlantic hurricane eastern coast of Mexico, the US few signs of damage following 65kph, the hurricane centre said. secure the pastor’s freedom. respect the family’s privacy. military bases, strategic bomb- Rdumped rain over the east- National Hurricane Centre said. the passage of the storm. “Additional weakening is ex- Swedish Foreign Aff airs Min- Lim’s release came after Tru- ers and about 163,000 people ern Gulf coast and central Mexico Heavy rains fell over central The Ciudad Madero refi nery is pected as Franklin moves over ister Margot Wallstrom tweeted deau dispatched Daniel Jean, (see report on Page 6). yesterday, but offi cials said there Mexico, raising the risk of fl ash across the state’s northern bor- Mexico,” it said.

Venezuela opposition mulls response to crackdown Taylor Swift tells of

AFP members of the new Constituent Cyberattack leaves millions without mobile phone service in Venezuela shock over ‘groping’ Caracas Assembly, which was elected last month amid allegations of fraud A massive cyber attack that took down government Venezuela has two other private mobile phone opera- and deadly protests. websites in Venezuela earlier this week also has left tors: Spanish-owned Movistar and Digitel. AFP groping her during the photo enezuela’s opposition was Argentina, Brazil, Canada, 7mn mobile phone users without service, the govern- Roa said the outage was part of a wave of attacks that Denver session. yesterday weighing its Chile, Mexico and other nations ment said yesterday. began on Monday when dozens of government and “It was a very shocking Vresponse to the govern- in the Americas have said they do A group that calls itself The Binary Guardians claimed private company websites were hacked. thing. I had never dealt with ment’s latest crackdown on its not recognise the new assembly, responsibility for attacks that targeted the websites of Roa said there also have been nine cuts in the coun- usic superstar Taylor something like this before,” politicians, which critics warn which also sacked a critical at- the government, the Supreme Court and the National try’s fibre optic network, which has cut off already Swift told a court yes- Swift said. will risk making the troubled torney general among other steps Assembly. precarious internet service to seven states. Mterday of her shock Mueller, 55, is suing Swift, country a dictatorship. to quash dissent. “These terrorist actions which aff ected the Movilnet’s “The attacks were carried out with the help of foreign as she realised she was being alleging that she and her team Overnight, the Supreme Court Venezuela has lodged protests GSM platform on Wednesday left without communica- agents, trying once again to disrupt our country’s con- groped during a photo op- slandered him by telling his for the second time this week with 11 embassies over the in- tion seven of the state operator’s 13mn users,” Science nectivity,” Roa said, adding that an investigation was portunity ahead of a gig in the employer about the incident, sentenced an opposition mayor ternational condemnation, and and Technology Minister Hugbel Roa said. underway. United States. resulting in his fi ring. to 15 months in prison for not railed against the United States Swift, 27, said there was no She is counter-suing, alleg- preventing anti-government for not respecting “any basic doubt in her mind the radio ing that she was sexually as- protests in his Carcas district. principle of international law”. line in which he called for pro- December 10, with the aim of country’s 30mn citizens suff er personality that she was being saulted. And a powerful member of a The developments fuelled tests against his jailing “in all the holding Maduro to the electoral under a long economic crisis that photographed with ahead of a “Someone could have con- new loyalist assembly installed tensions that have been fl aring streets” of his municipality. calendar, which also sees the next has resulted in shortages of food Denver concert in 2013 reached cluded it appeared she was try- last week said would-be candi- in Venezuela for the past four But early yesterday there was presidential election in October and medicine and hyperinfl ation under her skirt and fondled her ing to get away from me,” David dates from the opposition want- months, resulting in nearly 130 little response, beyond a barri- 2018. – a harsh reality for an oil-rich buttocks. Mueller testifi ed on Wednes- ing to contest regional elections deaths during protests and in- cade of trash across a road. Opinion polls suggest the op- country that used to be one of the “It was a defi nite grab ... a day when shown a picture tak- in December would need “good creasing isolation for Maduro The opposition coalition, a position would win most of the wealthiest in Latin America. very long grab,” Swift testifi ed en during the alleged assault. conduct” permission from the and his government. grouping of around 30 disparate states, replicating its landslide Although broadly criticised, in a Denver federal court. The photo of Swift, Muel- body to take part. The Supreme Court’s sentenc- parties called the Democratic 2015 victory in taking control of Venezuela is not entirely isolated She declined to speculate ler and his girlfriend shows the The moves bolstered claims by ing of the opposition mayor of Unity Roundtable, has been the legislature, the National As- internationally. how long the incident lasted. morning show host on radio the United States and major Latin the Hatillo district in Caracas, struggling about what to do to sembly. It can count on the support of “He stayed latched on to station KYGO with his hand American nations that President David Smolansky, and a bar on keep up pressure on Maduro, who Maduro has installed the new Russia and China – which have my bare ass cheek as I lurched behind the singer’s rear end. Nicolas Maduro was trashing him holding public offi ce fol- it wants to see ousted through Constituent Assembly with granted tens of billions of dollars away from him. (His hand) Mueller claims his knuckles democracy and ruling through a lowed identical punishment it early elections. powers over all branches of gov- in loans to Venezuela – as well didn’t let go,” she told the jury. may have touched her ribs, well “dictatorship”. handed down to the mayor of the On Wednesday, after much de- ernment, including the National as leftist allies Cuba, Bolivia and Swift was called as a witness above where his arm is shown. On Wednesday, the United Chacao district, Ramon Mucha- bate, the coalition said it would Assembly. Nicaragua, and small Caribbean by the attorney represent- The singer, who was 23 at States extended sanctions it had cho. contest overdue regional elec- Maduro and his government nations to which it gives cheap ing David Mueller, the former the time, did not fi le a police already imposed on Maduro to Smolanksy posted a video on- tions in Venezuela’s 23 states on are deeply unpopular, as the oil. Denver radio host accused of report. Gulf Times 6 Friday, August 11, 2017 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA N Korea hones Guam strike plans

AFP Seoul South Koreans calm uclear-armed North Ko- rea mocked President NDonald Trump as “bereft as rhetoric escalates of reason” yesterday, raising the stakes in their stand-off with an unusually detailed plan to send a DPA salvo of missiles towards the US Seoul territory of Guam. The scheme to target the is- land, a key US military strong- n the business district of the 10mn-strong metropolis of Seoul, hold, was intended to “signal a professionals pour out into the streets and stroll into nearby res- crucial warning” as “only abso- Itaurants at midday. Older women distribute fl yers in pedestrian lute force” would have an eff ect WAR OF WORDS: Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. zones, and tourists walk along the greenery and water of the city’s on the US leader, the North said. Cheonggyecheon Stream. The declaration came after If the residents of Seoul — located just 55 kilometres from the North Trump boasted on Twitter that EU adds to sanctions list Korean border — are concerned about an escalating war of words be- America’s nuclear arsenal was tween Pyongyang and Washington, they’re doing their best not to let “far stronger and more powerful The European Union yesterday (ICBM) capable of reaching the on. than ever before”. expanded its North Korean US mainland, the UN last week “Most Koreans are more worried about the summer heat,” says Earlier, Trump stunned the sanctions blacklist as fiery imposed the most damaging 23-year-old student Lee Ji-yoon. “North Korea has been threatening world with a bold-faced mes- rhetoric between Washington restrictions so far aimed at the rest of the world for ages,” Lee tells DPA.”Most of us think that it sage to leader Kim Jong-un and Pyongyang sent tensions slashing North Korea’s vital will just pass once again.” that appeared to borrow from soaring. The 28-nation EU export earnings. Some international observers, however, say public opinion is only a Pyongyang’s own rhetorical arse- has steadily increased asset The EU member states said in limited indication of the seriousness of the situation. nal, saying the North faced “fi re freezes and travel bans on a statement that in accordance “Hidden behind the people’s composure, there is always a little and fury like the world has never North Korea over its repeated with the UN resolution, the bloc fatalism,” says Lars-André Richter of the German-based Friedrich seen”. violation of UN resolutions on was adding nine individuals and Naumann Foundation in Seoul. Richter, who has experienced several The war of words over its nuclear and ballistic missile four entities — including state- North Korean crises in his fi ve years in the South Korean capital, says Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes. After tests of an owned Foreign Trade Bank the situation has never been as tense as it is now. programmes is raising fears of a Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (FTB) — to its sanctions list. “This is not only due to Trump, mind you, but above all to the miscalculation that could lead progress of North Korean nuclear and rocket policies,” Richter says. to catastrophic consequences The tension has also spread to diplomatic circles. on the Korean peninsula and be- a fl ight time of 17 minutes 45 sec- jin of Seoul’s University of North During an emergency meeting of the National Security Council yond. Last month the North car- onds, travel 3,356.7km (around Korean Studies said the level of yesterday, North Korea was called upon to cease all provocations. ried out two successful tests of an 2,086 miles) and come down 30 detail in Pyongyang’s declaration The possibility of dialogue remains open, according to a spokesman intercontinental ballistic missile, to 40km away from Guam, it said was unusual. “The North appears for South Korean President Moon Jae-in. bringing much of the US main- – which would put the impact to be saying what it is going to do Tourists board a shuttle bus for transport around the city of For Moon, the current confl ict could be described as a tightrope land within its range. points just outside US territorial is within international laws,” he Tamuning on the island of Guam. The Pacific island’s governor said walk between his peaceful convictions and an escalating national se- Trump’s “fi re and fury” re- waters. Japan, which has in the told AFP. “Therefore, it cannot the US territory was “well-equipped” to handle any North Korean curity crisis. marks were “a load of nonsense”, past warned it would shoot down be ruled out that the North may strike thanks to robust infrastructure that had survived earthquakes Moon’s fi rst months in offi ce saw the establishment of aid projects said General Kim Rak-gyom, the any North Korean missiles that translate this plan into reality.” and typhoons, after Pyongyang released a detailed plan to launch in North Korea and family reunions among long-separated relatives, commander of the North’s missile threaten its territory, responded During the Cold War in the missiles towards the island. but there are no such conciliatory stances today. forces, according to Pyongyang’s quickly to insist it can “never tol- 1980s the Soviet Union sent un- Instead, Moon has called for the “complete” reform of his armed offi cial Korean Central News erate” provocations from the re- armed missiles to come down in States’ ballistic missile defence. of support for their stance. One forces and has asked US President Donald Trump to renegotiate the Agency. “Sound dialogue is not clusive state. the Pacifi c within 1,000km of “This is a coercive threat to halt banner proclaimed: “10 million provisions of a bilateral military treaty, allowing South Korea to pro- possible with such a guy bereft of The western Pacifi c island Hawaii. B-1 fl ights,” Adam Mount, senior hearts burn with vows to defend duce more powerful warheads. For the conservative opposition, the reason,” he added in a statement. of Guam is home to US strate- Analysts said a North Korean fellow of the Center for American the fatherland until death.” government’s defence plans don’t go far enough. The military would complete the gic assets including long-range launch towards Guam would put Progress said on Twitter. “Un- Seoul’s military said the North On Monday, the Liberty Korea party called for the US military to Guam plan by mid-August and bombers and military jets and the US in a dilemma: if it did not like Trump’s vague, incendiary would face “strong and resolute deploy nuclear warheads to South Korea. The North Korean army re- submit it to Kim Jong-un for con- submarines, which are regularly attempt to intercept the missiles, threat, DPRK’s is coercive, clear, retaliation” in the event of an at- newed its threat of a rocket attack against the US on Thursday follow- sideration, he said. deployed for shows of force in its credibility would be damaged specifi c, and has credible escala- tack. ing Trump’s infl ammatory remarks, this time taking the unusual step The distinctively precise and near the Korean peninsula, to and the North would feel em- tion potential. Response is dif- Tensions on the Korean penin- of naming the Pacifi c US territory of Guam as its target. statement said the four missiles Pyongyang’s fury. boldened to carry out a full-range fi cult.” sula tend to increase when Seoul For Richter, North Korea’s provocations are above all intended to would be launched simultane- Two supersonic US bomb- ICBM test. But if an intercept was Thousands of North Kore- and Washington launch major attract attention, which it can then use for domestic policy purposes. ously and overfl y the Japanese ers took off from the island on a attempted and any of the rockets ans marched through central military joint exercises, and the “Kim Jong-un and his entourage want to show the world that they prefectures of Shimane, Hiroshi- fl y-over mission to Korea early got through it would undermine Pyongyang, waving clenched next, Ulchi Freedom Guardian, is exist,” says Richter. “I cannot imagine that the country would fall into ma and Koichi. They would have this week. Professor Yang Moo- the eff ectiveness of the United fi sts, as authorities put on a show set to kick off around August 21. a trap.”

Police swoop on corruption Thailand prepares in Australian for queen’s birthday Border Force The Australian government apologised yesterday to amid tight security thousands of border control officers after two men were charged with corruption DPA mother fi gure and her birthday as part of a major police Bangkok is Mother’s Day in Thailand. As swoop on organised crime. on her recent birthdays, Sirikit The two accused, a former will not join the celebrations. Australian customs officer hailand is gearing up Due to her deteriorating and an officer of Australia’s for birthday celebra- health, the queen dowager has Border Force, were arrested Ttions for Sirikit, queen refrained from formal public as part of wide-spread raids consort of the late king Bhu- appearances in recent years. across Sydney on Tuesday mibol Adulyadej, who turns 85 This birthday also comes amid targeting organised crime on Saturday. The celebrations tightened security as the coun- syndicates. will take place amid tightened try approaches the anniversa- Australia’s immigration security, offi cials said yester- ries of two attacks, police told minister Peter Dutton said day. Saturday marks Sirikit’s DPA. Last year on the eve of he was determined to root fi rst birthday under the reign her birthday, a series of deadly out corruption inside the of her only son, 65-year-old bombings across central and Australian Border Force. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, southern Thailand left four “I want to apologise to all who ascended to the throne af- people dead and more than 30 of the Australian Border ter Bhumibol, who reigned for injured. Force off icers for the alleged seven decades, died in October. Thai authorities held sepa- conduct of this one off icer. There will be Buddhist rites, ratist insurgents in the far Chinese soldiers stand next to trucks at a temporary camp in Zhangzha, Sichuan province. This besmirches 5,500 a candlelight vigil, and a con- south responsible for the at- off icers who do a great job,” cert at Vajiralongkorn’s palace tacks. Dutton said. in Bangkok. Thais have been On August 17, 2015, a bomb- Police allege the two off icers invited to log their well-wishes ing at a Hindu shrine popular were part of a conspiracy to to the queen at city halls up and with Chinese tourists in central illegally import drugs and down the country. Many char- Bangkok killed 20 people and China rescuers comb through tobacco into Australia. It is ity events are being organised wounded 125 others. Police be- further alleged the syndicate in the queen’s honour, ranging lieve the attack was carried out was engaged in money from marathons to tree plant- in retaliation for a crackdown laundering activities. A total ing. on a Chinese Uighur human- of 17 people were arrested Sirikit is the country’s traffi cking ring. earthquake region for victims as part of the operation, five aboard a luxury yacht in Dubai and two in the 106-year-old fruitcake found in AFP mainly Chinese tourists who into cut-off valleys. “We’re re- er, and the body of a woman was Netherlands, according to Antarctica ‘perfectly preserved’ Jiuzhaigou, China fl ock to its national park, which sponsible for fi nding if there are pulled out of the rubble yesterday media reports. Five of those is a Unesco World Heritage site. still people trapped over there. morning, provincial fi re authori- charged are members of Nearly 60,000 people – We’re the fi rst to go check,” Yang ties said. It was not known if Sydney’s notorious Ibrahim New Zealand scientists have northern party from 1911. hina yesterday ramped up around half of which were tour- said as the team prepared to make others were still buried. family which often appears in found a “perfectly preserved” The huts were the first its response to an earth- ists – were evacuated from another attempt at reaching the So far, 200mn yuan ($30mn) Australian media with model 106-year-old fruitcake in a buildings in Antarctica and Cquake that killed 20 peo- quake-hit towns and villages on isolated area. in government relief funds has girlfriends and expensive remote Antarctic hut. The are the only examples left ple and injured hundreds, send- Wednesday. Authorities were The tremor evoked memories been allocated for quake relief, sports cars. delicacy, made by British of humanity’s first building ing supplies and personnel into seeking to help more victims of a devastating 8.0-magnitude according to authorities. The Police searched the plush cake makers Huntley and on any continent. They were the mountainous zone as rescu- yesterday, with the Sichuan earthquake in the region in 2008 government of Aba prefecture, seaside home of the family’s Palmers, was still wrapped built by Norwegian Carsten ers fanned out to search for more provincial fi re department say- that left 87,000 people dead or where Jiuzhaigou is located, is- reputed leader, John in paper and encased in the Borchgrevink’s expedition in victims. ing 16 tourists were stranded in missing, but the impact of Tues- sued an appeal for donations. Ibrahim, who owns a string remains of a tin-plated iron 1899 and later used by Scott’s AFP journalists in Jiuzhaigou, a picturesque spot called Panda day’s disaster was comparatively Authorities said 1,680 private of nightclubs, bars and alloy tin, the researchers at party in 1911. a popular tourist destination Sea. More than 500 medical staff light. homes across Jiuzhaigou’s 17 restaurants in Sydney. But the Antarctic Heritage Trust Although the cake looked near the epicentre of Tuesday have been dispatched to the dis- Authorities brought the death townships suff ered varying de- according to local media in Christchurch said in a and smelled edible, it will night’s 6.5-magnitude quake, aster zone, provincial offi cial toll up to 20 yesterday afternoon, grees of damage. reports, he was not arrested statement yesterday. “Finding remain a mystery as to saw dozens of relief and military Qumushiha said at a press con- with 431 injured, 34 seriously. The local government said it or charged. “The people such a perfectly preserved what the century-old sweet trucks rolling through the remote ference yesterday evening. A Frenchman and a Canadian had repaired 129 telecommuni- we allege are part of this fruitcake amongst the last tastes like as it is unethical corner of Sichuan province. Authorities have said thou- woman were among those hurt. cation towers or other installa- syndicate that are well- handful of unidentified and for conservators to taste- Locals took refuge in blue relief sands of response personnel The quake tore cracks in tions that were damaged by the known to law enforcement. severely corroded tins was test their finds, Meek told tents in several makeshift camps were sent into the area, as rescue mountain highways and AFP quake, restoring communica- For decades this group quite a surprise,” programme Newshub.“The fruit cake will or out on streets in towns as more workers search for at least four journalists saw cars that had tions with much of the aff ected has flaunted their wealth manager Lizzie Meek said. go back to where it came than a thousand aftershocks jolt- people still missing. been smashed by giant fall- area. and activities, telling the Her team believe that the from on a shelf in the hut and ed the region and landslides kept Yang Yongzhi was among a ing boulders. Some buildings in President Xi Jinping had community they were cake, found on a shelf in a I guess the story is out there nerves on edge. Jiuzhaigou is an search team in red jumpsuits towns bore cracks, but few struc- called earlier for “all-out eff orts untouchable,” Australian hut in Cape Adare, belonged and visitors to the site will be area populated largely by ethnic and hardhats who were forced by tures appeared to have sustained to rapidly organise relief work Federal Police assistant to Robert Falcon Scott’s able to see that tin,” she said. Tibetans and Qiang people. Its landslides to turn back Wednes- heavy damage. One Jiuzhaigou and rescue the injured” in the Si- commissioner Neil Gaughan scenic landscape is popular with day night after trying to press hotel partially collapsed, howev- chuan quake. said. Gulf Times Friday, August 11, 2017 7 BRITAIN/IRELAND

NABBED NEW AGE WITHDRAWN SEASONAL WOES ‘NOT-SPOTS’ Jogger held for pushing Art, or is it just a bunch 700,000 insecticide-tainted ‘2 weeks’ of cold weather, Tube to have full 4G woman in front of bus of, er, balloons? eggs imported to UK: govt downpours for London coverage in two years

Police said yesterday they had arrested a 50-year- Art is well known for its power to move people, Around 700,000 eggs implicated in a Dutch London is set to be hit with at least two Londoners will be free to use their mobiles to old jogger on suspicion of knocking a woman into but a new installation in London can move itself insecticide scandal have been distributed more weeks of cold, wet, blustery weather, make calls or go online on Tube trains within two the path of a bus on a busy west London street — it comprises a series of autonomous floating in Britain in processed food, authorities said as unseasonable August weather continues. years, Sadiq Khan pledged yesterday. The Evening earlier this year. Closed circuit TV footage showed spheres, that interact with visitors and the space yesterday, while playing down the risk to public The Met Off ice has warned that damp, windy Standard reports that the mayor set a 2019 deadline a male jogger knocking a 33-year-old woman on their own. The installation — “+/- Human” health. “It is likely that the number of eggs that conditions and persistent that has hit for the start of 4G coverage in Underground tunnels head-first into the path of the bus, which narrowly in London’s Roundhouse — is a collaboration have come to the UK is closer to 700,000 than the capital are likely to continue for at least the for the first time as he launched a major new drive to managed to swerve out of her way. “Police between choreographer Wayne McGregor and the 21,000 we previously believed had been next two weeks. Temperatures are set to hover eliminate the capital’s connectivity ‘not-spots’. The investigating an assault after a jogger appeared art group Random International. Several drones imported,” said the Food Standards Agency, around the low 20s. A forecaster told ambition to allow passengers full access to mobile to push a woman into the path of an oncoming — floating balloons with small propeller motors a government department. It said the eggs the Evening Standard: “It’s very up and down networks within two years times will allow London bus in Putney have made an arrest,” London attached — are fitted with a motion tracking had not been sold individually but were in and a couple of days dry then some rain. to catch up — or even overtake — other great global police said in a statement. “The man arrested for system to allows them to identify and interact processed foods such as sandwich fillings and That’s the pattern.” Thunderstorms and cities such as Seoul, Tokyo, New York or Paris. It grievous bodily harm...has been released under with visitors. “We wanted to make a piece which salads — some of which will have already been strong winds are predicted across the rest will also bring to an end virtually the last “hiding investigation pending further enquiries.” The was a piece related to autonomous objects and eaten, with the rest now being withdrawn from of the south-east for the remainder of place” in London for people trying to avoid being victim received minor injuries from the incident. live bodies”, McGregor told Reuters. sale. August. contacted on their phones. Police: Slavery far more prevalent in UK than thought

Reuters offi cer in charge of tacking such one Romanian gang was making identifi ed from 109 countries London criminality, told reporters. 5mn euros a month by traffi cking last year but the most common Emergency workers and off icials examine a damaged London bus at the scene of an accident, after it “This is a growing problem. women in the sex trade. nationalities of those traffi cked crashed into a shop on a busy street in south-west London yesterday. This is 2017, this is not acceptable Globally it was estimated there and off enders were people from odern slavery and hu- in any way, shape or form.” were 46mn victims generating eastern European, Vietnam and man traffi cking are Previous estimates suggested half a tn dollars a year for organ- Nigeria, although he said British Mmore prevalent across there were up to 13,000 victims ised crime gangs, he said. victims made up the third high- Britain than previously thought of these types of crimes in Brit- “We really have seen est group. 10 hurt as double-decker bus as more international gangs re- ain, but Kerr said that fi gure was this...‘commodifi cation’ of peo- Kerr cited the case of a 12-year- alise they can make signifi cant the tip of the iceberg. ple by criminals and crime gangs old Roma girl who had been traf- sums from it, the National Crime “The more we go looking for who have realised there is lot fi cked to Britain to work in do- crashes into London building Agency (NCA) said yesterday. this, the more we are fi nding it,” more money to be made by ex- mestic servitude for one family, The NCA said there were 300 he said, adding an operation by ploiting vulnerable people and tasked with taking their children live police operations into forced British police in May and June that’s why we’re so concerned to school and cleaning the house. Reuters accident, and appealed to the cident in the early stages but labour, sexual exploitation and had led to 111 arrests with 130 about it,” he said. In 2015, the UK passed tough London public for any video footage of crews worked hard to stabilise domestic servitude, problems possible victims identifi ed. Europe’s migrant crisis was anti-slavery legislation intro- what happened. the shop and assist casualties which it said aff ected every large Kerr said the crime was be- undoubtedly connected, Kerr ducing life sentences for traf- London’s ambulance service alongside London Ambulance town and city across the coun- coming more attractive to gangs said, as it had created a larger fi ckers and forcing companies to double-decker bus said it had treated 10 people for Service colleagues,” said Ben try. who could make up to £600 pool of people who could be ex- disclose what they are doing to crashed yesterday into a minor injuries, including the King, station manager at the “We’ve been shocked by the ($780) per day from each woman ploited. make sure their supply chains are Abuilding on a busy south driver, and that three people London Fire Brigade. extent of it,” Will Kerr, the NCA’s exploited for prostitution, saying In Britain, victims had been free from slavery. London street, injuring 10 peo- who had been taken to hospital The bus was wedged into the ple and briefl y trapping two for further checks had been dis- shop front, with both its win- passengers inside. charged. dows and those of the building The bus drove into a kitchen The fi re brigade also rescued smashed. shop on Lavender Hill, near two passengers who had been Roads surrounding the scene Clapham Junction train station. trapped on the top fl oor of the were closed as emergency serv- London seeks deal with Holyrood before repeal bill Police did not immediately bus. ices continued to work to re- comment on the cause of the “This was a challenging in- move the bus. Guardian News and Media to ensure the quick distribution of Green said yesterday he had told London powers after Brexit. Russell and John Swinney, Scot- Until now, the UK govern- land’s deputy fi rst minister, that ment’s formal position – en- retaining most powers in London he UK government ex- dorsed by Ruth Davidson, the at fi rst would be temporary. Omagh bomb victims’ families to pects to sign a formal deal Scottish Tory leader – was that “We want these (powers) to Twith Scotland setting out detailed talks on new Scottish pass through as fast as possible its new powers before Brexit, to powers would start after the UK when we’ve got agreement,” he sue Northern Ireland police chief head off a confrontation over the quits the EU. said. repeal bill. “In practice, it’s all happening “When you say there’s a fun- Damian Green, the fi rst secre- in parallel,” Green said. damental disagreement, there Guardian News and Media any of them,” he told the Press “There are similarities be- tary of state, said an agreement His reassurances were imme- isn’t: we want the same thing, Belfast Association. cause, yet again, the victims are between the two governments diately dismissed as inadequate and the purpose of these talks is “We can’t walk away and say the ones that have to fi ght for would be published before the EU by the Scottish government, to ensure that in detail we can get ‘it’s just one of those things’. In answers while those respon- repeal bill came into force, out- suggesting Green may be a long to that point.” elatives of Omagh bomb our case it wasn’t just Aiden sible aren’t held to account. lining new powers for Holyrood way from solving the impasse Green implied that Sturgeon’s victims have launched that died, all of us died that day. These are innocent victims and and the policies set at UK level. between the two governments. Green ... negotiating a fair deal team was guilty of brinksman- Rlegal action against Our lives have never been the they are the ones that have to go But Green ruled out any sub- A spokesman for Nicola Stur- ship and posturing because a de- Northern Ireland’s police chief same and we need some an- through the courts, not the per- stantive changes to the repeal bill, geon, the fi rst minister, said the UK governments would negotiate lay in implementing the Scottish in an attempt to secure full an- swers.” petrators,” said Fox. rejecting a key demand put to him Scottish government was ada- UK-level frameworks. elements of the repeal bill could swers over what they say were The families have issued a Stanley McComb, whose by Scotland’s Brexit minister, Mike mant that clause 11 of the Eu- In a joint letter published last have serious legal and industrial catastrophic failures to bring writ against the Police Serv- wife, Ann, was killed in the Russell, during their talks in Edin- ropean Union (withdrawal) bill, month, Sturgeon and the Welsh consequences. the perpetrators to justice. ice of Northern Ireland (PSNI) bombing, said: “Every morn- burgh on Wednesday, when he said which has the eff ect of automati- fi rst minister, Carwyn Jones, Because Holyrood has signifi - Victims say they cannot rest chief constable George Hamil- ing I wake, I am on my own; the bill should be rewritten. cally repatriating EU powers to accused the UK government of cant devolved powers over many while the terrorists responsible ton, seeking damages over what every night I go to bed, I am on “It’s hugely in the interests of Whitehall and Westminster, had planning to grab powers from the areas controlled at EU level and for the atrocity that claimed 29 they claim has been a breach of my own. My partner, my wife of people in Scotland that we do to be substantially rewritten. three devolved governments by because Scotland has a separate lives remain free. their human rights. 25 years, is no longer there and reach a successful conclusion,” “We’re quite clear that the bill initially centralising existing EU legal and judicial system, hun- Three days before the 19th Their solicitor John Fox said: should be there. It does hurt Green said yesterday. as it stands must be changed for powers in London. dreds of pieces of secondary leg- anniversary of the blast, “What they want is answers you. You learn to live with it, but “When we reach an agreement us to be in a position where we can Sturgeon again threatened to islation must be in place at the Michael Gallagher, whose and whether there were failing that’s what drives me on. on where powers lie, then we will give legislative consent,” he said. withhold Holyrood’s legislative point Brexit takes place to guar- 21-year-old son Aiden was in the investigation and wheth- “Why should people get away clearly have that agreement and The Scottish government consent for the bill, a step which antee legal continuity. killed in the bombing, said the er these failings led to the per- with something like that? If I that agreement will be public. I wants all EU policy areas cur- would plunge the Brexit process It is expected MSPs and min- families needed answers. petrators escaping justice.” broke the law or anyone decent don’t see that as a problem at all.” rently devolved to Edinburgh into a major political crisis. isters will have to sit late into “Here we are, 19 years on, and The writ is the latest devel- breaks the law, they are pun- With Russell challenging him to – such as fi sheries, farming and If Holyrood refused to con- the night at Holyrood, setting the criminals responsible for opment in the families’ two- ished for it, and these people agree to devolve signifi cant pow- environmental legislation – au- sent, that would force the UK up new committees, in order to this are still walking the streets decade quest for justice, and came in and murdered my wife ers over areas such as fi sheries and tomatically given to Scotland at government to impose the bill’s agree and pass the often complex – there has been absolutely no Fox said it had parallels with the in this town and it drives me on. farming, Green said he was keen Brexit. measures on the Scottish parlia- updates and redrafting of exist- punitive measures taken against Hillsborough campaign. There’s no way I am giving up.” on reaching a comprehensive deal At that point, the devolved and ment. ing and new legislation. Business begs for clarity after Brexit maelstrom

Reuters plan and make coherent invest- Some business chiefs also The EU and Britain need to transition to cope with the Britain should turn up the business to ensure that Brexit London ment decisions. said they were disorientated by a reach agreement on every- impact of Brexit, said Emma pragmatism and tone down the was a success. “I see through a glass darkly. public battle at the heart of gov- thing from expatriate rights to Walmsley, the chief executive of ideology in its Brexit negotia- Companies seeking clarity are It’s hard to discern exactly what is ernment over the shape of the the complexities of customs to GlaxoSmithKline. tions, Dixons Carphone chief ex- likely to be disappointed until a fter the maelstrom of happening at the moment,” Rupert divorce, including crucial details keep trade fl owing between the “Our main focus is to make ecutive Seb James told Reuters. departure deal is done, G4S chief Prime Minister Theresa Soames, CEO of British outsourc- such as immigration controls and world’s biggest trading bloc and sure that we are given a suffi - James, whose company em- executive Ashley Almanza said. AMay’s election crisis and ing group Serco, said. Serco was the length of any possible Brexit the fi fth largest global economy. ciently long transition period, ploys around 4,000 citizens from “(Everyone) is waiting for clar- a struggle in government over the fi nding it harder to attract truck transition. FTSE-100 executives said they that is really the thing that mat- other EU countries out of a total ity on how Brexit is going to aff ect shape of Brexit, business chiefs drivers in its waste collection busi- While the stakes are high, time understood ministers could not ters in our sector,” she told re- UK workforce of about 26,000, the outlook and I think basically have a simple request for Britain: ness in Britain because of a lack of is short. give an exact outline while nego- porters. “The absolute minimum said May’s government should that we’re going to know when Give clarity on how the EU di- clarity about Brexit, he said. Many Britain has less than two years tiations were under way. for us — minimum — is two give more clarity about the tran- we get there,” said the head of the vorce might look. were opting instead to work in to negotiate the terms of the di- But businesses did need to un- years.” sition period. world’s largest security group. Since May nearly lost her job in Spain, Italy or Portugal. vorce and the outlines of the derstand the rights of EU workers May has given little detail on “It’s not fair on people to not In the absence of clarity from a botched June 8 election gamble, “There has been a bit of a thaw future relationship before it is and how trade would work the the transition she wants but her give them some kind of clarity as the government, some company ministers have sought to strike a in Number 10, but nothing dra- due to leave in late March 2019, day after March 29, 2019. fi nance minister, Philip Ham- quickly as possible,” James said bosses said they are planning for more inclusive tone, even invit- matic,” said a FTSE 100 company though a transition could give May wants to negotiate the mond, has said there should be in an interview at Dixons Car- the worst — what they call a “cliff ing in some chief executives to a senior executive who asked not to businesses more time to adjust to divorce and the future trading no immediate change to immi- phone’s Acton headquarters in edge” Brexit. 17th century manor house to dis- be named due to the sensitivity of the new relationship. relationship with the EU before gration or trading rules when west London. “We need to get “A lot of our businesses are cuss Brexit over a buff et lunch. Brexit. Still, many business chiefs Britain leaves, followed by what Britain leaves, and that a transi- that sorted, and we need to get it starting to take a more pessimis- But as the March 2019 exit “Before the election, they worry that there is ample room she calls a phased implementa- tion could last until mid-2022. sorted now.” tic view,” said one senior execu- date approaches, six major Brit- weren’t listening. Now, they’re for a breakdown in talks and a tion process to give business time But Hammond’s vision is op- Britain will in coming days set tive who spoke on condition of ish business chiefs told Reuters trying to listen, but they have very disorderly Brexit that would im- to prepare for the impact of the posed by other senior ministers out its negotiating position on a anonymity. “We’re pressing all they still do not have the answers little of substance to say on the peril Britain’s $2.5tn economy by divorce. within May’s government who range of Brexit issues. of the time to get clarity but we about post-Brexit immigration, topic that matters far more than sowing chaos through the labour Britain’s pharmaceutical in- want a cleaner break with the A government source said remain concerned that there’s no trade and regulation they need to any other,” the executive said. market and trade fl ows. dustry needs at least two years’ club Britain joined in 1973. ministers were engaging with clarity.” Gulf Times 8 Friday, August 11, 2017 EUROPE

Turkey detains Two arrested as Europe Russian ‘planning egg scandal spreads east attack on AFP Dutch prosecutors said that they Investigators seized paper- after saying the number was US plane’ Brussels had arrested “two managers at work, cars, banking details and only 21,000. the company that allegedly used fi xed assets in both countries. As a result, four major British the substance at poultry farms”, They said they had also seized supermarket chains have with- AFP utch investigators ar- with Dutch media naming the 6,000 litres of “prohibited drawn some products contain- Istanbul rested two suspects yes- suspects’ company as Chick- products” in Belgium. ing eggs, including sandwiches Dterday in an intensifi ed friend. The joint off ensive came de- and salads, the Food Standards European investigation into Farmers in the Netherlands – spite Belgium earlier accusing Agency said. urkish authorities have insecticide-tainted eggs, as the one of Europe’s biggest egg ex- the Netherlands of knowing Luxembourg said eggs sold detained a Russian sus- scandal spread eastwards with porters – and Belgium have pre- about the problem of fi pronil in in branches of the discount su- Tpected member of the the discovery of a tonne of con- viously identifi ed Chickfriend as eggs since November last year, permarket Aldi had been with- Islamic State (IS) group for al- taminated yolk in Romania. the company that they hired to but failing to inform them until drawn, with one batch con- legedly plotting a drone attack The spiralling scandal that has treat their chickens to eradicate July. taining so much fi pronil it was on an American warplane at a US seen eggs taken off the shelves the parasite red lice. The Netherlands denied the unsafe to be eaten by young chil- base in southern Turkey. across Europe also reached The Dutch authorities said charge. dren. State-run Anadolu news Luxembourg, while Britain said the raids also focused on a Bel- In Romania – the country Tests also found fi pronil in agency said that Renat Bakiev is it had imported 700,000 eggs gian supplier of fi pronil, named identifi ed in media reports as eggs sold in Luxembourg su- accused of seeking to stage an from Dutch farms linked to fears in the media as Poultry-Vision, where Belgium’s Poultry-Vision permarket chain Cactus, which attack at “the Incirlik airbase or over fi pronil contamination, far and another Dutch company bought its supply of fi pronil – had originally come from the a plane stationed there”. more than fi rst thought. that colluded with it, which was one tonne of egg yolk liquid con- Netherlands, while two Lux- Quoting local police, it said Fipronil is commonly used not identifi ed. taminated with the insecticide embourg suppliers of prepared that “for this purpose, he worked to get rid of fl eas, lice and ticks “They are suspected of was found. meals, Caterman and Carnesa, to obtain a drone”. from animals but is banned by putting public health in danger The liquid was imported from said they had received cartons of Dogan news agency added that the EU from use in the food in- by supplying and using fi pronil Germany and found in a ware- liquid eggs from a contaminated Bakiev is suspected of seeking to dustry. in pens containing egg-laying house in western Romania, in source in Belgium. “stage a bomb attack aiming to It can harm people’s kidneys, chickens,” prosecutors’ spokes- the fi rst discovery of its kind The eggs at the centre of the bring down a US plane using a liver and thyroid glands. woman Marieke van der Molen in eastern Europe, the Roma- scandal have mainly come from drone” at the Incirlik airbase. With questions growing about said. nian veterinary health authority the Netherlands, followed by He allegedly carried out re- how the contamination hap- Belgian investigators mean- ANSVSA said, adding that none Belgium and Germany. connaissance work for the plot, pened and whether consumers while identifi ed 26 people or of it has been put on the market. Scores of farms have been both reports said, without giving have been kept in the dark, pres- companies as suspects dur- Meanwhile, British authori- shut. further details on how the plan sure has grown on the two coun- ing the 11 raids by police and ties said that around 700,000 Sweden, Switzerland, Britain, Eggs are destroyed at a chicken farm in Nadrin, Houff alize. Dutch would have been put in place. tries at the centre of the scandal food safety agency offi cers, for eggs from Dutch farms impli- France and Luxembourg have and Belgian investigators launched joint raids yesterday over Anadolu further reported – the Netherlands and Belgium. off ences including fraud and cated in the scandal had been also now announced that they Europe’s insecticide-tainted egg scare as Britain said it had imported the suspect had asked fellow IS In joint raids with Belgium, breaking EU food laws. distributed in Britain, just days have found contaminated eggs. far more contaminated eggs than originally revealed. members through the Telegram messaging app for 2,800 lira ($790) in order to buy the drone. Fed-up German The Russian embassy in An- kara said in a statement that it swims to work was “carrying out the necessary work to understand what hap- Fed-up with the grind of taking Paris car-ramming attack sparks pened and make clear the cir- a bus or bike to work every cumstances”. day on congested streets in The United States uses Incir- Munich, Benjamin David started lik, in Adana province, as a key swimming there instead. base for air strikes against IS The burly beer garden worker debate over anti-terror patrols militants in neighbouring Syria. now packs his laptop and clothes Bakiev also is suspected of into a waterproof bag which he carrying out preparations for puts on his back, dons his wetsuit AFP since 7,000 troops were ordered force, saying that it “demon- a plot to attack a centre of the and slides into the River Isar for Paris onto the streets in January 2015 strates the contribution of the Alevi religious minority – an his journey. after an attack by two militants French army ... to the security off shoot of the Shia sect of Islam “It is beautifully refreshing and on the offi ces of satirical news- of the country”. – in Adana city, Dogan reported. also the fastest way,” Benjamin he latest attack on paper Charlie Hebdo. In Wednesday’s incident in Bakiev was detained in Adana, David told Reuters Television. “I French anti-terror sol- Leftist lawmaker Clementine the upmarket western Paris it said. used to go by bike or bus or car Tdiers sparked debate Autain charged yesterday that suburb of Levallois-Perret, A court later remanded him in or on foot and you need much yesterday over whether troops the force is counterproductive, the BMW rolled slowly down a custody ahead of trial. longer. Today the current was should remain on patrol around telling French radio: “Most of quiet street, then accelerated Anadolu also reported claims quite strong and I only needed the country after having been their operations are aimed at as it neared the troops, ram- that Bakiev had been to Syria to about 12 minutes.” repeatedly targeted by extrem- protecting themselves.” ming into them before speeding fi ght with IS and had sought to However, in winter the river, ists. The soldiers form part of away. stage an attack against US forces which flows near the centre of On Wednesday, a 36-year- so-called “Sentinelle” force Three of the soldiers sus- there, but without success. the Bavarian capital, can get old Algerian man was arrested which patrols French streets tained serious, but not life- Images showed the suspect chilly, at temperatures of about after a motorway car chase and and guards high-risk areas such threatening injuries. – clean-shaven and wearing an 4° Celsius. is suspected of driving a BMW as tourist sites and religious Some 300 police later tracked orange T-shirt – being led to a “I mostly do this in summer. I am into a group of servicemen in buildings. down the rented vehicle on a medical check by two Turkish a bit of a wimp, but you can also a suburb of Paris earlier in the In one dramatic incident, a motorway near the northern police offi cers after his arrest. do it in winter, then I’ve got a day, injuring six of them. 39-year-old man was gunned This picture taken on Wednesday shows an armed French soldier port of Calais, about an hour Turkey was hit in 2016 by a longer wet suit,” he said. Named as Hamou B, he was down at Paris’s Orly airport on at the site of the car attack in Levallois-Perret, outside Paris. from Lille where the suspect is succession of attacks that left shot fi ve times by police and March 18 after attacking a sol- in hospital. hundreds dead in the bloodiest was recovering in hospital in dier. the soldiers were adequately essentially served as targets.” Investigators are analys- year of terror strikes in its his- Court jails kebab northern Lille and was not well On February 3 this year, a trained for the job of preventing Historian Benedicte Cheron ing clues found on Wednesday tory. enough to be questioned, a po- 29-year-old Egyptian armed the kind of terror attacks that agrees, telling the news maga- during a search of the suspect’s The attacks were blamed on shop attackers lice source said. with a machete in each hand have claimed more than 230 zine Le Point in a recent inter- home in the Val d’Oise a suburb IS who had taken swathes of The man, a taxi driver, had no attacked four soldiers at Paris’s lives in France. view: “Let’s face it: Sentinelle northwest of Paris, police said. territory in neighbouring Syria Three man who attacked a kebab previous convictions and was Louvre Museum. Vincent Desportes, former is a lightning rod that attracts The Sentinelle force was set and Iraq as well as the outlawed shop at train station near Munich not on France’s terror watch Right-wing MP Daniel director of France’s military lightning.” up after the attack on the of- Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in 2015 were handed prison list. Fasquelle called for an overhaul academy the Ecole Superieure But a lawmaker with the fi ces of satirical weekly Charlie who have battled the Turkish sentences yesterday by a local The incident was the sixth of the Sentinelle force. de Guerre, said: “Since the be- ruling Republic on the Move Hebdo, killing 12, on January 7, state in an over three-decade in- court. attack on patrolling soldiers He questioned whether ginning they (the soldiers) have (REM) party defended the 2015. surgency. Three other defendants were given suspended sentences at the Munich Court of Appeals, with two given additional fines. On September 25, 2015, the group stormed the shop at the Spain could top Greece in migrant sea arrivals, says IOM Ebersberg station with a baseball bat, a curtain rod and a hammer, injuring two Afghans and AFP “We assume that some of the working on the coast in southern smashing several windows. Madrid change is due to the fact that the Andalusia and in Ceuta to help The two main perpetrators, aged route is considered a safe route migrants when they make land- 36 and 28, were sentenced to up to the coast through Moroc- fall. four years and three months, pain could overtake Greece co,” Millman said. “Some people arrive with lit- and two years and four months, this year in the number of He added that the boats cross- tle strength left, sometimes they respectively. Smigrants arriving by sea, ing the choppy sea to Spain were got lost, lost the engine, don’t They have been charged with the International Organisation much smaller than those that have anything to eat or drink in forming armed groups, grievous for Migration (IOM) said yester- are being launched from Libya the boat, some have sunburns or bodily harm, incitement, threats day, coming ashore on boats and to Italy. burns from the petrol. And oth- and property damage. even jet-skis. In Libya there “appears to be ers are fi ne and recover quickly,” Another 28-year-old, who has Holidaymakers on a beach in a very deliberate strategy to put he said. nine previous convictions and is southern Spain were stunned on people out there, in overloaded “It’s always surprising to see already serving a prison sentence Wednesday when a black rubber boats that begin to take on wa- pregnant women and children – for another case, must serve boat full of migrants reached the ter almost immediately and then even if there aren’t many – who another 14 months. shore, its occupants jumping out it’s a race to see how quickly the try to cross in these conditions, and running away as scores of people on the boat can summon risking their life and that of the sun-worshippers watched. aid”, he said. “Whereas in Spain, kids for a better life.” On the same day, 12 migrants the strategy is smaller craft hop- The number of sea arrivals, Hundreds flee fire arrived in waters off the Spanish ing to come in undetected, and however, doesn’t take into ac- in southern France territory of Ceuta in northern undoubtedly some do.” count those coming into Ceuta Morocco on jet-skis, with one – Spain’s Guardia Civil police and Melilla, two Spanish terri- A forest fire raged in parched a 28-year-old man from Guinea force said that nine of around tories in northern Morocco, by southern France yesterday, – drowning before he could be 30 migrants who arrived on the land. forcing 400 campers and rescued, authorities said. beach on Wednesday had been Both cities are the EU’s only residents to flee, firefighters said. Yesterday morning, Spanish found, all of them minors in land borders with Africa. The blaze has been contained coastguards said they had res- their teens. As a result, they are entry after ravaging 500 hectares cued 10 men from sub-Saharan This picture taken on August 7 shows a migrant, who is part of a group intercepted aboard a dinghy off Spokesman Manuel Gonzalez points for migrants who regu- (1,250 acres) of pine forest Africa in a rickety boat off Tarifa the coast in the Mediterranean sea, jubilating on a rescue boat upon arriving at a port in Malaga, Spain. told AFP that while they did not larly try to climb high double and bush 40km southwest of in southern Spain. have any ID on them, they were border fences or force their way Montpellier, the fire service said. And the list goes on. man, and already more than the “It’s possible that Spain will But to get to Italy, they have to thought to be from Morocco. through them with wire cutters, Some 200 firefighters were still According to the IOM’s latest total arrivals in 2016. outperform Greece this year,” cross the Sahara desert and cru- The teenagers will be taken or hide in vehicles crossing the battling the blaze, with strong fi gures, until August 6, close to While the fi gure pales in com- Millman told AFP. “If so, that’s a cially Libya, wracked by chaos to migrant reception centres, frontier. winds expected during the day. 8,200 migrants had arrived in parison with Italy – where more big change.” as rival militias and administra- where they can apply for asylum Faced with the number of re- “Today’s weather conditions call Spain so far this year. than 96,400 migrants have He said many people tak- tions seek to control the oil-rich in Spain. cent entry attempts, authorities for the greatest prudence,” the That is more than triple the landed so far this year – Spain is ing the long route towards Eu- country. Inigo Vila, in charge of emer- in Ceuta have decided to close fire service said. number recorded at the same catching up with Greece where rope were from west African Faced with the danger, some gencies for the Red Cross in the border for trade for over a At the height of the blaze 800 time last year, according to Joel 11,713 alighted from boats in the countries like Senegal, Gambia, may be deciding to go up along Spain, said the organisation had week, to allow guards to better firefighters were involved. Millman, a senior IOM spokes- same timeframe. Guinea or Ivory Coast. the coast instead. reinforced the number of people man the fence. Gulf Times Friday, August 11, 2017 9 INDIA

JUSTICE IN THE NET DEADLY VIRUS KIDNAP BID CATCH THEM YOUNG Court orders framing of Wanted Qaeda terrorist Japanese encephalitis Son of politician jailed for charges against 11 ex-MPs nabbed at Delhi airport kills 7 in Manipur stalking after uproar

A court in New Delhi yesterday ordered framing Wanted Al Qaeda terrorist Syed Mohamed Seven people have died in Manipur in the A court yesterday sent the son of a leading of charges against 11 former parliamentarians in Zishan Ali has been arrested at the Indira Gandhi past few weeks due to Japanese encephalitis, politician to police custody for harassing connection with the 2005 cash-for-query case. International (IGI) airport in New Delhi, police a mosquito-borne disease, said T Kamini, a and trying to abduct a woman, in a case that Delhi Police have chargesheeted 11 former MPs said yesterday. Deputy Commissioner of Police biologist at the state unit of the National Vector has embarrassed the ruling party as it runs a for allegedly taking money to ask questions in Pramod Singh Kushwah said Ali, 29, a proclaimed Borne Disease Control Programme in Imphal. campaign on women’s safety. The woman said Parliament. Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry off ender and hailing from Jamshedpur in He said that 83 others are currently undergoing Vikas Barala, son of Subhash Barala, president of said that prima facie charges dealing with criminal Jharkhand, was arrested on Wednesday. treatment in hospitals. Stressing that steps the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Haryana state, conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and under Kushwah said that on Wednesday, police received have been taken to control the outbreak of and an associate tried to force open the door of the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act information that Ali, along with at least 30 other diseases, he said that people have also been the car she was driving home last weekend. One were made out against the accused. The charges will Indians, has been deported from Jeddah for visa advised to sleep inside mosquito nets and take BJP leader on Monday blamed the victim for being be formally framed on August 28. The court has also violation. He was arrested when he landed here. other precautions. Informed sources say that out late, triggering a backlash on social media and Indian Army personnel explain the use of a ordered framing of charges against a person named Kushwah said that though police tried to arrest the number of persons aff ected by dengue and prompting the party to distance itself from such MMG 7.62 MM gun to school girls during an Ravinder Kumar while proceedings against one of Ali and other cadres of Al Qaeda, they evaded swine flu is also increasing. At least two persons comments. The court in Chandigarh yesterday Indian Army exhibition at Panther Stadium in the accused has been dropped as he has died. arrest and were declared proclaimed off enders. are known to have died due to swine flu. sent Barala and his friend to two days’ custody. Amritsar.

Handy designs! Kerala Police ordered to share Hadiya probe details with NIA

IANS The Kerala High Court on May 25 had New Delhi declared as “null and void” the mar- riage of a 24-year-old Hindu woman, who converted to Islam to wed a Mus- he Supreme Court yesterday or- lim man in December 2016, terming it dered the Kerala Police to share a “sham” and ordered Hadiya, as she is Twith the NIA the probe details now known, be placed in her parents’ of a case wherein a Muslim man’s protective custody. marriage to a Hindu woman was an- Her husband Shafi n Jahan, 27, chal- nulled by the Kerala High Court, which lenged the High Court order in the top termed it a “love jihad”. court, saying the order was an “an in- A division bench of Chief Justice J S sult to the independence of women in Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud India”. Girls decorate each other’s hands with henna during the Teej festival to mark the Sawan month at a college in Amritsar. took serious note of the man’s objec- Approaching the Supreme Court tion to sharing of the records with the with a request to order Hadiya’s father National Investigation Agency (NIA). to produce her in court, he had claimed “We want the whole picture. Let she had converted to Islam of her own the whole picture come before us. volition two years prior to their mar- Why should anybody doubt the NIA? riage. Are you doubting the NIA? It’s a gov- Hadiya’s father, however, had said ernment agency. We asked them to that she was a “helpless victim” assist us,” the bench told the man’s trapped by a “well-oiled racket” which Dumped Dinakaran hits back counsel. used “psychological measures” to in- The bench said it gathered the “im- doctrinate people. pression that the petitioner (husband) Jahan is a criminal and his daughter does not desire the correct and inde- was trapped by a network with con- pendent view of the controversy” to be nections to Popular Front of India and at rival AIADMK faction brought before the apex court. even the Islamic State, the father’s “We wanted to see whether it is an lawyer had said. IANS void all the appointments of offi ce- Sasikala as ‘Chinnamma’. The state- The sources say that the Bharatiya isolated case or a larger issue is in- Hadiya, earlier known as Akhila, was Chennai bearers he had made. It added that ment yesterday called her ‘Respectable Janata Party (BJP) has been nudging volved,” the bench said. a homeopathy student in Kerala when Sasikala’s own appointment as general Mrs V K Sasikala’ — a clear sign of her the two factions to unite — and also The apex court asked the Kerala Di- she converted to Islam and changed her secretary was under the scrutiny of the weakening hold in a party she tried to join the BJP-led National Democratic rector General of Police to share the name. amil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK Election Commission. take over after the death in December Alliance formally. records of investigation conducted so Jahan had met her with his family in yesterday sacked its deputy While there was no immediate re- of then chief minister J Jayalalithaa. If a merger takes place, Palan- far with the NIA so as to “enable them August 2016 in response to her post- Tgeneral secretary T T V Dinaka- action from the rival faction led by A Panneerselvam aide, K P Mu- iswami will remain the Chief Minis- be alive to the situation at present”. ing on a marriage website and they got ran, nephew of the jailed general sec- former chief minister O Panneersel- nusamy, said they were fi rm on their ter while Panneerselvam could be- The bench said it has asked the spe- married last December. retary V K Sasikala, in a move aimed vam, a furious Dinakaran hit back. demand on the expulsion of Sasikala come the general secretary in place of cialised agency to weigh in for “neutral But in August 2016 itself, her father at placating the rival faction ahead Dinakaran, made the deputy gen- from the AIADMK, a CBI probe into Sasikala. and unbiased assistance” in the case. had approached the High Court with of a possible merger between the two eral secretary by Sasikala before she Jayalalitha’s death and withdrawal of Meanwhile, security has been tight- “If there are issues going beyond the a habeas corpus petition, alleging his groups. was jailed for corruption, thundered affi davits submitted to the Election ened at the AIADMK headquarters purview of Kerala, they should be able daughter had been radicalised by some The AIADMK announced after a at a press conference: “No one has Commission naming Sasikala as gen- here to foil the possibility of Dinakaran to assist us. Is this a small pocket in- organisations. nearly one-hour meeting attended the right to remove or expel me. Only eral secretary. and his supporters trying to take con- dividual issue or is it an issue that has He had also apprehended that there by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Sasikala has the power. The two factions will have to unite if trol over it. wider ramifi cations that should con- could be a scheme to send her to Syria some 30 ministers and party leaders “There are some AIADMK leaders they need to get back the party’s pop- An MLA close to Dinakaran, Vetriv- cerns us? We want them to help us in to work with extremist organisations that Dinakaran’s appointment was who are scared because of the things ular “two leaves” election symbol that el, who attended the AIADMK meet- this determination,” said the bench. such as the IS. “improper, unacceptable and invalid”, they have done,” he said, and added, in has been frozen by the Election Com- ing, challenged the decision to dump The court, however, allowed the The High Court, saying that “na- clearing the decks for the unifi cation an oblique reference to the BJP. mission. Dinakaran. man to fi le a response on the NIA plea tional interest is at stake”, had asked of the two factions. Panneerselvam have said Sasikala’s Minus the frozen symbol, AIADMK “Sasikala and Dinakaran cannot be that sought the court’s direction to the the state police chief to conduct an An AIADMK statement said Di- expulsion was a precondition for the leaders admit they will have problems removed from the party,” he said. police to allow it to access to police investigation into cases of ‘love jihad’ nakaran’s appointment was not done merger of the two AIADMK factions. taking on the DMK in the upcoming “Nobody can remove the two lead- records relating to the case investiga- and probe incidents of forced conver- as per rules and declared as null and The AIADMK used to refer to local body polls. ers from their party posts.” tion. sions.

Kerala mulls conservation as monsoon falters With the monsoon rains failing in Kerala and recording a shortfall of 28% so far, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan yesterday Injured migrant worker dies unattended in an ambulance held an emergency meeting to decide on the course of action needed to conserve water. The southwest monsoon arrived over Kerala on May 30. By Ashraf Padanna its ventilators were engaged for “It was a shame on the whole But after initial promise of bountiful rains, there has been Thiruvananthapuram the moment. of our state,” Vijayan told the a shortfall of 28% till August 7 of this month, which has led to They then took him to a su- State Legislative Assembly when panic. per speciality hospital in the city the Congress party-led Opposi- In the meeting chaired by Vijayan, it was decided to form erala Chief Minister Pi- which also denied admission and tion demanded adjournment of three task forces which have been entrusted to ensure that rain narayi Vijayan yesterday had to take him to another teach- its regular business to discuss water is conserved by repairing the regulators across major Kapologised to the family of ing hospital in Kollam, driving all this and 420 fever death, alleging rivers in the state. Tamil accident victim who died the way back, after getting confi r- a total collapse of its healthcare Vijayan informed the media that another major task given this week in the hospital after six mation, but the hospital refused system. to off icials is to see that canals and ponds across the state are hospitals turned him away. to take him in saying his condition “The denial of treatment is cleaned up so as to hold rain water. Murugan, 37, a migrant worker was worst. cruel. I apologise to the family on Over the years, rainwater harvesting has been scientifically from Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, After that, at 6am on Monday, behalf of the state and share their proved to increase the water table. met with an accident while riding they took him to the Government grief. There will be strict action Off icials have been asked to ensure that rain water is not a motorbike at Chathannoor in District Hospital where doctors against those responsible for this. allowed to drain off into the sea. Kollam district on Sunday night confi rmed that he was brought It shouldn’t have happened in a “A review meeting has been called on August 21 and off icials and suff ered a brain haemorrhage. dead after spending eight hours in state that had made tremendous have been asked to come prepared with the route map for The police took him and his fel- the ambulance. progress in health care.” water conservation,” said Vijayan, according to a statement low rider Muthu, 24, to the KIMS Activists say the private hos- He said an expert medical issued by his off ice. Hospital, in Kollam city where pitals left him to die as he had no team would examine the reasons Among the worst-hit districts, is Idukki district with 36% doctors diagnosed him with a money or someone else to foot his for the denial of treatment and shortfall in rains, that has left the Idukki reservoir, the main stay brain injury. bills. the government would “con- of providing hydel power to the state, precariously placed. The hospital admitted Muthu Murugan’s family waiting near the mortuary of Government District He was staying in a rented sider a new legislation or amend In Wayanad district too, the rains have failed. It has recorded and gave Murugan fi rst aid and Hospital, Kollam, for an ambulance to take his body back home. house and milking cows to make the existing one if necessary to 56% less rains as compared to the previous years. arranged an ambulance of a trau- a living. He had no relatives here. check recurrence of such inci- The meeting also decided to educate the people to conserve ma care charity to take him to the The emergency medical techni- hospitals, including a medical On Tuesday, when his wife and dents.” rain water and on the use of water in a strict manner. Government Medical College in cian tried his best to maintain the college, before reaching the state’s son reached the Government Dis- The State Human Rights Com- “Things will be better off if the rains come down heavily the state capital 53km away. blood pressure and heart pulse biggest hospital in the capital city. trict Hospital where his body was, mission had suo-moto registered during August and September. The prediction of the Meteoro- Doctors attended to him did so using the life-saving devices on The prestigious government it also reportedly denied them a a case against four hospitals, in- logical Department is that Kerala will receive good rains,” said as there was no neurosurgeon and the ambulance. hospital kept him waiting inside vehicle to take his body home and cluding the government medical Vijayan. ventilator facility available there As his condition worsened, the ambulance for three more local politicians had to come to college and the police have started and he needed urgent surgery. they took him to two other private hours before telling them that all their rescue. probe. Gulf Times 10 Friday, August 11, 2017 PAKISTAN

Pakistan’s ‘Light Sharif begins second leg to the Lepers’ of road rally to Lahore Ruth Pfau dies Agencies Agencies Islamabad Islamabad uth Pfau, a German nun ormer Pakistan prime who helped Pakistan minister Nawaz Sharif yes- Reradicate leprosy and Fterday began the second who died yesterday aged 87 in leg of his “homecoming rally” to the southern city of Karachi, is Lahore via the Grand Trunk (GT) to receive a rare state funeral. Road after an overnight stay in Pfau breathed her last uth Pfau attending a press Rawalpindi. at a hospital affi liated with conference at Marie Adelaide He began his journey on her Marie Adelaide Leprosy Leprosy Centre in Karachi on Wednesday morning from Is- Centre, said Salwa Zainab, a January 25, 2014. lamabad and due to the mass- spokeswoman for the charity. ing of supporters on the way the Widely known as Pakistan’s World War Two. She moved to rally could only reach Rawalpin- Mother Teresa, Pfau was eu- Pakistan in 1960 and devoted di, 20km from the capital, in 12 logised by the prime minister her life to treating leprosy pa- hours, Geo News reported. and army chief for her con- tients across the country, Za- Sharif, however, was not hap- tributions towards freeing the inab said. py with the number of support- country of a contagious disease She founded the Marie Ad- ers at the rally. that can cause disfi gurement. elaide Leprosy Centre in Ka- Prior to his departure from Pfau had dedicated more rachi, Pakistan’s fi rst hospi- Rawalpindi’s Punjab House, than 50 years of her life to tal dedicated to treating the the former prime minister held fi ghting leprosy in Pakistan, disease, and opened branches a meeting with PML-N offi - which earned her the name across the country. cials and expressed anger with “Light to the Lepers”. She spent the rest of her life the administration over the low “Pfau may have been born in in Pakistan and established 157 turnout of supporters, Dawn Germany, her heart was always centres to treat people infected newspaper reported. in Pakistan,” Prime Minister with leprosy and more lately According to police offi cials, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in with tuberculosis. around 8,000 to 8,500 people a statement. “It was due to her endless and 900 to 950 vehicles had Abbasi announced his gov- struggle that Pakistan defeated joined the procession. ernment would give Pfau a leprosy,” German Consulate However, sources in the state funeral to honour her Karachi posted on Facebook. PML-N told the daily that the for “selfl ess and unmatched” The World Health Organisa- party failed to bring the desired services to Pakistan. tion (WHO) declared Pakistan number of activists on to the State funerals are usually one of the fi rst countries in roads. The vehicle of Pakistani former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is surrounded by supporters and activists during a rally in Rawalpindi yesterday. only given to soldiers who are Asia to be free from leprosy. An estimated 1,500 party work- killed in war and heads of state Now her charity also runs ers were taking part in the proces- “The court of the people of His convoy includes sen- ployment of plainclothes police- rally to Lahore as “Corruption or government. projects in Afghanistan to train sion yesterday, the report said. Pakistan has given its verdict in ior party leaders Amir Muqam, men as well as Elite Force com- Bachao” rally. The funeral was scheduled health workers. In his late night address to my favour,” the PML-N leader Abid Sher Ali, Hanif Abbasi, mandos, the report said. “My advice to NS (Nawaz Shar- for August 19 in Karachi, said Pfau served as an adviser to his supporters at Rawalpindi’s said. Marvi Memon and Zaeem Qadri, Sharif’s convoy is expected to if) on his Corruption Bachao rally: Shariq Zaman, a spokesman the Pakistani government for Committee Chowk, Sharif called “We have to make sure that among others. move through Jhelum, Kharian, You can blame the umpires, the for Pfau’s charity. the eradication of leprosy be- the apex court’s decision to de- the mandate of the people is re- Former interior minister Lala Musa and Gujrat to Gu- pitch, the weather, some of your Chief of Army Staff Qamar tween 1975 and 1980. pose him last month a “joke” and spected in the future. We will do Chaudhry Nisar was conspicu- jranwala and then move through players.. but in the end you can’t Jawed Bajwa referred to Dr Her contributions were ac- an insult to voters. this in the interest of Pakistan,” ous by his absence from the pro- Kamoke, Muridke, Kala Shah avoid the sinking feeling that the Ruth as an “ambassador of knowledged through some of Sharif sought the people’s he said, claiming that there was cession. Kaku, Ferozwala and Shahdara game is over and you have lost,” humanity” and said “she will the country’s highest civilian promise to get their mandate re- “not even a single allegation of The Rawalpindi traffi c po- to enter his hometown of Lahore. the PTI chief said in a tweet. always be remembered” for her awards in the 1980s and 1990s. spected. corruption”. lice made special arrangements Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek- “... And you will also realise services. Last year, the number of The former premier said that “If you do not protect your to ensure that the rally passes e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran there is a downward trend in the Dr Ruth Katharina Martha patients under treatment for he did not want their support for rights, they will continue to be through smoothly. Khan yesterday hit out at former number of people listening to Pfau Pfau was born in Leip- leprosy fell to 531 from 19,398 his reinstatement but for chang- snatched away from you,” Sharif Tight security was in place prime minister Nawaz Sharif your excuses of poor umpiring,” zig in 1929 and saw her home in the 1980s, the Dawn news- ing the destiny of the country. told his supporters. along the GT Road with the de- and termed his “homecoming” Khan said in another tweet. destroyed by bombing during paper said.

Passion, fervour of supporters unbelievable: Maryam Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former prime minister Russia to set up oil refi nery in Pakistan’s Kohat district Nawaz Sharif, said yesterday that her father told her that the passion and fervour of supporters was simply unbelievable. In a tweet, Maryam said: Internews neering and HIMMASH APPA- neering and Narovlyanski Alexan- KPOGCL is playing an active “Just spoke to my father. He said he has never in Islamabad RAT signed a memorandum of der, head of export of HIMMASH role as facilitator, de-briefed his political life witnessed anything like that. The understanding (MoU) with the APPARAT, to discuss the way for- the investors on fi nancial and passion and fervour simply unbelievable.” Maryam KPOGCL here. ward on the project with the pro- technical aspects of the project. also shared some videos of the rally on her twitter ussian companies yester- A visiting delegation of Rus- vincial oil and Gas Company. KP Government is fulfi lling page and wrote captions day offi cially agreed with sian investors from these com- Razi Uddin Razi said that their responsibility for providing “Murree road comes to a standstill” and “Murree Rthe Khyber Pakhtunkhwa panies held a meeting with the Letters of Intent (LoI) have al- investors with one window stop Road choked”, referring to a large number of Oil and Gas Company Limited KPOGCL’s CEO Razi Uddin ready been issued by Russian shop facility assuring full co- supporters on Murree Road, Rawalpindi, who (KPOGCL) to bring investment and other senior offi cials and investors through their consor- operation to visiting delegation. had come to support their leader. “We thought Maryam Nawa to the country and establish a showed keen interest in the tium to the KP government and As per the MoU terms, in- we would reach Jhelum tonight (Thursday) and medium-sized oil refi nery in project, as the province is the they are keen to take this project terested group will execute de- therefore was declared as 1st stop but rally is stuck before they may have to start speaking the truth.” district Kohat of KP province. leading province of the country into the next phase. tailed feasibility for this project. up at Murree rd for the last few hours,” she wrote. She said: “Dear PMLN supporters, pls refrain To this eff ect, the two Rus- in production of crude oil/con- These companies have agreed KPOGCL also arranged a de- In an earlier tweet, Maryam wrote: “Let the people from attacking or misbehaving with anti-N media sian Engineering, Procure- densate production. to bring investment to the tailed site visit to the Russian of Pak prove them [anti-Noon TV channels] wrong. houses. It’s neither our party culture nor NS ment, Construction and Com- The visiting delegation was country and establish the refi n- delegation to district Kohat and They can distort the facts but it won’t be long legacy.” missioning (EPCC) contractor headed by Yaroslav Gavrylendo, ery in Kohat district, CEO Razi showed the potential site for companies ie Inter Rao Engi- Adviser to CEO Inter Rao Engi- Uddin said. setting up the refi nery. Mandate of the people should be respected: Sharif

Internews people for the development of Nawaz Sharif said during the Rawalpindi Pakistan and strengthening of last four years, they had ended democracy. loadshedding and terrorism. Without naming Sheikh He said that development in ormer prime minister Rasheed, he said, “Some people the country had touched new Nawaz Sharif has said it say that Pindi is their city but I heights and there was a lot of in- Fis unfortunate that peo- want to say that it is the city of vestment coming to Pakistan. ple should vote to power while Nawaz Sharif. I have received “Had my government not someone sends packing. unprecedented love in this city.” been ended, unemployment He sought people’s promise to He said, “It is a historic fact could have been done away with get their mandate respected. that major decisions come from in the next two to three years,” he He said that he did not want Rawalpindi.” said. their support for his reinstate- He said that the love shown by He said he was disqualifi ed ment but for changing the des- the people of Rawalpindi refl ect- because he did not receive salary tiny of the country. ed that they had not accepted from his son’s company saying Yesterday he paid rich tributes the decision against him. the world had also not accepted to the army personnel who had He said that the people’s huge the decision against him. been martyred. “They are Pa- gathering was a referendum “The country has been wit- kistan’s heroes and deserve our here. nessing the same situation for love and respect.” “I want to ask you whether the the last 70 years,” saying no He said that the decision decision was correct,” he said. prime minister could complete against him was an insult of the People chanted “No, No.” his or her tenure. mandate given to his govern- He asked whether he commit- He asked the people whether ment by the people of Pakistan ted any corruption or he was in- they were not elected represent- saying the world and the Paki- volved in plundering. atives of the people of Pakistan. stani nation had not accepted it. Former prime minister point- He said that the country He expressed these views ed out that judges had also said would no more like this joke with while addressing a big gather- there was no charge of corrup- democracy. “I have no greed for ing of people at the Committee tion against him. power, what I want to see this Chowk, Rawalpindi, during his “When no corruption charge nation as the best nation where fi rst stopover on his way to La- was found, I was disqualifi ed investment should come and hore leading a huge rally. for not taking salary from my youth get employment,” he said. He questioned the gather- son,” he said adding now history He took the pledge from peo- ing of the people if they would would decide whether the deci- ple that they would not allow permit anyone to end the gov- sion was correct or wrong as it votes and mandate to be disre- ernment in seconds which was would remember the verdict. spected and insulted in future. elected with millions of votes. “This is insult to the mandate He also took the pledge from “We have to change Pakistan given to me. This has not hap- the people that they would sup- where the mandate of people pened for the fi rst time as I have port him in changing the destiny should be respected,” he said and also faced this situation in the of Pakistan and the Pakistani na- Women activists of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) chant slogans as they wait for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif during a added that he wanted support of past,” he said. tion. rally in Rawalpindi yesterday. Gulf Times Friday, August 11, 2017 11 PHILIPPINES 7 killed as Makati City soldiers try to rescue hostages

DPA in the fi refi ght in the town of Manila Kalingalan Caluang on Jolo is- land, 1,000km south of Manila, according to Sobejana. wo soldiers and fi ve sus- He said it was not clear pected Islamist mili- which hostages were with the Ttants were killed in the group that clashed with troops southern Philippines yester- in Kalingalan Caluang, adding day as the military attempted that Abu Sayyaf had separated to rescue hostages being held the captives. by Abu Sayyaf, amid concerns The latest hostages were four they would be beheaded. Filipino construction workers The militants are believed to seized from Patikul town on Jolo be holding more than 20 hos- on July 15. The terrorists had de- tages, including 14 foreigners, manded P1mn ($20,000) in ran- on Jolo island and the nearby som for each of the workers. province of Basilan. Last month, they beheaded “This is part of our sustained two Vietnamese hostages, and relentless focused military while another Vietnamese operations to rescue the re- captive was killed during a maining kidnap victims,” said clash between his captors Brigadier General Cirilito So- and government troops. Abu bejana, commander of a mili- Sayyaf is believed to be allied tary anti-terrorism task force. with Islamic State. A general view shows the slum area and Makati city in Manila. “Because of the unvalidated Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu threat that there would be hos- Sayyaf leader, has been iden- tages that would be beheaded, tifi ed as the head of Islamic we launched a massive rescue State-allied militants fi ghting operation,” he added. government troops in Marawi One soldier was wounded City since May 23. Japanese to provide

A Philippine Air Force attack helicopter flies past a Philippine flag, copter parts to Manila after a bombing run in Marawi City. Tokyo is attempting to as airborne gunships, the sources A US Navy destroyer carried retain some influence in the said. out a “freedom of navigation Philippines Japan’s Ground Self-Defence operation” yesterday, coming Force (GSDF) retired older H ver- within 12 nautical miles of an ar- Agencies sions of its Vietnam-era Hueys in tifi cial island built up by China in Court orders arrest Manila 2012, after four decades of use, the South China Sea, US offi cials but retained their spare parts. told Reuters. Japan earlier agreed to sup- The operation came as Presi- of Honasan apan’s army will give thou- ply the Philippines with three dent Donald Trump’s adminis- sands of helicopter parts second-hand Beechcraft TC-90 tration seeks Chinese co-opera- Jto keep Philippine military King Air patrol planes, in a deal tion in dealing with North Korea’s Manila Times you’re guilty but that there is a choppers airborne, helping To- structured as a lease arrange- missile and nuclear programmes Quezon City probable cause. kyo gain clout with Manila in a ment, under the old rule. and could complicate eff orts to The court just wants you to contest with China to secure in- Other initiatives by Japan to secure a common stance. be there to answer (the charges fl uence over the strategic South build military ties include a four- The offi cials, speaking on con- he Sandiganbayan’s against you),” he said. China Sea nation, four sources day South China Sea tour aboard dition of anonymity, said the USS Second Division has “I’m sure he will answer said. its navy fl agship, the Izumo heli- John S McCain travelled close to Tordered the arrest of which charges in court. I think Military diplomacy is a new copter carrier, by military offi cers Mischief Reef in the Spratly Is- Senator Gregorio Honasan 2nd he will do that. I don’t think he means for Japan to confound of the Association of Southeast lands, among a string of islets, and several others over graft will just blow or fl y the hoof China’s bid for control in the bit- Air Force pilots with newly acquired AgustaWestland AW109E Asian Nations (Asean) in June. reefs and shoals. China has ter- charges fi led by the Offi ce of knowing him. I think in due terly contested South China Sea helicopters at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay city, metro Manila. Military offi cials of Indonesia, ritorial disputes with its neigh- the Ombudsman in connection time he will answer,” Gordon as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Malaysia, the Philippines, Singa- bours over the area. with the alleged misuse of his said in a phone interview. seeks a regional military role tifi ed because they were not au- aircraft, made by Lockheed Mar- pore, Thailand and Vietnam also It was the third “freedom of P30mn Priority Development In May 2014, alleged pork amid a retreat from decades of thorised to talk to the media. tin Corp, as they are replaced by observed disaster relief drills in navigation operation” or “fonop” Assistance Fund (PDAF) or barrel fund mastermind, busi- state pacifi sm. The supply agreement will Kawasaki Heavy Industries P-1 Japan. conducted during Trump’s pres- pork barrel in 2012. nesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, The pact could be the fi rst in be Japan’s fi rst military aid deal planes, two of the sources said. Abe’s government believes Ja- idency. Neither China’s defence In a statement, Honasan claimed that 20 incumbent and a series of similar deals as Tokyo since lawmakers scrapped a rule “There has been some prelimi- pan is better placed than Wash- ministry nor its foreign ministry maintained that he was “com- former senators benefi ted from cranks up defence diplomacy in June barring giveaways of sur- nary discussion,” said one of the ington to woo Southeast Asia immediately responded to a re- pletely innocent” of the charg- the misuse of the legislators’ with Southeast Asian nations plus military kit to other coun- sources. away from Chinese infl uence, as quest for comment. es against him. Priority Development Assist- eager for hand-me-down patrol tries. Japan worries that Beijing it is free from the rules forbidding The operation was the latest “All my life I have fought ance Fund (PDAF). aircraft, ships and other military “We are looking at what we could blunt opposition to its the United States to fully engage attempt to counter what Wash- everything I am accused of, These were former Senators equipment. will do with our spare parts, but territorial assertiveness in the with non-democratic regimes, ington sees as Beijing’s eff orts and I will continue to do so,” Ramon Bong Revilla Jr, Jose “This is a demonstration of have nothing concrete we can South China Sea with arms sales such as Thailand and Vietnam. to limit freedom of navigation in Honasan said. He is currently Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce the robust strategic partnership discuss,” said a spokesman for and development aid to coun- Conditions set by the United the strategic waters, and comes chairman of the committee on Enrile, Manuel Lito Lapid, Fer- and co-operation of the two al- the procurement agency of Ja- tries surrounding the busy wa- States forced the Philippines to as Trump is seeking China’s co- national defence and security. dinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., lies,” a senior Philippine Air Force pan’s defence ministry. terway. turn to China and Russia for arms operation to rein in North Korea. Senator Richard Gordon, Rodolfo Pong Biazon, Loi Es- commander told Reuters, adding “In order to strengthen na- About $5tn of ship-borne supplies, the Southeast Asian Tensions have risen recently af- chairman of the committee trada, Robert Jaworski, Ramon that Japan would deliver around tional security we want to push trade passes through the sea each nation’s defence minister has ter North Korea carried out two on justice and human rights, Magsaysay, Tessie Aquino- 40,000 parts under the deal. ahead with defence equipment year, much of it touching Japa- said. nuclear tests last year and two vouched for Honasan’s integ- Oreta, and Aquilino Nene Pi- The value of the parts could co-operation.” nese ports. China has off ered to donate ICBM tests last month, prompt- rity. “I know Senator Gringo is mentel Jr, Manuel Manny Vil- not be determined. Malaysia, the Philippines and The aircraft parts for the Phil- $14mn worth of military hard- ing a strong round of UN sanc- upright.” lar, late senator Robert Barbers, The sources, who have knowl- Vietnam have already asked ippines are meant for workhorse ware to the Philippines, besides a tions which angered Pyongyang “But when you’re issued an and Alan Peter Cayetano, now edge of talks between the two about taking Japan’s submarine- UH-1 utility helicopters that can soft loan for $500mn in Chinese who threatened to teach the arrest warrant, it doesn’t mean secretary of Foreign Aff airs. countries, asked not to be iden- hunting P3-C maritime patrol be used for transport or deployed arms. United States a “severe lesson”. Presidential press passes for bloggers of note

AFP traditional institutions such as newspapers. supporters of Duterte during the cam- Manila “We have to recognise new media and paign, has been regularly criticised by op- their infl uence,” assistant presidential ponents for posts that allegedly carried press secretary Kris Ablan told reporters. false information and for trying to shame loggers and other social media “in- He said Margaux Mocha Uson, an infl u- or humiliate critics of the president. fl uencers” who have more than 5,000 ential blogger liked by more than 5mn peo- The criteria for presidential press ac- Bfollowers will be eligible for offi cial ple on Facebook who heads Duterte’s social creditation is that the blogger or social me- press passes to cover Philippine President media offi ce, would oversee the accredita- dia infl uencer is a Filipino, aged over 18 and Rodrigo Duterte, his aides said yesterday. tion process. has more than 5,000 followers, according The announcement caused a stir with Uson rose to fame as a scantily dressed to Ablan. some journalists in traditional media, singer and model, then reinvented herself Vergel Santos, a veteran journalist and a amid a debate in which pro-Duterte blog- as a political force when Duterte won presi- trustee for the Philippine media watchdog gers have been accused of spreading “fake dential elections last year. Center for Media Freedom and Responsi- news” particularly in relation to the presi- Skillful use of social media by Duterte, an bility, said he opposed giving social media dent’s drug war that has claimed thou- acid-tongued politician who campaigned personalities press credentials. sands of lives. on a promise to kill tens of thousands of “Accrediting bloggers would encourage The government said giving bloggers people in an unprecedented drugs crack- a blurring of the distinction between le- presidential press accreditations refl ected down, has been widely seen as one reason gitimate journalism and pseudo journalism Mocha Uson a blogger and supporter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, onstage with her colleague the new media landscape in which social for his surprise landslide election win. — of which blogging happens to be today’s displaying a T-shirt decorated with a mugshot of arrested legislator Senator Leila De Lima during a media personalities were competing with Uson, one of the most strident online most typical example,” Santos told AFP pro-Duterte rally. Gulf Times 12 Friday, August 11, 2017 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL

Sri Lanka’s foreign Helicopter minister steps down force lands

Reuters tial commission to investigate, in prison Colombo following the demands of oppo- sition lawmakers, who said the controversial bond auction lost AFP ri Lanka’s foreign min- the state more than $1bn, be- Dhaka ister resigned yesterday cause of rising borrowing costs Sover corruption charges in the past two years. The central in an investigation of alleged ir- bank has dismissed the opposi- helicopter that was sup- regularities in government bond tion’s claims. posed to be taking guests sales, maintaining that he was The auction, originally in- Ato a wedding party landed not guilty of wrongdoing. tended to sell 1bn rupees ($7mn) at a maximum security jail out- The resignation of Ravi Karu- of 30-year bonds, eventually side Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka nanayake, a former fi nance grew to more than 10 times that by mistake yesterday, the coun- minister, follows demands for amount, to meet government try’s prisons chief said. his removal by both the govern- borrowing needs. Armed guards surrounded the ment and the opposition, after More than half of the issue was helicopter as soon as it touched the panel looking into the sales sold to Perpetual Treasuries, a town on the prison grounds, found his apartment rental was subsidiary of a company owned media reported, as the facility paid by an offi cial being investi- by the son-in-law of the former remains on alert after an attempt gated. central bank governor, Arjuna to free a top Islamist extremist as “I have never done anything Mahendran, in what has been he was being transported there wrong, and I resign with pride criticised as a confl ict of inter- in March. to create a new political culture est. Perpetual Treasuries, Ma- The fi ve wedding guests were in Sri Lanka and ensure good hendran, and his son-in-law had released after the private avia- governance,” Karunanayake told denied any wrong doing. tion company promised offi cers parliament in a statement after Karunanayake last week told it would not happen again, said announcing his resignation. the panel he had no knowledge Brigadier General Syed Iftekhar He said he would continue in that the apartment rental was Uddin. “It landed in the prison the party as a backbench mem- paid by Mahendran’s son-in- by mistake. Meghna Aviation ber of parliament, however. “I law. has said sorry. They said it hap- have never earned any money On Thursday, he told parlia- pened due to poor visibility,” from politics,” he said. ment that one of his daughters Uddin said. In April, top Islam- The allegations followed Karu- leased the apartment through ist extremist leader Mufti Abdul nanayake’s appearance before the son-in-law of the former Hannan was hanged at the same the panel last week, and he has central bank governor, and the prison for a grenade attack on not been charged by any court. money had already been repaid. the British ambassador in 2004 President Maithripala Sirisena’s Sirisena appointed Karunan- and a array of blasts that left government has pledged to end ayake, a key strategist in helping scores killed in the 2000s. Before the rampant corruption that af- to topple the former government, the execution, militants made a fected the Indian Ocean island’s as foreign minister on May 22. daring attempt to free Hannan previous government. Until then, he had been fi nance as he was being taken to the jail Sirisena appointed a presiden- minister since January 2015. Former Sri Lankan foreign minister Ravi Karunanayake leaves after resigning in Colombo. in a prison van. Migrants’ Temper comments visas are to on court, says CJ be verifi ed The chief justice has appealed for is preconceived and the Republic is not of “As the government is not happy with understanding of the court’s verdict the people but of the judges.” the verdict, we’re currently scrutinis- ing the full verdict of the supreme court online At one stage, Barrister Moudud By Mizan Rahman Ahmed, also a leader of the BNP, told to reach a decision whether we’ll fi le any Dhaka the court that the comment by Khairul review petition or not,” he said. By Mizan Rahman he said, eliminate or reduce the Haque is contemptuous. Anisul was addressing a press confer- Dhaka possibility of travel from Bangla- The Chief Justice said: “Constructive ence at his ministry to voice his formal desh using fake visas. hief Justice Surendra Kumar Sin- criticism can be made about a judgement reaction to the supreme court verdict on He said that the BMET in- ha, in the face of mounting criti- and the Supreme Court will accept the the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. angladesh has taken an troduced online visa checking Ccism from a former chief justice, constructive criticisms. We have deliv- “Although we disagree with the ver- initiative to widen and mainly to check travel to coun- who is known to be a loyalist of the rul- ered the judgement unanimously and the dict, I have respect for the verdict deliv- Bsimplify online checking tries where more workers go to ing party and the Awami League, yester- Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha judiciary will not issue any rejoinder.” ered by the Supreme Court,” Huq said. of outgoing migrant workers’ work. This would, he hoped, day made it clear that the Supreme Court The Chief Justice said: “Everybody He said the reasons for which the Su- visas. Offi cials of the Bureau of protect migrant workers from (SC) would not fall into trap of criticisms Khairul Haque, also former chief jus- should exercise restraint. Don’t politicise preme Court scrapped the 16th Amend- Manpower, Employment and getting cheated. over the 16th Amendment verdict. tice, strongly criticised the verdict, the Supreme Court verdict as seven judg- ment are not acceptable to the govern- Training (BMET) told newsmen Immigration offi cials said Constructive criticisms can be made; terming it misconceived, irrelevant and es of the apex court delivered the verdict ment. that the move aims at protecting that BMET would use the online otherwise the judiciary will be harmed, immature. unanimously.” “We’ll take initiatives to expunge the workers from being cheated with system to check whether or not the chief justice said while presiding Some pro-BNP lawyers yesterday During the proceedings, BNP leader objectionable and irrelevant statements fake visas. Bangladesh missions had attest- over the apex court bench when a group placed some newspaper reports, contain- and former Supreme Court Bar president made in the judgement by the chief jus- Currently, they said, Bangla- ed job visas issued by the King- of senior lawyers belonging to opposi- ing his criticisms, before Chief Justice Khandakar Mahbub Hossain told the tice.” desh uses the online facility to dom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, tion Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Surendra Kumar Sinha, prompting him to court: “The comments of Justice Khairul “We’re surprised at the observation of check job visas workers head- Lebanon and Malaysia. brought to his attention the criticism. make the appeal. Haque has scandalised the judiciary.” the Chief Justice that Article 116 is con- ing to Qatar, Bahrain, the United BMET director general Md The BNP lawyers termed the criticisms as Supreme Court Bar Association Presi- SCBA president Zainul Abedin said he trary to the Constitution going beyond Arab Emirates and Singapore. Salim Reza said further simpli- tantamount to contempt of court. dent Zainul Abedin and Secretary AM had come to this court as the president of ‘Fact in Issue’ of the case,” said Anisul, They said the question of online fi cation of online visa checking Criticism by lawmakers and cabinet Mahbub Uddin Khokon and some other Supreme Court Bar Association. himself a former Supreme Court lawyer. checking of visas is under nego- is under negotiation with Oman. members has been rife since the apex lawyers of the BNP placed the reports ASM Rezaul Karim, an Awami League The minister said Bangabandhu Sheikh tiations with Oman and Kuwait. He said online visa checking court scrapped the 16th Amendment to before the chief justice, saying that leader and former secretary of the Su- Mujibur Rahman’s daughter Sheikh Hasi- BMET director (immigra- would bring the service to peo- the Constitution. Khairul’s comments were highly con- preme Court Bar Association, said Za- na’s government and the parliament have tion) Atiqur Rahman said online ple’s doorsteps as directed by the Besides scrapping the parliament’s temptuous. inul Abedin did not issue any resolution no intention to curtail the independence checking of visas of New Zealand prime minister. power to impeach judges, it passed some Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on the decision about their move against of judiciary through any amendment. and Australia and a few African The online system would en- sharp observations against the Awami President Zainul Abedin told the court: Khairul Haque. “In our consideration, through the island Republics has also started able the BMET to check whether League government and the manner it “We uphold the dignity of judiciary.” Meanwhile, Law Minister Anisul Huq 16th Amendment, a move was taken to though not many Bangladeshis or not visas issued by foreign was running the country. “Justice Khairul Haque in his observa- yesterday said the government is scruti- strengthen the independence of judici- go to these countries. embassies are authentic, said of- Law Commission Chairman ABM tion said that the Supreme Court verdict nising the Supreme Court verdict. ary,” said Anisul. Online visa checking would, fi cials.

Custom forcing women 6 die as train Dhaka to buy two Russian into sheds criminalised hits rickshaw helicopters for border guards

Thomson Reuters Foundation nalised the legislation, told the Thom- By Mizan Rahman By Mizan Rahman Force has an air wing since 1969 Kathmandu son Reuters Foundation. Dhaka Dhaka and its fl eet consists of Embraer-135 “Anyone forcing women into seclu- J, Avro (HS-748) and Super King sion during their period can now be B-200 aircraft in fi xed wing and epal has criminalised an an- sentenced to three months in jail.” ix persons were killed and two others angladesh will procure two ALH (Dhruv), Cheetah and Mi-17 cient Hindu tradition under Pokharel said the law will come into were injured when a train hit a battery- Russian multi-role choppers 1V in Rotary Wing. The BGB chief Nwhich females are banished force within a year as authorities want Srun auto-rickshaw at Chandra level Bfor Border Guard Bangladesh said they are procuring the military to animal sheds during their period to to foster awareness before enforcing a crossing in Jamalpur district, a report reach- (BGB) as part of modernisation of choppers to transport personnel keep impurity out of the home, a law- crackdown. The centuries-old custom ing Dhaka yesterday said. The level crossing the border force. A Mi 17 helicopter and rations to and from the remote maker said yesterday. has led to the death of several girls and had no gate barrier or gateman. BGB director general Major Gen- battalions in Chittagong Hill Tracts. The practice — called Chhaupadi — women during their banishment. The deceased and the injured were the driv- eral Abul Hossain said they had other ommending the specifi cations of the General Abul Hossain also said was banned by the Supreme Court in In July, a 19-year-old died from a er of the auto-rickshaw and its passengers. options but chose Mi series chop- two choppers, said they would pick they are upgrading the riverine pla- 2005, but remains prevalent in Nepal’s snake bite while she was staying in a The victims were identifi ed as auto-rickshaw pers as their rate of accidents is low either Mi 17 or Mi 171 helicopters. toon to a battalion and procurement remote west, where women and girls shed in the district of Dailekh. driver Abdur Rahim, 45, Sanwar Hossain, 28, and Bangladesh Air Force pilots are He declined to comment on the to this end is underway. He also are ousted from the home each month In December, another girl suff ocated Hossain Ali, 45, Mir Hossain, familiar with them. “We examined unit price of the Mi choppers but a highlighted the measures the force and must live in seclusion in mud sheds to death in a poorly ventilated shed in 30, Intaj Ali, 45, and Saleha Begum, 40. other options. We could buy from defence ministry offi cial said that had taken to secure the border and for days. Their exclusion leaves them at neighbouring Achham district. Sadar police offi cer-in-charge Nasimul Is- Eurocopter but the position of Mi generally a Mi 17/171 cost 1bn taka plans they have taken to curb border risk of rape by men and attacks by wild Activists welcomed the new law as a lam told newsmen that the accident occurred series is better than others,’ he said. but depends on the deals considering crimes. animals. positive step to curb what they called when a local train on Mymensingh-Dewanganj The BGB chief said that he had the ‘options and avionics matters. He said they are planning to fi ght Some communities believe they will an “inhumane practice”, but said au- route hit the auto-rickshaw, carrying eight pas- visited Russia recently. The Air Force has a number of jointly against drug smuggling suff er misfortune such as a natural dis- thorities and campaigners must be se- sengers, on the level crossing around 6.30pm. Abul Hossain said they would American Bell 212, Russian Mi 17 while vigilance would be strength- aster if women and girls are not sent rious about enforcing it. The train pushed the auto-rickshaw 25-30 feet need to depend on pilots from and Mi 171 and Italian AgustaWest- ened against arms smuggling ahead into isolation. They are also not per- “Community and women’s rights away from the level crossing before it fell into Bangladesh Air Force as neither the land AW139 helicopters. of the next national elections. mitted to drink milk and are given less campaigners must remain vigilant and a trackside ditch, leaving Sanwar dead on the Border Guard nor the Home Minis- The BGB had a few aircraft in He also said they are working to to eat until their period ends. report any case of Chhaupadi,” said Renu spot. Intaj, Mir and Rahim succumbed to their try has pilots. He said they are now the past and one of its aircraft was lower the number of border killings “The parliament has a passed a new Rajbhandari, head of the National Al- injuries on their way to Jamalpur General Hos- building heliports in Chittagong. under supervision of Air Force. and have already opened the border law that makes Chhaupadi a criminal liance for Women’s Human Rights De- pital, said the offi cer-in-charge. Later Hossain BGB additional director gen- “We have compared the capabili- for Indian cattle meant for Eid al- act,” Krishna Bhakta Pokharel, who fenders. “Such vigilance will force the and Saleha died at around 8:30pm on their way eral Abul Hasnat Muhamed Khairul ties our neighbours have,” said the Adha, to be celebrated in fi rst week headed a parliamentary panel that fi - government to strictly enforce the law.” to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Bashar, who is in the process of rec- BGB chief. Indian Border Security of September. Gulf Times Friday, August 11, 2017 13 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH Journey of the soul llah prescribed Haj once in one should be facing the Ka’abah when a lifetime upon the Muslims praying behind Maqam Ibrahim. who have the means and are Sa’i: The next rite is to make Sa’i Aphysically able to perform between Safa and Marwah. The pilgrim it. There are three types of Haj: Haj starts Sa’i by ascending the Safa. While at-Tamatt’u, Haj al-Qiran and Haj al- facing the Ka’abah he praises Allah, Ifrad. In this article, we will explain the raises his hands and recites the Takbeer procedure for Haj at-Tamatt’u as it is the “Allah-u Akbar” three times, then most recommended one. In this type, makes supplication to Allah. Then the one is to perform ‘Umrah and Haj in the pilgrim descends from the Safa and same year with a sacrifi ce slaughtered heads towards the Marwah. One should in Mina. These are the steps for Haj at- increase the pace between the clearly Tamatt’u: marked green signposts, but should walk Ihram: Ihram is the intention of the at normal pace before and after them. person willing to perform all rites of When the pilgrim reaches the Marwah, ‘Umrah, Haj or both when he arrives he should ascend it, praise Allah and do at the Meeqat. Each direction coming as he did at the Safa. This is considered into Makkah has its own Meeqat. It is one round and so is the other from the recommended that the one who intends Marwah to the Safa. A total of seven to perform Haj makes Ghusl (a complete rounds are required to perform the Sa’i. bath with the intention to purify one’s After Sa’i, the Muslim ends his ‘Umrah self), perfumes his body, but not in his rites by shaving his head or trimming garments, and puts on a two-piece his hair short all over the head (women garment with no headgear. The garments should cut a fi ngertip’s length from their should be of seamless cloth. One piece hair). At this stage, the prohibitions to cover the upper part of the body, and pertaining to the state of Ihram are lifted the second to cover the lower part. For and one can resume his normal life. a woman the Ihram is her normal dress Although it is recommended to recite except that she should not use perfumes the supplications that the Prophet at all and her dress should cover the (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to whole body decently, leaving the hands say during the performance of these and the face uncovered. rites, there are no required formulas or The pilgrim should say the intention supplications for Tawaf or for Sa’i. It is glorifying Allah the Greatest and it is preferable to keep reciting the else to do it on his behalf. A pilgrim state of Ihram is completely ended according to the type of Haj. For Haj at- up to the worshipper to praise Allah or repeating supplication. It is also reported Talbiyah, glorifying Allah the Greatest should slaughter either a sheep, or share and all restrictions are lifted including Tamatt’u one should say: to supplicate Him with any acceptable that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi and mentioning the names of Allah until a cow or a camel with six others. intercourse with one’s spouse. Tawaf “Labbayka Allahumma bi ’Umrah” supplication or to recite portions of the wa sallam) used to say the following the time of stoning Jamrat Al-Aqabah Shaving the head or trimming al-Ifadhah can be delayed until the days which means “O Allah I answered Your Qur’an. It must be noted that ‘Umrah supplication: “There is no deity worthy (a stone pillar in Mina). In Muzdalifah, the hair: The fi nal rite on the 10th day spent at Mina are over. call to perform ‘Umrah”. can be performed by itself as described of worship except Allah, the One without the pilgrim perform Maghrib and Isha after off ering his sacrifi ce is to shave Return to Mina: The pilgrim should It is recommended to repeat the well above at any time of the year. a partner. The dominion and praise are prayers combined, shortening the Isha one’s head or to cut short all of the hair. return to Mina and spend there the days known supplication of Haj, called the Performing Haj His and He is powerful over everything.” prayer to two Rak’ah. Pilgrims stay Shaving the head is, however, preferable of Tashreeq (ie the 11th, 12th and 13th day Talbiyah, as frequently as possible from Going to Mina: A pilgrim performing Anas ibn Malik was asked once how he overnight in Muzdalifah to perform Fajr for it was reported that the Prophet of Dhul-Hijjah). During each day, and the time of Ihram till the time of the fi rst Haj at-Tamatt’u should make the and his friends used to spend their time prayers and wait until the brightness (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) prayed after Dhuhr prayer, the pilgrim stones stoning of Jamrat Al-Aqabah in Mina. intention for Ihram, from the place while walking from Mina to ‘Arafat in of the morning is widespread before three times for those who shave their the three stone pillars called “Jamarat”: Men are recommended to utter the where he is staying, on the 8th day of the company of the Prophet (sallallaahu they leave for Mina passing through the heads, when he said: “May Allah’s Mercy the small, the medium and Jamrat Al- Talbiyah aloud while women are to say it Dhul-Hijjah, which is the Tarweyah ‘alaihi wa sallam). Anas said: “Some of sacred Mash’ar valley. be upon those who shaved their heads.” Aqabah, saying “Allah-u Akbar” with quietly. The Talbiyah is: Day, and leave for Mina in the morning. us used to cry out Talbiyah, others used Women and weak individuals are For women, the length of hair to be cut is each throw of the seven pebbles stoned “Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk. In Mina, the pilgrims pray Dhuhr, Asr, to glorify Allah the Greatest and the rest allowed to proceed to Mina at any time that of a fi ngertip. The stoning of Jamrat at each pillar. These pebbles are picked Labbayka La Shareeka Laka Labbayk. Maghrib and Isha of the 8th day of used to repeat prayers. Each one of us after midnight to avoid the crowd. Al-Aqabah and the shaving of head or up in Mina. A pilgrim may leave Mina Inna-alhamda Wan-n’imata Laka Wal Dhul-Hijjah and Fajr of the 9th day of was free to worship Allah in the way he Stoning Jamrat Al-Aqabah: When trimming of hair symbolises the end of for Makkah on the 13th or on the 12th if Mulk. La Shareeka Lak.” Dhul-Hijjah. Dhuhr, Asr and Isha are likes without prejudice or renunciation the pilgrims arrive at Mina, they go to the fi rst phase of the state of Ihram and he wishes, there is no blame on him if (Here I am at Your service. O my Lord, each shortened to two rak’ah only, but of his right.” (Bukhari) Jamrat Al-Aqabah where they stone the lifting of its restrictions except for he chooses the latter, but he has to leave here I am. Here I am. No partner do You are not combined. The pilgrim remains In the vast square plain of ‘Arafat, it with seven pebbles glorifying Allah sexual intercourse with one’s spouse. before sunset. have. Here I am. Truly, the praise and in Mina until sunrise of the 9th day of tears are shed, sins are washed and faults “Allah-u Akbar” at each throw and calling Stoning of Jamrat Al-Aqabah, Farewell Tawaf: Farewell Tawaf is the provisions are Yours, and so is the Dhul-Hijjah and leaves for ‘Arafat. are redressed for those who ask Allah for on Him to accept their Haj. The time of slaughtering the sacrifi ce and shaving the fi nal rite of Haj. It is to make another dominion. No partner do You have.” Departure to ‘Arafat: On the 9th day forgiveness and off er sincere repentance stoning Jamrat Al-Aqabah is after sunrise. the head or cutting part of the hair are Tawaf around the Ka’abah. Ibn Abbas Performing ‘Umrah of Dhul-Hijjah, the Day of ‘Arafat, the for their wrongdoings in the past. Happy The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) preferred to be in this order, as it is the said: “The people were ordered to Tawaf: When a Muslim arrives in pilgrims stay in ‘Arafat until sunset. The is the person who receives the Mercy and threw the pebbles late in the morning order that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi perform the Tawaf around the Ka’abah Makkah, he should perform Tawaf pilgrims pray Dhuhr and Asr at ‘Arafat, Pleasure of Allah on this day. and permitted weak people to stone after wa sallam) did them. However, if they are as the last thing before leaving Makkah, around the Ka’abah, as a gesture of shortened and combined during the time Departure from ‘Arafat: Soon leaving Muzdalifah after midnight. The done in any other order, there is no harm except the menstruating women who greeting Al-Masjid Al-Haram. This of Dhuhr to save the rest of the day for after sunset on the Day of ‘Arafat, the size of the pebbles should not be more in that. were excused.” (Bukhari) is done by circling the Ka’abah seven glorifying Allah and supplication asking pilgrims leave for Muzdalifah quietly than that of a bean as described by the Tawaf Al-Ifadhah: Tawaf Al- Those are the rites of Haj. They should times in the counterclockwise direction, forgiveness. A pilgrim should make and reverently in compliance with the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) Ifadhah is a fundamental rite of Haj. be performed in the way prescribed by starting from the Black Stone with sure that he is within the boundaries advice of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi who warned against exaggeration. The The pilgrim makes Tawaf Al-Ifadhah the Qur’an and Sunnah with no addition Takbeer, keeping the Ka’abah to one’s of ‘Arafat, not necessarily standing on wa sallam) who said when he noticed pebbles can be picked up on the way to by visiting Al-Masjid Al-Haram and or subtraction. But they should also be left. Then the pilgrim goes to Maqam the mountain of ‘Arafat. The Prophet people walking without calmness: “O Mina from Muzdalifah or in Mina. circling the Ka’abah seven times and performed with consciousness and not Ibrahim (Ibrahim’s Station), and (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “I people! Be quiet, hastening is not a sign Slaughter of Sacrifi ce: After stoning praying two Rak’ah behind Maqam just as mere mechanical gestures. For performs two rak’ah behind it, near to stood here on this rocky hill and all of righteousness.” (Bukhari) Jamrat Al-Aqabah, the pilgrim goes to Ibrahim. Then the pilgrim should “Whoever holds in honour the rites of it if possible, but away from the path of ‘Arafat is a standing place.” (Muslim). In order to follow the example of the slaughter his sacrifi ce either personally make Sa’i between the Safa and the Allah, then it is truly from the piety of the the people making Tawaf. In all cases One should keep reciting the Talbiyah, Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) or through the appointment of someone Marwah. After Tawaf Al-Ifadhah the heart.” (Qur’an, Surat al-Haj, ayah 32) A duty mankind owes to Allah raise and thank Allah the ment is considered a da’eef (weak) hadith and hurries you on: From ‘Umrah to Allah regarding the appropriate time, obligatory) to have one’s will prepared 7. Choose Righteous Compan- Majestic, dear brothers and but it is supported by a similar statement ‘Umrah is expiation for all that occurs transportation and companions for your before travelling. ions: They will be good for you during sisters in Islam, for having by ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab and therefore between them (of sins) and the accepted journey. The Istikhaarah prayer is to 5. Sincere Repentance to Allah for travel for they will remind you of what extended our life to see the known to have a sound origin according Haj has no reward other than Al-Jannah. perform two units (rak’atain) of prayer All Sins And Disobedience: Allah, you may have forgotten and inform you P Who is free of all imperfections, states: successive days and months, for to Al-Haafi z Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaani in [Muslim] and afterwards supplicate to Allah saying of what you may not know and look out before us now is the occasion of the Talkhees Al-Kabeer] Along with this great reward is the the supplication of Al-Istikhaarah which And all of you beg Allah to forgive you for you and show you brotherly love. Haj (Pilgrimage). So many pilgrims It is narrated by Sa’eed ibn Mansour fact that the days of Haj are few. So don’t is as follows: O Allah, I consult You as all, O believers, that you may be suc- They will consider all of that as an act of have already begun fi lling the sky with that Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab (radiallahu hesitate and undervalue this chance You are All-Knowing and I appeal to You cessful. [An-Noor 31] True repentance worship gaining them nearness to Allah talbiyyah (declaration of answering the ‘anhu) said: I have considered sending a while the means to travel are much to give me power as You are Omnipo- (At-Taubah) is when one renounces all the Mighty and Majestic. call to Haj) and takbeer (declaring Allah’s man to the various cities to see whoever easier compared to past days and you tent, I ask You for Your great favour, for his or her sins and disobedience to Allah 8. Adhere To The Etiquette Of greatness). They come from the corners has the means but has not made the Haj live a life of relative plenty. Favors call for You have power and I do not, and You and His Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alaihi Travel: Make those supplications that of the earth, both east and west, some to then impose the jizyah (a tax imposed gratitude and life is for the purpose of know all of the hidden matters . O Allah wa sallam) and discontinues doing them are well known, such as the supplica- having saved every penny they could for upon non-Muslim subjects in an Islamic worshipping Allah. Don’t delay further ! If you know that this matter (then he and feel truly remorseful for those past ill tion of travel and the takbeer when as- years struggling to save enough to fulfi l state). They are not Muslims. They are or procrastinate and receive the good should mention it) is good for me in my deeds and is determined not to return to cending to a high point and the tasbeeh this awesome obligation. not Muslims. tidings as one of the delegations of religion, my livelihood, and for my life in them. If someone else’s rights have been (Subhaanallah – glorifi cation of Allah Those of you who have all the means It is therefore a duty for you to fulfi l Ar-Rahmaan (the Most Merciful), Allah, the Hereafter, (or he said: ‘for my present violated they must be given back their as free of all perfection) when descend- and opportunity, why are you delaying this great obligation when it is easy at who has called them and they have an- and future life,’) then make it (easy) for rightful possessions or made amends ing in a valley, along with supplications and what are you waiting for?! Have you this time for you to do so. Don’t let the swered Him and He has given to them. me. And if you know that this matter is with no matter what the violation may when stopping at places along the road not read or heard the words of Allah the Shaitaan cause you to sit and be overtak- Receive the glad tidings of a great day not good for me in my religion, my liveli- have been. etc. Most High: en by procrastination and be distracted in which there will be many false steps hood and my life in the Hereafter, (or he 6. Use Only Lawful (halaal) 9. Mentally Prepare For The And Haj to the House (Al-Ka’aba) is a by some desire. Think of the generations and slips of the tongue forgiven for the said: ‘for my present and future life,’) Funds: Funds that were lawfully earned Haj: Just as important as preparing duty mankind owes to Allah, those who and how they used to trek to the Haj for Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) then keep it away from me and take me so that nothing sinful may touch your physically you should prepare to make can aff ord the expenses and whoever months to reach the Ancient House! said: There is not a day when more slaves away from it and choose what is good for Haj. It may be that you Haj is accepted psychological adjustments to deal with disbelieves, then Allah is not in need of The benefi ts of Haj are tremendous are freed from the Hellfi re than on the me wherever it is and please me with it.” but tainted with some sin from some the hardships, toils and inconvenience any of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn, and and its reward is glorious. It combines day of Arafah. [Muslim] [Al-Bukhari] other way. It is stated in a hadith of the of traveling and Haj and consider all all that exists). [Ale-Imraan 97] both physical and material forms of wor- Be happy and fi nd comfort and 2. Purify Your Intention To Per- Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi of it as good to be added to your scale Also His statement: And perform ship. The former due to the undergoing prepare for the meeting with Allah the form The Haj For Allah Alone: It is wa sallam) where he said: As soon as a of deeds. There are those who just properly the Haj and the ‘Umrah for any hardship, exertion, fatigue, strain, Glorifi ed and Majestic, and benefi t from incumbent upon the person undertaking pilgrim sets out for Haj with a provi- complain and mumble about the heat, Allah. [Al-Baqarah 196] And fi nally: And harsh conditions and travel. The latter is your time by doing that which will ben- the Haj to intend their Haj and ‘Umrah sion which is lawful, and puts his foot the food, the long trip... Haj is not a proclaim to mankind the Haj. They will due to the expenditure the pilgrim makes efi t you in the next life and it will then be for the sake of pleasing Allah alone and in the stirrup (rides his mount) and calls vacation or recreational activity! Know come to you on foot and on every lean for and during the Haj. cause for joy at the time when no amount attaining the reward of the Hereaf- out: ‘O, Allah! Here I am in response to that the highest type of patience, and camel, they will come form every deep The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu of wealth nor progeny will avail you. ter. This, so that all one’s actions and Your call,’ an announcer answers him the type that is most greatly rewarded, and distant mountain highway. [Al-Haj ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: From Umrah to The Day when the records will be made speech and expenditure is a means to get from the heavens above, saying: ‘Your is patience in the obedience of Allah. 27]. Umrah is an expiation for what occurs to fl y and hearts will be trembling and closer to Allah. The Prophet (sallallaahu call has been heard; you are a happy Even with all the transportation and Dear Muslims, Haj is one of the fi ve between the two (i.e. sins), and there transformed and you will see people as ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: Verily deeds are one; your provisions are lawful, your road facilities, some hardship and toil pillars of Islam. The Messenger of Allah is no reward for the accepted Haj other though they are drunken however they judged and motivated by intention and mount is lawful and your pilgrimage will remain. Don’t nullify your deeds (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: Islam than Al-Jannah. Also he (sallallaahu will not be ... rather it will be the intense verily every person shall get what they is free of sin and acceptable.’ But, if his dear pilgrim by mentioning all you is founded upon fi ve pillars: The declara- ‘alaihi wa sallam) stated: Whoever makes punishment from Allah. intended. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] provisions are unlawfully gained, and have done or irritations and petty tion that there is no true deity worthy Haj and neither quarrels or commits in- Dear brothers and sisters, work for this 3. Learn The Rites of Haj And he puts his foot in the stirrup and calls annoyances and driving away other of worship besides Allah and that Mu- decency will return home like the day his world to the extent needed to live in it, ‘Umrah And Related Issues: Learn out: ‘O Allah! Here I am in response Muslims by your hand or your tongue. hammad is the Messenger of Allah, the mother gave birth to him. [Al-Bukhari but work also for the Hereafter in order the conditions of Haj and its obligations, to Your call,’ an announcer from the You must apply kindness and compas- performance of prayer (salaah), giving and Muslim] to live in it. Don’t put things off when its pillars and sunnah or supererogatory heavens above answers him back, sion. zakaat (due alms), fasting in the month The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa death is indeed before you and sickness aspects to the point that you can worship saying: ‘Your call is not accepted; nor 10. Lower The Gaze From What of Ramadan, and pilgrimage (Haj) to the sallam) strongly urged increasing one’s stops you or you become engulfed in Allah with insight clarity and knowledge are you welcome; your food is unlaw- Allah Has Made Haraam To Look inviolable House of Allah for whoever obedience and adherence between the work. Instead, escape from all that and and you will also avoid errors which may ful; your provisions are unlawful; and At: Be conscious and fear Allah regard- has the means. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Haj and the ‘Umrah for he said: Make seek Allah’s aid and depend upon Him spoil your Haj. Books on Haj are plentiful your pilgrimage is not free of sin and is ing those things which are unlawful. Is a duty for every Muslim who is the Haj and the Umrah follow each other and be among those who are answering and easy to obtain. Your local mosque unacceptable.”’ Al-Mundhri says: “This You will be in holy places of tremendous able to hurry to the fulfi l the Haj before closely, for they remove poverty and sins the call to Haj and remembering Allah’s may have preparatory classes as well. is reported by At-Tabarani in Al-Awsat, religious signifi cance, so hold your falling into sin. The Messenger of Allah as a blacksmith’s bellows remove impu- greatness this year. 4. Leave Plenty of Provisions For and also by Al-Asbahani in a mursal tongue and control your limbs so that stated: Hasten to the Haj because none rities from iron, gold and silver; and Haj If Allah has already opened your Your Family And Advise Them To hadith from Aslam, the freed slave of your Haj is not a sinful or false one that of you knows what will happen to him. which is accepted gets no less a reward breast and you have decided to perform Have Fear Of Allah (Taqwaa): It is ‘Umar bin al-Khattaab.” will be a burden upon your back on the [Ahmed]. than Paradise. [Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2524 the Haj for His sake and the reward of the obligatory for whoever intends to make It is said in a poem: Day of Resurrection. It is narrated from Abdur-Rahman Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas’ud; Umar Hereafter, I remind you of the following Haj that they leave adequate provisions When you make Haj with wealth May Allah accept our obedience Ibn Saabit: Whoever dies without having ibn al-Khattaab. Tirmidhi and Nasa’i matters: for those whose maintenance they are whose origin is unlawful and adherence and excuse us of our performed the Haj and there was no de- transmitted it, and Ahmad and Ibn 1. Ask Allah For Guidance And responsible for of money, food, and You have not made a Haj but a Haj of shortcomings and make for us and our bilitating illness as an obstacle nor unjust Maajah transmitted it from Umar up to Advice (Al-Istikhaarah and Al-Is- drink. One should be confi dent that their no consequence Muslim parents those through whom ruler or some overwhelming necessity “from iron.”] tishaara): The one who seeks guidance family is safe and sound and not left in Allah accepts not except all that is forgiveness is granted from among the preventing him, would die in the state of He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) also will not fail, nor will the one who seeks a situation of trial or danger. It is highly virtuous. Not all who make the Haj to the pilgrims answering the call this year and either a Jew or a Christian. [This state- said in a hadith that enlivens the feelings advice regret it. Seek the guidance of recommended (and many scholars say House of Allah are successful in the years to come. Gulf Times 14 Friday, August 11, 2017 COMMENT

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Editor-in-Chief: Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka Deputy Managing Editor: K T Chacko South Sudan: It’s time for Production Editor: Amjad Khan

P.O.Box 2888 humanitarians to get tough Doha, Qatar [email protected] The humanitarian crisis confl ict in which the protagonists tragically, a South Sudanese journalist the number of states from 10 to 28. Telephone 44350478 (news), fl agrantly disregard humanitarian law, working for the Internews agency was While most commentators agree this 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) has been caused and principles and space. The upshot is killed. The Terrain incident was the was primarily an attempt to shore Fax 44350474 compounded by a vicious a confl ict characterised by industrial devastating low point in a confl ict up the political centre (and with it levels of killing and the use of rape as a where there is little safe ground for patronage networks), it also provided confl ict in which the weapon of war. humanitarians. the framework for poorly funded state protagonists fl agrantly The gratuitousness of the confl ict The targeting of humanitarian administrations to raise revenue through translates into appalling levels of need. workers and assets is compounded opportunistic subnational taxation. disregard humanitarian In global terms, the $1.6bn sought by a raft of ever changing and venal This continues with humanitarian law, principles and space through the 2017 Humanitarian bureaucratic impediments whose agencies regularly requested to pay GULF TIMES Response Plan is third only to Syria express purpose is to exact tribute taxes on the movement of goods and and Yemen. from the very agencies seeking to off er personnel. By Simon Little/ IRIN In 2017, more than $850mn lifesaving assistance. The movement and fl ow of London has already been committed by This is nothing new. The co-option humanitarian aid continues to be the international community and and misappropriation of aid has a co-opted by parties to the confl ict Trump’s threats make delivered as food, medical, nutritional long history in South Sudan with and appropriated in the interests of s a humanitarian at what and water and sanitation support. supplies delivered through Operation military objectives. The government’s point does one start to Without such levels of support Lifeline Sudan routinely diverted and/ National Security Service has a dangerous standoff think the unthinkable? To the number of acutely malnourished or redirected by the then rebel Sudan repeatedly blocked the delivery of Aquestion the impact of the children, or cases of cholera, may well People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). humanitarian supplies to Kajo Keji aid provided, or perhaps even wonder have been far higher. In the years either side of in Central Equatoria state thereby if it’s doing more harm than good? But, conversely, had parties to the independence, the aid budget was denying potentially lifesaving more unpredictable Having served as an aid worker for confl ict not deliberately interfered largely overlooked in favour of more assistance to a population that it over 20 years, deploying to countless with the fl ow of aid, or targeted sizeable oil revenues that off ered considers supports the opposition. The problem with issuing a dire ultimatum as a fi rst response emergencies, I’ve rarely had cause to humanitarian workers and assets, the the means to lubricate and control Similar examples of aid being to a traditionally bellicose regime is that the one issuing it question the primacy of humanitarian situation may have been signifi cantly infl uential patronage networks. diverted or denied have been recorded is boxed in. That could well be the problem that President aid. better. Petro-dollars propped up the state in opposition-controlled areas. Donald Trump could likely face as he deals with North Korea’s However, South Sudan turns Here’s the rub. South Sudan is post-independence and aff orded it The humanitarian situation in logical thinking on its head. It blurs the most dangerous place in the the shard of economic legitimacy. But South Sudan is the worst I’ve known supreme leader Kim Jong-un’s increasingly aggressive moves the distinction between right and world to be an aid worker. Fifteen the fall in global oil market prices led in two decades, and unless assistance threatening the US. wrong. It raises serious questions humanitarians have been killed this to the tanking of the South Sudanese can be predictably and safely In a statement that is said to have taken the national security as to whether some of the $2bn of year and 84 since the confl ict erupted economy. delivered, the return of famine cannot establishment by surprise, the US president said: “North Korea humanitarian assistance delivered in 2013. Attenuating oil revenues prompted be discounted. best not make any more threats to the US. They will be met over the past 18 months is simply The UN’s emergency aid co- rent-seekers to look elsewhere, and However, the insecurity of the fuelling the war economy and ordination body, OCHA, has with few areas of the economy open operating environment, coupled with with fi re and fury like the world has never seen.” This came prolonging the confl ict. catalogued 492 “access” related for exploitation, the aid budget once the direct targeting of humanitarian in the aftermath of unconfi rmed reports that Pyongyang has Before outlining the challenge of incidents so far this year. Half of all again became an attractive option. action, and predatory bureaucratic produced miniaturised nuclear warheads that can be mounted working in an environment where incidents have been accompanied As part of this, government and processes, compromises the pace, on a missile. aid is routinely co-opted or misused, by violence directed against either opposition have sought ingenious scale and eff ectiveness of the overall Coupled with the fact that it now has long-range it’s worth reiterating the appalling personnel or assets. ways to raise revenue by taxing response. dimensions of the crisis in South June was the most brutal month humanitarian partners. A notorious This is of course entirely intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching Sudan. yet with threatening letters written recent example was the proposed unacceptable. Humanitarian partners the US, the latest unconfi rmed intelligence is certainly An increasing number of people to national aid workers, and 24 introduction of a $10,000 work permit deserve the protection and support worrisome. However, through the retaliatory threat of (roughly 6mn or half the population) humanitarian compounds broken into fee per individual aid worker which of those they are seeking to assist, unleashing “fi re and fury like the world has never seen”, thereby are considered acutely food insecure. and goods looted. was only abandoned following strong and government and opposition clearly implying a nuclear strike, Trump’s statement may turn Of these, 1.7mn are thought to be on This disregard for humanitarian diplomatic pressure. forces have responsibilities under the brink of famine. One-third of the action follows a depressingly familiar No matter, the government changed International Humanitarian Law to out to be one too soon. population has been displaced, either pattern which culminated in the tack and swiftly introduced a seven- both protect civilians, and facilitate Rather than feeling chastised, North Korea seems to feel internally or across the region as criminal attack by government forces fold increase in international NGO the delivery of lifesaving assistance. emboldened as its state-run Korean Central News Agency refugees and 17,000 cases of cholera on aid workers sheltering in the registration fees obliging partners to We need to toughen our political (KCNA) issued several statements, including the one that said have been reported in the worst Terrain hotel, Juba during fi ghting in pay a $3,500 levy to maintain their posture and defend humanitarian the government was “carefully examining” plans to launch and most prolonged outbreak since July 2016. lifesaving operations. principles and space, so that dedicated independence in 2011. In this terrible incident female Further problems stemmed from humanitarian partners are able to get missiles at the US-controlled island of Guam in the Pacifi c The humanitarian crisis has been aid workers were raped, others were the re-division of the state apparatus on with the job without fear for their Ocean. caused and compounded by a vicious mock executed, most were beaten and, in December 2015, which increased safety. A day after the US president’s “fi re and fury” threat, Pyongyang upped the ante, calling it a “load of nonsense” on August 9. It went a step further by issuing an even more specifi c threat to fi re four missiles that it said would land within 40km of Guam as a sort of a shot across the bow. The US president’s That Pyongyang intensifi ed its original statement is in threat barely 24 hours direct confl ict later in the face of the unprecedented warning with his own from the US president speaks of the imprudence Secretary of State of his response. It is the Rex Tillerson just kind of ultimatum that has to be backed with a few days ago action without which Washington will have no next step as Pyongyang continues to ratchet up its aggression. Kim Jong-un considers nuclear weapons as his only guarantee of survival in the face of mounting international pressure on him. He is not going to give those up, no matter what the international community might say or do. At a personal level, the idea that he is able to provoke a strong response from the US president senior to him by nearly four decades is bound to give Kim a considerable thrill. Traditionally, the North Korean leadership has thrived on such sabre-rattling and now that the sabre has a nuclear edge, it is expected to make diplomatic intercourse with him that much harder. Collecting food aid after an air drop in Leer, Unity State: an increasing number of people are considered acutely food insecure in South Sudan. The US president’s statement is in direct confl ict with his own Secretary of State Rex Tillerson just a few days ago. “We do not seek a regime change,” Tillerson said on August 1 before he set off on a visit to the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. “We do not seek the collapse of the regime, we do not seek an accelerated reunifi cation of the peninsula, we do not seek an Merkel challenger fails to make progress excuse to send our military north of the 38th parallel,” he said. A little over a week later the situation has taken a 180-degree turn with reports of Pyongyang being able to miniaturise Chancellor hopeful faces 17-percentage-point lead over their the damage caused to Hamburg by point since Schulz’s nomination in SPD rivals. Group of 20 protesters as well as January – after he warned that Europe nuclear warheads, stringent UN sanctions against North Korea, an uphill battle to topple Forsa chief Manfred Guellner inspecting high-tech facilities and faced the threat of a new refugee crisis, Trump’s extraordinary statement and Pyongyang’s threat Merkel warned last month that the SPD barbecuing with local voters across according to a Forsa poll conducted against Guam. was unlikely to be able to close the country. shortly after his comments. It is hard to make concession in the name of Trump’s the gap enjoyed by the CDU-CSU But polls show the SPD campaign At the same time, the renewed characteristic penchant for hyperbole and bluster because he is By Andrew McCathie/ DPA before voters cast their ballots in the themes of education, research, focus on the refugee crisis appeared to Berlin September 24 poll. infrastructure development and social provide the anti-foreigner Alternative dealing with a leader who has lived outside international norms “A rapid recovery is not to be justice have so far failed to fi re up for Germany (AfD) with fresh in the tradition of his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim expected,” Guellner said. voters. momentum with the party gaining one Il-sung. Unless the US president thinks that he can conduct his ermany’s Social Democrat This week Schulz also sounded a Instead, it has been the CDU’s percentage point to reach 8%. country’s foreign policy with a measure of matching cavalier Party (SPD) leader Martin little less upbeat about his chances attempt to portray Merkel as a safe Support for the SPD now stands style, his threat might turn out to be a case of premature Schulz is battling to make of ending Merkel’s 12 years in power, pair of hands in a turbulent world below the 25.7% of the vote it scored articulation. Ginroads into Chancellor saying he planned to remain SPD head shaped by an unpredictable White at the last election in September 2013, Angela Merkel’s commanding lead even if he is defeated in September. House, Britain’s exit from the while the CDU-CSU has edged its way in opinion polls as he criss-crosses A former bookshop owner, Schulz European Union and now an escalating back up towards the 41.5% mark it the nation in the build-up to the is currently winding up his so-called war of words over North Korea that reached in the election four years ago. To Advertise September national election. summer tour in the former communist has mobilized German voters. Schulz had linked his hopes to A voter survey released on eastern states, where the SDP leader Support for the SPD has drifted topping Merkel to the SPD pulling off [email protected] Wednesday by Berlin-based pollsters said he plans to “recognise the down in recent months after it surged victories in three state elections held Display Forsa showed the SPD edging up one achievements of the people in the earlier this year following the party’s earlier this year. Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 percentage point over the last week to east.” decision to nominate Schulz as its In the end, however, the SPD lost reach 23%. But political allegiances are not as chancellor candidate to spearhead its each of the state polls. Classified “I am confi dent that on September strong in the eastern part of the nation campaign for the national election. Moreover, the SPD could now lose Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 24 we will have Martin Schulz as as in the west so Schulz is also hoping A former European Parliament control of another state – Lower chancellor,” Schulz, aged 61, likes to that voters in the so-called new states president, Schulz’s move last month Saxony – after the party lost its Subscription say on the campaign trail. might give his campaign a much- to seize on the refugee issue believing parliamentary majority in the regional [email protected] But the Forsa poll also showed needed boost as the run-up to the it to be one of Merkel’s political weak legislature following the defection Merkel’s conservative Christian election enters a critical stage. points and to demonstrate his skills on of a member of the SPD’s coalition Democrats (CDU) and their Schulz’s trip to the east comes after the European stage seemed to backfi re. partner, the Greens, to the CDU. 2017 Gulf Times. All rights reserved Bavarian-based Christian Social he visited the conservative southern Support for the SPD fell 2 The crisis has now triggered a fresh Union (CSU) allies retaining a German state of Bavaria and toured percentage points to 21% – the lowest state election. Gulf Times Friday, August 11, 2017 15 COMMENT The world’s duty to Venezuela

Under Maduro, Venezuela gold visited by Candide. But the myth threatens to dissolve. And, of course, of El Dorado - as recounted by Luis the toothless warnings from Mercosur has joined the pack of Sepulveda, Alejo Carpentier, and others and US President Donald Trump’s countries headed for mass – never ends well. timid saber-rattling should be replaced Venezuela – its own kind of El with stronger economic and fi nancial poverty Dorado – will pay a heavy price, once sanctions. Maduro has drained it dry. Already, Second, the situation in Venezuela By Bernard-Henri Levy it faces escalating violence that has should concern all countries that Paris brought it to the brink of civil war. In have an interest in the fi ght against just the last few weeks, 124 protesters terrorism, and the money-laundering have died. Opposition fi gures have been networks that fi nance it. After all, enezuela, which sits atop the persecuted, dismissed, kidnapped, what purpose was served by the “Bo- world’s largest proven oil re- imprisoned, and tortured in police sta- livarian alliance” between Chavez and serves, was once one of Latin tions and jails. Adding insult to injury, former Iranian president Mahmoud VAmerica’s most prosperous an electoral farce recently handed Ahmadinejad? And where have the countries. Though it was hardly a para- Maduro a deconstituent assembly with members of the Revolutionary Armed gon of democracy, it did make strides the power to dismantle the country’s Forces of Colombia gone? Just before towards building solid institutions. fragile institutional balance. his death, the Farc leader Ivan Rios Then, in 1999, the former tank com- In the face of this disaster, two ques- told me that many Farc militants mander Hugo Chavez came to power. tions come to mind. The fi rst refl ects had been sent “on a mission” to the And before his death in 2013, he se- my French perspective, but can also country of “twenty-fi rst century lected his successor: Nicolas Maduro, a be applied to other Western countries. socialism.” sorry, bloodthirsty Chavez clone, who How long, one wonders, will Jean-Luc More recently, certain leaders of the assumed the presidency after a bogus Melenchon – a contender in France’s anti-Chavista opposition – now exiled election, and has ruled the country ever presidential election last spring, who to the wilderness, for the time being since. now aspires to lead the opposition – have alleged that Maduro’s regime Today, the world watches as the Ven- as the head of La France Insoumise, has deep ties to North Korea, Bashar ezuelan dream becomes a nightmare, as a left-wing populist party whose al-Assad’s regime in Syria, and the a mix of incompetence and stupid- name translates roughly as “rebellious freelancing militant group Hezbollah. ity brings everything – the political France” – continue to sing the praises Should we put stock in these claims? system, the economy, and society – of Venezuela’s murderous regime? Anti-government activists demonstrate against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at a barricade set up on a road in These are all questions that must crashing down. It watches as Venezuela One wonders how many people have Caracas: the world watches as the Venezuelan dream becomes a nightmare. be asked – and answered. We know is carved up by a “Bolivarian” oligarchy to die before Melenchon calls a spade from past experience that no act is too that is beholden to a Cuba that has a spade, and acknowledges that Ma- Britain, Melenchon and his “rebellious” the Venezuelans who have died for spelled out in the Charter of the UN. depraved for a desperate regime. At a itself been bled dry, and no longer duro’s security forces are no diff erent followers seem to believe that bloody democracy and the rule of law. He has UN member states should uphold this minimum, Venezuela’s slow-motion believes in its own political model. It from those that sowed terror in Chile hands can be excused in the struggle implied that they were merely young principle by sending a strong signal to coup d’etat warrants commissions watches as Maduro, the tinpot Libera- and Argentina not too long ago. What against “imperialism.” people from fancy neighbourhoods Maduro’s government to end the cur- of inquiry in the spirit of the Russell tor, appropriates revenues from the would it take for Melenchon to accept Worse, when they do speak out, it who got what they deserved; and he rent violence. Tribunal, and greater interest from national oil company to fi nance his that Venezuela’s brutal regime was is either to blame the victims or to has dismissed the government’s savage To that end, the Security Council the Western media – not the embar- clientelism, and to top off opaque funds never a proper “source of inspiration,” denounce “disinformation.” For ex- attacks on the opposition by musing needs to muster the courage to issue rassed silence with which the interna- that are managed without oversight by or acknowledge that his presidential- ample, Djordje Kuzmanovic, a sinister that, “sometimes people get burned.” a clear statement of condemnation tional community has responded so far. his regime’s satraps. campaign proposal to enter into a spokesman for Melenchon’s party, has The statements from Melenchon and against the regime. Venezuelan opposi- -Project Syndicate Under Maduro, Venezuela has joined “Bolivarian alliance” – to cozy up to the compared peaceful Venezuelan pro- his confederates are unworthy of any tion leaders who still enjoy freedom the pack of countries headed for mass heirs of the dear, departed caudillos, testers to the putschists who delivered party that wishes to be viewed as the of movement in Paris, Madrid, and zBernard-Henri Levy is one of the poverty. Its rate of infl ation, to cite Castro and Chavez – was a really bad Augusto Pinochet to power in Chile opposition in France. Washington, DC, should be extended founders of the “Nouveaux Philosophes” just one indicator, now rivals that of idea? in 1973. My second question is addressed to offi cial welcomes. French, Span- (New Philosophers) movement. His Zimbabwe or Weimar Germany. One is For the moment, it seems as though Similarly, Alexis Corbiere, a newly the international community, which ish, and American foreign ministries books include Left in Dark Times: A reminded of Cockaigne, that mythical nothing will change Melenchon’s elected far-left member of the French has at least two reasons to take an should express their solidarity with Stand Against the New Barbarism and land where gold – the yellow oil – fl ows mind. Like Podemos in Spain, Syriza National Assembly, has layered shame interest in Venezuela’s plight. The fi rst the Venezuelan legislature, which Ma- American Vertigo: Traveling America freely, or of El Dorado, that lost city of in Greece, and Jeremy Corbyn in Great on top of cowardice by insulting is the “responsibility to protect,” as duro’s coup by constituent assembly in the Footsteps of Tocqueville. Weather report Revenge of the experts Three-day forecast TODAY High: 43 C Low : 32 C By Barry Eichengreen and off set any problems with the object, refl ects an inconclusive general for British banks seeking to do business in the EU, and not even an agreement Inshore: Hazy to misty /foggy at Berkeley transition to a new trade regime. election and a hung parliament, not the places at first, becomes hot daytime They suggested that a UK freed of Brexit vote. Or worsening conditions on landing rights for British aircraft on and humid by night. burdensome EU regulations could off er can be blamed on the government’s the European continent. he Brexit debate is an endless a more business-friendly environment less-than-stellar negotiating strategy And now the chickens are coming SATURDAY source of mirth for anyone and lower corporate tax rates, and and the appearance that it is entering home to roost with a vengeance High: 42 C with a dark sense of humour. thus become a magnet for foreign discussions with its EU partners (if chickens could be vengeful). Low: 33 C TMy own favourite quote is investment. unprepared. Consumers, seeing the pound M Sunny from Michael Gove, currently Britain’s Most provocatively, they questioned But the inconclusive election depreciate, front-loaded their environment secretary. predictions that the uncertainty refl ects the schizophrenia of both spending in the second half of last year, Just prior to the June 2016 Brexit surrounding Brexit would have the Conservative and Labour parties because they understood that import SUNDAY referendum, Gove, who was justice a profoundly adverse impact on on the Brexit issue. Prime Minister prices would rise. Having incurred High: 42 C secretary in David Cameron’s economic performance. Economists Theresa May opposed Brexit prior to additional debt, they are now in no Low: 34 C government at the time, dismissed can’t measure uncertainty directly, the referendum, but now embraces it position to continue spending at that Sunny the all-but-unanimous view of they reminded us, while proxies, like as the occupant of 10 Downing Street. earlier pace. economists and others that a decision the frequency with which the term The Labour opposition under Jeremy Sterling’s substantial depreciation, to leave the European Union would appears in the fi nancial press, do a poor Corbyn offi cially opposes Brexit but moreover, augurs a signifi cant rise Fishermen’s forecast deeply damage the British economy. job of capturing its eff ects. seems to derive peculiar satisfaction in infl ation, which means that the OFFSHORE DOHA “People in this country have had Indeed, we economists have had from the fact that it is proceeding. BoE will have to start raising interest Wind: SE-NE 03-13/18 KT enough of experts,” Gove testily little success at reliably predicting Some argue that if the government rates sooner rather than later. The Waves: 1-3/5 Feet explained, referring to “experts from when and why uncertainty spikes. adopted a more coherent negotiating consequences for growth will not be INSHORE DOHA Wind: SE-NE 05-15 KT organisations with acronyms, saying And there is little agreement on the strategy the damage would be less. But pretty. The Bank will no longer be the Waves: 1-2/4 Feet they know what is best and getting it severity of its impact. Maybe we would the fact is that there is no coherent Brexiteers’ friend. consistently wrong.” be better off placing less weight on the negotiating strategy. May’s objectives What the late, great MIT economist Around the region The early post-referendum evidence eff ects of uncertainty when making – restriction of immigration from Rudi Dornbusch – that most expert Weather Weather suggested, to the surprise of many forecasts in general, and in the case of the EU while maintaining full access of experts – said about Mexico’s today Max/min tomorrow Max/min – or at least to many of the experts Brexit in particular. to the European single market – are peso crisis in the 1990s applies to the Abu Dhabi M Sunny 43/35 Sunny 44/34 – that Gove was right and they were But this view looks rather less fundamentally incompatible. damage from Brexit as well. A crisis, Baghdad Sunny 49/31 Sunny 49/31 Dubai wrong. There was in fact no immediate compelling with the passage of a The only surprise is that it took Dornbusch noted, “takes a much M Sunny 44/34 Sunny 44/33 Kuwait City M Sunny so long for the consequences to longer time coming than you think, Sunny 43/32 44/33 recession in the United Kingdom couple of additional quarters. British Manama Sunny 42/33 Sunny 42/33 following the Brexit vote; indeed, there consumer confi dence is down, with materialise. It evidently took and then it happens much faster than Muscat Sunny 32/29 Sunny 34/29 was not even a slowdown in growth. spending in the second quarter of this more time than expected for the you would have thought.” -Project Riyadh Sunny 45/30 M Sunny 44/30 To explain this, observers pointed year falling to its lowest level in four implications to sink in – to understand Syndicate Tehran Sunny 34/23 Sunny 35/24 to the nimble response of the Bank years. New car sales have been down that “Brexit means Brexit,” as May’s of England (BoE), which cut interest for four consecutive months. The BoE pithy tautology put it. It took time zBarry Eichengreen is a professor at the rates to prevent any softening of forecasts a whopping 20% decline in to realise that there would be no University of California, Berkeley, and demand. They pointed to the big business investment in the coming smooth break with the EU and that the University of Cambridge. His latest post-referendum depreciation of years, whereas Brexit’s champions negotiations would not be wrapped up book is Hall of Mirrors: The Great the pound, which promised to make predicted the opposite. in two years. There might be no free- Depression, the Great Recession, and British exports more competitive The drop in confi dence, some might trade agreement, no passporting rights the Uses – and Misuses – of History.

Live issues ‘Vitamin B3 can prevent miscarriages, birth defects’

DPA most important molecules in all living Sydney cells. NAD synthesis is essential for energy production, DNA repair and cell Around the world aking vitamin B3 supplements communication. Weather Weather can signifi cantly prevent Environmental and genetic factors today Max/min tomorrow Max/min miscarriages and birth can disrupt its production, which Athens Sunny 37/26 Sunny 38/26 defects, according to a new causes a NAD defi ciency. Beirut M Sunny 29/26 Sunny 29/27 T Bangkok S T Storms 36/27 P Cloudy 36/27 Australian study. “After 12 years of research, our team Berlin S T Storms 24/14 Cloudy 19/14 Scientists from the Victor Chang has discovered that this defi ciency can Cairo Sunny 38/27 Sunny 39/26 Institute in Sydney found a major be cured and miscarriages and birth Cape Town S Showers 14/09 P Cloudy 14/08 cause of multiple miscarriages and defects prevented by taking a common Colombo S T Storms 29/26 T Storms 30/26 babies born with heart, kidney and vitamin,” she said. Dhaka T Storms 30/27 T Storms 30/26 Hong Kong S T Storms 32/29 P Cloudy 31/28 spinal defects was a defi ciency of a Professor Robert Graham, executive Istanbul Sunny 31/23 Sunny 32/22 molecule called NAD. director of the Institute, said just as Jakarta P Cloudy 32/25 M Cloudy 32/25 Vitamin B3 can cure molecular folate is now used to prevent spina Karachi Cloudy 30/27 Cloudy 30/27 defi ciencies including NAD, the bifi da, the study found it best for London P Cloudy 22/16 S Showers 20/12 T Storms 33/26 scientists said in a study published women to start taking vitamin B3 early Manila 33/26 T Storms Moscow P Cloudy 26/15 Sunny 27/14 yesterday in the New England Journal on, even before they become pregnant. New Delhi M Cloudy 35/28 P Cloudy 35/27 of Medicine. The next step will be to develop a New York P Cloudy 27/22 S T Storms 26/21 The Institute said the study, led by be huge. This has the potential to The study found a defi ciency in diagnostic test to measure NAD levels. Paris M Cloudy 23/14 S Showers 22/13 Professor Sally Dunwoodie, was among signifi cantly reduce the number of the molecule nicotinamide adenine This will enable doctors to identify Sao Paulo P Cloudy 20/12 S Showers 24/13 Seoul T Storms 31/22 P Cloudy 32/22 Australia’s greatest-ever medical miscarriages and birth defects around dinucleotide, known as NAD, prevents those women who are at greatest risk Singapore S T Storms 29/25 S T Storms 29/25 breakthroughs and one of the greatest the world, and I do not use those a baby’s organs from developing of having a baby with a birth defect, Sydney P Cloudy 22/08 M Sunny 21/10 discoveries in pregnancy research. words lightly,” Dunwoodie said in the correctly in the womb. and ensure they are getting suffi cient Tokyo Cloudy 27/22 Cloudy 30/23 “The ramifi cations are likely to Institute’s announcement. She explained NAD is one of the vitamin B3, according to the study. Gulf Times 16 Friday, August 11, 2017 QATAR Blockade puts UK-Gulf trade talks on hold

By Patrick Wintour deal with individual GCC states Diplomatic Editor, Guardian than with the council as a whole which, ironically, is modelled on the EU: it has its own internal lans for a prestigious UK- free-trade agreement signed in Gulf Co-operation Coun- 1983, a customs union imple- Pcil meeting in London mented in 2015, and a declara- this year have been put on hold, tion of commitment to freedom threatening UK plans for a quick of movement for people and free-trade deal with some of the goods in 2018. richest economies in the world The question mark over the after Brexit. planned London summit un- Prime Minister Theresa May derlines the extent to which all promised last year to host the sides fear the Gulf dispute will fi rst meeting of the GCC nations last for a long time. outside the Gulf in December as European and US diplomats part of a symbolic show of the rushed to the Gulf when the dis- UK’s strengthening trade and pute began, urging the states to security ties with the regional lift their embargo on Qatar to bloc. allow conciliation to take place, Divers descend with the underwater billboard. But Gulf nation sources said but there now seems to be an the two-month dispute be- acceptance that no quick settle- tween Qatar and three other ment is possible. Gulf states has put planning for Kuwait, the key regional me- the summit on hold. There have diator, is shuttling between the been suggestions that if the dis- states, with new proposals hav- pute worsens, the organisation ing been taken to Saudi Arabia itself will fold. and Egypt. In addition, two US Qatar has fi led a legal action envoys have arrived in the Gulf Overwhelming support with the World Trade Organisa- for talks in Kuwait, Saudi Ara- tion over an air, land and trade bia, the United Arab Emirates, embargo imposed by other Gulf Bahrain, Egypt and Qatar. states in a legal dispute that could take years to resolve. The The question mark over complete collapse of the GCC, the planned London which was formed in 1981, summit underlines the for underwater portrait would complicate British ef- extent to which all sides forts to set up free-trade deals to fear the Gulf dispute will By Staff Reporter role and social responsibility as a supplement the loss of EU trade last for a long time Doha national university that actively post-Brexit. interacts with the current cir- In 2016, UK trade with GCC The dispute between Qa- cumstances. states stood at £30bn, higher tar and Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, he Aquatic Centre at “This new billboard will pro- than its exports to China and the UAE and Egypt is focused Qatar University (QU)’s vide QU members with the op- more than double those to India. on Doha’s independent foreign TSports Activities Depart- portunity to express their ap- The international trade secre- policy. The boycotting states ment has launched an underwa- preciation and loyalty to Qatar. tary, Liam Fox, has hailed the have tried to bring Doha to heel ter version of the iconic ‘Tamim It also refl ects the country’s so- Gulf as one of the areas in which by cutting all diplomatic ties, Al Majd’ billboard. cial solidity and unity during the British trade could be quickly and closing their land borders The new billboard was estab- current situation.” expanded; he has identifi ed 31 and airspace to it. lished in the swimming pool at Manager of Sports and Rec- big-ticket items ranging from The anti-Qatar alliance has QU Male Water Sports Complex, reation Activities Asmaa al- oil and gas to infrastructure, life listed a range of demands, in- in collaboration with QU Div- Naemi said, “We, at the Sports sciences, the creative industries cluding that the state ends its ing Club, Aspire Academy, Civil Activities Department, thought and defence. interference in the internal af- Defence, Coast and Borders Se- of a creative way to express our A UK-GCC trade working fairs of other Gulf states and curity Department, Elite Dive love to our beloved country and group has already been set up, withdraws its alleged support Academy, Freediving Associa- its wise leadership. looking at the Singapore-GCC for terrorism. Support for the tion, Hamad Aquatic Centre, In- “We came up with the idea trade deal as a potential model. Muslim Brotherhood would also ternal Security Force (Lekhwiya) of launching an underwater The Gulf states have no free- have to end. Qatar has strongly and Poseidon Dive Centre. ‘Tamim Al Majd’ billboard to The underwater billboard was installed with the collaboration of several organisations. trade deal with the EU after denied all the charges. QU members will be able to voice our belonging and support talks stalled in 2008, partly over The alliance has been encour- access the underwater ‘Tamim to His Highness the Emir and to of Business and Economics) Mo- implementing the underwater Sciences) Bahaa Mohamed add- human rights issues. Efta, the aging other states to expel the Al Majd’ billboard until August Qatar. All QU members are en- hamed al-Bourshid noted, “This billboard idea. I would also like ed, “The underwater billboard four-nation body of Switzer- Doha-funded broadcaster Al 13. Professional divers will be on couraged to express their sincere initiative refl ects our solidarity to thank all the institutions that refl ects QU support to the coun- land, Lichtenstein, Norway and Jazeera, saying its journalism hand to assist them. appreciation and gratitude to and loyalty during the current supported and participated in try’s wise leadership. I came Iceland, does have a deal. supports terrorism and is anti- QU vice-president for Stu- our generous country.” situation in Qatar. I would like to this event.” here to express my appreciation It is generally accepted that Semitic. Israel this week agreed dent Aff airs Dr Khalid al-Khanji QU Diving Club head and express my gratitude to QU ad- Sport Science Programme and gratitude to the country that it would be more diffi cult for to do so, but it is not clear how said, “This initiative refl ects our third-year student (QU College ministration for welcoming and student (QU College of Arts and raised and educated me.” the UK to strike as valuable a the ban will be enforced. With love from Qatar QRCS initiative aids PKU patients in Gaza

By Staff Reporter Doha

atar Red Crescent (QRCS) has organised Qtraining and workshop sessions for 20 parents in Gaza on how to take care of their children with phenylketonuria (PKU) at the Gaza-based Ard El Insan Palestinian Benevolent Association’s training centre. Dr Heba al-Mahallawi, health projects offi cer of QRCS’ mis- sion in Gaza, said the project is saving many lives by minimis- ing the complications of the disease. “We make home visits and QRCS makes home visits and provides psychological support for provide psychological sup- patients and their families. port for the patients and their families. Our medical interven- tions are patient-oriented,” he said, adding that this $224,000 project helped 120 benefi ciaries from diff erent parts of Gaza. Kuwaitis looking at a mural of Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, presented as a gift from the Qatari people Iyad Najjar from Khan in recognition of his efforts to mediate a resolution in the Gulf crisis, erected inside a tower in Kuwait City. Younes, southern Gaza, who have two children (13-year-old girl and nine-year-old boy) said they discovered the problem six months after their births. “At fi rst, it was a shocking and diffi - Citizens of 242 countries eligible for Qatar e-visa cult experience but my wife and I quickly learnt how to take care From Page 1 Australia, New Zealand, Canada or Schengen chelles, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, In- of our children in a healthy and countries. In a landmark move on Wednesday, dia, and South Africa. Qatar Airways Group scientifi c way,” he noted. A nutritionist briefs parents on how to take care of their children GCC residents should provide a residence Qatar announced that citizens of 80 coun- chief executive Akbar al-Baker stated that Najjar became an expert with phenylketonuria. visa, ID, ticket and passport copy (for GCC tries can now enter Qatar visa-free, making it the citizens of these 80 countries will be able in taking care of his children nationals/residents companion entry permit the most open country in the region. enter the country “with no paper work, no through QRCS training ses- who suff er serious complica- he added. The doctor lauded only). Addressing a joint press conference sen- payment and no visas.” sions. He also benefi ted from tions like behavioural problems QRCS’ funding of the project Applicants can also upload additional ior offi cials of the Ministry of Interior (MoI), “This historic announcement comes at others’ experiences with their and mental disorders. “The cost to supply 3,700 milk and 5,000 documents to back their application such as Qatar Tourism Authority and Qatar Airways a time of historic signifi cance. While some children. Ard El Insan Palestin- of medical care for each patient fl our packs apart from the hold- investments of $8,000 or more, income tax announced that instead of applying for a visa, countries in the region have taken to closing ian Benevolent Association’s is as high as $300 per week, ing of health education work- papers showing an annual gross income of citizens of these countries who want to visit their skies and their borders, Qatar has in- medical consultant Dr Younes which is unaff ordable for many shops and the launch of me- $8,000 or more, evidence of travel in the last Qatar will be given a multiple-entry waiver stead opened its borders to more freely wel- Abo al-Nour noted that the parents in Gaza. The patients dia campaigns to raise public fi ve years to Qatar (using services provided by for free at the port of entry. coming visitors from all corners of the world,” project covers an under-served need a special diet eliminating awareness about this humani- the country) and valid visas to the UK, the US, The countries include the UK, the US, Sey- he said. group of 250 patients in Gaza, foods high in phenylalanine,” tarian cause.